Coming at you a day early, from your favorite knitting & needlepoint shop is a short list of very important information.

Number 1!

Finishing Dates for Stockings, non-designer pillows, etc. has been changed to September 21.

Number 2!

New Canvases

Number 3!

Classes

August 31… Finishing a Garment.

September 7… Reading Your Canvas

September 14… Setting Up A Project in knitCompanion (last week’s blog has the wrong date)

September 21… Needle Felting

Number 4!

Speaking of classes… our last class was a blast!

Number 5!

Lindsay’s Back!!!

6.  WIPs are for Wednesdays (and Tuesdays)

Remember that you can come knit or needlepoint with friends.  Don’t be shy, it’s a great opportunity to make some new friends and get some help with your WIPs.  Tuesday nights we are open until 8 pm and the group is always diverse and fun.  On Wednesdays, a group of mostly needlepointers are here for some fun stitching.

7.  Meg’s Mastering the Ropes around here.

8. Finished Objects

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I am happy and sad that it is August already.  I’m sad because it’s so stinking hot!  I’m happy because we have some great things happening around here this month.

One of the great things happening here is the book signing.  Terri DuLong is the author of the Cedar Key Series.  Terri’s characters are knitters and needlepointers.  She will be in the shop from 1-3 on Wednesday, August 21st to sign books.  You can buy a copy here, if you don’t already have one.

Speaking of books, did you know that the Knotty Knitters have a book club?  We have a group on Ravelry.  You can find it here.  We have a group for the shop on Ravelry as well.  We discuss lots of things over there.  If you haven’t discovered Ravelry yet, you should check it out.  It is a great resource.

Of course we have classes happening in August.

First up is Stranded Knitting on August 17th.  Cost for this class is $20 plus your supplies.  If you are registered for this class you need to come in to get the pre-class instructions and materials.

On August 31 is Finishing a Garment.  Cost is $25.  If you have the pieces of a garment that you’ve put off sewing together, this is the perfect opportunity to get over that hurdle.  If you don’t have pieces to sew up, you could start now on a baby sweater.  Stop in for some help choosing a project.

Of course the fun won’t stop in September.  September 7th is Reading Your Canvas.  Cost is $40.  Bring a canvas and learn how to choose stitches.  You need a stitch reference book.

September 14th will be Setting Up A Project in knitCompanion.  Cost is $25.  knitCompanion is an amazing iPad app that will make your knitting so much easier.  We will walk you through the process of setting up a project to get ready to knit.  You can learn more about knitCompanion here.

What else do I love about August?  How about these new canvases?

And in August, Georgie finished stitching her Amanda Lawford stand-up santa.  It’s already off to the finisher.  You can be sure we will post a picture of it when it comes back, and it will reside here at the shop except during the Christmas season when it will be helping to make her home festive.

It’s rather impressive, isn’t it?

How about some finished objects?

We had a party…

…but we called it a class.  Fifteen people came to work on Santa canvases of their choosing.  A good time was had by all, new friendships were forged and no one left hungry.  Everyone had a custom stitch guide for their canvas.  I, for one, am looking forward to seeing them all stitched.

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Which reminds me…

Did you know that we have more classes coming up?

Next up is Stranded Knitting on August 17.  Cost is $20 plus supplies. There is pre-class work necessary for this class, so you need to come in to choose your supplies, get the pattern and instructions.  Call the shop if you have questions.

Reading Your Canvas…September 7…price hasn’t been set yet.

So you have a new canvas, but don’t know how to choose the stitches.  This is the class for you.  You will need some stitch resources for this class.  Two that we highly recommend are:

The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen for $25 and Stitches to Go by Suzanne Howren & Beth Robertson for $20.

We have both books available for purchase here at the shop.

We’ve had a few new canvases come in.

We continue to make little changes around the shop and we hope you like them… well the Christmas wall isn’t a little change, but these other things are.

And some big news!!!

We now take Paypal.

This means if you want to call in an order, we can email you an invoice through Paypal.  This is a great option that will make phone orders even more convenient.  Thanks to Sharon for being our guinea pig.

Who wants to see Georgie’s Amanda Lawford Santa?

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

And a few finished objects?

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Did you miss us last week?  Sorry about that.  We’ve been getting some really great new things in the shop and we got so caught up in unpacking and setting up that the blog was shifted to the back seat temporarily.  But have no fear, we will show you what you missed.

First up…

… check out our Christmas wall.  Isn’t it awesome… and fabulous?  We knew you would like it.  You should come in and see it in person.

Next…

… new canvases have arrived.

Click on an image to enlarge it.

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And look at these cute key fobs

Some new Needle and Scissor Bling

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Some new fun stuff for knitters…

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Saturday Snacks and Skills

This Saturday is the Santa class.  It’s too late for you to come, but we will post pictures next week of the fun you missed.

It’s not too late to join the Stranded Knitting class.  It’s August 17th and will cost $20 plus supplies.  We will be doing fingerless gloves.

