Crazy for Ewe

Written by Ellen Lewis

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Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 15 comments

Where you belong

Jul 06, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

Before Covid, I used to go to quite a few networking events – you know, graying men in blue suits drinking cheap red wine from plastic tumblers. They’re all in a group laughing about something. All the big important businesses and all the big important people, with all the important titles. Eventually one of them notice the blond woman in the sweater looking at her wine glass and wishing she hadn’t come. It goes like this:

“So, what do you do, young lady?” he asks.

“I own a yarn store, Crazy for Ewe, in downtown Leonardtown,” I tell him.

If this were a cartoon strip, you would see the thought bubble above his head fill with

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 4 comments

The time to knit it is before you're ready

Jun 30, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

The time to knit it is before you're ready

Our son Colton is going off to college this fall, good Lord willing, but I worry that he isn’t ready. The piles of clothes he steps over on his way to his unmade bed each night, evidence of his lack of laundry skills, and a host of other things that make me think he should mature another year. I was railing on about this the other morning to my husband, Bill, man of few words, who listened and calmly sipped his coffee “I don’t know if he can even get up on his own to make it to class!” I ranted. When I finished presenting the evidence of Co Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 3 comments

All the times to be fully present

Jun 16, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

I recently had a conversation with a lovely knitter who is cranking out projects at an prodigious rate. She said she'd been spending a lot of time recently with her parent who was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. It can be very stressful to know that someone to whom you looked up for guidance and support is now struggling to remember the conversation you had yesterday, and knitting is certainly a way we can calm ourselves as we deal with this new reality. But it's more than that.

Alzheimer patients cannot really be left alone. They will forget where they are, wander off, and get lost. They will forget that they turned the burner on, or that the

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

No, it's not normal

May 19, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

Everyone is asking when we will be able to open, and we are all wondering what that will look like. The first answer is fairly easy - I want to open as much as you want me to, but I need to be absolutely sure that I am comfortable with our protocol to ensure everyone's safety. The second answer is, I don't know what it will be like. It will be different for sure. But it's the new normal. It is kind of scary, because change is hard, but we have new normals in our life all the time.

A while back, after her first lesson, one of my newer Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 7 comments

Why is Noro important now?

May 11, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

Okay, let me start by saying that I am not an expert in Japanese art or even a student of Japanese culture and aesthetic. I am, however, a big fan and an obsessive collector of Japanese textiles in the form of yarn. I’ve carried Noro in the shop for 15+ years and have knit literally dozens of garments with Noro. When I look at my handknit collection, it is Noro garments and accessories that have stood the test of time. Noro sweaters remain in my closet, year after year. What is it about Noro that makes it so fascinating? I have thought about it and written about it many times on the blog, each time uncovering some new aspect that deepens my love and respect for the yarn, the company, and Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

What we miss most--our knitting community of women

May 10, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

What we miss most--our knitting community of women

Happy Mother’s Day. I like to think about Mothers' Day not just as a day to remember our own mothers, but a day to recognize and honor all the influential women in our lives. Certainly, our mothers are the first to love us, but there are so many strong women who have nurtured us—been there for us. These are the women who give us the opportunity to try, comfort us if we fail, and support us as we try again. Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Self care, Yarn colored glasses

Why take time for yourself

May 04, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

I get it. It’s hard with all the demands on our time. Working moms at home with the kids, stay at home moms without a break, working women doing more than your share, and all of us trying to figure out how to navigate this new normal. It is ok to sit for a moment and notice without judgment what you are feeling. Taking a moment to calm and renew makes us all better at what we do and more ready to face whatever lies ahead. Continue reading

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 2 comments

With practiced hands

Apr 21, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

Quarantined at our house, Bill and I have the Katie and Johnny (the twins), Katie's sorority sister, Augustine, and our youngest, Colton. It's quite a houseful. I spend an inordinate amount of time cooking, but it's okay--I feel a little bit guilty admitting that I kinda like having everyone home again for a bit.

The other night Augustine wanted to see pictures of when Katie and the rest were little. We spent hours looking at albums and scrolling through the photos on my phone. I ran across a picture of Colton at the beach last summer, and posted it to Instagram yesterday morning. I look at the old pictures of my sweet boy, my

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 3 comments

Comfort in the familiar

Mar 31, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

I talked to my Seattle daughter, Elizabeth, Sunday. It was her fiancé’s birthday, and she’d been asking me for suggestions on what to make for his birthday dinner. They’re both foodies and Elizabeth is a particularly good cook, so the options are pretty much endless. I texted her Sunday afternoon to see what she had decided on. She laughed, “I am making homemade mac & cheese and eggplant Parmesan. Andrew wanted comfort food.”

Comfort food. I love it. What we call comfort food depends, in large part, on more

Written by Ellen Lewis

Filed under

Yarn colored glasses

Discussion 19 comments

Our friend Ann

Mar 09, 2020

Written by Ellen Lewis

We lost a dear friend at Crazy for Ewe last week. Sweet Ann Hoover passed away Wednesday morning. For about as long as I can remember, Ann has been part of the shop. Looking over years of pictures, I tried to remember exactly when I first met Ann, but I could not. I cannot remember any particular day or event heralding her arrival at the shop. She didn’t announcer herself. She wouldn’t have. It wasn’t her way. Ann was an unassuming woman, comfortable with more Continue reading

Products

Posts & Pages

Crazy for Ewe

Where you belong

The time to knit it is before you're ready

All the times to be fully present

No, it's not normal

Why is Noro important now?

What we miss most--our knitting community of women

Why take time for yourself

With practiced hands

Comfort in the familiar

Our friend Ann