Unfortunately we have to open late this Friday June 28th I have a medical appointment that I can’t move (it’s not anything serious) …. I should be able to open the store by 2:30pm. I know it’s a bit unorthodox, but there’s not much to be done when it comes to our health care system – sometimes you just have to take the first appointment you can get!
We have a new service for Same Day/Next Day delivery. The delivery cost is automatically calculated at check-out and is based on the distance, so some of you will see a discount! Orders placed before 3pm should be delivered the same day, if the store is open, and if not they will be delivered the next day we are open. We will always try to get your order out the same day, and if that is not possible we will send it out the next day.
The service also covers a wider delivery area, so if you live in Etobicoke, Mississauga, Oakville, Scarborough, Brampton, etc, your location may be eligible. The prices for the farther distances are a bit steeper, but if you really want your yarn or needles fast, it’s an option that’s now available.
Orders over $199 with a delivery cost of $15 or less are eligible for free same day/next day delivery.
Vintage & Retro Knitting & Crochet
If you are into older knitting, crochet, and other crafty books, magazines and booklets, and you live in or near Toronto Canada, you may want to put the University College Book Sale in your calendar – I’ve donated about a dozen boxes to them! I sent materials from the 1940s to 2019, so there’s LOTS to pick through.
Event Details
When: Thursday September 26 – Sunday September 29, 2024: 10am – 6pm
Where: Clark Reading Room, University College Building, 15 King’s College Circle, University of Toronto
Remember way back during COVID, when things kept changing month to month, and I’d post housekeeping updates with streaming suggestions? Well the masks are gone and the high alert is done, but I came across a very watch-worthy piece for you – I Am: Celine Dion on Amazon Prime. It’s a new documentary about Celine’s struggle with a debilitating medical disorder, Stiff Person’s Syndrome. I love Celine, she’s such a beautiful soul. Watching her struggle to sing will break and then open your heart. So will the tour of the storage facility that houses her extensive wardrobe and family mementos. My favourite line comes as she’s leaving her costco-sized closet and gazes longly on something as she’s about to exit: “I must have loved this one, I have four of them” … because you know that she genuinely loves and appreciates every carefully stored item in the entire place.
Summer weather is upon us, which means it’s time for small, portable projects that are perfect for your summer travels, or just staying inside during heat warnings and air quality advisories. Get your holiday knitting started this summer and you’ll be set come the fall!
Cosy Slipper Socks
Slipper Socks make a great little project, and they are very giftable, so you can get started on your holiday knits now … or gift yourself a pair! Super cozy cottage slippers? Yes please!
These slippers are knit flat and then seamed, so you don’t need a ton of technical skills to get them done.
Size
To fit women’s shoe size 6 to 7 (8 to 9)
Yarn Suggestions
All of the following yarns are soft and machine washable, and will be perfect for slipper socks:
How can anyone go wrong with slippers?! I recommend a washable yarn, feet being what they are, and socks generally end up in the machine eventually. These slippers are a simple, fast knit. The pattern is written for holding 2 strands of yarn together, but with the yarns we’ve suggested you’ll only need a single strand. These slippers are also knit flat and seamed.
Size
Small: 6½“/16.5cm length, fits up to 8½”/22cm foot. Medium: 8”/20cm length, fits up to 10”/25cm foot. Large: 9½“/24cm length, fits up to 11½”/29cm foot.
Yarn Suggestions
All of the following yarns are soft and machine washable, and will be perfect for slipper socks:
The Drey Slippers are for knitters who have more advanced skills – they are knit in the round and use short-row shaping.
Size
To fit EU shoe sizes: 30-31[32-33, 34-35, 36-37, 38-39] (40-41, 42-43, 44-45, 46-47)
To fit US shoe sizes: Kids age 5-6 [Kids age 6-7, Kids age 7-8, Kids age 9-12/Women’s size 5.5-6.5, Women’s size 7-8.5] (Women’s size 9-9.5, Women’s size 10-12, Men’s size 10-11, Men’s size 12-13)
Yarn Suggestions
All of the following yarns are soft and machine washable, and will be perfect for slipper socks: 125[145, 160, 170, 190](205, 220, 240, 255) yds / 90[105, 115, 125, 140](150, 160, 175, 185)m
The Soho Top is a classic sleeveless summer top with a boatneck style neckline. it’s simple, elegant, and a great piece to knit and wear in warm weather! The pattern is written for two strands of yarn held together, but you only need to work with one strand of Berroco Modern Cotton.
It’s constructed from the top down giving it an advantage for adjusting the length of the body. Simple garter stitch is used throughout the pattern. It is worked flat and in the round. Neckline, waist and armhole openings are framed with an i-cord edging and body features decorative “seams” on both sides. Soho Top is meant to be worn with 0 to 7 cm (0” to 3”) of positive ease.
Any time a pattern calls for a bunch of need sizes I recommend looking into Interchangeable needles, either as a set or getting them individually (we carry the Knitters Pride and Addi tips as individual pairs).
The software I use offers an option to have AI generate an image to accompany the text, and for some reason this is the first one it dreamt up for this post …. I don’t know how the image relates, but I thought it was very beautiful and worth sharing. I don’t know if there is a possibility for artificial intelligence to posses a spirit, but maybe source is able to manifest through AI just as easily as anything else in the world.
