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COVID SOFT REOPENING Tuesday May 19

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Our “Soft Reopening” is Tuesday May 19th, but it’s a modified, slow, cautious reopening with LOTS of physical distancing. Curb-side pick-up and shipping are still preferred, but the store will also be open for shopping by appointment. Because of physical distancing requirements we will NOT be holding classes, private lessons, Sit ‘n Knit or any kind of hanging out.

Store Hours: Monday to Saturday 11am to 6pm

Shop by Appointment

I really want you to stay safe, and it’s still really important that people maintain physical distancing protocols and limit physical contact, so starting Tuesday May 19, 2020 we will be open for In-Store shopping by APPOINTMENT. To keep our clients and staff safe we are implementing the following physical distancing measures:

  • Only one customer is allowed in the store at a time.
  • Please mind personal space and stay approximately 2 metres (6 feet) from other people.
  • We are accepting contactless forms of payment like a credit or debit card with ‘tap’ or Apple Pay, etc. Cash is not accepted.
  • Customers MUST bring and wear a mask – the type is your choice. We can not provide masks.
  • Appointments are 15 minutes long.

Appointments can be booked online quickly and easily. I’ve installed a new online booking system, and it’s fast and easy. You can see our entire schedule and book your appointment up to one hour in advance (for anything shorter than that please call us: 416-653-7849). The system will send you a confirmation by email & text, a reminder before your appointment, and you can easily change or cancel your appointment from those contacts.

On a personal note, I think it’s a bit too early to reopen the economy and have people mingling. I know the government says it’s ok, but the chief medical officer does not, and I prefer to get my science from scientists. I know everyone is sick of jumping through hoops and wants to get back to normal, I do too, but we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. Our curb-side pick-up and shipping have been working REALLY well, so if you are in a high risk group or have family who are, PLEASE don’t put yourself in harm’s way for yarn – it’s just not worth it. I don’t think you need to be afraid, just be cautious and smart, right now it doesn’t hurt to be a little conservative.

Love,

Haley

PROJECT Cruz Bay Crochet Cardie

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Cruz Bay

I’ve been looking forward to this pattern since my sales rep visited last winter … I even bought extra yarn in my first order hoping I’d be able to get my greedy little hands on the pattern early. That didn’t end up happening, but that’s ok, better late than never! It’s a casual crochet cardie made with Berroco’s lurvly summer yarn Estiva. Estiva is a really versatile yarn; it’s a soft cotton tape, easy to work with, machine washable, and made in Italy. The colours range from muted to bright, so you’ve got lots of options.I don’t personally look great in yellow, but I can’t get my head around this sweater in it, it’s just so perfect! I was going to make it in the teal, but now I don’t know …

Size

  • Finished Bust (closed):  36 (40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64)”
  • Length:  13 (13, 14, 14, 15, 15, 16, 16)” including lower edgingShown in size 44″. 
  • Recommended ease:  2–4″ positive ease.

Materials

  • Berroco Estiva: 3 (3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5) cakes (2612 Curry)
  • 5.5mm/USI crochet hook
  • 1 removable stitch marker
  • Pattern

PROJECT Laudholm

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Laudholm

Something classic and cool for summer makes me very happy. It’s knit with Quince & Co Sparrow, one of my favourite yarns for summer. It feels soft and cool on your skin, washes beautifully in the machine, and just kind of *flows*.

Note: Linen can be quite stretchy once it is washed, so be sure to swatch a square at least 5″ x 5″ and wash it before you measure your tension. You may also want to make a smaller size than normal, I usually go down one size.

Size

  • Finished Bust: 34 ¾ (37 ¾ , 40 ¾ , 43 3⁄4, 46 ¾ , 50, 53, 56, 59, 62)” [88.5 (96, 103.5, 111, 118.5, 127, 134.5, 142, 150, 157.5) cm]
  • Shown in size 37 ¾ ” [96 cm] on a 34″ [86.5 cm], 5’5″ [165 cm] tall model (3 ¾” [9.5 cm] positive ease)

Materials

  • Quince & Co Sparrow: 6 (7, 7, 8, 9, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) skeins
  • 3.25mm/US3 – 24″ circular needles
  • 3.75mm/US5 – 24″ circular needles
  • Pattern




PROJECT Popham Crochet Bag

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Popham in Quince & Co Sparrow

Popham

Quince & Co Sparrow Linen is finally restocked just in time for the good weather! And it’s a good thing, because I seem to have reached maximum pandemic and my brain doesn’t seem to want to work good. If you are in the same boat, Popham is a nice little crochet bag (I know the crocheters are always jonesing for pretty projects), ready for you to go hit the outside and stand in a line (but it’s outside, so that’s a nice change, right?). If you are not a crocheter you can take the knitted version, Rue Mouffetard, for a drive. And another cool thing, this pattern is written for two sizes of yarn (a nice touch), the thinner Quince & Co Sparrow (the brown bag) and the thicker Quince & Co Kestrel (ecru bag) (also restocked).

