Kudos to you, hoppers!

The Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop of 2013 was a fantastic event! 

Attendees donated  7,525 pounds of food to local food shelves along with $4,429 in cash donations. All the shops had a wonderful time and would like to thank each and every hopper for participating. See you next year!

The Grand prize winner being surprised with news of her win. 

Eye Candy? Yarn Porn? We just call it beautiful.

Here is a smattering of what the shops have in store for this year's hop.

All hand dyed especially for you, hoppers.

We are all looking forward to the 2013 hop. Given that the weather forecast is less than optimal, we would like to remind all of you to travel safely this weekend. 

A Yarn Bomb and Raffle to Support the Emergency Food Shelf Network during the 2013 Shop Hop

As part of this year's Shop Hop, Skeins is raffling off a chair that has been yarnbombed by employees and friends. The chair is the brainchild of Martha Shannon, who got the idea from the chair charm Skeins will be giving out for donations to the Emergency Foodshelf Network.  Raffle tickets are $1 each, and proceeds will be donated to the Emergency Foodshelf Network.

The next stop on our blog tour of the upcoming Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop 2013 is . . .

Wow! What an exceptional few months it's been. We are new to the hop and new shop owner, ChrisRKnits, has been busy putting new paint on the walls at our new location and unpacking new yarns! We also put together some new furniture and designed that great new logo you see above. (Thanks, Tom!) 

Where do iYarn@? We yarn@ everywhere under the sun, moon, and stars! It's impossible to select a single location for something so enjoyable and portable. ChrisRKnits has designed a fabulous project for our free pattern offering for the hop. We feel the custom dyed colors combined with the yarn base and pattern are a knockout of a project. We hope that you do, too!

Recently, we acquired a new shop dog.  (Sandra rocked this project!)  Let us introduce you to the recently retired from showing, old English sheep dog, Lady Purlington, The Duchess of Saint Louis Park. She is a most charitable creature accepting donations for The Animal Humane Society. Each time you use your own bag for purchases made at the shop, we put a nickel in her belly.

We encourage you to sign up for our newsletter. We'll let you know all about other cool new stuff every now and then. Read the second issue here; it has some information on how to find us and parking when you arrive by automobile.

We can hardly wait to Yarn@ everywhere under the sun, moon and stars with you. It's going to be a fantastic event!

Hop to The Yarnery: A Busy Shop in a Busy Place

The Yarnery—located in the heart of St. Paul's most exciting shopping district, historic Grand Avenue—is a lively, busy place. Like all the great shops on the hop, we have a full array of classes and events, gorgeous yarn, and a friendly, knowledgable staff. The Twin Cities' metro area is so fortunate to have such a dizzying array of great yarn shops, and we're proud to be associated with them for this event. It may be exhausting to travel to all 16(!) of them for the hop, but it's well worth the effort to see the richness and variety the many shops have to offer.

What has kept us busy at The Yarnery this winter? Filling kits for Theresa Gaffey's luxurious stole from Wearwithall: Knits for Your Life (our very own book), and winding LOTS of Malabrigo Merino Worsted for Malabrigo Linen Stitch Scarf kits. And then there are our twice-weekly free clinics (5-8pm on Mondays and Thursdays), weekly knit nights, weaving weekends, and an upcoming retreat on the North Shore. Like we said: busy!

The last couple weeks have seen a flurry of activity as we've readied the shop to become a flagship retail location for Brooklyn Tweed's American wool yarn. We're one of just a dozen flagships in the world, and the only such store in the midwest. We're thrilled with this new partnership, and you'll want to see this yarn for yourself when you come in for the hop: you literally can't see it anywhere else within a thousand miles of Minnesota.

The Yarnery may be a busy place, but we're never too busy to greet our fabulous customers, and we can't wait to see all of you, new and returning friends, at The Yarnery in April.

The Yarnery

840 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55105

651.222.5793

yarnery.com

Hop to Yarn Garage in Rosemout - knit happy and glitter it up!

Nestled into historic downtown Rosemount, Yarn Garage is a fabulously cozy knitters’ home away from home. You’ll be greeted like an old friend and we’ll happily share some of our favorite projects and exclusive colorways with you.

Browse the racks at Yarn Garage as if you’re in a clothing boutique: try on anything that strikes your fancy and our expert staff will help you choose just the right yarn (or yarns—we love to mix and match!) to make the garment uniquely yours. One of the best things about knitting is being able to create a piece that is catered specifically to your shape and coloring and it’s something we love to help our customers do.

With exclusives from fabulous yarn companies like Madelinetosh, Zen Yarn Garden, and Three Irish Girls, we have a truly remarkable rainbow of saturated color and incredible fibers. Come in and explore bright colors from Neighborhood Fiber Company and SweetGeorgia and then discover amazing textures with Be Sweet Bamboo, Habu Silk and Stainless Steel, Shibui’s linen chainette, and many more.

