Get your winter retail therapy fix the first weekend in February. On Saturday, February 4, 8 am-6 pm, businesses throughout downtown Belfast are offering great deals. Treat yourself to clothing, housewares, toys, books, food and more.

Belfast Clay Studio: In conjunction with opening, 10% off classes.
City Drawers: 70% off sale rack, 20% off sports bras, 10% off storewide, starting 3 pm Friday, February 3 (open till 6 pm).
Colburn Shoe Store: 50% off all in-stock merchandise with cash/check. 40% off all in-stock merchandise with debit/credit. All sales final.
Conklin's Maine Mercantile: 20% off anything red in store, through Valentine's Day.
Coyote Moon: Winter hats, gloves, socks and sweaters 25% off; items currently 25% off now 50% off.
Delvino's: Buy a $50 gift card and get a $10 gift card free!
Epoch: 20% off select furniture, art, rugs and lamps.
Fiddlehead Artisan Supply: 20% off storewide.
Front Street Pub: Buy a $25 gift card and get 50% off your appetizer that day, buy a $50 gift card and get a free appetizer.
The Good Table: Cookbooks 20% off, table linens 20% off, plus selected items currently on sale.
The Green Store: 20% throughout the store (excluding sale items), Post-Inventory and one-of-a-kind discounts.
Heavenly Socks Yarns: Opening at 9 am, 20% off everything in store except Maine yarns.
Macleod Furniture: 50% off regular-price, in-stock furniture and 30% off regular-price, in-stock appliances.
Man on Main: 70% off sale rack, 20% off sports underwear, 10% off storewide.
The Meadows of Belfast: 50% off all merchandise. Stop by for the buys.
Old Professor's Bookshop: 10% off storewide.
Out on a Whimsey: 20% off storewide, special 50-70%-off table.
Quench: 10-20% off select merchandise.
Rollie's: 10% off with receipt from other participating businesses.
The Sail Locker: 25-50% off most items.
Treasured Leaf Tea Co.: 20% off all teas, enter to win Valentine's Day Tea Basket.
Vinolio: Huge inventory reduction sale. Up to 50% off -- everything at least 25% off (including pre-bottled oil/vinegar, and wine).
Yo Mamma's: 20% off storewide, except Mrs. Meyer's, Caldrea and consignment items.

(For the latest version of this list, visit Our Town Belfast's Cabin Fever Sale page.)

This month, all of our Madelinetosh, and Noro's Taiyo and Taiyo Sock, will be on sale at 25% off. We stock their Light, Vintage and Chunky lines.

We also will have a large selection of cotton on sale at 40% off. This is a great time to pick up a few skeins to line hats, baby projects or a short-sleeved top for yourself. The timing is perfect: you can have it ready for warmer weather that is just around the corner.

There is a young woman who lives locally who is an amazing knitter. She has been designing her own sweaters for years and is finally starting to publish them on Ravelry.

Okay, just another good knitter who thinks she can publish a pattern, right? Oh no! Jenn has been quietly working away for years, knitting for yarn companies abroad as well as for herself, and now a local yarn dyer. Because of her beautiful knitwear, she has over 11,000 followers on Instagram at knit.love.wool. (We have provided the link, but you may need an account to log on to see her work.)

Jenn has lent us one of her sweaters for awhile. It is called Seachange. It is available for sale on Ravelry and here at the shop, where you can see the sweater in person. She used Peace Fleece dk weight yarn for almost all of it but used a little bit of leftover stash for around the neck.

We hope to bring you more of Jenn's work in the future.

One great thing about winter in Maine is that spring will follow. That might indicate a change in our clothing and/or the color of that clothing. What won't change is the need for that clothing to be warm.

With that idea in mind we came up with a cozy shawl that can be made in a light or bright color if you need a little springtime pick-me-up. This free pattern ( Twist Again) doubles as a great cowl under your winter togs, then a looser scarf under your spring denim jacket, and then a little cover over your shoulders on a boat deck or cool restaurant in July. What's not to love? This shawl knits up quickly on a size 8 needle or even on a number 9.

Our shop sample is done in Venezia Sport, a 50% merino and 50% silk blend. It has beautiful drape, is very soft and will provide a little warmth just when you need it. The shop model took a little over one skein, but with the two skeins you can simply add more repeats of the lace or body sections for a larger size.

Each skein of Venezia Sport has 307 yards and we retail it for $15.95.

The Belfast Free Library's knitting group, Knit2Together, continues on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Knitters of all experience levels are welcome to join in from 4-5:30 pm in the Abbott Room. (In February the group will meet on the 8th and the 26th.)

