Special Events

Another Birthday Wish!

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patty-lyons-2016

From guest blogger Patty Lyons:

I first met Laura at an industry event several years ago. When she asked me to come teach at 3 Kittens Needle Arts, I was excited. I had heard great things about the shop from other knitting teachers and I was looking forward to seeing it for myself.

When I found out it was 3 Kitten’s 10th anniversary, I was not surprised. Few shops make it to that landmark, and when I visited the shop I understood why 3 Kittens is in that handful of stores that make it to 10 (and will make it to 20!). 

When I first walked in the shop early on a Friday afternoon, it was a buzz of activity. There was a woman in the back picking out colors for a new canvas, a few women browsing the yarn, a woman picking up her finished needlepoint pillow (there was a good deal of oohing and aahing over the beautiful birds on the pillow), and another woman rushing in to get a gift asking the nearly unanswerable question, “What do teenage girls like?”

The shop is not only stocked with beautiful yarns, many of which I had never seen (and I’ve seen a LOT of yarn), but more importantly, it’s staffed by funny, enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. 

Congrats to 3 Kittens on your 10-year anniversary . . . I have a feeling this shop will be around for a long time to come!

~ Patty Lyons

#YarnbombTheBonanza

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by guest blogger, Knitteapolis 

                  A quick definition of yarnbombing: A type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted cloth, rather than paint or chalk. While yarn installations–called yarnbombs or knit bombs–may last for years, they are considered non-permanent, and, unlike graffiti, can be easily removed if necessary. The practice is believed to have originated in the U.S. with Texas knitters trying to find a creative way to use their leftover and unfinished knitting projects, but it has since spread worldwide.

 

Hello,

My name is Knitteapolis and I am the Minnesota Yarnbomber. You might have seen some of my yarnbombs on bike racks or on street signs in the Twin Cities. I’ve also created custom yarnbombs for the Mall of America, American Heart Association, Creative Kidstuff, the OVALumination in Roseville, sureCAN Productions, How To Make Everything, Minnstameets, and Bundle Up MN.

Right now, I’m super excited to announce that I am currently creating a fabulous custom yarnbomb for the giant Junk Bonanza event at Canterbury Park! Junk Bonanza is a Ki Nassauer event for purveyors & shoppers of vintage finds, beautiful antiques & artisan-repurposed pieces. I will be yarnbombing a life size horse statue that will be placed at the entrance of Junk Bonanza this April. The horse statue will be covered head to toe in cozy knits & crochet. However, this horse needs a winner’s wreath of pink and orange flowers to go around his neck and I would be honored if YOU would join me in creating this wreath! But I need your help! I will be accepting any and all pink & orange knit or crochet flowers up until April 14th. Please send as many as you like. Whether you create 20 flowers or 2, I appreciate your contribution and look forward to sewing it into the fabulous wreath. I’ve attached some links to some patterns below but feel free to knit or crochet any type of flower you’d like. The only thing we ask is that you use pink or orange yarn. I also would like to encourage you to take photos of your beautiful flowers and upload them to social media to show off your creations. Use the hashtag #YarnbombTheBonanza and you’ll be able to see & meet the other fiber artists who are donating their flowers to this funky fun yarnbomb.

Here is a link to learn more about the awesome Junk Bonanza.

For questions and/or a shipping address you can reach me via my email: Knitteapolis@gmail.com

You can also find out more about Knitteapolis on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. The following two videos are also fun: Fox 9 News and North Suburban Beat.

Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to working with you!

Sincerely, Knitteapolis

 

If you would like to make flowers for the yarn bomb, Knitteapolis has provided a few pattern links:

CROCHET FLOWERS

http://www.allfreecrochet.com/Crochet-Flower-Patterns/The-5-Minute-Flower

http://pattern-paradise.com/2015/03/31/free-crochet-pattern-flower-power/

http://yarnartwithsuepinner.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/part-1-giant-flower-pattern.html

http://www.bhookedcrochet.com/2013/07/13/crochet-flower-pattern/

http://www.crochetspot.com/crochet-flower-pattern-rose/

 

KNIT FLOWERS

http://voknits.com/blooming-rose/

http://pilgrimpurse.blogspot.com/2012/01/variation-on-easy-flower.html

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/nicky-epstein

https://misscraftyfingers.wordpress.com/2010/11/25/a-knitted-flower-with-pattern/

http://www.berroco.com/patterns/peruvia-rose

These patterns are here if you would like to try them but are in no way mandatory. You are more than welcome to free form crochet or knit your flowers or use a pattern you already know and like.

mall of america yarn bombing!

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What:

To celebrate February as Go Red month, the American Heart Association and the Mall of America want to cover the sign on the corner of 24th and Lyndale in yarn.

