4/19/21 - WOW what an awesome day we had on Saturday ...  thank you to everyone who stopped in and those of you who supported us by ordering online! It was a-m-a-z-i-n-g ..... can't thank you enough! 

Moving on, Sirdar has a lovely acrylic yarn called Bonus DK -  and to help promote the yarn they are starting a Crochet A-Long Blossom Blanket starting this week. It is really cute!!  Great for beginner crocheters as well - so we are told. We are just finalizing details with Shaye and will get it posted ASAP .. so stay tuned for details. In the meantime the kits (12 skeins of yarn) will be available starting tomorrow (4/20) at the shop.. and I believe it will be just about $60 or so. 

Yes, we are having some beautiful weather but at this point there is still no date on when the canopy will be going up. We will keep you posted!

Beth is hosting the Malabrigo KAL Temperance Shawl and it is going well - I am loving all the colors everyone has chosen! Can't wait to see the finished projects! Speaking of finished projects - how are you all doing on the Cocoknits Franca KAL?? Janet wore hers in the other day - looks like a wonderful piece. 

Beth is going to be starting a series of monthly Hat KALs ...  starting with the Sunflower pattern that was an LYS Special. More details coming soon. 

Looking for something to do? Have you checked out the Fiberside Chats?  Some really talented folks are lined up to share their passion & expertise....  check it out! 

We hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather!! 
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3/27/21 - In our search to keep us afloat and keep you, our customers engaged, we’ve explored new ways of doing things and learned other ways to reach out and connect. We appreciate your support during this trying time, feel free to reach out with any ideas you have of events/ products you would like to see in the shop and on our calendar! 

The Cocoknits KAL with Janet (via Zoom & in-house) ended this weekend - keep knitting for those of you who did not finish - the rest of you - be sure to stop in or post a photo of you and your sweater! Very exciting and hopefully you learned some new techniques. 

Speaking of KAL (knit-a-longs) Malabrigo is hosting one for their "Temperance Shawl" knit-along for April and we are thrilled to have Beth back leading this KAL. Malabrigo will be giving out lots of prizes - so be sure to pick up your yarn and get yourself registered!! (we do need a minimum of 4 people to run any of our Zoom meetings/ knit-alongs so be sure to register soon!)  NOTE: the first meeting will be Wed, March 31 due to the Easter holidays, all subsequent meetings will be Thursday evenings! 

Fiberside Chats have been great fun - I do hope you have looked these over and have signed up to "meet" some of these designers & dyers...  a great diversion to your day ... plus the fact that they are sooo inspiring!
Coming up in April: 
Friday 2nd @ 6pm - are 2 dyers, Jennifer Miller and Alissa Barton, both of whose yarns we have carried in the past;
Sat 10th @ 4pm, Join Gudrun Johnston for a wee virtual journey to Shetland;
Sun 18th @ 4pm, Under the Covers at 2 Dye Studios with Jeane Decoster of Elemental Effects and Brooke Sinnes of Sincere Sheep, again Elemental Effects is a yarn we carry; and wrapping up April on
Sunday, April 25th at 4pm meet Beth Brown-Reinsel - details on her chat are forth coming.
Do register now for these fun chats! 

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2/13/21 - Intention-setting helps us stay focused. Experiments show that when we set intentions, we’re far more likely to follow through on our goals. So what intentions have you set lately?  We are very excited to have several of you fill our your Bingo cards and it is great fun to see your excitement when you get to cross off a project!  

The Cocoknits KAL kicked off today, both in-house and on Zoom - thanks to everyone who has signed up. 

We are happy to say, Berroco has sent us a HUGE listing of back-ordered yarns that will be coming in this week - this has made a dent in our open orders, so if you have something on BO you should (hopefully) expect a call from us this week.

Did you see our unpacking of the new puzzles we have received from Werkshoppe??  The puzzles are created from a variety of artists paintings, a portion of the proceeds goes to helping emerging artists. These are all 1000 piece puzzles. 

We also have brought in Friday Socks (mis-matched of course!) on the YARN side as these are made in Italy, not here in the US but we selected these for one of our future Mystery boxes - and of course had to get some for ourselves!!  Check them out! 

If you are out and about tomorrow (Valentine's Day) we hope you will stop in - we have some fun goodie bags for you from Main Street Bakery here in town. (While supplies last!) Hope to see you then! 

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1/30/21 - How has this year been so far for you? 
The re-do is done, seems so long ago! New inventory is just about all in-house, now to just get it all into the system. How do you like the website and some of the streamlining? Always a work in progress!
Our annual documentation filming will be Monday morning - so watch online for the new tour if you have not been in - even if you have been in, it is fun! 

Thank you to those who took time to take our poll - have you had fun spending your $$? Stacey has shifted her focus to putting together boxes - mystery boxes - we are thinking about quarterly but you never know how ideas/ yarn might "talk" to her.  Happiness boxes are also available - you know that 2AM wake up call and you need something to help you feel good? We have them...  the items will be the same in each theme but the color/ flavor might be a bit different! Check them out.  

