Old MacDonald's Craft Barn

We're now on Facebook!

2011-11-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post here on our blog. Since buying a new computer last spring, which has Windows 7 on it, I'm no longer able to post here. I found an older computer with Windows XP still on it, so I've plugged it in just long enough to send this message. We've opened a profile on Facebook, and that's where we'll be from now on. We've already uploaded photos and videos there, so come to Facebook to join in the conversations and follow all our activities, classes, and sales!

Current project

2011-04-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

When I'm working (closed captioning), I like to keep a "mindless" project next to my desk to work on during commercials, because we don't provide captions for commercials. So this is the current project I'm working on during that time. And I'm here to tell you, commercials are longer and more frequent than one would think, and it's amazing how much knitting I get done just during commercials! I'm rather partial to black and white, so when I saw this pattern in the latest issue of Knit 'N Style, I couldn't wait to start it. And since it's just a simple stockinette stitch, it's the perfect project for when I'm working.

Store now open on a new day!

2011-04-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Because of Deanne's work schedule, we've had to change the day that the store is open. Instead of Saturdays, we're now open on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We've had a very positive response to this change, so hopefully it will work well for most of you. But because of Deanne's work schedule changing every three months, there will be times in the future where we'll likely be having classes, crafting days and sales on Saturdays and/or Sundays, and we'll be posting any upcoming events here on our blog. So check back regularly, and we'll keep you up to date!

Recent projects

2011-03-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

April made this little stuffed elephant. Here's a little "apple" hat that I made last weekend.

I'm finally up and running again!

2011-03-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hello again, everyone! I've been unable to blog for a while, because my computer became infected with some kind of virus or spyware or some such thing right before Christmas. After several visits to my home over the last two months, the computer techie finally threw in the towel and admitted he couldn't remedy the problem, and ended up just wiping my hard drive clean, so now I'm back to square one, as if I've just taken my computer out of the box. What a pain. And what really irks me is that this virus came from a site that I went to while searching for a red and white candy cane striped hat pattern. What kind of warped brain would attach a virus to a knitting site? It's way beyond me that people don't have anything better to do than trying to make life miserable for others.

So, now that I've got my venting out of the way (forgive me for that, but thank you for listening☺), let's move on to much more fun things...like knitting! Which I'm assuming we've all been doing a lot of this winter, since this nonstop Arctic weather hasn't been allowing us to get outside.

We're going to start classes again, the first one being a needle felting class on Saturday, April 9th. Karen will be coming over from Lewistown to give the class, and as soon as I get more detailed information from her, I'll post it here. And hopefully, I'll be able to get a picture of the project she'll be doing that I can share with you.

Also, we've got a store on eBay where we're selling everything in the store at a reduced price. So please, check it out and see if there's anything that strikes your fancy! And if you live in the area, you can stop by the store in person and save on the shipping and handling.

Above is a picture of a sweater I just finished in Plymouth Kudo. This is such a nice yarn to work with, and I love the resulting striping effect. This yarn will also be on sale on eBay.

I hope you're all surviving this bitter cold winter, and getting a lot of knitting done!

We will be closed until January 8th. See you all in the New Year

2010-12-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

Craft Sale

2010-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

Here's our booth at the craft sale this weekend. Katy attracted a lot of attention with her sock knitting machine that you see on the stool there in the center, down toward the bottom. We had a really fun time!

Carol was showing me how she was knitting at her grandson's hockey practice Tuesday night. She said the skating rink was so cold, she needed to wear her mittens, but she also wanted to keep knitting to get scarves done for the craft sale.

We'll be back out at the store this Saturday, the 27th, so we'll see you this weekend!

Felted Slippers

2010-11-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here are the slippers felted. I'm still working on the pair that I'm putting the Cocoon around the top. Carol's worked with the Cocoon before, in making several scarves, so she showed me how to pick up from the waste yarn and knit with the Cocoon.

Boot-slippers, pre-felting

2010-11-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

Carol and I have been working on things for the Holiday Happenings Craft Sale coming up this weekend at the fairgrounds. I finished another pair of slippers last night, and I'm now ready to throw them in the washing machine. The brown slippers I only knit up to where you would normally drop a strand of wool and continue on with the fuzzy yarn for the top, and put the stitches on waste yarn, and after they're felted, I'm going to attempt to knit the tops with our new Cocoon yarn. We saw a picture in a recent magazine of a pair of slippers with the tops knitted in Cocoon, or a similar yarn, and they looked really cute. But I don't think those slippers were felted, so we'll see how this attempt works out.

