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We tried to misbehave this week, but it’s been too busy.  Leona will be back next week, so we will soon miss our chance.  We’ve heard that The Chief is having a great time and may have a hard time getting back to work so go easy on her for a few days.

Since Halloween is just a few weeks away, here is a little reminder of all the Halloween canvases you can choose from.  Come in and check them out or go right now and look at them here.

New copies of Needlepoint Now magazine

A new color of Marble Baby

And Malabrigo Aquarella. It is a super bulky weight with a gauge of 2.25 stitches per inch on a size US13. A skein is 65 yards for $13.60

…. but don’t worry Leona, the mice will behave!

We wouldn’t dare misbehave while the Chief is on vacation.  Besides, Georgie is quite capable of keeping us in line.

Well, most of the time.

This is most definitely NOT a picture of yours truly “helping” Leona finish her wall hanging.  Although it’s possible that she might not have finished it before she left on her trip if she hadn’t had the help of her dedicated friends.  Besides, that seems like a completely reasonable canvas to learn to needlepoint on, don’t you think?

Some people might be taking the opportunity to lounge around while Leona is gone, but Katie is definitely not one of them.  She spent months working on this beach blanket.  It is a bag that opens out into a blanket.  That is the i-cord she is finishing.  It will weave through the eyelets to cinch it closed when it’s a bag.

Deidre is only shirking a little bit.  She finished that needlepoint canvas quite quickly, but that scarf languished for over a year, I’m told.  I cropped the picture because the camera caught her blinking and I’m sure she wouldn’t forgive me if I put that on the internet. 

Our dear Natalie isn’t loafing.  She has been working on a hat, but not the one she is wearing.  That is one Leona Julie finished and will be donated for a cancer patient to keep warm.  If you would like to participate in our monthly chemo cap challenge, there are no rules, just knit one, drop it off here and someone will deliver them to Memorial Hospital. 

And now for two finished objects from Nonnie.  The pillow on the left has come back from the finisher and the pagoda on the right has been sent off to be finished.

This adorable little coin purse is a sample of what these canvases can become.

This week I’d like to direct you to all the lovely pillow canvases.  Now, of course these don’t have to be finished as pillows.  They can be framed and their beauty can be enjoyed as artwork hanging on the wall of your home (or the home of some lucky recipient).  You can see them all on our website right here.

Also, of special note is our Marble Chunky and Baby Marble Double Knit. We got a few new colors this week. For some inspiration you could check out Ravelry.  There is a lot you can do with this stuff!

We have some new buttons to show off.  Aren’t they dear?  They are deer antler.  They can be yours for between $0.40 and $0.60 depending on the size.

How about some Finished Objects!!!

Bev finished a baby blanket.

Bev did some baby knitting as well (seems like what Bevs like to do).  These are some cozy cocoons from Welcoming Home Baby.

Lisa has been very busy.  She finished a camisole and she is the first of the Terra Linda Knit-a-long group to finish her sweater.  Very nice job, Lisa!

Susan finished her alligator.  He is on his way to the finisher and will come back as a box pillow.

Deidre has finished two projects recently, the Color Affection Shawl by Veera Välimäki and the Lady Edith Shawl by Karrie Steinmetz. 

Keep those Finished Objects coming!!

Well, Isaac has passed and The Stitch Niche survived with only some wet floors.  Stanley Steamer has been and gone.  Don’t worry though, no yarn or needlepoint was damaged.  Leona and Jane moved all the sale yarn away from the front windows and it has already been restored to it’s happy home.

Even in all the chaos, we have a few new things to share. 

All you knitters (especially you, Mary Ann) can come be inspired by the most recent Vogue Knitting magazine.  Check out that skirt!!!

We can all appreciate some new sparkle.   What you see here is a rack full of Hot-Fix Embellishments.  They are affixed with heat activated glue.  Leona put one on her candle holder (you can see the whole thing in the last post). 

 Of course to make room for it, Leona and Georgie had to move some stuff around…

Here are some pieces stitched by Yoko.  They are quite lovely, don’t you think?  I especially like the cherry blossoms.

 Kerry finished a baby blanket.  Lucky baby!
 

Do you need some help choosing a project?  We can help.  Does someone you know need a belt or a wallet?  How about a scarf or shawl.  From simple to complex this place has you covered.

Of special note this week, we would like to draw your attention to the purse and shoe canvases. 