This drop-in event is a chance for knitters -- and crocheters too -- of all ages and experience levels to chat, get tips and learn from each other while working on their own projects. Library staff will have computers available to demonstrate how to use Ravelry.com and other websites to help find patterns and organize your work. Registration is not required. For more information, phone 207-338-3884, ext.10.

Save the date (April 22, 9 am-3 pm) for the 207 Creatives Belfast Hook In, presenting RoseAnn Hunter as distinguished guest speaker. In her presentation, Rose Ann will share how she mixes and incorporates historical techniques in her rug hooking. Her imagination knows no bounds, and you too will soon be talking about standing wool, quillies, shirring, tambor and more.

The event will take place at the First Church of Belfast, UCC Parish Hall, 8 Court St., Belfast, and will feature an informal rug show, vendors and door prizes; breakfast and lunch will be included by For the Love of Food and Drink. The cost is $32 before March 1, $35 thereafter. For registration forms, directions, and lodging info, visit 207 Creatives, email 207creatives@gmail.com or phone Connie Fletcher at 207-890-7270.

Do you knit, crochet, embroider, spin, quilt, scrapbook, sashiko, sew or something else entirely? Do you want to learn? Join the Sunday Crafternoons taking place every Sunday, 1 pm to 3 pm (or so), at Coastal Cafe and Bakery at 25 E. Main St., Searsport (across from Tozier's), for fun afternoons of conversation, coffee and crafting.

All portable crafts, all ages and all skill levels are welcome. Conquer cabin fever. No purchase necessary.

For more information, phone Celine at 207-548-6243 or find them on Facebook.

Kendra Newcombe and Mary Brann of Searsport are sewing a better world for women in Guatemala. This is the second year of their project, collecting donated materials, organizing sewing bees to make washable sanitary pads for women in Antigua, Guatemala. Kendra and Mary are working together with volunteer sewers to create hundreds of pads, with waterproof pouches to distribute, along with cotton ladies' underpants, to women in The God's Child program in Guatemala. Here is a brief video about the project.

Kendra and Mary, along with a service team, will be visiting The God's Child Project again this year at the end of March. In addition to delivering the pads, Kendra will be teaching the women how to make their own pads using sewing machines that have been granted to the center.

Donations are requested to help make this program a success. If you would like to donate used, clean cotton towels, cotton flannel, or cotton ladies' underpants, please email Kendra Newcombe at kenewcombe@gmail.com.

Neighborhood
A new restaurant called Neighborhood has opened at 132 High St. in Belfast, featuring world cuisine with the same menu of old favorites as the Good 'n' You food truck, and is still focusing on locally and responsibly sourced comfort foods. The venue has had a total interior makeover, featuring a light, fresh new look and a casual, relaxed atmosphere.

Neighborhood serves lunch, dinner, drinks and coffee, with waiter service. They take reservations, and there is takeout available. Walk-ins are welcome.

Open Tuesdays and Wednesdays 11:30 am-3 pm, Thursdays and Fridays 11:30 am-3 pm and 5:30-9 pm, closed Sundays and Mondays. For more information, phone 207-505-0425, or find them on Facebook.

Belfast Clay Studio
A new community art space in Belfast offering classes for children and adults will be opening in February. Belfast Clay Studio's gallery opening will take place on Wednesday, February 1 from 5-8 pm; and an open studio will take place on Saturday, February 4, 10 am-6 pm.

	Belfast Clay Studio

The Teen class is an affordable after-school program that will run for four weeks and offer a creative outlet in downtown Belfast. For younger children and their guardians, there is a Parent/Child class that will allow adults to create memorable works of art with their kids that will last a lifetime. Adult classes include Beginner and Advanced, where all facets of pottery making will be explored. All classes have limited enrollment to keep a close dynamic between instructors and students. Classes run for five weeks, and there is no limit to what you can create. For experienced potters looking to come out of their garage studios and interact with the midcoast-Maine artist community, studio memberships offer 24/7 access to the studio with use of tools, wheels and kilns. Workshops will bring in renowned ceramic artists for talks and demonstrations.  

Sign up for classes and membership at the studio at 132 High St. in Belfast or visit Belfast Clay Studio.

Join Belfast Flying Shoes on Friday, February 3, for an evening of contra dancing at an alternate venue: the Blue Goose, 1184 Atlantic Highway, Northport, four miles south of downtown Belfast. The evening begins at 6:30 pm with a community dance called by Chrissy Fowler. The contra dance begins at 8 pm.