We have been having fun looking through the lists of "National Days" to celebrate (please note these are the "fun/ unusual days" NOT our annual 'legal' holidays on the calendar). Ones coming up for Feb include "spunky old broads day" and yes this really is a day!; Lost penny Day, Feed the Birds Day, Walk the Dog Day among others .... we will have something fun going on or to give out on those days! Stay tuned.

Also on the docket are some Knit-a-longs and a great line-up of guests on our Fiberside Chats ... hope you have been able to tune in on some of them, Hanne Dale & Siri Angela Gamborg, Andrea Rangel and Norah Gaughan are upcoming. I am working on a knit plaid scarf following the chat with Carissa Browning ... so much fun! Lining up my next project from the Outlander book after our chat with Barry Klein from Trendsetter Yarn Group - if you could not make the chat, watch the replay - it is up on the site now - great fun!
Have a great day! 

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12.1.20  - Thank you! 

We, at Craftworks, your local Brick and Mortar craft fair and local yarn shop would like to thank the community for your overwhelming support over Thanksgiving weekend. To see so many of you come out to support us was amazing and just warmed our hearts to no end, even brought some to tears! This has given us the energy to continue the battle. Many small businesses, us included need a strong holiday season if we are going to be here next year, due to the financial hit we have taken from the pandemic.

 

Black Friday has traditionally been a day that big box stores and on-line businesses dump a whole lot of money into advertising and slash prices beyond words to entice you to spend your hard-earned dollar with them. Last year, major retailers spent just over a quarter of a billion dollars on Black Friday ads alone. By contrast, the average small business spends a mere $400 per month on marketing, according to a Chamber of Commerce survey.

 

What the big boxes/ internet businesses do not do is help the community they service. Small business is what carries the area. We know people by name, your neighbors and your friends and are there for you when you ask for donations and support for your school, church and civic groups.

 

In-person store limits have slowed down the hustle-and-bustle of the shopping day, but some shoppers told us they are less frantic and are able to enjoy the experience more, either in-store, virtually via zoom (personalized shopping) or online with shipping or curbside pick-up.

 

Thank you all and we wish you a wonderful, blessed holiday season!

 

 

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5.14.20 -- A Good Piece of News

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11.29.20
THANK YOU for joining us yesterday - for our version of Black Friday - we all had a great time. No worries if you did not make it - shop is restocked and ready for you - Carol was busy all day! 
-> Saturday, let us thank you for your support with a free gift, 
-> Monday, receive $10 Craftworks Bucks for every $100 you spend (either in-shop or online)
-> Giving Tuesday - we will be donating 10% of our sales to local charities
And don't forget to pick up a free pin for being ah-mazing!!! 

We have launched our 8 Crazy Nights Hannukah Mystery boxes and have just 1 left - and the Advent Wreath Mystery Boxes are selling quickly as well. These both start with a pattern designed specifically for us, thank you Melani! and are filled with specially curated goodies every knitter will love! For non-knitters, we have the Hannukah version from the Gift side of the shop as well. Time to treat yourself or a friend! 

We are working on our plan for next year and a few fun events ---  it has taken a while to figure out the social distancing, numbers in the shop and zoom as well but we have some great plans coming together so stay tuned!
TTYS ....   ~ande  

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ZOOM for tonight for the Glamping .....  879 388 66525
password is KAL

10.11.20
How are you doing??  Loving this fall weather - one part of me hates that time is flying by ....  and another part of me can't wait for this year to be over - what a challenge it has been!!  Together we will get through this!

We are looking forward to the holiday season! Not quite sure what it will look like but we WILL make it work! Starting with our day of FLASH SALES ...  remember this? Every 2 hours we put something on sale, from the yarn side and the gift side so be sure to set your alarms and check out this year's deals! Tuesday October 13th. 

Much to our chagrin, all the retail gurus and help groups are telling us to get Christmas/ Holiday goodies out now ..... We are working on it  but s-l-o-w-l-y .... and we are not forgetting Thanksgiving! So stop in and pick up something fun! 
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9.25.20 
Did you catch the Facebook Video of Janet loving our new yarn order - she is so much fun and full of energy!!  Speaking of energy, she is going to be moderating the Secret Handshake Mystery KAL; a continuation of the Sharon Shawl. Clues will be released on Fridays, giving you time to look them over before the Zoom Meeting!   Mark your calendars Sunday, at 7PM Join her!! 
Time: Sep 27, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
        Every week on Sun, until Oct 18, 2020, 4 occurrence(s)
        Sep 27, 2020 07:00 PM
        Oct 4, 2020 07:00 PM
        Oct 11, 2020 07:00 PM
        Oct 18, 2020 07:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86878317345?pwd=MWV6cld4UmtBZ3R6N010ektGbUFkZz09

Meeting ID: 868 7831 7345
Passcode: KAL

Check out the new Facebook video on how to choose your yarns. 

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7.28.20 -- How is your summer going? 

