Happy New Year's, everyone!! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2009 to you all!

Now, just a heads-up. Our Winter 2009 class schedule is starting up this Sunday, with the Mosaic Knitting Pillow class from 10am-12pm. This is a really easy and fun way to do complicated-looking colorwork. And this pillow is knit in bulky-weight yarn, so it can be finished in a couple of days. Look how cool it is:
Cost is $20, and we still have a few spaces left in the class. Call the store at 215-242-1271 to sign up.

A Great 2008

It's only a few days before Christmas and I have to admit to not making many gifts this year. I got so behind in my knitting that my husband's November birthday sweater has turned into a Christmas present by default.
But it has been a great time in the store to see all the projects people have been working on. Hats, mittens, scarves. Coats and sweaters. It's been a treat.
Being in our new space has been a treat as well. Although getting used to the computer took a little time, it has made things a lot easier for the staff and we hope has made for quicker transactions for all of you.
It's been wonderful watching people accomplish their goals. Watching Sharon churn out mittens, sweaters (fair isle no less), even felted sheep (they are adorable) has been fun. You can hardly wait to see what she's done.
I give Tawana mad props for trying anything. A knitter of her own creation, she doesn't read patterns but looks at a piece and figures it out on her own; she even has her own knitting vocabulary.
We love Martha, who left us the most heartfelt thank you phone message on Thanksgiving day. We didn't erase it, but play it over again and again.
Hilda's beautiful message mittens take the cake -- done on size 1 needles yet. And don't get me started on her beaded scarf.
A shout out to all the people who came in for private lessons in order to improve their skills. Thanks for working so hard to take your game up a notch.
As we get to the end of the year I think of projects I'd like to do in 2009. But being one who doesn't care for New Year resolutions I hate to make a list. It never fails - no matter what I think I want to make, I get distracted by new designs and patterns or feel the need to revisit an old favorite.
Still this year I will be making baby things as I will be a first-time grandmother come the spring. I have saved up patterns for decades. Now comes the task of sorting through them and finding the ones that really matter. Don't know yet the sex of this baby so I've delayed starting projects. But I feel the time will start flying by and I will have to get a short list started if the baby is to have a coming-home-from-the-hospital sweater.
It's been a great year and with every hope for an even better 2009. Here's hoping that you all continue to use the Tangled Web to find the materials and tools you need to tackle all your projects.
Continue to amaze and inspire us with your creativity.
We're ready for 2009. Here's hoping you are too.

Oh dear, I've been so remiss in posting these wonderful pictures of classes and customer projects!! Following is a veritable parade of good stuff. Here goes:

This is customer Cassandra's adorable daughter, modeling her Kid's Hoody Vest, from the class of the same name earlier this year:
We've begun to accumulate a veritable menagerie of felted animals here at the store. Customer/Enabler Sharon made one of these adorable Fiber Trends felted sheep, then of course I had to make one. Fun Fun FUN! (We still have some of patterns in stock. I'm just sayin'....)

This insanely gorgeous nugget was knit by customer Betsy. It's a Log Cabin blanket, worked in Cotton Classic, and it knocked our eyes out of the sockets when she brought it in!

Look at the intensity of these knitters! These concentrating women are part of the Bead Lace Scarf Knit-Along. Lots of concentration and the scarves these knitters produced were out of this world beautiful.

Here's customer Marina, showing off her super-warm mitten from the Mohair Mittens class:

Here's a preview of an upcoming Knit-Along. This is customer Ann, in her beautifully-made Frog Tree Kimono Cardigan (TW Knit-Along for March/April), worked in Rowan Felted Tweed. Beautiful job, Ann.

Happy December, everyone!

We've been crazy-busy here since the holiday shopping/knitting season kicked off, but here's a little nugget that we're offering as a holiday present from us to you.
This gorgeous elegant sumptuous fabulous neckwarmer is knit from 2 balls of Sinsation, Plymouth's smoochy-soft, shiny, gorgeous chenille. The pattern is easy-peasy - Cast on 20 stitches on a #9 needle and knit until the yarn is gone or the neckwarmer is 20". Sew up the ends, add a beautiful shawl pin, and off you go!

Sinsation is 10% off until Christmas Eve, just in case you want to whip up a few of these. They're perfect for teacher gifts, hostess gifts, and gifts for you because they dress up a suit or make you look snazzy on your way to a festive holiday party.