Popham in Quince & Co Kestrel

Materials: Longer, Narrower Bag (thinner yarn)

The brown bag in the pictures. Size is 4½” [37 cm] wide and 27½” [70 cm] total length (including strap).

Materials: Shorter, Wider Bag (thicker Yarn)

The ecru bag in the pictures. Size is 4½” [37 cm] wide and 27½” [70 cm] total length (including strap).

Popham in Quince & Co Kestrel

Popham in Quince & Co Kestrel

Popham in Quince & Co Sparrow
Popham in Quince & Co Sparrow

SPRING CLEANING Time to Wash + Store Your Woollens

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It’s Time to WASH & Store Your Woollens!

Yup, it’s May, and you can officially put all your woollens away for the season!!! I’ve written a lot about this in the past, so instead of reinventing the wheel, I’m just going to gently nudge you to read our CARE AND MAINTENANCE INFO. A quick summary of the salient points:

You can get your delicate wash via Curb-side pick-up, shipping, and to respect our clients health we’re taking appointments for in-store shopping: Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 6pm.

Soak Wash

Soak is a super easy, eco-friendly, no-rinse wash for hand or machine washing delicates, from lingerie to cashmere. Soak products are manufactured in Toronto Canada and are available in an assortment of fresh fragrances plus Scentless (for your sensitive side).   

Eucalan

Eucalan is is a wonderful no-rinse delicate wash that you can use for your hand knits, lingerie, or anything  you want to keep looking like new. 

  • non-toxic
  • biodegradable
  • phosphate free
  • phtalate free, scented with natural oils
  • eco-friendy
  • extends the life of lingerie and all delicates
  • perfect for hand-knits
  • no-rinse
  • do not use if you are allergic to lanolin
  • see the ingredients list

SWET Bags from Gleener

Last week at the Knitter’s Frolic (a local show hosted by the Toronto Knitting Guild) we sold out of all of our adorable project bags from Gleener, and they have graciously and quickly restocked them!

Gleener Swet Bags make perfect project bags, but they’re so much more. They’re designed to keep odours, wetness and messed contained. The zipper and lining are both waterproof, so they also make a great travel companion to the gym, swimming or beyond. Keep your projects safe, clean and dry anywhere you go! They come in two sizes, the medium is great for regular projects, and the larger is perfect for large sweaters and blankets (I also use it for my swimming gear, as do my niece and nephew).

  • Medium: 10.5″ x 14″
  • Large: 16″ x 21″ (fits a large sweater or a blanket project)
  • Machine wash in cold water, flip it inside out and hang it up to line dry overnight.

Gleener (Full Size)

While you are cleaning your knits, you might as well de-pill them and get them ready for the fall with a Gleener® Ultimate Fuzz Remover™. This award winning fabric de-piller and lint brush combo safely removes fuzz balls, lint and pet hair from even the finest of fabrics. Yes, it really works, I have one at the ready in my closet. Plus, it’s a Canadian company! READ MORE HERE!

Gleener (Travel Size)

Gleeners are also available in a compact travel size, which is super handy if your carry-on luggage is frequently in use (Gleeners work on all fabrics, not just knitwear, so it;s great for cleaning up suits & such).

UPDATE Covid Heart

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Michelle sent me an update on the COVID Hearts! The administrator of Villa Forum sent her some pictures and I thought you might like to see them. Everyone involved thanks you for your contributions. Michelle feels very humbled … sometimes I forget how remarkably easy it is to make a difference in the world.

COVID Update

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I had the loveliest dream the other night that I was at my hairdresser, getting my hair trimmed … that’s it, that’s all there was to the dream, it was completely mundane, and it was DELICIOUS! No matter your pandemic experience, I know everyone yearns to get back *some* level of normalcy, we all want life to copy the weather and reopen. Things are looking up, we’re on our way, but unfortunately, we aren’t there *yet*.

By law, retailers with a storefront (like ourselves) are only allowed to provide curb-side pick-up service and shipping. This means we still can not have clients come inside the store (the only people in here are staff and my plus-one), and the fines are pretty stiff – upwards of $100K. Additionally, we will not be able to hold Sit ‘n Knit or classes until people are allowed to sit within a 1/4 metre of each other (presently, people are supposed to be maintaining a distance of two metres).

We are still offering curbside pick-up and shipping, and Canada Post has dropped their rates a bit! You can place orders online or over the phone, and we are open Monday to Saturday from 12 to 5 pm.