This year, we are sponsoring the Needlework competitions at the Red River Valley Fair. There are many categories to enter, including shawls, socks, sweaters, and many more. Fair entries should have been made in the last year and should not have been worn or used prior to the fair.

Visit the fair’s website for all the rules and details, as well as the entry form. The entry form needs to be completed and turned in by June 30. Entries can be dropped off at the fairgrounds on July 8. Judging will take place on July 9. Entries must be picked up on July 16.

Eileen. Congratulations on winning the Mother’s Day drawing for this Namaste bag!

Today is the first day of our new sock club. The fee for a six-month membership is $25 and includes

• notification of new sock yarn
• 25% off one sock class
• 10% off one skein of sock yarn per month
• free sock help class once a month
• a laminated membership card, which you’ll need to present to receive your discounts
• free pattern that will help you use your leftover sock yarn.

We have new sock yarn available for club members to purchase, including yarn from Froebe Fibers, Farmhouse Yarns, and Cascade Yarns.

You can sign up for sock club online or in the shop. It’s worth it just to get first dibs on your favorite colors!

Do you have some lonely socks that long for a mate? Do you have a sock that has been on the needles for so long that you can’t remember when you started it? Or are you looking for some inspiration to begin knitting socks? Join us for Second Sock Summer. Here’s how it works.

Beginning on July 1, you can sign up with the number of individual socks you plan to complete by the last day of summer, September 20. You can complete socks already in progress, make the second sock of a pair, or start a new pair. When you reach your goal, bring in your completed socks, and we’ll enter you into a drawing for two skeins of pink Spud & Chloe Fine sock yarn, a 9″ size US 2 bamboo circular needle, and a free membership to our new sock club, which begins in the fall.

You may enter the drawing one time for each sock you complete, but only when you’ve met your goal. If you exceed your goal, you can enter for each additional sock you finish. All socks must be fully finished–toes grafted, ends woven in–to be counted toward your goal.If you’re just getting started with socks, we’ll have a Beginning Socks class in July, as well as Christmas stockings in August. If you’d like to knit with friends, we’ll have open sock knitting on Thursdays, July 7 and 21 and August 4 and 18 from 5:30 to 7:00.

You’ll want to knit the socks you have started so that you’re ready for all the big sock plans we have for this fall, including new yarns, new dyers, and a new sock club.

You’ve seen corn yarn at Fiberfest and Yarnover. Next week, you’ll have a chance to see it at Prairie Yarns. Meg and Paul from Corny Goodness will be visiting us next Thursday, June 23 from 3-8pm to show us this great new yarn that has many amazing properties.

Corn yarn is made from Ingeo, a biopolymer made from fermented corn sugars. The Ingeo fiber is sent to Benson, MN, where Meg and Paul dye it and ply it. The yarn is hypoallergenic, odor resistant, breathable, machine washable, and made from a renewable resource. Garments made from corn yarn get stronger as they’re washed.

We will have several items made from Corny Goodness yarn on display starting on Monday. Meg will have some free patterns available with purchase of her yarn, including the corn sprout baby hat and socks, and the corn bag.

This is a one-time-only event, so make sure to come in next week to see the new frontier in fiber technology. Meg and Paul are only able to take cash or checks, so please plan accordingly.

We have counted all the chemo caps we received during our “50 Caps in 50 Days” chemo cap campaign, and the grand total is 366! That is more than seven times as many as we were hoping to have. Many thanks to everyone who participated. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Congratulations to Elsie Cullen, winner of the prize drawing for the Dolce Merino yarn and the pattern book. Elsie made more than 30 caps for the drive.

We had a great time at the Super Bowl Party yesterday.

We had a several delicious dips to taste test. Congratulations to the dip contest winner, A.J. S., who brought chicken wing dip.

A.J. also won the drawing for the cowl kit. Congrats to our other winners:

Tracie D.,

Laura P., and

Lois N. Thanks to everyone who joined us yesterday. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Super Bowl.

We have two other contest winners to announce. Andy S. won the lotion bar from the last newsletter, and Jenny L. won the $10 class credit for registering for a class online in January.

Join us on Super Bowl Sunday for a day of knitting and dipping. The shop will be open from 1-8, and we’ll have a TV set up so we can watch the game (and the ads). Everyone who comes in on Sunday, February 6, will be eligible for one of four door prizes.

We have three fingerless glove kits and one cowl kit. The drawings will take place at 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm, and you must be present at the time of the drawing to win.

We are also having a dip contest. The winner of the dip-off will receive the following accessories pack, with a retail value of more than $70.

The accessories pack includes an Ashland Sky Knit Stick Sack, a roll of highlighter tape, a pair of Itty Bitty Scissors, our new Mini StitchDots, and a Debra’s Garden stitch counter and yarn cutter.

The rules are as follows:

• All dips must be in the shop by 4:30. Eating and voting will start then. You can pick up your ballot when you get here.
• Everyone who wants to be in the contest needs to pre-register by Saturday, February 5.
• You can bring a hot or cold dip. If you bring a hot dip, you’ll need to bring your own crockpot. Please bring your own serving dish and spoon.
• We will have tortilla chips, potato chips, and crackers available. If your dip is best served with anything else (such as vegetables) please bring that with you.
• Voting ends at 7:00. The dip with the most votes wins.

Last week, we took more than 30 hats and mittens to the YWCA and Churches United for the Homeless.

We collect donations year-round, so it’s not too late to make a hat or pair of mittens for this winter. Thank so much to the following customers and staff who made donations:

Marian B.
Nancy B.
Gina D.
Kim D.
Caitlin F.
Jodee H.
Julie H.
Sue K.
Bre L.
Nicole M.
Tammy N.
Ann O.
Marn O.
Laura P.
Monica P.
Pat P.
AJ S.
AJ V.

And thanks to anyone else we missed. Fargo-Moorhead is a little warmer, thanks to you.