We will be holding our first annual Selfish Knit-along/Crochet-along from January 1st through February 4th. After a season of making lovely things for everyone else, you deserve to make something wonderful for yourself. Join us in ringing in the new year with something made just for you! 

What do I need to do to participate?

Stop in the shop anytime between now and the end of the KAL/CAL to pick out your project and yarn. Once your yarn is purchased, your name will be added to a list along with the yarn you picked and your intended project. When you’ve finished your project, bring it back to the shop to show it off and we’ll mark it as completed on our list.

Will we be meeting up to knit or crochet together?

We would love to see you here for our Wednesday stitch nights! The shop is open from 1-8 every Wednesday and many folks show up after work for some fun stitch therapy. Bring your own chair, just in case! If you get stuck outside of stitch nights you can always stop in and let us help you with a quick question.

Will there be any perks for completing my project in time?

Of course! If you finish your project and bring it in to flaunt your awesome skills before the end of the KAL/CAL you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off your next purchase (some exclusions will apply).

Is there anything else I should know?

Take this opportunity to challenge your skills or finally start that project you’ve been dreaming of for what seems like forever! The best part of stitching along with friends, new or old, is we’re all here to help you get through your project and answer those random questions so you end up with something you’ll love for many years to come.

…projects you can whip up in a flash for all of those gifts you forgot you needed to give!

The holiday season has officially snuck up on us. As of this post, there are only eight more days until the start of Hanukkah and nine more days until Christmas! EEEP! So we’re here with three projects you can crank out just in time.

First off is the Crinkle Cowl kit from Universal Yarns. This kit includes everything you need for a lovely and sparkly cowl, plus a bag you can reuse for all of those future planned projects. These kits are available in cream, denim blue, and black. Each kit is $45.50.

Second are Bella’s Mittens, a free pattern available on Ravelry, made using one skein of Berroco Inca Tweed. This super soft and delightfully tweedy chunky yarn will keep your hands warm on even the coldest of winter’s days. Plus, the added length helps protect your arms from the snow that always seems to work its way down our coat sleeves. The total cost for this project is $16, needles not included.

Last is the Calorimetry headband, also a free pattern on Ravelry, made using one skein of Cascade Cloud. This yarn is a 70/30 merino wool and alpaca blend and has a hollow chain ply construction meant to help hold warmth in while keeping the yarn itself lightweight. This project takes just over half of the skein, so there’s not quite enough yarn to make two. You can always mix and match with some leftovers from another project for a second one. The total cost for this project is $16, needles not included.

Be sure to stop by the shop for even more quick project suggestions!

Have fun, don’t panic, and stitch on my fellow theorists!

…super cool pom-pom making kits!

      

One thing is for sure, we LOVE pom-poms in this shop. But sometimes those boring old fold up plastic pom-pom makers we usually use are, well, boring! But this kit takes everything boring about pom-pom makers and makes them fun again.

Each kit comes in a sturdy and beautiful box that contains two sizes of pom-pom makers, three mini skeins of yarn, and a booklet to help guide you through the whole process. Each of the pom-pom makers are magnetic and adorned with lovely artwork.

These kits are perfect gifts for older kids who love crafting (there’s photos of pom-poms turned into sheep and birds on the back of the box). We won’t judge you though if you need this little box of awesome all for yourself. Each kit is $30 plus tax.

Have fun and stitch pom-pom on my fellow theorists!

…beautiful ready-made items from local artists! Okay, we know we skipped a week, but we promise this week was worth the wait.

We love finding great things for the store that in turn help our fellow community members, and we know you do too. One of the things the shop constantly strives towards is finding items that are dyed/spun/made locally, sometimes by people you personally know, so you can always find something unique while helping the environment by cutting down on fuel usage for shipping.

This week we are featuring five of our local vendors and their hand crafted items that are available for sale here in the shop. Each of these items make perfect gifts as they are ready-made, saving you precious crafting time.

1 – Box Bags with Snap Closures from Rock Solid Designs

Stephanie, owner and sewist extraordinaire of Rock Solid Designs, spent a good portion of her life right here in Central PA. One of the items we adore from her is her box bags. They come in two different sizes to meet all of your project needs.

The best part? They use snaps instead of zippers as closures. This means you can keep your yarn in the bag, put the bag on your arm, and work on your project while standing in those long shopping lines, without snagging your yarn on a zipper or worrying about your yarn ball running away. Once you’re done knitting, just reopen the bag and pop everything back in!

2 – Bento Bags and Triangle Pouches from Lisa

Lisa is probably a familiar face to those of you who join us for Wednesday Stitch Nights. She lives locally and works up fantastic bags in her spare time that she graciously lets us sell right here in the shop!

Her bento bags are perfect for any project. They come with a drawstring to make sure everything stays neat and clean, or you can push the drawstring pouch down into the bag for ease of access.

Her triangle pouches are perfect for smaller projects like socks, mittens, and small scarves. Their unique shape makes them a great addition to your bag collection.

3 – Shoulder Bags from String Theory Yarn Shop

Yes, you read that right. When the days are slow you’re likely to find me, the fearless shop owner, hunched over a sewing machine working on these bags in what I lovingly refer to as “the sweatshop” (the secret void behind the wall!).

Our shoulder bags are great for larger projects that may not fit into smaller bags. Each one is reversible and has one pocket to hold your scissors, stitch markers, etc. We’re always finding fun new fabrics to make something extra special you’re sure to love.

4 – Knit Monsters from Sweet Little Knits

Carri, owner and fabulous knitter and crocheter, may also be a familiar face to some of you. She lives locally and works up some truly amazing things. One of the things we love most are her hand-knit monsters. They come in a variety of bright colors and fun shapes, and they’re here awaiting adoption to make your little monsters happy. Or you can keep it for yourself. We won’t tell, promise!

5 – Hand Woven Wool Rugs from Lambtail Weaving

It doesn’t get much more local than these beautiful wool rugs. Local sheep were sheared, their fleeces were milled and spun just north of Harrisburg, and the resulting yarn was woven into these rugs just south of Johnstown. Each rug is approximately 26″ x 48″ and will be sure to keep your feet safe from those cold hardwood and tile floors all year long.

We hope you’ll stop in and grab something for yourself or gift giving. When you do, you’ll be helping the dreams of our local makers come true!