The Sow's Ear
Locally owned and operated since 2000, The Sow’s Ear is the Midwest’s first combined yarn store and coffee shop!
The warm & inviting atmosphere of The Sow’s Ear is the perfect place to relax, sip a drink and grab a bite to eat while knitting your next masterpiece or just relaxing with friends. Our friendly staff prides itself on providing excellent service, camaraderie and knitting assistance if needed. We love our customers and look forward to meeting you!
Before Hopping to The Sow's Ear, you should know the following things:
Hours of Operation
Monday - Thursday: 7 am - 5 pm
Friday: 7 am – 7 pm (bonus yarn-only hours 5-7, no café service)
Saturday: 7 am – 5 pm. Closed 5-6:00 for cleaning and restocking. Open 6-7 by registration only for customers in high-risk groups who prefer maximum distancing for their shopping. Please take one of these highly limited slots only if needed.
Sunday: 7 am - 3 pm
We will be limiting the number of shoppers in store during the shop hop, and have designated space for queue management. Curbside pickup is always available.
If someone is at high risk and would still like to see some yarns in person, we'd be happy to set up a personal shopping appointment after hours.
We frequently sanitize high-touch surfaces, and hand sanitizer and masks are provided if needed.
The Cafe is open! Outdoor seating and take-out is encouraged.
Masks are mandatory for entering the shop, per Dane County's Emergency Health Mandate and The Sow's Ear shop policy.
No matter what, everything is available online. There will be NO in-store exclusives.
To enter prize drawings, you can:
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Visit the shop in person and write your contact information on a ticket to put in the jar
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Visit our website and put your info into our google form
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one entry per person for the entry methods above
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additional entries for the general prize drawings will be added for every $25 you spend in person or online
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Bonus Discounts for participation in our digital live events, see below!
Prizes
Sow T-Shirt & tote, value $10
Complete Kit in Malabrigo Caprino DK for our own Jen Davis's cowl design, value $20
For the sock knitter: "Happily Knitting Socks," a new book that will teach the beginner and offer fun patterns for the advanced. Plus 1-2 skeins sock yarn, value $40
For the crocheter: "Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary" plus 1-2 skeins assorted yarn, value $40
Bonus discounts for participation in our digital live events, see below!
Virtual Events
See below Calendar of events!
Promotion
Help us to celebrate The Sow's Ear's 20th Anniversary. Every purchase will receive a free anniversary sticker, and there will be a custom celebratory yarn colorway, TBA.
Contact
Email:
Phone: (608) 848-2755
Saturday, October 3
Instagram Live, 5:00 PM: Fall Flower Crowns with Kaylin and Sarah
Materials: Flexible wire (we used floral wire, but anything that can be shaped while maintaining its structure would work); Floral tape, or equivalent; Assorted fake flowers, foliage, embellishments; Hot glue gun
(optional).
Description: If you’ve been into the store on a Saturday, you’ve probably seen Sarah and Kaylin rocking their vibrant flower crowns: tune in live as they craft their autumn versions!
Collect your supplies prior to the event to join them in making your personalized autumn crown. Sarah and Kaylin will talk you through their process for making the foundation of the crowns and adding as many flowers as you’d like! After the event, if you come in to the store or share a photo on Facebook/Instagram of you wearing your new crown we’ll take $5 off your purchase!
Saturday, October 3
Instagram Live, 7:00 PM: Kool-Aid Dyeing with Brian
Have you ever wanted to try dyeing your
own yarn? Food dyes are a great way to try it out -- cheap, non-toxic, colorfast, and really fun. In fact, a packet of Kool-Aid contains almost everything you need!
Brian will demonstrate how to prepare your yarn, work with the powders for different effects (various speckles and solids), and set the dye. To get you started on your dyeing adventures, we'll give attendees a code for 25%
off our hand dyeing supplies!
Sunday, October 4
Instagram Live, 4:00 PM: Drop-Spindle Spinning Intro with Brian.
At some point, spinning tempts almost every fiber crafter. Brian, who once swore he'd never get into spinning, will demonstrate a few basic techniques that will get you started with the best entry-level tool: the drop spindle. You can create any kind of yarn on a spindle, and your initial investment doesn't need to exceed $10! In spinning, you'll learn so much more about the structures and techniques that go into the yarns on our shelves, Attendees will get 25% off our starter spinning supplies after the session!
Monday, October 5
Zoom, no registration required, 6:00 PM: Maximizing Your Ravelry with Kaylin.
Many of us use Ravelry to browse for patterns but there are so many more features you can take advantage of! Join Kaylin as she walks you through how she uses some of the main features on Ravelry to stay on track and organized. She’ll walk you through ways to organize your favorite patterns and designers, how to create your virtual yarn stash, and some of the key details to remember when logging your knitting and crocheting projects. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions about any aspect of Ravelry. As a thanks to you for tuning in to Kaylin’s presentation, you’ll receive a code at the end of the session good for 15% off one in-store Ravelry pattern purchase. *Please note that this session will primarily be screenshots and live demos on the Ravelry website. If you cannot access Ravelry due to health reasons, please use caution when joining this stream.
Monday, October 5
7:00 PM: Thrum demonstration with Rose
Want to make your hand-knit mittens or slippers even cozier?? Of course you do, who wouldn't -- we live in Wisconsin, after all! Are you looking ahead to a long winter of outdoor sports? Or maybe you're wondering if, in a world where the best options for socialization are outdoors, you're going to have to choose between shivering and only seeing your friends on zoom until next spring. Join Rose for a 30-minute demonstration of different techniques to add bits of unspun wool roving -- called 'Thrums' in this context -- to your knitted accessories. Over time, as you wear your thrummed mittens the wool will felt to itself and create a wonderfully warm and cozy wind- and water-resistant fabric. She'll share some tips and tricks and suggest patterns for both beginners and experienced knitters. Along with a handout containing photos and helpful links, you'll leave with a coupon for 25% off purchase of roving to make your own thrummed project. If you have some roving in your stash and want to try working along with Rose, feel free to cast on about 20 stitches in a worsted weight yarn and knit a few rows in plain stockinette before the session.
Tuesday, October 6
Instagram Live: Crochet with Jen, topics TBA!
Topics TBA!
Wednesday, October 7
Zoom KAL, 7:00 PM: WIP/Open KAL with AJ
Working through those unfinished objects (UFOs)
that have been lurking around? Or pretty much any other work in progress (WIP)? Join us for
this everybody-friendly craftalong. All types of crafting welcome.
Register at
https://www.knitandsip.com/classes/register/
Thursday, October 8
Zoom KAL, 7:00 PM. Sweater Weather KAL
Join Kaylin, one of our resident sweater enthusiasts, and
knit (or crochet) any sweater you like! When you sign up for this KAL, you’l receive a 10% off
code to use for the purchase of yarn. The code can be redeemed in-store or online.
Register at
https://www.knitandsip.com/classes/register/
Friday, October 9
Zoom KAL, 7:00 PM. Westknits MKAL 2020 – first session!
Join Sow’s Ear staff and friends in the Westknits Mystery Knit A Long, an annual mystery shawl knitalong by Stephen West. When the KAL kicks off in October, you will receive one clue weekly for four weeks, until your mystery shawl is complete! The initial clue will be released on 9 October through both Ravelry and Gumroad.
Register at https://www.knitandsip.com/classes/register/