Summer Sale & Cook Out

From Main Street Yarns and Fibers in Watkinsville:

Sizzlin' Summer Kick-Off Sale and Soiree
20% off this entire weekend

School is almost out so let's get summer started and play this weekend!

Sale - Extended Hours
Everything in the store is 20% off Friday, Saturday and Sunday – this includes on-line shopping too! For web purchases please enter coupon code summer09 to apply the discount. We will stay open extended hours both Friday and Saturday evenings until 8:00 p.m. to give you extra time to take advantage of this excellent last minute sale. Shop now for Mother's Day gifts and projects!

Burgers & Bingo for Yarn
Our 2nd Annual Summer Bingo Cookout is this Saturday night with good food and fabulous yarn prizes.....remember last year?! Last fall's cookout was a blast with 30+ people in attendance and every seat in the shop was taken! Once again we will grill chicken and hamburgers and play bingo for yarn prizes, so bring a side dish to share and come have fun! The grill fires up around 5:00pm.

Game Night / Knit - in
Friday night is game night on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. We get together for dinner and games (and lots of crafting, too!). Dinner starts around 6:30 and the games begin around 7:00. If you would like to eat with us, the cost is $ 6.00 and you must call the shop by 5:00 pm so we know to include you in the food count. We usually play Scrabble, Hand and Foot, Boggle, etc. If you have a favorite board or card game you want to play just bring it along.

Closed for Sundays
Starting May 10th the shop will be closed on Sundays until September 13th. Our Monday – Saturday hours will be the same as usual.

Philanthropic Opportunity

This past Friday, April 24, at STITCHES South I met two wonderful sisters, Peggy and Joan. Peggy has some special needs and their mother devoted three years to teach Peggy how to knit. Peggy loves knitting and she makes scarves to donate to the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception which in turn gives them to needy people. Joan told me that Peggy uses any yarn she can find or is given, and she especially likes to combine colors in the scarves. If anyone has any yarn that they are not using and want to get rid of, please consider donating it to Peggy. I can collect the yarn and take it to them.

Thank you,

Elizabeth Halberstadt

XRX & AKG

I'm sure there will be more posted later about STITCHES South. For this post, I just need to say a huge THANK YOU both to XRX and to AKG.

To XRX and especially Benjamin Levisay:
Thank you for coming to Atlanta. Thank you to Benjamin for being willing to take the risk on us, the risk in coming south where there "aren't any knitters," and the risk in having a new show in this tepid economy. Thank you to all his staff -- I would name names here as I know a good many of them now, but I know I'd leave out somebody by mistake. This was my first STITCHES, and the first STITCHES for many people here. And it was amazing. And when I asked if they are all like this, other people said, "Oh, yes. It is always this fabulous and amazing." That means that four times a year, you folks come out of South Dakota and go make a perfect, magical, fantastic weekend for several thousand people. I am in awe that you can do that even once. I am flabbergasted that you can do it repeatedly. Thank you so much for being willing to do that here, and for being willing to come back again next year. Know that all of you are loved here. You are family now.

To all the Atlanta Knitting Guild members:
Thank you for being the most friendly, warm, hospitable people on the planet. All weekend long, people came up to Whit and Diana and I and said how warmly welcomed they felt. I almost couldn't shop the market because so many people came up to me to pass on their compliments. Late in the day on Sunday as I was heading out, Susanna Hansson bumped into me. She said it felt as if the weekend was co-hosted by both XRX and AKG. For that, again I must thank XRX, who let us participate at such an active level. There are other companies who, I am sure, would have seen us an interlopers. Instead, we were two teams, the home and the visitors, and we played as one for the weekend.

A special big thank you and kudos for those of you who worked on the flowers. People were talking about them all weekend. When attendees entered the banquet hall on Friday, there was a bit of a traffic jam at the door because people were stopping and staring and forgetting that they needed to walk into the room. Many, many pictures were taken. Many. People were talking about which flowers they liked, and how clever this or that one was, and how this was on the same level as the big show in Italy. Benjamin very kindly arranged for the flowers to be on display in the market on Sunday, so that more attendees could see them. And XRX is now taking the flowers on the road to STITCHES Midwest and probably STITCHES East as well. There will be more information in an upcoming Knitter's magazine and on KnitTalk and elsewhere. We started this weekend with half our industry thinking that there are no knitters in the South. We will be ending the year with our industry knowing that Atlanta and the South is full of talented, creative knitting artists. You AKG members made that happen. If you are reading this, stand up and take a bow. You deserve it.

