We’re excited to announce that Jane Ellison will be joining us for an event on Saturday, October 25, from 12 noon – 3 pm. Mark your calendars…

Jane is a fabulous knitwear designer and a very sweet person, with tons of experience in the knitting industry. She first completed a degree in fashion with a knitwear specialty, then worked with both Rowan Yarns and Debbie Bliss and subsequently published a multitude of knitting designs.

Her first book was Simply Noro, published in 2003:

It was a smash success and in the last five years Jane has amazingly published another thirty books!

She’s produced some of our favourite Noro books like Noro Knits, Naturally Noro, Pure Noro, Joy, and the latest, Noro Family.

And in the past year she’s published three books for the Mirasol line of yarns. Sales of these yarns help to support the Mirasol Project, a cause that is very dear to Jane’s heart.

Jane will bring loads of sample garments. She’ll talk about her experiences as a knitting designer and the design process. And she’ll share some of her experiences with the Mirasol Project in Peru as she’s seen firsthand the remarkable accomplishments of this program.

We’ve booked space at the UBC Golf Club for this event and the admission fee will be $10. Participants will receive a 10% discount on any purchases of Mirasol yarn or Jane’s books on the day of the event. Phone us at 604-228-1122 or send an email to reserve your spot. Should be tons of fun!

Check out Jane Ellison’s fabulous Mirasol Book III:

There are loads of fantastic designs as well as some wonderful photos shot in Yorkshire, UK.

And we have two stunning new Mirasol yarns. Tupa is a gorgeous combo of merino and silk:

Love the lustrous sheen…

We also have the lovely Qina, a beautifully soft blend of baby alpaca and bamboo. The Mirasol yarns are all so tempting, with beautiful, rich colour palettes.

And we’ve re-stocked our shelves with several other luscious Mirasol yarns like Hacho, Miski, Sulka and T’ika.

We feel good buying these yarns because a portion of all the Mirasol sales benefit the disadvantaged Peruvian community where the yarn originates. The Mirasol Project is named after a young girl named Mirasol who, with her younger brother, tends 350 alpacas. The Project funds a boarding house for the local alpaca shepherds’ families in Mallkimi, Peru, where impoverished children like Mirasol now benefit from an education and other important resources that Canadian children take for granted. In less than one year, over $160,000. Cdn. was contributed to the Mirasol Project from the sale of Mirasol yarn. Read more about the Mirasol Project right here. What a wonderful story…

Go Canadian with Mission Falls, one of our most popular lines. There’s a terrific range of contemporary colours. And all MF yarns are machine washable which is very appealing for those of us who can’t seem to keep food and drink off our hand-knit garments.

The Mission Falls line of yarns has recently been expanded with a new DK weight 136 Merino superwash wool yarn. It’s available in all the fabulous colours of Mission Falls 1824 cotton and wool:

And there are two new pattern books. Dreamer 136 is a great collection of ten women’s designs in the new 136 Merino:

Mission Falls Goes Crochet includes twelve fantastic crocheted designs that use either 1824 wool or 1824 cotton:

1824 wool and 1824 cotton are conveniently interchangeable, both with the same gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows to a 10 centimetre square.

We have several Mission Falls pattern books in our stores with designs for both adults and kids. The new yarn and books are currently on the shelves in Point Grey and they should arrive arrived in Edgemont today. If you haven’t yet had this yarn on your needles or hooks, you should really check it out….

Summer’s almost over and the air is crisp. It’s time to pick up the needles and knit some cozy things for the chilly days ahead… Why not learn a new skill while you’re at it? You can go back to school this Fall – we have some great classes scheduled for you.

Monday night it’s all about crochet in Point Grey. First up is the Crocheted Amigurumi Class starting on September 15, 7 – 9 pm. You’ll learn to make a cute little crocheted amigurumi doll in just two nights. Basic crochet skills are required for this class. If you can’t crochet but would like to learn how, register for Beginner Crochet, starting on October 6, 7 – 9 pm, for four consecutive Mondays.

