It's our 3rd Anniversary!...
Can you believe it's been 3 years since The Yarn Haven opened its door??? In some ways, it seems like I've been a yarn shop owner forever...and in other ways, it seems like yesterday. How can I possibly say thank you enough to all of the wonderful people who have supported my small local business? We enjoyed seeing everyone come by on Tuesday, February 2 to celebrate with us. Thank you for the 2 beautiful bouquets of flowers and all of your good wishes.
During the month of February you can work towards earning a discount coupon that will be given out at the end of the month. If you purchase items totaling $150 during the month of February, you will get a 15% off coupon to use on a future purchase. For purchases of $200, you'll get a 20% off coupon. And for $300, you'll get a 25% off coupon. So start making your purchases today and enjoy getting a discount on future purchases.
Girls' Night Out Workshop (GNOW)...Clay Buttons
Having trouble finding just the right buttons to go with your knitted or crocheted garments? Or maybe you'd just like to learn how to make some special buttons for a finished project. On Friday, February 26 (NEW DATE) from 6-8 pm we will have our next Girls' Night Out Workshop. Mimi Kezer will be teaching us how to make clay buttons and/or beads for our handmade garments. Cost will be $30 which includes a small supply fee. Feel free to bring a garment you'd like to make buttons for.
Silent Auction & Raffle for Haiti...
We are going to keep our shop models out for 1 more week in order to try and raise some more money for the Haiti Earthquake Relief. So stop by the shop and place a bid or buy some tickets ($2 each) to try and win one of our shop models. You have the choice of 2 different charities to whom you can write your check: American Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders. The good news is that your donation will be matched dollar for dollar by one of my vendors. For the larger models, we have a silent auction where you can place your bid. For the Raffle, we have some of our smaller items for which you can buy tickets to have a chance to win. 100% of all money raised will go directly to one of these charities.
Thank you to Kristina Plaas for her donation of a book by Teva Durham which is in the Raffle.
Slim 'N Stitch...
Well, old Mr. Groundhog might have seen his shadow in Pennsylvania on Groundhog's Day, but here in Tennessee our groundhogs predicted that spring was right around the corner. So as spring time is on the horizon, my thoughts usually turn to my weight. It's always this time of year that I start trying to drop those pounds that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas have added to my waistline. So this spring The Yarn Haven is going to be starting a Slim 'N Stitch program. We will be meeting every Saturday from 2-3 pm starting March 6 - May 29. Basically, Slim 'N Stitch is a 12 week weight loss support group. Each week we will weigh in and the person who has lost the most weight that week will win a prize....and what better place to win a prize than at a yarn shop! Then we'll sit and work on our current project while talking some about our successes and failures. We'll also be having guest speakers come in to share some helpful information about nutrition...and maybe even take a field trip. Cost will be $60 for the 12 weeks...which comes to $5/week. But, if you pay by Wednesday, February 24, you will receive a free "Daily 8" water bottle which holds 1.9 liters of water (the equivalent of the 8 glasses of water that we're suppose to drink each day). So come sign up to join us for our Slim 'N Stitch program.
National Crochet Month is coming...
March is National Crochet Month. For our crocheters, we're going to be having a mystery Crochet-a-long (CAL). The fun part is that you won't know what you're going to crochet because the pattern will be a mystery. But give us your email and we'll send you one clue each day for 26 days. Then you'll have 4-5 days to finish up (if you've gotten behind). On Wednesday, March 31 or Thursday, April 1, you can bring in your crocheted item to show us and receive a special gift just for participating. For this project you will need to come purchase one large skein of the Presencia Perle Cotton 5 (in the color of your choice) and a size 7 steel crochet hook (if you don't already have one this size). The first clue goes out March 1, so be sure to come sign up and get your supplies for our CAL before Saturday, February 27.
Shuttle Tatting has come to The Yarn Haven...
Did you have a grandmother that tatted beautiful doillies? Did your great-aunt embellish her handkerchiefs and pillow slips with tatted lace? Have you always wanted to learn to tat? Well, here's your change. In this series of classes (March 2, 9, 16 & 23) you will learn the fundamentals of tatting with a shuttle. Learn how to do the double-stitch, master the "flip", make rings and chains, and tat simple motifs. See our newsletter or come by the shop for more information.
Helmet Liners Charity Project...
We will continue to make helmet liners during the month of February as there is still a need right now for them. The Cascade 220 superwash yarn is just perfect for this project. Be sure to stop by The Yarn Haven and purchase your yarn and pick up a pattern. The Cascade 220 superwash yarn will be discounted 20% for those making helmet liners. Crocheters can help by making warm scarves for the troops. Patterns for both the helmet liners and scarves are available at the front desk.
