I am sure you have been bombarded with New Years resolution emails about fitness, health, lifestyle etc and now here is another resolution idea to add to your list….your Unfinished Objects. Yes we all have them just like we all have a stash of yarn we want to get through, both seem to stack up and grow with every passing year. I don’t even want to tell you how many are on my list, lots of them so very close to being able to be worn that you would think that that would be enough motivation to finally finish them. For some reason blocking, seaming and finishing gets put aside as it is always more fun to start something new…classic startitis. So lets make a New Years resolution to finish our UFO’s and break the cycle!

I started over the holidays, fished out some of my UFO’s and did some seaming and you know what it felt good, I was excited about the prospect of being able to wear the finished garment. That being said I think that that excitement will wear off quickly (speaking from past attempts) so lets encourage each other to keep the momentum going and get these guys finished!

For a little bit of added motivation why not store your UFO’s in a beautiful, locally handmade project bag? Then every time you see this gorgeous bag, you will be reminded and inspired to stay on track and get the job done.

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The bags are made by Kas Designs and all are constructed from 100% reclaimed fabric samples and remnants. The fabrics are nice and thick, beautiful and soft to the touch. They come in two sizes, the larger one with lots of inside pockets for all your notions and goodies.

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The smaller travel knitting bag is great for small on the go projects like socks, accessories etc and can be carried on your arm if you are one of those talented sock knitters that can knit a pair while they walk or stand ;)

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Here’s to a New Year, 2015, new resolutions, new beginnings and finishing those UFO’s!!


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Well, they’ve gone and done it again…

Alexa and Emily (of the now-infamous Tin Can Knits) have yet another fantastic book coming out, and we’re stoked to be hosting their book launch for Road Trip!

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Details first, then the goodies.
This Friday (January 9th, 2015)
Urban Yarns Point Grey
7-9pm

You know the routine, goodies, trunk show, meet and greet with the authors – it’s bound to be a great time!

I think my favourite patterns so far are Stovetop, Old Growth, Clayoquot, and Bonfire, but it’s pretty tough to decide… Clearly, you need to get your hands on the samples this Friday to help you choose which to knit first!

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Stovetop

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Old Growth

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Clayoquot

RT-bonfire-03b
Bonfire


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It is Christmas Eve!!!

Yikes where has the time gone, does anyone else feel like it was just summer? It is the last day for shopping and yes you probably already guessed my gift idea for today. The last but not least, can’t go wrong, quick, easy and always a winner……..GIFT CARD.

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You can purchase a gift card for any denomination you choose. Either pick one up from the store or purchase over the phone from the comforts of your own home and we can mail it out to the lucky recipient (but obviously not in time for Christmas day ;)

We are open 10am-3pm, so don’t leave it too late!

Have a wonderful, relaxing, joyous holiday filled with lots of laughter and of course plenty of knitting time.


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If you’re still looking for holiday gifts for a knitter (or a non-knitter), well I hate to say it but, you’re cutting it a bit close. Unless you enjoy hitting the malls in the last two days before Christmas (speak for yourself, but I plan to avoid all shopping spaces until at least mid-January at this point).

So what would make a great last-minute gift? Well, while the tides certainly wait for no man, you can give your knitter the gift of time. Personally, I always prefer to gift experiences rather than things, so I have become quite adept at drawing up gift certificates and other cute redeemables (see an in-process one below).

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Some ideas for giving the gift of time:

  • Take the children/pets somewhere for a few hours for quiet knitting time
  • Do dinner/dishes/cleanup one evening (and maybe make a nice cocktail while you’re at it)
  • Take your knitter out for a coffee/drink – bring yourself a book or crossword puzzle while they knit
  • Let your knitter pick the TV show/movie for a few nights (we all have media that we prefer knitting to)

Get creative – I’m sure you can think of chores that your giftee hates, or other ways to give them a bit of breathing room and time to just… knit (and hey, more knitting time, means more knitted gifts for you next year!)

Julia will close out our advent ideas tomorrow, but this is it for me this year. I’ll be back with you all in 2015. Happy and safe holidays!


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More last minute gift ideas for you:

Another felting kit option.

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We received a large order of these adorable Lantern Moon tape measures…who couldn’t find a use for one of these. We have a nice variety of animals to choose from- sock monkey, turtle, owl, penguin, kitty, bunny and of course sheep. Also cute animal stitch markers.