This month's caller is Sarah VanNorstrand. An avid contra dancer since her teens, Sarah co-founded a contra prom at her high school in upstate New York. Since her debut as a caller in 2006, she has built a nationwide following with a style that combines clarity, enthusiasm and an infectious sense of joy. Sharing the stage with Sarah will be perennial Flying Shoes favorite, the accordion-fortified fun machine Anadama. This Boston-based contra dance band is Amelia Mason, Emily Troll and Bethany Waickman, who root their sound in the traditions of New England, Ireland and Quebec. Sound by Eric Weest Johnson.

For more information, phone 207-338-0979, email belfastflyingshoes@gmail.com, visit Belfast Flying Shoes or find them on Facebook.

Art Together Mornings, Waterfall Arts' free monthly series of activities for children and their adults, begins on Saturday, February 4 from 10 am to noon. Bridget Matros leads the activities.

The theme for February 4 is Painting to Music. Instruments and musicians will be in attendance; everyone can create abstract or realistic art inspired by looking at, touching and hearing a collection of working musical instruments.

Waterfall Arts is located at 256 High St. in Belfast. For more information on classes and workshops for kids and adults, visit Waterfall Arts, stop by or phone 207-338-2222.

Art and Religion of the Minoans
Join Roger Dell, art historian, museum educator and former Harvard lecturer on Tuesday, February 7 at 6:30 pm for an introduction to the aesthetic achievements and ritual practices of the Minoans, a prosperous, seafaring, matriarchal culture that thrived 3500 years ago on the Greek Islands of Crete and Santorini. Many scholars believe this highly advanced society, which suddenly disappeared, to be the source of Plato's Atlantis Myth.

Belfast Free Sketchers
Special meeting on Tuesday, February 14, from 2-4 pm. During this Valentine's Day meeting, participants will be able to create cards using various media and forms of expression. Participants always bring their own materials to use, but during this session people can bring art materials and ideas to share. As always, folks who just want to sketch, write and work on their own projects can do so.

In regular meetings Sketchers share drawings and writing they have done between meetings, as well as work created at the meetings. Telling stories, sharing creative process, and lots of laughing occur in an encouraging and enthusiastic atmosphere.  

The next regular Belfast Free Sketchers Meetings will take place on Tuesday, February 28 and Tuesday, March 28.

Come Boating! Film
The second of three boating films continues Tuesday, February 21, 6:30 pm, with an illustrated talk, The Building of the Dory Rose, with renowned Maine boat designer and builder Art Paine detailing the very special boat he designed and built with his daughter. This boat was borrowed for an ocean voyage by a man who had a 42-year long quest to row from Albany, Maine to Nova Scotia. It's a good dory and a good story.

All events will take place in the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library, 106 High St., and are free and open to the public. For more information, phone the Belfast Free Library at 207-338-3884, ext.10. To see more library events, visit Adult Library Programs and Upcoming Events.

Saturday, February 11, 10 am-2 pm. Snowshoe, ski or hike with ice creepers the trail from Hauk Fry to Bessey Preserve, Swanville. Meet at the Swanville Transfer Station on Rt. 141 at 10 am. Bring water, lunch, warm layers. The trail is two miles over rough terrain, a few hills but not mountainous.

Thursday, February 16, 6:30 pm, Belfast Free Library, 106 High St. Regenerative Community through Nature Connection: a Hands-On Workshop. Join Trevanna and Trevanion Grenfell of Northwood Natural Learning for an evening of community building: Make natural milkweed cordage, share hopes and fears, and experience the unique mentoring model that Northwood weaves through its programs to help inspire and deepen people of all ages' relationships with our community and the wild.

During February, BBWC is the beneficiary of can/bottle deposits from the Good Cause bin at the Belfast Transfer Station.

For more information about any BBWC event, contact Cloe Chunn at 207-338-1147 or cloechunn@gmail.com.

The Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition is a Belfast-based, member-driven nonprofit which supports conservation and stewardship of natural and public resources of the Belfast Bay watershed through research, community-building and education.

Their programs and field trips are free and open to all. To learn more, visit BBWC. The Belfast Bay watershed consists of the Goose River, Little River, Passagassawakeag River, and Wescot Stream watersheds totaling 69,656 acres and 108.8 square miles.

A new Wednesday-morning class is now offered 9-10:15 am at the sunny Belfast Yoga Studio in the Belfast Center. Yoga instructor April Dove will lead a hatha yoga class designed to get you going and ready for your day. Stretch, strengthen, and breathe.

This class is suitable for all levels. Make the commitment to nourish yourself this year so you can share the best version of you with the world around you.

The Belfast Yoga Studio is located in the red-and-white Belfast Center at 9 Field St., Suite 302, overlooking beautiful Belfast Harbor. The Center is handicapped accessible, with elevators to the third-floor yoga studio.

For more information, visit Belfast Yoga Studio or phone 207-338-3930.