We’re also big fans of Steven’s specialties: convertible fashion and Fiber Fusion! If you’re going to knit something, you should be able to wear it at least two different ways! Our favorites are the Warren 2-Way Jacket (knit with Tahki Ripple, a thick and thin cotton tape), Steven’s tasseled hat/cowl featured in winter’s Knit Simple (which we love in soft and colorful Malabrigo Rastita), and, of course, Steven’s brand new Ponchello, a color block version of his world-famous Ponchini using Be Sweet Bamboo and Extra Fine Mohair Boucle.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2013 Shop Hop—knit happy and glitter it up!

Unwind is another new to the hop shop!

This is our first year in the Shop Hop and to say we’re very excited is an understatement! The windows are washed and the coffee is on!

Like many of you if I have any “free” time I always like to have my knitting with me. It could be a planned trip or an unexpected moment of free time, I always like to be prepared. As parents, we often sit with out children at lessons, sports, or other activities.

For many, many years I was waiting for them at the ballet studio.

For 15+ years that time was expanded because they danced in the Nutcracker. That meant 7 days of practice and plenty of “found” time for knitting. Join us for “At the Ballet”.

The Shop Hop is a great opportunity to get some special yarns and special patterns. For those of you who like to plan ahead – think Christmas knitting!

We are looking forward to seeing you and keep on knitting!

Get Inspired During the Shop Hop at 3 Kittens Needle Arts

Visit 3 Kittens Needle Arts during the Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop to get inspired! From samples of knitting, crochet and needlepoint to expert sales staff, we strive to provide a “happy place” for our customers. 

3 Kittens is one of the oldest yarn stores in the Twin Cities – 43 years and counting. But we never rest on our laurels. We are always looking for new products, new techniques and new events to inspire you. Our yarn selection ranges from traditional yarns such as Dale Heilo and Jamieson Shetland DK, to handpainted yarns from Fleece Artist, Madelinetosh, Chameleon Colorworks, Sun Valley Fibers and more, to trend yarns like the scarf yarns that have been so popular the last couple of years. Our current favorite yarns are Handmaiden Sea Silk, the new Noro Takeuma, and Elemental Affects Fingering. We also carry the largest array of buttons in town! And our loyalty program, The 3K Club, can’t be beat.

Every one of our staff is an expert knitter, crocheter and/or needlepointer. Janine Kosel, our full-time knitting person, is the co-author of two books, “Norwegian Handknits” and “Swedish Handknits.” If you haven’t seen the books yet, Janine will be happy to show them to you and even sign a copy for you! We are always willing to help at any time, and we offer some of the best class opportunities in the area. In addition, we try to bring instructors from around the world to our store to teach and offer inspiration. In October 2012, we had Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably. Just last week, Elsebeth Lavold visited for two classes, and Nancy Bush will be coming on April 26, 2013. 

We are open seven days a week. For those who work full-time during the week, we are open Monday and Thursday evenings until 8pm. 

Our theme for this year’s Shop Hop is iKnit@ the Coffee Shop. Be sure to fondle our specially dyed yarn in coffee shop colors, and pick up both of our free patterns – one knit and one crochet! And if you need a break from the frantic pace of the Shop Hop, visit the rest of the shops and restaurants in The Village at Mendota Heights, including Caribou Coffee, Mendoberri Café, Mainstream Boutique, Tommy Chicago’s Pizza, Nature of Beauty, Roe Wolf, the Olive Grove, and Coldstone Creamery. 

We’re looking forward to seeing you during the Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop! 

Get Inspired!

Knit happy and glitter it up when you hop to StevenBe in Minneapolis!

Stepping into StevenBe is like wandering into Wonderland, delightful colors surround you and surprises are around every corner. You’ll be greeted like an old friend, invited to partake in hot tea or freshly brewed coffee (Steven’s own blend!), and shown some of our favorite projects and yarn.

Here at StevenBe, the only thing more fabulous than Steven is the yarn selection. We carry all the gorgeous hand paints like Madelinetosh, Malabrigo, Three Irish Girls, Zen Yarn Garden, and Freia. We love the color play and rich depth from our favorite hand dyers and we’re discovering new ones all the time. Our employees are color experts and happy to help you choose just the right combinations.

But, of course, in true StevenBe style we also have the fabulous fibers that make you swoon from Be Sweet, Habu, and Shibui—yarns that you can form, shape, and fuse (Fiber Fusion, anyone?) into unique creations with to-die-for texture. Steven’s specialty is creating unexpected combinations of fibers that make a knitted fabric with characteristics from the component yarns. Come in for a consultation and he’ll be happy to help you create your own Fiber Fusion project—or at least add some glitter!