We have dozens of great ideas for quick knit (or quick-to-buy) presents at the store - come on in, and we'll get you all set up!!

Winter 2009 Class Schedule is Up!

Greetings all on this lovely snowy November day!

Just a quick note to let you know that our Winter 2009 class schedule is available online here. We have a lot of great classes and Knit-Alongs coming up. They fill up fast, so call the store at 215-242-1271 if you see something you like.

And, as always, please let us know if you'd like to receive on our monthly email newsletter which always has the latest news on classes, sales, new merchandise, new pets, you name it!

Home Again

Lucia Herndon Horning

I can breathe again. My sweater is back.
As you might recall from last month's post, I lost the argyle vest that was supposed to be a present for my husband on his Nov. 18 birthday. But I lost the bag that contained my work. I thought I left it at a treatment facility where I volunteer, but no one there had reported seeing it.
I spent an awful weekend trying to decide what to do. i started knitting the back which was just plain, figuring I wouldn't lose time if I truly had lost the front piece. But my heart wasn't into the easy knitting. I felt an ache in my heart over my lost knitting. Like losing your dog. I kept looking in my knitting bag, hoping it would magically appear. Of course, it didn't.
At 7:20 on Monday morning the phone rang. I was still asleep. It was the director of the treatment center. She had found my vest.
Turned out the vest was discovered shortly after I left that Friday; but it was turned over to a weekend staffer and not a knitter. She simply stashed it away without telling anyone about it. But the director was determined to track it down and she found it and called right away.
The vest is back and I am nearly finished; probably won't be in time for my husband's birthday. But I am reassured that I hadn't lost my mind.
And I am grateful to all those who heard this story and shared my panic. I'm back to just misplacing my keys, grocery list, money and hundreds of other things. Normality feels so good

This is a little late, but is too fabulous to pass up. Here is our Annie, in full Halloween dress. She was the Bad Knitting Witch:


















Check out the evil apples she was sporting:














("Carpal Tunnel", "Felted Disaster - I'm Shrinking!" ,"Bad Pattern Instructions")
















("Dropped Stitches", "Twisted Cast-On")















("Snapped Needles", Tangled Yarn")

Hands down the funniest Halloween costume I've seen in years.

Our next Knit-Along is the beauteous (and easy!) Heartstrings Beaded Lace Scarf. Here's a picture of the finished scarf:


















Here's my in-progress project:


















I've loved working on this! We're having a Pre-Requisite Class on Sunday, November 9 from 10-12 where we'll show you how to string the beads and do some repeats of the lace pattern.

The Knit-Along itself will be held on Wednesday, November, 19 and Wednesday, December 17 from 7-9pm. Call the store at 215-242-1271 to sign up for both or just the Knit-Along.

Mwaaaaaaaaahhhh!! Look how cute these turned out!! These are the hedgehogs the students made in the Huggable Hedgehog class. I love how they're all different sizes. Great job, all!!

Okay, PHEW! Lucia found her sweater.

GO PHILLIES!!

Have You Seen My Sweater?

I have experienced a knitting disaster. We’ve all had them of course. The cable sweater where you forget to cable on a few rows. The lace scarf that has a few too many yarnovers; you want to call them eyelets, but you know that they are holes.

Yes, I’ve done those things, but my most recent disaster seems to be beyond reclamation.

I have lost the almost completed front of my husband’s birthday sweater.

I knit him a sweater every birthday. This year it is an argyle vest. I have taken meticulous care with all the bobbins hanging and dangling and getting in the way. As is my way, I enlarged the color chart to poster size to give me half a chance of keeping my colorwork on target. It is a slow knit and I have been working stop-start since June.

It was that stop-start knitting that made me realize I had to pick up the pace. So instead of knitting it at home following supper and evening household chores, I began taking it along with me during the day. I worked on it while my car was being washed. I took it to a doctor’s appointment for the inevitable wait. And I took it to a rehab center where I volunteer in the knitting therapy program.

And that is where it seems to have vanished. On this particular day, it stayed unworked on as residents of the facility were having a lot of knitting problems that required my eyes and hands. At the end of the session, I put my notion bag in my knitting bag where I thought my argyle safely resided. But when I got home, the pattern was in my bag but not actual knitting. No bobbins, no yarn, no needles.

