Hello Friends,
We trust that everyone had a very happy Holiday Season. Today marks the return to true routine for most of us, and our minds and bodies are saying thank you as they are by now craving a normal schedule. As I sit here with a head cold, and a blizzard raging outside, I am trying to fill some mighty big shoes: Ellen has been the author behind these newsletters since the very beginning, and now that she has retired, someone needed to take over. We know how much you enjoyed her prose, and we have been told that many a chart were purchased, sight unseen, going merely on enthusiasm created by Ellen’s description. Ellen promised to send her thoughts my way so that I might be inspired as she was.
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We will miss Ellen very much, as we know you will. Without her, the store would not be what it is today, and we thank her for all of her hard work and service these many years. Saturday, January 17th will be Ellen Day here at Knit One, Stitch Too! We invite you to come visit and share the day with Ellen. Refreshments will be on hand and we look forward to seeing a great many of you. |
As promised, we have been working on a new class schedule for this first part of 2009. Basic Cross-Stitch classes will continue to be held on Saturdays, and the Basic Knitting Workshops will be held during our Thursday Stitchery Knittery evenings. We are also starting some new class series. The first one, for stitchers, will be a once a month on-going Thursday night workshop on stitching Specialty Stitches. For the knitters, we will also have a once a month on-going Knitting Techniques workshops. You can read all about it below. There is no commitment for either series, so if there is a particular technique you wish to learn, you can come for just that night. For the next few months, this class schedule will remain posted in the Classes section of our website for easy referral.
Basic Cross-Stitch Techniques:
All basic cross-stitch classes are a single 2 hr. session. A $25.00 fee (plus tax) is charged at time of registration. If you find that you cannot attend please give us as much notice as possible so that we can offer the space to another eager stitcher. To qualify for a refund we require at least 2 days notice.
Cross Stitch Basics - Step 1
Let us teach you this wonderful hobby. You will be amazed how easy it is!
Please note: We recommend that Step 1 be followed by Step 2 for a complete overview of cross-stitch basics.
Saturday, January 31 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Saturday, February 21 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Saturday, March 28 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Saturday, May 2 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Cross Stitch Basics - Step 2
Build on the basics you learned in Step 1 and be ready to tackle any cross stitch project. Quarter stitches, half stitches, backstitch and more are covered in this second workshop in the Cross Stitch Basics series. Basic cross stitch knowledge is essential.
Saturday, February 7 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Saturday, February 28 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Saturday, April 4 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Saturday, May 9 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Cross Stitch Basics - Step 3 - Linen
Learn to create your cross stitch masterpieces on beautiful evenweave and linen fabric with ease. Learn the “over 2” technique in this final session of the basics series.
Basic cross stitch knowledge is essential.
Saturday, March 7 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Saturday, May 30 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Cross Stitch Beading Basics
Learn how to embellish your cross stitch patterns with beads. It’s easy and fun to do.
Saturday, March 21 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Cross Stitch Over One/Petit Point
Master the continental stitch to make beautiful over one thread cross stitch designs. It is a technique that is used for fine detail on many patterns, for miniatures as well as for petit point.
Saturday, April 18 – 9:30am – 11:30am
Thursday Stitchery Techniques:
Starting in February, on every 2nd Thursday of the month, the scheduled workshop will be part of a series of specialty stitch classes. There is no registration fee, and the only requirement is the Donna Kooler Encyclopedia of Needlework, as it will be the reference book used for this series. If you own this book already, you can just bring it to the Thursday evening workshop if you plan on participating. If you don’t already have this wonderful book in your collection and plan to participate, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can have the appropriate number of copies on hand. You can bring fabric (evenweave or linen) from your stash, or purchase some on the first night. You have the option of building a reference booklet, with a new page for each stitch, or each session, or you can build on an on-going sampler by adding on to your work at each workshop. Here are the stitches that have been planned for the next few months:
February 12 – Reversible Cross-Stitch
March 12 – Upright Cross, Smyrna Cross & Long Arm Cross
April 9 – Rice, Arrowhead & Four-sided stitches
May 14 – Queen, Plait & Ray Stitches
June 11 – Herringbone Stitch & its variations
Thursday Knittery Techniques:
On the 4th Thursday of every month, Knitting Techniques will be featured at our Stitchery Knittery Evenings. Those wishing to participate can bring yarn from their stash with appropriately sized straight knitting needles, or can purchase some the night of the workshop. A good knitting reference book is essential. We will be using Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Knitting and you can pre-order this excellent book if you don’t own a good reference manual. Here are the planned classes for the first part of 2009:
February 26 – Learn to read a pattern
March 26 – Cast On techniques, Cast Off techniques & buttonholes
April 23 – Rice, Moss and Basketweave stitches
May 28 – Increase/Decrease
June 25 – Cables
We would like to schedule some special projects classes. The felted knitting bag, entrelac facecloth, feather & fan shawl and beaded scarf were all very successful project classes that were held in the Fall. Here are some of the suggestions:
Socks
Wrist warmers
Intarsia Pillow
Entrelac (for those who missed the last one)
Fair Isle technique
Lace
We would like your input so that we can schedule those project which would be of interest to most people. Please e-mail (manager@cross-stitch.ca) or phone (613-729-9744) to let us know if you are interested in any of the above. We look forward to your responses.
Thursday Stitchery Knittery Evenings
Thursday nights with no scheduled program are always Knit/Stitch Doctor evenings, i.e. there is always a resource person on hand to help you with your stitching or knitting if you are encountering a problem, or having technique questions. Of course, Thursday nights are still open to anyone who wants to work on personal projects while enjoying the company of like minded individuals.
Well that’s it for this first issue of the Stitchery Knittery News of 2009. Next week, we will be back with new products to talk about. In the meantime, you can study the Knit One, Stitch Too! University class list and decide on what new technique you may want to learn in the near future. We hope that the transition back to work was a smooth one for everyone and that of those New Year’s resolutions that you plan on keeping, making time for stitching and/or knitting is at the top of the list.
Until next week, Happy Stitching and Knitting,
Maria, Ellen, Louise, Elaine, Manon & Auriol
Hoffman Distributing
