During the Canada Post labour disruption we’ve been shipping by UPS, but I received a heads-up yesterday that UPS will not be accepting packages sent by UPS Standard service (which is their least expensive service level) and will only be taking UPS Express. We’ve updated the shipping service levels in our online store, and we’ll keep you posted as things shift.
If you live in the Greater Toronto Area you can also use our same day/next day courier service (they’ve been very reliable), and of course we are open for pick-up and in-store shopping. Or you can have your order shipped by UPS Express. You can also ask us to hold your order and ship it when Canada Post comes back to work.
It’s that time again …. this year our BLACK FRIDAY SALE is from Thursday Nov 28 at 12pm to Monday Dec 2 at 11:59pm! You can save up to 20% OFF select regular-priced itemsandselect Clearance items (that comes to up to 50% off some items that are already on sale!).
*Sale is online AND in-store. Discount is automatically applied at check-out, and can not be combined with any other offers or discount codes (including free shipping, which will not be available on sale items). We will not be able to process any in store returns during the sale (any products that are returned during the sale will be credited at the discounted price). Sale is only on products that are currently in stock, and does not apply to products that are pre-order or special order.
We are still shipping by UPS, despite the Canada Post labour disruption! Unfortunately, Canada Post ships to the most destinations, and does it pretty affordably compared to commercial carriers. If you check out online and choose Canada Post we will try to ship it by UPS, and if there are any problems with that we’ll contact you and let you know what your options are.
Our courier Trexity is also available for same day/next day delivery within the Greater Toronto Area.
Shopping in Store? Come Prepared
Things get BUSY in the store at this time of year (especially during a Black Friday sale)! If you’re coming to shop in-person for a project we recommend a few things you can do before leaving the house that will help us elevate your shopping experience and make it as smooth as possible:
1. PICK A PROJECT. Think about what you might like to make …. This REALLY helps us to help you! The best place to browse is an advanced search on Ravelry.com (you can refine your search as you narrow down what you like). You can also browse our Blog – we always list the materials required for our project recommended. If you need support with your skills try a Project that comes with an online video Tutorial. On our website we also have a link for Project Ideas.
2. MATERIALS. Think about your yarn preferences …. What thickness of yarn do you prefer/require? What type of fibre do you prefer (ie. wool, cotton, alpaca, a blend)? Is machine washability important? Do you need needles or do you already have the right size?
3. PRINT/DOWNLOAD YOUR PATTERN. Once you have settled on a project, please bring your pattern printed out (or at the minimum download the file to your phone or tablet).
Things to consider:
What size do you want to make?
What thickness/tension is the yarn your pattern is calling for?
How much yarn does your pattern require (in meters or yards)?
Please keep in mind, if you need help making these choices when you come in that it may take a little bit longer than usual.
It’s swap time again! Time to tidy up your yarn stash and purge the stuff you’re never going to use. That’s right, you can bring us your shame and leave your guilt in our yarn swap bins with the assurance that the yarn that didn’t work out for you will have a second (or third, or fourth) life in a new home. What do you do at a swap? Bring in the yarn and needles you don’t want and take home whatever you like from our swap bins.
BRING
Yarn (please bring in a ziplock bag)
Knitting Needles & Crochet Hooks (please bundle them/pair them up)
NOTE: partial balls are fine, but please bag them up together in a ziplock bag.
Other Fibre Craft Materials: embroidery, needlepoint, sewing, felting, spinning, etc
DETAILS
The leftovers are donated to charities, and don’t be embarrassed by the quality of the yarn you bring, whatever is left over is donated to charities like Street Knit, most of whom prefer acrylic! If you want to donate but can’t make the date please feel free to drop it by when we are open, sealed up in a plastic bag. The only yarn we can’t accept is anything that is strongly scented (cigarette smoke or perfume). We are also a drop-off point for Knitted Knockers of Canada.
If possible, we request anyone attending our events to please refrain from wearing perfume.
Dropping off donations is always FREE and you can do it any time we are open: you can donate to the swap any time we are open, regardless of when the swap is, and you do not have to pay to donate, you can just drop off your donations at the store. You still need to bag everything in ziplocks (which you can get affordably at Dollarama and Ikea).
