What was I thinking?? & Happy Memorial Day...

by : Freaky Knitter
We are going to have a eating bar...woo-hoo!


Well, we are now officially in the third week of our kitchen remodel and I can't help but ask myself, "WHAT WAS I THINKING"?! I am convinced at this point that we didn't think this out at all and as I type this, I am being serenaded by the sound of sawing, drilling and hammering....sigh! Everything is covered in dust and I am washing the dishes in the bathroom sink or the upstairs tub, ugh!

I LOVE our new garden window!!




However, I did organize our make-shift kitchen a bit more and we can find things for the most part. We are currently looking at a completion date sometime in 2-3 weeks, but I am thinking that June of 2015 is more realistic! The delay is primarily getting the counter tops in! Although I like to whine in this post, I do have to say my SPECTACULAR carpenters are doing an AMAZING job!! I am still chanting one stitch at a time and, of course, I now have my tapestry weaving to keep my mind off of the chaos.

I think everyone will want a pantry like this one soon!




In other news, the weather is still teasing us and yesterday we had rain and snow here at the house. There was even a smattering of hail at one point and I am really glad that I didn't plant my veggies (currently living under a grow light) last weekend, as even with a water tower to protect them I think they would have been goulash.






Buckwheat and Oreo :)
Snaps says "Shelly I want to romp"!
Oh! That reminds me that our friends have had three more adorable additions to their little goat family, Oreo, Buckwheat and Snaps!! While the other birth was traumatic, this one was a breeze! Sheila and Bella got up in the morning and there the little darlings were. 


So, with all of that said and done, I am heading off to prepare for taping some instructional videos for you all and would love to hear what you might want to learn here on our site! I think learning should be a life long experience and I know that knitting teaches me things everyday, woohoo!!!

As always happy knitting and crocheting!

Jeanne

Ahhh beautiful!!!





PS I hope you are reading our newsletters. If I didn't I might never know what's going on around here (LOL no really) and remember we never share your information with anyone!! It's easy to sign up!!
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Fun (and Funny) Moments in JBW Customer Service

by : MarinadeDesigns
Hi everyone!  In a departure from our usual FO Friday/ WIP Weekend post, I thought I would share some of our funniest and most interesting moments from the Customer Service side of Jimmy Beans Wool.  Over the years, we’ve had some pretty interesting questions and stories that have given us a good laugh in the middle of our workdays.  They keep us on our toes and makes us smile all at the same time.  Here they are:
  1. One quiet afternoon recently, Terry was working in the shop organizing the Addi needles when a woman walked in the door, stopped, looked around with a quizzical expression on her face.  Then she looked right at Terry and said, “Oh, I guess you don’t sell curling irons here,” then spun around and walked right back out the door.  No, we sure don’t. :)
  2. Jeanne received a phone call a few years back from a very nice gentleman who was looking for “Greased Wool.”  Thinking he meant wool with the Lanolin still on it, she suggested he try a different online shop.  Turns out he was really looking for wool yarn that had been soaked in mechanical grease of some kind to be used on the bearings of an antique freight train that he was restoring.  Apparently he needed 16 pounds of wool for this project...wow!
  3. For some reason, our Customer Service team tends to get a lot of phone calls during tax season from people wanting to discuss their taxes.  We must be 1 number off from a tax service.
  4. “Do you sell kites?” What?!?!?   
  5. Just this week someone called wanting to know if we sold wool seat covers for their car.  We don’t, but our neighbor in the shopping center “Motor Sheep” does.  When I told him, that he said, “Oh, well, do you have their number then?”  It’s funny but I guess it’s easy to confuse a yarn shop called “Jimmy Beans Wool” with “Motor Sheep.”
  6. We are right next to a needlepoint store in the shopping center where we currently reside.  Often times people will walk in and wander around for a good 10-15 minutes before asking if we carry (insert some needlepoint supply here).  We then have to tell them that the needlepoint store is next door and they’ve been browsing the wrong shop for the last 10 mins or so.  Oops!
  7. Sometimes folks confuse us with a certain sausage company.  “Jimmy Deans? You mean like the sausage?”  Enough said.
  8. We have a few very sweet and loyal customers who have their order timing planned out perfectly in order to avoid their husbands finding out.  Some wait until they are away on business.  One lovely woman in particular has a special deal worked out with her mail man to leave her Jimmy Beans packages in her car for her.  We always ship her packages via postal service because UPS comes during dinner. :) 
  9. Some of our most interesting phone conversations happen when someone calls us while they are driving.  One memorable call came when someone had to get off the phone really quickly promising to call back after she had pulled over to double check and make sure that the chicken walking on the side of the road wasn’t hers escaping from her yard.  We never found out if it was hers or not, but we thought it was pretty funny anyway.  
  10. Sometimes husbands will call and order gifts for their wives.  The best is when they call to get “that thing my wife said would replace my hands when she winds her yarn”...otherwise known as a yarn swift. :)
These are just a few of the funny moments that brighten our day.  We love every unique quality that makes every one of our customers part of the Jimmy Beans family.  We thank you and appreciate that you allow us to do these jobs that we love!  Hope you enjoyed hearing about these little tidbits from the insider’s perspective!
Have a great weekend and happy knitting and crocheting!
Kristen   


