Cannuk Yarn on this our Canada Day Weekend!

We will be open this HOT, HOT, HOT, Holiday Weekend!
Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 12-4:30pm
Monday – CLOSED

If you are about you should come in and see these new skeins from Riverside Studio Yarn. Kathryn from Riverside is one of Canada’s best and brightest hand dyers. She does beautifully polished work with lots of subtleties. These beauties are dyed on her Super Sock base. This is a fine yarn suitable for sock knitting and so much more besides. It is too hot for bulky projects but a summer sock project is great for beating the heat for those of us who must knit – and I mean all the time!

Amongst the goodies is Firefly! That’s The Knit Cafe’s custom colour from Riverside Studio. It’s only available here. This beautiful colour-way will make you think of an inky blue, night sky scattered with glowing fireflies when you knit it up. We love it! You can check it out in our webshop HERE

If you have been watching our Instagram then you know I just finished knitting this sweater↓

It’s Deschain by Leila Raabe

I must say it was a fun knit and quick too. Also, very easy for a sweater. Two rectangles sewn together and picked up sleeves is all there is to it.   The Kestrel Linen yarn by Quince and Co was so fun to work with too. Never, have I knit with such chunky linen and found it very pleasant indeed.
The Knit Café has a dozen colours of Quince and Co Kestrel in stock – you can check them out HERE

Craftily yours
Kristin

Quince and Co Linen is at The Knit Cafe

Oh happy day! Lets start planning our summer wardrobe. I can’t think of a better day than this with an April ice storm raging outside. I’ve got that summer feeling. How about you?

I have long admired this yarn from afar. It will be no surprise to you to hear then that I am exceedingly pleased that it has finally made it’s way to The Knit Café. Linen is my favourite plant fibre. It feels so cool next to the skin. It hangs beautifully and oh the gentle sheen! Linen somehow manages to be knit into garments that have both structure and drape. It turns out Flax is not just a superfood it is also a superfibre!
Quince and Co has two 100% linen yarns. Above is a pic of Sparrow. It’s the fingering weight linen.

This is Kestrel ↑ . It’s aran weight.  A thick linen yarn  is super-unusual. Quince and Co makes this work by constructing a yarn with a chainette/ribbon treatment. Now knitters who want to give linen a try but don’t like to knit with super fine yarns can give it a go.

One of the best things about Quince and Co is that they create gorgeous patterns for their yarn. I encourage you to check out their whole catalogue HERE
There are many lovely knittables for the Sparrow yarn. For example above is a pic of the Bolan pattern (left) and the Perkin’s Cove pattern (right).
Find more patterns for Sparrow HERE

Here are two designs for the Kestrel yarn. The one on the left is called Deschain and the one on the right is from Quince and Co’s  new pattern collection it is called Gully.
Find more patterns for Kestrel HERE

Some of your other favourite knitwear designers have made awesome things from Quince and Co linen. On the left is a pic of Linho by Joji Locatelli. On the left is the Ula Tee by Isabell Kraemer. It’s a new pattern from Making Magazine 5. Which is right now on it’s way to The Knit Café. Hooray!

Craftily yours
Kristin

PS. Did I mention the Quince and Co linen is organic? It is!

 

a sweater made from linen

I am not too shy to tell you that my favourite summer fibre is linen.  Not that there is anything wrong with cotton, but the rumpled sophistication of linen is tops in my books.  The impression that one just rolled out of bed but is still ready for a stroll along the Seine is the kind of contradiction I would love to let rule my life.

Iwona knit this sweater out of the linen yarn we have from Shibui.  It’s simple, and yet somehow almost everyone who sees it wants to take it home. A light and breezy garment that’s easy to pull over a spring or summer dress fits the bill for most occasions.

The knit fabric has a wonderful texture and a silky touch.

Our version of the Lineal Cardigan by Hannah Fettig took only 3 skeins of the Shibui Linen which has 225 metres and costs $15.