Edit: If you are on Ravelry, go take a look at the STITCHES South boards. It will warm your heart.

Loading up the GPS

Here is a list of shops that you might pass close to if you are driving to STITCHES South. Most of these are affiliated with either AKG or NGKG, but a couple are new and haven't yet joined a guild. Each has its own niche and its own sense of style. The list gives you the nearest exit to a major thoroughfare, so you can know if your route will take you close by. Please contact each shop directly for hours, complete driving directions, and to be sure the shop is still in business at that location. You can also find more shops by going to knitmap.

Inside Atlanta:
Knitch
1052A St. Charles Avenue
Atlanta GA 30306
404-745-9276
www.shopknitch.com
From I-75/I-85 in downtown Atlanta, use Exit 248C, Carter Center/Freedom Pkwy. This is the shop that is closest to city center. It is near the Carter Presidential Center, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, and Fernbank Natural History Museum.

Sheepish
335 W. Ponce de Leon Avenue, Suite G
Decatur, Georgia 30030
404-377-6875
http://www.sheepish.biz/
From I-285 on the east side of Atlanta, take either Exit 40 or Exit 39. Follow signs to Decatur. Knitch and Sheepish are about 3 miles apart, via Ponce de Leon Avenue. Fernbank Natural History Museum is between them. Sheepish is formerly Nease's Needlework, and still appears in some navigation systems under that name.

Needle Nook
2165 Briarcliff Road
Atlanta GA 30329
404-325-0068
www.needlenookatlanta.com
In the Briarcliff area over near Emory University. From downtown, stay on I-85 as you head north out of the city and use Exit 86, Buford Hwy. Can also be accessed from Exit 89, North Druid Hills.

Strings and Strands
5299 Roswell Road, Suite 114
Atlanta GA 30342
404-252-9662
From northside I-285, use Exit 25 Roswell Road and proceed south. This is the closest LYS to STITCHES South, about 6 miles from Cobb Galleria Centre.
www.stringsandstrands.com


Heading north of Atlanta on I-75, from closest to farthest out:
Knitting Emporium
2803 S. Main Street
Kennesaw GA 30144
770-421-1919
www.knittingemporium.com
From I-75, use Exit 271 Chastain Rd & Kennesaw State University.
You can also use Exit 269 Barrett Pkwy, but the traffic tends to be very bad on Barrett Pkwy.

Krazy Knitz
311 W. Emery Street
Dalton GA 30720
706-259-6713
www.krazyknitz.com
From I-75, Exit 333 at the Tanger Outlet Center.

Genuine Purl
140 N. Market St.
Chattanooga TN 37405
423-267-7335
www.genuinepurl.com
From I-75, follow I-24 west, then US 27.


Heading north of Atlanta on I-575, from closest to farthest out:
The Whole Nine Yarns
105 E. Main Street, Suite 126
Woodstock GA 30188
678-494-5242
www.thewholenineyarns.com
Use Exit 7 or Exit 8 and head for downtown Woodstock.

The Flying Sheep
38 Wall Street, Jasper GA 30143
706-692-5648
www.theflyingsheep.com
Follow I-575 as it becomes route 5/515 Appalachian Development Hwy/Zell Miller Mountain Pkwy. Turn right on West Church Street and head for downtown Jasper.

Strings & Sticks Yarn Shoppe
449 Industrial Boulevard
Ellijay GA 30540
706-698-5648
www.stringsandsticksyarn.com
Follow I-575 as it becomes route 5/515 Appalachian Development Hwy/Zell Miller Mountain Pkwy. Turn west at 282/US 76

Mountain Yarn
29A Highway 515
Blairsville GA 30512
706-835-1078
Keep following Route 515/US 76. Blairsville is where US 129, Route 11/US 19 intersects Route 515/US 76.

