CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE OF CHESTER...

It's That TimeAgain... Saturday, December 3rd, from 10:00am to 4 pm.....Again on Sunday, December 4th, 10 am 'til 4:00pm ******A Knitter Garden****** 58 Derry Road,Route 102, Chester NH

Christmas in the Village....Lots of Shopping can be done. Congregational Church, Bittersweet Blessings Gift Shop, Cradle House and more stops throughout the Village...Get a Jump on Holiday Gifts. You will find LOTS of Mitts Knitted w/ Very Special Yarn!! Hats, Scarves, Mittens...American Girl Doll Clothes--Hats and Mitt/Mitten Sets...Jewlry, Crafts, Sweets to Sample/Order, J Drizzle Popcorn, Worm Doo...And So Much More. Stop By for Our "Handmade Christmas" Enjoy a cup of Mulled Cide, Cookies and w/Purchase, Enter for Our Door Prize...
For Extra Door Prize Tickets...Please Add to Our Favorite Charity Donation Basket for "New Horizons Homeless Shelter" in Manchester...New or Gently Used hats, mittens, gloves, socks. Any mini sized personal Health/Beauty Items (shampoo, deod,toothpaste&brush--travel-sized). They are a Wonderful Organization who help so many all year round not just during the Holidays!!
I am giving YOU MY Permission to PASS this invite along to ALL Your Friends and Family!! Have a Wonderful and Joyous Holiday Season...Love To All...Joanne :D

Diagonal Sweater Workshop...

Here are three pictures of the Diagonal Sweater we are making together. The pattern is not difficult but it is a challenge...NOT a Bad Thing!!! I have made one, it lives here in the shop. I love wearing it. I made it in 100% Wool...My next was going to be mostly Acrylic for Washability but I fell in love with a bunch of Handspun Alpaca while on our Knitting Retreat last month. It just happened to find it's way home with me!!! Can't wait to start it!!!
Most of the women interested, prefer class in the afternoon, I'm aiming for the middle of May...Either on a Thursday or Friday from 1:00 to 3:00...There is a $20 deposit due at time of registration, followed by $20 for each session, I am planning on four or five weeks, your last session is your deposited $20. The pattern is available for an additional $8.00, either from me or from Ravelry. It can not be viewed otherwise. Designer's rules not mine!! I will give you a list of supplies once you have registered and made your deposit.

STOP BY...CHECK OUT MY SWEATER BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO THE WORKSHOP...

I know this is going to be great fun to knit...Like other workshops...There is a Limit of 5 students. Depending upon requests, I may repeat this workshop in the evening as well...What evening...I do not know, there aren't many to choose from!! We'll work on that as it happens!

As always...Questions...Comments...You know how to reach me!!!

SUMMER ADVENTURES IN SOX KNITTING :D

...The Largest Pic, and most Colorful is an array of Many Sox Yarns.
Below: The Beginning of the Actual Toe working upward.
Pic Above: Further Progress of a toe up sox.

A KNITTER'S GARDEN is offering a Sox Class...As most know, we have a Purling Petals Guild Meeting twice a month, the 1st and 3rd Weds nights...Well, I've been asked to hold a Sox Class on the other Weds nights.....On the 2nd and 4th Weds Evenings... Classes will run from 6 to 8....They will begin on May 11th and 25th for $40 each month, paid in full at the first class. I have taught MANY classes and I understand, everyone NEEDS my attention...I am limiting classes to 5 Students, this allows plenty of personal time! Please register in advance to assure your place at the table. I plan to continue these classes throughtout the summer. A different sox will be taught and that pattern will be included at each class. Toe Up Pattern will be our first lesson.

Supplies needed for class:
1: 2 SETS of #2 Double Pointed Needles...We will be knitting BOTH sox individually
but at the same time!So you will need at least 7 #2 needles to achieve this.
2: Most patterns call for approx. 400 yards of Sox Yarn, this pattern is NO different!
3: Two coil safety pins or locking stitch markers.
4: Two regular stitch markers.

Supplies may be purchased here before class, and is greatly appreciated. Should you already have sox yarn, please divide it into 2 equal balls. Saves time for knitting.

Any Questions...Comments...Please Call Joanne at 603-887-8550
Until Then..."Keep Those Needles Clicking!"

Up Coming Event....

Hello All...Shame on me. It has been MONTHS since I last blogged. Where does the time go? The Hours...Days...Weeks...We get so involved in our everyday life, we forget the FUN things. My New Years Resolution is to be Better on the Blogging Front!! Let's See...I've said that in years past too.

This is just a Heads Up....I am planning an Event in February...Still in the thinking stages but I wanted to let everyone know to WATCH OUT for a future Announcement.............Have to get all my Ducks in a Row...Keep you updated as I know "What" and "When". Trying to be Creative!! Until Then...."Keep Those Needles Clicking!!!"

