How appropriate….our first Urban Yarns draw just took place prior to the invasion of the little demons and ghosts.  Drum roll…we would like to congratulate Michelle, who won at our Edgemont store and Alden, who won at our Point Grey store.   Enjoy your $50.00 gift certificates!

Good luck to all for next month’s draw and have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Knits Weekend contains loads of project ideas for men, women, children, and the home including, lots of fast and easy patterns that can, actually, be completed in a day or a weekend.  For example…

Who wouldn’t love an Organic Man.  Knit with Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton, this sweater would make any guy look great.  Who are you actually knitting it for, him or you?

Or, in anticipation of snow or chilly weather, why not think about keeping warm by knitting this Snowflake Scarf, which looks great  knit in Cascade Ecological Wool.  We love this wool and hope you do, too.  We currently have many colours in stock to make this beautiful scarf. 

And….for those of you who are thinking about holiday preparations, this magazine is the largest-ever Interweave issue.  With more than 50 patterns, aimed at a variety of knitting abilities, you’re guaranteed to find loads of ideas, including great gift ideas.  Here’s a sneak preview…

These little “Entrelac Bags” are perfect for storing your treasures or for giving small gifts.  This pattern suggests using Noro Kureyon, a great yarn for a multitude of projects.  Available in lots of colours to make these little bags a treat for anyone. 

And, due to the popularity of Intraweave Knit Fall 2009, we have also received another shipment of this popular magazine. 

Interweave never ceases to amaze with their spectatular rainbow of ideas!

Our incredibly talented, Alexa, has combined her love of photography and colour with a love of yarn and knitting to create her own line of yarn called Gourmet Crafter Yarns.  These handpainted and kettle dyed yarns are a sight to behold.  Not only are the colours exquisite, but the names and inspiration behind each yarn is described on her labels.  Here are just a few samples of her creations, drop in to drool over the rest.

Granville Island Cherries was inspired by Alexa’s love of Granville Island and cherries.  A reminder of hot summer days. 

This yarn is called Moraine Lake, after the famous lake near Banff, and featured on our $20.00 bill.  So very Canadian.

And, my personal favourite, Robins Egg, as I always marvel at the colour and delicacy of a robin’s egg. 

Congratulations, Alexa, on your wonderful new creations and can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

For all the men in our lives… this book by Jane Elison is chok-a-block full of fabulous and simple designs. Jane’s simplistic philosophy works perfectly with the noro yarns, and lets the colours do the work, not you! Whether you’re a male knitter, knitting for yourself, or a female knitting for that special someone, this book really is a must see!

And, speaking of special, this week’s special is River Loop-d-Loop in cream, blue and red.  Was $11.95, now 40% off and only $7.17 a ball.  A blend of 90% cotton and 10% cashmere, in an 18 stitch gauge would work for a variety of projects, including the adorable Coco Knits Zip pattern featured in our previous blog post, Great New Patterns and Kits.

Love these bags?  We did, too, and just had to order some of the OffHand Designs bags and clutches which have just arrived.  We brought in a variety of styles and colours to choose from that will make you the talk of the town.  They are truly exquisite.   Below are just a few samples of what we have in stock.

Featured here is the Zhivago Weekender design.  This super spacious bag has lots of pockets for storing different knitting  projects and opens wide so you can see everything inside.  It also has a great closure so nothing will fall out.  Available in a variety of to “dye” for colours. 

Or, if you prefer this style, the Fiona tote also has lots of pockets and the handles are designed to stay comfortably on your shoulders. 

These clutches are perfect for storing knitting needles and fit easily inside the totes.  A perfect companion for an Offhand bag or tote.

Words cannot describe this beauty of this yarn. Flurries is  made with Australian merino wool and glass beads. Try making this baby beanie with just one skein. Come and take a look at our sample in the Point Grey store – it’s just too cute!

Another new yarn that we brought in from Tilli Tomas is Pure and Simple. Made of 100% silk spun, this yarn has 260 yards – enough to make a scarf. Such rich and vibrant colours… come and take a look for your self!

As you can tell, we love Fleece Artist!  We just received another incredible shipment  including this versatile, Lady of the Lake jacket kit, knit in a combination of Marina and Curly Locks yarns.  You can’t go wrong with this easy to knit project and the new colours are stunning!  All for only $86.95.

Or, if you prefer, the Garter Stitch Jacket kit contains a combination of Curly Locks, Mo, Baby Kid and Kids Curls in a variety of colours.  A simple to make keepsake jacket that you will want to linger over as the colours and textures are, oh, so exquisite.  What other jacket can you make for $79.95?

We also received new Mo and Trina kits as well as a variety of colours of the ever-popular curly locks, perfect for shawls.  These projects are very popular, so, don’t be disappointed and drop in soon to see for yourself the wonderful new assortment.

Our Special of the Week is Tahi Stacy Charles, Moss Loop-d-Loop, available in a variety of colours.  This super soft yarn, made of 85% extra fine merino wool and 15% nylon, can be used to make anything under the sun (or rain as the case may be).  Now marked down 50%, originally $12.95, now $6.48.

We’re so happy to announce that we will be hosting Astor Tsang’s Book Launch next month at our West Point Grey location!

If you haven’t met Astor yet, she’s usually here on Sundays for her Q and A session. Most of you already know, she’s a great teacher and has just launched herself into the book world.

She will be showing off her new book; A Simple-to-use Guide to Creating Hip Knits. It looks like a fabulous book with many creative deigns. Here’s a sneak peek:

To celebrate Astor and her wonderful new book, we’ll be serving wine and desserts after she does a short talk.

The event will be taking place on Thursday November 19th from 7-9pm at our Point Grey location. Although the event is free, we do ask that people sign up in advance. Please email or call us at 604-228-1122 if you would like to put your name on the list.

Absolutely love the Flora Doll kit by Pick Up Sticks.  This would make a perfect gift for a special little lady in your life and for only $18.95 you can’t go wrong.    

Another kit by Pick Up Sticks.  This unique conversation piece bracelet is bound to attract attention.  I made two and gave one to a friend as a friendship bracelet. 

This Oz pattern by Heirloom Stitches is worked top down all in the round, so no seams to deal with.  The pattern includes directions for size 2-14 and suggests using Silk Garden by Noro.  We have lots of colours to choose from and you can mix and match as you please. 

Zip, by Cocoknits.  This adorable sweater with a handy zipper down the back was knit using 4 skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca dyed cotton and only requires general knitting skills.  Pattern includes instructions for 12-18 months or 18-24 months and is designed so you can quickly zip up the sweater as your child is squirming away.  And better yet, little hands can’t take it off when there’s no front zipper. Very clever design!

This is only a small sample of some of the great new patterns and kits we have recently received.  More patterns by Cocoknits, Heirloom Stitches and Pick Up Sticks, as well as Knitbot and Jacquelyn Landry are a must see.

For beer lovers everywhere, these his and her beer sweaters are too cute to resist.  Any DK yarn will do but Blue Sky Silk, Melange, or Sport Weight come to mind, or for those of you who like the tweedy look, a ball of Rowan Scottish Tweed would look great as well.  Get the pattern free here. 

Halloween is just around the corner and wondered if any expert carvers out there would want to take a shot at this on your pumpkin.  Click here to get the full size image.  And, if you do, please send us a picture so we can post it on the blog for all to see. 

And, finally, this week’s special is Filatura di Crosa Puff.  Was $11.95 a ball.  Now 40% off at $7.17.  A nicely textured yarn perfect for a warm, wooly scarf to wear while trick-or-treating.