Archive for May, 2015

Premium Product: Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock

Monday, May 25th, 2015

Not a new product, but the other day we were shuffling around some of the displays in the store and said “huh, haven’t seen too much action around this sock yarn lately, because it’s been tucked away in a dark corner…” which is as good a reason as any to put it in the spotlight for a bit!

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Vital Statistics
Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Sock
Content: 50% alpaca, 30% merino wool, 10% silk, 10% nylon
Weight: 100 grams
Length: 400 meters/437 yards
Gauge: 28 stitches/4 inches
Suggested Needle Size: 2.75 mm/US2

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This yarn really has a lovely hand – it of course develops a halo from the high alpaca content, but the merino does it’s share to keep that in check (a blessing if, like me, you can’t stand yarn with too much fuzz). The silk and nylon both serve to add some durability making it a far better yarn for socks than many alpaca-based yarns.

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Obviously the colours are just fantastic, as we’ve all come to expect from Misti Alpaca. The one caveat there is that as with any hand dyed yarn, if you are using multiple skeins, it is a good idea to alternate them to prevent pooling and dye lot changes.

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Some lovely patterns to use this yarn for would be Color Affection (maybe paired with a solid colour), Turkish Bed Socks, or if you’re especially daring, The Beekeeper’s Quilt.

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Learn to Fair Isle

Tuesday, May 19th, 2015

Have you always admired the intricate looking, colourful motifs of fair isle but thought it too daunting to ever attempt or try? Well fear no more….we have an expert in the house and she is offering a class specifically on this technique to teach you how to strand and play with colourful yarns.

Let me introduce you to Sylvanna (some of you may already know her as the hostess of the Friday night knit night), there is a great story behind her experience with fair isle-

Sylvanna learned to knit when she was 15yrs old at her high school knitting club, after her mom had tried to teach her several times, to no avail. She taught herself the continental style of knitting so that she could attempt knitting fair isle using both hands rather than just one. Sylvanna prefers the two handed method to prevent the yarns from getting all tangled up together. On her only second attempt with fair isle, Sylvanna chose a complex Debbie Bliss cardigan you can check out the pattern here:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cropped-fair-isle-cardigan.

As you can see she wasn’t messing around and it was a complete success!!

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So much so that one of DB’s editors spotted Sylvanna’s finished garment pictures on Ravelry and contacted her, asking if she could forward her a picture to feature in the Fall/Winter 2014 issue!!

Here it is:

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Naturally we thought now why not get our in house celebrity to teach this technique, well here is your chance! Sylvanna will be teaching a colour work class where you will learn the fair isle techniques as well as intarsia and the duplicate stitch. It will be held on Mondays from 6:30-8:30pm, starting May 25th at the point grey location. If you are interested give us a call as the dates may change due to how many people register (we will wait until 2/3 people at least are signed up).

Note: Edit from the last spa cloth post- Alison has changed the dates and times of her classes to:
Friday May 22, 29 at 12:30-2:30pm ($50) and
Friday June 19, 26 at 12:30-2:30pm ($50)

Spa cloths and candles, Oh my!!

Monday, May 4th, 2015

If you have visited the store lately you might have noticed a nice fresh scent in the air. We have a new locally made candle line called the Vancouver Candle Co. They are “Clean burning candles made of premium soy wax, cotton wicks and perfume-grade fragrance oils.
Hand-poured in small batches and personally signed and numbered by a single artisan”. You can check out their website for more info here:
http://www.vancouvercandleco.com.

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We love to be able to support our local businesses and adore the fact that they are named after local areas of Vancouver, a great unique gift. The scent combinations are to die for, making it impossible to choose just one.

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And to go with these beautiful candles you can practice or learn a new skill of lace or cables with these knitted spa cloths, a perfect birthday, wedding shower or house warming gift.

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An excellent introduction to lace and cables, either from a chart or written instructions. Patterns can be purchased individually or as a set of 3 ebook. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spa-cloth-1

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This is Spa Cloth 3-http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spa-cloth-3-2

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Each cloth calls for 1 skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Cotton and 3.75mm needles. Feel a little over your head? Fear not, the lace aficionado Alison will be offering workshop classes for this project on Saturdays at the Point Grey location. So come and learn a new technique or freshen up on your skills (beyond beginner skills recommended) and leave with a lovely new bathroom addition or gift. Just in time for mother’s day too, a one of a kind candle and Spa cloth…..done!!