So here’s a scenario …. you’re sorting through your stash (or your closet, or your bookcase, or anything else) , looking to purge, but you’re having a hard time parting with things that you know you aren’t using and haven’t touched in ages. Feelings are coming up, definitely some uncertainty – usually overwhelm creeps in for me and I end up keeping too many things – it happens, the subconscious is a busy place!
This weekend I was doing a little bit of spring purging and I came up with system that seems to have improved my output and brought me more neutrality. Based on Marie Kondo’s system, I pick up every object, and ask myself a question about the object: “Does this still serve my highest good?” Alternately, you can ask “Does this serve my greatest inner peace?”
I look for an answer of Yes, No, or some kind of equivocal/uncertain feeling:
YES: If the answer is a clear YES, then yay, keep the thing! It’s still working for you.
NO: If answer is a clear NO, then send it on its way out into the universe. Whatever that thing was in your life for, you’ve already learned those lessons, and its time to make room for fun new things to come into your life! Don’t worry about letting the NOs go, they block better things from coming in, so have faith that getting rid of them is really the best thing for you.
EQUIVOCAL/UNCERTAIN: If you feel equivocal, uncertain, overwhelmed, fuzzy, blank, avoidant, resistant, etc, then you’ve hit an opportunity to go deeper and clear out something you are already working on, something you’re getting ready to release. The object isn’t really what you’ve equivocal about, its a belief or idea that it is associated with. Here are some questions that you can ask that can help:
What have I been learning that this is a part of?
Am I holding on to something I can let go of? What am I holding on to?
Do I need to hold on to it? Am I still working on it, or am I done and I just need to let go?
Why am I holding on to it?
Is what I’m holding even mine, or does it belong to someone else? (other people’s beliefs frequently end up in our head …. )
LET GO: if you’re inclined to try and let go, try the following:
Try visualizing a big rose in front of you. Drop a magnet into the centre of the rose, and tell the rose its job is to suck up everything you’ve releasing. When the rose is done its work, send the it to the edge of the universe and blow it up!
Visualize a big gold sun above your head (make it at least 5 times your size) and fill it with all the good things you want for yourself right now …. (self-validation, amusement and neutrality are always great, in addition to anything else). Poke a hole in the bottom of the sun and invite it to fill you up completely, down to the quantum level.
Revisit the object – do you still feel uncertain about it? If you do that’s ok, just file it away as ‘on the way out’ or ‘working on releasing’, and put it in a “Revisit this at the next swap” box. Chances are that the next time you do a clearing you’ll be ready to let it go and the attachment to it will be gone. Or even give it a week, you might feel differently after sleeping on it!
Thanksgiving comes a bit earlier north of the 44th parallel in Canada, it has something to do with our harvest being earlier, therefore we dine earlier. We are open regular store hours (12 to 6 pm) on Saturday & Monday, and closed on Sunday. Have a great weekend, wherever you are!
Saturday October 12: 12 to 6 pm
Sunday October 13: CLOSED
Monday October 14: 12 to 6 pm
Some Cieslak for the Weekend
Never wanting to leave you without some inspiration, here are a couple of pullovers by designer Jacqueline Cieslak. I love that Jacqueline’s designs are size inclusive, but I love even more that her designs LOOK GREAT on different sized women. Her casual little tops are always just right for people, no matter what shape they may be. Wear them over a dress or a loose shirt, it’s all beautiful! Plus, they aren’t immense projects, so they won’t break the bank, and you’ll actually wear it (an important factor to my mind). they’re pretty, and I think its good to make yourself feel beautiful on the outside, because you are beautiful on the inside.
Bay Pullover
The Bay Pullover is your dream all-weather sweatshirt, whether you’re getting cozy at home or being tousled by a crisp ocean breeze. This relaxed fit pullover features dolman sleeves, uninterrupted stockinette on the front and back panels, and decorative 3-needle bind offs, making for a simple, seamless knit with a clean, modern look. The pattern includes 9 sizes, 6 original video tutorials, technical illustrations for understanding the unique construction, and detailed guidance for choosing your size and adjusting the sleeves.