We love companies with a conscience, too. Be Sweet, whose yarn is showcased in Steven’s Cabled Ponchini featured in last fall’s Knit Simple, supports job creation for women in South Africa. Knit Collage, purveyors of amazing handspun art yarns, employs uneducated women in India. Frog Tree Yarns works with a cooperative in Bolivia that creates alpaca yarn and trains women to hand knit scarves and sweaters. Our coffee is supplied to us by the Velasquez Family, a fair trade coffee plantation in Honduras with local family ties.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2013 Shop Hop—knit happy and glitter it up!

Hop to Anoka for old world charm and to visit The Shepherdess. It might start to feel like home.

Here at The Shepherdess we are busy preparing for Shop Hop 2013.  We are filled with excitement as we put the finishing touches on our featured pattern and we hope you are going to love this one!   The yarn is ‘oh so yummy’.... I’d love to tell you all about it...but you’ll have to wait. This is our third year participating in the shop hop and we hope this will be the best one yet.  Plan to spend some time here.

You'll find The Shepherdess in quaint downtown Anoka, filled with old world charm. Walking into our shop is like stepping into the past. From the tin ceiling and creaky wood floor to the natural fiber yarns, spinning wheels and friendly service, we are all about good, old fashioned quality. If you like wool, cotton, alpaca and silk yarn you'll love it here. We have lots of samples to inspire you and a cozy lounge to browse our pattern and book collection.

Besides the wonderful yarns, we also specialize in spinning fibers, wheels and looms.  We teach knitting, crochet, spinning and weaving classes and host regular gatherings for knitters, weavers and hand spinners.  

On the first and third Saturday of every month our hand spinners meet for a day of relaxation and inspiration.  On these special days a pot of soup simmers in our lounge to keep you happy and comfy for hours.  Our mill owner Deborah Peterson presents a special spinning fiber each time for sampling.  Deb has a corner at The Shepherdess filled with beautiful roving and bats for our spinners.  We are so happy to partner with Deb to provide fresh local fiber to our spinning community.

Weaving artists also gather once a month to learn a new technique and be inspired by fellow weavers.  We are so fortunate to have Winnie Johnson with us.  Winnie has studied and taught around the world and now she offers classes here at The Shepherdess.  What a treasure!

And new to our shop is our felting specialist, Linda Johnson Morke. Her felted items are for sale and we are hoping to offer felting classes in the near future.  You may know Linda as "the yurt lady".  Her yurt has been on display for many years at Shepherds Harvest. We welcome Linda and her talents to our shop.

While you're here, be sure to try our line of natural skin care and cleaning products all made right in our store filling the air with aromatherapy and filling our guests with a sense of well being. Almost every day someone says, " this feels like home, I don't want to leave".   We’ll be waiting to see you soon,

Kathy, Karen, Winnie, Deborah, Jennifer, Rachel, Mariah, Kate M. and Kathryn

Yarn@ the beach with Sheepy Yarn Shoppe in White Bear Lake

What a wonderful, stress relieving hobby we all enjoy! Knitting or crocheting,  we create wonderful items from favorite colors and fibers!  Our theme this year is so exciting as we learn from each other the unusual places we Yarn@. Since we are only 2 blocks from the lake, we Yarn@ the beach. 

When you visit us be sure to check out the huge selection of yarns, patterns, accessories and books. All our employees are very knowledgeable knitters and are happy to help with any project or answer any questions. Our class schedules are designed to meet the needs of all skill levels and are taught by very skilled instructors.  Stop in anytime, wander through, sit and knit by the fireplace and just enjoy all the colors and fibers.

My passion for knitting and crocheting really began when I decided to buy the Shoppe in 1991. I had learned to knit during college days, however, I was able to dedicate full time when I retired from the corporate world. Living in Argentina, South America for 11 years exposed me to the world of Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco and Vicuna as well as great wools and pima cottons.  Everyone seemed to be using their down time to knit or crochet.  

Sheepy Yarn Shoppe will celebrate its 22^nd anniversary on May 13^th. This hobby has exploded in recent years and we have seen many people discover their own creative ability just waiting to be released.

You will love visiting us in historic, downtown White Bear Lake which boasts summer and winter activities on the lake. We are located in the heart of WBL among specialty shops, restaurants and parks.

See you soon! Marjorie, Bobbi, Kris, Murriel, Nancy, Eileen, Greta, Dottie, Ruth, Jean

Welcoming new and returning customers, Needlework Unlimited is your next shop hop stop in Minneapolis!

Needlework Unlimited has been serving the knitting and needlepoint needs of Minneapolis and its southwestern suburban neighbors for over 42 years.  After a couple of moves and several owners over the years, it is now located at 44^th & Drew in the Linden Hills neighborhood in a spacious store with a similarly spacious parking lot.  Karen and her staff stock a huge selection of knitting yarns from around the world, as well as locally-dyed exclusives, and display lots of models showing just how lovely the yarns knit up!  They are excited to help find the perfect yarn, pattern, button, needle or other notion for your project.

