New Baby Bamboo!

This is one of out long standing favourite yarns. A DK weight 80% bamboo, 20% wool blend. This silky smooth yarn knits beautifully into a huge variety of projects!

And take a look at the bright summery colours that just arrived at the shop...







You may remember the top I knit for myself from this lovely drapey yarn...



here it is in all its glory! And I can safely say that the yarn has help up great to a full year's worth of wear and tear (and more than one mustard stain to boot!)

April Newsletter!

We have sent out our April Newsletter and if you are not on our mailing list and would like to receive it, click on the box to the right of this post - you might have to scroll down a bit, but you will find it.

Click HERE to read it!

Learn To Spin On A Wheel!

WE HAVE WHEELS FOR YOU TO BORROW DURING THE CLASS!

Learn how to work with your spinning wheel to create beautiful useable yarns. This series of classes will be geared to the absolute beginner and “still pretty new at it” spinner. It will cover adjusting the wheel to optimize success, learning to treadle, spinning a continuous single thread, and plying.

For the first three lessons we will concentrate on spinning wool. After that, who knows…! Take sometime for yourself after the holidays and learn how to spin yarn on a spinning wheel.

Our class is designed for the absolute beginner! Spinning is so relaxing and therapeutic and like knitting totally addictive. We have three wheels for you to borrow during the class if you don't currently have one!

Spinning On A Wheel 101 - $125, includes roving. April 10th, 17th, May 1st and May 8th
9am to 11am (4-two hour sessions)

Maximum Participants: 6 - 3 spots left!

If you have a wheel, please bring it in good working order, 3 bobbins, lazy kate, solid-coloured apron or lap cloth .

Our instructor, Julia Lee has been knitting since she was a child and spinning for close to 20 years. She is a graduate of the 1994-2000 OHS Spinning Certificate course offered at the Haliburton School. She is an amazing, patient extremely knowledgeable instructor and would love nothing more than to put her spinning knowledge from her head into yours, er, hands!

Fish Hat!

Our of our newer knitters has tackled some great first projects and this is one of them, a fish hat from Knitty.com





Elizabeth - you rock girl. We taught her how to knit in February and she has made half a dozen things, including this hat, a cable scarf, some toys - she is pretty darn awesome!

Citron is off the Needles!

Look at what Emily just finished - Citron from Knitty.com. We must be totally in love with knitty.com patterns lately because we can't stop knitting them. Lately the pattern selection is super fab that we just can't help ourselves. Thanks knitty and their designers!

Emily used just under three skeins of Elizabeth Lavold Silky Wool and 4mm needles to make this one awesome little shawl. I wore this morning to keep me warm, and man it did it's job. I LOVE this shawl. Love the ruffle and the best part? You can knit it with just about any yarn!

The designer knit hers with one skein of Malabrigo Lace a bargin at $12.95/skein!

And my superhero pose - you could use this one as a cape you know!

Skew Sock - From Knitty!

Missy from the Painted Fleece just finished a pair of Skew socks from the last issue of knitty.com using her fingering weight superwash sock yarn in an orange and grey colourway, look how great they look:

Namaste Bags Are Coming!

The new Monroe bag and the Laguna bag, both in red and black are on their to the shop. I can not wait to see the new one - the Monroe, I have once coming in Lime, but not until end of April as that colour is on back order.

To see all the sytles of Namaste - go HERE.

A sneak peek of the Monroe:

Debbie Bliss Eco Baby Book Arrived!

Oh my goodness, this is a super great little book = although we don't have the eco baby cotton, all these patterns can be knit with the ever popular Baby Cashmerino!

There are more cute patterns - come on in and check out the book!

Knitty - Spring & Summer 2010 Issue

Have you seen the new Knitty spring & summer 2010 issue? If not go HERE. The cover sweater is super cute and super fast to knit and we have the yarn it was knit with! Classic Elite Sprout, a 100% organic cotton that knits up like a dream.

This is a quick knit that you can start now and have ready to wear when the warmer weather arrives:

If we don't have the colour you are looking for, we can get it in for ya!

Never not Knitting

For those in the know in the blog/podcast world, you surely are aware of the talents of Alana Dakos. Even if you're not I'm sure you've run into her on Ravelry from time to time.

We are happy to announce that the Sheep is now carrying a selection of her adorable patterns! A shop favourite are the leg warmies... a FREE pattern with purchase of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. One ball @ $9.95 makes a pair and a half - not bad! There are so many options for this little knit - one colour, two, three or maybe four colours? You can knit them longer for a older girl, or smaller!

