Great Gifts to Grab & Give!

Okay - calm down and take a deep breath! There's no need to panic! I know Christmas is just three days away, but we can do this together. Here are some great gifts you can grab and give - all under $25. See, I've got your gifting back and you're going to be fine. Just keep scrolling down until you find the perfect thing!

No time to scroll? Okay - quick - head to your nearest store and look for our nice collection of 2011 Calendars with creative themes and tumblers, notebooks and other goodies that say fun things like Knit Happy. (I have one on my desk and I'm certain that my water tastes better!) But, if you can, keep reading . . .

For your friend who just got, is about to get or has closeted a serger. Ready, Set, Serge will pave the way to serging bliss. Add some cones of Maxi-Lock thread in neutral colors and you've got a whole serging kit! Available at all stores except Everett. $22.99

For EVERY sewist you know! 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips has loads (seriously!) of tips and shortcuts to make every sewing life easier and more fun. Gathered by the crew at patternreview.com and available at all our stores for just $19.99.

A fun book for those cozy Winter evenings. Any stitcher will love Redhot Redwork from local designers Two Sisters at Squirrel Hollow. Very pretty stuff for $15.95. Add lots of red DMC floss and the lovely little 100 Embroidery Stitches book ($2.79) from Coats & Clark and you're all set. Available at all our stores.

For your crocheting friends or even someone who wants to learn, Slippers By the Dozen will supply hours and hours of creative pleasure. Add a crochet hook set and a bit of yarn! Just $7.95 at all our stores except Bellevue.

We had such a wonderful time with Debbie Bliss when she was here for Stitch 'n Pitch last August and you can give a little taste of her expertise to your knitting buddies. Tips for Knitters is a fully packed book of tips and tricks to keep their needles clacking happily. $19.95 at all our stores and we have Debbie Bliss yarn you can add into the package, too!

The kids! What about the kids? 100+ No-Sew Fabric Crafts for Kids is a gift that will keep them busily happy now and invest in their creative future. It has to start somewhere and this book is a marvelous place to get those crafty genes brewing. You'll love it! $19.99 at all our stores. Don't forget to add a few fat-quarters and some of your own scraps to get them going!

Even if your female family or friends aren't the crafty types, they'll LOVE these books. Why Girls Love Bags and Why Girls Love Shoes are 'can't miss' delightful little books that girls of any age will enjoy. Just $9.95 each at all stores except Bremerton and Outlet on 4th.

Perfect for the hard-to-buy-for, Weird Washington will have the recipient intrigued and smiling! This is such a cool book and just right for those who live here, those who don't and those who have just arrived. $19.95 at all our stores except Bellevue.

And that's just a few of the things you'll find at our stores! Hope I got your 'grab and give' wheels turning and you're feeling a bit more calm. 'Tis the season of joy and I wanted to gave a bit of that back to you!

Happy Gifting and have a Marvelous Christmas!!!

~ Annette

Adventures with Evie: My European Grand Tour

Hey there human buddies -  I'm just in from a FABULOUS European cruise and a bit breathless, but I know you're all dieing to hear about my latest adventure!

Tracy knit me this incredibly continental Debbie Bliss sweater coat and matching beret. I was SO in style as we left Barcelona on the Norwegian Jade and met new sock friends at the so-fab Bon Voyage party. Their outfits were nowhere near as chic as mine, though.

Sydney, my traveling companion and personal couturier, brought me out on deck to sip my morning coffee. A little caffeine and some brisk morning air really perked up my stuffing before we docked in Monte Carlo. I do think I look a tad bit like Princess Grace here, don't you? Her aura was everywhere and I thought the rakish tilt of the hat over my ear was very, very Grace.

The darling ship crew delivered a clever towel animal to my room every night. Mr.White Elephant, my new sock friends and I attended dinner together. He was such a party animal and quite handsome in his formal whiteness. I, of course, looked ravishing in my lace edged silk chemise.

I aired out on deck then visited Pisa wearing my adorable pink quilted jacket with the heart shaped button. I look so fabulous in pink - it really brings out my button eyes! It was comfortable, yet stylish with my black fleece pants when I went shopping with my friends in Rome the next day. I heard quite a few fluffy whistles from the Italian sock boys! Sydney made me a little purse, too, and I shopped 'til my tail dropped.

Traveling can be exhausting, my sock was stretched to the limit and I wasn't feeling quite in the 'pink'. So I enjoyed relaxing in the cabin with my new towel friend Mr. White Rabbit while I was in Naples. He's a bit bland for my taste, but he was a good friend to lean on.