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Spinning, Superwash, SMOOSHY!

by : Leanne
It's that time of week yet again to ogle the latest amazingness here at the shop! New this week: Interweave's spectacular Knit & Spin magazine, the newest Stitch Nation yarn, Washable Ewe and Smooshy from Dream In Color!






Happy knitting and crocheting!
Leanne








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Fiber frenzy and thumb update

by : Freaky Knitter
 The saga of the kitchen remodel continues, but the exciting news it that my sweetie, Geoff does NOT need surgery!!! He saw one doctor who said the dreaded 'S' word, but the next (specialist) said no and put a cast on, phew!!! He doesn't like the cast and I have given him one of my Crystal Palace 8 straight needles to scratch his poor arm. I will be sterilizing (LOL) that needle once all is said and done, but think it is great that knitting needles have come to the rescue.


Part of Toni's stash yummy!

Warp yarns to dye for!
On the one stitch at a time front my Cocoknits Liesl is in it's last round of decreases before the bodice run and has truly kept me sane through this dusty, crazy remodel. I have added learning to tapestry weave into the mix and have to say WOOHOO!


Allison and I took 2 classes with a wonderful local weaver, Toni Lowden and I can't tell you how wonderful the experience was. Toni has the most amazing way of sharing her knowledge and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in her studio. Thanks Toni!


Ali's show-n-tell WOW!



I have been fiddling with weaving for a while and Toni helped cement some wonderful techniques and helped with some amazing inspiration for moving forward in my lust to work up my stash one way or the other. Working at JBW's has afforded me the opportunity to amass a small yarn store of amazing yarns and weaving will help use it up. Of course the problem will be that once I have used something up I will have opened up one more storage space... hmmmm, what to buy next :)







Allison's sampler in progress, way to go Ali!


My little sampler, not bad if I do say so myself!




As always happy knitting, crocheting and weaving!


Jeanne


PS We have the GREATEST twice monthly email newsletters and if you aren't signed up you should check it out! Remember we NEVER share your information in anyway and you can unsubscribe if you like.
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FO Friday and WIP Weekend!

by : MarinadeDesigns
Vic's Vortex
Happy Friday everyone!  Oh boy, do I have some beautiful projects to share with you today!  I’m so excited to show you what we’ve all been up to because, as usual, we’ve been busy little Beans this week.

Victoria stopped by in the shop last week and was so excited to share with us her Vortex Shawl, designed by Kristina McCurley. She knit this luscious violet version out of Fleece Artist Merino 2/6. Although we don’t currently carry that yarn, this pattern would work up lovely in the Hand Maiden Casbah or perhaps some of that lovely Dream in Color "Smooshy" that we just received.  When Victoria unfolded this lovely knit, my jaw just dropped.  It’s absolutely stunning!

