You may have heard we are turning eight. And we heard you when you asked for a sweater-themed makelong, so please get ready for: YU Autumn Sweater MAL! We will kick things off this coming Saturday, October 7th (our 8th anniversary!), and we’ll have three full months til the Makealong ends on January 7th.
The criteria is pretty broad. In order for your project to qualify, it must follow these basic rules: 🧶 The yarn must have been purchased from YU (at any time) 🧶 You may not cast on until October 7th (or after), but you may swatch in advance. In fact, we encourage it! 🧶 The pattern you choose needs to be a sweater. Any type of sweater will do but the sleeves need to at least reach your elbow, and the length of the body must reach at least the bottom of your ribs (it’s a guideline, we aren’t going to come to your house and measure it, just be honest buddies). 🧶 The sweater must fit at least a teenager. Baby and child sweaters won’t be included in the MAL this time. 🧶 The project must be shared with us either on your Instagram profile or in our Discord server and we require you to clearly state the pattern and yarn you are using. If you share on IG, make sure to use the hashtag #YUautumnMAL so we can find your posts.
Prizes! 🧡 Most sweaters: self-explanatory, you know what’s up with this one. 🧡 The longest yard: a new category! This prize goes to the knitter or crocheter who uses the longest amount of yarn, so keep careful notes on your projects and share that data in your IG and/or Discord posts 🧡 Best lesson learned: challenge yourselves! Try a new technique, take a new class, tackle a pattern that has always intimidated you. And forget, we are here to help you get your projects over the finish line, so you have all the support you could need. 🧡 Random draw from all finished projects!
Four years!!!
Today marks four years since the day of our first sale!
An anniversary is a great time to sit back and think about the people that have made Yarns Untangled such a fantastic community. This January, Annabel reached her one-year anniversary! I can’t believe it’s almost been two years, I don’t know where we’d be without her. We were also joined last year by Kelly who quickly became an integral part of the team. She keeps me in line as best she can, and that’s a difficult task! Thank you so much to both of you for all you do!
We said goodbye to Nicole who has moved on to a very exciting future, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for her! Nicole had a very strong hand in forming the shop into what it has become, and I am eternally grateful for the time she spent with us.
Yarns Untangled also went from a partnership to a sole ownership this year. I’m thankful for everything that Brenna brought to the company, and excited for the next chapter in the story of YU.
Over this last year we also completed three separate knitalongs, hosted nine trunk shows, added several new classes from Kate, brought Stephanie on board for more crochet expertise, brought in tons of new yarns, began hosting Queer Stitch Nights, the staff and I finished 19 new projects, and we acquired one new honourary store cat!
We have a few very exciting announcements coming in the next months. I am incredibly excited for what the future holds for Yarns Untangled, and I’m even more grateful for the support of all of you incredible folks. Each one of you is an important part of the fabric that makes our community strong, and we would not be here without you.
Peace, love, and lots of yarn,
-Amelia
Happy holidays, and a thank you!
We have had the best year yet here at Yarns Untangled, and that is thanks to the kindness and unending support of you wonderful people. Thank you for your love of craft, your passion for colour, and your true understanding of the value of small independent businesses in Toronto. Here’s to an even better 2019!
2018 was an exciting one for us, with many small shifts and improvements, as well as a couple of unexpected occurrences that kept us on our toes.
This time last year, you may remember that we had no water in the store, and that lasted for five weeks! With some support from our neighbours (thanks to Ideal Coffee and KOS for the constant access to their bathrooms, and to Ozzy’s for hot water and cleaning supplies), and some hardiness we didn’t know we possessed, we made it through.
At the same time, we welcomed Annabel to our staff! She has been an incredible addition and we have been very lucky to have her. In 2019, she will return to school and scale back her shifts at YU, but she will still be a regular face around the shop. We are excited to see what the future holds for her!
In other staff developments, we bid farewell to a long time friend and member of our team, Nicole, who has moved to KW to be with her true love and share her skills with Waterloo University. We miss her, but we know she’s destined for greatness and are proud to have called her one of our number for over two years.
As Nicole left, we welcomed Kelly who continues to blow us away with her ingenuity and dedication, not to mention her stunning knitting and teaching skills. Look forward to seeing what classes she’ll be offering in the new year in a later message from us!
