Dear Knitters and Stitchers,

Mardi Gras and March Madness is upon us. February is drifting by with all of the snow and cold it can muster. I am definitiely ready for it to warm up. We could be in Washington DC now. That would be more of a challenge. I appologize to my subscribers in DC. February is so great because it is an entire month dedicated to the people we love in our lives. Valentine's Day is the day when you can show the people that matter most to us how important they are to us. Life goes by so quickly. If you doubt it, check it out. It is FEBRUARY already!! Time goes by and there may be missed opportunities for doing something that you love with someone you love. At The Stitchin' Den, we are focusing on finding ways to be with who you love to be with, do what you love to do and find peace in your life. Events are happening that celebrate your love of fibers and spending time with friends and family. Check out our schedule of events listed below. Those of us who knit and stitch already know the peace we feel when we finally sit down and pick up our needles, hooks or stitching. If you haven't experienced this Zen like feeling, check out our list of classes. Do you have someone in your life who loves the time honored crafts of knitting, crocheting or stitching, The Stitchin' Den has gifts that will bring a smile to your special crafter.

New Year New Skills We thought that this would be a great time to tell everyone in Estes Park (residents and visitors) about a new festival that The Estes Park Chamber Of Commerce is sponsoring during March. So far, we have 22 excited restaurants lined up to participate in “Savor Estes Park”. So, save the 4 Thursdays of March (March 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th) from 4:30 -7:00 PM. You are in for a really big treat! Participating restaurants will be serving a small, 5-6” plate of some of their specialty foods with a small glass of wine, beer or soft drink. The cost for each restaurant is $3.00 per person. Residents or visitors are encouraged to visit 2-3 different restaurants each week that they haven’t been to or go to your favorite restaurants and enjoy their fabulous cuisine at a very reasonable price. You will even find a few new restaurants that you will surely will go back to sometime soon. Save Estes Park

Stash Busters The Stitchin' Den is your Stash Busting Headquarters!!!! Okay. You know you have one. Whether you want to admit it out loud or not, we all have a lsecret (and perhaps large) stash. Those beloved skeins, balls, hanks or whatever you want to call them which we don't know what to do with, but can't part with. Hey!!!! It is okay because this is when we all should be relooking at this collection of beautiful fibers and deciding what to do with them. Remember the promise of what that yarn can be is half the fun. Want to be part of The Stitchin' Den's Stash Advisory Committee? Great!!! You don't have to be in Estes Park, Colorado either. Just send in your great idea for using your stash. Have you found a pattern that is ideal for stash yarn? Have you written a pattern that brings your stash to life? Do you have a tip for organizing your stash? Whatever you want to contribute will be great and will be shared as those thoughts become available. The Stitchin' Den

Imagine This!!!! Estes Park This Saturday, February 13th Art lovers of all ages will find new creative experiences at Imagine This!, an annual event sponsored by the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park. This event is at Mountainview Baptist Church from 11:00AM until 3:00PM While primarily geared for children, everyone can enjoy the day’s offerings, which include visual art, music, dance, and much more. Classical music activities, live performance, and hands-on experience with a variety of instruments take place in the commons area. Two performances of DanceFest have been scheduled in the theater. Other groups will provide a live entertainment throughout the day ranging from piano solos to Dixieland Jazz to American folk music. Two “hands-on” booths will allow visitors to play stringed and percussion instruments. More than 20 interactive stations provide attendees the opportunity to work with watercolors, bead stringing, caricatures, wax art and clay sculpture. Rocky Mountain National Park will be on hand to make Children’s Nature Crafts, and local artists will have you involved in assorted creative activities. For more information, visit their web site or call The Stitchin' Den at 970-577-8210. Deb Blackman will be hosting The Stitchin' Den's Booth and will be demonstrating how to do Needle Felting. Those visiting our booth will be able to make their own bookmark to take with them. Imagine This!

Fiber Fun Fest It is almost February so it must be about time for the second annual Fiber Fun Fest at The Budweiser Event Center. This year The Stitchin' Den will be participating and will be unveiling its Stash Buster Booth. Check it out while visiting all the great booths celebrating why all fiber is fun. The Stitchin' Den

Take Time To Look And Listen To our Beautiful World Does Art Save Lives or Are we too Distracted to Notice? A True Story!! Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. Two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After three minutes, a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. Four minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. Six minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes: A three year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly. 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. One hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. Findings: No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people's priorities. The questions raised: "In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?" One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing? YMCA

Happy Valentine's Day Free Pattern This is a fun little pattern for Valentine's Day or any day that you need a quick idea for a project. You can use any yarn or needle size depending on what you want your heart to look like. Heavier yarn and bigger needles will make a bigger heart. Chrystal Palace Cotton Chenille on a US size six needle will make a larger heart great for a hot pad. Tahki Cotten on a six (yes, the same size) would make the perfect washcloth. I said the same needle for the Chenille because Chenille tends to worm. Using a smaller needle tends to lessen the worming problem because the stitches are tighter. CO 9sts Rows 1 - 3: K1, YO, K across to center stitch, K3 in center stitch, K across 'til 1 loop remains on left needle, YO K1, turn. Rows 4 - 15: K across to center stitch, K3 in center stitch, K across, turn. Rows 16 - 18: K2tog, K across to center stitch, K3 in center stitch, K across until 2 loops remain on left needle, K2tog, turn. Rows 19 - 21: (K2tog) twice, K across to center stitch, K3 in center stitch, K across 'til 4 loops reamin on lest needle, (K2tog) twice, turn. Loosely bind off remaining stitches. Have fun!!

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Quote Nobody cares if you can't dance weell. Just get up and dance.

Shop Hours This is a shot Susan took during her morning commute from good ole Greeley to Estes. This drive could become tedious, but with a view like this and a destination like Estes, it is all good. Duncan is disgrrrrruntled that he and Tessa were in their kennel whle this shot was taken. There wasn't time to get them out and have them pose. SHOP HOURS Estes Park is open daily 10:00AM - 5:00PM Monday through Saturday and 12:00PM - 4:00PM on Sunday. We close for lunch 1:00PM - 1:30PM. We are closed on the following holidays: New Years Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Address The Stitchin' Den Courtyard Shops 165 Virginia Dr. Estes Park, CO 80517 1-970-577-8210 Ph (Mailing Address is the Stitchin' Den, PO Box 337411, Greeley, CO 80633) (E-mail is info@thestitchinden.com and the web address is www.thestitchinden.com)

Until next time, thanks for all your continued support and suggestions.

Everyone At The Stitchin' Den, Susan, Donna, Pam, Deb, Emily, Sherry and Liz