Tuesday evenings in Edgemont will see Beginner Knitting starting on September 30, 7 – 9 pm for four sessions, and a Felted Bags class starting on October 7, 7 – 9 pm, also for four sessions. In Point Grey we’ll run the popular Sock Boot Camp where you’ll learn to knit a sock in just one night. There are six SBC’s scheduled with the first camp running on Tuesday, September 16 from 6 – 9 pm.

Sandra Dunkin will teach her popular Aran Block of the Month class in Edgemont on Wednesday evenings, 6 – 8 pm., starting on October 1. This class runs over 7 months, starting with simple twist patterns and progressing each month to more advanced cable work. You’ll complete a new block every month and by the last class you’ll be ready to finish your gorgous afghan! In Point Grey, the talented Sivia Harding will teach a Beginner Lace Knitting class, starting on September 17, 7 – 9 pm for four sessions. You’ll learn to knit Sivia’s beautiful Moonshadow Stole. Sivia will also teach a Jewelry Knitting class later this Fall, stay tuned for further details.

There are some great options on Thursday evenings in Edgemont with an Intermediate Knitting Class starting on October 2, a Hat Class starting on October 9 and a Fingerless Glove class starting on November 6. These classes will all run from 7 – 9 pm. Take your pick! And in Point Grey it’s back to the basics with a Beginner Knitting class starting on September 11, 7 – 9 pm for four sessions. If you’re ready to move beyond the basics, sign up for Beyond Beginner Knitting starting on October 9, 7 – 9 pm, also for four sessions.

Christa will be back in Point Grey on Friday afternoons, 1:00 – 2:30 pm, with her Painless Project sessions. Take this class to get help with a current project or to learn a new technique. Sign up for one or more classes, the first one runs on September 12.

Astor Tsang will be waiting for you on Sunday mornings in Point Grey with her Knitting Q & A class, 11:00 am to 12 noon. Bring your projects and questions to this quiet semi-private lesson for help with pattern reading, complicated stitches or finishing. Astor also has some great demos planned for the Fall, watch for further details in the next few weeks. Sandra Dunkin will run her Aran Block of the Month class in Point Grey on Sunday afternoons, 12:00 – 2:00 pm., starting on October 5.

Whew, what a great list of classes, I’m going to try to drop by and pick up a few new skills myself. For more information, have a look at our class schedule.

And if you don’t see what you’re looking for, we’re happy to customize a class for you. We’ll set up a lesson for one or more students with flexible class times. Grab a couple of friends and have fun learning a new skill together. For more details, phone Kathleen or Becky at 604-228-1122.

We have a sublime new yarn, Organic Merino Wool DK:

It’s gently dyed with environmentally friendly products, using the softest organic merino wool fibers from Australia. Go green with this one.

And there’s a great new accompanying pattern book, with twenty fabulous designs for women, men, girls and boys:

It’s an inspiring collection of knits for cosy winter layering.

If you’re knitting for babies these days, be sure to check out the new Sublime book with nineteen designs for babies from 0 – 3 years:

Both the patterns and babies are adorable.

There’s also a fantastic new Sublime pattern book for kids aged one to twelve years of age:

This one is crammed full of fun and trendy designs that are perfect for any kids wardrobe. There are twenty-three designs in all. Simply sublime indeed!

Our special this week is RYC Soft Tweed at 50% off the regular price. This is a luxurious chunky yarn that’s perfect for new winter projects.

We have loads of new yarns, books, patterns and notions going out on the shelves right now and there’s lots more on the way. It’s a very inspiring time of year!

Man are we getting boxes…

Too busy to post but stay tuned for details.

Are you ready for Hat Attack? It’s a friendly ‘Kill or be Killed’ competition where the weapon of choice is a hat. You’ll be assigned a target and given a pattern. Your goal is to knit a hat and mail it to your target before you are killed by receiving one yourself. The last assassin standing will be awarded US$500. worth of SWTC yarn. Sign up right here before September 16 and if you do, be sure to join the Hat Attack group on Ravelry.