Yarn Circle
Indigo Hills Suite E
4540 Highway 64E
Murphy NC 28906
828-835-4592
www.yarncircle.com
Murphy is north of Blairsville. You can reach it by following I-575, etc. on up into the Blue Ridge Mountains and following US 19/129.


Heading north of Atlanta on GA 400, from closest to farthest out:
Cast-On Cottage and Needlepoint Garden
1003 Canton Street
Roswell GA 30075
770-998-3483
www.castoncottage.com
From GA 400, use Exit 7, Holcomb Bridge Rd

Only Ewe and Cotton Too
780 Mayfield Road
Milton GA 30004
770-740-0844
www.onlyeweandcottontoo.com
From GA 400, use Exit 10, Old Milton Pkwy

Knots of Yarn
2360 Bethelview Rd #106
Cumming, Georgia 30040
706-974-9525
www.knotsofyarn.com
Follow GA 400 to Exit 15 Bald Ridge Dr., then Route 9 west to Route 20 north.

Magical Threads
315 Church Street
Dahlonega GA 30533
706-867-8918
www.magicalthreads.com
Follow GA 400 to Route 249/US 19.


Heading north of Atlanta on I-85, from closest to farthest out:
Rare Purls
Duluth GA 30096
www.rarepurls.net
From I-85, use Exit 104, Pleasant Hill Road. On the web, with bricks and mortar shop coming early summer! Please check back!

Twisted Skeins
124 Washington Street, Suite A (Highway 197)
Clarkesville GA 30523
706-754-7048
www.twistedskeins.com
Clarkesville is northeast of Gainesville and Lake Lanier. From I-85, use Exit 144, and take US 441 some distance north. If you are traveling in from North Carolina on US 23/US 441, use Route 385/Historic US 441.

Silver Threads & Golden Needles
41 E. Main Street
Franklin NC 28734
828-349-0515
www.silverthreadsyarn.com
Even farther north on US 23/441.

Yes Yarn
3014 N. Main Street
Anderson SC 29621
864-222-8244
www.yesyarn.com
From I-85 just inside SC, use Exit 19.


If you take the GA 316 spur towards Athens and University of Georgia:
Yarn Garden Knit Shop
159 W. Pike Street
Lawrenceville GA 30045
678-225-0920
www.yarngardenknitshop.com
From GA 316, follow either Duluth Highway or Buford Drive into downtown Lawrenceville.

Main Street Yarns and Fibers
100 Barnett Shoals Road
Watkinsville GA 30677
706-769-5531 or
866-399-YARN (toll free)
www.mainstreetyarns.com
Go about 40 miles on GA 316, turn right at Oconee Connector.


South of Atlanta on I-85:
Sugarfoot Yarns
100 N. Peachtree Parkway
Highway 54
Peachtree City, GA 30269
770-487-9001
http://www.sugarfootyarns.com/
From I-85, use Exit 47, Bullsboro Drive, and then follow Route 34 to Route 54.


South of Atlanta on I-75:
Creative Yarns
134 Speer Avenue
Macon GA 31204
478-476-5648
creativeyarns.net
Follow I-75 around Macon, use Exit 164 onto US 41.

Me and Thee
2360 Ingleside Avenue
Macon GA 31204
478-746-2223


West of Atlanta on I-20:
Ewe Knit Yarn
909 G South Park St. (Trojan Center)
Carrollton GA 30117
770-830-6480
www.eweknit.net
On I-20 west of Atlanta, use Exit 11 and follow US 27 south to Carrollton.

The Taming of the Ewe
26 Public Square
Jacksonville AL 36265
256-782-9080
taming-the-ewe.com
From I-20, take Exit 185 and follow Route 21 north to Jacksonville.


If you are along the coast:
Wild Fibre
409 E Liberty St
Savannah GA 31401
912-238-0514
wildfibreyarns.com
I-16 & I-95

The Stitchery of St. Simons
3303 Frederica Road
St. Simons Island GA 31522
912-638-3401
shopthestitchery.com
From I-95 near Florida, use Exits 29 or 36 and head to St. Simon's Island.

