We’ve unpacked tons of Lantern Moon bags and baskets over the last couple of weeks. Lovely Round Drawstring baskets:

Brand new Jane and Ibiza baskets:

And a perennial favourite, Twisted Seagrass baskets from the Boca collection:

Stuff one of these baskets with a bunch of gorgeous yarn and admire your collection every time you walk by….

We’ve re-stocked the coveted Rosewood needles:

Silk needle cases make great holiday gifts:

Sheep tape measures:

There’s one black sheep in every bunch. We know who you are…

Or throw in a notepad holder, knit or crochet design, take your pick:

We were hard at work yesterday unpacking loads of new Malabrigo Worsted and Lace. Stunning new colours. We also put out tons of Manos Del Uruguay kettle-dyed wool and the new Manos Silk Blend. Gorgeous….

There’s a fantastic new book on our shelves, Earthworks, by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton:

With several terrific new designs for the Earth Collections yarns, cashmere, silk and alpaca. All so scrumptious and soft…

We’ve never had so much yarn on hand before, we know we’ve gone a bit overboard when the boxes start piling up in our garages. Park the car on the street, we need more space for our yarn!

This week’s special is Sirdar Denim Chunky at 40% off. This yarn knits up quickly at a gauge of 14 stitches/19 rows on 6.5m’s. These are big 100g balls with 156 metres of yarn at only $7.17 per ball.

Use Denim Chunky to knit this sweater coat for women or girls:

There are two options: long-sleeved or 3/4 length sleeved. Pick up some feature buttons for the front and you’ll have a beautiful cozy cardigan to keep you warn through the chilly winter months ahead.

Or knit this Denim Chunky pattern for boys aged 1 – 12 years of age:

It’s sometimes hard to find a nice boys sweater pattern and we’ve always liked this one. Anina finally knit it up this past summer and it’s now on display in Point Grey. We have permission to distribute this pattern without charge when you buy the yarn.

We have tons more new stuff. There are luscious skeins of Handmaiden’s Mini Maiden that’s equal parts silk and wool, with 500 metres of yarn on a 100g skein. It’s super stunning knit up, have a look:

Drool.

We have Nicky Epstein’s great new book, Knitting on Top of the World: The Global Guide to Traditions, Techniques and Design:

And we’ve recently unpacked stacks of boxes loaded with Blue Sky Alpacas, Koigu, Lantern Moon, Louet and many more. Our shelves are bursting with fabulous yarns, perfect for holiday gifts or other terrific new projects

Don’t forget about our Knit Nights on Tuesday evenings in Edgemont and Wednesday evenings in Point Grey. Combine some after work shopping with a bit of knitting or crocheting, a perfect combo!

Be sure to have a look at the Drops Christmas Calendar, with a new design for each day up to December 24. But you can’t open the box before the day arrives…

We’ve uncovered two wonderful designs so far. December 1 is a great felted stocking:

And today’s pattern is felted needle cases:

Both straights and circulars. What a great gift idea for another knitter! I’m tempted by this one…

Be sure to check out Garnstudio’s Christmas Workshop 2008 with a selection of the most popular gift ideas from the extensive Drops database. Love the felted slippers:

These three designs are all knit with the Drops Eskimo pure wool yarn that comes in a beautiful colour palette. We have tons of colours, as well as a bunch of Eskimo Print in multi-colours. Eskimo is a fabulous instant gratification type yarn that knits up very quickly on 8 – 9mm needles. You still have time to complete multiple holiday projects with this one…

The Good News:

Addi’s new interchangeable needle sets have arrived in Point Grey:

These are fantastic sets, with 10 different sizes of addi tips, 3 different lengths of cord and one connector piece. Simply insert the cord into the tip, then twist. The tip will remain secure until you change it.

The Bad News:

You guessed it, we didn’t receive many sets. The quantity ordered means nothing with a hot product like this. What can I say, we’re in Canada, eh?

So it’s first come, first served and we’re pretty sure they’ll be sold out today. The first customers to arrive in Point Grey or phone with $179.95 plus tax will be among the first in Canada to own one of these coveted needle sets.

If you miss out and are terribly disappointed, please accept our apologies – we’re disappointed too! Just put your name on your list and we promise to call when the next shipment arrives.

Looking for some great gift ideas? We’ve picked out a few books that are loaded with inspiration.

Melanie Falick’s ‘Handknit Holidays’ has some great designs for Christmas, Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice:

Rowan Classic ‘Winter Gifts’ has 24 contemporary classic gift ideas including hats, scarves, socks, gloves, mitts, legwarmers, a tea cosy and a hot water bottle, all knit with sumptuous yarns:

Louisa Harding’s ‘Knitting Little Luxuries’ is loaded with stylish and luxurious projects that would make gorgeous gifts:

Leigh Radford’s ‘One Skein’ has become a classic source of last minute gift ideas. All 30 projects are knit or crocheted with just one skein of yarn so they’re bound to be quick:

And if you need a gift for Rover:

We have lots more fantastic ideas for every creature on your list! Just ask us, we’d be happy to help.

