New Stuff – The French Knot

It’s hot outside! Let’s talk about Christmas.

July 7, 2016 by Meg

You might like to know that Christmas is 24 weeks away. No need to worry though, we have you covered with a sale and a bunch of KALs.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE!

We are putting needlepoint canvases on sale for two days this month. July 15 & 16 tons of canvases will be half price. In fact, almost all in stock canvases will be 50% off. That’s an amazing deal. Canvases like these…

Don’t worry, knitters. We have you covered as well. How about a series of Knit-A-Longs to get a pile of knitted gifts ready to give away this Christmas? For the next five months, we will start one project each month. Let’s start on July 19 with a set of mittens. It’s super fun to knit along with friends and we will give you all the help you need. All we ask is that you buy your supplies from us.

Mittens – Mittens for the Fishermen – by Erica Lueder (July)

Dishtowel – Slip Stitch Dish Towel – by Willow Yarns Design Team (August)

Scarf – No-Purl Ribbed Scarf – by Purl Soho (September)

Hat – Copy.Cat C.C beanie by Emily Ingrid (October)

Felted Oven Mitt – Felted Oven Mitt in one skein by Sandra Penny (November)

We have a few fun new things in the shop.

This issue of Vogue Knitting has some really great patterns.

It’s been awhile since I showed you some finished objects.

Happy Halloween!

October 29, 2015 by Meg

New Canvases!

November is Trunk Show month!

Not just any trunk show, but a Burnett & Bradley Trunk Show. Check out their gallery here, then come into the shop during November to pick up one of their super cute canvases.

Upcoming Classes!

Knitting 101 is this Saturday, October 31. There is still some room. Come join us from 10-1.

Session two of the Ho Ho Ho Class is on November 14.

Crochet-A-Long Progress!

Deanne is making progress on her Crochet-a-long… Two more months (four squares) to go.

Deanne's CAL Afghan — Deanne’s CAL Afghan

You can see Joni’s progress here.

Finished Objects!

Happy Fall, Y’all!

October 1, 2015 by Meg

Happy Fall, Y’all! Here at the shop, we are having a ball!

New bling is just the thing, it puts a song in my heart and makes me want to sing!

Next up, you see, to give you a grin, new canvases, surely your heart they will win.

Mittens, pumpkins, mini-stockings are here, and this “Sweet Dreams” makes me wanna cheer.

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Also new, for your knitting delights,

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From Misti Alpaca, set socks, shawls and hats in your sights,

Now on to some inspiring things nearly done,

Crochet-a-long squares, we are having such fun.

Quilters are great, look what Magnolia Quilters made,

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They are raffling it off, when $1 is paid,

We have tickets here, we’d be happy to share,

But I sure hope I win, I have $1 to spare.

Now finally, I’m done and I’ll close with a few,

Of the sort of things, that we like to do,

It’s July!!

July 2, 2015 by Meg

It’s July… Christmas finishing deadlines are looming.

We will be closed on Saturday, July 4

Trunk Shows

Canvasworks Trunk Show has arrived. Such beautiful canvases.

Birds of A Feather Trunk show continues.

Yarn Crawl

We have been enjoying the Yarn Crawl. We have been meeting so many great new folks. It continues until July 11, so you still have some time to get your passport stamped. See more on last week’s blog.

Melissa Leapman coming to Oxford, MS

Our friends at Knit 1 Oxford in Oxford, MS are hosting Melissa Leapman for some workshops and a book signing. She will be there August 21-23. Click this link to see what classes she will be teaching. There are folks from the coast already signed up to go. If you decide to go, tell them we sent you.

Classes!!

We’ve updated the Classes page with all the upcoming classes.

DSCF6595 A great group for DSCF6596 Needlepoint 101

Renee's Sampler — Renee finished her sampler from Needlepoint 101.

Crochet-a-long

The July squares are posted!

Finished Objects.

Lots to tell you about today.

June 25, 2015 by Meg

Deep South Shop Hop Email Header

First up … a Yarn Crawl

A “shop-hopping good time.” Thanks to Pam at McNeedles for this great idea. From June 26 – July 11 five shops will be participating in the Yarn Crawl.

McNeedles, Lacombe
The French Knot, Diamondhead
Quarter Stitch, NOLA
Knits By Nana, Baton Rouge
Yarn Nook, Lafayette

Get your passport stamped at each store between the dates of June 26th and July 11th and you will be entered into a Grand Prize Drawing. You can win a brand new set of Addi Clicks or a prize basket filled with goodies from each participating shop! The French Knot will be offering 20% off to each customer with a passport. Come pick up your passport and start shopping!

