I've just finished adding new courses and workshops to the website so that they are now bookable.   We're offering a range of classes for knitters (in addition to Gaelle's crochet workshops) that will attract novices and confident knitters alike.  We have a new format for our Beginner's Knitting Course and for those who can already knit we have planned the topics for our Tuesday Techniques sessions.  These will all need to be booked and have limited places so don't be tardy or you might miss out.

As always we will be running Sew Up Saturdays and Stashbusters throughout the year so check out the webpage regularly to make sure you haven't missed one.

We've also added in a few more Saturday workshops.  These are the knitter's version of a Spa Day -- good company, therapeutic knitting, a nice lunch and yarn and needles to take home to continue your relaxation!  it's not for nothing that knitting is listed as one of the best ways to relax and de-stress.

All in all it will be a busy time crafting and relaxing so we look forward to seeing you here.
Workshops

So it may be Summer (?) outside but Ruth and I are planning Ammonite Yarns' Autumn and Winter season.  Our yarn reps are all gearing up to sell us their new ranges but we have a problem -- not enough space!  The Solution?  Our June Jamboree. 

During June we will be putting selected yarns on sale and we'll change them weekly.  This way, we'll be able to refresh our ranges and make space for new and our customers will be able to take advantage of some lovely bargains. Win-Win!!!

This is how it works:

We'll announce each week which yarns are on sale.
The selected yarns will be on sale for one week only and will then go back to full price (if there is any left). 
Free patterns with some yarns.
Nice big discounts
Limited time and limited quantities so it really is first come, first served!
No set asides or returns (unless faulty) on sale yarn.
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We don't plan on doing this very often so it's worth making time to come in or to go on to the website and check out some really good bargains.

The June Jamboree will start on Friday 1 June and the first week will be chunky and aran yarns at 20% off.  The chunky and aran will be on sale until the end of Thursday 7th June and the on 8th June the sale yarns will change.  

As a yarn shop owner, this time of year makes me a bit despondent!  The sun comes out and we have to change the window display almost daily to stop it fading and knitters and crocheters desert us for their gardens.  I can understand the desire to be out in the sun as we don't see it too often but we want to see you all too as there are lots of lovely summer projects that you can all make.  I suspect big projects are out as having a pile of work in your lap can cause a bit of overheating, so I've been trawling Ravelry and found a few so here are some ideas.

I'm cheating a bit here as the first two are mine and Ruth's newly published shawl and blanket -- Caribbean shawl     and Tesselated Tiles but as Ruth knitted most of the former in the Caribbean sunshine it definitely fits the bill!  

Breton tops are always a popular summer look and one of my favourite designers, Isabell Kraemer has one in her Raverly store called 'A HInt of Summer'.  It's knitted in laceweight or a light 4-ply so won't be too warm to wear during most of a British summer but brings some gallic charm to our sometimes rain-soaked shores.

As festival season approaches you might want to knit or crochet a festival hair garland.  This one is by Monika Sirna and would use up any scraps you have lurking in your stash.  The little summer bugs are from Summer Garden by Sarah Gasson and could be used on garlands or finger puppets or make as little brooches for children (or you!)

Finally the Bubblewrap Crescent shawl by Kieran Foley is full of the colours of Summer and would make a useful cover-up as it cools down at the end of the day.

Why don't you take a trawl through www.ravelry.com and find more projects to while away those long summer evenings.
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I'm really excited as I've just added our first Ammonite Yarns pattern to Ravelry!  For those of you who don't know about Rav, it's an online community of yarn-lovers.  The site includes a database of 342, 410 patterns most of which can be bought or are free to download and members (or Ravellers) can use the site to record their projects and stash.  It's well worth a visit although you can find yourself losing hours at a time just browsing.

The pattern i've added to Ravelry is our Wonderwool blanket, Tessellated Tiles and I'll be  uploading others shortly.  It's very exciting!
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tesselated-tiles

It's hard to believe but today is our third birthday and it's been quite an adventure.  From the early days of planning to now has been exciting and we've learned so much along the way and met so many lovely customers.   

We will be celebrating our birthday officially on Saturday and will be offers on selected yarns. In particular we will be maintaining our prices from Wonderwool which means that you'll be able to buy some of our newest additions at a really good price.

There show prices will be offered on Yarns Stories merino, some West Yorkshire Spinners yarns, Wensleydale DK, Blue Faced Leicester Aran, Croft Shetland and Signature Sock (including the new Florist) and selected Stylecraft including the Cosmic Cal kits.

The items we designed for Wonderwool are now launched so the Tessellated Tiles Blanket and Caribbean Shawl yarn packs will be available too.

Together with the celebration prices we'll also have refreshments and birthday cake and invite you to come and share.