I'm Back

After a long (gasp) time period, I have gotten back to my blog. I can't believe I have let it go for so long but alas..... Anyway, I'm glad to be back and hope you will enjoy hearing what The Yarn Basket and Quilt Shop is doing for 2011!!!



Check out the class page and come join our quilting groups on first monday of every month, our Mystery Quilt class on Feb 5th and our Shop Hop in March 23-26. ALSO coming, our Valentines present to all of you quilters is to have a sale. More information to follow as we are working on t he details now.

In the Yarn: Come join us at our Annual Winter Retreat. Choose one of 6 classes offered and join fellow knitters for a grrrreat day of fun. Here are the classes offered:

1. 14 inch pillow where you learn 5 different stitches


2. French Press slippers, felted cute as can be slippers that fit and stay on


3. Ruffled edge wristlets, great for texting


4. Malabrigo vest, learn inc, dec, pu stitches and more


5. Ruffled Purse: so much fun and great to carry all your treasures in


6. DPN Socks, yes this one is done on double points.

If you want to come, call us 712-792-2890 and tell us what you want to take. $45 includes lunch, class instructor fees and a gift from us. Chocolate, pop and coffee are of course on the house!

Then watch for our Monthly clubs we are working on. We will mail you yarn and patterns for any and all of the following clubs that will start in February: VEST club (very easy sleeveless tops, which could include shrugs as well as vests); Sock club (sock yarn but maybe not a sock pattern as there are LOTs to do with sock yarn as well as make socks): Fresh from the Basket Club (we are really excited about this one as we have Lorna's Laces making us a color all our own); and Luxery club (one skein projects with yarns that are so yummy!!!)

Quilting Monthly clubs will also start in February and will include a kids one, wool one (yes, we are finally getting started on this one) and a Moda Batiks. The clubs range from 5 to 10 months. Then in May, we will have a Halloween and then in the summer a Christmas one.

Promise to write often, til then hope to see you in the shop and stay warm. Remember, this weather is great to sew or knit.

Beth

Classes are posted

We now have posted classes for June and July on the website. Hopefully we will see you at one or more of them. Lots of great projects and fellowship.

Last Monday at the Quilter's Gathering we had Gram (my mom) show us how to combine the contrary wife block with a 4 patch block. Then she showed us Jacob's ladder, which is these two put together. She makes it look so easy. It is fun to see all of you and LOVE the show and tell from the previous month's "topic". If you haven't come to our gatherings, we would love to have you join us. (VERY informal and still room for more.)

My son Matt is also bringing me into the present in communicating and we are now on Facebook. To follow us go to www.facebook.com and search Beth's Yarn Basket.

Enjoy the flowers. Christmas fabric and winter yarns are knocking at the door.
Beth

Hope everyone is enjoying our Quilting Block of the Month. (April's is pictured) If you don't know, we have been taking pictures of Carroll county barn quilts and making the patterns for our BOM club. Still open to anyone wanting to join, and those who make all 12, get 2 yards of fabric free at the end of the year to sash, border or use anyway your heart desires.

And now, Craig (my wonderful husband) and I are putting a quilt block on our shed. Anyone want to guess the design?? Exciting!!!

Okoboji is OPEN and it is great to see all of you. Class listing will be posted Soon. We are offering Workshop Wednesdays so plan on coming to The Yarn Basket in Okoboji on Wednesday and join us.
Til then, Beth

OK, my mid year new years resolution is to be more active with my blog. Sorry about the LOOOOONG time lag!!

New: Okoboji opens this Friday, May 29th and will be open now for the summer months. 10-5pm with lots of fun yarns and classes. Hope to see you there.

Quilting: Mom and I just got back from Quilt Market and I am soooo excited about felted wool. Although I am not much for hand work (unless I have needles in my hands for knitting) I do want to branch out and try this applique technique with wool. You don't have to turn under the edges so it is easy. We are going to start a block of the month and create the most gorgeous quilt you ever saw! Also have other individual patterns for working with wool. So much fun! Stop in and see the patterns.

Our Barn Quilt Block of the Month is going well. It is so fun to see which barn we are going to do next. What we find amazing is how fast the months roll around and we need to get the next one ready. Wow, life is fast!!!