The air was sucked out of my chest. I turned the bag inside out. I looked under the seats of my car. I called the center, but the director had left for the weekend. No one had seen my knitting.

I can’t believe that it’s gone. I have gotten forgetful in my old age; as my hormones retreat with middle age they seems to have taken my memory with them. I have forgotten my jacket, my purse, my grocery list, forgotten to buy things on my list when I had it in my hand.

But I have never lost a knitting project. I am bereft. I don’t know what to do; the notion that I will have to start all over makes me distracted and slightly nauseous. I’m even more forgetful. I keep expecting to find the sweater in some off place -- like under my bed. I check every day.

It looks like it is gone. It looks like I’ll be starting again although that idea makes me weep. Worse I won’t have a sweater by Nov. 18. I can’t knit that fast -- and color changing really slows me down. I guess the sweater will be a Christmas gift.

But I can’t get over the absence of my work. Feels like I lost a finger. Very unsettling. I’ve been told to ask Anthony, patron saint of lost objects, to help. So far, it seems he wants me to continue looking under my bed.

So I’m asking for your good thoughts. Maybe if I get going a good knitting vibe, my sweater will find its way home.

Thanks in advance. And keep an eye on your own project!

What we're crazy about today..... This!!



















This is the Jojoland Swirl Shawl (we have a sample of the scarf size). It's one of those great patterns where interesting technique and gorgeous yarn meet in a really wonderful way. The shawl is composed of multiple hexagons joined as you go along. And the yarn, Jojoland Melody, is bee-yoo-tiful!! It's fingering weight, superwash 100% wool, in gorgeous variegated colorways.














I, for one, can't wait to get started. (I already have my yarn picked out!) If you're hankering for a interesting shawl pattern come on down! We have 4 other scarf patterns from the company, and the yarn in 11 different colorways.

And The Winners Are...

Here are the winners of the $20.00 gift card drawing from the September 20th Grand Re-Opening celebration!

Congratulations.

Beige Berryman
Jessica Berwind
Sandy Capps
Toni Clark
Hilda Cohen
Michelle Conners
Marilyn Dyson
Barbara Eckel
Martha Fuller
Gayle Gates
Jennifer Giles
Alison Ginn
Kiely Hall
Karen Hart
E. Ann Hemmerich
Jeannine Hendricks
Elaine Hills
Megan Hollinger
Jane Huang
Gaille Hunter
Monique Johnson
Joan Kronick
Kesha Lynch
R.T. Mail
Heather McCready
Jennifer McChristy
Maria McGarry
Mia McGuire
Annie Merritt
Miyo Moriuchi
Teresa Navon
Pamela
Christine Pape
Mary Rocke
Diana Rosenstein
Sharon Rouse
Katie Sarachan
Jane Schuster
Sally Schuster
Anita Scott
Toni Sharp
Constance Smits
Liz Snowdon
Gwen Sperling
Wendy Stirling
Kate Tiedeken
Liz Walker
Krystjna Wieruoch
Tawana Winters
Sonya Yeck

Many Many Thank You's

The last five months have been incredibly challenging but I think we are finally settled in our new home. They (whoever they are) say that moving is one of the most stressful situations to be in and they (whoever they are) are very wise indeed. All of us here at the Web have had our ups and downs over the last five months. Nothing went as it should. Phones didn't work. Lights didn't work. There was water in the basement. The internet was on then the internet was off. Where are the pens? Have you seen the crochet hooks? What special order? There were a lot of tears and a lot of take out. But somehow we got through it and it was all worth it.

For me it was a very humbling experience. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of my friends, my staff and all of you. I have so many people to thank that the list of names would eventually bore you into leaving the blog and then you would not get to see all the great pictures from the party. So I will be brief. I would like to thank my husband Chris who put in many, many hours doing construction and remodeling. He made my vision come to life. My girls, Liv and Lauren who I watched carry shelf after shelf from one location to the next and were happy to help. The dear, dear women that I work with, side by side, every day for their endurance and tolerance. Anne, Lucia, Diana, Carole, Stacey, Cheryl and Debbie you know how I feel about you. My sister, Peggy, who flew up from Texas during her summer break to help me get organized. My old friend, Joanna, and my new friends, Susan and Catherine, who helped me put together the best party the hill as seen in quite some time. I tip my hat. And to all of you who lent your support and encouragement and forgave all of our short comings during this trying and difficult and exciting time. I can never thank you enough.

