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Archive for June, 2012

Go Canadian for Canada Day

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

There are so many great Canadian yarn dyers and pattern makers that it’s not too hard to go Canadian for Canada Day. If you haven’t tried any of the following I encourage you to support your countrymen and countrywomen!

1. Biscotte and Cie: we shall start with the newest, Biscotte and Cie. These self striping yarns from Quebec will make an adorable baby sweater or a funky pair of socks!

2. SweetGeorgia: always a favorite of mine pick up a luscious skein of Merino Silk Lace or CashSilk lace and knit up a summery shawl for those cool nights.

3. Me!: I can’t say enough about how great I am really There are Gourmet Crafter patterns and yarn as well as Tin Can Knits book 9 Months of Knitting! Gourmet Crafter yarn is inspired by photographs I have taken of the world around me. Whether it’s Moraine Lake in the Rockies or Cherry Blossoms on Highbury street!

4. Amanda Kaffka: a popular gal around the shop, check out Amanda’s chic and trendy knits. Here latest Jenny wrap is a summery striped version, perfect for a night out!

5. Michael Wynne: If you are looking for the perfect heirloom baby blanket check out Michael’s Hap Style. It has the perfect combination of simple garter and pretty lace to create a blanket any mum would be delighted to receive.

Tags: Amanda Kaffka, Biscotte and Cie, Canadian, Michael Wynne, SweetGeorgia
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Insouciant

Monday, June 25th, 2012

Every so often there is an absolute run on a pattern and yarn. It happened with Amanda’s Jenny wrap and with the Clapotis and Handmaiden Mini Maiden. It seemed that not only were knitters enamored with a certain pattern, they just HAD to have the exact same yarn to go with it! Well the latest craze? Insouciant by Julie Hoover.

This pattern is a simple and elegant t-shirt with the lovely drape of Habu’s Tsumugi Silk. The shape of the shirt is such that it would fit any body type and the yarn is a beautiful tweedy raw silk. Nothing wrong with that combination! Anina is working on hers and more than a few have come through the shop in the last few weeks.

Here at UY is seems that what we really do is substitute yarns. There are always endless combinations that would work for any given pattern. Insouciant seems to be an exception to this rule. There is really no other yarn that is quite like the Habu Tsumugi and I can’t even think of another yarn I would use! It’s just a perfect combination.

Tags: Habu, Julie Hoover
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Canada Day Knits

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

There are a couple of weeks before the big day, just enough time to work in some red and white knits! I don’t know how you celebrate Canada Day but I find it to be an outdoor and laid back holiday. Usually we do something outdoors during the day, maybe hit the park or play in an ultimate frisbee tournament. The evening, however, is always reserved for a bbq on a patio with friends and family.

There is something about a salmon on the bbq and bevvie in hand that says celebrating our great nation to me. This year, however, I will be in Tofino around a campfire, enjoying a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows (while I’m sure everyone around me will be spiking their hot chocolate or enjoying a beer!). The night is guaranteed to be cold so I will FINALLY be able to wear my Maple Leaf Mittens on Canada Day! They are normally to warm for the first of July, but the evenings by the ocean will be cold cold cold!

If you are staying in town, perhaps just a little something to keep the head, hands, and neck warm? Amanda has some amazing Vancouver and Canada inspired knits ready to go in kits for you! There are fingerless maple leaf gloves, a slouchy toque, and a great cowl with the Vancouver skyline knit in. Each kit comes with the yarn and pattern you need to make a Canada inspired knit of your own.

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New Knitty

Thursday, June 14th, 2012

New Knitty is up! What is Knitty you ask? Really?!

Knitty is a great free online magazine full of patterns and some great features and articles. This issue has some fabulous Zauberball socks and a new shawl pattern from Emily Wessel, the Estuary Shawl.

The socks are made with a construction I’ve never seen before, which is saying a lot since there are so very many sock constructions! The Longitudinal Socks are made from side to side, utilizing the rainbow-stripe fabulousness that is Zauberball sock yarn!

Estuary Shawl: “An estuary is a fertile place, a junction between riverine and ocean habitats, where the mixing of fresh and salt water creates a gradated ecosystem which nurtures thousands of species”. Doesn’t that intro say it all? A pretty shawl that draws from the beautiful land/water form of it’s namesake.

Tags: Emily Wessel, Knitty, socks, Zauberball
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Noro!

Thursday, June 14th, 2012

I have to admit it’s been a while since I have thought about Noro yarn. It’s always there, like a colourful friend, but I haven’t considered the possibilities recently.

Of course, this is pre-POP. Emily’s colourful blanket has re-awakened a love of colours and stripes and rainbows! We just received a new shipment of Kureyon (the yarn Emily used for her pretty piece) as well as the Cascade eco for the white background. We received some wild colours, perfect for a POP of bright and cheery.

Noro has also released their very first magazine issue. It’s full of both wear-able designs and of course, some wild and crazy because it wouldn’t be Noro without some wild and crazy right?! The best part of the mag for me was definitely the article on the beginning of Noro and the wild and crazy tea cozies!

Tags: Kureyon, Noro, POP
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Meet Veera

Sunday, June 10th, 2012

Well, after the success of our Jane knit along, it’s time for another! This one is going to go a little longer than usual since it’s the summer and some people (who are not me) take a bit of a knit break in the heat. Will there ever be that kind of heat here in Vancouver?

I digress. Meet Veera. The usual rules apply: pick yourself a Veera Valimaki pattern, get yourself some yarn to match, and cast on June 22nd. We will be casting off and/or showing off our knits on September 21st. Simple right? So here come some pattern options I think you might enjoy:

Hooray Cardigan

Turmeric

Color Affection

Tags: KAL, Veera Valimaki
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Biscotte and Cie

Tuesday, June 5th, 2012

I’ve waited a few weeks to blog about this yarn because our first batch disappeared so quickly! I brought some of these self-striping wonders home to photograph and I soon received a call: they would have to come back immediately. Most in demand is the Watermelon colourway, pretty pinks and greens with tiny bits of black: they even thought of the seeds!

Biscotte and Cie is a Quebec based yarn company with stunning self striping sock yarns in an array of whimsical colour schemes. Poison Clown is reminiscent of Finding Nemo (and Poison Tang is a nice compliment along these lines). There is a Cat in the Hat colourway and even a Harry Potter inspired Sorcerer’s Uniform!

Each skein makes a pair of socks and we have many free patterns to accompany Biscotte and Cie’s fun yarn.

Tags: Biscotte and Cie
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Fun with Jane

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012

Well, it’s been a week now and I miss Jane already! Urban Yarns knit night was in fine form last Friday for a night with Jane Richmond, designer extraordinaire. The evening wrapped up our latest KAL and we all wore our finished finery for the occasion. Jane brought all her samples so we could peruse the possibilities and gave a great talk on her design process and her experience of starting out as a designer.

On to the knits! Congrats to everyone who finished their projects!