Karen has had a life-long love affair with knitting, learning at the knee of her mother when she was just a wee little thing.  She received her degree in design from the U of M and has worked for years in the yarn business.  Her goal is to provide the very best materials and advice for your fiber needs.

She has also accepted the challenge of new technology.  Needlework Unlimited is a Ravelry store and provides a laptop on the sales floor for the use of customers to access their Ravelry accounts while shopping.  And Needlework Unlimited has just joined with Craftsy.com to bring national-caliber teachers to your living room 24 hours a day.

Needlework Unlimited looks forward to welcoming new and returning customers during the Shop Hop – drive safely!

Lila and Claudine's invites you to come and play during the 2013 Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop!

So What is Lila and Claudine's all about?  What happens there and most importantly Why should you check us out?  What we have learned in our 4 years of business is that there are many levels to a yarn shop. 

On one level we sell yarn and fiber and all things that relate but truly that really is just scratching the surface.

We work every day to provide a warm, vibrant environment that you can be inspired, encouraged and maybe smile a time or two. We are a place where you can sit down, join in on conversation, and get help if you need it.

We have been called a new "fort" for people to play in...because after all, when you love to create, it is all playing; fun and satisfying.  We are always creating community, a place to be known and welcomed each time you visit.  As one of our Kid Knitter's said, " If you know how to knit, you're pretty much set for life!" We could not agree more!

Knitting, crocheting and fiber in general is our passion at Lila and Claudine's.  And it is so fun for us to share our passion with you.  In fact, that is our goal; to have each one of you be or become crazy about fiber, either knitting, crocheting, spinning, felting or weaving. 

This is our third year participating in the shop hop.  We see these four days as a way of celebrating the depth of creativity in the metro area yarn community.  We encourage you to get with your friends, plan the weekend,  choose your route and come see us.  We promise you will not be disappointed!

Polly and Kirsten, aka Lila and Claudine
Lilaandclaudines.com

Yarn@ the river? Stillwater's Darn. Knit. {Anyway} is your shop hop stop!

 Where do you Yarn@?

That is the theme of this year’s shop hop.  IYarn@_______.

So, where do you yarn@? 

Every shop this year is going to show where they yarn@.  We know the grammar isn’t perfect, but the idea is. 

We thought long and hard about how Darn Knit Anyway was going to show where we yarn@; so many choices.   We settled on a good one.  The River.  We are in Stillwater, a historic town on a scenic river.  When you live or work in a river town, the river is a major player.   Is the river rising?  Is the bridge working?  Is the river frozen?  Will there be a new bridge? 

Our shop is 100 yards from the St. Croix River.  We see it out our window when we knit in our lounge.  We sit on the banks of the river and knit on beautiful summer days. 

Yep, the river.  Perfect theme for Darn Knit Anyway!  What is the yarn and pattern?  Those details you’ll have to wait for – see you at the hop!

Lakeside Yarn is back for more! Add Excelsior to your shop hop adventure.

Lakeside Yarn, formerly Coldwater Lakeside Yarn, formerly Coldwater Collaborative – whew!  It is, in fact, the same shop in Excelsior that has participated in all seven hops since 2007, with only a small identity crisis.

 It’s taken us a little time to figure out exactly who we are to you, our customers, and we hope you like our new identity as Lakeside Yarn.  In the coming weeks, watch for a fresh new website design and storefront to go along with our new logo at the top of this page.  It is an exciting time for us, and we hope you will enjoy getting to know us and spending time at the shop. You can read about how Cynthia came to own Lakeside Yarn in the March, 2012  blog posts, if you missed it last year.

This year, the Shop Hop welcomes 3 new shops to its lineup, offering even more breadth and depth to the experience.  What a world class, creative and innovative fiber community we have all created together with the support of our amazing customers!!   We will be sharing with you some of our favorite places we “yarn” – knit or crochet--  and be looking for you to share yours.   For example, we all know that knitters and crocheters are some of the most patient people—well, as long as they have something to work on – when waiting for just about anything.  Any spare moment is the opportunity for a few more rows, whether at the doctor’s office, the baseball game, or a long traffic light.  Yes, I admit I knit at traffic lights, which reminds me of a story.

While waiting at a particularly long light near my kids’ school, I knitted patiently, waiting for the green.  The driver in the car next to me (obviously, a non-believer), rolled down her window and motioned for me to open mine.  When I did, she chastised me in no uncertain terms:  “PUT AWAY YOUR KNITTING!!!”  Dumbfounded, I explained, “Well, it’s not lace, it’s only garter stitch.”

Thanks for your continued support and enthusiasm and we’ll see you in April!