How you can help:

  • If you have any scarfs or crochet pieces that you would be OK donating that are a shade of red in any size we would take them
  • If you have any red yarn laying around we need pieces knit or crocheted that are about 1.5 feet wide and 2-6 feet in length
  • Patterns – can be straight knit or crochet or if you can incorporate hearts into it, even better!
  • Below is a link to a free small stuffed red heart pattern. We thought we could string them together or tack them to the project for a little flair.
  • Any red or white notions you have lying around would be a wonderful asset to keep the project interesting and appealing to the eye.
  • Can only crochet a chain? No problem! To help hold everything together we need single crochet chains at 6-8 feet long

Due Date:

  • We need the pieces by Monday, February 2nd at the end of the day in order to start sewing them together for the big MOA letters.
  • Pieces can be accepted as late as Wednesday, February 4th and we can make arrangements for pick up if needed

Installation:

If you would like to help with the installation or removal of the yarn bomb, please contact Diane Muenchow at wickdiane51@yahoo.com.

 

Please contact Diane at wickdiane51@yahoo.com if you have any questions!

make a duck, save a life

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Have you heard of The Little Yellow Duck Project?

By creating and leaving little yellow ducks with informative tags for passers-by to pick up, The Little Yellow Duck Project aims to spread the word about the importance of organ, tissue and blood donation.

3 Kittens is joining forces with The Little Yellow Duck Project. On I Love Yarn Day, October 10, we want to blanket the park in front of the store with handmade yellow ducks! What can you do to help?

Make a duck! Check this link for pattern ideas.

Bring your duck(s) to 3 Kittens before October 10. We’ll tag them and store them until the morning of October 10:

Little Yellow Duck Tag

Join us to distribute the ducks in the park on the morning of the 10th! We’ll start “transplanting” them out at 10:30am.

If you have any questions, please call Laura at 651-457-4969.

day 4 at tnna

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Today started out with a really fun class with Cat Bordhi (designer and author) called Creative Abundant Designs. It was all about a unique way of getting outside of your own head to come up with design ideas for knitting patterns – although I’m sure it could work for any creative process.

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It’s rather hard to explain, but let’s just say that it involves a random number generator, paper cutouts, and letting go of saying “no, that can’t be done.”

Then it was off to the show floor again. Lots of orders were placed today, including ones for several new yarns, such as Rylie from Hikoo, a lovely alpaca, silk and linen blend that looks wonderful in shawls and sweaters.

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 And a wonderful new hand-dyed fingering weight yarn called Cashy Wool from Knitted Wit.

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Finally, a lovely linen blend yarn, Nina, from Tahki Stacy Charles – specifically to make this easy to wear Eileen Fisher-esque top.

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And, I added new colors of Peppino from The Yarns of Rhichard Devrieze and La Jolla from Baah Yarns.

The most exciting purchase of the day on the yarn side though was CustomFit by Amy Herzog, the author of Knit to Flatter. This fabulous program will allow you to purchase custom sweater patterns that will fit your individual measurements. Imagine making a sweater that actually fits you – not some “standard” shape. You will get to choose your neckline, sleeve style, length, cardigan or pullover, yarn, and many more options – and make it as complicated or as simple as you like. While you can sign up on your own on the CustomFit website, there are many ways we as a LYS (Local Yarn Store) can help you – possibly a KAL or class or a measuring party. Who knows? Once we get our staff trained in on the mechanics of the program, we’ll launch it with you. Keep your eyes on our newsletter, Facebook page and Ravelry page for more information.

Julie purchased a lot of things on the needlepoint side, and has posted a number of photos on our Facebook page. Check there to see what’s been exciting her and Sara as they’ve walked the show floor.

 

 

to market, to market sale

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We’re at market having fun, so we thought that all of you should have fun, too! So we’re having a sale!!!

In-Stock Canvases – 25% off

Plymouth Encore Yarn (all weights and types) – 25% off

Sock & Fingering Weight Yarns – 25% off

 

Some exclusions apply:

  • May not be combined with other discounts
  • In-Stock items only (special orders will be at regular price)
  • Canvas sale does not include class and club canvases or 3 Kittens exclusives such as Primitive Pumpkin, Small Bites, St Paul/Minneapolis Ornaments and Jolly Nutcracker.

hello, san diego!

~ 3kittensl ~ 2 Comments

It’s time for one of several “markets” that we attend every year – this time in sunny, warm San Diego.

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The grass is green! It’s so nice to see some green other than my Christmas tree 🙂

Our hotel is right next to the convention center where the winter trade show for The National Needlearts Association (aka, “market”) is being held. Plus we’re right next to the Gas Lamp district – an historic area of San Diego filled with fabulous restaurants – and the stadium for the San Diego Padres.