Next up… Trunk shows

Just Libby is almost out the door. Hurry in to pick your canvas. These are so cute and each one has a stitch guide.

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Birds of A Feather is here until July 13. This collection has a great variety of canvases. So much color and something for everyone.

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CALs and KALs…

The Crochet-a-long is going amazingly well. Join us. Two squares a month until the end of the year. The great thing about this is that it’s never too late to catch up. A 12-inch square works up quickly and by the end of the year, you have an afghan. Deanne is using Cascade 220 Superwash and Michelle is using Classic Shades by Universal. Some of the other yarns folks are using are Pacific by Cascade and Jeannee by Plymouth.

How about a Knit-a-long? As a means of learning to read a chart and lace knitting, a few of our regulars are starting a KAL. We are casting on The Lonely Tree this Tuesday (June 30) at Knit Night. The Lonely Tree by the talented Sylvia Bo Bilvia is a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern recommends a worsted weight yarn so Deanne is planning to use Madelinetosh Vintage. Come pick out your yarn and join us.

Class Schedule…

This Saturday is Knitting 101. It starts at 10 am and costs $25. Students get 10% off purchases on the day of the class.

All 101 classes are scheduled again in August. Crochet 101 is August 8, Needlepoint 101 is August 15 and Knitting 101 is August 29.

A fun little project…

Michelle, who routinely knits her socks two-at-a-time using the magic loop method has accepted a challenge from Deanne to see how many socks she can knit at one time. So she cast on four pair. Let’s watch her progress, shall we? Go, Michelle!

And a few Finished Objects!

Nice job, ladies.

I’m over the moon, ‘cuz it’s finally June!

June 4, 2015 by Meg

TRUNK SHOW!

You are going to love the trunk show for this month! Just Libby is in the house and these canvases are so cute! They are unique in that the canvas is line drawn and then includes a detailed stitch guide and photo of the finished item. Hurry in to choose yours. There is something for everyone.

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CLASSES!

Another thing we are super excited about is the Needlepoint 101 class. We are limiting the class size to ten, and we are at nine right now. If you are thinking about taking the class, you better call asap. Students will choose four of the six squares in the sampler. Cost of the class is $50 and includes canvas and threads. Pam will be teaching the class and it will be a great day of needlepoint. June 20 at 10 am.

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We have Crochet 101 and Knitting 101 scheduled in June as well. Check out the Classes page for more information.

NEW STUFF!

For you sock knitters who can’t use wool, we have you covered…

New colors of Naked Sock from Universal. This yarn is 93% Acrylic and 7% Elastic. Such fun colors and at a great price, too.

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We’ve had this yarn before and it was a big hit. Some of this is restock of previous colors and some is new. All of it is beautiful. $8.00 per skein, 470 yards.

DSCF6547 A beautiful new canvas from Melissa Shirley Designs.

A FINISHED OBJECT!

Mary Ann brought in this super sweet baby blanket. She knit it using Smooth DK. How cute is this? Nice job, Mary Ann!

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What do you say… It’s the end of May.

May 28, 2015 by Meg

Info you need to know for this week…

Trunk Shows…

Purple Palm has moved on… Just Libby is on the way.

http://www.justlibbydesigns.com/index.html

Classes

This Saturday, May 30.

Cuff-Down (with heel flap) Sock Class on Saturday. The class starts at 10 am and costs $25 plus materials.

June 13

Crochet 101. You will learn a bunch of crochet stitches. This class starts at 10 am and costs $25.

June 20

Needlepoint 101. This class is gonna be great fun and it’s almost full! We’ve modified the plan a little bit. Pam has stitched up a sampler. Students will pick four of the six possible squares and work on it during class. We will pull threads for you if you like, or you can come in a day or two early to pick them for yourself. Cost for the class, which includes materials, is $50 and will start at 10 am.

June 27

Knitting 101. Come learn to knit. You will also pick up a bit of information about yarn, needles and gauge. Class starts at 10 and costs $25.

New Yarn and Books

Look at the great new yarns!

DSCF6517 — Two new books. Full of quick projects.

Finished Objects

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Deanne FINALLY finished her sweater.
The pattern is Capall Dubh by Carol Feller and is knit with Silky Wool.

DSCF6512 — Lindsay’s first sock! Hurrah, Lindsay! Number two is already cast on and well on its way!

DSCF6511 — Cassie finished three super cute hats. Good job, Cassie!

DSCF6524 — Judy knit a beautiful prayer shawl using Mohair Mountain.

Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s the 22nd of May!

May 22, 2015 by Meg

Look what came in this week!

