You may not realize this about me (Virginia) but my super power is remembering people. I usually can remember a person, his/her name and what she/he was working on. Perhaps even ask about the big date you were going on after a Saturday sewing class or get an update on your house hunting/buying. I make a point of asking lots of questions when I'm teaching or mingling at Pints 'n Purls. You can't have me cut your fabric without being peppered with questions about what you are making. And if you end up asking me about yarn, well, I'll be stalking your progress on Ravelry before you even have time to knit a swatch. I'm totally being honest when I say, "share a picture or bring it in." Because I remember you.

above: Megan Lally from her Pink Blog <PREVIEWEND>

This super power confession brings me to this post. I remember Megan. She homebrewed some amazing blueberry ale and brought it to a Pints 'n Purls in spring of 2011. She was sitting at the head of the old oak table. She was generous enough to offer me a glass of beer. Which we proceeded to spill everywhere. And we laughed so hard about it. And I admired her whale zippered box bag. Made with whale fabric from the store. Bought right after we had opened. It wasn't actually hers, she had made it for her sister, Jocelyn. She never mentioned metastatic breast cancer. Or anything about her health. She was full of life. She was 31.

I received a request today to sponsor The First Annual Memorial 5K Run and Fun Walk for Megan Lally to benefit Metastatic Breast Cancer Research. I wish Gather Here was over the hurdle, that we had finished our new studio expansion and that all the additional classes were paying for it. Because I would give so much money to sponsor this run. We're committing to being a Friend Sponsor, maybe if August is a super profitable month we'll go Bronze. Megan and Jocelyn's friend, Greeley sent us a message via Facebook about the run. Greeley is one of the most awesome people I've met since opening the store. And I know this Memorial 5K is something she is committed to. And now we are, too. Because this generous, wonderful woman should still be here. Knitting socks. Sewing bags. Doing normal things with the people who really did know her and remember her.

The race is on October 14th in Worcester. There will be beer. There will be music. And yes, there will be a 5K race along Lake Quinsagamond. There's a certain sewing physician that has been nudging me to get back to running...Suzin (if you're reading this blog), I think we should run this 5K. And maybe "you" should register, too. We can run this together, we can honor the memory of a knitter who made a hell of a blueberry ale and died way too young.

Don't think you can run? Donate to the Megan Lally Memorial Fund here. And thank you.

 Summer is for swimming, bike riding, softball AND crafting. In June we held our first session of Fiber Camp and it was awesome. The kids learned to crochet and these crochet pieces were the basis of their sewn pillows. They would also use fabric paint to decorate black and white fabric for the back, embroider a jelly fish for the front and then use the sewing machine to stitch it all together. We taught finger knitting to the younger kids and lace knitting to an experienced young knitter. During one sunny morning we headed out to the sidewalk and used fiber-reactive dyes to tie-dye t-shirts that Carla had screen printed the day before.

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We spent hours needle felting monsters. And wet felting. With plenty of room for creative input, one boy would take his finger knitting and make a belt. Another would needle felt a snake head to his needle felting and make a totally awesome scarf. We were smitten with the embroidered self-portraits. And quite keen on the lace cuff one of the girls made.

So if you have a child interested in learning to make things with his/her hands, if you want to help your child become a more confident problem-solver, if he/she has always wanted to make something then sign him/her up for Fiber Camp. We think everyone has a craft love, why not find out what it is now? 3 Day session (Wednesday through Friday) available here.

We've been collecting filled up Frequent Maker cards since April, asking folks to write their name and email address on the back because we wanted to do a little drawing. Sure, you already earned a $25 gift card to the shop by filling up a Frequent Maker card but we love finding ways to say "thank you" for making us your local shop. YOU enrich our days by shopping and making here. We would never have applied for the Mission: Small Business grant without your support and we would not have come close to reaching the 250 votes to qualify for the grant without your love. So thank you to every single one of you amazing makers. We really couldn't do a damn thing without you.

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So here's the deal: each quarter we'll select a random winner from the stack of Frequent Maker cards to win an awesome prize. From the 57 completed cards stashed in a canning jar, #5 was selected by the random number generator. #5 happens to be Liza Paden. Luckily, she sews and knits because we had already made the prize before selecting the winner!

This quarter's prize consists of a Swans Island canvas tote, the Anna Cowl pattern, two skeins of Swans Island organic merino worsted in garnet, size 8 40" Addi Turbo Lace needles, and a strand of locally made ocean themed stitch markers. It's everything you need to knit the pattern! We think it's a pretty sweet gift for a Frequent Maker. We hope you enjoy your prize, Liza!

Want to make sure you're entered to win in our next raffe? When your purchase is $25 or more, you receive a stamp on your Frequent Maker card. You can get multiple stamps in a single purchase, say you spend $75 that's 3 stamps! When you collect 10 stamps your card becomes a $25 gift card. When you've spent your reward put your name and email address on the back of the card and you'll be entered to win. It's just that easy! Yay!