Saturday, November 20th

2010-11-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

We want to let everyone know that we won't be at the store this Saturday, November 20th. We'll be over at the fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday for the Holiday Happenings craft sale. If you happen to come out to the craft sale, stop by our booth and say hi!

Holly's felted boots

2010-11-16T20:11:00.001-08:00

Here are some felted boots that Holly made. Melissa put some leather bottoms on them.

Closed Saturday October 30th

2010-10-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that we'll be closed this Saturday, October 30th. I'm leaving Wednesday for a much-needed vacation, and will be back the first week in November. We'll be open again on Saturday, November 6th. We want to wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween!

KnitWhits Ripley Hat

2010-10-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the Ripley hat that I started a couple of months ago, and talked Makenna into modeling it for us. This pattern seemed a little cumbersome and time-consuming at first, but the further up I got, the quicker it seemed to go. I made this hat in CMR colors, green and gold, but I think this would be really fun using bright colors on all the "tuck" stitch rows. I need to dig through my stash and see what crazy colors I can come up with.

Jane's Scarf

2010-10-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Jane made this scarf with a bulky yarn and size 19 needles in a really pretty herringbone pattern.

Barb Hofer's Sweater

2010-10-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

Barb finished her Cascade 220 sweater, and she was out at the shop Saturday to model it for us.

Saturday Knitters

2010-10-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here's everybody hard at work on their projects Saturday. Barb is finishing up a sweater, Holly is making felted boots for Christmas gifts, Melissa is making a felted purse, and Lorraine, well, she just came out to visit. Even if she doesn't have time to sit and knit with us, we love it when Lorraine comes out on Saturdays.

Ginnie's Pig Afghan

2010-10-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

Last night at our knitting class, Ginnie brought her Pigs on Parade afghan to show everyone. I'm a big fan of anything involving pigs, so of course this is something that really appeals to me. Great work, Ginnie!

Crochet Classes

2010-10-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Carol's ready to start giving crochet classes on Wednesday nights. They'll be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please let us know if you're interested by calling either of us, Carol at 771-0799, or Deanne at 454-2077, or e-mail me at deannem1@bresnan.net. You can also go directly to my e-mail by clicking on the little mailbox on our homepage.

Jullie's Scrap Yarn Sweaters

2010-10-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some sweaters that Jullie brought to S&B Monday night. What a great way to use up all those odds and ends of yarn that we accumulate.

Knitting Class Thursday night

2010-10-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

For this Thursday's knitting class, we'll be learning to knit with the Magic Loop. So for anyone who doesn't really care for double points, this is great! I've used this method now for hats, and a pair of thrummed mittens. I don't know why it's taken me so long to learn this technique for circular knitting. I guess it looked a little off-putting, but it's really very simple.
We'll also be learning to knit cables, carry two colors, and make I-cords.
So for Thursday night's class, you'll need to bring a cable needle, two colors of yarn (preferably a non-fuzzy yarn, so you can see your stitches clearly), a circular needle with at least a 32-inch cable, and a set of double-point needles. If you don't have any of these, we have them at the store, and any supplies purchased for a class is 10% off.

Latest projects

2010-10-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Lorraine made this chemo hat in eyelash yarn.

Here's a scarf Lorraine made in Cocoon from Universal Yarns. I think she said she used a size 10 1/2 needle.

Here's the scarf Carol made in Cocoon, on larger needles.

Knitting Classes

2010-09-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start a knitting class this Thursday, September 23rd, and it will continue until Thursday, October 21st, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 each night, and it's $5 an hour. So every Thursday night for the next five weeks. We're going to start with the basics, like casting on, ribbing, and then learn how to make buttonholes and different cables, and we'll just keep working along on the same strip of knitting, so you can look back at your "sampler" when working on projects in the future to refresh your memory on how to do certain stitches. You'll need a skein of worsted weight yarn (make sure it's an acrylic yarn and not something that's fuzzy, where you can't see your stitches, and a light color), and size 7 or 8 needles.

Ginnie's blue sweater

2010-09-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ginnie made this little hooded sweater for a new grandson. All she has left to do is put a zipper in the back, that goes from the top of the hood to the bottom of the ribbing.