My pick for colour is “Brass”.  The very same shade as these chrysanthemums that seem to be blessed with longevity.  They are from our opening party which is now over 3 weeks ago.

The Lineal Cardigan is from a series of patterns by Hannah Fettig  for Quince and Co.  Check them out along with their other linen patterns HERE.  All the patterns that call for their Sparrow yarn will work with the Shibui Linen too.

 For more linen pattern ideas have a look at my post from a month or so ago.  It’s HERE.

Craftily yours
Kristin

 

 

 

Sunny linen!

Is it safe to start dreaming of spring sweaters yet?
We’ve got this terrific linen yarn in from Shibui, and it needs knitting up!
I mean… look at it, it’s so neato!  Applying this chained construction to the linen fibre is such a good idea! It makes a nice light and subtle fabric.

Abyss, Ash, Tar

Brass, Sidewalk, Lime, Fjord

Suit, Ivory, Cascade

If you’re looking for something to make out of this pretty stuff, you shouldn’t have trouble finding something.  Linen is a new favourite for many stylish knit designers.  Here are a few new offerings that I’ve noticed.

Linium Tee by Bristol Ivy from the KnitScene Summer magazine 2014

Bohemian Tee by Erica Schlueter from Knit Wear Spring Summer magazine 2014

Perkin’s Cove Pullover by Pam Allen form Quince and Co

Outside by Melanie Berg

 

All these patterns were knit with linen yarn, some of them are knit with Shibui, some of them are knit with Euroflax.  We have a nice bunch of that too.
If we all start now we should have springy duds by the time the sun decides to shine.

 

Hooray!
Craftily yours
Kristin

it’s the little things

Sometimes it pays to focus on the details.  Things over looked only because they are so familiar can bring you so much joy if you just remember to pay attention.  Take the lowly dish towel for example.

My sister just found a new apartment, and the first thing she did was send me a picture of her pretty tea towels hanging off her new oven door.  You use your dish towels multiple times a day. Yes –  just to wipe your hands on or to dry a dish with, but why should they not be as sweet as can be?

That is why I am quite taken with this new project from the Purl Bee.  These linen tea towels with the decorative slip stitch patterns will be extra cushy and therefore more absorbent.   Durable linen is a classic tea towel fibre.
As always the Purl Bee includes detailed instructions on how to knit their patterns, including how to add on the functional i-cord loop that makes the towel easy to hang up to dry.

These tea towels were knit with Euroflax Linen. Here ↓ are all the pretty colours we have in the shop!  Make some towels now for host/hostess presents when you need them, and a few for yourself to make dish drying a little more pleasant.

How about a Linen Lesson?

If you’re keen – I highly recommend this video

It is not the fast paced animation we modern folk are used to, but if you take the time to see it through  I think you will find it well worth the watching. Especially if you find yourself curious about how a mole and his forest friends make linen from flax and then sew a pair of overalls.  A mole needs pockets- doncha know!

This animated classic is by Zdenek Miler.  You might fall in love with this little mole, even though you may not understand a word he says.  He speaks Czech.

Craftily yours
Kristin

new from knitbot

Who says you can’t knit in the summer?
If I didn’t already have a million reasons to spend a summer’s day with busy needles, now I have a few more.

A new book by Hannah Fettig!
This one is devoted to knitting patterns that feature linen.  That suits me fine, since I love the stuff.  The ebook containing 5 pretty and versatile pieces is available for preorders from Quince and Co. You can get individual patterns from Hannah’s Ravelry Page

The patterns were knit with 100% linen in a gauge that matches exactly to Euroflax linen.