Kelly’s beautiful Westing Cowl
Regular visitors will have noticed the “For Sale” sign above the shop, and many have clarified with us that indeed, the business is NOT for sale, but instead, our building has been on the market for a few months now. In fact, we can now announce that the building was officially sold and will change ownership in February. We have yet to meet with the new owners in order to get more information for what this means for us, but rest assured that you will be among the first to know after we do.
The summer months featured some ground-breakingly successful trunk shows, including first time visits from Westlake Knits, Shelridge Yarns, and the Yarn Therapist, and triumphant returns of Feisty Fibres, Trailhead Yarns, and Yarn Indulgences, to name a few. 2019 will bring an even more exciting list of delicious visitors!
For the first time ever, we collaborated with other members of the southern Ontario yarn community and brought in Alexa, of Tin Can Knits fame, to teach a wildly successful Colourwork class! It sold out with surprising speed, and we were very privileged to have her. Look for more events like this one in the future.
This fall’s Knitalong featured the beautiful handdyed yarn of our good friend and yarn crush, Feisty Fibres! This KAL was one for the record books, and brought in more participants than ever!
And the prizes go to:
Namita, for most metres worked
Anna, for best original design
And Rachel F gets the randomly drawn prize!
Here are the stats:
Participants: 23
Projects started: 34
Projects finished: 24
Patterns used: 28
IG posts: 50
Ravelry thread: 54 posts, 3 pages
Stay tuned for info on our next themed knitalong!
We had so many other fun events and happenings this year that it would get a little long here for me to mention them all, but special shout outs go to the Easter Egg Hunt, Topsy Farms’ annual lamb adoption, Romantic Scientist’s fibre line launch (more still available in store!), and Kate Atherley’s Knitter’s Dictionary book launch (who knew we could fit that many people in the store?). Thanks again to all of you who continue to make it possible for us to live and thrive, and here’s to a soft, colourful, and warm new year!
Lots of love,
The YU Team
Dexter, honourary shopdog, rocks his Avoiding Exposure cowl
A Feisty Knitalong
Fall is coming (we promise), so it’s time for another knitalong! (For the official YU definition of a KAL, click here) Many of you have become intimately familiar with the incredible yarn-dyeing work coming from Feisty Fibres, and since she’s local and a truly excellent friend of ours, it was obvious to us that this fall’s KAL should be a Feisty one!
Just like yarn-themed KALs we’ve hosted in the past, the common thread between all our projects this time round will be Feisty Fibres’ yarn. The rules are otherwise wide open: knit or crochet, blanket or baby hat, simple stockinette or crazy colourwork, follow your heart’s desire. Many of her colourways can be seen on our shelves, or over on Ravelry. This is your chance to tackle your ever-growing Ravelry queue, try out a new technique that you’ve been daunted by, make that fall sweater, get some holiday knitting done, or to simply be inspired by each other’s creativity and by Feisty Fibres’ incredible colourways.
We also have two very special surprises to announce in association with this KAL. First: Feisty Fibres has developed a new base: DK! Each and every one of her perfect colourways will available on this new middle-weight yarn, well-suited to your long queue of projects-in-mind.
The second sweet piece of news is that Feisty will be collaborating with her very special yarn-girlfriend, The Yarn Therapist, to present to you The Magic Sweater! This kit includes a self-striping ball of yoke yarn from the Therapist that is designed to grow as your sweater yoke does. This means the stripes don’t get skinnier but instead stay the same width as you add stitches. It also comes with a perfectly coordinated skein of yarn from Feisty Fibres to finish off the body of your sweater. Up until now, this combo has only been available in children’s sizes, but just for our KAL, you can now order enough yarn to make your own Magic Sweater in your size! We will have more info on colourways, patterns and pricing soon; see details below for ordering KAL yarn in the Knitty Gritty section.
Tons of Feisty Fibres’ colourways can be seen on our shelves, but here are just a few colourways from a photo shoot we had together earlier this month. In order we have: Lemongrass Sass, Rapture, Sexy Nerd, Glamping, Raspberry Parade, Poolside Punch, Foolish Games, Gluten Free, Spelling Beez, and Smashed Candy.