Here are some of the canvases you can choose from.  You can see more here and here.

And here are some examples of what they can be finished into.

For you yarnies, check out our selection of Classic Elite Provence.  It’s 100% Mercerized Egyptian cotton and 205 yards is $14.95. 

What can you knit with cotton?  Well how about a hat, a sweater or tank top, of course wash cloths or baby bibs and blankets.  Or how about some Amigurumi like the super cuteness over at Delicious Crochet?

Cindy finished a beautiful cardigan.  It’s knit top down and she used Plymouth Tweed.  The buttons are deer antler that she found during her trip to Alaska.  Pretty cool, eh?

Leona and Deanne finished their Ravi knit-a-long.  Jane is modeling Leona’s.  Both are knit with Malabrigo Sock.

Deanne also finished a Chemo Cap.  The pattern is Cloche Divine, the yarn is Cascade 220 Superwash.  Stacy finished a shawl.  It’s Color Affection.

Leona finished a baby pouch and a preemie cap.

She also got back her candle holders from the finishers.   On the left is the canvas before it went to the finisher.  And on the right you see it finished.  Pretty cool, eh?

This adorable sweater is the Tobias Hooded Top found in Bright Young Things was knit by Georgie.  She knit it with Dark Horse Fantasy and it is so soft.

Georgie also finished this stocking cuff.

Katherine just sent this stocking off to the finishers.  Very nice.

Leona and Marilyn have been spinning.  Leona’s yarn is on the left and Marilyn’s is on the right.

Look at Deidre’s first needlepoint project!  Lavish Praise, Deidre!

We’ve entered that time of summer when we say, “Will it ever end?”  Well the answer is a resounding Yes!  And that means that Christmas will be here before you know it.  Now you already know we have a great selection of Christmas canvases.  We’ve featured some of them for you.  If you have some languishing unfinished, you should get busy so they can get to the finisher in plenty of time for the Holidays.

Here’s a small sampling of Christmas canvases.

But you can see them all over here.

Speaking of finishing… here are the dates you need to know for finishing. 

For you knitters and crocheters, gift ideas abound… hats, mittens, fingerless gloves, scarves, shawls, socks, cowls.  Oh, the list goes on and on and on.  We have binders full of patterns and shelves full of books full of patterns.  Of course whatever you decide to knit, we have the perfect yarn to knit it with.  Leona is, of course, our resident expert and practically lives here.  And if you want more opinions, encouragement or assistance, then Tuesday night is the time and The Stitch Niche is the place.  We are open until 8 on Tuesdays, and you will meet a wide variety of knitters and crocheters of every level of expertise.

Many of you know that before Hurricane Katrina, the Stitch Niche was located near the beach in Pass Christian.  Leona had stitched a gingerbread house and it was displayed in the shop.  When Katrina came through, she was extremely rude and destructive.  Leona’s gingerbread house floated out of the shop and came to rest nearby at the home of another stitcher.

This kind-hearted person recognized and rescued the gingerbread house and wrapped it in plastic.  Since she was working on the same canvas, she used it for reference.  Recently, she completed the canvas and brought it in to be sent to the finisher.  She also brought in Leona’s original canvas.  Well, Leona gave it a closer look and decided that maybe it wasn’t destroyed after all.  She cleaned it up and sent it along to the finisher with the new one.

Well, look at that.   It looks pretty good, eh?  Leona’s is on the right.

Leona caught up on Chemo caps.   She made three, plus one preemie cap.

 Deanne finished her July Chemo Cap.

Julie finished Aestlight shawl using Malabrigo Sock.  Very pretty, Julie.

 Kerry finished a basketweave baby blanket, knit with Jeannie.

Aubrey finished a canvas that is destined to become a wallet.  Shhh, it’s a surprise.

Georgie finished a stocking cuff.  The picture is big so you can see how beautiful it turned out.

 A Big Thank You!

Thanks for making our Christmas in July Sale such a success. You pushed us to a new high!  Now to the future!  Leona and the crew are busy checking the canvas inventory and restocking yarn. 

To continue the joy of the sale, we are featuring the Clearance section of the store.  Everything on the wall in this special place is 50% off it’s original price.  So now you have another reason to visit the bathroom.  Check it out next time you come in… or you can see them here.  There’s more to see, but it’s real hard to take a good picture in there.

Check it Out!

You can now buy your Nifty Swift ($96) and ball winder ($54.95) from us.  Imagine the joy of winding your own yarn whenever you want. It can be therapeutic.  

