Weekly Updates – Page 4 – The French Knot

This Week From Diamondhead

March 6, 2014 by Meg

Hooray! Spring is around the corner. I thought I should remind you of that just in case you were losing hope. Speaking of spring, let me add my voice to the many already announcing that this Sunday we spring ahead to Daylight Saving Time. Don’t forget, or you’ll be late for church!

Now on to the News From The Knot.

Look what Leona is making!

The yarn comes as a scarf. You knit the sock (or whatever else you want to knit) while the scarf unravels. We have lot of these fun kits to choose from. They come with a sock pattern. You could buy one of these to use for the sock class.

We have classes coming up! I hope you’re excited.

March 8 — Counted Thread Ornament #3

It is not necessary that you have attended previous counted thread classes to attend this one or the next.

March 22 — Socks

Learn the basics of sock knitting and constructions. We will do a basic cuff-down pattern with a heel-flap style heel. Come brush up on techniques or get over that fear of socks. It’s not as hard as you think.

March 29 — Counted Thread #4

April 5 — Setting Up A Project in knitCompanion

We have done this class twice already and have had great feedback. knitCompanion is an amazing iPad app that will make you a better knitter. I promise! It comes with great tutorials, but sometimes it can be helpful to walk through the process with a guide.

April 12 — Hair & Fur Needlepoint Sampler

Learn stitches you can use to do hair and fur on your needlepoint projects.

May 3 — Reading Your Knitting

Do you know how to tell if the stitch you are looking at is a knit stitch or a purl stitch? What about a k2tog versus an SSK? How do you tell why you ran out of stitches before finishing a part of your pattern? And what if you need to tink (that’s knit spelled backwards) a row to fix a mistake? We will cover techniques that will give you tools to fix mistakes in your knitting.

Finished Objects

Just a few for you this week. I especially like the Dead Fish Hat.

Catching Up!

February 13, 2014 by Meg

Who wants to knit-a-long with Leona and Deanne?

The project is Inspira which is a free cowl pattern on Ravelry with three different weight options (fingering, worsted and aran). Each version is also a different color pattern. We are doing the fingering weight version. Come pick some yarn and we will get you started.

New Stuff and Re-stocks.

We received some more Madelinetosh this week. This yarn is so awesome. We have a few new colors of sock and Tosh DK and now we have Vintage and Sport.

New colors in Seedling and Liberty Light as well.

More copies of Painted Canvas Embellishment and a new needlepoint book.

Remember we have a wide variety of classes coming up.

Canvas You can see the whole list on our Classes page.

Finished Objects

Party on Saturday!

January 30, 2014 by Meg

Now that we’ve made it through that lovely weather event let’s look forward to some fun stuff.

First up… Party on Saturday!

We are celebrating our first anniversary as The French Knot. It’s been a great year and we are so grateful for your support. To express our appreciation we are having a party. There will be refreshments and door prizes (read free stuff). It’s gonna be fun! You won’t want to miss it.

Classes!

undefined — Good times during the Counted Thread class.

Lot’s of great classes coming up. Check out the entire list on our Classes page.

Finished Objects

IMG-20140129-00185 — Sue’s Counted Thread Ornament.

A Blog Without Words

January 16, 2014 by Meg

Well, maybe just a few words…

New! New! New!

Seedling by Classic Elite
100% Organic Cotton
4.5 st/in on US 7
110 yards – $7

Liberty Wool Light
100% Washable Wool
6 st/in on US 4
200 yards – $11

Vail by Classic Elite
70% baby alpaca – 30% bamboo viscose
6.75 st/in on US 3
236 yards – $9

Alpaca Sox by Classic Elite — New colors of Alpaca Sox
60% aplaca, 20% merino wool, 20% nylon
8 st/in on US 2
450 yards – $18

Classes (click on the link)

Finished Objects

Convoluted Christmas Carols — French Knot Style

December 5, 2013 by Meg

The Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Two Hand-woven baskets,

And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Three Shawl Pins,

Two Hand-woven baskets,

And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree!

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,

DSCF4785

Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Five Needle Blings,

DSCF4786

Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Six Spindles Spinning,

DSCF4789

Five Needle Blings,
Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Seven Spools of Krienik,

Six Spindles Spinning,
Five Needle Blings,
Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Eight Skeins of Scrumptious,

DSCF4790 Seven Spools of Krienik,
Six Spindles Spinning,
Five Needle Blings,
Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Nine Mini-stuffers,

DSCF4788

Eight Skeins of Scrumptious,
Seven Spools of Krienik,
Six Spindles Spinning,
Five Needle Blings,
Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Ten Christmas Stockings,

Nine Mini-stuffers,
Eight Skeins of Scrumptious,
Seven Spools of Krienik,
Six Spindles Spinning,
Five Needle Blings,
Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Eleven Stitchers Stitching,