Hat Attack is sponsored by SWTC to launch their new yarn, Therapi. It just arrived in our stores:

It’s a gorgeous new yarn that’s 30% bowlder (jadeite ) fibre, 50% fine wool and 20% silk. A very cool mix.

We also have more of the wonderful Indigo Moon Handpainted and Semi-Solid Merino:

Becky’s been bustling around unpacking all the boxes and most of it’s now on the shelves.

We have bags and bags of new Noro. Absolutely fabulous as usual. Our favourite is the Silk Garden Chunky:

We also love the new Silk Garden Sock and Maiko. And we’ve re-stocked a bunch of Noro yarns in our favourite colourways. Try knitting Interweave’s Kochoron mittens with just one skein.

We also have loads of new Malabrigo Lace, Worsted Merino, Gruesa and Silky Merino. It all looks absolutely divine. Malabrigo Sock will arrive next week. And check out Malabrigo Book One, by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton:

There’s tons of new Sirdar Snuggly DK and Baby Bamboo:

There are now sixteen colours of Baby Bamboo and we have most of them…. We also have some great new Sirdar magazines and leaflets. Like the fanatastic new Eco Wool DK Book II:

There are some fantastic new designs in this one.

We also loaded up our shelves with tons more Debbie Bliss yarn this week. New colours of Cashmerino Aran, Cashmerino Baby, Cashmerino Chunky, Cashmerino DK, Alpaca Silk Aran, Alpaca Silk DK and more. Her new yarn and books will be coming soon. Also her new magazine which should arrive in early September.

Speaking of Debbie, we’re sad to report that she’s had to cancel on our Whistler retreat, she’s booked for surgery in October (nothing serious but surgery nonetheless) and her doctors have advised her not to fly that month. As you can imagine, it’s not easy to fit into Debbie’s busy schedule so the retreat is postponed indefinitely. Maybe next year… We’re still hoping to schedule Jane Ellison for a visit, she’s a great up and coming designer for Noro, Mirasol and many others. We’ll keep you posted.

That’s Jill modelling a gorgeous shawl of her own design:

She used a combination of lace patterns from Vogue’s Ultimate Knitting Book. It’s knit with the luscious Handmaiden Sea Silk. Very inspiring…

And talk about inspiring, Julie’s been knitting some beautiful capelets with Fleece Artist Dreadlocks. Just 1 skein, a beautiful buckle, a couple of movies and voila:

That’s Julie modelling her capelet in Victoria. She’s one of our regular mail order customers, now trusting Kathleen to pick out colours for her. She liked the fabulous colours of her first Dreadlocks shipment so much that she quickly ordered another 3 skeins. Julie’s been busy knitting capelets for her friends and family, here’s another version modelled by one of her friends:

We have the pattern (thanks Julie!) so just ask if you’d like one. Dreadlocks is one of our current specials and sadly we can’t get any more so quantities are limited.

Our special this week is Rowan Plaid at 70% off. We mentioned this one a few days ago, it’s a lovely, soft combo of wool, alpaca and acrylic. Only $7.79 for a big, beautiful ball, 100g, 100 metres. Can’t go wrong at that price…

And late-breaking news, we have tons of new stuff going out on the shelves as we speak. Yesterday we received fifteen boxes in Point Grey and a bunch of new boxes in Edgemont as well. There’s also loads of new stuff on the way like Malabrigo sock yarn and SWTC Therapi for Hat Attack. No time to tell you all the details but stay tuned for more info next time…

We’ve unpacked another brand new Rowan yarn, Shimmer. When you get the urge to go glam, add a little glitter to a project with this sparkly new yarn.

We also have Kim Hargreaves FABULOUS new books, Heartfelt and Nectar. Kim has over twenty years of design experience and it shows. We’re drooling over the designs… We’re almost sold out of Heartfelt but don’t despair, there are more on the way. They’ll be here soon, just leave your name and we’ll phone when they arrive.

And if you’re knitting for babies these days, you’ll love the new Rowan Milk Cotton Baby Collection. Another lovely collection of designs for little ones that’s hard to resist!