Raymond Crawford at Serendipity Needleworks!

Friday, February 17
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

What a treat we have in store for us at the end of this week! Nationally renowned needlepoint designer and artist Raymond Crawford will be at Serendipity Needleworks on Friday, February 17 from 10:00 - 4:00. I hope you'll join us for a fun-filled day with him. We always have a ball when he comes to Tuscaloosa and I'm sure that this visit will be the best yet!

We'll have his latest masterpiece, our very own exclusive "Sweet Home Alabama", displayed for you to see and will be taking orders for the first shipment. It's definitely a piece that every stitcher with ties to our fair state is going to want!

Raymond graciously sent us a wonderful trunk show, too, and it's brimming with loads of his newest designs, as well as a delightful array of finished pieces that are guaranteed to inspire you! These jewels are all on display at the shop right now, so shop early for the best selection. (I'll post some trunk show pictures for you tomorrow!)

Knitting Bliss Weekend!

What a wonderful time we had last weekend! It was filled with side-splitting laughter, exquisite hand painted yarn, lots of yummy food (including bowls and bowls of M & M's), expert tips and hints, as well as loads of inspiration from our guest instructor - and new dear friend, Chris Bylsma. We learned to think "outside the box" when it comes to choosing fibers for projects and we experienced - firsthand - the importance of gauge. Learning how to finish your hand knits with precision and finesse rounded out our time together. I've included some pictures from our fun-filled time together for you and hope you'll consider joining us in January 2013 for our next Knitting Bliss Weekend!











Visit our Facebook page for more photos from the weekend with Chris.

Crimson Pride!

I finished my Roll Tide Ruffles scarf and wanted you to be the first to see it! It required a lot of knitting, but it was very simple to do - as long as you keep up with your row count. In fact, I actually got it done in about a week, only knitting on it in the evenings after work.



Here's our Tidal Wave scarf, the scarf kit we designed for the 2009 National Championship. I thought you might like to see it, too! We love our Crimson Tide around here and are so proud of their accomplishments.

Both kits are available in our online store.

Be sure and visit the blog next week for pictures and stories from our wonderful weekend of knitting bliss with Chris Bylsma that we're hosting this Friday - Sunday!

Knitting for the Weekend!

This weekend is a long holiday weekend for many of you, and what could be better than spending three blissful days with a new knitting project?! I already have my new project picked out and, of course, it's in celebration of the 2011 National Championship that the University of Alabama secured this past Monday night.

I've wanted to make the Churchmouse Yarns pattern, Barb's Koigu Ruffle Scarf (pictured above), since I first saw it and, thanks to the suggestion of our Serendipity friend, Barbara M., I've decided to jump in and give it a whirl. Here's a picture of our Crimson Pride sock yarn.




I'll keep you posted on my progress here on the blog. You're invited to join the fun, too, if you'd like. You can purchase a kit on our web site.

"Home for the Holidays"...the canvases!

I hope you enjoyed a weekend filled with all kinds of fiber-y fun! Your positive response to "Home for the Holidays" continues to delight all of us at the shop - and Julia and Melissa, too, I'm sure! A few folks wondered which canvases were included in the set, so I thought it would be fun to share them with you here. The first ornament is the snowman and, as you already know because you've seen him, he's reeaaalllly cute!

Pictures of the rest of the ornament canvases in the series are posted for you below. Feel free to call me on our toll free line at (888)248-4743 if you have any questions or would like to join the fun!

February's Canvas - Snowflake Stocking



March's Canvas - Toasty Mittens



April's Canvas - A Cup of Cocoa




May's Canvas - Gift of Joy



June's Canvas - Ho, ho, holly!



July's Canvas - Wacky Christmas Tree



August's Canvas - Mr. Claus

Home for the Holidays - 2012 Ornament Club

Happy Thursday!

I'm so glad that you love our "Home for the Holidays" ornament club as much as I do. Julia did an awesome job with the stitch guides for these cutie pie ornaments and I know they're going to be loads of fun to stitch.

I'm still working with our web site manager on the best way to handle online registration for the club, so, here's the deal...you may call the shop on our toll free line and we'll share all the details with you on how to start receiving your ornament kits. Serendipity Needleworks is located in Alabama. That's in the Central Time Zone - same as Chicago, New Orleans, Dallas, and all kinds of other cool places. ; ) The shop is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and we'll happily answer all of your questions when you give us a ring at (888)248-4743.

The first ornament in the series is the happy little snowman pictured above (and on the last post, where he's shown already stitched.) His "bags" will be packed and he'll be shipping out on January 17. There are a total of 8 ornaments in the series and one will be shipped each month, so there should be plenty of time to get them finished for the upcoming holiday season. Our finishers will be delighted to wave their magic wands over your stitching, if you need help turning them into ornaments. (We'll share the details with you - just ask about finishing.)

Again, thank you for your overwhelming response to these darling gems for your tree.

Have a wonderful evening and, until next time, happy stitching!
Ellen

Happy New Year!

I hope you and your family had a blessed holiday season. I certainly did and, now that the Christmas decorations are (almost) all packed away, I can hardly wait to get started on some new projects.

I have all kinds of terrific things planned for 2012 at Serendipity, with this blog being one of the most wonderful ways of keeping in touch with you. Our newsletter is scheduled to arrive in your e-mail box every couple of weeks - around the first of each month and toward the middle of each month. You can keep up with us on Facebook and Ravelry, too!

Well, the Christmas tree is calling and I really do want to get started on one of those new projects in my que, but, before I close, I should tell you about the picture at the top of this post. It shows the first ornament in our 2012 Christmas Ornament Club, "Home for the Holidays". The canvases were designed by Debbie Mumm for Melissa Shirley Designs and the stitch guides were created exclusively for Serendipity Needleworks by Julia Snyder. Check back tomorrow afternoon for details on how you can sign up!

Until next time, happy stitching!
Ellen