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Our notions wall is a great place to look for stocking stuffers and last minute gifts.


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Scraping the bottom of the gift-giving barrel here, and I bet you are all just so sick of hearing from me all month ;)

Luxury yarns. Because why the heck not? There are so many more options to fit every budget and style – really best to ask in person for tips on this one.

Possum

Possum

Mink

Mink

Cashmere

Cashmere

Silk

Silk


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The countdown is on for sure now, the last weekend available to squeeze in anymore shopping. The malls will be a mess, traffic and road rage galore as well as stock and sizes depleted and picked over. If you are a lucky one that lives in the city, why not bypass all that and take a lovely stroll down W10th. There are a variety of unique boutiques and shops that will for sure cover all your bases. Come visit us and we can help you find many different gifts options- for knitters to non-knitters, child to adult….we have lots of ideas.

This one is very popular (I own two pairs), the Lothlorian gloves are made of 40% possum fibre, 50% merino wool, 10% nylon. New Zealand possum fibre is one of the finest and softest fibres with amazing wearing characteristics, it is hollow, so this garment is very light but extremely warm for its weight….very true the gloves I have are extremely lightweight but the warmest pair of gloves I own!!

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I like the fingerless option that allows you to be able to use your phone without having to take off you gloves.

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We also have hats and socks available

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You can find all of these cozy accessories online-http://www.urbanyarns.com/search.php?search_query=lothlorian&x=15&y=7 and in the shop. You must come and feel them, they are so soft and even washable!! I bet you will want something to help with your walk home ;)


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Little things. We knitters have lots of little things. Stitch markers, crochet hooks, darning needles, measuring tapes… the list goes on. These are the kinds of things that you can never have too many of.

Julia wrote a great piece about her tool kit, here.
And I wrote a pretty OK piece about my bug out bag, here.

BugOutBag19 copy

Bring these lists in to the store, ask our killer staff to put together a kit for your budding knitting, or have them pick out some really nice tools to replace old worn ones (why yes, I will take that handmade rosewood crochet hook over my old, bent, flaking steel one, thank you very much). This will be more appreciated than you can imagine – it’s the little things.

And for today’s pattern suggestion: Lumberjack, from Tin Can Knits (they always have such lovely patterns, don’t you think?) I don’t know why, but I am suuuuuper into the idea of a whole family’s worth of these! And for yarn… well, any DK or light worsted, so… uh, go nuts.

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Ok, one more knitted pattern gift idea before I jump into purchasable last minute gifts. I just can’t help it, you have a few more days and I love this yarn;)

The Sweet Sixteen Hat by Blue Sky Alpacas is a lovely design and made up with BSA Extra yarn that is so unbelieveably soft and cozy, it is a dream to work with.
http://www.urbanyarns.com/blue-sky-alpacas-extra-18st/

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We have other BSA patterns using this yarn in the shop, so come check them out and have a feel of the Extra yarn to see what I am talking about….SO SOFT!


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Ok, I’m going to be a bit out of left field with this one, so bear with me.

If you or your knitter are anything like me (or you know, most normal humans), you/they probably like coffee and/or tea. Personally, I’m a coffee guy, but there are many avid tea drinkers out there.

Now, I also like to shop local, so here’s a list of some of my top picks. Buy them a bag of beans, a box of tea, a gift card, or maybe even just take them out for a cuppa!

Bean Around the World has some very nice roasted beans that you can buy by weight (get a half-pound to start if you’re not sure). Bonus, they’ve got shops all over town.

If you’re out near UBC, The Boulevard Coffee Co roasts on-site. Great Dane has fantastic food and pastries (and coffee from a great Victoria roaster).

In the middle of the city, Elysian make some of the best lattes and cappuccinos I’ve ever had. Aperture has a funky vibe (and a wall of books to swap and borrow), and brings in Intelligentsia – one of my favourite roasters. Kafka’s does some lovely specialty drinks, and some very lovely pastries.

Another local roaster is Milano, with a few locations around town. Hands down the best locally-roasted beans in town.

The Bayswater Tea Company is a cute shop, and does one of the best cream teas I’ve found.

Murchies, of course is a classic option for teas.

While not just selling tea, East End Chai does some incredibly lovely chai. Perfect for cold grey days.

There are many more, but hopefully this is enough to get you started! The options might seem intimidating, but I find you can get some great recommendations if you ask!


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