Stitch 'N Pitch Sunday May 17th!

Join us for some Baseball and Stitching fun on Sunday May 17th, for our annual South Florida Stitch N Pitch event!  Marlins vs. Dodgers.  Tickets are $22 each and we will be sitting as a group in the Bullpen Box seats.  As usual, there will be an exclusive giveaway for the first 100 Stitch N Pitch ticket holders (including yarn and magazines.)  You can purchase tickets at Anneke's or any other LYS in the area.  It should be a lot of fun once again!  

To find out more about Stitch N Pitch events watch this brief video about a great turnout at a similar event at Shea Stadium in New York.

 

A day of laughter and reminiscing

Betsy, Veronica, Alex, Joan and others came by today and we had some very good laughs.  You kinda had to be there....  Unfortunately we had only a cell phone (and a lousy photographer) to capture the moments, not a real camera!  Betsy and Veronica just miss their days of working at Anneke's Needleworks (ha ha, not really) and Alex was just loving our tales of the shop as she is getting ready to open up her own shop June 1st on Martha's Vineyard!!  I keep trying to talk her into a swap, she can have my shop in Miami and I will take on her new shop up North.  So far, no go..... 

Any of you heading up that way this summer make sure you stop by her shop.   Details will follow.

...check out Betsy hiding behind Joan in that last photo.....  you may have to click on  and enlarge the photo to really see her.....   :-)  

Why on earth are you crocheting a coral reef? : An Earth Day special

Watch this fascinating talk by Margaret Wertheim, a well known Australian science communicator.  She and her twin sister masterminded a project that" involves mathematics, marine biology, feminine handicrafts and environmental activism."  With the help of thousands all around the world, they have crocheted a coral reef.   One of the goals of this project was to spread the word on the effect of Global Warming on these reefs.  Find out more.....

Crochet Workshop: Kristin Omdahl Sunday 05/03

We have some great news for all you South Florida crochet enthusiasts! Anneke’s Needleworks in Miami will be hosting a 3 hour workshop with Kristin Omdahl, a nationally acclaimed knit and crochet designer, on Sunday May 3rd. The workshop will be held from 12:00 noon until 3:00 pm. Prior to the workshop we will have a little brunch, and after the workshop Kristin will be available for book signing!

"Kristin's designs can be found in major publications including Interweave Crochet Magazine, Crochet Magazine, Vogue Knitting, Knit N Style, Knit 1 and others.  In addition, Kristin's designs are featured in many books including collaborations like the recently released Crochet Me, Vogue Knitting On The Go series and more."

Kristin’s work is featured on the cover of the current Interweave Crochet, Spring Issue. She is also the author of the fabulous book “Wrapped In Crochet: Scarves, Wraps and Shawls.” “With this book you can create stunning crocheted scarves, wraps and shawls using clever stitch motifs, and traditional to innovative shaping. Targeted at beginning to intermediate crocheters, with projects for every budget, these unique pieces invite you to take your crochet to the next level.”

The workshop will be on one of the scarves featured in this book, this beautiful “Blaze” scarf.

Thank You's are in order....

It was hopping in the shop both Saturday and Sunday and I could not possibly have done it all on my own, thank you so much to all of you who helped me out!  Thank You....

To Andi for teaching two lovely, fun, classes.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, once again.

To Megan for coming in to help re-decorate even though you are still recovering from  your surgery.  The shop is really starting to look awesome once again!

To Marilyn, for helping customers make some beautiful yarn and project choices.

To Mary for helping out with customers and for winding all that yarn!

To Emily, for the best cake ever!!  A decadent, yummy, Red Velvet Cake!!  Wow was it good.  It is always such a treat when you bake for us.

To Vivian for ordering lunch for all of us.

To Sophie, for helping a customer while I was too busy with several.

To everyone who came in this weekend, thank you for coming and thank you for your patience!  Diane for patiently waiting for your yarn for so long, Helen for understanding that the morning class was still going on when you came in for the afternoon class, Maria, Iris and Hara for understanding that  once again I was trying to multi-task.  

To Sophia for feeding Mama duck and her little ducklings who are now 4 almost weeks old......

I hope I didn't forget anyone......  Thank you!

Anneke

Caution: This may bring a smile to your face

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) @ Yahoo! Video

UPS Delivers Lorna's Laces and Prism Yarns!

Why is it that it always feels like Christmas when our local UPS driver knocks on the door bearing gifts, I mean boxes, shipped by our yarn and needlepoint canvas suppliers?  Just today he came by with two beautiful boxes, have a look!   Well, yes it's what's inside the boxes that's beautiful.  In the top box we have some very luxurious new yarns from Lorna's Laces, and in the bottom box we have some awesome new yarns from Prism.  Not a bad choice in additions to the line eh?.....

We are slowly but surely expanding our line of Lorna's Laces yarns, and in todays shipment we got the "buttery soft worsted weight" Lion & Lamb yarn, what a great name!  A 50% Silk and 50% wool blend.  This is the yarn that was chosen for the infamous original clapotis pattern, which is available on knitty.com, available in the Fall 2004 issue.

          We sold three full bags right out of the box today!