Jeanette's scarf in Marshmallow

2010-09-20T10:00:00.001-07:00

Jeanette made this scarf with Marshmallow yarn. Isn't it intriguing? We decided we wanted to try it out, so we found a similar yarn with a company we do business with, Universal Yarns, and ordered it in three colors. We've been notified that it's been shipped, and it should be here in time for our knitting class on Thursday.

Tammi in her Crofter sweater

2010-09-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

I made a sweater for Tammi in Sirdar Crofter DK. I didn't notice this when I took the picture, but that's Pat down in the right-hand corner wearing the scarf I made out of Foxy last weekend while we were all sitting around visiting during our crafting weekend.

Classic Shades Mittens

2010-09-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here's the start of a mitten I'm making in Classic Shades yarn using the magic loop method. I have to say, I'm really loving the magic loop! No more double points. Not that dpns are so terrible, but hey, if I can get the same result without using them, why not?

Here's the pair of finished mittens.

Class September 23rd

2010-09-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

I'll be giving a basic knitting class on Thursday, September 23rd, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. It will be just the basics, like casting on, different ribbing, cables, buttonholes, etc. There's room for eight students, so let us know if you're interested in this class. Our phone number and email address is on the homepage of our website.

Sale and Crafting Weekend!

2010-09-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

It's time for our back-to-school sale, and a weekend of crafting! Everything in the store is on sale:

15% off all purchases up to $50

20% off all purchases up to $75

25% off all purchases $75 and above

We're going to be here all weekend: Friday, September 10th, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday, September 11th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Sunday, 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. We'll have the coffee on, and snacks, and on Sunday we'll have lunch brewing in the crockpot. We're looking forward to everyone joining us for a fun weekend!

Discounts on Charity Items

2010-09-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it feels like fall, and we all know what that means ... time to dig into that yarn basket and start knitting again! Okay, maybe "again" doesn't apply to most of us. If you're like me, my needles are clicking away year 'round. It's also that time of year where we start thinking about the things we'd like to make for our charity drive. And this year Old MacDonald's is going to give a discount for any items you bring in by the first weekend in December. The more you donate, the more you save!

1% per hat, up to 25%
10% for each mitten/hat set
20% for each adult afghan
25% for each hat/sweater/bootie set
40% for five baby afghans
50% for five baby afghans with matching hats

Thank you to all who have contributed in the past, and to all of you who will be joining in our charity drive this year!

Pictures of Pat's Projects

2010-09-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

Pat's making the little skirt that we've been seeing in magazines lately made with Bernat Baby Jacquard yarn. This looks like such a fun self-designing yarn, that we've ordered it in several colors, and we're just waiting for it to come in.

Pat was in the store on Saturday, and brought along her crocheted dress and bonnet set to show us. She just needs to do a little finishing, and put the ribbon on.

Crochet Speed Contest at the Fair

2010-09-03T12:28:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be fun to start adding videos, so here's my first attempt at it, just to see how to do it. This is the group at the fair for the fastest crocheter contest. It's just a quick pan around the group, to show who showed up to participate. I'm sorry, I don't know who won the contest, but there were first, second and third place winners.

Continuing to Finish Projects

2010-08-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

I'm almost done with a Knitwhits Ripley hat, but I ran out of the gold yarn, so I'll have to wait until I can get out to the store to get another skein before I can resume this project. This is a green and gold CMR hat. But I think this would be fun to make with the tucked rows in all different colors, no two the same.

I finished another baby sweater. This one's made with Sirdar Kisses. Slowly, but surely, I'm working my way through all my UFOs.

Oh My! Sweaters

2010-08-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

I made these sweaters in Oh My! yarn in two different sizes. This yarn is so soft, I'm always getting requests for hats and sweaters made with it.

Geneva's Purse

2010-08-08T09:15:00.001-07:00

Pat's granddaughter, Geneva, learned to knit this summer while she was here visiting from Denver. Here's her first project. The pattern is actually designed to be a felted drawstring purse, but she decided not to felt it, and also wanted to make it more of a backpack. I think she did a mighty fine job on her first project.

Vicki's Crocheted Dress

2010-08-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here's Vicki with her crocheted dress.

Finishing Projects

2010-07-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

I've decided it's time to pull out all these partially-completed projects and finish them. Here's one of them I'm working on right now. I don't know what it is about these self-striping yarns. I just can't seem to get enough of them. This yarn is Patchwork from Universal Yarns. It's an inexpensive 100% acrylic yarn that's really soft, and nice to work with. We ordered three colors, to try them out and see if anyone liked them, and they seem to be a real hit. We're thinking we might have to order all the other colors in this line.

