Check it out!!!
Dorothea made a beautiful Ginkgo Shawl from a beautiful skein of Unplanned Peacock Twisty Sock that was donated by The Crooked Stitch to the Blue Ridge Soil and Water Conservation District. Guess What! We are now featured on their home page! Go Check it out! Quick…
Crafting is so closely related to agriculture with Sheep, Wool, and the Cotton grown to make the fabrics we love to quilt with. We were so glad to be able to support the SWDC!
2012: The Year of the Sock
The Crooked Stitch has declared 2012 The Year of the Sock! We have a number of great events and activities planned and to start the yarn ball rolling we want to announce the “Six Sock Surprise Club.”
Six Sock Surprise Club
Members of this club will receive yarn, pattern and an added surprise every two months, for a year ($150). The yarn could be from local hand dyers or larger companies, new yarns for the shop, or old favorites! The patterns will be exclusive to The Crooked Stitch and will not be available for purchase to non-members until 2013. And the surprises will be…surprises!! Members of the Six Sock Surprise Club will also get sneak previews of other sock events and activities during the year. Members can pick up their Surprise Packages at the shop during the second week of February, April, June, August, October, and December. We will let you know when they are ready to go, and with prior arrangement we can even ship them to you!
Semi Sock Surprise
Can’t commit to a full year of surprises? For those only ready to dip a toe into the wonderful world of socks we have a “semi” surprise for three months ($90) Your Semi Surprise Packages will be available for pickup at the shop during the second week of February, April and June. Once they see how incredibly exciting and fun the world of sock knitting really is “Semi-members” will be able to re-up for the second half of the year for an additional $60.
Sign ups begin on January 17th and there are a limited number of seats available.
The 12 Gifts of Christmas – Part Two
The first six weren’t enough for you? Great! Here are six more gift ideas from your favorite Quilts and Knits Shop! Come in anytime and let us know how we can help you get ready for the holidays!
Gift Seven: Knitted Jewelry
These are new to The Crooked Stitch, and have been very popular this season. Kits from Designer Laura Nelkin, for these two knitted necklaces have really caught people’s fancy! They don’t take long to knit, the yarn and the beads are all included, and they really are stunning around your neck. Comfortable to wear and very striking, these are greats gifts for those who knit. What a fun and unusual way to show off knitting skill! Your knitter will love them!!
Gift Eight: Bookmarks
Here is yet another example of how socks are the gift that keeps on giving. Hand knit by a local fiber artist, these bookmarks are the perfect gift for the reader on your shopping list. Easy to mail, long lasting, and the perfect accompaniment to a good book!! These socks will take you far with many of those loved ones you haven’t shopped for yet! And if you don’t see what color you want, tell us, we might be able to help!!
Gift Nine: Quilt Kits
Here is an easy gift for your favorite quilter! A quilt kit! Not a huge bed sized quilt, but 
smaller more manageable but just as much fun quilts for those on your list who are learning to quilt or who would enjoy a small and fun quilting project. We have an adorable spider Mug Rug kit, and the Sweet Maple Sugar table runner kit, both of which are exclusive to The Crooked Stitch. In addition to smaller kits we have all the materials necessary for the adorable and timely “12 Days of Christmas” quilting project. Come in and take a look!!
Gift Ten: Sock Yarn
Yeah, I know, socks AGAIN, but do you really know how versatile sock yarn is? Shawls, cowls, scarves, mittens, vests, and obviously socks – this is only a short list of the uses that sock yarn can be put to. Probably why we have more than one type of sock yarn! We have a GLORIOUS array of sock yarn from local dye genius Unplanned Peacock Studios, as well as colors from Berroco Sox, and Comfort Socks, Austermann’s Step and Zitron’s Trekking. A new addition is the lovely Hacho (picture here) from Mirasol of Peru. There’s a lot of possibility is skein of sock yarn! Come in and check out the choices!
Gift Eleven: Stitch Markers
Probably one of the all time best knitter’s stocking stuffers are stitch markers. Always pretty, always fun, and always necessary is our collection of handmade stitch markers, just in time for the stocking stuffing season. No knitter has enough stitch markers, and you will definitely get points for passing this little tip onto Santa this holiday season! (Of course needles, vintage buttons, and blocking pins fit in stockings, too….)
Gift Twelve: A Gift Certificate
And our last, most popular and most versatile holiday gift would have to be the Crooked Stitch Gift Certificate. Make to any amount, and personalized for your favorite knitter how can you go wrong with a built in shopping expedition? Let us know who and how much and you will be ready to give a gift that is sure to be the favorite under the tree for any knitter or quilter on your list! Gift Certificates can be for yarn, lesson, or anything at all! Come in and let us make your favorite crafter’s holiday a bright one!