Sandy's "Mercato dei Fiori"
With the shawl knitting bug going around, Sandy just had to start another Kieran Foley design.  I mentioned in last week's blog that she was taking the Mercato dei Fiori Shawl pattern to work on while visiting her darling grand-babies and she returned 10 days later with the whole thing completed!  Talk about speedy knitting! Sandy’s new shawl is definitely the talk of the shop. We can’t stop checking out her lovely knit, done in Universal Yarns‘ Classic Shades with Crystal Palace Mochi Plus for the color-work. It’s so pretty and cozy! It makes me want to hunker down in this cold weather we’ve been having and knit with some worsted weight yarn and big needles.  Beautiful job, Sandy!

Nicole and Grammaw
Some of you may remember the January Lorna’s Laces Limited Edition color, Nicole’s 1st Anniversary.  It was a beautiful blend of shades of blue and brown, inspired by Nicole’s wedding last year. Last week, Nicole brought in this amazing and enormous throw blanket that her husband’s sweet grandma made to keep her warm, while he is deployed in Afghanistan.  What an amazing gift!  I know that this, along with frequent skype phone calls, are helping Nicole and CJ get through this tough time apart and we are all hoping he comes home safely soon!  Although we no longer have this color available, check out the story behind it in the January Lorna’s Limited Edition Newsletter. 
Mr. Socks

Our final finished project this week is an awesome pair of hiking socks that Terry made for her mister.  They love to spend their weekends hiking all over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and these socks are going to keep his feet warm and blister free.  Terry used Knitting Pure and Simple’s Heavyweight Boot Sock pattern and about a skein and a half of Cascade 220.  They will be sturdy and strong and I’m sure he’s going to love them!

"Corrine"
Onto this weekend’s WIP!  I only have one to share this week since we had so many FO’s. :)  A few weeks ago, when I shared with you about my birthday-related injury, I was just starting a sweater using Lorna’s Laces Green Line Worsted in the Royal Wedding Limited Edition color.  I began a Knitting Pure and Simple Sweater as soon as I could grip the needles again. However, after doing almost the entire yoke, I realized that the colors were pooling too much for my taste (a common problem with hand-dyed yarn, but easily avoidable with these techniques.)  Of course I didn’t think my project through very well in my haste to get started, and ended up with a serious pooling problem.  So I frogged it.  Ribbit!  After looking in my Ravelry queue, I remembered the lovely Corrine sweater from the Spring/Summer 2011 Knitty that I’d fallen in love with.  That was all the inspiration I needed to cast on again two nights ago. I’m now LOVING the result!  At the rate I’m going, it’ll be done next Tuesday.  Well, probably not, but it’s definitely a fast knit.  This sweater is also featured in our newest catalog, check it out!
Royal Wedding "Corrine"

Ok, well, I’m off to snuggle up on the couch with my doggie Wallace and keep working on my sweater.  It’s raining outside as I write this so it’s the perfect day for a movie and a fiber fix.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Happy knitting and crocheting!
Kristen


P.S.  If you haven't signed up for our twice monthly newsletters, check it out here.  It's the best way to hear about sales, new products, Lorna's Lace's Limited Edition, and more!


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Technical Difficulties!

by : Leanne
Technology can be a fickle friend, as Shevawn and I have learned (yet again) today while attempting to post the featured products vlog. Due to a mysterious malfunction during filming earlier this week, my most excellent vlog of awesome will not be premiering today, but I should be back next week! :) I'll do my best to recount those epic 6 minutes and 4 seconds of featured product amazingness!

(Leanne dances into the foreground singing her new theme song... bow bow, lalala!)

You know you want one!
First and most importantly, the Summer 2011 issue of Interweave Knits has arrived! "Why is this so important?" you ask. Well, there are so many super duper fantastic projects, you could very well be set for the summer with just one copy of this fabulous magazine! Also, this blog (formally vlog) shines the spotlight on those delightful summertime fibers used for many of these amazing projects!