Size
Because of the dolman sleeves and relaxed fit, BAY works with an extremely wide range of positive ease (anything from 6-20”/15-50cm). If you prefer more drape or a more oversized fit, feel free to size up! In the photos, Jacqui is wearing a size 7 (62”/155cm). Her bust circumference is 54”/135cm, her waist circumference is 49”/122.5cm, and her bicep circumference is 20”/50cm.
Finished Bust Circumference: In inches: (38, 42, 46) [50, 54, 58] {62, 66, 70} inches or (95, 105, 115) [125, 135, 145] {155, 165, 175} cm
To choose your size, measure the circumference of your torso around the fullest part of your bust/chest and add at least 6”/15cm.
To see how BAY looks across the size range with varying amounts of ease, check out the test knitting round up here!
Yarn Options
Because the recommended yarn is a silk/linen blend, both of which are fibres that stretch and have a lot of drape, I recommend using something that also has some stretch. Superwash yarns, blends with cotton, linen, wool, silk, or alpaca tend to be good at this.
The Bay Slipover is your dream all-weather slipover, whether you’re getting cozy at home or being tousled by a crisp ocean breeze. This relaxed fit top features dolman sleeves, uninterrupted stockinette on the front and back panels, and decorative 3-needle bind offs, making for a simple, seamless knit with a clean, modern look. The pattern includes 9 sizes, 6 original video tutorials, technical illustrations for understanding the unique construction, and detailed guidance for choosing your size and adjusting the sleeves.
Size
Because of the dolman sleeves and relaxed fit, BAY works with an extremely wide range of positive ease (anything from 6-20”/15-50cm). If you prefer more drape or a more oversized fit, feel free to size up! In the photos, Jacqui is wearing a size 7 (62”/155cm). Her bust circumference is 54”/135cm, her waist circumference is 49”/122.5cm, and her bicep circumference is 20”/50cm.
Finished Bust Circumference: In inches: (38, 42, 46) [50, 54, 58] {62, 66, 70} inches or (95, 105, 115) [125, 135, 145] {155, 165, 175} cm
To choose your size, measure the circumference of your torso around the fullest part of your bust/chest and add at least 6”/15cm.
To see how BAY looks across the size range with varying amounts of ease, check out the test knitting round up here!
Yarn Options
Because the recommended yarn is a silk/linen blend, both of which are fibres that stretch and have a lot of drape, I recommend using something that also has some stretch. Superwash yarns, blends with cotton, linen, wool, silk, or alpaca tend to be good at this.
The kids have been back in school for a month and the temperature is finally starting to feel a little bit more like fall, so it’s time to start thinking about fall and winter accessories!
I whipped up an old standby, the free Gaptastic Cowl, with a couple skeins of a new yarn, Estelle Colour Flair. The Gaptastic Cowl is a super easy knit, very accessible to newer knitters, and it whips up quickly on 8mm/US11 needles. The skills are just casting on in the round, knitting, purling, and binding off. Easy-peasy! If you prefer to make a scarf and you want the long narrow horizontal stripes, you can cast-on without joining in the round and make a scarf lengthwise. We used 2 skeins to make a cowl that’s 9″ deep, but if you want a really big, luxuriously sized scarf or cowl add a third ball.
Colour Flair is a great, soft, bulky to super bulky weight multicoloured wool with a longer colourway, which knits up in stripes. It’s made with 95% non-mulesled wool, so it’s made without hurting the sheep. It’s comes in several bright, pretty colourways, and a few subdued ones too (see pictures below). And at $16.97/ball it’s a very affordable option for a multi-coloured, natural fibre.
Size
9″ deep by 28″ (lying flat)
Materials
Estelle Colour Flair: 2 skeins, shown in colour 43606 (3 skeins if you want it super wide)
Estelle Colour Flair is a multi-coloured super bulky yarn ideal for quick knitting and crochet projects with pops of colour. This thick-and-thin yarn is spun to add texture to your stitches while being lofty and soft. With playful and unique striping colours, Colour Flair is a fun choice for hats, scarves, and blankets. This yarn is made from non-mulesled wool.