The Needlepoint Book, Third Edition has arrived. This book is so thorough it is nicknamed The Needlepoint Bible. There are 131 color photos of stitched canvases that provide tons of inspiration. If you don’t have this book in your needlepoint library, you are missing a great resource.

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As if that’s not awesome enough, the latest issue of Needlepoint Now is here as well.

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With all these great resources, you need a new canvas to express all that inspiration. You still have time to get one of the amazing Purple Palm canvases here in the trunk show. Or you could get one of the Halloween canvases currently on sale 40% off.

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Don’t worry, knitters and crocheters. We haven’t forgotten about you. For you, besides our amazing 50% off room, we have baby yarn and lace yarn 30% off.

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CLASSES!

Check out the classes!!! Needlepoint, Crochet and Knitting 101 classes are scheduled for next month. Cuff-down socks is on May 30.

LOOK!!!

Deidre finished a sock. We are so proud! I can’t wait to see number two…

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Check out some other Finished Objects.

Donna is a brand new knitter and we are so proud of her first FO, Grandma’s Favorite Dishcloth.

Connie is doing a wonderful gift set for a good friend. Love this set of washcloths. The pattern on the left is called Clover Tweed Dishcloth. It’s a nice easy pattern that looks complicated.

Ahhh Spring!

April 22, 2015 by Meg

Ahhh Spring…

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But we crafty types need to be thinking ahead. It’s not too early to be thinking about Christmas. The deadline for Christmas finishing is early this year. August 28 to be specific.

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This super cute canvas is from a new series of treat bags by Kathy Schenkel. Each one comes with a stitch guide and finishing instructions (so finishing deadlines need not apply). See the entire series here.

Knitters and crocheters should be thinking about Christmas as well. Now is a great time to start thinking through your list and planning your projects. No need to stress in November. Start some socks, mittens or scarves now and have a pile of them ready to give at Christmas. Or perhaps you want to give something extra special like a lace shawl.

To help inspire you toward your gift knitting and crocheting I would like to present some new yarn…

Speaking of planning ahead… our Crochet-a-long is going great. It’s not too late to join us. A square works up quickly. We have been doing two squares per month so they are starting to add up. Michelle’s squares are the gray ones (she’s doing two sets, and has a green set as well). She is using Classic Shades by Universal and the shading is just gorgeous. The brown/blue squares are Deanne’s and she is using Cascade 220 Superwash. There is no need to be intimidated. Deanne just started crocheting and is learning something new on every square.

If you are doing the CAL, share your pictures on the CAL discussion thread on our Ravelry page or on our Facebook page.

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The End of January Already

January 29, 2015 by Meg

Wow! January has flown by. We are getting settled in to the new place more and more each day. If you haven’t been by to see it yet, you should come check it out. With the new place comes a new look for the website. I hope you like it.

New Canvases.

Look at the super cute tooth fairy canvases that arrived this week. There’s bound to be some little cutie in your life that needs a little tooth fairy pillow.

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Recipes and Special Scheduled Shopping

We had a group of ladies schedule a special “private” shopping time this week and it was a great time. For their visit, Meg made soup and salad. It was so tasty that they asked us to post the recipes for the meal. So here they are.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
½ stick butter
4 15oz cans chicken broth
1 packet Taco seasoning
1 15 oz diced tomatos
1 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes, original style
10 8 inch corn tortillas, cut into pieces
2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 cup milk
8 oz Mexican style shredded cheese

Saute carrots, celery and onions in butter till soft. Add broth, tomatoes, rotel, taco seasoning and chicken. Bring to a boil. Add cut up tortillas. Let boil for 20 minutes. Reduce heat and add cheese and milk. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Town and Country Salad

Lettuce, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, sugared nuts. You can be creative with this. Pears and brie cheese can be used. The dressing is the secret.

Poppy Seed Dressing

½ cup sugar
½ salad oil
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 ½ tsp poppy seeds
1 ½ tsp onion juice

Speaking of Scheduled Special Shopping… If your group would like to come on a Monday and have the store all to themselves for a time of shopping, we’d be happy to accommodate you. We need a two week notice and a minimum of three in your group. Call us to discuss.

Classes

We’ve scheduled several beginner level classes. Three each for Crochet, Needlepoint and Knitting. We are calling them 101 since they are intended to get you started. These classes will be great for the absolute beginner and for the person who has been inactive for awhile. We will do one of each class in February, April and June. You can see the complete schedule on the classes page of our website or at the bottom of the page where events are listed.

We have also scheduled a knitted cable class. You can pick a project with cables that appeals to you or if you don’t have one in mind, we will use Bowlegged Washcloth from Needyl. All you need is some cotton yarn and the appropriate needles for the yarn. The cable class is March 14.

Here are a few finished objects to inspire you.

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