The Knitty Gritty Details
KAL begins on October 17th and ends on December 19th (9 full weeks of crafting)
Official KAL hashtag: #YUFeistyKAL
Yarn must be Feisty Fibres, in any of her bases (Beyond Sox, DK, Worsted, or Fluff)
Yarn must have been bought (at any point) from Yarns Untangled
Yarn can be bought off the shelf at any time, but to ensure you get your chosen colourways, or if you have chosen a Magic Sweater Kit, make a pre-order!
All pre-orders are 10% off full price
Pre-orders are now open and will close on September 26th
Minimum of 3 skeins per colourway
Pre-orders must be secured with a 50% deposit
All our classes are 10% off for anyone participating in the KAL, and Sunday Drop In Clinics are free of charge!
In order to be entered, crafters must announce your chosen yarn and project on either the Ravelry thread or on Instagram, using the official hashtag #YUFeistyKAL. Once finished, you must share at least one picture on either the Ravelry thread or on Instagram (we can help with this if you haven’t got an account with either of these, just come see us).
The price for The Magic Sweater kit will shift depending on what size you order. Stay tuned for more details on this soon in a separate post.
A few pairs for inspiration
Prizes
Most metres worked: Be you knitting or crocheting, this prize is for the crafter who uses up the most metres in their project(s) during the Knitalong. Keep careful track of your skeins and partial skeins in your Ravelry entries (a food scale comes in handy for this one), and you could be the winner of a $15 gift card to Yarns Untangled!
Best original design: So many of you are remarkably creative with your work; this prize is for the crafter who finishes the most original project during the KAL. You don’t need to be a published designer to win this one though, simply make some clever alterations to a pre-existing design or use one as a jumping off point if you’re not comfortable building one from scratch, or let your mind go free and build something entirely your own. The winner of this prize receives some beautiful skeins of yarn donated by Feisty Fibres!
Random draw: the classic prize of chance. Each finished project earns the crafter one entry into this draw, and the winner receives a 10% off coupon for Yarns Untangled!
PANK! and Rainbow, together in a Flax baby sweater
Spring KAL: Toys!
Spring is in the air…
After the last few garment-themed KALs, we wanted to take this one in a different direction and celebrate the tiny, the cute and the silly this spring. Sometimes toy knitting/crocheting can seem a bit intimidating due to the tininess, but we are here to help (through classes, and the drop-in clinic), and to provide moral support. And who says it has to be tiny?
Pattern: Anything that falls (or should fall) under the Ravelry Toys and Hobbies category is eligible. This is a great time to try a toy technique, if you haven’t already. Knitting in the round, DPNs, seaming, amigurumi, needle felting (!!), pattern reading, embroidery, the list goes on! Come see us if you need help choosing an appropriate pattern.
We’d also like to draw your attention to a couple of great toy designers starting with Lucy Collin (for the geeks), Hansi Singh (for the under-the-sea lovers), Elizabeth Kellner (for that realistic look), and of course Anna Hrachovec of Mochi Mochi Land (we’ve got LOTS of kits already on our shelves for these, and they will be 10% off for the KAL participants!).
There are tons we haven’t included here, share your favourite toy designer in the comments below! Also, both Brenna and Amelia are working on toy designs as we speak which will be ready to knit in time for the start date.
Schedule: Start: Sunday, April 29th
Sunday Drop-In Clinic (FREE for KAL participants): April 29, May 6, 13, 20, 27, June 3, 10, 17 End: Wednesday, June 20th (8 weeks)
Prizes: Most original project: Make a stuffed cat that looks just like yours, or design a pattern for the perfect obscure animal, or make a stuffed boyfriend that looks just like yours should (you get the idea) Most finished objects: The participant with the most finished objects will win a $15 gift card for Yarns Untangled (in order to count towards your total, a project should take 50 yards of yarn or more). Best mess up and recovery: Share your learning experience with us! The person who has the best mess up and recovery will get a coupon for a private lesson with either Brenna or Amelia. The Random Draw: One winner will be randomly chosen from among the participants, see below for parameters. Prize will be a $10 gift card for Yarns Untangled.
