West 7th Wool
3612 West 7th Street
Fort Worth, TX  76107
Ph: 817-731-5044
www.west7thwool.com

West 7th Wool is my local yarn shop…and my Kryptonite.

After I had begun learning to knit, and had an enormous stash of so-so yarns that I really wasn’t in love with, I began searching for a place to buy really GREAT fibers, ones that made me say, “Oooooh….yummy.”

Hunter and Amy are the owners of West 7th Wool, and they were so welcoming on my first visit.   Lovingly displayed yarns were organized by weight and fiber, and there was even a section of gorgeous yarns made in Texas!  I could dream up beautiful projects and feel the yarns and pair them together.  Whoo, baby!  Such luscious fibers!  So many beautiful yarns to choose from.  I literally wanted two of everything.

Alas, my bank account is not bottomless, and so I picked up 8 or 9 hanks of some Madeline Tosh, Yarn Carnival, and Twisted Owl yarns.  Bonus:  for every dollar you spend there, you get reward points that can be applied for a discount later.  And, they will wind your yarn for you at no charge.  Trust me, this is a huge deal.  First of all, it is nearly impossible to knit from a hank of yarn.  Winding is a must.  Unless you have invested in a swift and a ball winder, you will not survive without this kind of help.

Hunter and Amy carry so many brands of yarns, beautiful and hard-to-find needles, notions, kits and they can download and print Ravelry patterns for you.  Additionally, they offer classes, a Thursday knitting night, and cozy seating where you can drop in and just knit, or ask advice on a project.

Click here to check out West 7th Wool.  They are terrific at shipping quickly, and their prices are competitive.

Love, love, love!!!

Kari’s Kits:            https://kariskits.com
Knitters Unwind:   Contact Kari at thespinninghand@gmail.com

Knitters Unwind

Have you ever had an experience that you look back on and recognize as a life-changing event?

I’m lucky to say that I am (and I hope you are, too!).

Five or six months ago (I forget that actual date) I received a lovely invitation to check out a knitting kit maker named Kari Kapone, who lives in Maplewood, New Jersey.  I responded that I was interested, and heard very soon from Kari herself.  She was terrifically personable and funny, and shortly thereafter, I began forming a lovely friendship with her just through email and phone calls. 

Kari told me how she was building a new business for herself, and that she wanted to start by surrounding herself with a small group of knitting and crochet enthusiasts.  I decided to jump on board with a membership to Knitters Unwind, and now I absolutely love our Tuesday night meetings on “Zoom”! This group is composed of people with all kinds of quirks and talents, and we talk not only about our craft, but about funny or troubling events that happen to us.  The members are kind and non-judgmental, and over the months we have all formed bonds that have really opened up my world.

We have a published author, a few multi-discipline artists, several with published patterns, a war veteran, and business people who knit whenever possible.  But we all have a love for our knitting or crochet in common.

We are just finishing a group project in which we each made a 12” X 12” square with yarn that Kari sent to us, and using our own pattern.  Kari is stitching the squares together to donate to a group that helps our brave veterans, and they will auction it off to continue their great work.

At first, I thought, “No way am I getting online with the camera and letting people see me without a makeup and hair artist, and let’s add in a stylist, as well!”  But at our first meeting, everyone was just themselves.  Of course it is possible to do this meeting without being seen, but it is kind of awesome when someone can see you and read your non-verbal reactions.  It makes it so much more than posts where you can’t always interpret the words without all the visual and tonal aspects.

It was this group that gave me the courage to take my own vision and make it into reality.  I love these ladies!

Kari’s Kits is a beautiful collection of patterns and yarns that always come with crystal clear instructions and color pictures of what the knitting should look like at different points.  Also, there are links to tutorials on how to do certain parts.  Plus…and this is what really makes Kari special…there is always a funny card with a handwritten note, cute little extras like funny little objects, crochet stars or flowers.  The kits, of course, always come with literally everything you need to finish the project – yarn, needles, stitch markers, whatever she knew she had to use.  You can always get in touch quickly with Kari herself if you need any help.  My favorite kit was the Loot Llama, which I made for my nephew’s 6th birthday. 

I invite you to check out Kari’s Kits, and also to look into Knitters Unwind!