No Theme November 2017

Hello Everyone!
There are so many things going on in November, Veterans Day, the end of Daylight Savings Time, Small Business Saturday, and of course, Thanksgiving. So in keeping with the various goings on, we decided to have a "No Theme November". 
This is the first year we sold hand crafted Advent Trees. No two were truly alike and your enthusiasm for these trees made us very happy that we could offer these unique trees. We want to thank the "Jolly Man Up North" and you for making our Advent Trees offering very special.
Knit Night has been a staple on most Thursdays for our store, bringing together friends, yarn, needles, and conversation. We noticed that needlecrafts have something in common, the joy of making something with your hands. We wanted our crocheters and  our cross stitchers too, to feel that they are also part of our handcrafting family. And although we love knitting, we love the camaraderie that comes with needlecrafts. And so, our Knit Night is now Sit and Stitch where hand-made rules!
Veterans Day is very important to us at Yarns by HPF. Many of our family members have served or are serving in our Military. Linda and I are Air Force Veterans. We personally appreciate that you support our Veterans. It means more than we can say.
Yarns by HPF had a Store Sample Sale with a Community Twist. As part of selling the hand knitted store samples, we collected donations to support two local animal shelters. Your generosity knew no bounds as we were able to donate hundreds of pounds of food and cat litter, and much needed cleaning supplies. Thank you so much!!
Of course we had two knitting projects, Slipper Knit and Bulky Brioche Poncho, just in time for the cooler weather. We also had a Project Amnesty Day - more on that in the following paragraphs.
Thank you for supporting Small Business Saturday. We so appreciate your patronage. Small Business Saturday is held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, first celebrated in 2010 in the US and then in the UK in 2013. Buying small and local supports "mom-and-pop" shops and small businesses. Everyone benefits, especially our neighborhoods where small businesses live, work, employ, and shop. #shopsmall

And now let's talk about Project Amnesty Day. We all have them, Works in Progress (WiPs), more than one project going at a time. How can we resist when the projects, yarn, and results are so wonderful?! And working on one project at a time from start to finish just can't be the answer. Sound familiar? I can say from personal experience that having more than one project going at a time fuels my creativity and excitement. I don't want to miss out on a new and different project, regardless of size or complexity. I also want to finish my projects without getting lost along the way. We recently had two big projects, What the Fade?! and Speckle & Pop! Shawls. They are large projects that are only alike in that they are shawls. I knitted both of them, at the same time, like most of you. The key to pursuing multiple projects is organization. Separating the projects from each other helps, be it in project bags, plastic containers, or in the ever-reliable Zip-loc bags. Using interchangeable needles with their handy end stoppers will keep the project on its cord until you are ready to return to it. Perhaps one of the most important organizing tips for me is to write down where I am on a pattern. This helps me go back to where I left off. I write down where I am on the pattern, the date I started and left off, the date I returned to the project, and the date of completion. Breaking up the projects in this way makes the whole process manageable and fun. I can handle multiple projects and not get lost along the way. When I need help, I know where I left off. We all have new projects in the future while still working on our WiPs. Being organized makes our projects more fun and we knit, crochet, and craft because it's fun! 

Finally, we hope everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful that you are on this creative journey with us. We're looking forward to December's Cables for Christmas! We have wonderful projects planned for this magical time of year.
Knit, Crochet, & Stitch On!
Lisa