The sweater on the mannequin is Algoma, which we made last year with Drops MELODY.
If you’re looking closely and noticing that my edge is looking a bit textured and a little wonky that’s because I tried an alternating cable cast-on – sometimes you gotta try things to see how they work — sometimes you find out why nobody else does it. I didn’t bother ripping back, but I’d also not recommend the fancy cast-on for this project – just do a normal cast-on and you’ll be fine!
I know it;s a little late, but I just caught sight of this Free event on Zoom that’s taking place tomorrow …. if you cant make it maybe sign up anyway and ask them for access to the video?
Thrumming is a very old technique that is seriously fun and functional. Small tufts of roving (wool that hasn’t been spun into yarn yet) are knit into the garment creating a fuzzy warm layer on the inside and irresistible dots of colour the outside. As you wear them, the thrummed roving felts down, keeping your hands or feet warm and cozy (take note dog owners, these are ideal winter dog walking mitts). The mittens will be the colour of the yarn and the thrums (roving) will peek through.
Each kit is individually hand dyed, no two will be exactly alike, and supplies are limited.
Fleece Artist Woolen Thrum Mitten Kit
Thrum Mitten Kit
Thrumming is a very old technique that is seriously fun and functional. Small tufts of roving (wool that hasn’t been spun into yarn yet) are knit into the garment creating a fuzzy warm layer on the inside and irresistible dots of colour the outside. As you wear them, the thrummed roving felts down, keeping your hands warm and cozy (take note dog owners, these are ideal winter dog walking mitts). The mittens will be the colour of the yarn and the thrums (roving) will peek through. Each kit is individually hand dyed, no two will be exactly alike!
Fleece Artist Wonder Woolen Yarn
Fleece Artist Wonder Woolen is a regionally sourced, 100% wool (25 Micron, Woolen Spun). It is heartier and sturdier than the yarns they have used in the past for their thrum kits, and will wear harder, last longer, and keep you warmer. They are so happy with this new yarn at Fleece Artist that they have discontinued all of their other thrum kits.
Kit Includes
Pattern & instructions
Yarn: Fleece Artist Wonder Woolen, 113g (100% wool)
These Thrum Mittens/Socks are made using a small wisp of roving that is knit into your socks every few stitches. This technique makes a fuzzy, soft and oh so warm liner to your mittens, with cute little contrasting dots intermingled with a honeycomb stitch pattern. These kits come with 100% Merino Yarn and Roving.
Kit Includes:
Pattern & instructions ( the Pattern cuff will have a QR code that the customer will have to use there phone/tablet to access the pattern)
The Chinook Kit is Fleece Artist’s original Thrummed mitten kit. The yarn is a soft merino wool and the roving is a soft merino too – perfect for chilly winter days!
Skill Level: Advanced-Beginner (after a regular pair of mitts)
Kit Includes:
Pattern & instructions
Yarn: Fleece Artist Fleece Artist Chinook, 125g (super soft, 100% superwash merino wool)
Fleece Artist’s Falkland Merino Sliver is perfect for spinning, needle felting, wet felting, thrumming. One braid is enough roving to use as thrumming for a pair of mittens or slipper-socks. If you are using this for thrumming a pair of adult mitts or socks you may need a second braid to finish your project.
100% Falkland Merino Wool
50g braid
Fleece Artist Corriedale Sliver
Fleece Artist’s Corriedale Sliver is perfect for spinning, needle felting, wet felting, thrumming. One braid is enough roving to use as thrumming for a pair of mittens or slipper-socks. If you are using this for thrumming a pair of adult mitts or socks you may need a second braid to finish your project.
I’m so sorry … I made a hash of the dates for the upcoming Yarn Swap! Thanks to everyone who kindly sent me a note letting me know (note to self: don’t do work that involves details when you’re in a growth period, something will always go sideways).
