Instead of our normal monthly craft-together, we’ll be having a potluck Holiday Party on Sunday, December 20th at 6:00pm. Come join us for fun mini-workshops and a White Elephant handmade gift exchange (click here for a description).

Tasha will be teaching finger knitting, so bring some leftover yarn from your stash! Using only yarn and your fingers, you can create a strip of fabric that could become a skinny scarf or belt, a bracelet, a headband, or even a garland for holiday decorating.

Please bring some food to share, some spare yarn for the workshop, and one wrapped, handmade gift for the swap. Maybe your gift will be this year’s hedgehog pincushion!  As usual, we will meet at Grow Interactive: 350 W. 22nd Street Suite 106 Norfolk, Virginia 23517 - in the new Palace Station shopping center. Grow is toward the back left corner, across from NYFO.

Hope to see y’all there

-Kristin G.

ps.  Thanks to Kristen R. for the adorable Holiday Party white elephant graphic!

Last night a bunch of us braved the awful weather and headed out to the 7 Cities Crafters knitting workshop.

There were plenty of laughs, some crafting and some dessert. Sounds like a perfect rainy night to me!

Thanks so much to Kristin, Liz and Truly for helping out. I think our beginners got a really great start on things!

Look at Kathleen flying on those DPNs! She learned knitting on DPNs, how to do cables and how to knit continental. Girl is a machine!

Sloane’s socks are growing and growing! She’s doing these two at a time on a long circular needle using a technique called magic loop.

Yummy yarn. Speaking of yarn, don’t miss the Yarn Stash Swap this Saturday at Craft & Sew Studio! Details are on the events page.

Hey guys!

Ebony emailed me with a great idea for a workshop, she said there are a lot of things on her blog (she uses blogger) that she doesn’t know how to use or how to do. I figured a lot of people are probably in this boat.

I’d be more than willing to host a workshop on this. I’m thinking we could do it at my house and just project my laptop onto the TV. I figure people will have different sorts of questions, and they may be on different platforms (typepad, blogger, wordpress) so maybe if you plan on coming, you could email your question ahead of time? That way if I don’t know the answer I can google it and figure it out before you come.

What do you guys think? Who’s interested? I’d like to have this on a weeknight. What night of the week is good for you?

Please chime in over at the forums.

Hey Crafty People!

Here are some upcoming events to put on your calendar:

This Sunday, March 1

Knitting Workshop

6pm at Grow Interactive

We will have several people teaching at this workshop. No matter your skill level, there will be something for you to learn, from learning the basic knit stitch to learning how to pick a yarn or what the heck a gauge swatch is.

If you have volunteered to help teach, please bring straight needles and some worsted-weight yarn that people can use during the workshop.

Grow: 350 W. 22nd Street Suite 106 Norfolk, Virginia 23517 - in the Palace Station shopping center. Grow is toward the back left corner, across from NYFO.

Saturday, March 7

Yarn Stash Swap Party!

4:00-6:00 pm @ Craft & Sew Studio
(owned by 7 Cities Crafters member Kristin)
1301 Lakeside Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23455.

Calling all knitters: bring in some stashed yarn you’re willing to part with and TRADE IT for new and exciting yarn from someone else’s stash! It’s completely free and you get new yarn—what’s not to like? Wear as many knitted items as you can and bring current projects so we can fawn over them. The Studio will provide refreshments.

More info: craftandsewstudio.com

Saturday, March 14

Charity Crafting Event - Surgery Bears

6 pm at Cassie’s house (email for directions)

At Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, each surgical patient is given a hand-sewn teddy bear after their surgery. For the families and the children, the gift is a comforting gesture. Link: http://www.kingsdaughters.org/linensandgifts/

The 7 Cities Crafters will be hosting a charity crafting event to create surgery bears for donation to CHKD. We will have an assembly-line-style party!

What to bring:

* 10 pieces (5 pairs for front/back of bear) of pre-washed and pre-ironed 100% cotton or poly/cotton fabric cut to 8.5 by 11
* Fabric scissors
* Poly-fill (if you have some extra you want to donate)
Fabric markers (please email me if you can bring these)
* Cassie will provide some food, but would appreciate any contributions to the snack table

Sunday, April 5

Photography Workshop

6pm at Grow Interactive

Have a camera but can never get your pictures to come out quite right? 7 Cities Crafters member Liz L. will be sharing her professional experience (she works for Canon) and helping us troubleshoot our photo problems. Bring your camera if you have it. Expect to get awesome tips on simple things you can do to make your photos look great.

Grow: 350 W. 22nd Street Suite 106 Norfolk, Virginia 23517 - in the Palace Station shopping center. Grow is toward the back left corner, across from NYFO.

Hope to see you at an event soon!