Knit Happens

Give the gift of humor to the fiber fanatics in your life with Franklin Habit’s collection of cartoons and essays on the funny side of knitting.

Whether you’ve been buried under an avalanche of yarn when you tried to fit that one last skein into your stash, you’ve been awake for five days feverishly trying to finish your holiday knitting, or you just realized you put three armholes in the sweater you were planning to wear for that New Year’s Eve party, this book will bring a smile to your face!

Bonus Gift Idea: Pair up a copy of “It Itches” with some Lorna’s Laces yarn in the special “Franklin’s Panopticon” colorway!

(photo credits: Interweave Press, Lorna’s Laces)

So I know that there are some responsible people out there who are down to the last few people on their Holiday shopping list and there are even more who haven’t even given Holiday shopping a single thought and are just realizing that Thanksgiving is next week. (Noooo, I wouldn’t be one of those people, not at all… Okay, yes, I am. I admit it.) Which means there’s only 4.5 weeks left to shop!

What to get the knitter in your life or, more importantly, what to put on your wish list so you get what you want? Well, interchangeable needles are a great gift!

Murphy’s Law ensures that when we are looking for a specific needle that we know we have, that it’s never around or that we need a 40″ needle and only have a 24″. With interchangeable needles, you don’t have to worry about that (as much). All your needles are stored together and if you need that longer needle, you can grab the right length cord and go! The KA Switch Interchangeable set pictured comes with tips ranging from US5 to US15 and cord lengths to make needles from 16″ to 53″. The tips are bamboo with a brass fitting on the end to screw the tip into the cord fitting. All for only $99! An economical (and pretty) way to ensure you have all the needles you might need.

We’ve had a few of you ask us about the rumored interchangeable set from Addi, the Addi Click needles. Well, I’m happy to say that the rumors are true! Unfortunately, they aren’t available in the US marketplace just yet… Skacel, Addi’s US distributor, wanted to make sure that the needles met with their strict standards, so they’ve been delayed. Hopes are still high that they’ll be in stores closer to the holidays, but no one’s quite sure yet. Rest assured, once I hear something more I will most definitely blog about it! The Click needles will come in 10 sizes: US4 to US13 (no US10.5 or US10.75s in the set, though) and have cords to make 24″, 32″, and 40″ needles. The set will end up retailing for around $150. We have pre-ordered the needles, so I know we have some coming our way!

We’ll keep posting our ideas for Holiday gifts, but if you have any, just leave them in the comments!

**Addi Click picture courtesy of Skacel.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner (next week, EEK!), it’s time to start thinking about the holidays – and with that, the holiday hours. Not that anyone would think of coming down and escaping to a yarn store to escape relatives during the holidays… no, not at all.

Wednesday, 11/26 – 10:30am to 4pm
Thursday, 11/27 (Thanksgiving Day) – Closed
Monday, 12/22 – 10:30am to 7pm
Wednesday, 12/24 (Christmas Eve) – 9am to 1pm
Thursday, 12/25 (Christmas Day) – Closed
Friday, 12/26 (Boxing Day) – Closed
Wednesday, 12/31 (New Year’s Eve) – 10:30am to 5pm
Thursday, 1/1 (New Year’s Day) – Closed
Monday, 1/19 (MLK Birthday) – 10:30am to 7pm
Tuesday, 1/20 (Inauguration Day) – Closed

In addition, we will also be closed from Friday, 1/2/2009 through Monday, 1/5/2009 for our annual inventory.

We’ve added a couple Mondays into the holiday mix this year to add some ease to your holiday/sanity shopping. I’ll also be updating the phone message, in case you are stuck without internet and want to check in!

Have a happy and SAFE holiday season!

It’s that time again in the United States – Election Day. It happens the first Tuesday in November every year, without fail. However, every four years we get the opportunity to choose the leaders of our country and this, my friends, happens to be one of those years. If you are a citizen and haven’t already voted, get out there and do it! It is your right and duty as an American. Gather up your knitting and stand in that line – you’ll have a bit of a wait, but it is so worth it, to know that you are making your voice heard.

Planning on staying up and watching the results with your kids (or you just like to color)? Then click here for a color-in map of the Electoral College votes!

Get out there and vote! (Who knows, maybe I’ll even get the pictures up from the Glam Knits book signing on Friday…)