DSCF4252

Ten Christmas Stockings,
Nine Mini-stuffers,
Eight Skeins of Scrumptious,
Seven Spools of Krienik,
Six Spindles Spinning,
Five Needle Blings,
Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,

Twelve Knitters Knitting,

DSCF3627

Eleven Stitchers Stitching,
Ten Christmas Stockings,
Nine Mini-stuffers,
Eight Skeins of Scrumptious,
Seven Spools of Krienik,
Six Spindles Spinning,
Five Needle Blings,
Four Pretty Yarn Bowls,
Three Shawl Pins,
Two Hand-woven baskets,
And some Pediboo sock yarn by Frog Tree

Finished Objects…

We received a big box of finishing today. Maybe yours is in here.

This ‘n That

November 21, 2013November 21, 2013 by Meg

Next week is Thanksgiving
(but you already knew that)!!!

And there are 33 days till Christmas!!

And on that note… we will close at 1 pm next Wednesday

Speaking of Christmas…

We will make a note of your stitching/knitting wish list to help your loved ones shop more effectively for your Christmas gifts. Stop by and fill out a card.

And…

Yay!!! Look who is back from the finishers. Georgie says he will stay in the shop through next Wednesday, then he goes home for Christmas. She will bring him back after Christmas if we promise to not pet him while he resides here.

Here are a couple detail shots…

Two classes in December

December 7… Setting Up A Project in knitCompanion… $25

If you have an iPad, you need knitCompanion. It is an amazing app that can do so much. To help you realize some of it’s potential, we will help you get started.

December 14… Counted Thread Ornament… $25

This will be a recurring class. The first class features the class on the right.

We need your help…

It seems we have lost one of the phones. Maybe it fell in your bag while you were here and now you are wondering where that phone came from… now you know. If you’re the lucky one who found it, we’d love to have it back.

Finished Objects…

This one gets a special place in our Finished Objects section. Meg’s adorable twin grandsons stopped by last week just as Georgie’s granddaughter’s chair was ready to be photographed. Enjoy a cuteness overload!

News From The Knot!

November 7, 2013 by Meg

PSA
47 days till Christmas
20 days till Thanksgiving.

Now back to our regularly scheduled update.

Christmas Wish List.

Since Christmas is coming and we all know you want your friends and family to buy you knitting and needlepointing stuff, we thought you might like to make a wish list to leave here at the shop (thanks, Deidre). Then your loved ones can come in and check with us regarding your perfect gift. Of course, if your out of town, you can peruse the canvases here on the website to make your wish list.

Upcoming Classes.

This weekend!!! Cabled Fingerless Gloves… November 9… $20 plus materials

The pattern we plan to use, is Axel Mitts by Sarah Pope. These are knit with a bulky yarn, so they will go fast. You could knit them for a Christmas gift.

Bargello Minisock… November 16… $20 plus materials. You pick your colors.

Setting Up A Project in knitCompanion… December 7… $20
This is a repeat of the previous knitCompanion class. If you are a knitter and have an iPad, you need knitCompanion. It will change your life.

Counted Thread Ornament…

We will be doing a series of Counted Thread Ornament classes. The first one is on December 14 and features the ornament on the far right below … cost is $20 plus materials.

Call or stop by the shop to sign up.

Chemo Cap Contest

You may have heard that Leona is knitting only Chemo Caps this week. She started on Monday (November 4) and will continue through next Monday (November 11). If you can guess how many caps she will finish in that time, you will win a 20% discount on your next purchase. So far the guesses range from 11 to 42. Some people have very high expectations. All are welcome to join her in knitting up some caps to donate. Drop them off here and we will deliver them.

Madelinetosh Has Arrived!

We are very excited to announce that we now carry Madelinetosh. This is lush yarn dyed in the most beautiful colors. We have Pashmina, Tosh dk, Tosh sock, and Tosh lace.

New Yarn Bowls

Needles and Notions

We’ve restocked needles, we have Addi Rockets, Hiya Hiya Sharps, bamboo circulars and Nova interchangeables. Also restocked are the Puppy Snips and stitch markers.

KNA Group Therapy Sessions

Tuesday nights till 8 pm and Wednesdays all day.

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Finished Objects

Click on image to enlarge.

Are you ready for Halloween?

October 24, 2013 by Meg

We are…

This lovely group of stitchers (and a few more who didn’t have such cute head-wear) were here Wednesday to stitch with friends. You are welcome to join us as well. Wednesdays all day, and Tuesday nights are the organized get together times, but as you know, we are happy to host and/or help any time. Some folks have even been known to organize an impromptu get together.