So there you have it, the 12 Gifts of Christmas at The Crooked Stitch. The hard part has been to narrow it down to only 12! With holiday gift giving classes, new fabric on the way, and new yarn coming in all the time there is always something new to see! Come by and visit, we would love to see you, and show you all the fun new things going on at the Crooked Stitch! Happy Holidays!
The 12 Gifts of Christmas – Part One
We are getting down to the wire now, and Christmas is just around the corner. Are you ready? Have you got everything on your list? On the off chance that there is someone on your list, or you are on someone’s list The Crooked Stitch has put together a list that we hope you, or your loved one might find helpful. Stay tuned to the next installment of the “Twelve Gifts of Christmas at The Crooked Stitch.”
Gift One: LACE!
Lace is a fun thing to knit, and so lovely to enjoy when it’s been knit. Many knitters would love to try lace, but are just afraid it will be too much work or too fussy. We have a great solution to this dilemma! New this month to The Crooked Stitch is Wolle’s Yarn Creation, a soft cotton yarn just perfect for new lace knitters. For under $25 any knitter can turn a lovely ball of the color changing cotton into a soft, comfortable, lacey shawl. What a great gift for a knitter!
Gift Two: Ornaments
How cute are these? Lovely holiday ornaments that bring the joy and fun of the season home to anyone! These jolly snowmen are made by a local artist and are available, with many other types of ornaments in The Crooked Stitch, but only until the end of the year! Great as both tree ornaments or gift ornaments, these snowmen are ready and waiting to go home with you!
Gift Three: Ruler Corral
For those quilters on your list we have something new to The Crooked Stitch, ruler corrals. So here is something you may not know about quilters, they have to be obsessive about measurements. If they want to piece quilts that “work” then they have to be really careful about so that everything goes into place just right, so all the seams line up, so all the colors match up
where they are suppose to, so the corners are sharp. That means that quilters need rulers, big ones, little ones, square ones, and triangle ones. And the Ruler Corrals that we have in the shop are the very best way to keep those rulers neat, handy, and accessible. They have been handcrafted especially for The Crooked Stitch and they are under $25. Your favorite quilter will love one! (You may notice some really bright and fun fabric in the background of the picture, this would also make a great gift, and a gift certificate to The Crooked Stitch would take all the worry about color choice off your shoulders! Come in and see us, we can help!)
Gift Four: Silver
As most women will tell you, even those who don’t knit or quilt, jewelry is often a very good gift, for any reason, or for no reason at all. But it’s often hard to buy jewelry for some people because tastes vary so much from one person to the next. If you aren’t sure what color gems or which metal to choose for your special someone we have solved that dilemma for you! Just come in and take a look at our Peacock Precious, the clear, deep colors of gem stones in super wash merino run through with the softness of silk and the sparkling bright joy of pure silver. Really! This yarn will give your knitter all the pleasure of fine jewelry and all the joy of handcrafting.
Gift Five: Quilts
As a quilting shop it probably comes as no surprise that we have quilts for sale, but the variety of what is possible is what you need to remember. Quilts can come in the huge bed variety, the smaller sofa, lap, or crib size and even the table runner size! There are quilts for everyone in every price point. And don’t forget, we not only sell the fabric to make the quilts, but the lessons!! Quilting is an art form that can be universally appreciated, and anyone can learn! Give the gift of learning this season, with gift certificate for a quilting class!
Gift Six: Christmas Ornament Socks
Here is a gift that can come in three parts: first we have these handmade, tree-ornament sized socks that make great gift toppers or ornaments for your loved one’s tree. Second, you can gift the pattern kit to your favorite knitter. They will enjoy the knitting, and then have a lovely sock to put on their tree. Socks are such fun to knit, and these wee little socks are a great knit, even for people who don’t ordinarily knit socks! And third, why not gift a sock class to the knitter in your life? Then they could not ONLY make a sweet little sock for their tree but larger more lovely socks to keep their feet warm on our cold Virginia nights! Socks are the gift that keeps on giving!
We hope this helps! Let us know if you have questions we would love to help!! Stay tuned for the next installment of “The twelve gifts of Christmas.”
The Holidays Cometh!
Holy Holly Leaves Batman!! I can’t believe it’s practically December already! But never fear, we are here to help!
