It’s late, so I’m going to with a bit of a no-brainer for today’s gift idea.

One word: Madelinetosh

We can’t keep it in stock, much as we try. And I guess the colours are pretty OK. If you like rich, vibrant, deep colours.

From the finest of laceweight, to the bulkiest A.S.A.P. there is hands down something for every knitter. If you had to pick blind, two skeins of this sqooshy goodness is sure to be a home run.

And if you need a pattern to go along with the yarn, look no further than Madelinetosh’ own patterns!

It’s that time of year again, folks!
Now that December is upon us, we like to start a running tally of new and exciting items that make perfect holiday gifts.

I’m going to start with an oldie but a goodie today. I know this is something that I list every year, but I want to mention it now, because these always sell out well before the end of the month.

Interchangeable Needle Kits.
Whether it’s Addi or Knitter’s Pride, there’s a needle kit for every knitter. I’ll refer you back to my ooooooold post from 2012 comparing all our kits for further reading. Maybe print that off and leave it lying around with one or two kits helpfully circled as a nice little hint-hint to your cohabitants.

And to use those circular needles? Might I suggest one of my favourite circular designs? The Jeweled Cowl, by Sachiko Uemura. I have made…. several of these, and they are always a success. Plus it’s a good excuse to start working some glitter into your winter wardrobe.

For my last post of the holiday season, I will assume that all the major gift shopping is done and suggest some stocking stuffers. Since I haven’t had my coffee yet, I will keep this short and sweet: Notions. Knitters can always use more notions. I’m talking stitch markers, stitch holders, darning needles, row counters, highlighter tape, graph paper, a spare crochet hook, marking pins, blocking pins, blocking wires and pads, scrap yarn, measuring tapes, scissors, thread for sewing on buttons, darning yarn, bobbins, needle gauge, and many many more. Any knitting store and most craft stores should have some small items that you can pick up.

And with that, happy holidays! See you on the other side.

Most of the time when someone comes in looking for yarn for a gift, I immediately direct them to the Wall of Canadian Yarn.

Fleece Artist and Handmaiden are two very well-established sister brands (well actually mother-daughter brands) out of Mineville, Nova Scotia.

Biscotte & Cie is our newest addition, producing some really fantastic self-striping sock yarns in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec.

And then we get into the truly local suppliers! Sweet Georgia is known for her just fantastic use of vibrant, bold colours, and dyes right here in Vancouver.

We also have a little bit of our own Alexa’s Gourmet Crafter yarns – cashmere and cashmere blends inspired by her photography of local sites.

If you ever have the inclination to learn more about washing and blocking your knits than you will ever need or likely care to know, come and ask me about it. I dare you. Somewhere in the midst of a very long diatribe, the topic of how best to shape your knitwear will be broached, and one possible solution is blocking wires.

Imagine an image here. Normally I am loathe to post sans-photo, but these look exactly like they sound like they should – a set of about a dozen wires of varying lengths.

Blocking wires come in two main types: straight (or rigid) and curved (or flexible). There are many in-between kinds, but typically a wire will be relatively heavy gauge for use pinning out a straight edge, or relatively light gauge for pinning out a nice smooth curved edge. Both have their merits and drawbacks, and both have their place. We have both, just to keep us all happy.

I won’t go into much more here other than blocking wires will make your life way way easier, save a lot of time, allow you to avoid unsightly scalloped edges (or produce lovely scalloped edges, if desired), and seriously cut down on the number of blocking pins needed (do not even think about asking how many hundred t-pins I own…)

And of course, on to the freebie of the day! Today I am going to be slightly awful and plug myself and my fellow designers here at Urban Yarns. We have some great free patterns available for you in store! They are designed to work great with many yarns we carry, and we love to see our creations out and about. Come in and ask about what we have hidden away in the pattern files – there’s lots of goodies there.

This one is for the matchy matchy knitters out there. The makers of our beloved Soak products (wool wash, hand and heel creams which Alexa wrote about earlier) have joined forces with Lorna’s Laces and OPI to offer these Soakboxes. Each Soakbox contains one skein of Lorna’s laces (enough to make one pair of the included fingerless gloves pattern), a bottle of soak wash, a bottle of handmaid cream, and a vial of OPI nail polish to match the yarn. Four colourways are available, each with their own pattern and scent. Aquae/Lace Kelly (featured below), Celebration/Clark Cable, Scentless/Double Pointe Pink, and Lacey/Cuff au Lait.

And a group shot.

Today’s freebie/food for thought is the Rikke Hat by Sarah Young. It calls for one skein of Madelientosh Dk (which we have, and another great option would be Sweet Georgia Worsted). Simple, flattering, and super popular on Ravelry!

Carrying on from the other day… In addition to project bags/organizers, there are also pattern protectors! Slipped Stitch Studios (again) makes these fantastic pattern wallets that not only keep your printed patterns looking sharp, but also let you use her magnets to keep track of your place! We have both the wallets and magnets in assorted prints.

Today’s bonus is also pattern related. With so many people getting their patterns online, guess what… There’s an app for that. The JKnit suite of apps (iOS only, not so nice for us android users) lets you read your pdfs and track your progress, as well as maintain project logs and and stash, needles, etc… I think this would be ideal for any iPad user, but would work for the iPhone as well.

Most of us have at least one portable project on the go. These little bags are the perfect thing to keep your work clean and in one piece.

Blue Sky Alpacas make a simple, pretty cheap bag that comes in a variety of cute colours (only one size) that vary with availability. Pictured center, below.

Our most popular project bags have to be by Slipped Stitch Studios. These handmade fabric bags come in a range of sizes from sock bags to full-sized sweater or blanket bags. Fabric choice change constantly – if you find one you like, snap it up because odds are it will never be available again. Pictured left, above.

And todays inspiration is triangular scarves/kerchiefs. They can be working in any weight, with pretty much any amount of yarn (or yarns). The perfect stashbuster, easy to wear, no pattern required for the most basic (CO5, increase one stitch at each edge and two at center every other row), or go fancy! My current favourite is this Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief by Orange Flower.

Today, I give you The Gleener!

This is super handy tool. Like super duper handy. On one end there are three different ‘blades’ for large bulky pills, medium-to-large pills, and fine, delicate pills. On the other end, a lint brush. Do yourself and your knits a favour with this device and keep your finished items looking good as new.

And today’s inspiration is a pair of really adorable wrist warmers. The Abra Alba wrist warmers by Matilde Skar are so so cute! I want to make a pair for each season in a different colourway! HERE‘s a good selection of DK weight yarns to get you started.

Stolen from Matilde Skar on Ravelry

Ok, I’m off on another non-knitting product today.

We have these super-adorable crewel kits from Wool & Hoop in (not up on the website yet, but you can call in if you’re interested). You can make cards, pillows, or just hooped designs. I’m working on one of them, and I would say that considering I have never done embroidery before, these qualify as excellent beginner kits. Just note, some of them do not come with hoops, but we have extra hoops to purchase alongside them.

It’s always a good idea to stretch your brain with something different once in a while!

And your daily dose of inspiration is handknit christmas balls! I made this set last year…

And I got totally outdone by this person! (photo snagged from polarbears on Ravelry))