 

We are also adding some of the newer Prism yarns to our already extensive selection of these fine yarns.  Today we added the Merino Mia which is a 100% Merino Super Wash and is described by the Prism Yarn Co. as "just what you have been waiting for from us:  a work horse yarn that is beautifully twisted, soft, easy to knit, has a lovely sheen and takes our vibrant, clear colors extremely well..."

Come on by to check out these new additions to our wonderful assortment of yarns!

Easter Weekend: A very fun Saturday of classes and knitting in every corner of the shop! Thank you Ladies for a fun day.

Blue Sky Alpacas Yarn and Trunk Show

Hello Everybody,

Some of y'all may remember me from the old Anneke's Needleworks location when I worked there back in 2005.  Anneke asked me to post a little something about the gorgeous Blue Sky yarn she's got in the shop because she knows how much I love it.  Now, as you may know, Anneke and I get together every couple of years to attend the TNNA trade show in California.  We catch up on each other's news, have a little dinner and gossip at night while we cover the show, booth by booth, during the day.  It's always a rush to see all those yarns, fibers, canvases and accessories amassed under one roof.  It's especially fun when Anneke sees a new yarn line she wants to add for the shop because that means I get to sit at the big girl table and help her pick out colors.

This year the best looking booth at TNNA was Blue Sky Alpacas.  It was decorated with a bright contemporary country theme with whites and yellows that made their yarns simply reach out and grab you.  And they literally do as they had every single color of every yarn there for us to see.  We were immediately drawn to the Organic and Dyed Cotton.  The colors and the incredible softness of the cotton was irresistible.  I think that it was the "Bobbi Bear" pattern that sealed the deal.  Is that not the cutest baby present ever?  And just imagine a soft, soft hat on a baby's head.  This led to us picking out some colors of Skinny which is, well, the thinner version of the cotton and just right for Florida and Texas.  I have knitted the "Slouchy Cardigan" from "Greetings from Knit Cafe" using the Alpaca Silk.  It's my current favorite and I demanded that Anneke pick out at least 10 colors out a possible 37.  Now, I'm dying to cast on for the "Silk Shrug" which will be perfect for chilly air-conditioned restaurants this summer.  I really thought we were done at this point but Anneke loves her woolies and made sure the shop was getting a large dose of the Suri Merino (coming soon) and Worsted.  And we even got these really cute chicken kitchen timers as a little gift!

Hope you made it into the opening of the Trunk Show which was catered by our dear friend Hara, she brought in lunch for everyone.  Thanks Hara!  It was a lot of fun.  Don't forget that this weekend is your last chance to see the Blue Sky Trunk Show.  Come see for yourself what I am raving about.

Cheers!

Mary 

We have the most luxurious of the Louet Yarns in stock!

Even in these difficult economic times.... sigh... we all need a little luxury in our lives, a little... something to lift our spirits, don't we?  Sometimes this little something uplifting can come in the form of an exquisite knitting yarn, the way that it feels, the way that it knits up, and the wonderful finished product that comes from it!  With this in mind, Mary, Alix, Sophia and I went looking for just the right yarn when we were at the Trade Show in San Diego last January.  And what fun we had on our search!  We came across these two yummy yarns from Canada, from Louet North America.  The relatively new Mooi (sounds like Boy we were told) and the Limited Edition Paco Vicuna.  Yummy, and EXTRA yummy!  We have them both in stock now!

If you have a yearning for a little something extra special, stop by to check it out.  "Petting" the yarn is OK in our shop, and this yarn deserves petting....  A certain someone who shall remain nameless asked his fiancee to knit him a blanket out of the Paco Vicuna, it remains to be seen if she will....   Several customers have purchased both of these yarns to indulge in some very fine lace shawls and even baby garments.  What is your fancy?

Both of these yarns were covered on the "Knitter's Review", here are some excerpts.  Enjoy.

About the Moi the say : "what makes this yarn so special?  Probably the fibers-a stunning blend of bamboo, bison, and cashmere.... This blend works.  The bamboo brings an incredibly smooth, silky luster and strength, while the bison and cashmere give warmth and a delicate halo similar to wisps of steam.  The bamboo and bison share hypoallergenic qualities as well..."  

About the Paco Vicuna they say: " The first in Louet's new Signature Series of what it's calling high-quality yarns from premium fibers, Paco Vicunas is an exquisite lace-weight yarn that blends Optim, SeaCell, and Paco Vicunas fibers.....  The Signature Series Paco Vicunas represents an artisanal approach to yarn that I deeply appreciate.  It's a well-crafted yarn with which you can create a beautiful knitted fabric that's soft and warm, lustrous and hazy."

aahhh...  a little luxury is good for the soul.....

Our Very Own Stimulus Package SALE is EXTENDED until April 30th!

We have decided to help stimulate the economy a bit, as well as doing our part in easing the pain associated with the upcoming TAX day!  We will offer 15% off everything in the shop, through April 30th.  This includes all the wonderful new items we have just gotten in such as the great new NORO books, new colors in the Tilli Tomas Disco Lights, new colors in Euroflax, Mooi and the exquisite Paco Vicuna, new colors in Zara and lots more!

(Please note that as usual this SALE does not apply to special orders, nor do we combine SALES with frequent buyer cards.)