The weather is FINALLY gorgeous, so it’s time to shift to our summer store hours … starting MAY 31st we will be closed on Sundays:
May 31 to Sept 9, 2024:
Monday to Saturday: 12 pm to 6pm
Pyramid
Since summer weather is starting, here’s a summer tee for your summer knitting & wearing – Pyramid! Pyramidis a seamless tee worked from the top down; and you can easily adjust the length of both the sleeves and the body. It comes with a finished bust size from 86.5 cm / 34 inches to 158.5 cm / 62.5 inches, and is designed to be worn with 10-12 cm / 4-4.75 inches positive ease.
NOTE: the tension of this pattern is a bit loose, so you might want to wear it with a cami under it. If you want to go down needles size and knit it at the yarns normal tension I suggest making a size larger in the pattern.
It just goes to show, you can take the girl out of the library and put her in a store full of yarn, but apparently, you can’t take the library out of the girl!
The adorable Holger Sweater by Petite Knit is our next store project … thank you Erica! It’s a super adorable knit, I love the graphic stripes and bold colour blocks – they’re lively and fun and inspire lots and lots of play and amusement. This particular version of the pattern is sized for toddlers and kids, and the sweater sizing seems to be oversized and is designed to fit loosely. Be sure to take a look at the finished measurements when you’re choosing a size.
The Holger Sweater is worked from the top down. The body is worked in stockinette stitch with stripes, while the sleeves and neck edge are each worked in a different solid color. First, the back yoke is worked back and forth with the slope of the shoulders being shaped using short rows and in stripes, which are worked at the same time. Each shoulder is then worked back and forth on a circular needle, and then the shoulders are joined to form the front yoke. The front and back yoke are joined at the underarms to form the body, which is worked in the round on a circular needle with stripes. The sleeves are worked down from stitches that are picked up and knitted around the armholes. At the end, a folded neck edge is worked from stitches that are picked up and knitted along the neckline.
The discount will be automatically applied at check-out and can not be combined with any other discounts, sales, or offers (including free shipping). Discount does not apply to special orders or pre-orders. The sale starts April 27th, 2024 at 12am and ends Sunday April 28th, 2023 at 11:59pm.
Sophie is a simple shawl that’s knit horizontally, from tip-to-tip. It’s a quick, easy knit thats great for little projects …. perfect for travelling or patio season. It calls for a worsted eight yarn, but we tried it out with Berroco Vivo, a textured, DK weight, 100% cotton, just to play around and see what would happen. What happened was a really pretty, light little spring/summer wrap
Size
We made a size medium and I feel like it turned out as more of a scarf than a wrap (I had an uncertain amount of yarn on hand and I wasn’t sure how far it would go). We only used 1.22 balls (or 330m) of Berroco Vivo, and I feel like it turned out a bit small as far as wraps go, so if I made another I’d go up to the largest size. If you are using Berroco Vivo you will likely not use as much yarn as is recommended in the pattern, it seems to have gone further than expected.
Our Finished Sample: Size Medium – 13″ (33cm) deep, 101″ (252cm) long
Pattern Size: S (M) L
Pattern Length from tip to tip: approx. 170 (210) 240 cm or 67 (82¾) 94½ inches
Easily Change the Size
Because the pattern is knit from side-to side, its really easy to just knit until you’ve used up half of your yarn, then start the decreases. Just be sure to weigh your yarn before you start, so you know how much is you half-way mark (I use an inexpensive digital kitchen scale from Amazon). If you want you can also make your shawl larger than the largest size, you just need to start your decreases later.
It was a warm winter in Toronto this year, but Streetknit found themselves clamouring for mittens, and the demand is expected to be even higher next winter. In attempt to get ahead of the curve they are going to start stockpiling mitts this spring and summer, and I’m going to be teaching the not-so-fine art of mitten making at the next meeting!
What is Streetknit?
Streetknit is a grass-roots group of people who have been working for more years than I can count (since at least 2011?) to make, collect and distribute hand knitted items to the homeless. They currently meet once a month at St. Stephens in the Fields Church in Toronto (see the Streetknit Facebook Page for details).
At Knit-O-Matic, we accept donations of hand knitted goods as well as yarn for Streetknit, or you can bring your donations directly to a meeting (or contact Streetknit directly to confirm other drop-off locations). We also host a Yarn Swap (next April 20, 2024) a few times a year, the leftovers of which go to Streetknit.
What to Bringto Make Mittens
5mm/US8 needles (double pointed or single pointed)
4mm/US6 needles (double pointed or single pointed)
Small stitch holder (if you have one)
3 stitch markers (if you have them)
We will be working with Aran/Chunky weight yarn and using the World’s Simplest Mittens pattern for mitts worked in the round and the Easy Knit Mittens pattern for mitts worked flat and seamed – you can work in the round or flat, whichever you prefer. If you have yarn or a pattern you prefer please bring it! If you don’t have single-pointed needles there should be some donations available. I will be casting on with Berroco Vintage Chunky, but you can use the yarn of your choice, or pick up some suitable donated yarn at the event.
NOTE: The pattern for the mittens in the picture above is Mighty Mittens by Emily Kintigh. We will be making basic, single coloured mittens together at Streetknit, not the fancy colourwork.
Details
FREE, all are welcome
Note: You do not need to make mittens to attend this meet-up: mitten making is optional!
Tuesday April 9, 2024 – 6:30-9:30pm
St. Stephens in the Fields Church, 103 Bellevue Ave, Toronto ON (use the ramp door)
In consideration of people with chronic health conditions all attending must wear a mask at this event. If you don’t have a mask one will be provided.