 Some Finished Objects.

Another first for Lisa.  I think she is hooked!  She told me she’s carrying yarn around in her purse.  Sounds normal to me.

Deidre is making stuffed animals.  They’re not the scary kind, though.  Orbit the Alien pattern is by Jenna Krupar, Jerry the Musical Monkey pattern by Rebecca Danger.

NEW STUFF!

We got some new project bags! They are so cute.  There are several sizes, styles and colors.  Here is little tour for you. 

Both of these have holes to let the yarn through.  The bag on the right has a bottom section to hold the yarn with holes to feed it through into the bag portion. It sells for $43.  It has a drawstring top and a shoulder strap.  The little on on the left costs $24.

On the left are two drawstring bags.  The larger of the two costs $25 and the smaller one is $18.50.  Above is a set of two bags and a chart holder for $48.

Hurry, though, they are flying out the door.

Some Not New Stuff, but we thought it would be good to refresh you memory…
 

All the things you need to get those projects done.  There are too many to list, but you know what’s there.

And the featured category for this week is Oriental.  A great selection of really great canvases.

So what have we finished this week?

Leona got back several finished needlepoint projects this week.

Here are a few heading off to the finisher… We’ll try to show you what they look like when they come back.

How about some knitting.

Lynn, an accomplished crocheter, finished her first knitting project.  We are so proud!

Lisa’s first “not a rectangle” came out pretty awesome, don’t you think?

Check out Rose’s Yarn Yarn Bowl!  Lavish Praise!

Our very own Natalie is modeling a hat knit by Janet, and on the lovely Suzanne’s feet you see socks knit by Leona.

From this…                                                                     … to this.  A knitted “balloon animal.”

Georgie knit this oh so sweet barnyard blanket.  The pattern is in 60 More Quick Baby Knits.

Deanne stole a chance to sit in the boss’s chair.  It doesn’t happen often, so we captured it for posterity. 

…you should check out the stockings.  There is quite a selection spread throughout the two rooms.  You can peruse them here.

How about some yarn.

Y’all, we carry a whole lot of Cascade! You should come feel all the different varieties. 

Eco +, Pearl, 220 Superwash, Pacific & Pacific Chunky.

Epiphany, Cloud, Alpaca Lace, 220, 220 Superwash Sport & Fixation.

Covington, Ultra Pima, Kid Seta, & Eco Duo.

Some finished objects…

Deanne finished the Gaia Shoulder Hug.

Leona finished these two canvases.

Lindsay finished her Elf School canvas.  Check back for a picture of it when it comes back from the finisher.

And a little surprise for Leona from some of the Tuesday night knitters.

Since Leona has a way with unicorns, some of her friends brought her one.  Unfortunately, the poor thing bled out on the floor.

The sale is going very well. If you haven’t come in to take advantage of the discounts, you really should.  Most of the store is on sale for 20% off through the month of July.  Things like these canvases.

On the left is the wall full of Mini Socks.  You can find them on the website here.  On the right you see a whole lot of Mini Socks with Stuffers.  They are on the web over here.

These cute little canvases are ornaments and come with the dogs to stuff the ornament with.  You can see them on the website right here.

We got a box from Malabrigo today.  It was full of such wonderful goodies.  Most of it was Malabrigo Sock in a huge variety of colors.  Deanne is currently knitting a pair of socks with this yarn and it feels so good.  Leona and Deanne are both knitting a sweater with it as well.  It’s versatile as well as beautiful.

In addition to Sock, the box contained a new color of Rios.  Here is a picture.

On the right you see the other surprise in the box… nine colors of Malabrigo Lace.  A skein contains about 470 yards, it is 100% Baby Merino wool and costs only $9.

And now for a few finished objects. 

Deanne finished a sweater.  It’s Flaming June from Knitty.com.  It’s knit with Classic Elite Soft Linen, which of course is available at your favorite LYS.

Deidre finished her “Shawl That Never Ends.” Lavish Praise, Deidre!

Our designated Tuesday night supermodel, Marley is modeling a scarf of her own making (left) and a Wingspan shawl that Suzanne knit.

Remember Leona’s challenge to knit one chemo cap a month?  Well here are the results of that challenge for last month.  These are quick and easy to knit and are a great use for those leftovers in your stash.  And of course you get to knit something that can be an encouragement to someone going through a tough time.