11th Great Northern Yarn Haul

In lieu of the Yarn Tasting on the second Friday of the month, join us for the Kick-Off Party of the 11th Great Northern Yarn Haul on Friday, July 3rd, involving 26 shops and farms. We’ll have a free pattern for the Cowgirl Scarf and 20% off Quince & Co.’s Kestral, an aran weight linen. Project bags free with $20 purchase.

You knit scarves, and cowls, and sweaters, and mittens,

coasters, and stockings, and skirts, and slippers,

But do you recall

The most ornery piece of all?

Remember the grey cabled vest?

The one that you knit in pieces?

And when we ever saw it

We would even say “oh, no!”

All of the other knitters

Used to laugh and shake their heads

They never thought that vest

Would ever end up on a chest.

Then one cozy afternoon

A Master came to say

Cabled vest with so mistakes

Won’t you come with me tonight?”

Then how the knitters sighed

Glad to see the garment go.

That little cabled vest

Was about to be unpicked

Row by row by row!

Come that cozy Christmas Eve

The Master came to say,

“Here’s the cabled vest all fixed,

Now make it go away!”

Then how the knitters loved it

When they happened to see

That beautiful grey cabled vest

Being worn on the street!

Join us December 5th, 6th, and 7th for Christmas in Bethlehem! We’ll be having a Gnome Scavenger Hunt with participating businesses–thank you Casey Kristoff for loaning us your collection! Friday night, participating shops are open until 8:00 for Light Up Bethlehem, with sales and goodies. Love.Yarn.Shop. will be making Christmas cards with you on Saturday afternoon and you can make us a stop in your fun-filled afternoon and evening. Make Bethlehem your destination this holiday season!

Probably many of the knitters who participate in the Great Northern Yarn Haul, both shop owners and customers, don’t know that it began at Love Yarn Shop and not be me, the owner, but by a customer, Jane Dickerman.  She had the idea that we should have a yarn hop along route 302, the east/west corridor across Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.  I visited shops to promote the idea and it was born—10 years ago.  The second year, Jennifer Arbuckle from Must Love Yarn volunteered to spearhead it and she has done a stellar job ever since.  Supporting other yarn shops, small sheep farmers, local dyers, fiber artists, is important because we are a community that thrives when we gather together.  There is nothing I love more than a fiber festival, granted I am in the grandstands watching the sheepherding skills and savoring the lamb stew more than looking at fabulous yarns, but I do that also. 

This Friday, we will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Great Northern Yarn Haul.  We will check out yarns to replace yarns from two American companies who have recently closed:  Kraemer Yarns of Pennsylvania and Jaggerspun of Springvale, Maine.  We will have custom designed LYS stitch markers from Paula Bishop and I will make GNYH 10th anniversary pins.

We will gather together from 5-7 with good company, good food, good fiber.  Please join us.

Let’s Knit this Weekend! Yarn Tasting–Friday the 13th and World Wide Knit in Public Day–Saturday the 14th!

Elizabeth Zimmerman writes, “Let’s make them in May.” Though May has slipped by, we will be discussing “Mittens for Next Winter” from her Knitter’s Almanac at 3:00, just before the Yarn Tasting.  In this delightful chapter, she encourages us to make mittens for Christmas now, “Large projects may lie heavy and warm on the lap, but small things like mittens and socks are easy to carry about outdoors, and can be made surprisingly fast.”  She discusses how our preferences for colors are often associated with experiences:   “For years I loathed purple because it was the color of a droopy and voluminous hand-me-down.”  I look forward to a lively discussion with you and hope to share our color preferences and reasons for them.  We will have a free Berroco mitten pattern for you.  Bring your small project!

At 5:00, we will have our 2nd Friday of the Month Yarn Tasting and this time, we will be trying out a yarn—not a new one to many—but one that may replace our beloved Kraemer and Jaggerspun yarns—Berroco.  As you may know, this is a departure from the American-made yarns I have curated over the past 10 years, but once a superwash and superwash/acrylic blend replacement has been found, I am motivated to expand my collection to some of the smaller dye-houses which customers have suggested.

Saturday is World Wide Knit in Public Day! Rain or shine, we will be knitting together, sharing stories, and continuing our discussions about color preferences and mitten construction. Bring your project! Bring a snack to share! Should we have a scone bake-off? See you this weekend!

In a few short weeks, we have transitioned from mud and ice to trees filling out with green leaves, birds calling to each other, and bears coming out of hibernation to look for food.

We’re still finalizing our summer classes, so be sure to check out our summer class page often and follow us on Facebook. Our first Foundation Classes–Cast On/Bind Off–was a hit. Bill provided a detailed handout with links to videos. The next Foundation Class is swatching and gauging on June 28. These are not project-oriented classes, but you’ll leave with valuable information that you can put to use in your knitting journey. We’d love to have you join us for any or all of our classes. And don’t forget our Square Club starts this summer.

We’re looking forward to two event in June: Bethlehem Day on Main on June 7 and International Knit in Public Day on June 14. We are still finalizing plans for Bethlehem Day. As for knitting in public, you can often find us sitting outside knitting, but we welcome having the rest of the world join us! So bring your chair and sit with us for a spell.

As always, you’re welcome to come to the shop any time we’re open and sit and knit with us, inside or out.

Happy Summer!

Spring is finally springing here in the North Country and we’re looking forward to getting outside to knit and play in the sunshine, to working in our gardens and walking in the woods.

We have some classes and events in May for you to check out. We’re introducing a new series this spring called Foundation Classes where we explore foundational skills for knitters. These are not project-oriented classes, but you’ll leave with valuable information that you can put to use in your knitting journey. We’d love to have you join us for any or all of our classes. Summer classes will be posted soon, including our new series that we are calling Square Club.

The big event coming up is Local Yarn Store Day, a celebration of creativity, craftsmanship, and community for members and fans of the fiber world. It’s a great day to hop in to the shop and show your support for small businesses here and everywhere. We will have spinning and weaving demonstrations, locally-made items, and a gift basket raffle. See below.

And as always, you’re welcome to come to the shop any time we’re open and sit and knit with us.

Happy Spring!