We have our own March Madness going on here at Stitch House! We have the Red line Crawl coming up (I will describe exactly what that is later), a ton of new classes (some listed in the email, the rest attached) and mini adventures (clubs are one of my favorite things to do at the Stitch House) and new product in (Amy Butler Fabrics and oil cloth) and arriving soon (did anyone say cotton?). We also have some community news to report and ask for support with.

First, let me start with the Red Line Crawl. Some of you have asked ““What is the Red Line Crawl?”“, “Do we need to drink while doing it?”, Where do we start?”, “Where do we finish?”, “Will you offer specials?”. So here are your answers. The Red Line Crawl is a spectacular yarn shopping event on Saturday, March 20th hosted by Stitch House, Windsor Button and Mind’s Eye. All three of us are located within a very short walking distance to the Red Line T and working together to have a very fun day! Our hope is that you will use the MBTA and visit all of our shops and do some shopping! You can start at any shop and work your way back and forth and end where you started or finish at the other end… it is all up to you. Consider it a self-guided tour of three of the finest yarn shops around. We will all be hosting specials events and offerings throughout the day and I think we have some great things in store for you. I attached the list of events here at the Stitch House to help plan your day better. Some of you are familiar with other types of “crawls”, you know, the kind that you don’t knit your way through. To celebrate the history of the crawl we will be offering coffee in the morning, cake in the afternoon and hosting a BYOB event in the evening. We will also feature the book Pints and Purls for your enjoyment! We have put a lot of thought into designing a great day for all our customers - I hope you can join us.

Over the next few weeks we also have our regular assortment of very cool classes starting up. Our sewing classes have been filling up quickly so check out the attached list and get yourself signed up! We are asking folks to pre-pay for those classes in high demand to ensure our classes are full and those who want to be here can be. In the meantime we have a few starting now:

Knit your First Sweater–This series will help you do more with your knits and purls. Claire will teach you the techniques needed to increase, decrease, and seam as you construct a simple raglan sweater. Using Ann Norling’s patterns for either an adult or child’s cardigan or pullover, you can choose from a variety of yarns and gauges. Check out Annissa’s Irish Flag child’s pullover for inspiration. Class runs 4 Tuesday evenings in March and April with a rolling start – you pick! Class time is 6-8pm starting March 9th (last start date April 6th) for $75. Pattern and yarn not included.

Introduction to Sewing: Butler Bags - Amy Butler is the designer of beautiful fabrics and patterns. Using her patterns and fabrics in just two sessions you’ll have a great new tote or bag to show off to all your friends! This class will give you experience in the basics of sewing so that you will have the knowledge and confidence to undertake projects on your own. You will learn how to understand and follow pattern instructions. All materials for this class are available at Stitch House. This class will be held 2 Tuesdays March 16 & 23 from 6-9pm for $60 * OR* April 27 & May 4 from 6-9pm for $60.

Hat Class: Quincy by Jared Flood—The Quincy hat, from Jared Flood’s Made In Brooklyn, is good old garter stitch with a twist. For advanced beginners or seasoned knitters who want to learn some new techniques, this class will cover: provisional cast-on, built-in i-cord edging, kitchener stitch for garter fabric, and picking up stitches to knit in the round. We will meet for two sessions, Tuesdays March 9 & 16 from 6pm-8pm. $30 plus materials.

Tomorrow night is our Sweater Club night. You can join at any time and only come when you want. All of our club listings are here but here is the blurb for Sweater Club: 1st Friday Sweater Club: The Friday Night Sweater Club is a motivated group of knitters with a wide range of abilities wanting to knit and chat while making a sweater. By creating this atmosphere knitters will have an opportunity to enjoy the company of other knitters working on similar projects. Limited technical assistance will be provided during this club time. There is no fee charged to participate, but we encourage, and it is our hope, you will purchase your project materials from Stitch House. The 1st Fridays through June include Mar. 5, Apr. 2, May 7 and June 4 from 6-8pm. Space is unlimited so join us! We provide the munchies- you bring your beverage of choice!

If you’re in the neighborhood stop by and check out the newest from Amy Butler. This last week we also got a ton of Amy Butler fabrics in too! This includes some of her newest prints from her LOVE Collection and some prints made into oil cloth. Check them out and maybe consider a Butler Bag class. For the Red Line Yarn Crawl I am making up a bunch of samples for you to check out.

Many of you know I am also a teacher at East Boston High School. Every year our girls struggle to find the perfect prom gown at the perfect price. This year I am so happy to be a part of the Belle of the Ball program. Stitch House is a collection site for prom gowns. Please bring us your gently worn, but clean, prom gowns and as a part of this program I will make sure they get to a deserving girl. If you would like a flyer to post at your work please let me know and I will forward it to you.. in the meantime dig out those old gowns ladies!

There is also a local group of teachers-in-training who are part of the a program called Boston Teacher Residency. They will be teaching knit and crochet to Boston Public School students at the Hyde Park Education Complex (former Hyde Park HS). Many of their students are from Haiti, and our aim is to unite them in community while engaging in constructive activity and working to diminish the stress in their lives. These teachers are hoping to get help with to teach knitting and/or crochet and looking for leftover yarn or seldom used needles or hooks. Any contribution of time or materials, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. Donations can be dropped off at Stitch House or to the the Hyde Park Education Complex. They will meet on Tuesday afternoons through June. You can contact Melissa Wender (melissa.wender@gmail.com) or Amanda Chaloupka (amandachaloupka@gmail.com) for more information.

And lastly, Saturday night, March 6th, is the “Last Dance” at Saint Williams School in the Savin Hill Section of Dorchester. Those of you originally from this area may remember those good old days… well I went to St. Margaret School so I didn’t attend many of those dances… but I will be going Saturday! The “Last Dance” supports the Savin Hill Baseball League (which my boys will be in this year) and is certainly a good cause - and will be fun for sure!

What else? I think that is enough for today! I hope to see you soon.

Annissa

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 1:34 pm and is filed under general info. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.