E-News in Technicolor: February

February has been predictably dreary and cold, but let our news of new classes, new knit-ins, new yarns and sales galore warm you up. Also check out our special Valentine to you and the much anticipated news of the Afghan of the Month.

Please feel free to email us to let us know what you think, and any changes you'd like to see. To view this email newsletter online, please visit our website at /rettelswene/04_02.htm.

As I've told many of you, one of the things I love most about knitting is that it can be as easy or as complicated as you choose. The scarf craze is still in full swing, and there are enough beautiful yarns out there that you can easily knit nothing but scarves and never get bored. However, the boom in knitting has inspired pattern makers everywhere, and there are literally thousands of patterns for everything from bags to socks to shawls to sweaters. Whether you've been knitting for years or just started last week, there is always something new to try or learn. Maybe it's time to stretch your knitting muscles by learning a new skill at one of our classes, or taking on a sweater for the first time. Or, if you want to stick with scarves, try a new yarn, or learn a new stitch. The important thing to remember is that just because you haven't done something before doesn't mean you can't, and in trying something new, you are certainly not alone. We are always here to help and happy to do so, so come in today and explore the unknown - you may discover hidden talents you didn't even know you had!

Artful Yarns!

Artful Yarns is a relatively new brand from JCA, a large company that also houses Reynolds and Adrienne Vittadini. Artful Yarns' first offering of four yarns arrived in Fall 2001, and have grown every year since then. Fun and funky, their yarns are geared toward knitters who are unafraid of color and texture, and include a one-skein pattern on every label.

Their yarns include:

Cartoon - a bulky weight wool/nylon blend with an subtle striping effect
Cinema - a cotton/nylon ribbon with a silky texture and 11 great colors
Circus - a lofty multicolor wool boucle that knits at 2.5 stitches per inch
Fable - a beautiful silk/cotton blend in several tweedy shades that knit up to a wonderful hand
Graffiti - a cotton tape that can be used for everything from scarves to sweaters
Jazz - a worsted weight wool/alpaca blend that comes in a large 246 yard skein
Legend - an ultra soft wool boucle that knits at 3.5 stitches per inch
Museum - a super bulky 100% wool that knits at 2.25 stitches per inch on a US13 needle
Portrait - a variegated mohair/rayon blend in 19 luscious colors
Vaudeville - a 100% wool tape that knits into an interesting elastic texture
Virtue - a luxurious worsted weight variegated cashmere

Bring in the coupon below and receive 15% off your total purchase of yarn from Artful Yarns.

The Technicolor Sheep Artful Yarns Coupon

15% Off Your Purchase of Yarn from Artful Yarns

Sheraton-Hotel MarseilleNot good with any other offer; good only once; expires March 20

New Class Schedule

Over the next few months we are offering several exciting classes, including a new series designed to help you understand what knitting's all about:

The Essential Series:

Socks - Saturday, April 3, 10, and 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Never used double pointed needles? Learn how to use them to make socks in this 3-session class that teaches casting on and joining in the round on double pointed needles, turning the heel of the sock, picking up the gusset, and decreasing for the toe. For Advanced Beginners$50 includes three 2-hour sessions and one ball of Decor
Felted Bag - Thursday, March 18 and 25 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tired of making scarf after scarf? Make a felted bag! Learn how to pick up stitches, work in the round, make I-cords and felt your finished product. $40 includes two 2-hour sessions and 400 yards of worsted weight wool. For Advanced Beginners
Baby Sweater - Tuesday, March 23 (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.), March 30, April 6 and April 13 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Make a darling hooded baby sweater from the top down, and in the process learn techniques you can apply to sweaters of any size. Topics covered include short rows (for hood), top down knitting, button bands, sewing seams, twisted cords, and pom poms. $60 for four 2-hour sessions and 2 skeins of Patons Canadiana yarn. For Advanced Beginners

Build Your Knitting Toolkit:
Add to your knitting knowledge with these courses addressing topics including gauge, yarn substitution, what to do when you make a mistake, and finishing.