Suggested classes (10% for official KAL participants):
Crochet for Beginners, with Brenna: Tuesday April 17th OR Friday May 18th, 6-8pm
Amigurumi, with Brenna: Friday April 27th, 6-8pm
Needle Felting, with Brenna: Friday May 4th, 6-8pm
Project class, with Nicole: Mondays April 16th through May 15th.
As always, the Sunday Drop-In Clinic is free for anyone needing help with a KAL project.
Participation: In order to be considered for entry for prizes, and to receive discounts on classes, crafters must either join our Ravelry thread or post on Instagram (#YUToyKAL) and announce which yarn you’ll be using. Once the project(s) is/are finished, you must post at least one picture of it. If you’d rather, come see us in person and we’ll get a snap of it for you and help you to post it on Ravelry.
Hashtag: #YUToyKAL
Yarn: Crafters must use yarn purchased from Yarns Untangled, but it doesn’t need to have been purchased during the time of the KAL. If you choose to use yarn purchased elsewhere, you are still welcome to stitch-along with us, but you will not be eligible for prizes or free drop-in clinic help.
That’s it! If you have any questions, reply to this post, shoot us an email at info @ yarnsuntangled.com, give us a call at (416) 603-2338, or drop in and see us in person!
Our Next KAL: Options Sweater by Amy Herzog
It’s YU’s first ever sweater knit-along!
Many of our serious regulars have already got yarn and even started up a few swatches, but the rest of you have a couple of days to pick up your yarn before we officially begin.
If this is all news to you, here’s a brief summary of the plan:
“…it’s an Amy Herzog design, so you know it’s going to be a great-fitting sweater. Amy is the sweater-fit guru behind tons of beautiful designs and the brains behind CustomFit. Options allows you to knit a sweater customized to your own needs: crew or v-neck, cardigan or pullover, textured, smooth, striped, or not. It’s done in pieces and then sewn together, and the KAL would involve lots of help from our staff on how to complete this step, and any other step that might be baffling you along the way.”
Pattern: Options (Pullover or Cardigan) Yarn:DK/sport weight, or whatever you need to get a 23 sts/4” gauge. We suggest Georgian Bay Fibre Co Bayfield DK (the yarn that inspired the project that inspired the KAL), or Estelle’s Eco Andean DK Wool. Both are in stock in a beautiful range of colours, and we’ve got more of the Georgian Bay en route to us as we speak. Come see us to choose your size and style and to get your yarn all sorted if you haven’t yet.
Schedule: Start: Wednesday, April 19th Sunday Drop-In Clinic (FREE for KAL participants): April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, 28, June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 2, 9 Seaming classes with Kate Atherley, especially catering to the Options pattern, $35 (20% off the usual price, and an extra hour long):
Pullover finishing on Monday June 26th 6-8pm
Cardigan finishing on Tuesday June 27th 6-9pm End: Wednesday, July 12th (3 months)
Prizes: Most Amusing Finished Object Photo: Break out the camera and let’s see your modelling skills. Prize will be a $15 gift card for Yarns Untangled! Most ingenious alteration: Options is ideally designed for tweaking, changing, shortening, lengthening, adding fancy cables or colourwork, etc! Stretch your imagination as far as you can, and the winner will get a free digital copy of Pattern Writing for Knit Designers. Best mess up and recovery: KALs can be wonderful learning experiences, so share yours with us! The person who learns the biggest lesson will get a coupon for a private lesson with either Brenna or Amelia. The Random Draw: one winner will be randomly chosen from among the participants, see below for parameters. Prize will be a $15 gift card for Yarns Untangled.
Participation: In order to be considered for entry for prizes, and to receive discounts on classes, crafters must either join this Ravelry thread or post on Instagram (#YUOptionsKAL) and announce which yarn you’ll be using. Once the project(s) is/are finished, you must post at least one picture of it. If you’d rather, come see us in person and we’ll get a snap of it for you and help you to post it on Ravelry. Hashtag: #YUOptionsKAL (use this wherever good hashtags are accepted) Pattern: the project must be following the Amy Herzog Options pattern, or at least based on it. Alterations are encouraged. Yarn: Crafters must use yarn purchased from Yarns Untangled, but it doesn’t need to have been purchased during the time of the KAL. If you choose to use yarn purchased elsewhere, you are still welcome to knit-along with us, but you will not be eligible for prizes, discounts, or free drop-in clinic help.