"Leanne! Knit meeeee!"
The sweater I can't seem to stop thinking about is the Dockside Cardigan. Knit in Cascade's Heritage sock yarn, this lightweight sweater takes between four to six skeins of this sumptuous superwash wool. My biggest concern when knitting with the finer weight yarns is that it will take me for-ev-er to finish a project. Thankfully, the bulk of Dockside knits up on US 6 circs, while the ribbed edging uses US 4s, meaning this sweater can be worked up in weeks or months (as opposed to years or decades). Perfect for evening walks at sunset or warding off the chill of A/C during summer months, I'm torn between Plum or Lilac... or maybe I'll mix up my wardrobe with some Flaming Pink!

Unstoppably Awesome!
One of the favorite patterns here at the store is Talitha Kuomi's Cobblestone Vest. *Cool fact: Talitha was one of the finalists in our Landscape Design Contest! She designed the stylishly sturdy Woven Bag (available on our Free Patterns Page).* The Cobblestone Vest is knit on US 9 circulars, using Louet Euroflax Sport, which unfortunately we don't carry. I ran madly around the shop trying to find comparable substitutes and came up with Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, Rowan Lenpur Linen or Debbie Bliss Amalfi. Linen, cotton, linen/cotton blends and other planty fibers like hemp provide the ideal drape and lightweight breathability for this asymmetrical wrap-around vest. The best feature of this trendy vest (in my humble opinion) is the front panel pocket perfect for stashing a cell phone, candy, or your emergency crochet hook!


I almost missed Shelley Gerber's Nantucket Vest the first seven times I flipped through this magazine. Thankfully, I caught it round number 8! Using as little as 6 skeins of Ripple by Tahki Stacy Charles, this slouchy vest is an excellent way to stylishly protect your shoulders from sunburns and zig-zag tan lines while you are out gallivanting about in your sundresses and halter tops this summer (still, don't forget that sunscreen!). Ripple is an awesome (and wildly popular) mercerized cotton with a singular thick/thin quality that knits into an uneven and loosely textured fabric. A little stiff to the touch at first, Ripple is one of those fibers that is easily broken in and just gets softer the more you wear it!


I could go on and on (as you well know), but I'll stop before I end up writing Interweave Knits: The Novel. :)

Have a wonderful day and happy knitting and crocheting!
Leanne




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So sweet and disasters on the remodel front!

by : Freaky Knitter



Hey everyone!

I have blogged about my daughter's urban farming here in Reno and on Easter Sunday we had some newborn visitors from their neighbors down the street. To say sweet is an understatement!


Gloria, now you can't have a goat in your apartment!



Gigi (the mama goat) gave birth to the sweetest little baby who is currently sporting the name Gertrude (just 2 days old in this picture). She was the highlight of my mother-in-law, Gloria's day. The two of them fell in love with each other and finally had to be pried apart so Gigi could have her baby back.







Quack, quack!!!

There were also two baby ducklings and yours truly fell deeply in love, as the youngest of the two fell asleep with its little beak nestled under my thumb. AWWWWW!!! I even put my knitting down to snuggle with this darling little baby so you know it was a sweetie to get me to do that!

Now I know you are all wondering how the remodel of my kitchen is going (week two!...ugh!) and I will give you just a quick update:

1. Electrical is almost done.
2. Gas connection for the stove has been run.
3. Garden window has been ordered.
4. Task lighting for cabinets has been chosen.
5. Upper cabinets are almost ready to go in.
6. Husband (a.k.a Geoff) broke his thumb moving a cabinet and needs surgery (cost of project has now soared out of sight).

Crazy Husband: priceless!

So, I am working on my Cocoknits Leisl non-stop and endless stockinette is certainly what I need right now. At this rate, I will be done by the end of the month. I have to say this pattern is amazing and I want to work one up for my daughter next! I think I will use Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton for hers, as I scored some on Wool Watcher (yes, that little puppy gets me too!) and she will be thrilled that it's organic.

For now, I need to get back to one stitch at a time for my sanity so stay tuned for more next week, same time....same knitting channel!

As always, happy knitting and crocheting!

Jeanne

P.S. I hope you are getting our email Newsletter, so you can stay up to date on all the latest and greatest around the shop! Remember we never share you information, as we value your privacy as much as you do!




