We have so much going on at the shop as we are getting ready for the fall season. And you do not want to miss out on any of it. Yarn of the Month Cascade Anthem!!It's one of our favorite acrylic yarns here at Love & Stitches. Cascade Anthem has become a staple in our store. Even though it is 100% acrylic, this yarn is still really soft and versatile. So far we have used Anthem to make hats, headbands, scarves, cowls, slippers, sweaters, you name it! Anthem was also the yarn that Cascade donated for our Hat Not Hate campaign. Here are the stats...Fiber: 100% acrylicWeight: 4, worstedGauge: 18 sts = 4” US 8 needles 13 sc = 4" Size H/5.00mm hook 12 sc = 4" Size J/6.00mm hookYardage: 185 yards Care: Machine wash warm. Tumble dry.And just a little reminder of what it means to be Yarn of the Month - you can get Anthem at 20% off throughout the month of August. Hat Not HateSpeaking of Hat Not Hate, it is an anti-bullying initiative started by Lion Brand Yarn to help spread awareness about bullying in schools. Here at Love & Stitches we are collecting blue hats to be donated to the school that I work in. The hats can be knit or crochet and the pattern does not matter. All that matters is that the hat is blue. Our goal is to collect 300 hats for middle school and high school students. So please be sure to make hats in adult sizes. We will be collecting blue hats until September 14th. Then they will be distributed in school on Anti-Bullying Day on October 7th. Rhinebeck Bus TripWe partnered with Knitty Gritty to go to the Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY on Sunday, October 20th. I am so excited that we were able to make this trip happen. Mom and I knew we couldn't be the only crazy yarn ladies that wanted to go. Being in Central NY, Rhinebeck isn't THAT far away, but it is a tough drive to do by yourself. There are two pick up locations, one in Syracuse and one in Utica. We depart from Syracuse at 7 am and Utica from 8 am in order to arrive at the festival by 11 am. Call or visit either shop to reserve your seat. The cost of $65 covers your transportation, bus driver's tip, and ticket to the festival. Feel free to visit the festival's website to pre-order any festival shirts or project bags. Click HERE for the printable pdf with the information.Click HERE for the Sheep & Wool Festival website. Fall CrochetalongLast fall we had a big knitalong at the shop and we made the My Beginner Raglan by Knitatude. You made some beautiful sweaters using Cascade's Pacific Bulky. I can't wait to wear mine this winter! Starting September 7th, we will meet on Saturdays to take on another big project together - The Study of Textures Afghan by Mikey Sellick at the Crochet Crowd. I decided on this afghan as our next crochetalong because so many people loved the one I made in Plymouth Hot Cakes that has been on display at the shop for the last year. Sometimes crocheting an afghan can be boring doing the same stitches over and over again. However, this pattern has so many different stitches that you will not get bored. Or even scarier, is that making an afghan can be very daunting. Thankfully, Mikey has broken down this pattern into manageable sections so you can successfully take on this challenge. The other reason I chose The Study of Textures Afghan is because the designer adjusted the pattern so it can be a beautiful shawl. So if you don't want to make the afghan, you can still join in the fun with the Study of Textures Shawl. You can pre-order your afghan or shawl kit now and pick up in store. The kits are Plymouth's Hot Cakes, 7 skeins (2800 yds) for the afghan and 4 skeins (1230 yds) for the shawl. Click HERE for the listing in the shop. Pre-orders will closed on August 23rd. We start hooking on September 7th and we will meet on Saturday mornings throughout September and October. I'm not going to lie, there are some tougher stitches in this pattern. I don't want that to stop you though! When we do these crochetalongs it is all about coming together and learning from each other. If you need further help with the pattern we offer Drop In Crochet Classes twice a month on Tuesdays. These classes were designed for helping you on projects or stitches that we may not have specific classes for. August Classes & Events8/1 - Knit Night, 5pm to 7pm8/2 - Knit Cables, 6pm to 7pm8/3 - Knit Cables without the Needle, 12pm to 2pm8/6 - Entrelac Tunisian, 6pm to 8pm8/7 - Drop In Knit Class, 6pm to 8pm8/8 - Knit Night, 5pm to 7pm8/13 - Drop In Crochet Class, 6pm to 8pm8/15 - Knit Night, 5pm to 7pm8/21 - Drop In Knit Class, 6pm to 8pm8/22 - Knit Night, 5pm to 7pm8/27 - Drop In Crochet Class, 6pm to 8pm8/29 - Knit Night, 5pm to 7pmAs always check back to the website regularly for classes and other events at Love & Stitches.

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