What has changed? We are staying open on Sundays for all those enjoying Stay-cations! So stop in between 12-4PM.

Lots of new yarns have been arriving, the fall season from Berroco, lots of new Emma colors and new monthly colors from Forbidden Fibers. Be sure to check them out and pattern suggestions - some great ideas for holiday gift giving.
What are you working on? Looking for help choosing your next project ....  we have put together a number of kits for you - be sure to check the kit pages. 
Our classes have started back up - several have openings - daytime classes are under our canopy (with fans) and evening classes are in the shop (with air conditioning & shop is closed to customers) - register today and get started! 

Speaking of looking for help we are; so if you are interested come talk to us!  

CUSTOMER-FOCUSED SALES & FIBER ARTS PROFESSIONAL

If you …

• Love to knit/ crochet or any other fiber arts • Are Motivated & Willing To Go The Extra Mile • Are Friendly & Outgoing • Are Detailed & Organized • Have a Burning With A Desire To Help Customers • Want to share this love of the fiber arts

We offer…

 A Really Fun Place to Work! • Flexible work schedule • Being part of a creative team • Paid Training • Continued and ongoing in-house training

Must be a proficient knitter, (Crochet experience a plus); Sales Experience helpful but training is provided …

Craftworks is a handcrafted gift shop, all made in the US and a full-service yarn shop, located in Northborough, MA. We offer gifts, classes, and yarn, and are focused on growing sales through customer service and satisfaction.

Come in today and fill out an application, call for an appointment or e-mail the application found on our About Us page

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6.22.20 -- Thank you to everyone who stopped by for the "Re-opening Tailgate" 

It was wonderful to see so many of you after our quarantine & ALL your AMAZING projects. Congrats to Katie, Lois & Marci - they won the drawings!!

Just a reminder, we do required social distancing (2 arm lengths) the wearing of masks if SD is not possible, and the use of sanitizer by all. The staff & I will be wiping things down on a regular basis, while sanitizing in the evening.

Classes and Drop-ins have started back up again with strict guidelines: if there are 3 or less folks, you have the option as a group to come into the shop, all others need to meet outside under the canopy with the fresh breeze and the fan.

Lori & Sarah have worked hard to get all the shop inventory up on the website. We are continuing to offer online sales and curbside pick-up options. Marsha came in and has created a new Virtual Tour - check it out!!

We continue to receive a number of boxes weekly, wooden puzzles, more shirts from Jess 'n Jane, new yarn from Alegira (Manos), Emma, Berroco & of course Plymouth. All these new yarns have inspired new kits that now available on the website as well ...  remember you can always swap out the colors or make up your own kit.
Looking forward to seeing you in the shop soon! 

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6.12.20 ---  Re-opening TAILGATE Party (w/ Social Distancing!)

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5.29.20 -- Reopening Information

June is right around the corner ….  That means we are getting closer to opening  ..….. 

We are working diligently towards our Phase 2 opening which is currently set for June 8th. This date is fully dependent on the data trends continuing to move in the right direction. In the meantime, we will continue to ship orders out, do curbside pick-up, and local (Northboro) delivery. Current shop hours are Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri 10-3, and by appointment on Saturdays.

Our goal is to open the store on Monday June 8th, after Governor Baker’s press conference. We will announce our opening status on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages following Governor Baker’s announcement. Once open, we will be maintaining our regular hours: Mon – Fri 10-5, Sat 10-4 and Sunday 12-4. To start, we will not remain open any evenings except for classes.

We will all be wearing masks or shields, and you will be required to wear one as well. We will be able to provide you with a disposable mask if you don't have one, ($1 donation).  Cloth ones will be  available for sale from our quilters/ seamstresses. If you have an underlying health issue that makes wearing a mask difficult or impossible, we encourage you to shop online or arrange curbside pick-up.

For your safety and comfort, we will be social distancing as much as possible when helping you choose yarn,  reviewing your patterns and helping to fix issues with your work. At this time, we are not planning on having one-way directions in the shop, but will limit the number of customers in the shop at one time.

We are in the process of obtaining canopies large enough to accommodate our classes and social knitting outside weather permitting and as you are comfortable attending.  Our Zoom social meetings will continue as requested, as will some of our virtual classes/ workshops.

While the CDC recently announced they no longer feel surface to human transfer of the virus is likely, we will be sanitizing high traffic surfaces prior to opening, during business hours, and again after closing. Bottles of hand sanitizers will be located around the shop, you will be asked to sanitize your hands as you enter the store, we will be happy to pump for you should you wish as these are not touchless.

We will accept returns, per our normal policy (they will be quarantined prior to being put back out for sale), we will wind your yarn as needed/ requested, you will be asked to sit outside, or come back later to pick the skeins up.

We miss you all and cannot wait to welcome you back! It is imperative we do so within the guidelines set by Governor Baker as we want all of you and our awesome team to be safe. We will continue to update you as we get closer to our reopening date.

Thanks for all your support, stay safe!

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