Understanding Gauge, Needle Size, and Yarn Substitution - Saturday, March 20 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Have you ever wondered what needles to use with a certain yarn? Or whether you could use a different yarn than the one your pattern calls for? Or why different yarns knit differently on different size needles? Than this is the class for you! Learn what yarn gauge is and why it's important, which needles to use when, and how to best switch yarns for a pattern.$15 includes one 2-hour session. For Advanced Beginners
Fixing Mistakes and Weaving in Ends - Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Learn how to pick up those pesky dropped stitches, recognize and fix twisted stitches, change a knit stitch to a purl stitch and more. Also learn various methods for weaving in ends of different yarns.$15 includes one 2-hour session. For Advanced Beginners

Beginner's Classes:

Basic Knitting - Saturday, March 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Saturday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This quick 2 hour class will teach the basics of knitting - casting on, knitting, purling, and binding off. Perfect for anyone who just needs a refresher, or wants to learn for the first time. For New Knitters$40 includes one 2-hour session, and 1 Knit Knack Kit (contains 1 pair of needles, 1 set ring markers, instruction book and 25 pattern cards)
Knit 2 Together - Saturday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Bring a child and learn to knit together when you each make a scarf. This 2-hour session will teach you both how to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. For New Knitters of all ages$45 includes one 2-hour session, 2 balls of Shetland Chunky yarn, and a pair of Clover US10 knitting needles for the adult and 1 ball of Canadiana yarn and a pair of Red Heart Starters needles for the child

For more information on any of these classes, or to get the registration form, please visit our website at http://www.technicolorsheep.com/classes.htm.

Knit In Schedule
Come knit with us! Our knit-ins are a great place to meet new people, get inspiration from others, or just sit and knit a while. All knit ins are from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and work done during our charity knit-ins is donated to the Domestic Abuse Project of Delaware County.

Casual Knit Ins
Wednesday, February 11
Tuesday, February 24
Thursday, March 11
Monday, March 22
Wednesday, April 7
Thursday, April 22

Charity Knit Ins
Tuesday, February 17
Thursday, March 4
Monday, March 15
Wednesday, March 31
Thursday, April 15
Tuesday, April 27

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our customers are 2 Good 2 B 4-Gotten! Come in on Friday, February 13 or Friday, February 14 and present this coupon to receive 10% off your entire purchase.

The Technicolor Sheep Valentine Coupon

10% off Your Total Purchase on eitherluxury hotels in Dusseldorf Friday, February 13 or Saturday, February 14.

Not good with any other offer; good only once; good only on specified dates

Laura's Birthday Sale

Last year's birthday sale was such a big success, we're extending it to a whole week. Come in during the week of March 22 for giveaways, door prizes, and big sales! Look for more information in the March newsletter.

Afghan-Square-of-the-Month News

We got off to a little bit of a late start this year, but we're finally on track with the patterns for the new Afghan Square of the Month. This year's afghan will focus on using multiple colors and patterns and will use Mission Falls 1824 Wool. Stop in today to see January's square, choose your colors and get the first pattern! February's pattern should be ready by Monday, February 16.

If you would like help or instruction with sewing up your afghan squares from 2003, join us on February 26 between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. for our sewing up workshops. Come whenever you want during those hours, and stay for as long as you like, and we'll be happy to help you out with stitching up your beautiful afghans!

New Yarns

Even though we're full to bursting, we couldn't resist adding one more new yarn to the mix. Noro's beautiful hand-dyed yarns from Japan have already started arriving and they are spectacular. Currently in stock are Silk Garden, Kureyon, Big Kureyon, and Lily. Although we only have a few colors of each, more should be arriving any day, and will continue to flow in throughout the year. If you aren't familiar with this amazing yarn, come in today to check it out!

Clearance Yarns

To make room for all our great new yarns, we'll be bringing back the 30% clearance bin at the end of this month. Check back then for great bargains, and just as a reminder, sale yarns are not returnable.

Did you know ...

You can make a great-looking self-fringing scarf and use up your leftover bits of yarn at the same time? The pattern is easy:

Collect all the ends of yarn you have laying around - you only need about 6-12 yards of each. Combine different weights, colors, textures - be creative! In addition, you'll need a 32-inch size US15 circular needle.

Using a long-tail or knitted cast-on, cast on 120 sts leaving at least a 6-8" tail (you will be knitting across the length of the scarf). After casting on all the stitches, cut the yarn, again leaving a 6-8" tail. Attach the next piece of yarn, leaving a 6-8" tail and knit across, cutting the yarn at the end of the row as before. Continue in this way, attaching a new piece of yarn for every row, and leaving a 6-8" tail at the beginning and end of each row. Once the scarf is the desired width, or you have used up all your yarn, attach the last piece and bind off. Carefully tie an over-hand knot at every tail, and voila! A funky scarf with vertical stripes with no ends to weave in.

Now you know!

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