Food on Spring Road

If you head north on Cobb Parkway, duck under I-285, but turn left at the light, you'll be on Spring Road. Options include:

On the left:
Wendy's -- national burger chain
Applebee's -- national pub grub chain
Chin Chin Chinese -- local chain, cuisine and sushi
Panda Express -- national Chinese fast food

On the right:
Minato Japanese Restaurant -- local sushi and steak
Papa John's Pizza -- national pizza delivery chain

After the light at Cumberland Blvd:
On the right:
McDonald's -- international burger chain giant
Aldi -- grocery store
On the left:
Burger King -- other international burger chain giant
Further up on the right:
Wing Lab -- wings
Subway -- national sandwich chain giant

A couple more lights, past Argyle Elementary School and the fire station, on the left in the Plantation Pointe Shopping Center:
Smyrna Liquors -- alcohol
US Cafe Express -- burgers, wings, onion rings, fries, shakes
China Station -- local Chinese
Cobb International Farmers Market -- Asian grocery, hot wings and sushi available inside

You may have noticed by now that the street Cumberland Blvd seems to cross everything. There is both a Cumberland Blvd and a Cumberland Pkwy in the area. Cumberland Blvd crosses Cobb Pkwy north of I-285, then crosses Spring Rd, runs west of Cumberland Mall (behind it), and intersects Cobb Pkwy again but south, down by the Parkway Pointe shopping center. There is an HHGregg Crossing shopping center on Cumberland Blvd between Spring Rd and Cobb Pkwy. So if you turned left on Spring, and then right on Cumberland Blvd (just before McDonald's), up the hill on the left you would find:
Domino's pizza -- the other national pizza delivery chain
Juice and Java -- local coffee and juice drinks
Unique Indian Cuisine -- local Indian buffet
Bar-B-Q and Seafood -- local and just what it says

None of these several food posts takes you beyond exit 20. There is more food one exit West/South at Paces Ferry/Vinings, Exit 18. And there is some truly lovely upscale dining in Vinings. If you continue yet one more exit to Atlanta Rd, Exit 16, there are also some very good choices. I mention this because J. Christopher's is at the corner of Atlanta Rd and Cumberland Pkwy, just a right turn and half a mile from the exit. Sunday morning food may be a little hard to find, and local chain J. Christopher's is a good option, although crowded as it is well-known in the area. They are open at 7 AM.

For more food options check out:
The Blissful Glutton -- local blogger reviewing local restaurants
Access Atlanta -- web portal run by local newspaper
Creative Loafing -- web portal run by other newspaper
Urban Spoon -- reviews and more, try either Atlanta or if you don't want to drive too far, just Smyrna (north of I-285) and Vinings (south of I-285).

Food on Cobb Parkway North of Galleria

If you want to drive in the other direction through Smyrna 30080, here's what you'll find if you go north on Cobb Parkway.

Ducking underneath I-285, the first restaurant is Atlanta-based Waffle House, on the left, open 24 hours.

Past the light at Spring Rd. and heading up the hill you'll find on the right:
Indian Cuisine -- local Indian food
Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin Robbins -- donuts, coffee, and ice-cream
Jade Palace -- Chinese buffet and sushi
on the left:
Steak N Shake -- burgers and shakes
and in Cumberland Marketplace:
Starbucks Coffee -- coffee, pastries
blu Sushi -- local sushi, grill, seafood, bar, has a good Chrysanthemum roll
Continuing up the hill:
Taco Bell -- national chain Mexican fast food
Doc's Food & Spirits -- basic American, Sunday brunch begins at noon

At the top of the hill past the Cumberland Blvd/Windy Ridge Pkwy light, on the right:
Kentucky Fried Chicken -- national fried chicken chain
Red Lobster -- national seafood restaurant chain
The Border Mexican Restaurant -- local Mexican cuisine

And continuing down the hill on the right in Cumberland Square North shopping center:
Olive Garden -- national Italian restaurant, outparcel
Thompson Brother's Bar-B-Q -- local barbecue, worth a trip is you are unfamiliar with Southern barbecue
Yakitori Jinbei -- Japanese and sushi
Wise Ash Cigars -- tobacco
Quizno's Sub -- warm sandwiches

From the top of the hill on the left in Heritage Pavilion:
Cost Plus World Market -- chocolate and wine
Then headed down in the hill on the left in the Promenade shopping center:
Lee's Golden Buddha #7 -- local Chinese restaurant chain
Scalini's -- local Italian, location of Saturday Ravelry meet-up
and the outparcels:
Bruster's Real Ice Cream -- ice cream
IHOP -- pancakes, Sunday morning food, open 24 hours; their local link

Food on Cobb Parkway South of Galleria

If you don't mind getting in a car and driving a little, there are even more food options on Cobb Parkway / US 41. Most of these take you out of line of sight of Cobb Galleria Center, but as long as you can remember one turn to get back, you'll be fine. Going south, you are in postal code Atlanta 30339, also called Vinings.