Thank you to the following people who donated items for one of our charity projects this past month: Annhara, Laura, Darlene, Mary Lynn, Lynda, Mary, Katherine, Jamie, Karen, Velma, Drama, and lots of people who donated to Project Linus in hopes of getting a Disney ticket. :-)
Update:
Thank you so much for all of the helmet liners you made this past month. We were able to send off 33 knitted helmet liners to the medic unit from Jamestown, TN that was deployed. Here is a short video of soldiers telling what it means to receive a handmade helmet liner. Knit for a Cause video
Tarie Williams owns Yarn Heaven in Texas. She's the one who got us started with National Helmet Liner Day. She's a great woman with a great heart for our military. Keep knitting helmet liners and crocheting scarves through the month of February as we are sending the rest of what we collect down to Tarie for her collection from yarn shops all over the country.
January Winning Tickets...
The January winning tickets of our "Go Green" program are:
If you have one of these tickets, bring it by The Yarn Haven to pick up your $10 gift certificate. You have until February 27 to claim your prize.
Joining a Weekly Class is a great way to start the New Year...
Our Weekly Class is a 2 hour class that meets for 6 weeks at a time. Class times are: 10 am - Noon, 1-3 pm, 4-6 pm and 6-8 pm. For the Weekly Class, you just bring whatever project you would like to work on. We have some excellent instructors that will help teach you the best way to do the various parts of your project. You'll learn hands-on from your own project...as well as from the projects that others are making. You can sign up for a 6 weeks class and then sign up again for the next 6 weeks class to continue learning if you want. You can continue doing this as long as you want or need to...and as long as there is room in the next class. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn in just a few months of taking this Weekly Class. The cost is $50 for the 6 weeks...which comes to about $4/hour. There are only two rules for this class: You must work with yarn bought at The Yarn Haven and you much come to class with a "Can Do" attitude. If you don't currently have a project to work on, you can pick one the first day of the class. For those signing up for a Weekly Class, you will receive a 10% off discount one time during your 6 weeks class for supplies that you will be using in that Weekly Class. Discount will only be valid from the date of the 1st class until the date of the 6th class and cannot be combined with any other discount.
If you are currently in a Weekly Class and plan to sign up for the next Weekly Class, do so as early as possible to hold your spot. Seats are limited in each Weekly Class.
The next Weekly Classes start...
- Tuesdays - February 16 (10 am - Noon; 1-3 pm; 4-6 pm (NEW TIME); 6-8 pm)
- Wednesdays - January 27 (10 am - Noon)
- Thursdays - February 18 (10 am - Noon; 1-3 pm; 6-8 pm)
- Fridays - January 29 (10 am - Noon; 1-3 pm)
The Yarn Haven Olympics...
It's hard to believe that it's time for the Olympics again. The Winter games will be in Vancouver this year from February 12-28. Want to join us for The Yarn Haven Olympics during that time? What you do is to pick a challenging knitting or crocheting project to work on. You cast on during the opening ceremonies and you must finish by the time the Olympic flame goes out. That's 17 days to complete your project. The categories this year will be:
- Afghans
- Lace
- Sweaters
- Socks
- UFOs
Pick a project in one of these categories and come sign up to participate. Following the Olympics, we'll be having our Olympic Showcase. On March 2-3, bring to the shop the finished project(s) that you knitted or crocheted during the Olympics. Folks can drop by on March 4-6 to vote for their favorites. We'll choose a winner in each of the categories. Winners will be announced Tuesday, March 9. In order to place your item in our Olympic Showcase, we do ask that you have purchased your yarn from The Yarn Haven. We are requesting this because your items will be so inspirational that our other customers will want to make them too. So be thinking of what project you'd like to do for The Yarn Haven Olympics. February 12 will be here before you know it. If you need help thinking of a project, please stop by the shop.
On February 12 starting at 6:30 pm we'll be gathering at Melissa Ray's home to begin The Yarn Haven Olympics and have supper together. Cost will be $5 to cover the cost of the food and snacks. Let us know by Wednesday, February 12 if you're planning on attending. Come join us as we begin our projects and watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver games together!
Winter Lace KAL...
This winter our lace knitalong will focus on UFOs...unfinished lace projects. Rather than start a new lace project, we will be working on finishing up lace projects already on the needles. If you'd like to join us, you are welcome to come and pick a lace project to work on. We will be meeting on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings from 6-8 pm.
Second Saturday Spin 'N Stitch...
Our spinning group has gotten a bit smaller in the past few months with folks moving and for various other reasons, so we've decided to open up this group to all fiber lovers: spinners, crocheters, knitters, weavers, needlepointers, etc. This is just a time set aside to work on your projects and enjoy the company of other folks who love yarn. So come join us on the second Saturday each month from 2-4 pm. You may bring a snack to share if you'd like.
St. Patrick's Day 'O Knitting...
Come to our all day long Sit 'N Stitch on Wednesday, March 17 as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We're going to be focusing on making chemo caps that day for the Caris Hospice as this will be our March Charity Project. Be sure to wear green that day!