As the cruise wound down, I 'hung' out on my deck before our last stop at Palma, Mallorca.  I loved my Grand Tour, but really missed my home girls back in Everett. I've made so many friends and my Christmas gift list is now as long as a sock tail! After I rest up, maybe I'll take some classes so I can make gifts. I wonder if there's a staff primate discount?

Best to everyone  ~ Evie

(Evie is a pink sock monkey who lives at our Everett store - when she's not traveling. Sydney is one of Everett's extraordinary quilters, teachers and staff members. Tracy leads the Everett Knitalong, teaches knitting and is rarely found without needles and yarn in her hands.)

Tuesday Tip: Don't be scared to try AGAIN!

As I continue to explore different arts and crafts I have learned a very important rule- Don’t be scared to experiment!

 I was looking for a new knitting project and with the arrival of Fall I decided on the cute little pumpkin in Debbie Bliss’ A Knitter’s Year. I am not a very advanced knitter but I am somewhat fearless when choosing a pattern. If I don’t know how to do a stitch or technique my theory is that I can always learn.

So I bought some Debbie Bliss Rialto and set off knitting. I finished my pumpkin in two evenings and while it was adorable I wasn’t completely satisfied with the result. Since it is knitted and then stuffed, you can see some of the stuffing through the stitches as well as imperfections in the knitting that in other projects would disappear.



Pumpkin Take 1

I still had plenty of yarn left so I decided to try it again- Pumpkin Take 2. This time I used twice the thickness of yarn. My thinking was that maybe this would help fill some of the holes and guess what- it did just that! It also made the pumpkin a bit larger which I guess isn’t a bad thing. In the book it is a pumpkin pincushion but I think a few of them would be fun to have around the house for the season.

The two pumpkins together. Aren't they cute!

The moral of this story is don’t get frustrated when something doesn’t come out just the way you wanted it to. It is an opportunity to try something new and learn how to make it better next time. The trick is to then remember these lessons and apply them to other projects. You never know when your new trick might come in handy!  

Michelle

A Must Have Knitting Project for Fall!

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Tea with Debbie Bliss at the Everett store with my daughter. We both fell in love with the projects she shared and it really inspired me to get back into knitting. I have been knitting for awhile now, knitting mostly scarves, hats and the occasional pair of socks. Debbie’s amazing garments motivated me to broaden my horizons and try knitting a sweater.


I decided that maybe I wasn’t quite ready for a sweater but would try one of Debbie Bliss’ other projects and work up to the sweater. I fell in love with Debbie’s Glen variegated wool yarn and chose a project out of the Glen Book, the Snood (or cowl) which goes right along with the fashion trends for this Fall/Winter season.

The Glen Book by Debbie Bliss

I chose to use the same color as the model in the book, Peat Brown 03, which is a gorgeous taupe/brown. A few nights is front of the TV with my family and I had a finished cowl. I had never done cables before but with the great instructions from the book I had no problem especially after a few repeats! I would definitely recommend this project and I can’t wait to get started on my next Debbie Bliss pattern.

My daughter showing off the finished cowl.

The interesting cables that weave their way across the cowl.

~ Sharon

My Oh MY - A Blissful Night at Safeco Field

Wow!!! What a great time we had at Stitch 'n Pitch on Thursday night. Hope you were there! Debbie Bliss did a fabulous job of throwing out the First Pitch and then spent two hours in our booth greeting her fans and siging books. She and her daughter Nell are both just lovely people and I really enjoyed getting to know them when I attended Tea With Debbie Bliss at our Bellevue store last night. (More about that in a later post!) Here's a few pictures you'll enjoy - click on them to see a larger image.

The line to purchase books and meet Debbie stretched down the concourse for about two and a half hours. A LONG line formed before Debbie even got back from throwing out the First Pitch!

Speaking of First Pitch . . . Debbie knitted her own baseball mitt so she would feel yarnie comfortable throwing out that First Pitch. The Mariners were quite impressed! Sorry my picture's a bit blurry. Guess I got a little excited. :)

The Mariners posted a fabulous backdrop for picture taking with Debbie, which she readily welcomed. This scene was repeated over and over with happy fans. The woman on the right started an incredible Fair Isle project for her Tote Bag Challenge project. You'll see that in an upcoming blog post.

Nell, Debbie's daughter is in the middle of this fun photo sporting one of the "Knitting is Bliss" T-Shirts we wore in the booth. Nell is just charming, has a great sense of humor and was always delighted to answer questions while her mum was signing books. "Do you knit?", we asked her last night after Tea With Debbie Bliss at our Bellevue store. "Oh, no, " she replied. "I let Mum do that!" She does know all about it though and was a great help in the booth as well as at the Teas.

