Blog!

The Sweatshop of Love is turning THREE this month! I can’t believe either. I started teaching knitting classes (at Filter! Remember Filter?) right before I graduated from Columbia College to stave off the post-college freak out. I had just quit working at a downtown hotel, a job that had gotten me through college, and had a part time job in a bakery. I had no idea what I was going to do with my life, all I knew was that I loved to knit.

                                                        Three years ago I was plastering Columbia        

                                                        College buildings with flyers, today I’m

                                                        emailing the almost 300 people on my mailing

                                                        list, posting on my Facebook Fan Page, my        

                                                        Myspace, my Twitter, and my blog! to

                                                        invite them to a party.

                                                        On Saturday, May 2nd from 2-5 pm, please

                                                        come to New Wave Cafe in Logan Square for an afternoon of knitting/crocheting/hand quilting/whatever! And as part of your spring cleaning collect some books to bring to swap. They don’t have to be craft books, just any novel that has been sitting on your shelf for too long. Trade it for a new-to-you book! Maybe we can get some Sweatshop Knitting Book Club ideas.

And hopefully we will be able to move this party to the boulevard! I’m picturing May 2nd sunny and in the 70s. I can’t imagine more perfect knitting outdoors weather. This will be a last minute call, of course.

So grab your friends and come to The Sweatshop of Love Anniversary Party

and Book Swap! Saturday, May 2nd from

2-5pm at New Wave Cafe, 2557 N Milwaukee

Ave/3013 W Logan Blvd.

Please email me at

allyson@thesweatshopoflove.com to let

me know you are coming! I’m looking

forward to seeing everyone there.

Saturday, June 13th is World Wide Knitting in Public Day and The Sweatshop of Love is going to celebrate! Grab your friends and some knitting needles and let’s show our love of knitting to Chicago.

                                                        Sure, Sweatshoppers aren’t shy about

                                                        knitting in public every day, but let’s set a   

                                                        good example for knitters stuck inside

                                                        ashamed of their knitting-nerdiness. We

                                                        embrace our nerdy!

                                                        Let’s cross our fingers for nice weather and

                                                        bring chairs and blankets to Logan Boulevard,

                                                        outside of New Wave Cafe at 3103 W Logan Boulevard, from 1-4pm, for an afternoon celebrating what we love to do anyway! 

Chicago’s Outdoor Movie Festival begins July 14th and The Sweatshop of Love is going to be there! Every Tuesday evening through August 24th Grant Park plays host to a different movie. This year has got a great line-up, including Sunset Boulevard, Duck Soup, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Born Yesterday, Psycho, Young Mr Lincoln, and Tootsie. Movies start at sundown, but we plan on getting their early, with food and our knitting needles of course! Want to join us? Be sure to email me at allyson@thesweatshopoflove.com so we can coordinate. 

I can’t think of a cuter thing to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. And no calories! As my holiday gift to you, please sign up for this adorable free workshop on Wednesday, November 11th from 7-9pm. A set of double pointed needles and some scrap yarn will have this little guy knit up quick! If you can’t make it to the workshop, get the pattern at Team Knit. Email me at allyson@thesweatshopoflove.com to sign up.

Just another example of how the word yarn makes everything better.

Just when you thought the DIY Trunk Show couldn’t make November 21st any better, The Sweatshop of Love is here to turn it into

Chicago’s First EVER Yarn Crawl!

For those of you who’ve never crawled anywhere before, I’ve mapped out a route and we’ve got activities planned and deals to be found along the way. Our participating yarn shops, nina and Knitting Workshop, have spectacular promotions for crawlers, and I’ll be rolling along to answer knitting questions, help you pick out materials for upcoming projects, and get you fully prepared for the upcoming hibernation season. 

Yarn Crawl Schedule!

10:00-11:00 - DIY Trunk Show

Pulaski Park Field House, 1419 W Blackhawk in Wicker Park

11:15-12:00 - nina: a well-knit shop

1655 W Division St in Wicker Park

12:30-1:15 - Knitting Workshop

2115 N Damen Ave in Bucktown

1:30-2:15 - JoAnn

2639 N Elston Ave in Logan Square

2:30+ - New Wave Coffee

3103 W Logan/2557 N Miwalukee in Logan Square

DIY Trunk Show - The DIY Trunk Show is a diverse gathering of creative talent to showcase, sell, and promote handmade arts, crafts, goods and endeavors of all kinds. Free admission! So support local handmade right when the Trunk Show opens!

We will be meeting outside the Fieldhouse at 11 to walk over to -

nina: a well-knit shop - nina is a contemporary knitting shop in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. The sleek, calm space has been described as a Zen temple to fiber. Beautiful yarns include angora, alpaca, silk, cashmere, cotton, bamboo, hemp, merino wool, and hand-dyed ribbon. Exquisite texture and colors, stylish pattern magazines and books, exotic wood needles - all are artfully arranged. The inviting atmosphere is sure to inspire your creativity.

Nina is offering a 10% discount on all yarn, a special sale section of products reduced to 50% off, and prizes for Crawl participants!

At noon we will board buses or hop on bikes over to -

Knitting Workshop - Knitting Workshop is an urban and sophisticated yarn shop located in Bucktown. With tons of yarn options and advice for any project, they have something to offer for both the new and experienced knitter.

Knitting Workshop is offering a 10% discount on all yarn, free patterns perfect for holiday present knitters, and they will be raffling off a Knit Kit, a fun knitting tool case!

At 1:15 we are going to start walking over to -

JoAnn - There are lots of projects out there that you don’t need nice yarn for. Like cat toys! And mittens for your brother that you know he is just going to lose. Or maybe you need zippers for your cabled change purses! JoAnn is the place for all your odds and ends.

Then, if your legs can make it, at 2:15 we are going to head to our last destination -

New Wave Coffee - We burned off enough calories during this Crawl to treat ourselves to a cupcake and a coffee! Relax, show off what you picked up on the Crawl, and get started on your next project!  

The Sweatshop of Love couldn’t be more excited to share this day with everyone! Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions, and be sure to get on the mailing list for Chicago’s First EVER Yarn Crawl updates!

(See a Map of our Route Here)

We can only manage a couple of Chicago’s yarn shops today, but hopefully in the future we can spread out to include them all. If you would like to participate in future Yarn Crawls, please email me at allyson@thesweatshopoflove.com.