Christmas is only 61 days away…

Now I know that lots of folks get upset that Halloween and Thanksgiving get drowned out by Christmas, but… as crafters, we know that we have to plan ahead for Christmas gifts. So to help you jump start your Christmas knitting we are sponsoring a Cowl KAL (that’s Knit-A-Long). The pattern is Black Forest by Nancy Totten. We will be using Ranco sock yarn. Yarn and pattern will be $21. You can knit this as a Christmas gift or give the kit to your favorite knitter. Bang!! One gift done!!

While you are thinking about Christmas knitting remember our Chemo Cap Club. Bring them in and drop them off (we’ll deliver them to Memorial Hospital). Knit ten Chemo caps and receive 20% off your next purchase after the tenth cap.

Ranco

Of course, we can’t leave the needlepointers in your life out of all of this Holiday Spirit. What do you give to the stitcher in your life? Well how about a book of stitches and some happy needle bling? We have lots of books. Here is a small sampling.

Now for the New Stuff

Hurry in for one of these baskets. They won’t last long. Aren’t they cute?

How About Some Finished Objects?

Eighty-two Days Till Christmas

October 3, 2013 by Meg

Just a friendly reminder that you might want to get that Christmas knitting started. You still have a few weeks to finish up your needlepoint ornaments (October 23 is the deadline for small ornaments and stand-ups). Unfortunately, you’ve missed the deadline for stockings and larger items.

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog update.

New Needlepoint Books

Look at these new stitch books. They are chock full of great ideas.

New Yarn

We had some new yarn arrive this week and along with the yarn came some really cute patterns. This yarn is super soft and it’s bulky, so whatever you knit with it will go quick.

Come Stitch With Us

I know I’ve told you many times before, but it’s worth repeating. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are Fundays… On Tuesdays the shop is open until 8 pm and it becomes a favorite hangout for knitters (needlepointers are never excluded, though). If you come on a Tuesday night, you will discover others who share your love of knitting. You will also find admiration for your work, encouragement to stretch yourself to new levels of accomplishment and inspiration to try those ability stretching projects.

On Wednesdays you will primarily find needlepointers (although just like on Tuesdays, all are welcome). You can get help, be encouraged, see how others are stitching their projects and chatter with those who share your love of needlepoint.

Although Saturdays have never officially been designated a specific gathering time, you will often find several folks enjoying each other’s company while stitching or knitting then as well.

Sock Class Coming Up

October 12 & 26 will be our sock class(es). It is actually one class in two sessions. The first session will be cuff and leg. Session two will cover the heel and foot. Cost is $40 plus supplies. Call (228-255-3100) or email (info@frknot.com) us to sign up.

Speaking of classes, here is Suzanne’s needle felting from the last class. Aren’t they cute?

Finished Objects

We got lots of ornaments back from the finisher this week. Enjoy.

And last but not least…

An October Recipe.

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans
powdered sugar
1 8-oz pkg. softened cream cheese
1/3 cup softened margarine or butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Grease and flour 15x10x1″ jelly roll pan, set aside. Beat eggs in large bowl till thick. Gradually add sugar and beat 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Spread evenly in pan and sprinkle with pecans. Press into batter and bake at 375 for 12-15 min.

Sift powdered sugar in rectangle on dish towel. When done, loosen cake and turn onto towel. Roll cake and towel together. Cool completely, seam side down.

Beat cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Unroll cake, spread with cream cheese mixture and reroll. Place on plate seam side down.

Progress Can Be Painful

September 26, 2013 by Meg

Things have been extremely busy around here. We are in the midst of implementing a point of sale system. Of course this process is good in many ways. While putting items in the program, we have run across a few things that you may not know about, or maybe you’ve seen before, but just forgotten. So I thought I’d share a few with you. Maybe this will become a regular feature as we progress in the POS (that’s Point Of Sale) adventure.

First up let me show you these Counted Thread Patterns.

Next up, a little reminder of all the tools and accessories we keep behind the checkout desk. Needles, scissors, lanyards, magnifiers, thimbles, storage, highlighter tape, scroll frames, stretcher bars, lights, grime stoppers. I think that about covers it.

On the left below you will see our selection of Lavishea Yarn Bars. These are lotion bars and we have a wide variety of fragrances, including unscented.

And on the right is a sampling of Gadget Bags. As you can see in the picture there are lots of colors to choose from. We also have a variety of sizes.

Now for some new stuff. I know you enjoy seeing new things as much as we do. Of course, you won’t have any trouble finding something new in here any time you stop by. There is sure to be something you haven’t noticed before. This week’s new stuff is all from Appalachian Baby. We have Organic Baby Cotton, lots of kits, and some new patterns.

And now, last but not least, we have some finished objects. If you have one you would like to share with our friends, bring it in and we will take a picture.