Super Sock Yarn – Hedgehog Fibre is here!

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Happy Easter weekend! We are open and you should come in and see the goodies, like these beautiful skeins of Hedgehog Fibre. We have long admired Hedgehog’s uniquely poppy way of dyeing and now we have some in the shop. Hooray!

Hedgehog Fiber’s Sock is comprised of 90% superwash merino, 10% nylon, but it is not just for socks. Make shawls and sweaters too, perfect for kid’s duds!

We also received Turtlepurl this week. Happy, self striping sock weight yarn from Turtlepurl has been a mainstay in the Knit Café for years. We are sorry to say that this will be our last order for a while as Turtlepurl is taking a break from wholesaling. I am glad to say we have a lovely collection that will hopefully keep us busy for a while  Here are some of my favourites ↓

“Live Long and Prosper” is a limited edition colour that we are lucky to have.  The colours are inspired by Spock’s uniform from Star Trek of course!

“The Artist” is oh so artistic!

“Zebra Diva” – greys and blacks and hints of coloured hues – so pretty!

“What Does It Mean” I don’t know why this colour is called this. maybe someone can help me out and tell me what does it mean? Regardless it is terrifico,  featuring a grey-blue background and rainbow stripes between.

Craftily yours
Kristin

What Knitters Want For Christmas

We have lovely gifties here for all the knitters on your list or for when you pass on your wish list to family and friends. There are stocking stuffers and splurges and in-betweens! Here a few!

JUST IN! These adorable sliding tins are just the right size to house stitch markers. The tins and the seamless stitch markers are made in Canada! Each box contains 10 markers and costs $18.

Check out these larger sized tins. They have magnetic bottoms so stitch markers and darning needles stay put. What cat lover could resist these stitch markers with kitty ears? All of it is packed in a cute pouch for $22.

Or if you are more a sheep person. There is a slider tin for that too!

These gorgeous scissors are also Canadian made. Both the flower power style and the stork scissors are $17.

HiyaHiya interchangeable sets take care of all your knitting needle woes. Cords in various lengths can be matches with tips of various sizes, kept all together in one handy pouch. Choose from bamboo or steel tips. $112

These needle cases are designed and sewn right here in Canada. Are you sensing a theme here? Two different colours are available but we at down to one style now which holds all your double pointed, circular needles and/or crochet hooks.  There is a secret pocket to keep all your knit notions. They fold up into a beautiful and compact purse. We love them. $69

This project bag is great for keeping your projects separate and transportable. Only $8. The Knit Café tote will hold a bigger project $12.

Eucalan! This Canadian made wool wash is also nice for other delicate washables. It take out a step – there is no need to rinse, so washing your woollies is faster and easier. There are 5 different fragrances that come in this 100ml size for $5. We also have little one wash pouches, which are excellent stocking stuffers, only $1.

Knitters will also want some of these gorgeous hand dyed yarns. Beautiful, and (wait for it) made in Canada! On the top is Turtlepurl’s self striping yarns, in the middle is Lichen and Lace’s lovely, merino, worsted weight, on the bottom is Julie Asselin’s Picolo  – gorgeous, fingering weight yarn.

For budding weavers we have tapestry loom kits complete
with step by step instructions. $50

For needle-felters we sell fleece bundles in small sizes to mix and match in any colour combination. Felting needles are available too. For inspiration check out the Sheep Ornaments we have been making for our Christmas window. One new sheep appears everyday till Christmas. You can follow our sheep on Instagram HERE

Knitters and Crocheters also want

GIFT CERTIFICATES from
THE KNIT CAFE

Get them in the shop or email us and we can email you your gift certificates. theknitcafe@hotmail.com

Craftily yours
Kristin

What to Knit and Crochet with 3 weeks till Christmas

There is still time to craft some wonderful handmade gifts before Christmas.
You have 3 weeks!

Starry Night Toque by The Knit Café
Knit with Light Worsted or DK  4-4.5mm. Shown here knit in Riverside Studio Worsted or try Lichen and Lace Worsted. Both are Canadian made!
49 – 153 yards needed
To fit newborn, baby, toddler, child-adult small, adult medium, adult large.
It’s The Knit Cafe’s latest pattern! Because it’s a hat you will have it done in no time, especially if you are making the adorable baby size!

Knit Hedgehog Mittens by Andie Huber
Knit with Worsted Weight yarn like Brooklyn Tweed Shelter and 5mm needles
aprox 200 yards needed
The finished mittens measure 7½ in (19cm) from the base of the wrist to the tip and should fit an average size child of 7–10 years.
I am smitten with these mittens!

Oversized Sweater Knitting Pattern by Aleksandra
Knit with Bulky Weight yarn like Peruvia Quick or Brooklyn Tweed Quarry and 9mm needles
900 metres needed
Fits in one size only: Width 52 cm, Length 55 cm, Sleeves 42 cm
You might think I’m crazy to suggest knitting a sweater so late in the game, but look how thick and chunky this one is! It’s a very basic, easy peasy and free pattern too.

Parker Cable Socks by Lakeside Loops
Crocheted with DK yarn like Cascade 220 Superwash and 3.5mm hook
265 – 827 yards needed
To fit 11 different sizes ranging from baby all the way through to adult
These thick socks are more like slippers and could be made shorter if you fear you will run out of time. The pattern claims to include pictures and videos to keep you on track.

