Hogwarts-Express

What a delightful pattern this was to knit ... and it's even more delightful to wear. I used Zauberwolle, which is 100% virgin merino ombre. The subtle color changes just happened to hit the owl section right, making it look as if they were intentionally highlighted with a lighter color. I chose a matte bead for the owl eyes which was compatible with the rustic look of the organic shawl. I am loving knitting with Zauberwolle and am currently using it to knit the Wurm hat, featured in our January knit-along. Since I had some yarn left over from Hogwarts-Express I knit a pair of fingerless gloves to go with the shawl. And if yarn allows, I will also do a pair to match the Wurm. Stay tuned for more photos!

Meet Grover, Our Mascot!

Growing up in New England, I've always had a love for the ocean. So it follows that I also love fish. For my birthday, Krista of Daily Scoop, bought me a gorgeous Betta and named him Grover after The Grove. Honestly, it was one of the best presents I've ever received. I would never have thought that this little guy could bring me such pleasure.

It's been nearly a month now and I think I'm finally getting to know Grover and what he needs. He came in the bowl on the left (above) and he swam in spring water that clouded within a couple of days. I did some research and discovered this awesome globe aquarium (shown below) with a filter and waterfall! According to some, it only needs changing once a month. I'm all about low maintenance so I got one, filled it with gravel, live plants, and seashells that I've gathered throughout my life from different oceans and seas. Oh, the pleasure of setting Grover free in a spacious new home with lights and oxygen pumping though the water...It makes me sooo happy! It's like having a little piece of the ocean in my kitchen. If the Grove were warmer, I'd keep the little guy there but he's a tropical fish and he was freezing without heat. He's much happier at home in a warm kitchen.

2012 Knit Kits!

As if they could get any cooler, Knit Kits has added a needle gauge to their kits! We just got an email from them today saying that the turquoise ones are sold out and that the hot pink ones won't be received from China until "Christmas week". They're suggesting that we have customers prepay and issue them a coupon entitling the bearer to a knit kit as soon as they arrive. I think that's a pretty good idea! They raised the price a bit. They will now cost $24.00. So, if you're interested, call the Grove at 619-284-7684 with your credit card and we'll put you're name on our list. BTW, the needle gauge goes from 000 to 15.

Sweater Mice

We are having a great time this holiday season decorating the store. This darling mice couple has stolen the hearts of many who have visited the Grove recently. Completely understandable! South Park's Winter Walkabout is tomorrow night and we are ready for it. The San Diego Mandolin Orchestra will be here again. This time, we are expecting 6 players instead of 29. Last year we were a tad too crowded for comfort. We're pretty sure that with this acoustically friendly space of ours, the orchestra will sound just as sweet. Hope you can stop by and join us for some music and a cup of eggnog!

Let Heaven and Nature Sing!

We are so blessed at the Grove by being surrounded with artistic souls and one such soul is Jo Madden of Go-Go Paperarts. This gorgeous card is one of her new holiday designs and my favorite. We've heard the phrase she chose so often but when you isolate it like Jo did and drop it into a gorgeous hand-made card it becomes new again and has such an impact! What a lovely thought...heaven and nature singing. I'm going to keep that in mind this holiday season to rise above the pressure and worries that so often run alongside of the joy.

Julie's Bandana Cowl

Julie was one of the 10 knitters who came to the Bandana Cowl KAL on Sunday. She had never worked with circular needles before and she'd never done short rows. Besides which, she chose Indigo, a very dark blue organic worsted cotton, which made spotting the wraps somewhat difficult. Imagine all those hurdles! None, however, stopped her. She came to the shop on Tuesday wearing her cowl which came out beautifully! For anyone who would like to knit the cowl in the same yarn, Julie used a 16", #9 needle and made no modifications to the pattern. Fantastic job, Julie!

Door Prizes!

Skacel Yarns heard about us celebrating our 8th anniversary in business and they sent us 2 kits to give away as door prizes this weekend. How nice was that!!! The yarn is a 2-ply tape by Austermann yarns in Germany and is surprisingly soft . I figured it may be scratchy because of that sparkling tinsel ... but no! It's pleasing! The pattern is a triangular scarf with long tails. From the picture, it looks like you put the point of the scarf in front, wrap the tails around your neck and tie them in the front. Sort of like the Baktus.

Everyone who walks through the door on Sunday, gets a shot at winning one of these kits at the end of the business day! So c'mon in! We'll be serving canapes and bubbly from 3-5 p.m.