On Akers Mill Road, south of Cumberland Mall and across from Sears is Quizno's Subs.
At the corner of Akers Mill Road and Cobb Parkway is a Barnes and Nobles. Inside is a Starbucks Coffee.
On the same side of the street but further south are:
Olde Mill Steakhouse -- red meat
Mykonos Grill -- local Greek cuisine, but be patient if you go

Then in the Cumberland Festival strip mall you will find:
Planet Smoothie -- Atlanta-based chain, smoothies,
Pizza Hut / Wing Street -- pizza, wings
Philly Connection -- cheesesteaks
Schlotzsky's Deli -- deli sandwiches
Haagen Dazs -- ice cream

If you continue south, past the AT&T tower on the left, you'll find Parkway Pointe shopping center with a Borders Bookstore and a movie theater. There are two outparcels:
Don Pablo's Mexican Kitchen -- Mexican restaurant
Copeland's Famous New Orlean's Restaurant and Bar -- Cajun cuisine, cheesecake, and Sunday brunch begins at 10 AM

Past the light at Cumberland Blvd and still on the left is the Cumberland Pointe shopping center. In there you'll find:
doc green's -- Atlanta-based chain, salads, grill, healthy fare
Shane's rib shack -- barbecue ribs
Moe's southwest grill -- southwest and Mexican food

A little farther south but now on your right will be:
China Moon -- local Chinese & sushi, well-reviewed in the newspaper
T. P. Cigars -- tobacco

And next to them in the Riverview Village shopping center:
Olive Bistro -- Mediterranean cafe, two Atlanta locations
Tomo Japanese Restaurant -- Japanese & sushi
Thai diner -- local Thai
Kroger -- grocery
And along the side that faces Paces Mill not Cobb Pkwy:
Vinings Bottle Shop -- alcohol
Taverna Florentina -- local Italian cuisine

Across the street back on the left side of Cobb Parkway in Vinings Junction shopping center:
Subway -- national sandwich chain
Laseter's Tavern -- nice pub grub
Pizza Construction Co. -- pizza

A little farther south puts you across the Chattahoochee River and into Fulton county.

Food at Akers Mill Square

(Stitched photo: from left to right Soup Garden, Honeybaked, Sprint, Subway, My Friends Place, & Wine Styles.)
South of Cobb Galleria Center is Akers Mill Square Shopping Center. There are several food options here:
Soup Garden -- soups and salads
Honeybaked -- the famous hams
Subway -- sandwiches
My Friends Place -- deli
Wine Styles -- wine & cigars

There are several outparcels in the shopping center. They include:
Hooters -- need I say more?
Chick-fil-A -- Atlanta-based chicken sandwich chain
Chipotle Mexican Grill -- Mexican restaurant
Longhorn Steakhouse -- red meat

Hidden at the far south end but worth finding, between the post office and Toys "R" Us, is Top Spice -- Thai & Malaysian cuisine, a local restaurant with only two locations.

Food at Cumberland Mall

One of the most obvious architectural landmarks on Cobb Parkway/US 41 is the pedestrian bridge connecting Cobb Galleria Centre with Cumberland Mall. If you don't mind walking a little, there are many, many food choices just across the street.