Don’t be intimidated.  You can do this.  Come learn something new.  You’ll be surprised by how easy it is.

Reading Your Canvas.  September 7.  We rely very heavily on our dear Leona to guide us in choosing what stitches will look good on various parts of a canvas.  In this class, she will show how to choose stitches for ourselves.

The French Knot is now a knitCompanion Affiliate.

knitCompanion is an amazing iPad app that transforms your PDF patterns into highly interactive knitting instructions (iPhone and iPod Touch too). It is a complex app that allows you to easily read charts, count rows, and make notes.  Check it out here.  Since we’ve discovered it, we have been singing its praises to all who will listen.

knitCompanion also offers kClub.  kClub is an annual club where members can interact with designers, fiber artists and crafters.  There are Designer Spotlights, KALs, Special Events and special knitCompanion training sessions.  Read more about it here.

The French Knot is now a knitCompanion affiliate.  We are very excited about this partnership and hope to soon be knitCompanion instructors, and offer formal, detailed classes on the many features of knitCompanion.

Check out knitCompanion if you haven’t already.  If you already have knitCompanion, consider joining kClub.  Stop by for a chat (or email, or call) if you have any questions.

Ravelry pattern sales

You can now purchase patterns available on Ravelry through The French Knot.

… Ravelry has a huge database of patterns by thousands of designers.  Many are free, some are not.  For various reasons someone may not be able to purchase directly through Ravelry.  Now a large number of those patterns are available to purchase through The French Knot.  This is a great service and we are very excited to be able to offer it.

Georgie’s Santa Update.

Georgie is making great progress on her Amanda Lawford Santa.

Are you ready for some Finished Objects?

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A Book Signing.

Terri DuLong will be here on Wednesday, August 21st from 1-3 pm to sign her latest book, Postcards from Cedar Key. The books are here and they cost $15.  Call to reserve your copy before they are all gone.  The Knotty Knitters book club is planning to read it for July.

Swoon in June Sale!!!

June is more than half done.  It will be July before you know it, and then the sale is over.

25% off needlepoint canvases

(excludes full sized stockings, mini stockings with stuffers, New Orleans and select Halloween)

25% off most yarn (there are a few exclusions).

Saturday Snacks and Skills Classes

July 20– Santa Class.  Cost is $150 ($75 due at registration), which includes the canvas, threads, stitch guide, instruction and of course some snacks.  Here are the Santa canvases to choose from.

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August 17 — Stranded Knitting.  That is not a class about what to knit when you are stranded.  It is a class on color-work.  Here is an example of stranded knitting.  Cost is $20 plus supplies.

Georgie’s Santa Update.

She is making progress on her Amanda Lawford canvas.  Although Georgie has been offered the whopping sum of $150 for her Santa, she refuses to give him up.  Imagine that!

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Here’s a close-up of the beadwork on Santa’s cloak.

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Finished Objects

It looks like Christmas around here.

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Today I hope to inspire you to finish those projects you’ve started and to whet your appetite for something new.  So here goes… enjoy.

We start with inspiration…

The Georgie Santa Update.

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This is after two weeks.  I know, we hate her, but we love her, right?

If you would like to stitch one of these Amanda Lawford designs, we can order one for you.  Of course, you can choose a smaller.

And check out these finished needlepoint projects.

Leona’s Owl Ornaments.  OMG!!!  I’m in love! I wonder if she would notice if they disappeared.

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We showed you these pillows a few weeks ago before they went home, but they look so much better here.

Next up a couple of reminders…

Swoon in June Sale!!!

25% off needlepoint canvases

(excludes full sized stockings, mini stockings with stuffers, New Orleans and select Halloween)

25% off most yarn (there are a few exclusions).

And

Saturday Snacks and Skills Classes

June 15 — Dealing with Borders (needlepoint).  You can bring in a canvas you are currently working on, or has been neglected because you just don’t know what to do with the edge, or you can take advantage of the sale and pick a new canvas.  The class is $20 and you will be treated to some munchies while you learn.  You can peruse our canvases here.

July 20– Santa Class.  Cost is $150 ($75 due at registration), which includes the canvas, threads, stitch guide, instruction and of course some snacks.  Here are the Santa canvases to choose from.

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August 17 — Stranded Knitting.  That is not a class about what to knit when you are stranded.  It is a class on color-work.  Here is an example of stranded knitting.  Cost is $20 plus supplies.

Guess what else is happening soon.

A Book Signing.

Terri DuLong will be here on Wednesday, August 21st, 1-3 pm to sign her latest book, Postcards from Cedar Key. The books are ordered and will be here soon.  You can call the shop to reserve your copy.  The Knotty Knitters book club is planning to read it for July.

Now here’s something new.

A circular needle case.  This one is currently holding 26 pairs of needles from size US 0-11.  It’s quite handy and cute, too!

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And to finish up we have a few finished objects to share with you.

Jami’s blanket

and Leona’s dragon

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