The Correct date is SATURDAY OCTOBER 19, from 1-4pm.
To answer the other questions that arose:
You can donate to the swap any time we are open, regardless of when the swap is, and you do not have to pay to donate, you can just drop off your donations at the store. You still need to bag everything in ziplocks (which you can get affordably at Dollarama and Ikea).
It’s swap time again! Time to tidy up your yarn stash and purge the stuff you’re never going to use. That’s right, you can bring us your shame and leave your guilt in our yarn swap bins with the assurance that the yarn that didn’t work out for you will have a second (or third, or fourth) life in a new home. What do you do at a swap? Bring in the yarn and needles you don’t want and take home whatever you like from our swap bins.
Bring
Yarn (please bring in a ziplock bag)
Knitting Needles & Crochet Hooks
Knitting & Crochet Notions, Accessories, Books
NOTE: partial balls are fine, but please bag them up together in a ziplock bag.
Details
The leftovers are donated to charities, and don’t be embarrassed by the quality of the yarn you bring, whatever is left over is donated to charities like Street Knit, most of whom prefer acrylic! If you want to donate but can’t make the date please feel free to drop it by when we are open, sealed up in a plastic bag. The only yarn we can’t accept is anything that is strongly scented (cigarette smoke or perfume). We are also a drop-off point for Street Knitand Knitted Knockers of Canada.
So here’s a scenario …. you’re sorting through your stash (or your closet, or your bookcase, or anything else) , looking to purge, but you’re having a hard time parting with things that you know you aren’t using and haven’t touched in ages. Feelings are coming up, definitely some uncertainty – usually overwhelm creeps in for me and I end up keeping too many things – it happens, the subconscious is a busy place!
This weekend I was doing a little bit of spring purging and I came up with system that seems to have improved my output and brought me more neutrality. Based on Marie Kondo’s system, I pick up every object, and ask myself a question about the object: “Does this still serve my highest good?” Alternately, you can ask “Does this serve my greatest inner peace?”
I look for an answer of Yes, No, or some kind of equivocal/uncertain feeling:
YES: If the answer is a clear YES, then yay, keep the thing! It’s still working for you.
NO: If answer is a clear NO, then send it on its way out into the universe. Whatever that thing was in your life for, you’ve already learned those lessons, and its time to make room for fun new things to come into your life! Don’t worry about letting the NOs go, they block better things from coming in, so have faith that getting rid of them is really the best thing for you.
EQUIVOCAL/UNCERTAIN: If you feel equivocal, uncertain, overwhelmed, fuzzy, blank, avoidant, resistant, etc, then you’ve hit an opportunity to go deeper and clear out something you are already working on, something you’re getting ready to release. The object isn’t really what you’ve equivocal about, its a belief or idea that it is associated with. Here are some questions that you can ask that can help:
What have I been learning that this is a part of?
Am I holding on to something I can let go of? What am I holding on to?
Do I need to hold on to it? Am I still working on it, or am I done and I just need to let go?
Why am I holding on to it?
Is what I’m holding even mine, or does it belong to someone else? (other people’s beliefs frequently end up in our head …. )
LET GO: if you’re inclined to try and let go, try the following:
Try visualizing a big rose in front of you. Drop a magnet into the centre of the rose, and tell the rose its job is to suck up everything you’ve releasing. When the rose is done its work, send the it to the edge of the universe and blow it up!
Visualize a big gold sun above your head (make it at least 5 times your size) and fill it with all the good things you want for yourself right now …. (self-validation, amusement and neutrality are always suggested in addition to everything else). Poke a hole in the bottom of the sun and invite it to fill you up completely, down to the quantum level.
Revisit the object – do you still feel uncertain about it? If you do that’s ok, just file it away as ‘on the way out’ or ‘working on releasing’, and put it in a “Revisit this at the next purge” box. Chances are that the next time you do a clearing you’ll be ready to let it go and the attachment to it will be gone. Or even give it a week, you might feel differently after sleeping on it.
I’m so sorry … I made a hash of the dates for the upcoming Yarn Swap! Thanks to everyone who kindly sent me a note letting me know (note to self: don’t do work that involves details when you’re in a growth period, something will always go sideways).