2010-07-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

I finally finished this sweater for Tammi. It's made with Sirdar Crofter DK. I'm really loving the self-striping yarns.

Lorraine's Snoopy jacket

2010-07-14T21:27:00.001-07:00

Lorraine brought this sweater jacket in Saturday to have Carol put in a zipper. She said she had the pattern from a Mary Maxim kit she bought years ago.

Pictures from last Saturday

2010-06-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Makenna is modeling this crocheted earflap hat that Lorraine made.

2010-06-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the christening gown Pat is crocheting. I'll try to remember to get another picture when she finishes it.

Pat's Angel Baby Afghan

2010-06-24T10:37:00.001-07:00

Here's the baby afghan Pat has been working on. All that she has left to do is the finishing around the edges.

Knit Night Thursday, June 24th

2010-06-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

I just want to let everyone know, we're going to have a knit night this Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. It's an open night, so bring whatever it is you're working on.

Jo's Scarf

2010-06-21T13:20:00.001-07:00

Jo made this beautiful beaded scarf. I understand she took it for show-and-tell at S&B recently, but I missed out, so she brought it out to the yarn shop so we could display it on our mannequin and take a picture.

Lorraine's Child Sweater

2010-06-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here is another sweater that Lorraine made. This little lady has really been cranking out the projects, hasn't she?

Lorraine's Baby Buntings

2010-06-21T13:13:00.001-07:00

Here are a few of the baby buntings that Lorraine has made recently, with matching hats. She's made both the crochet and knit versions, and it seems to be the concensus that we all prefer the knit version, with the favorite being the lavender one.

2010-06-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Knit Night Thursday, June 10th

2010-06-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

We'll be open on Thursday once again from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. I think it's supposed to be cool and rainy over the next few days, so what's more fun than being snuggled up inside knitting, and snacking on really fattening food.

Monday Night S&B

2010-06-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

Our first show-and-tell Monday night was Jullie's lace shawl.

2010-06-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

2010-06-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

I took some pictures at S&B Monday night. Carmen's wearing a sweater that she designed.

2010-06-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

Knit Night Tonight

2010-06-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the store tonight, if anyone would like to come out and play. And here's a recent picture of Tammi's afghan. It's progressing along quite nicely. It's a double-sided afghan, so she's basically knitting two afghans as she goes along, so the fact that it's moving along so quickly is quite impressive.

Saturday, May 22nd

2010-05-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here's who was at the store today when I got there: Ronda, Pat and Barb. Unfortunately, I didn't get to stay long, because I had to get back home for work. But I understand there are a handful of ladies who are interested in making the shopping bag that I made last year. So I'll be at the store Thursday night, May 27th, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., if anyone would like to come out and join us for a class on making a shopping bag.

2010-05-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Getting Organized

2010-05-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

I got tired of leafing through stacks of patterns and decided it was time to get organized. I spent several hours on my day off last weekend putting patterns in sleeve protectors and large binders. What is it about having things organized and all neat and tidy that brings such peace of mind? I guess I'm just a nut about printing off all these patterns of projects that I actually think I'll have the time to knit some day. I'd have to live another two or three lifetimes to knit up all these things! But they're fun to flip through and dream about making, so now they're all in their proper place, and I can find a specific pattern in an instant.

Holly's Felted Purse

2010-05-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a felted purse that Holly made for her mom for Mother's Day.

Ronda's Felted Purse

2010-04-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Here's Ronda's first knitting project, a felted purse. Pretty impressive, considering she didn't know how to knit before starting this project.

My newest project

2010-04-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest project. A double-sided scarf. Vertical stripes on one side, and horizontal on the other.

No Knit Night Tuesday night

2010-03-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, but we're going to have to cancel our knit night on Tuesday night because of a family emergency. But we'll be at the store on Saturday.

OPEN KNIT NIGHT

2010-03-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

We're going to have an open night to get together to knit on Tuesday, March 30th, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Bring whatever you're working on, or anything you need help with. Hope to see you there!

Makenna's Red Sweater

2010-03-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Tammi made this sweater for Makenna.

St. Patrick's Day is coming up!

2010-03-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

It's March, and that means a St. Patrick's Day sale! During the month of March, all green yarns are 15% off. Scroll down to see all the green yarns we currently have in our shop.

