We have loads of lovely new Handmaiden in both stores. These colours give us an almost irresistible urge to grab a skein and start knitting:

Take a knitting or crochet lesson and learn a new skill this Fall!

These ladies had fun learning how to crochet the beautiful Babette Blanket this summer:

We’ve just added two new lessons to our Point Grey Class Schedule. Sivia Harding will teach a Toe Up Sock Class starting Wednesday, October 22, from 7 – 9 p.m. Get a perfect fit for your socks with the toe-up technique. And Sandra Dunkin will teach another Beginner Knitting Class starting Thursday, November 13, from 7 – 9 p.m.

There are several other lessons starting in Point Grey over the next few weeks. Deanna will teach a Beginners Crochet class, starting next Monday, October 6, from 7 – 9 p.m. Sock Boot Camps are scheduled for Tuesday, October 14 or 28, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. You’ll learn to knit a sock in just one day! And Sivia Harding will give a Jewelry Knitting Clinic on Wednesday, October 15, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Take one look at Sivia’s stunning sample necklace that’s on display in Point Grey and you’ll want to take this class.

We also have some excellent lessons starting soon in Edgemont. Donna will teach a Felted Bag class starting next Tuesday, October 7, from 7 – 9 p.m. She’ll also teach a Beginners Knitting class, starting on Tuesday, October 14, from 7 – 9 p.m. Nick will take you beyond the basics in Intermediate Knitting, starting this Thursday, October 2, from 7 – 9 p.m. Or learn to knit Fingerless Gloves starting on Thursday October 6, from 7 – 9 p.m.

For more information, check out our entire class schedule.

Drop by Point Grey this Sunday, October 6 to learn the hairpin lace technique. Astor Tsang will demonstrate the technique all afternoon, there’s no charge and no need to register. You’ll quickly learn to easily create some unique hairpin lace pieces, like this elegant shawl or a fabulous scarf.

Astor will also teach a Yarn 101 Class on the second Sunday of each month in Point Grey, starting October 12, from 11 a.m. – noon. She’ll give a tour of the yarn in the shop, discussing materials, gauge and yarn substitutions. Bring a pattern you love and challenge Astor to find the perfect yarn for the pattern! You must pre-register by the preceding Thursday for this class. There’s a $5. charge which you may apply towards any yarn purchased that day.

And don’t forget about our Jane Ellison event at UBC on Saturday, October 25, from 12 noon – 3:00 p.m. Tickets are selling fast and seating is limited so register early to avoid disappointment. Should be tons of fun!

This week it’s Teva Durham’s Moss, a gorgeous extra fine merino with 15% nylon for extra strength. Love the colour palette, we have all eight colours in stock. The yardage is a generous 147 metres per 50g ball. It’s a versatile DK yarn with a 22 stitch gauge on 4mm needles so there are endless pattern possibilities. It’s 40% off at $7.77 per ball.

We didn’t blog about last week’s special but it was mentioned in our September newsletter. It’s Rowan Soft Baby:

We have loads of the cream colour in both stores and little bits of the other three colours in Point Grey only. This is a supersoft and fuzzy yarn that’s perfect for baby garments and blankets. It’s a mix of wool, polyamide and cotton with 150 metres per 50g ball and a 20 stitch gauge on 4.5mm needles. 50% off at $5.48 per ball.

I recently knit a baby blanket with Soft Baby:

The finished size is 32 x 33 inches and it knits up quickly holding two strands of yarn together on 6.5mm needles. One of those great mindless knitting projects, perfect for knitting when helping with homework or while watching Roger Federer win the US Open. You’ll need eight balls of Soft Baby to knit the blanket and the pattern’s free when you buy the yarn.

We enjoy hanging out in our stores, helping fellow knitters find the perfect yarn for the perfect project. It’s the best job we’ve ever had.

And so inspiring! Every day we see beautiful and amazing knitted pieces that ooze creativity and a passion for the craft. This is one of the most stunning pieces we’ve seen lately:

Natalie creates her own Kaffe Fasset inspired masterpieces, chock a block full of colours, shapes and textures. This amazing piece of art was knit with Fleece Artist Goldilocks yarn that has sadly been discontinued. Incredibly gorgeous. Thanks for sharing, Natalie.

We also love hearing the appreciative comments that flow freely in our stores. It’s so rewarding to hear all the oohs and aahs as yarn is fondled and books are reviewed. That’s what keeps us going on days when there are too many cheques to be signed, mixed up shipments, squirrels in the storage cupboad (seriously!) and the multitude of other not-quite-so-nice parts of this business.

Not to brag or anything but we’ve heard some pretty nice comments lately. The lovely lady who writes the Under the Influence blog had this to say about us after a recent visit from Toronto:

“It’s a very well-kept store with substantial selection: comprehensive Fleece Artist and Noro selections, and Mission Falls & Cascade, Mirasol, Indigo Moon, Rowan, Blue Sky Alpacas, Alchemy, a little bit of just about everything else, and a sale section where you could do serious damage… I found Urban Yarns a memorable store not just because of their inventory but because of their comfortable store atmosphere and enthusiastic and professional staff. When I mentioned I was visiting from Toronto the owner gave me a very friendly tour of their store, showed me sale items and new additions to the inventory and showed off sample knits they’d just received in. They know where every piece of their stock is, and could tell me just how many skeins remained of any yarn I’d had my eye on… These ladies know their business and know their customers.”