Lennon Cable Leg Warmers by Lakeside Loops
Crocheted with Worsted Weight yarn like Berroco Vintage and 5mm hook
Fits 10 sizes: – Baby (6-12 months) – Toddler (1-2 years) – Pre-K (2-4 years) – Child (4-7 years) – Child (7-11 years) – Teen – Small Adult – Medium Adult – Large Adult – XL Adult
You can make these legwarmers or the even quicker boot cuff version of this pattern in any size. Like the previous recommendation this pattern is by Lakeside Loops who have terrific deals on their patterns like buy 2 patterns get one free. Check them out!

Halus by Brooklyn Tweed
Knit with Bulky Yarn and 4.5mm -5.5mm needles. Designed and shown in Brooklyn Tweed Quarry
165 yards needed
To comfortably fit average adult head sizes 20–24″); 8¾” long
This stunner of a hat will take no time at all!

Urban Jungle Crocheted Slouchy Beanie by Vickie Howell
Crocheted with Worsted Weight yarn like Lichen and Lace Worsted and 5mm
To fit small, med, large adult
A pretty, bobbled stitch and a good deal of slouch are some of the features in this crocheted hat.

Pocket Ted by Frankie Brown
Knit with Fingering Weight yarn and 2-2.5mm needles. Use your sock scraps and throw in a few Koigu Mini Skeins for just the right colour combination for this project.
Only “small amounts of yarn” needed
Finished dimensions: 8 cm / 3” tall
This little bear fits in an Altoids tin. Once you knit the bear, instructions describe how to knit his bead cloths and tin decorations.

Boogie Earbuds by Bonnie Pruitt
Knit with Fingering Weight yarn and 2.25mm needles. Try Lichen and Lace 80/20 sock or Turtlepurl Self Striping Turtletoes.
0 – 50 yards needed
The designer says she was so sick and tired of the rubbery cords for her earbuds getting tangled, so she designed this cover which “completely solved the problem”. Throw in a new set of earbuds too for one terrific gift!

I highly recommend Turtlepurl yarn for all your self-striping needs. We just received a new batch of this Canadian made, hand dyed yarn. It is perfect for socks; bundled in twos for a matching pair and with a little nylon mixed with the merino for sock-strength. This would make a wonderful gift for any sock knitters on your Holiday shopping list.

Chain Reaction Shawlette by Nicki Hirsch
Crocheted with Fingering Weight like Julie Asselin Picollo and 3mm hook
350 – 400 yards needed
Mostly made of chains and single crochets this shawl can be made to any size from a quick kerchief to a blanket size wrap.

Maya Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska
Knit with Chunky yarn like Misti Alpaca Chunky and 6.5mm needle
328 yards needed
One size: approx. 150 cm/60” wide and 75 cm/30” long at center spine.

We just got in some dreamy, soft Misti Alpaca Chunky which would be terrific for this shawl project but also any hat or scarf project. Alpaca is one of the warmest fibres. Use it for friends and family who are perpetually cold.

Noro Woven Stitch Shawl by Z apasi
Knit with Worsted Weight yarn and 5.5-6.5mm needles. Especially suited for Noro yarns like Noro’s  Kureopatora.
330 yards needed
Finished dimensions: 70” x 22”
The slip knit pattern in this shawl gives it a pretty woven look. It looks stunning when knit in a colour changing, textured yarn like Noro’s Kureopatora which has a softer feel then many Noro blends and is comfortable to wear around the neck.

Next time, with 2 weeks to go I will be focusing my recommendations on projects that take big and bulky yarn like the Malabrigo Rasta we received this week. Look at these ↑ beauties! Expect to see more and more super bulky yarns arrive at The Knit Café in the weeks to come for all your last minute gift ideas.
Till next time
Craftily yours
Kristin

Self-Striping Yarn Heaven

It is a terrific day for those of us who love stripes. You know who you are.

We have fantastical Turtlepurl Yarn nestled right where it should be in The Knit Café shelves. Striped Turtletoes yarn is a sock weight yarn that is hand dyed to be self patterning in happy go lucky stripes. Did I mention it is hand dyed, and in Canada no less! Amazing! This soft merino wool with a bit of nylon makes terrific socks. It comes bundle into two matching skeins so you can have your socks match stripe for stripe.

We also have Noro.
Noro yarn is one of my first yarn loves. Noro yarn is a wonderful yarn company from Japan that has been making very original, blended striping yarns for ages and still does it better than anyone.
I recently made this ⇓ with Noro yarn.

I almost died of hunger and thirst as I was glued to my chair in a knit frenzy unable to tear myself away from knitting with self striping Noro knit with self striping Noro in STRIPES! It was amazing.
We are teaching this project in a Beginner Class coming up in September.

We call it “The Magical Striped Scarf Workshop” after the seemingly magical qualities of Noro. The focus of this class is:
Learning to Purl!
Learning how to knit stripe patterns.
Adding elegant details to your projects like smooth selvedges and prettier cast ons and bind offs.
Reading knitting patterns.

Find out more about The Magical Striped Scarf Workshop HERE

Craftily yours
Kristin