Summer top made in Tahki Cotton Classic

2010-03-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

Afghan in Berroco Plush

2010-03-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a baby afghan made in Berroco Plush. We carry Plush in both solids and colors. And this is our 5-year-old model, Makenna.

Wendy and Cleckheaton

2010-03-07T15:10:00.000-08:00

Wendy Family Choice $2.35
Cleckheaton Country 8-ply $2.98

Berroco Plush Colors $7.15

2010-03-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

Phildar Phil Eponge $5.35

2010-03-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Sirdar Baby Care $3.40

2010-03-07T15:05:00.001-08:00

Berroco Suede $7.25

2010-03-07T15:04:00.001-08:00

Plymouth Outback Mohair $15.95

2010-03-07T15:03:00.001-08:00

Lanes du Nord Dolly Maxi $5.30

2010-03-07T15:02:00.001-08:00

Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride $6.30

2010-03-07T15:01:00.001-08:00

Brown Sheep Burly Spun $11.90

2010-03-07T15:00:00.001-08:00

Araucania Ranco $11.65

2010-03-07T14:59:00.001-08:00

Galway Highland Heather $4.60

2010-03-07T14:58:00.001-08:00

Berroco Comfort $4.25

2010-03-07T14:57:00.001-08:00

Lion Brand Cotton Ease $4.00

2010-03-07T14:56:00.001-08:00

Sirdar Kool Kidz $5.50

2010-03-07T14:55:00.001-08:00

Berroco Softy $7.55

2010-03-07T14:49:00.001-08:00

Hat and sweater made with Softy

Tahki Cotton Classic $4.00

2010-03-07T14:48:00.001-08:00

Berroco Tutu $6.70

2010-03-07T14:47:00.001-08:00

Plymouth Flower $7.25

2010-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

Cascade Cherub $2.50

2010-03-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Berroco Glace $2.55

2010-03-07T14:44:00.001-08:00

Berroco Cotton Twist $3.60

2010-03-07T14:43:00.001-08:00

Phildar Licorne $3.85

2010-03-07T14:25:00.000-08:00

King Cole DK Big Value $3.80

2010-03-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

Tammi's double-sided afghan

2010-03-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

Here's Tammi's crocheted double-sided afghan.

Carol's Felted Sweater

2010-03-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Carol's making a felted sweater jacket. The sleeves are knitted on after the body of the jacket has been felted.

More thrummed mittens

2010-03-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

I'm on a thrummed mitten kick. I've finished two more pairs, one of them in maroon and gray U of M Griz colors.

Wool hat for Makenna

2010-02-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

My niece wanted a nice, warm, wool hat for her daughter, so I made a basic hat in Plymouth Galway, and then made another one in Berroco Plush, and just put the Plush hat inside the wool hat, and crocheted them together around all the edges with the Plush. My niece said she wanted a hat that was really warm, and boy, does this fit the bill, because this hat is toasty!

Crofter DK Sweater

2010-02-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a child's cardigan that Carol just finished in Crofter DK. Nice yarn to work with, and we love the self-striping.

Thrummed Mittens

2010-01-28T15:22:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to make thrummed mittens for the longest time, and finally did it this week. Now I want to make some thrummed slippers. These mittens feel so good on, I can only imagine how good it must feel to slip your feet into a pair of thrummed slippers!

Sale and Craft Day!

2010-01-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

We're having a sale and an all-day craft day on Saturday, January 30th, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Bring whatever project you're working on, and spend the day with us. We'll be providing lunch and goodies, so we can just sit and play all day!

Felted boots

2010-01-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Carol made these felted slipper/boots for a customer's husband.

Small felted purse

2010-01-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a felted purse that Carol made in SWS. If you're looking for a quick, easy felted project, this is it.

Ciara's Sweater

2010-01-19T10:20:00.001-08:00

This is a sweater I made for my great-niece in Sirdar Snuggly. A really fun, easy pattern.

Knitted shopping bag

2010-01-19T10:14:00.001-08:00

This bag is big! If you fill it up with groceries, it's almost too heavy to lift.

Current project

2009-05-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Here's the project I'm currently working on. It's a market bag made with Lion Brand cotton, and it's almost finished. I found another market bag pattern I'd like to try, too, as soon as I'm done with this one.

Carol's Berroco Comfort sweater

2009-05-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here's Carol's sweater made in soft Berroco Comfort DK. What a fun sweater to make.