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FO Friday/ WIP Weekend

by : MarinadeDesigns

Sharon's Boneyard Shawl
Happy Friday my fellow knitters and crocheters!  I hope this lovely day finds you all well.  We’ve been been such busy little “Beans” this week as many of us scramble to finish up Mother’s Day gifts and springtime projects.  I have quite a big show-and-tell for you this week so I hope you all enjoy it!
Beginning with our recent FO’s, Sharon finished her mother’s Boneyard Shawl just in time for this weekend’s special day.  The Boneyard Shawl is an awesome design by Stephen West that you can find for free on his website.  Sharon knit hers in Tosh Merino Light in Well Water which is a gorgeous shade of dusty grey-blue.  She knit hers on US size 6 needles and made a small version that only took one skein to make.  I’m sure her mom is going to love it!
Jeanne's Turkish Bed Socks
Jeanne just finished her second pair of Turkish Bed Socks by Churchmouse Designs.  I showed you her first pair last week, and less than a week later she is already wearing her second pair!  It’s truly amazing what a fast knitter she is!  This pair is also made out of Koigu Painters Palette Premium Merino in color P711D.  It’s hard to believe that these socks only take one skein of Koigu.  Jeanne has been wearing them quite a bit as they are just the perfect socks to wear with her clogs!
Rock Island Shawl KAL


Many of us have started new projects this last week too! Jeanne and Sandy decided that they couldn’t resist casting on for the Rock Island Shawl, the new pattern from Jared Flood at Brooklyn Tweed.  Since the pattern calls for only half a skein of Helen’s Lace, they decided to split a skein of the Grand Street Ink color (Jared Flood's Color Commentary) and knit it together!  Off to the left they are showing off their first couple of pattern repeats.  Sandy is using a US size 6 needle and Jeanne is using a size 7.  I am so excited to see how they turn out!

Sandy's "Mercato Dei Fiori"
Sandy, so inspired by her last shawl project "Kerchief" designed by Kieran Foley, she decided to begin another project by the same designer right away.  This lovely design is called Mercato Dei Fiori and features a lovely poppy flower colorwork section similar to the "Kerchief" shawlette.  Sandy is knitting this lovely design in Universal Yarn’s Classic Shades on a US size 9 needle, and she is using the Mochi Plus for the colorwork.  I can’t wait to see the finished project as I’m sure, as usual, Sandy will do a stellar job.
Shevawn's "Little Collonade"
Shevawn recently cast on for a Stephen West shawl “Little Colonnade” in Tosh Merino Light.  She is using the Wood Violet color and the recommended needle on the pattern.  She is hoping that one skein of Tosh Merino Light will be enough to finish the project.  Since we received all of the Stephen West patterns in the shop, it seems we’ve all gone a little nutty over his designs.  This pattern looks like a lot of fun and Shevawn says it’s the perfect shawl pattern for beginners.
Squishy garter stitch- yum!
Not to be outdone in the shawl department, I decided to cast on a little project of my own last weekend.  Inspired by an amazing batch of Mansfield’s Garden Party that we received in Tosh Merino Light recently, I cast on as if to knit another Mara Shawl.  I just love how strong the bronze and olive colors stand out in these particular skeins.  Usually this color is more pastel, but I’m really loving the warmer tones of this batch.  I knit about 20 rows before I realized that I could do a Multnomah Shawl instead.  I have a bit more to do before I have make a final decision, but seeing Victoria’s Multnomah on the Project Log gave me a bit of shawl envy so I’ll probably end up doing that.  It’s kind of fun not knowing where a project is going to end up when you start.  When I bought these skeins I just HAD to start knitting right away.  Oh, the things we do for the love of yarn! 
Idlewood
The last project I have to share this week is the very beginnings of an Idlewood tunic by Cecily Glowick McDonald of Winged Knits.  A good friend of mine found this pattern back in December and we both bought it right away intending to cast on right after the holidays.  Well, as you may have guessed, that never happened so here we are now in May getting a head start on next fall’s wardrobe!  I already had some awesome Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran that I bought on clearance when they discontinued it over 2 years ago just waiting in my stash for the perfect pattern to come along.  I absolutely love the color but this tweed has a bit of a rough hand to it.  I am hoping it’s going to soften up a bit with blocking and wear.  My knitting buddy is using a gorgeous shade of Cascade Eco + which is really the perfect yarn for the project. The pattern is really cute with a large cowl neck, short sleeves, fitted body and patch pockets.  I’m looking forward to layering this over long sleeve shirts next fall and winter. 
The Cowl Neck of my Idlewood
So that is it for our FO’s and WIP’s this week!  What are you working on?  Has anyone out there  knit any of these projects before?  We’d love to hear about your experiences, too.  If you are looking for some new project inspiration don't forget about our project log.  Feel free to check it out!

