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.

Get out the black and orange yarn… Halloween is almost 2 weeks away!

Try out some really easy, spooky spiders. I made “Gordon” and “Ramsay” during a Hell’s Kitchen commercial break – they’re so fast to make! All you need are two pom pom makers of different sizes, black yarn, black pipe-cleaners, tiny googly eyes, and a hot glue gun. We have the pom pom makers and yarn, and you can find the rest at an art supply store. Drop by either store for a free pattern from our friends at N. Jefferson!

This Harvest Pumpkin pattern from Marie Mayhew is great for making center-pieces and ornaments. Try making this pattern with Cascade 220, on 6.5mm needles.

Want to make candy corn hats for the whole family? Check out this adorable pattern by Sarah Nopper. We suggest using either the Spud and Chloe Sweater or the Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Dyed Cotton. Both would make great, vibrant and warm hats!

And just in… Punk Knits Skull Needles:

Limited quantities, so be sure to pick some up before it’s too late!

Come visit Astor and Emily today from 12-5pm in Point Grey, or myself and Alexa on Monday from 12-5pm.

Valerie will be in Edgemont for all your knitting needs today from 12-5pm, but we’ll be closed in Edgemont on Monday.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Urban Yarns!

This is Big Merino. One of our many new yarns from Fleece Artist. It’s a chunky 100% merino with absolutely gorgeous hand dyed colours! I’m sure one of our designers in the store will come up with some patterns soon…

We saw this next kit and just fell in love with the design. Mieka is a light weight cardigan made from Handmaiden’s Double Sea Silk. You want luxurious yarn? This is the one for you!

When you touch the Peter Rabbit yarn, it feels just like you’re petting a bunny. This yarn is the softest thing you’ll touch. Imagine a neck warmer in Peter Rabbit – super soft against your skin!

Hanna is the hat from the Elmira kits. So if you don’t want to knit the gloves, just grab a Hanna kit. The Hat is a helmet style design with big ear flaps – no need for ear muffs! We also brought in some Elmira kits for those who like matching hats and gloves.

Another new addition to our Fleece Artist collection is the Criss Cross Scarf kit.  Make a beautiful long scarf with the Suri Blue for under $20! You can’t beat that!

Phew… I think that’s it! I’m sure there’s something I’ve forgotten, but you’re going to have to stop by and see all the gorgeous colours anyway!

Ever since our huge order went in, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the Fleece Artist boxes – these are some of the nicest boxes to receive.  Well… they’re here!

This is just a part of our ever growing Fleece Artist Collection:

We’ve restocked our Merino with Angel Hair and Nyoni which are both still on sale. We have an assortment of colours which may not all be shown on the website, so please call or email us if you wish to place an order for these yarns.

Sabine is a beautifully fitting shrug made from Goldiehair, a medley of lucious kid mohair, silk, and nylon brush. This garment fits like a glove and is so cozy for those cool fall days.

One of our favourite, “go-to” kits is back! The Slubby Scarf with Super Kid Loop, and Slubby Blue is a super fast and fun project. I see a lot of people getting Slubby Scarves for Christmas this year! We also received single skeins of the slubby. Come by and see the hat Anina made from it – it’s too cute!

We’ve re-stocked our Soft Wavy Wraps… these can also be used for small throws on couches or chairs. I have one of the back of my couch which comes in handy on cold nights of knitting and watching tv!

New colours that we’ve added this season include; boreal, aurora, labrador, and red fox. Labrador is especially lovely, with ever so rich blues and browns – a new store favourite!

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow!

 We just received a new shipment of books including the ever-popular 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders, One-Skein Wonders and Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders series by Judith Durant.  It’s amazing what she can conjure up with only one skein of yarn!  She provides patterns that allow you to create projects utilizing yarns from your stash, or create keepsakes using only one skein of luxury yarn.  Tilli Tomas comes to mind. . . .

The adorable Knitted Odd-Bod Bunch by Donna Wilson contains 35 patterns that are incredibly unique.  There is not one pattern in this book that you won’t want to knit!  Favourites include: Beryl the Dog; Bunny Blue rabbit; and Charlie the Monkey.  These projects make excellent gifts for children and adults alike. 

We also received:
201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks by Melody Griffiths
2-At-A-Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes
Easy Baby Knits by Claire Montgomerie, and
Itty-Bitty Nursery by Susan B. Anderson

And, for those of you who want to get a head start on Christmas gifts, Knit Xmas Stockings by Gwen Steege contains 19 easy stocking patterns as well as knit and felt Christmas ornaments.  

But, back to Halloween, this week’s special is Rozetti Coccoon in red and purple.  Originally $14.95, this yarn is on special for 40% off and at $8.97 would be perfect for making a dramatic boa or other creative statement.

One of our favourite lace weight yarns is back on our shelves! Zephyr is a beautiful blend of merino wool and tussah silk. With 630 yarns per ball, you can’t go wrong…

There are so many shawl patterns to chose from that you could knit up with this  gorgeous yarn. Alison knit the Peacock Feathers Shawl as her second lace project. Since then, she’s gone on to finish dozens of unbelievable lace creations.  You can see a few of them on display in the west 10th store. Thanks for the lace inspiration Alison!

Starting October 1, enter our monthly Knit-Pik at either the Point Grey or Edgemont store and you could win a $50.00 gift certificate to spend on your favourite product.  Just bring in your business card or fill out a Knit-Pik card, place it in the container provided, and keep your fingers crossed.  The draw will take place the last day of every month.  Good luck!

This week’s specials are Filatura di Crosa Folly and New Maliziosa, both at 40% off.  Folly was 12.95, now a lucky $7.77 a ball,  great for scarves, shawls and trims.  New Maliziosa was $8.95, now 5.37 a ball.  This yarn could also be used for scarves, as well as hats or garments. 

And, now that Halloween is fast approaching you might want to create a skull scarf to scare your friends.  This pattern is free and directions are provided using a chart or, if you prefer, it is also written out.  Pick up some Debbie Bliss Rialto DK  or any worsted weight yarn and, as you can see, you don’t necessarily have to stick with the traditional black and white skull colours. 

Click here for a copy of the free pattern.

Crochet is all the rage and even Cate Blanchett is wearing it.  For great crochet ideas check out our new book, Crochet That Fits, by Mary Jan Hall. 

In this exciting new book, Mary Jan Hall introduces a graduated stitch system that utilizes crochet stitches of different heights.  Using this approach, she has created a variety of crochet patterns that are easy to follow but highly unique and extremely flattering.  So why not follow in Cate Blanchett’s footsteps and create a stunning masterpiece of your own.