They are quick little knits that have a purpose. With spring approaching, little girls want to start wearing dresses and skirts, BUT their little legs will get cold and get cold fast. Put these leg warmies on for outside play, and take off when you go indoors. I am going to knit a pair for my little nieces - however deciding which colour to knit them in is going to be hard my friends.



...Lisa just knit the pair in the photo from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. We have a great selection of colours to choose from in this squishy superwash sportweight yarn!

Also available are the Cedar Leaf Shawlette, Playfull Stripes Cardigan and Sheepish. Each pattern is $7 and we have some great summer and winter yarns to choose from.



All very knitable!

Enjoy

Knitwear Design Workshop

It feels like I've been waiting for this book forever! And its finally here...an amazingly through guide to designing your own perfectly fitting knitwear from Shirley Paden and Interweave Press. And it's so pretty too!



Knitwear Design Workshop contains a few mind-blowing patterns as well as mountains of design advice...and I've already got my sigts set on this baby...think I can knit this without going batty? I just might try!



If you're up for a fun knitting challenge pop by to pick up your copy! This big honkin' book is $47.95, and all you need to start designing today!

Cable without a Cable Needle

Want to learn? Well here is your chance. Join Kate Friday March 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 to learn this fun and super useful skill! Your cable knitting will be so much faster, and you'll never have to worry about loosing your cable needle again. Hooray!



the class is just $20, and there are just 4 spaces left!

Summery Sweater

Take a look at Lorraine's lovely Ravelympics sweater...







...Lorraine is pretty much the fastest crafter under the sun. She finished this sweater waaaay before the Olympics were finished, and now she's working on a few more for friends (isn't she nice?!)

Anyway, the yarn she used is the lovely Estelle South Pacific. A super soft DK weight cotton. Each skein has 250 metres and costs just $9! Can you even believe that?! This super pretty sweater pattern is from the Interweave book Crocheted Gifts. We have a few copies in the shop at the moment, and it is crammed with gorgeous chrochet patterns and gift ideas!

a few more details...

Because there has been so much interest in the beautiful Rowan sweaters that we mentioned a little while back, I'm going to post some more details on them.

The first sweater in the post (mauve-y cabled vest) is knit in Felted Tweed Aran and the pattern came from Rowan #46

Next up, the gray double breasted cardigan is knit in Alpaca Cotton and the pattern comes from a Rowan book that came out last year called Camina.

The adorable dotty pullover is knit in Silky Tweed and the pattern is in Classic Heartland

The super pretty brown pullover with cables is knit in Lima, and the pattern is from the Lima book.

Next up is the little seed stitch shrug. Its knit in Colourscape Chunky and the pattern is from the book Colourscape Folk

Finally, the last sweater in that post is the structured gray cardigan. It is knit in British Sheep Breeds DK and the pattern is available in the Purelife Winter book.

I have one more sweater to show you that was missed last time (gasp!) It is my ultimate favourite, perhaps because it's made from one of my all time favourite yarns...







Anyway this sweater is crocheted from Felted Tweed and the pattern is in Rowan # 40. I'm going to make it, my first crochet sweater! Hooray!

Painted Fleece Merino/Cashmere Lace Blend

Oh baby, this is one yarn we can not keep on the shelves people - it is so freaking awesome. Missy dropped off 24 more skeins of her merino/cashmere blend lace weight yarn. Each awesome skeins has 575 yards and cost $25! Two skeins will make a cardigan. OMG!

New Colours of CLASSY

Take a look at the fantastic new colours of Dream in Colour Classy that just arrived...





OMG - these colours are better than the first batch we received, which btw a few colours have already been snapped up! Come on in and check them out....

I am going to make Chicknits Mondo Cable Pulli, but can't decide which colour to make. It is way too hard to choose. Someone help me. Oh and BTW - this sweater will be for me, not a shop sample, so it has to be a colour I will love.

more new yarn

Here is the latest addition to our spring stock



Its a worsted weight 50/50 linen cotton blend from Nashua. This yarn feels great, comes in some fantastic colours and has 220 yards for $11! Yippeee!







Happy knitting!

Check it out!

Over the past few weeks you may have seen us knitting like fiends on little eggs, bunnies and other cute spingy things. Here they are in action, looking adorable!















We're super excited about this cute window. Drop by to check it out soon!

Cashmere Spring Beret Sample!

Look at this hat - it is awesome!!!!

I used this pattern, two skeins of our newest yarn, Cashmere Tweed and 3.75mm & 6mm circular needles. Great quick and looks super awesome. Of course if you wanted the beret to have more droop, you could knit the hat with a third skein. Each cashmere tweed skein is $10!!