On the Cobb Parkway side of the mall are a number of well-known national restaurant chains.
You will see:
Jason's Deli -- sandwiches and box lunches, located between Sears and Maggiano's
Maggiano's Little Italy -- Italian, including carry out
Cheesecake Factory -- a wide assortment of foods, plus amazing desserts
Ted's Montana Grill -- red meat, founded by Atlantan Ted Turner, located between Cheesecake Factory and P. F. Chang's
P. F. Chang's China Bistro -- Chinese food
Stoney River Legendary Steaks -- more red meat, located at the end of the mall, towards Costco

Inside the mall on the downstairs level:
F2O (Fresh to Order) -- salads and sandwiches, an Atlanta-area chain, located just inside the Costco end of the mall
Planet Smoothie -- Atlanta-based chain offers smoothies, sandwiches, and soups, located in a kiosk toward the Costco end of the mall
Nestle Tollhouse Cafe -- cookies, ice cream, coffee drinks, located in a kiosk toward the Costco end of the mall
Starbucks Coffee -- coffee, pastries, and other nibbles, located in the center court, enter between Cheesecake Factory and P. F. Chang's
Haagen Dazs -- ice cream, located in the center court, enter between Cheesecake Factory and P. F. Chang's

Inside the mall upstairs in the food court, which is towards the Sears end of the mall:
Cinnabon -- cinnamon buns
Tokyo Express -- Japanese carry out
Farmers Basket -- chicken, vegetables, home-style meals
Mandarin Express -- Chinese carry out
A&D Buffalo's -- wings & cheesesteaks
Dairy Queen -- ice cream, burgers, hot dogs
Big Easy Cajun -- Cajun cooking
Taco Bell -- Mexican fast food
Chick-fil-A -- Atlanta-based chicken sandwich fast food, not open on Sundays
Sbarro -- pizza and Italian
Great Wraps -- wraps, sandwiches, pitas, and salads
Auntie Anne's Pretzels -- soft pretzels
Nestle Tollhouse Cafe -- cookies, ice cream, coffee drinks, in a free-standing kiosk

Additionally, there are a number of emphatically-not-Atlanta-based Pepsi vending machines and bubble gum/candy machines throughout the mall.

Food at Cobb Galleria Center

This will be the first of several posts about where to find food while you attend STITCHES South.

The convention is in the Cobb Galleria Centre and Renaissance Waverly Hotel. The Galleria does have a speciality shopping area and there are a few restaurants right there on site. You can also find more information at the official site for the Cobb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Firstly, let's remember that there are several eating opportunities during the convention. If you are taking The Works or Almost the Works, you already have these. Other attendees can register for these as well:
Thursday lunch from noon to 1 PM, right after the spotlight with Elise Duvekot.
Friday fashion show at 6:30 PM followed by dinner at 8 PM.
Saturday student banquet at 6:30 PM and student fashion show.

Secondly, remember the basics for attending any convention -- bring a no-spill thermos/mug and pack a few granola bars. We don't want anyone surviving off Cheetos and diet Coke. If you don't keep your blood sugar at a good level, you'll be frogging your classwork. Nobody wants that.

Your choices on site:
Chow Baby -- a create your own stir fry restaurant near the main entrance to the Galleria
Jocks and Jills -- a sports bar, located near the entrance by the parking deck
Subway -- national sandwich chain, located in the mall center, near the escalator
China Sun Express -- Chinese & Thai carry out, and Asian ice cream, located in the mall center, near the escalator
Espresso Bar -- a coffee and snack stand, located in the mall center, near the escalator

There will also be concessions on site in the market and expo area.
And there is a Coca-cola machine in the downstairs hallway that leads back to the hotel.

A Sneaky Back Way in to the Galleria

For those of you driving to STITCHES South, we hope you'll find that getting to Cobb Galleria Center and the Renaissance Waverly Hotel is not terribly difficult. Basically, you just follow the interstate highways until you get to the intersection of I-75 and I-285 on the north side of Atlanta. If you are taking classes, there is a nice map with directions in your confirmation packet. That map and those directions are based on this page, direct from the Cobb Galleria Center website.

But for those of you traveling northbound on I-75 from the city, there is a sneaky back way not mentioned on the website. First off, you have to have a friend in the car, because it requires using the HOV lane. If you are driving to STITCHES South from Florida, trust me, it will be worth your time to be in the HOV lanes through downtown Atlanta. After you cross the Chattahoochee River at the Cobb County line, you'll see signs for the I-285 interchange and signs indicating that the HOV lane will end. Stay in the HOV lane past the Cumberland Blvd. exit and exit instead at Akers Mill. It is a left-hand HOV-only exit. The ramp will dead end at a traffic signal. Turn left at the end of the ramp, go to the second light, and turn right. And there you are -- the sneaky back way to the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Center!