And Valerie from New Jersey sent us this happy email after her visit this summer:

“Thanks for a great visit in your two yarn stores while I was there on vacation in Vancouver from New Jersey! You are truly my favourite yarn store now! Thanks for being so kind and welcoming to your store and your city. I really enjoyed myself.”

Well, I guess we are bragging a bit but you have to pat yourself on the back once in a while, don’t you?

Today we overheard one of the more quirky comments ever in Point Grey:

Customer to Nick: “Do you have any 3 ply acrylic?”

Nick to customer: “What are you planning to knit?”

Customer to Nick: “Oh no, it’s for flossing my teeth.”

True story.

Thanks to all of our loyal UY customers for your constant inspiration and appreciation. We couldn’t do it without you….

Have you met Cathy?

She’s an occasional UY staffer who’s always up for anything fun. When she heard about Hat Attack, she signed up right away. Sadly she’s been too busy to knit much of her hat this week and today she met her demise.

This is the note inside the card:

In case you have trouble reading the note, it says: “Hello Cathy, I’m sorry to say that you are dead. Slain with a blue and green horror. May it keep you warm in the afterlife.” And yes, in the photo above Cathy’s wearing the ‘blue and green horror’ that killed her. Too funny…

Are the rest of you Hat Attackers still alive? Let us know how you’re doing in the competition…

Had a cup of tea this afternoon while flipping through the pages of the fabulous new Debbie Bliss magazine:

It’s awesome! There are more than 30 designs including a collection of fashion knits, contemporary home designs and adorable baby blankets.

The magazine has a wonderful personal flavour with Debbie’s style, wit and charm evident throughout. After reading her Editor’s letter and checking out an eclectic assortment of Debbie’s favourite things in “the Blissful Life” section, I almost felt as if I’d had my cup of tea at her kitchen table. The only thing missing was the enticing plate of scones with strawberry jam and cream featured on page 11. I’ll try that recipe sometime soon…

Debbie also has a wonderful new collection of yarn and books. There’s Rialto 4 ply:

A lovely lightweight addition to the popular Rialto range. And there’s a great new book, Rialto Classics:

With a fantastic collection of knits for men, women and children in the Rialto line.

Como is a another fantastic new Debbie Bliss yarn:

This one’s a superchunky roving that’s mainly wool with her trademark touch of cashmere. Quick to knit and light to wear. And there’s an accompanying book, Como:

It’s a collection of sixteen designs for some quick and simple knits.

Finally there’s Winter Essentials, with twelve designs using the Cashmerino, Donegal Tweed and Alpaca Silk lines:

From relaxed cardigan coats to a cozy cabled wrap, it’s all incredibly inspiring!

Debbie Bliss has outdone herself with this latest collection of books and yarns, there’s something for everyone. Drop by and have a look sometime soon…

This adorable little tot fell asleep on our tangerine couch while mom shopped. Lucky mom!

The snuggly cover is the Big Bad Baby Blanket from Stitch ‘n Bitch, knit with Koigu PPP Merino.

Thanks for the photo, Alexa…

If you’re a Noro fan (and really, who isn’t?) you’re going to love the new Fall books.

There’s Noro Family by Jane Ellison:

This one features eighteen designs for men, women and children using several Noro yarns including the new Silk Garden Chunky and Silk Garden Sock.

Noro 24 is another great new Noro book:

What a stunning creation on the cover. This is another fantastic collection of designs using a number of different Noro yarns.

Last but not least is Catwalk:

Rowan has joined up with British farmers and Yorkshire mills to produce a new yarn for Fall 08. This yarn is shorn and blended from British sheep and spun into beautifully undyed yarn at mills in Yorkshire. The wool is hard wearing, with its natural lanolin intact, providing superb protection against our chilly Canadian winters.

The collection includes five undyed colours that come from different breeds of sheep, including Bluefaced Leicester, Jacob, Black Welsh and Suffolk.

There’s a fabulous accompanying book:

With twelve excellent designs by Marie Wallin.

Knitters Review published a glowing review of this yarn which you can read right here.

We join Clara Parkes in applauding Rowan… “for rediscovering its British roots and bringing public attention to the unique sheep breeds that still roam the British countryside… With each skein purchased, we’re not just getting a good yarn but we’re also helping support sheep farmers in the British hills and millworkers in Yorkshire. Their trades are built upon knowledge and skills that we can’t afford to lose.”

We’re excited to announce that Jane Ellison will be joining us for an event on Saturday, October 25, from 12 noon – 3 pm. Mark your calendars…

Jane is a fabulous knitwear designer and a very sweet person, with tons of experience in the knitting industry. She first completed a degree in fashion with a knitwear specialty, then worked with both Rowan Yarns and Debbie Bliss and subsequently published a multitude of knitting designs.

Her first book was Simply Noro, published in 2003:

It was a smash success and in the last five years Jane has amazingly published another thirty books!

She’s produced some of our favourite Noro books like Noro Knits, Naturally Noro, Pure Noro, Joy, and the latest, Noro Family.

And in the past year she’s published three books for the Mirasol line of yarns. Sales of these yarns help to support the Mirasol Project, a cause that is very dear to Jane’s heart.

Jane will bring loads of sample garments. She’ll talk about her experiences as a knitting designer and the design process. And she’ll share some of her experiences with the Mirasol Project in Peru as she’s seen firsthand the remarkable accomplishments of this program.

We’ve booked space at the UBC Golf Club for this event and the admission fee will be $10. Participants will receive a 10% discount on any purchases of Mirasol yarn or Jane’s books on the day of the event. Phone us at 604-228-1122 or send an email to reserve your spot. Should be tons of fun!