Signs of Spring!


photo courtesy Duo Fiberworks c 2011
There are signs of Spring everywhere!  From the thousands of geese & swans winging northward over Lancaster County to the backyard peepers-Spring is nearly here! Spring at LYS brings lots and lots of new yarn, workshops & classes & big plans for the summer! 



Last week at Knit Night, I cast on a pair of Knitting Pure & Simple Easy Children's Lightweight Socks.  I'm using a new yarn from Knit One Crochet Too: Soxx Appeal.  This yarn is 96% Superwash Merino, 3% Nylon & 1% Elastic.  Reviews on Ravelry rate this as a 5 STAR yarn.  I'm happy with the beginnings of my little socks.  I may have another one or two--or five--projects on my needles.  I'm designing a couple of hats & some kits that will be in the shop next week.

Other new yarns this week:  Crock O Dye sock, Ty-Dy Sock, Alpaca Yarn Company's Paca Peds, Whorled Peace, Crabapple Yarns,& Kettle Dyed.  

Have you joined us for Knit Night?  We knit together every Thursday evening between 5:00 and 8:00.  Grab your knitting, your crochet, your spinning wheel or spindle & come set a while!  We'll make you welcome--& you may even get some knitting done!

Our Free Workshops have been really fun lately.  Filling the studio upstairs with knitters anxious to learn new techniques & tricks makes for a fun day at the shop!  New listings for workshops in April & May are on the site now!  Please sign up in advance for the Free Workshops as the fill up fast!

Filling almost anything with knitters is a good bet for a fun day!  We are really, really excited about our first Bus Trip.  We filled a large, luxury bus to take us to the Smithsonian Institute to see the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibit on March 13th.  Many of our Thursday Night Knitters helped create 'polyps' for this amazing display.  It should be a grand day out!



LYS Farmhouse Knitting Retreat: April 1-3, 2011


Our first knitting retreat!  Join LYS in beautiful, rural Lancaster County for a weekend of knitting, relaxing, and community!  

Imagine an Amish farmhouse that has been renovated to offer guests all the comforts of an inn and the hospitality of a home. White Oak B&B, just a few country miles from LYS, is a 'wonderful good' setting for a friendly weekend of knitting and community. The Knitting Retreat is scheduled for April 1st through 3rd, and runs from Friday evening to mid-day Sunday.  Cost includes lodging, meals (except Saturday dinner on-your-own), and a Farmhouse Knitting Workshop on Saturday.  The workshop is an Introduction to Lace Knitting with fingering weight yarns.  You'll receive a kit with locally hand dyed yarn, needles,  & pattern.  Let's make something beautiful together!

Space is limited.  Register NOW to reserve your spot. 
There will also be a limited number of spaces for a day-long retreat on Saturday.   

Cost:  $295.00 each

Arrival:  Friday, April 1st 4:30pm.
Check out:  Sunday, April 3rd 12:00pm.

Rates based on double occupancy.  Everyone gets their own bed.  Please telephone the shop with roommate requests when you register. 

We expect to fill up quickly, please be advised that if the event over-fills, reservations are first come/first served & not guaranteed until confirmed by LYS.*



 *In the event that you register after the event is full, you will, of course, receive a full refund immediately. 

Bus Trip to the Coral Reef!

~~BUS TRIP SOLD OUT~~
Join us next time! 

LYS Charter Bus Trip to Washington DC

YES! We are going to see the 'Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef' at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History!  A group of knitters & crocheters from the LYS community had an opportunity to learn ‘Hyperbolic Crochet’ and contribute to this amazing exhibit, along with hundreds of others from around the world. 
Come with us to ooh and ahh over this incredible mash up of fiber and fauna, earth and sea.  Word is it will take your breath away!

The Coral Reef Bus Trip is Sunday, March 13, 2011.  We'll leave promptly from Lancaster Yarn Shop at 7:30 AM getting to DC around 10:30 AM.  We leave DC promptly at 5:00 PM, arriving back at LYS around 8:30 PM.  There’s plenty of free, well lit parking  at LYS.  It couldn’t be easier!
           
The cost for the bus is $27.00 per person and includes cost of transportation only (Admission to Smithsonian Museums is free!). Please reserve your seat by registering HERE.  Bring your spouse, your kid(s), your friend, your neighbor – AMAZE them with what yarn can do!  This will be a really fun day, and we anticipate a full coach. Reserve your spot NOW!
Pre-registration & pre-payment is required.  Availability is limited. 
Registration ENDS February 25, 2011 or BEFORE if coach is sold out.
In the event of a cancellation by LYS, full refunds will be given.
In the event of circumstances beyond our control, &/or after February 25, 2011, no refunds are available.


 For more information, please call the shop at (717) 768-8007.

First Day of Winter

Winter is well & truly here.  Last night's dramatic eclipse, which nicely rounded out the shortest & darkest day of the year,was a fitting finale to Fall. Winter means our busy Knitting Season can get under way!

January has been called Selfish Knitting Month which seems to assume that we've all been slavishly knitting holiday gifts this Fall.  Winter is a great time to tackle a 'big' project--something complicated or a new technique.  After all, the garden isn't calling to us with it's endless weeds--and the grass doesn't need to be mowed!  Take time to sit down with your knitting in a bright window--maybe while snow is drifting down--& with a cup of cocoa to hand!   Need company?  Join us for Thursday Knit Night or for one of our Free Workshops.  

I have a sweater I've been haphazardly working on that I plan to finish up by the New Year so I can move on to a project I've been thinking about for the last few weeks.  We're available to help plan your next big project!  Stop in for yarn, patterns, inspiration & knitting help!  You can follow our tweets & posts on twitter & Facebook, & we have a class blog, too.  

Not quite finished your holiday shopping?  We've got swifts & winders, blocking wires, gift certificates, pretty scissors & tools PLUS hand-knit, fair trade hats, mittens, socks & headbands to stuff into stockings or under the tree!
 



Ilga Leja's Beech Wood Cowl





Yesterday was a wonderful, wintry day for a workshop!  Classic Alpaca yarn wound into balls & patterns in hand, nine knitters spent two hours in the Lancaster Yarn Shop studios casting on Ilga Leja's beautiful 'Beech Wood Cowl' and talking about knitting.  
The pattern is available through the website www.ilgaleja.com or on www.ravelry.com.  The cowl features bands of alternating garter ridges & stockinette that support innovative lacy openings.  Knit with approximately 100 grams of dk weight alpaca on US#7 needles, there's still time to knit this up before Christmas gets here! 
I love my cowl, which features a 'mistake' now styled as a modification, & I'm getting lots of opportunities to wear it as temperatures here in Lancaster County remain chilly! 
Keep an eye out for our next Free Workshop!  We'll have three in January!  Check out our new blog over the next few weeks for details as they unfold!
Happy Knitting!