Ovarian Fundraiser

Local merchant Needle Nook will be hosting a second annual fundraiser and sidewalk event this Saturday the 18th from 2-6 PM. Needle Nook has invited local artisans to set up tables on the sidewalk, with 15% of sales donated to ovarian cancer research. This year at least 18 vendors will have their beautiful handmade goodies for sale. Additionally, there will be a silent auction, a raffle, and a bake sale. There will also be a Tarot card reader and a spinning demo. For just $5, you can buy a chance on this beautiful shawl, knit by Shirley Robb. What a generous donation of time and talent! (I believe that is Marsha behind the shawl.)

At the April guild meeting, Arlene showed off a beautiful yarn bowl, made and donated by the Knit Witch. If you want to see more, you can follow these links to photographs of some of the beautiful jewelry, colorful quilting, baskets, and woodwork that will be offered this Saturday.
1st set: jewelry, felting, quilting
2nd set: jewelry, woodworking, basketry, quilting
3rd set: jewelry, knit hat
4th set: jewelry, painting, knotting

Laugh Out Loud

There's a shop called City Knitting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They have a very clever "Know Your Cuts of Lamb" design for t-shirts and tote bags. Be sure to follow the link, then laugh out loud.

(Credit to Donna D. for the discovery.)

Bitten by a Creative VW Bug

The shop owners in our area are a very creative bunch. This time, Debi Light, owner of The Whole Nine Yarns, has truly gone beyond the ordinary. Check out her car, the giant pink ball of yarn:


From the front, the knitting needles are coming at you. If you aren't alert on the expressway, the attack of the giant needles in your rear view mirror should wake you up! I guess that does raise the question of whether the web address should be in regular or reverse font. Hmmm. Well, not that many people jot things down as they look at them in the mirror.

And notice that no detail has been overlooked. From the back, you see the knob ends of the needles. And there's even a very appropriate license plate: W9YARNS. If you see this car around town, be sure to wave and honk! And since The Whole Nine Yarns will have a booth at STITCHES South, maybe Debi will indulge us and park somewhere obvious at the Galleria?

April Flowers

Work continues on the centerpieces for STITCHES South. There is still some assembling and embellishing to do as the flowers need to be attached to their stems, the stems set in pots, and the tops of the pots embellished to cover up the cement. Megan, Whit, Salley, and Jolie did a little more on Thursday morning. There will be another gathering tomorrow (Saturday) at Megan's house. For more information, contact Megan.

Also, finished flowers are being displayed in the library hallway in the education center of Spruill Center for the Arts, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd, Atlanta GA 30338. If you are over in that part of town, be sure to get a sneak peek! Those of you who may have time on Wednesday April 22nd, we will probably need people and vehicles to gather at Spruill to transport flowers to the Galleria on the eve of STITCHES.

Whit was kind enough to supply some photographs from earlier assembling sessions. Thanks, Whit!

Here's Linda with two flowers.

And here's Joyce with a flower.

And more pictures -- just a whole garden of flowers. Enjoy!

Knitting is Everywhere

I went shopping at my local big box bookstore -- acquired copies of What Not to Wear and The Science of Sexy. I'm trying to learn to design for body types other than my own, and I want to design garments that are flattering and fabulous. When I got home and looked at the receipt, I saw this:

Here's the online link.

I can't help but notice this discussion is the first evening of STITCHES South. If anybody in our guild isn't preview shopping in the market that night, maybe you want to drop by your local Borders?

Spring Sale

Just arrived in the ol' e-mail box, from Knitting Emporium in Kennesaw:

Stretch Your Dollars Sale!!
We want to help you make the most of your knitting budget. Bring a friend and enjoy great bargains throughout the shop.

For the first time, we are having a SAMPLE SALE. Many one-of-a-kind shop samples will be available for purchase. Shop early for best selection.

All in stock yarns, kits, books and pattern booklets will be on sale.

What’s the hottest project? Socks, socks & more socks!
All sock yarns on sale!!