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I spent some time walking around this charming area during the early afternoon (in 63 degree weather – I know, I should really stop rubbing it in, but I feel so lucky!). I found at least 10 restaurants I’d like to eat at…

Later in the day, I headed to my first class of the weekend: Moving Miters with Barry Klein, the owner of Trendsetter Yarns. Barry has been in the biz for his whole life, following his mother around to stores and market. He and his mother started Trendsetter 25 years ago. To celebrate their anniversary, Trendsetter is having a special promotion, which you can read about here. We just received our order of the 100% mink (!) yarn, Lotus ‘Mimi,’ from Trendsetter. Buying just one skein of this yarn will qualify you for the promotion.

Mimi Yarn

 

Anyway, the class was fantastic. We learned how to make rectangular miters, instead of the more traditional diamond or triangle shaped miters. Here are some photos, concluding with the beginning of the a scarf that I will be making out of the two skeins of Ascot that Trendsetter gave each of us. (Sorry, we don’t carry this yarn; although I can think of lots of other yarns we do carry that would look great using this mitering technique.)

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It’s been a fun day! More tomorrow…

cash mob at 3 kittens – just a few votes away

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I was pleasantly surprised the other day to see a post on the 3 Kittens Facebook page that Cash Mob St Paul had selected us as one of three possible locations for a Cash Mob on Saturday, May 25th. I was equally dismayed at the lack of understanding from my cohorts at the store about what a Cash Mob is and how it might help our business and community. So, I thought I’d give a go at trying to explain the concept here.

Flash-Mob  A Flash Mob +

20-dollar-bill-01             A Little Cash

CashMob         = A Cash Mob

The concept is rather simple. Get a group of people together – rounded up generally by social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Ravelry (for knitters and crocheters). Meet at the chosen small, locally owned business on the date specified. Bring $20 to spend at the store. Introduce new people to the area and the business. Bring an influx of cash to the business and possibly surrounding businesses. Potentially gain new long-term customers.

In reality, it works like this:

  1. Cash Mob St. Paul holds a vote to see which store in our area should be mobbed. The vote is done only on Facebook. Voting closes on Sunday, May 19th at noon.
  2. Once the votes are all in and counted, the chosen store (3 Kittens!) will be notified and a specific time on May 25th will be selected for the cash mob.
  3. Cash Mob St Paul will promote the cash mob on Facebook, while 3 Kittens will promote it through our own Facebook page, Ravelry, Twitter, our newsletter, etc.
  4. On the 25th at the specified time, anyone who wants to join the cash mob will meet near 3 Kittens with $20 in hand.
  5. The group will go en masse to 3 Kittens and spend their money 🙂

Some of the questions I’ve heard from my co-workers:

  • Why would we want to do this? It’s a great way to bring new people to the store. It’s free advertising! Free publicity! An influx of $$! It doesn’t cost us anything! It’s a Win-Win!
  • We’re such a specialty store? What will people buy? There are plenty of  things in our store that even non-crafters can buy: totes and bags, Perfect Notion Cases (lots of uses), lessons, Gloves in a Bottle lotion, Soak (fine clothing and woolens detergent for hand washing), ruffle scarf yarn (so easy even non-knitters/crocheters can make a scarf), etc. Plus some of the Cash Mob participants might actually needlepoint, knit or crochet!
  • Won’t it make the store super crowded that day? Cash mobs generally only last for a short period of time on the chosen day (a couple of hours maybe). So we’ll be busier than usual (hopefully) for just a portion of the 25th.
  • Will we need to do anything special for the cash mob? While I don’t have a firm plan in mind yet, I think we should have some treats (treats are always good!) and we might have some items on special just for the time of the cash mob.

The official Cash Mob site says:

“The benefits that local businesses gain from successful cash mobs are not just a one-day influx of cash. New customers are found, old customers are reacquainted and a new appreciation for businesses that fuel a local economy is found. Every dollar spent locally has a 15 percent more positive impact on a local economy than the same amount spent in big-box retailers and businesses that are part of a corporate giant. Cash mobbers even have a little fun while saving the lifeblood of their communities, as many cash mobs gather after a shopping frenzy at a local establishment for food, drinks and fun, where old and new friends alike meet.”

So, long story short, I think it will be fun and unique to have a cash mob at 3 Kittens. But the only way to have it happen is if you vote!

Please vote today!

the great egg hunt

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Join Us for

The Great Egg Hunt

March 25 – March 30

Spend at least $25 in the store and
pick an egg
with a surprise inside!

You could win:

  • 3K Club double points
  • a $25 gift card
  • 10% off your purchase
  • 10% off a needle case or project tote
  • $5 off any notion
  • $5 off a book or pattern
  • FREE pattern from our 3K stash
  • FREE Perfect Notion Case
  • FREE Lantern Moon Tape Measure
  • a chocolate bunny

Every Egg is a Winner!

And while you’re here, enter our door prize for drawing for Bonnie Bunny

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Discounts are valid day of drawing only and may be applied to current purchase (i.e., draw before you’re rung up).
Discounts may not be combined with other discounts, including coupons, trunk shows or birthday bonuses.
Discounts apply to in-stock merchandise only.