Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The Great Wall of Mittens

As Canadians, mittens are near and dear to our hearts, and a basic, unromantic part of our heritage. We may have memories of a favourite pair from childhood, perhaps a pair that Grandma made, or a pair that were stuffed so full of thrums that your hands were always toasty and warm, or maybe idiot strings that eventually became a bit of an embarrassment!
This week at Little Red Mitten we are celebrating mittens. In the spirit of competition, more than 20 mitts hang in the shop awaiting your vote ...and there are some real masterpieces!!!
We hope you'll drop in, appreciate the talents of our local knitters and be inspired.
Prizes will be awarded Monday, February 28.

A Mittenful of Trivia:
  • The oldest mitten ever found (in Latvia) is believed to have been made 1000 years ago.
  • A man might choose a wife based on her mitten-knitting skills.
  • "A bride would not cross the threshold to her new home until she had laid down a pair of mittens."
  • Mittens were an important part of Latvian wedding ceremonies. Between 100 and 200 pairs were necessary to fill a hope chest and ensure a happy marriage. Every pair had to be a different design or the bride would become a laughing stock.
  • In the summer, mittens were attached to a waistband as an adornment.

Trivia from Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis and photos by Tamara David.



Wednesday, February 16, 2011

National Sweater Day

February 17th is National Sweater Day in Canada. Remember to turn down your furnace by 3 degrees and don a sweater ...or hat and scarf and any number of cosy handknits. So if you come into the shop tomorrow, please don't feel like we're giving you the cold shoulder! :) We're just saving the planet.

Our Yarniversary Cake

As far as cake decorating goes, I think this one "takes the cake!"
Thanks, Krista (Krista Miller Cakes) of St. Thomas
...and thanks to everyone who came out to help us celebrate today.
You make it all worthwhile!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Our 2nd Yarniversary


It's been a wonderful two years since we opened our doors to so many talented and inspiring knitters. Thank you so very much for your support, friendship and positive comments. Your word-of-mouth has been vital to our growth and very encouraging for us as rookies in the business.
We hope you'll come out and enjoy our sales this week. (We really do need to make room for some exciting new arrivals!) And please check our newsletter to know which knitted item you need to wear each day in order to get a special discount. Wednesday is our anniversary date, so of course, there will be cake. Hope you'll join us. Click here for our newsletter.
This shop has been my dream for years and it's great to be living the dream. Thank you.
Joan

Monday, February 7, 2011

Winter is for Knitting!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
Big beautiful flakes of snow blanketed St. Thomas last Saturday.
Inside Little Red Mitten, customers looked out at the weather and shrugged. They were safe and warm inside. They'd worry about the driving later because ...
the yarns are so delightful!

Hope you are curled up with your knitting in a cosy, warm spot. Gotta love February!