That’s it! If you have any questions, reply to this thread, shoot us an email at info @ yarnsuntangled.com, give us a call at (416) 603-2338, or drop in and see us in person!
Pussyhat Global Virtual March
The pussyhat project continues! The Women’s March was a great success and there continues to be a lot of momentum for this movement. We’ve had a considerable interest from the wider community for more pussyhats for future events so we’ve come up with several ways for you to get one of your own!
Right now we’re making more hats in preparation for the next major event: the Pussyhat Global March on International Women’s Day!
The goal of this march is similar to the original: provide marchers with a unique, collective visual statement and to provide women’s rights supporters with a way to come together in a virtual march. The virtual march is taking place across social media with the hashtag #pussyhatglobal. For more information on how to participate check out the Pussyhat Project website, and make sure to wear your own Pussy Hat on Wednesday March 8th to keep the movement going.
Want a pussyhat of your own? For the original women’s march, all pussyhats were made by crafters who generously donated their time and money to create each hat. Each hat takes several hours to make and could cost anywhere from $5 to $30 in materials. While we’d love to keep donating hats to the cause, the demand is so high we can’t afford to! It’s actually kind of a wonderful problem to have because it means so many of you are eager to participate in this important movement. Everyone who wants to participate in the pussyhat project should be able to, so to address this we’ve decided to move forward in two ways.
Learn to knit your own pussyhat! The first is for those interested in making their own pussyhat, our Knitting for Beginners I class covers the skills required! Our next Knitting for Beginners class is scheduled for March 7th & 14th from 6-7pm and as of this posting there are still spaces available! We also offer private lesson scheduled at your convenience for $30 an hour. Email or call us during business hours to book a time. The pattern is a pretty easy one, so this is a great time to learn.
Looking to buy a pussyhat instead? We at Yarns Untangled will be selling the ones we make for $45 and all of the proceeds going to the Native Women’s Association of Canada. There were SO many great options for charities and non-profit organizations that we could support with our donated funds, and it was with great deliberation and lots of discussion that we decided to go with NWAC. NWAC is one of the five officially recognized National Aboriginal Organizations, whose purpose is to represent and speak, at the national level, on behalf of Aboriginal women in Canada.
Indigenous women continue to be marginalized socially, politically, and economically. According to Stats Canada, indigenous women are close to THREE TIMES as likely to be victimized in a violent crime. A truly equal society should always be supporting those that are working to represent all women’s rights. We need now more than ever to be especially supportive of those living in communities still struggling to cope with the damages done through centuries of racism and violence. This sort of systemic oppression is deeply rooted – and we have a long way to go to acknowledge and repair the damage.
The NWAC works to address issues such as education, employment and labour, environment, health, human rights and international affairs and violence, with a special focus on the currently missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls. We hope the donations we contribute will make a true difference to help address the incredibly serious, and life-threatening racism that Aboriginal women are facing today.
All hats are paid for in advance and made to order, and they support an important cause. To order yours, just give us a call or send us an email!
And of course, as always, if you knit/crochet/sew you can make your own using any of the patterns available on the Pussyhat Project website!
That’s all for today. Have a great International Women’s Day!
-Amelia, Brenna & Nicole
Rhichard Devrieze Trunk Show!
Rhichard Devrieze and his beautiful yarns are coming back to Yarns Untangled for another fantastic trunk show! Saturday, January 28th from 11am to 5pm, our table and shelves will be full of Fynn, Peppino, and Phantom, as well as some limited one-of-a-kind colourways and bases that are otherwise unavailable anywhere else. Last year’s RDV trunk show was a huge success, so we know this one will be even better. Get there early because the most popular colourways go quickly!
For every $50 you spend on Rhichard’s ravishing yarns, you can fill in a raffle ticket to win a fantastic RDV-themed prize pack! RSVP on Facebook to give us an idea of numbers, and bring all your friends.