These are the colours currently in stock.
Top row: natural, crabapple, aqua
Next row: steel, cream, island moss
Next row: charcoal, red, navy
Bottom: pewter
246 m (270yds) is $26

Craftily yours
Kristin

Lovely Linen

Our favourite summertime yarn is here!
It’s 100% linen by Louet Yarns called Euroflax.

pewter

navy

red

charcoal

island moss

cream

steel grey

aqua

crabapple
natural
Euroflax sport weight linen comes in 100gram skeins, 246 metres, 270yds each for $26.  We love this yarn so much that we have created two patterns for it, this one and this one.  In addition we have been working on a brand new one that will be released soon!
Craftily yours
Kristin

I got sunshine – on a cloudy day!

There is nothing cold and damp about these fluffy clouds.  Silk Cloud is here!

For those of you who think that mohair is close kin to prickly pear then you have not yet met this yarn from Shibui.  Mohair and silk combine and conquer in this lace weight yarn.  The silk contributes the soft and the shiny, and the mohair brings the fluff. Bring on the fluff!

Yarn this fine is great for shawls, even lacy ones.  I know what you’re thinking – will the mohair not distract from the lace patterning?  This mohair offers more of a halo then an afro, and I have seen it used to good effect even with lace.
For something else look here.  You won’t be sorry!

Lovely linen! I am convinced that it is the best summer knitting fibre.  This yarn stays cool and crisp even when you feel a little hot and droopy.  It gets softer and softer with wear and wash.

Have a closer look.  What a neat texture!  Fine linen threads are braided to make a sport weight yarn. 24-28 sts/10cm.

These nine colours of linen added to our pretty array of Euroflax mean a whole lot of choice.  That is good news for those of us who are smitten with linen.
Shibui Linen is $15 for 225m, Silk Cloud is $18.50 for 300m.

Craftily yours
Kristin

this and that

This is timely↓

A delivery of Eucalan wool wash!  It cleans your hand knits with less toil with it’s no-rinse formula.  Good timing – as one day soon we will be packing away our woolies for the summer season.  Keeping wool clean keeps it safe from moth threats.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure they say.   Eucalan comes in 500ml bottles or trial sized 100ml for $11 and $4 respectively and worth every penny! If you are involved in moth guarding or moth warfare have a look at this post for some ideas on how to fight the good fight.

How about that ↑ ? More linen from Louet has arrived!  Restock of popular colours like pewter and natural, aqua and eggplant.

This is fun↓

K                n               i              T

You too can write llama love notes.  Go to Llama Fonts!

This is useful ↓

I added this link to a very nice tutorial on how to cable without a cable needle to my Pinterest Account.  It really caught on!  It seems a great deal of other knitters are interested in getting rid of their extra needle when they do their cabling projects.  I intend to give it a go.  Novice cablers – check out this ↓

Iwona just finished this cabled cowl – the sample for our upcoming learn to cable class.  This lovely simple cable project is extra great as it is reversible (the same on both sides).  Without the buttons it makes a perfectly wonderful scarf too!

Cabled Cowl Class
Monday May 7, 6:30-9pm
$30, materials not included
call to register 416 533 5648

Craftily yours
Kristin

Spring has sprung!

Happy Spring Forward!

Ok – so we lost an hour of sleep, but we gained one beautiful day.  At least that is the case in Toronto, and I hope it is wherever you find yourself reading this.

Just like a spring thaw, new spring yarns are ever so slowly, trickling into the Knit Cafe.

Euroflax, 100% linen, sport weight, $26 per 246 metres
Pewter, Eggplant, Red, Mustard, Aqua, and new colours- Steel, Violet, Navy

This yarn is wonderful.  Crispy at first, but softer and softer the more it is handled, worn and washed.  It makes a fantastic summer fabric.  In fact it is my favorite summer yarn.
The Knit Cafe has two patterns made with Euroflax- Lacy Linen Scarf (which is a great first lace project and also has instructions for a shawl width) and Feather and Fan Skirt.

I also find this to be a very lovely skirt too

You can find the pattern for free here.  Isn’t that nice?

Happy first day of spring
Craftily yours
Kristin