Thanks for reading this week and I’ll see you all again soon.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a very Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy knitting and crocheting! 
Kristen
P.S. Have you signed up for our newsletter yet?  It just takes a moment and it’s the best way for you to find out about all of our sales, new products, video reviews, and so much more!      

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New Lana Grossa Yarns Of Amazingness!

by : Leanne
Featured Products Vlog: Episode 2 is here starring Lana Grossa's latest fashion fibers including Alta Moda Estate, Festa and Coccinella! Of course, yarn is just plain old yarn without spectacular supporting patterns, and you'll get to see some of my favorite designs for the fabulous fibers in Filati Magazine No. 41, Filati Handknitting No. 43 and the extremely popular Cotone Magazine! I also managed to finagle a special guest appearance (ok, it wasn't that hard) - be forewarned, you may need to put on your sunglasses for the last 30 seconds of this vlog)! :)


Extras:
The Chain-Like Construction Gang: Cascade Eco Cloud, Lana Grossa's Alta Moda Alpaca, Alta Moda Cashmere and Alta Moda Seta, Berroco Flicker and Rowan Lima.

Special Guest Star:
Tosh Vintage in (Electric) Chartreuse. This color is not available on our website as it is a one-time dye batch that varies significantly from the regular Chartreuse colorway. If you're like me and just have to have it, give us a call and we would be happy to place your order (if there is any left available)!

Thanks for watching and have a fantastic day!
Happy knitting and crocheting!

Leanne :)




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One stitch at a time...

by : Freaky Knitter






  Now that I have your attention I will explain what I mean by one stitch at a time and this motto is going to help keep me sane during an unscheduled kitchen remodel.

About a year and a half ago, we got a deal on some lovely maple wood kitchen cabinets from a friend of ours who had replaced theirs. So we used a few of them in our rental house to remodel the 55+ year old kitchen, saving the rest for our house. Well, the balance has been stored in my husband's office for all this time and our WONDERFUL craftsman, Erik, gave us a little nudge over the weekend. BOOM! We were off and running or really, demolishing, as the case may be. Our house is 25 years old and this is a long over-due project since there was never really any thought put into the space on how to utilize it to its fullest. Thus, here we are deciding what will go where, while living out of boxes and making coffee in the bathroom.

Our current kitchen
We are figuring approximately three weeks to finish and I am sure that this is going to get worse before it's gets better. Hence, the one stitch at a time motto! Naturally, I will knit to keep myself sane (like I need an excuse) and will keep you posted as to the progress of said insanity! :)

Our current kitchen storage

The good news is that we are already down to choosing our flooring options (this all started Monday, May 2nd) which means we're getting along pretty fast. The layout is a real fun part of the process and Erik and I have been working together on various projects for the past few years so we tend to be in sync on the ideas front, which makes this step really fun. So we now have all of the cabinets in our garage ready to go in and I can't wait to shift, fiddle, and plan the project. My goal with this kitchen is to have as much counter space as possible while creating a more open airy space. *Sigh* This is where the challenging part of the project comes in.
Starting to look better

Speaking of knitting to keep some sanity, I have finished my second pair of Turkish Bed Socks and am about 1/3rd of the way through my Cocoknits Liesl. Endless stockinette is right up my alley!  I am using the Koigu for the socks and some stash linen yarn for the Liesl and have even considered pulling out my (so close to finished) Summer Open Cardigan! This is serious as am I loosing my mind...finish something, horrors!! LOL!!! I crack myself up hee hee!! For now I will just try to stay in the one stitch at a time mode and have survived the first week with two more to go! Just keep knitting, just keep knitting, just keep knitting and so on...