Chester's Scarecrow Contest...

LOOK WHO WON THE SECOND PLACE RIBBON!!!! NAOMI...NOT ME!



MEET "NAOMI the NUTTY KNITTER"....Guess Where She Lives???


THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CHESTER IS HOSTING A SCARECROW CONTEST...Three of the members have cut, sewn and created awesome painted, highly expressive faces for said Scarcrows.....OMG....They are so WONDERFUL...the Citizens and Business Owners of Chester are so Creative!!!

There are 56 DIFFERENT Scarecrows scattered around town.....You HAVE to drive around and check them out!!!! I believe they will be around through Halloween...Come to Chester and Check Them Out!!!! They are Everywhere!!!

NEW ADDITION TO BY THE BROOK FARM...

Stop by and Meet the Newest Additions to our Farm Family....Shroder and Charlie Brown...Yes Two of the Peanuts Characters!! Both are Boys and Babies...only 6 months old!!! Shroder is a beautiful Black Merino, sweet, quiet and very studious, concentrating on eating up all the moss around the trees. Charlie on the other hand, is Very Vocal, has a veracious appetite and is a beautiful dark Ivory Icelandic boy. Both Boys have been a delight and a wonderful addition to our mini farm.

Their fiber will be harvested in the Spring of 2011. Can't wait!!! This past Sunday, we went to Sallie's Fen to drop off our Flock's Fleeces...Finally!!! Three Angora Bunnies, one Shetland and one Jacob...Their Fleece will be processed together into a Worsted Weight Blend this year. Again...Can't Wait for the end result...I LOVE Our Flock...eventhough Josie, the Jacob, tried to knock me down on 4 different occasions!!! Needless to say, I do NOT go into the paddock alone any more!!! Chiropractor's Orders!!! I am nuts but not Crazy!!!

So, come on by and meet the Boys!! They'd love to meet you!!

WHAT IS A GUILD??

This question has come up more than once in the past few months. I have always belonged to a knitting group of one kind or another in Massachusetts and NH.. Upon moving to Chester, the first thing I did was go to the library, get a library card and ask..."Do you have a Knitting Group or Guild in Town" I was told NO. Then asked by our librarian, "Would/Could you start one?" Of course I jumped at the opportunity.
The long and short of it, we met at the library, very soon out grew our space there. I was given a key to our newly vamped "Community Center" This is when I started researching the differences between a Knitting GROUP and a Knitting GUILD...there is a difference...GROUP COMMITMENT...
I will Gladly past on what I have learned...
A "Knitting GROUP" is just that. A GROUP of people knitting together at any given time, day or night.
A "KNITTING GUILD" on the other hand...is a "GROUP OF KNITTERS with a COMMON GOAL". To be a TRUE GUILD according to the Crochet/Knit Guild of America...The Group (GUILD) MUST agree upon a COMMUNITY SERVICE for said Group to FOREFILL in a timely manner with weekly, monthly meetings to stay apprised of said service.
Some Guilds reguire a membership, an annual fee, and actually have board members...President-V.President-Secretary-Treasurer.

Personally, I have never wanted to be that regimented but I did want to name my Group and I wanted us to be a GUILD. I learned to have those things you must have a mission statement.

When forming the guild I asked, the ladies then attending, could we promise each other to make the commitment to knit for Charity, gather our items and send them to said Charity. We have ALWAYS done this. No hesitation on anyone's part.

In the very beginning, a large box of lovely yarn was donated by a mother-in-law of one of the knitters. Using this yarn, we ALL knitted squares, we ALL assembled a full-sized afghan and raffled it off at the Chester Town Fair. One of our members bought $25 worth of tickets, she won the afghan!! She then, donated the Afghan with the raffle tally of $50 to the Red Cross to be sent to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We were so Proud!!!!!

Since then, "Purling Petals GUILD", a name chosen by the members, has donated to so many charities...here is a list of some...Linus Project, Salvation Army, St Thomas Aquinus, DADUZA Dolls for Africa, Helmet Liners for the Troops, California Fire Fund, Neighbors Helping Newborns, Hats and Booties for Guadamala, Sweaters for Haiti, Project Purl. I know there are more I just can't remember them all.

I must say, through my own experiences, in NH and MA, I LOVE the community, commradary and wholeness you feel by belonging to a Guild. Doing anything for another human being you will probably NEVER meet is the greatest feeling I have every known. It gives you purpose and warms the heart when the whole world seems to be falling apart!!! I could never imagine my life without belonging to a Guild.

Hope this answers the question..."Why does Joanne ask Guild Members to Knit for Charity?".....To Help Mankind!!