Goodness! Where on Earth did October go? We’ve been so busy with Knit City, dyeing yarn, getting prepared for winter, and Halloween, that it whooshed by…practically without notice! Whew!
I hope you all have had a successful start to your winter, too! Now that the craziness of getting winter kicked off (including a bit of early snow and some wild wind storms around the province of BC), it’s time to settle in and get ready for Christmas. Yes, I said it…Christmas! I’m a HUGE lover of winter knitting…snuggling on the sofa with a warm blanket and a big mug of tea (or coffee…possibly with Carolans), watching Christmas classic movies and knitting. And whether you are a Christmas craft or a purchased present (with crafting on the side) type of gift-giver, we have plenty in store for you! There are some new items with more coming all the time, and we now have in-store Ravelry sales (meaning we can sell selected Ravelry patterns to you directly!!), so there’s no need to fret! I have all sorts of ideas for projects of a Christmas-crafty or a winter-project nature.
I’d also love to host another knit along shortly. Is anyone game for it? Ideas for projects? A shawl perhaps? MY shawl, perhaps? Something colourwork? Another sweater? Let me know what you think, and we’ll get it up and running right away.
New Products this month
Ravelry in-store sales! If you are someone who loves the patterns on Ravelry, but doesn’t prefer to shop online, we now can sell you many Ravelry patterns right here in our shop!
Katia Big Paint yarn: a pretty, single ply, bulky 80% acrylic/ 20% wool, yarn in two different self-striping colourways. At 100g/109yds, the ball is big enough to knit a hat with a large pom pom, and each ball comes with a small pattern leaflet.
Katia Azteca Infinity: a giant 150g/524yds of 53% wool/47% acrylic in long, shifting gradient. These are super soft, and are enough to make a small shawl or a scarf, and each ball includes a small pattern leaflet.
Twill & Print lapel pins & a fantastic maker keychain! This Quebec-based company makes the cutest pins and things! Come in and see the selection.
King Cole Riot DK: four fun colours of a 30% wool/ 70% acrylic, single ply yarn. These 100g/324yds balls are nice and soft with long multi-coloured gradients.
Bernat Softee Chunky Twist: a super-bulky 100% acrylic yarn in a fun, marling twist. 80g/84yds. Currently, we have only a few colours in stock, but there are more available (including large 300g balls), and we are willing to order for you if needed.
Universal Yarns Deluxe DK Superwash: a soft and sturdy superwash wool yarn, in 100g/284yd balls. We’ve only just started bringing these in, but the colour selection they have is amazing! We will be bringing in more of these pretty yarns each order.
Saltwater Classics by Christine Legrow & Shirley A Scott: the long-awaited follow-up book to the Saltwater Mittens book (which we also have in stock)! This book, aside from being a Canadian treasure trove of stories, has fantastic mitten, glove, trigger mitt, hat, cap, and vamp patterns for the whole family. Get your copy soon! (these make fantastic Christmas gifts, too!)
There are also many new colours of current items in the shop and on their way, so be sure to come on in and check them out!
Well, seeing as we can now take down our Halloween decorations, let’s talk about Christmas!! It’s not too soon (or too late) to think about making your own adorable Christmas decorations. Tree decorations, stockings, swags, and home items like pillows or blankets. To be honest, typing “Christmas” into Ravelry’s pattern search is a great way to find a plethora (and do I EVER mean PLETHORA) of patterns…it’s so hard to choose just a few!! Don’t get overwhelmed…use the fantastic filter options to narrow down what you’re looking for. Let’s go check some out:
Crochet Christmas Lights Decorations by Marinke Slump – a cute string of colored “lights” to decorate your tree or mantle.
Mini Stockings by Marianna Mel, or Christmas Mini-stockings by Michele Bernstein (both free on Ravelry) – sweet miniature knit stocking to decorate the tree or your Christmas packages.
Crochet Christmas Pickle Ornament by Stacey Trock or the Knit Christmas Pickle Ornament by Pattern Recogknition, both free on Ravelry
Darling Christmas Mittens by Jennette Reid – miniature crochet mittens that make a great gift topper, or tree decoration, and take only a tiny bit off yarn to make!
The Santa Cloth by Kris Knits – a sweet free knit dishcloth pattern featuring Santa! A quick, simple Christmas gift or addition to your own kitchen! I might just have to make some myself…hmm…
Crochet Christmas Gnome by Liesbeth Braam – adorable red and white (or any colour, really) gnomes for gifts or mantles.