The Correct date is SATURDAY OCTOBER 19, from 1-4pm.
To answer the other questions that arose:
You can donate to the swap any time we are open, regardless of when the swap is, and you do not have to pay to donate, you can just drop off your donations at the store. You still need to bag everything in ziplocks (which you can get affordably at Dollarama and Ikea).
It’s swap time again! Time to tidy up your yarn stash and purge the stuff you’re never going to use. That’s right, you can bring us your shame and leave your guilt in our yarn swap bins with the assurance that the yarn that didn’t work out for you will have a second (or third, or fourth) life in a new home. What do you do at a swap? Bring in the yarn and needles you don’t want and take home whatever you like from our swap bins.
Bring
Yarn (please bring in a ziplock bag)
Knitting Needles & Crochet Hooks
Knitting & Crochet Notions, Accessories, Books
NOTE: partial balls are fine, but please bag them up together in a ziplock bag.
Details
The leftovers are donated to charities, and don’t be embarrassed by the quality of the yarn you bring, whatever is left over is donated to charities like Street Knit, most of whom prefer acrylic! If you want to donate but can’t make the date please feel free to drop it by when we are open, sealed up in a plastic bag. The only yarn we can’t accept is anything that is strongly scented (cigarette smoke or perfume). We are also a drop-off point for Street Knitand Knitted Knockers of Canada.
So here’s a scenario …. you’re sorting through your stash (or your closet, or your bookcase, or anything else) , looking to purge, but you’re having a hard time parting with things that you know you aren’t using and haven’t touched in ages. Feelings are coming up, definitely some uncertainty – usually overwhelm creeps in for me and I end up keeping too many things – it happens, the subconscious is a busy place!
This weekend I was doing a little bit of spring purging and I came up with system that seems to have improved my output and brought me more neutrality. Based on Marie Kondo’s system, I pick up every object, and ask myself a question about the object: “Does this still serve my highest good?” Alternately, you can ask “Does this serve my greatest inner peace?”
I look for an answer of Yes, No, or some kind of equivocal/uncertain feeling:
YES: If the answer is a clear YES, then yay, keep the thing! It’s still working for you.
NO: If answer is a clear NO, then send it on its way out into the universe. Whatever that thing was in your life for, you’ve already learned those lessons, and its time to make room for fun new things to come into your life! Don’t worry about letting the NOs go, they block better things from coming in, so have faith that getting rid of them is really the best thing for you.
EQUIVOCAL/UNCERTAIN: If you feel equivocal, uncertain, overwhelmed, fuzzy, blank, avoidant, resistant, etc, then you’ve hit an opportunity to go deeper and clear out something you are already working on, something you’re getting ready to release. The object isn’t really what you’ve equivocal about, its a belief or idea that it is associated with. Here are some questions that you can ask that can help:
What have I been learning that this is a part of?
Am I holding on to something I can let go of? What am I holding on to?
Do I need to hold on to it? Am I still working on it, or am I done and I just need to let go?
Why am I holding on to it?
Is what I’m holding even mine, or does it belong to someone else? (other people’s beliefs frequently end up in our head …. )
LET GO: if you’re inclined to try and let go, try the following:
Try visualizing a big rose in front of you. Drop a magnet into the centre of the rose, and tell the rose its job is to suck up everything you’ve releasing. When the rose is done its work, send the it to the edge of the universe and blow it up!
Visualize a big gold sun above your head (make it at least 5 times your size) and fill it with all the good things you want for yourself right now …. (self-validation, amusement and neutrality are always suggested in addition to everything else). Poke a hole in the bottom of the sun and invite it to fill you up completely, down to the quantum level.
Revisit the object – do you still feel uncertain about it? If you do that’s ok, just file it away as ‘on the way out’ or ‘working on releasing’, and put it in a “Revisit this at the next purge” box. Chances are that the next time you do a clearing you’ll be ready to let it go and the attachment to it will be gone. Or even give it a week, you might feel differently after sleeping on it.