There are lots of exciting things happening in the shop! First of all, a brand new yarn! You asked for it, and we got it! Starting later this week we will be carrying the fabulous Wolle’s Yarn Creations!! I know you have been drooling over Whitney’s lovely blue/green/green shawl in the shop, and here is your chance to get your hands on some of that lusciousness for yourself or those you love for Christmas. Lots of colors, but a limited supply for now, so get in here QUICK and take a look, I have a feeling this stuff will run out the door pretty quickly!
Also this week we are releasing a slew of new patterns to help you with your holiday decorating and gift-giving labors for December. Not only will we be releasing the patterns, but we will be giving classes on each of the patterns in the month of December (check out our class page) so that you can create lovely handcrafts for others in a peaceful and stress-free environment. Bring a few friends and let’s do some holiday handcrafting together!
And finally, the final excitement of the week, on Friday we have the Come Home to a Franklin County Christmas event. There will be knitters, and spinners, and quilters, 0h my! Come by and say hello, and sit a spell with us! We would love to have you, and there is so much going on downtown you might need a comfortable place to rest for a moment! BEST OF ALL Unplanned Peacock will be with us for a trunk show! What more could you ask for to spice up your holiday spirits but a whole room full of Twisty Sock, Diva, Whirly, Laceweight, Aran, and tons of fiber!!
We can’t wait to see you this week, and don’t forget our Lunch Bunch on Wednesday (11-3) and the Knit Night on Thursday (6-8).
Testing and Kitting Around
After paroosing the Scrap bin at The Crooked Stitch, we put together some kits of scrap fabric to make mug rugs and coasters for Helping Hands, Warming Hearts. Please come by and pick one up today for your project! Free to you, Honor system to return by December 15th.
And, Here is a beautiful example of the Heart block from our last post. Don’t feel limited in your craftiness to only creating that particular block. We look forward to seeing what you can glean from your own stash as far as materials and certainly look forward to seeing what you all can create with hearts in mind.
Helping Hands, Warming Hearts
The holidays are just around the corner, and The Crooked Stitch wants to get in the spirit by launching our Helping Hands, Warming Hearts holiday program. We are asking friends of the shop to knit a pair of mittens for a child to be distributed to children around Franklin County, that’s the helping hands parts. OR we are asking for a quilted mug rug or coaster with a heart motif to be shared with seniors in our community. That’s the warming hearts part….
We hope you will consider finding the time to knit a small pair of mittens or sew a coaster for those in need this season. Everyone who donates something toward the Helping Hands, Warming Hearts program will have their name entered to win a $15 gift certificate at The Crooked Stitch. We are excited to be part of the Rocky Mount community and to have such a grand group of knitters who support us! Join us at the shop on December 2nd for the Come Home to Franklin County Christmas event and see all the mittens and mug rugs decorating our holiday tree! We are looking forward to seeing you and your creations at The Crooked Stitch.
Oh Yummy!
From time to time at the Crooked Stitch we do things other than knit or quilt. Tonight I had time to cook an off-the -uff dinner for my family that turned out fantastic! Try it for your self some time soon. It is a quick one that you can fix and move on from... coming back to eat in 1 hour! (Insert Yummy Title that makes you want to cook a very flavorful dish) 1 can Delmonte Stewed tomato with celery and onion (chopped) 1/4 cup Kalamata olives ( chopped) + 2 tbsp juice from olive jar 4 cloves minced garlic 1/2 can of mushroom slices 2 tsp italian seasoning Mix all the ingredients in a small oven proof dish. Top with 3 or 4 chicken breasts. Cover and bake 45 min at 375. Uncover and bake for 15 min more or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over potato Gnocchi and top with Parmasean cheese. A very filling meal with very little fat!
Blue Ridge Folk Life Festival
It’s the most fabulous time of the year! The weather is screaming for sweaters and yummy fried apple pie scents are filling the air. Join The Crooked Stitch tomorrow, October 22 in Ferrum Virginia for the Blue Ridge Folk Life festival. There will be sheep dog trials, coon hound races, tractor demonstrations as well as lovely fibery and regional craft demonstrations. On the campus of Ferrum Collge, just follow your nose down route 40. You will find Dorothea and Sheila in the Gym, and Whitney and Jane Elizabeth racing to see who can consume more apple pies 
We will see you back in the shop on Tuesday the 25th … or shoot us an email if anything comes up!
It’s Here!!! It’s Here!!!
Tomorrow is the day for our skirts… Dorothea is done, Lisa is planning her outfit! Julie is excited to show off not only a beautiful skirt, but some beautiful handspun… as for me…I have to knit another inch and bind off. But you can bet I will be doning my skirt tomorrow for the Bryn Mawr Skirt Day at The Crooked Stitch!