Now to the pictures

What a party!

September always seems like the beginning of the year to me. After the slower pace of summer, the renewed energy is a welcome change. Coupled with the drop in temperature we’re ready to pick up our needles and yarn and get back to work on projects.

And in the case of the Tangled Web, it’s time to celebrate our move to bigger digs. The official opening was September 20 and what a day! The shop looked great -- bright and airy, fully stocked with yarn. Coming to work that day reminded me of being a third grader preparing for the school play. Excited, nervous, ready to go, scared to get started. Would people really come? Would they like the store? Would they appreciate all the the hard work and hours the entire staff had put into making this new site a real beauty.

We needn’t have worried. People poured into the store. Everyone seemed happy to be there; happy to join in the specialness of the day. What a great mix of food, drink and great yarn. People were happy to participate in the afternoon’s festivities. People showed up with babies in tow, children. Even husbands seemed happy to be there. Several people wore clothing they knit. A big hit were our stylish black t-shirts. (On sale by the way).

The day was very long and yet, over too soon. All the staff -- Anne, Diana, Cheryl, Stacey, Deb and me, colleague Carole was out of town -- made two things are priorities. Making sure that everyone who came in felt welcomed and happy was the first order of the day. The second was to make sure that our boss, Mary, was relieved of responsibility for the day. We wanted her to enjoy the day and the fruits of all her labor. We all appreciate her vision for the new store and her energy in making that vision a reality. I think it is safe to say that we were all proud to be a part of the day and even more to be part of the Tangled Web crew. It is a privilege and a responsibility to make the Web a real destination for needlesmiths. At day’s end we gathered to get ready to close, tears in our eyes.

“Great job, everyone,” Mary said. “Thank you.”

“And thank you for the Web,” said Deb.

We all felt the same way and we hope all our knitters and crocheters feel the same sense of community and camaraderie.

Come check us out. You’ll see what we mean

Party!!

Just a reminder that this Saturday, September 20, is the Tangled Web's Grand Re-Opening Party from 1-5pm! Among all the festivities, we'll be offering free learn-to-knit lessons from 1-3. Bring a friend to learn to knit or to introduce her or him to the new store and we'll enter you in a drawing to win one of 50 $20 gift certificates.

From 3-5pm champagne will be flowing and refreshments will abound. And you can take a gander at the amazingly yummy new yarn, books, patterns, giftees that are coming in every day to the store!

You're the reason we're here; please join us in celebrating!

Mitten Mania!

We have two great mitten classes coming up in the next few weeks here.

The first is the wonderful Bird In Hand mittens - pattern by Kate Gilbert. They are not for the faint of heart, but if you have two-color knitting experience, please consider taking the class because they are knock-your-socks off gorgeous!! The class is 2 sessions, Sundays 10-12, September 14 and 28

The second class is Easy Cable Mittens, sized for child up to adult in either worsted or chunky weight. Mittens make a great teacher gift and these are easy enough to make a bunch of. The class is 2 sessions, Sundays 10-12, September 21 and October 5. (We’re also teaching Easy Cable Hat and Easy Reversible Cable Scarf classes, so you could make a whole matching set!!)

We’ll also be teaching how to cable without a cable needle in all of these cable classes.

Call the store at 215-242-1271 to sign up or for more details.

Look what Mary finished!!


















Tangled Yoke Cardigan, this past spring's Knit-Along, in Lana Grossa Merino 2000 in apple green. Mere pictures do not do justice to how crisp and fabulous the sweater turned out in this yarn. I feel like throwing my formerly-perfectly-perfect version in the trash and doing another one in the Merino 2000!!!

Way to go, Mary!!

While the thought of classes may elicit a groan from your local 5-to-18-yr-old, for grown-ups it means FUN! Yep, the Tangled Web class schedule is up and it's time to think about signing up!

Look! What could be more fun than this:














Or this:



















Or this:
















Yep, we're offering classes for all these projects, and many many more!!! Go here to get more information and then call us at 215-242-1271 to sign up.