Yarn: Great projects we are doing are the shawl Heather made for spring, baby blu (jeans for the baby made with Rowan Denim), top down cardigans, tank tops, and much more.

Would love to see you in the shops or call us and we can ship.
til then, Happy knitting, crocheting and quilting, Beth

Thanks to all of you who made it Monday for our first Quilter's Gathering group. We had a good turnout and hope to add more of you every month. If you were there, remember, this is just for fun and you don't have to do the block assignment, however, I bet some of you already have yours done!! : )
If you weren't there and want to join in on the show and tell next month (which will be March 1st Monday from 7pm -8:30pm), we are doing something with a patch. It can be a block for a quilt or table runner, it can be part of a tote, etc. Just make a 4 patch, 9 patch, 25 patch, block of your choice.
Hope to see all of you there. Next month's topic will have Donna showing us how to do a 9 patch and have a mirror image one also when she is done. Wow.

Our knitting retreat for Feb 13th still has some room so if you can make it, please call the shop and have us reserve a place for you. We always have a great time knitting and eating.

til then, Beth

Classes and more

We are having a retreat on Feb 13th in the Yarn Basket side. Come enjoy Valentin'e weekend with fellow knitters and work on one project all day. Choices are an awesome mitered shawl, top down sweater, top down mittens and cabled scarf and hat. Call us 712--792-2890 to reserve your spot. $45 includes lunch and triple punch on your card.

The Quilt shop is having lots of classes and events coming up. Starting this Sat, we are making a table topper (free), next Sat, a notion's tote (free), Feb 27 and / or April 10th Mystery quilt ($30 includes lunch) and t-shirt quilt on March 13th. Call the shop to sign up for any and all of them.

Then, we are starting a new group called "Quilter's Gathering". the first Monday of each month, starting Feb 1st from 7-8:30pm we will meet to share, visit and learn from one another quilting techniques and tips. Come join us. No cost, just bring your smile and a 3 ring binder to gather handouts.

Hope to see all of you at any of the above.
Til then, awesome yarns and fabric coming through the door almost daily for all of us to enjoy,
Beth

Wow, where does time go??? With the opening of the Quilt Shop in the back of the Yarn Basket, we have been busy with new fabrics, projects and then back to knitting and retreats and you know how it goes..... Anyway, I felt it was time to add to my blog and tell you what is in the future and what we are doing now.
Now: really fun and easy to make is the Christmas Creep scarf. Uses one skein of Twinkly Soft Chunky or Burly Spun yarn and #19 needle (called the Christmas Creep because you can still get it done before Christmas even as it creeps up on you!) Cast on 10 stitches and every row is as follows: K1 * YO, K2tog* K1. That is it. We fringed ours long with 10 inch fringes and love it.

Also now: great hats, mittens and other scarf patterns from warm to frilly.

New in yarn: If you haven't seen the Plymouth pattern for the easy shrug, then stop in. Uses bulky yarn and goes fast. You only have to knit and purl. We have one made with the new Manos Rittenhouse yarn that we doubled.
Also new: My Secret shrug (so easy that the secret is in the sewing the seams together and that is even easy) yet it looks like a very hard pattern. We have made it mostly in Alpaca with a twist's Highlander but the pattern can be used on any yarns.
Also new: big needle hats, a new kimino from plymouth and and a easy shawl from Aslantrends.

In the quilting, we are going to have classes every Sat starting the middle of January. We have mystery quilts, t-shirt, tote bag and others so stop in and check out what is happening each week.

THEN: our block of the month is Carroll County barn quilts. We have gone around the county taking pictures of quilts in Carroll county and are busy making the blocks to go with the barns. We will start in January and each month will feature a different barn block with the colors of that barn. The cost is $8 per month with includes the patten and material to make that block plus some information on the location of the barn. Then if you do all 12, you get 2 yards of 45 inch fabric free to do your choice of sashing, borders, etc. We would love to have any and everyone join us in this fun project.

We will be closing the Okoboji shop the 24th of December, open for the winter games, Fri and Sat the last weekend of January and then close until Memorial Day.
Carroll is taking the 25th and 26th of December off but open the rest of the time.


Til next time, Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Then for the