That's it for now, but watch for more posts about our Teas With Debbie, the Tote Bag Challenge participants (oh, my, SOOooo cool) and a bit more about the booth. If you were there, you know how amazingly fun it was - if you missed it, you can enjoy the game and the Tea with me through posts!

~ Annette

Stitch 'n Pitch Update - Let's Play Ball!

Just a few more days until the best baseball game of the year - the 6th Annual Seattle Mariners Stitch 'n Pitch Night at Safeco Field! This year it's the Mariners vs the Rangers on Thursday, August 6th at 7:10pm. Here's a few updates:

• We have just a few Stitch 'n Pitch tickets ($15) and 'purchase with purchase' Goodie Totes ($4.99 + tax) available at our Everett and Outlet on 4th stores. Hurry - this is really your last chance to get tickets and totes from us. You can get tickets at the same price from the Mariners, too, but the opportunity to purchase a Goodie Tote is only available to those who purchase tickets from a Pacific Fabrics store and they will not be available at the game.

• But, once you have your tote, you can collect a cool prize from me when you come to our game night booth and bring me your completed or still on the needles project made from one or more of the items you found in your Goodie Tote. We call it the Tote Bag Challenge and it's very popular every year. I really look forward to seeing your creativity! The prize this year? A ball of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and a pattern to go with it. Donated of course by Knitting Fever Inc., distributors of Debbie Bliss Yarns. And, if your project is actually done, I'll have an extra gift for you, too!

• Debbie Bliss is VERY excited about coming to the game, signing your books and meeting you! She's bringing about 50 models with her and you'll see some of them at the booth. To see all of Debbie's amazing work and have a chance to hear about how Debbie began, how she designs and ask questions, come to Tea With Debbie Bliss on Friday, August 6th. You can still purchase tickets for our Bellevue or Everett stores online, by phone or in person at the stores.

• The newest Debbie Bliss book, The Knitter's Year will be available at our Stitch 'n Pitch booth and at both of the Teas. We pulled a few 'yarns' to get it here - it's not actually available in the US until September!

• Are you feeling Lucky? On game night, listen for the Mariners Lucky Row announcements and you could win a Pacific Fabrics tote full of cool stuff donated by Martingale Publishers, Debbie Bliss, Lantern Moon, Pagewood Farm, Lion Brand Yarn and more. I just love the generosity of our suppliers. It's great to know we're working with such good people and they really deserve your support!

• The Moose! I've checked with the Mariners and they will be ready to hand out that cool Knitting Moose Bobblehead at a table near our booth when the gates open at 5:10pm. Hurray! The Moose is available only for those who have tickets in the Knitter's Section so be ready to show your ticket and get there early. This is a WHILE SUPPLIES LAST ONLY giveaway.

That's the latest! I.ll keep you posted if more info comes in - see you there!!!

~ Annette

You're Invited to Tea With Debbie Bliss

We are excited to host internationally known knitter, Debbie Bliss, at our Everett and Bellevue stores on Friday, August 6th. Join Debbie for tea and blissful treats as she presents a Trunk Show from her books, chats with you about how she started, what she does and how she designs, answers your questions, then signs your books! The menu at Everett will include Iced Tea, Mini-Scones with Devonshire Cream and Raspberry Jam, Fresh Fruit and Nutella Cheesecake and along with your Tea at Bellevue, you'll enjoy Fresh Fruit, Cucumber Sandwiches and Blissful Cookies. Yum! I can hardly wait.

Best of all, you'll have an exclusive chance to purchase Debbie's newest book, The Knitter's Year and have Debbie autograph it for you. I've seen the book, it's amazing and it will not be available anywhere else in the USA until September. But ... through a special arrangement with Knitting Fever Inc. Debbie's wonderful yarn company, we will have it for you at the Tea!

Pre-registration of $10 per person is required and you'll be able to enjoy a 10% discount on your purchases on the day of the tea. You can click here to purchase a ticket online for the Everett Tea from 1 - 3pm or click here for the Bellevue Tea from 6 - 8pm and get your ticket today. Tickets are also available at the stores or by phone. Click here for store location information. See you there!

~ Annette

A Blissful Announcement

GREAT news for yarnies!!! Knitters and stitchers of all sorts, mark your calendars! Knitting and yarn designer Debbie Bliss will be our special guest at the 6th Annual Seattle Mariners Stitch 'n Pitch Night on Thursday, August 5th at Safeco Field in Seattle. Debbie is flying in from London just to throw out the First Pitch and appear in our game night booth for book signing and chatting. We plan to have her visit a couple of our stores while she's here, too. Stay tuned for details as we get closer to August. We are soooooo excited that Debbie is coming! Watch our email newsletter, our Facebook page and right here to find out when tickets will be available in our stores.
~ Annette