As always, happy knitting and crocheting!

Jeanne

PS If you would like to have the latest news from JBW sign up for our (twice monthly) Newsletter and get all the news that is fit to print. Remember we never share your information and you can always choose to cancel your subscription, although we hope you will enjoy it as much as we do and stay on board.



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Beans for Brains Winners

by : Bethany
Hello!
Well, we've done it. We somehow managed to read through almost 3,000 applications!! I was amazed and enchanted by so many of the projects, essays and phenomenal stories. Thank you to everyone who applied. We wish we had more awards to give to all of the truly outstanding knitters and crocheters that applied.

I know, I know- you want me to tell you who the winners are already!! Ladies and Gentleman, here are the winners of the 2011-2012 Beans for Brains Scholarships.

Northeast Region: Olivia Murton

Olivia Murton
Olivia's Sock
University: Massachusetts Institute of Technology


Planned major/course of study: Biology


Tidbits about Olivia: An avid knitter, Olivia has been knitting for 8 years and worked in her LYS for 2 summers. Two of her designs have been published in Knitty and she has used knitting for 2 of her final projects for school! Check them out here:
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/KnittingCharts/




South Region: Abigail Wright
Abigail's blanket
Abigail Wright
University: Rice University


Planned major/course of study: Biochemistry and Cell Biology


Tidbits about Abigail: Struggling with a family history of cancer, Abigail is waging a cellular war! She plans on using her brilliant brain to learn more about this tenacious disease and work towards eradicating it from the world.


Local Region: Judi Lin

University: University of Nevada, Reno


Planned major/course of study: Nursing


Fun tidbits about Judi: Judi learned how to knit just a few months ago from one of our Beans! She is making a beanie for her boyfriend who was deployed to Afghanistan.


West Region: Alysa Joaquin
Alysa Joaquin

Alysa's Citron shawlette
University: University of Washington
Planned major/course of study: Chemical Engineering, emphasis in nanotechnology
Fun tidbits about Alysa: You may know her as founder and moderator of the Seattle group on Ravelry (Sheepless in Seattle). She plans to use her degree to be involved in outreach programs that are designed to support disabled women.




Midwest Region: Emma Coates

University: University of Cincinnati
Planned major/course of study: Industrial Design
Fun tidbits about Emma:  This is Emma's Cheesburger dress that she crocheted for Homecoming. A-MAZ-ING!!! And not only did she work up one of the best projects that came through our shop doors, she also happens to be captain of multiple sports teams, participates in 3 school bands, is a 4.0 student and somehow finds time to volunteer at her local Alzheimer's Center. Talk about a well rounded young woman!





International Region: Elysse Meridith
Elysse's Chess Board
Elysse Meridith

University: The University of Edinburgh
Planned major: Ph.D. in Medieval Studies
Fun tidbits about Elysse: The chess set to the left is a thirty-two piece knitted chess set, complete with chessboard, and it is the first pattern she's ever created. (And there's not a single seam in the entire set!) 







Congratulations, Ladies! I would like to again thank all of the wonderful ladies and gentleman (as there were a lot of very talented young men too!) who sent in applications. It was SO tough deciding on the final 6. If you didn't win this year, don't worry! We plan on growing the program even more for next year so make sure you check back in the late fall when we announce the call for applications for our 2012-2013 awards!!

I would also like to thank all of our wonderful sponsors! Please help support them while they support you! Thank you to The Yarn Group, Interweave, Tahki Stacy Charles, Denise Needles, Classic Elite Yarns,  Lorna's Laces, Jennifer Knits, Koigu, Muench, Styled by Kristin, Berroco, Fairmont Fibers, Knitting Pure and Simple, Knitting at Knoon,  Artyarns, Blue Sky Alpacas, Madelinetosh, Plymouth, Prism Yarns, and Be Sweet!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Bethany and the entire Jimmy Beans Gang

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