PS
This afternoon Becky unpacked a stack of ‘Last Minute Knitted Gifts':

A veritable treasure trove of gift ideas and the projects are helpfully grouped into sections according to estimated knitting time. There are gift ideas for kids, women and men. It’s not only a great book for gift inspiration but also a great gift for fellow knitters. This one’s only in Point Grey right now but it will make it across the bridge to Edgemont in a few days…

Boxes and boxes of it…

There’s loads more Silk Garden Chunky in many beautiful colourways. Julia knit this beautiful capelet with three balls of SGC:

The pattern is right here. Knit in less than 24 hours, finished with a Perl Grey leaf brooch et voila, tres jolie! Thanks Julia!

Alexa used Silk Garden Chunky to knit this great scarf:

Another quick knit on 8mm needles with three balls of SGC. Just cast on 22 stitches and work a K1, P1 rib until you’re done.

The Yarn Harlot is currently addicted to the Silk Garden striped scarf, she’s on her third. I found this project very addicting last year:

It’s Jared’s pattern. I’ve been thinking this scarf would be a perfect Christmas gift for a friend so yesterday I came home with several skeins of Silk Garden tucked in my bag. A girl just can’t have too many projects on the go, especially this time of year… We have many Silk Garden colour options, the combo possibilities are endless.

We’ve just unpacked several new colours of the beautiful Blossom in both stores. Try using this one for a gorgeous Bloom Shawl. There are also several fantastic Blossom projects in the many Noro books we have on our shelves.

And we have buckets of most of the other stunning Noro yarns including Kureyon, Iro, Kochoron and Transitions.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out Noro Mini Knits, by Jenny Watson:

Our most popular Noro book right now. It’s bursting with marvellous little Noro projects, there are lots of great quick-knit gift ideas in this one. Knock yourself out!

This week’s special is Pure Angora:

There are three beautiful colourways that aren’t quite as bright as shown in this photo. The yarn is soft as a feather and there’s 114 metres per ball. It’s 40% off the regular price, only $7.77.

Don’t forget our Knit Nights this week on Tuesday in Edgemont, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m and Wednesday in Point Grey, 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. As a special bonus this week, you’ll receive 10% off your purchases at any Knit Night. First put a dent in your holiday gift shopping, then buy a little something for yourself. Or perhaps the other way around…

If you were disappointed we sold out of the Debbie Bliss magazine, you’re in luck. We’ve managed to find ten more copies so call us if you want one, first come first served. We can’t get more – our supplier is sold out and this issue won’t be re-printed. But we’ve ordered lots of Issue 2, watch for it this Spring. If you don’t want to miss out, put your name on our list and we’ll call you when Issue 2 arrives.

A superb new book just arrived on our doorstep:

It’s another great production by Leigh Radford who previously published ‘One Skein’ and ‘Alterknits’.

This book provides great explanations and instructions on the basics of felting. There are also descriptions of special techniques, abbreviations and diagrams to help round out your felting knowledge.

And check out the 30 edgy designs including bags, accessories, household items and gift ideas like felted rings, bracelets and Christmas tree ornaments. These projects really push the design envelope.

The book is bursting with colour, imagination and inspiration. Kick-start some great new felting projects with Alterknits Felt…

We have some great new lessons starting soon in Point Grey.

We’ve scheduled two sessions of Sock Boot Camp on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Choose either November 25 or December 9. Learn to knit a sock in just one day!

Sivia Harding will run another Jewelry Knitting workshop on Wednesday, November 26 from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. You’ll learn how to create a fabulous necklace that would be a great Christmas present. Check out the beautiful sample that’s currently on display in Point Grey.

Alexa Ludeman will teach a Christmas Gift Ideas workshop on Wednesday, December 3 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Learn to knit a beautiful buttoned scarf with just one skein of luscious yarn. If you’ve always drooled over the sumptuous cashmere, alpaca and silk blends hanging on our walls, this would be a good time to give one a try.

And if you or someone you know would like to learn to knit, Sandra Dunkin will get you going in her Beginner Knitting class on Thursday evenings from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., starting this evening, November 20.

If you’ve reached an impasse with a current project or would like to learn a new technique, consider registering for Christa’s Classroom on Friday afternoons from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Christa’s classes are currently scheduled for Nov. 21, Dec. 5, 12 and 19.

If you’d like some assistance with pattern reading, complicated stitches or finishing, sign up for Astor Tsang’s Knitting Q & A class that runs most Sunday mornings from 11:00 – noon. On Sunday, Dec. 5, Astor will switch to Yarn 101 where you’ll learn to make yarn substitutions. She’ll show you what to do if you love a pattern but can’t find the right yarn.

Phew, that’s a lot of classes. Hopefully you’ll find the perfect class on our list. But if none of these classes fit into your schedule, consider scheduling a private lesson, by yourself or with a friend. Just send an email to Kathleen or phone her at 604-228-1122 and she’ll get you going.

Have a look at our entire class schedule right here. This schedule is regularly updated as new classes are organized. Have fun learning a new skill this winter!