Sale hours
Saturday, April 11 from 10:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M.

Knitters, ya'all know what to do.

When needles attack!

My apologies to those of you who have already tossed this issue. If you check out the 2 February 2009 issue of Newsweek, you will find an interesting article on pages 50-53. The article is titled "What It Takes to Survive" by Ben Sherwood. The first sentence: "The knitting needle pierced her heart."

Do I need to tell you more?

More Good Health News

Here is yet another report in the media regarding the health benefits of knitting. This time, it is CBS doing the reporting.

Thanks to Kay for sending the link

New Officers

Our new Executive Board for the 2009-2010 fiscal year will be voted in and installed at our annual May business meeting. Past President Donna Daniels introduced the nominated board at the April meeting. The nominees are:

President Linda Fetter
Secretary Donna Black
Treasurer Lori Armstrong
VP Membership Valerie Cross
VP Communications Jennifer Wilkins
SVP Programs Margaret Hollis
VP Programs Marian Rose
SVP Workshops Diana Baber
VP Workshops Kay Mather

Also on the board will be:
Past President Jolie Elder
Chair Emeritus Whit Robbins


In the photo from left to right: Donna, Lori, Valerie, Linda, Marian, Margaret.
In the back row: Whit, Jolie, Diana.
Not present: Jennifer & Kay.
Photo credit: Tiina Veko. Thank you, Tiina!

Socks & Lace

What are the two things Atlanta knitters seem to be working on? Socks and lace. This month's show and tell was no different.

First up is Tiina, who is well-known in our group for being a lightning-fast knitter. Wow! In this case, Tiina designed socks with a traveling stitch. And she mirrored the traveling pattern, so that they go left on one sock and right on the other. Stylish!

Glad to see Marsha at a meeting! She's a long-time member who has been scare recently. Marsha showed off a baby blanket with a beautiful diamond lace pattern. Then she got out the matching cap, booties, and a not-quite-finished baby sweater. The whole ensemble will be a gift for the person who mows her lawn. Makes you want to go mow Marsha's lawn, doesn't it?


Ellen shared both her lace shawl and her fabulous dry sense of wit. This beautiful cashmere shawl was part of a lace knit-along. Ellen shared that this wasn't the most fun to knit. But the result is breathtaking!

If you left early, you also missed Glenda's hilarious recounting of why she needed an Atlanta Knitting Guild bumper sticker in order to cover another bumper sticker on her car. Show and tell is sometimes about sharing the stories of how knitting affects our lives, rather than just showing off our latest accomplishments. Thanks for a great chuckle, Glenda!

Only last note -- Linda F. had on a great Chris Bylsma crayon box jacket, her second. You can see it in the next post, or pictures will be available as always in the members' only section of the Atlanta Knitting Guild website.

A Colorful Evening

Last night's general meeting suffered a bit from "mission creep." So first off, a big thank you to Margie Deeb. Not only did she wait patiently while we worked through a longer than usual business portion of the meeting, but she then gave a wonderful presentation about color. She showed off a variety of color wheels. In the picture, you can see a wheel based on the printing colors of magenta, cyan, and yellow instead of the traditional red, blue, and yellow. She brought books and color wheels that we could purchase. And she showed examples that gave lots of us in the audience "Ah, ha!" moments. It was worth attending the meeting just to see the example of two patterns done in the same colorway but with different proportions of each color. They looked so different! This is a group that really enjoys color, so we'll put it in the suggestion box for next year to maybe have Margie come talk again.

Also amongst our audience last night was local superstar Betty Salpekar. Since the Think Outside the SOX socks are going to be at STITCHES South, Betty didn't have her socks with her to show us. But she is working on a book. This is a very good thing, as it is bound to have all sorts of wonderful projects, ideas, and techniques in it. Sometimes all you need to know is the name of the author -- you don't even need to crack the spine to know the book is good. We hope at a future date -- either when Betty gets her socks back or when she has some new things to show us to make us all want to advance order her book -- she'll come back and maybe do a program for us? Remember you can preview Betty's winning socks and all the Georgia socks by going to this previous post, so that you'll know exactly which socks are "locally grown" when you attend STITCHES South.