Socks and Shawls and Sweaters, Oh My!
by Nicole Tavares and Amelia Lyon
Ding! Ding! Ding! Our Kate Atherly Knit Along officially came to a close this week. Kate is one of our favourite teachers, and her patterns sparked a great deal of creativity over the past two months. With two hundred and fifty designs to choose from – anything was possible, and at least 30 of you glorious knitters and crocheters jumped in with both feet. We are so pleased and impressed with every WIP and FO we’ve seen throughout this process, so congrats to everyone who participated, regardless of whether you made it past the finish line in time, or not!
Our collected finished projects covered baby sweaters, shawls, mitts, and of course – SOCKS! Kate is very often referred to as “The Sock Guru,” and the name is very very well-earned. Out of all of her published patterns, virtually half of them are for socks, and the variation therein is so inspiring; from the plain ol’ top-down sock, to some of the fanciest colourwork and cablework out there, Kate’s socks are our go-tos whenever it’s time to keep our tootsies warm.
One of the best parts about knit-a-longs is watching crafters expand their skills and this one was no exception. We had a few people attempt their first ever pair of socks, while others went for a new method: two at a time socks. Congrats to Jen C, Karen, Rachel, Ni, Jen H, and Annabel for tackling this tricky challenge this summer, we loved watching your progress.
The Wavedeck Pi Shawl was a very popular choice. This half pi shawl by Kate paired perfectly with two skeins of our Mineville DK and it’s tiered lace pattern is simpler than it first appears. With Pi shawls the increases aren’t worked every row, instead the stitch count is doubled periodically in order to achieve the circular shape. Don’t worry if math isn’t your thing – the pattern has done it for you!
This pattern is a half pi shawl, meaning it’s a half circle instead of a full one. As Kate herself says in the pattern, “quicker to knit and easier to wear!”
Our sample in the shop offered lots of inspiration for those looking to make their own.
With dozens of gorgeous mineville DK colours to choose from, little Wavedecks started appearing all over the place in blues and greens.
Along with the wavedeck shawls came a parade of socks in all shapes and sizes, from the most basic cuff down patterns to intricate colourwork. Seen here are just a few of the sock FOs that crossed our path this month.
Still other knitters tackled chart reading, colourwork, brioche and more. In the end, we had more than 25 projects finished (or almost finished…).
No KAL is complete without a celebration at the end and some prizes. Without further ado, the winners are:
Most Individual Projects Completed
Goes to Rachel for finishing a Wavedeck shawl AND a pair of socks! If you haven’t met Rachel, she started out as a loom knitter and has only recently moved into working with needle-knitting as well. Obviously she’s rocking it! Her prize is a $15 gift card for Yarns Untangled.
Biggest Mess Up/Lesson Learned
Goes to Cheryl for her work on the Asking for Flowers shawl! This pattern was a step up for her since it offers the instructions for the lace in chart form, and there are quite a few short rows used to turn around the centre point of the left-to-right shawl. With a wee bit of help from Brenna, Cheryl was able to turn out this just gorgeous shawl using three skeins of Rhichard Devrieze Peppino she picked up at the summer trunk show, and she is very pleased with it. So are we! Her prize is a coupon for a private lesson with either Brenna or Amelia whenever she wants! Can’t wait to see what she learned next.
Most ingenious pattern alteration:
Goes to Francesca for her work on the circular Wavedeck. This pattern was by far the most popular one throughout this KAL, but Francesca took it up a level when she turned the half-pi into a full-pi! She used two skeins of Riverside Studios in “Midnight;” these pics don’t do it justice, it has to be seen in person to be full appreciated. Way to go Francesca! Her prize is a digital copy of Kate’s amazing book, Pattern Writing for Knitwear Designers.
Pre-blocking, but slightly more colour-accurate
Blocking!
Of course the Random Draw! The two winners of our draw were awarded a collection of beautiful yarn from Kate’s stash. Lucky lucky knitters! Congratulations to Claire and Vidya who made a Wavedeck and a One-Piece Baby Sweater respectively!
Thanks to everyone who participated, you guys all rock. As we head into the Fall season, we have lots coming up in terms of classes, trunk shows, events, brand new yarns, and a selection of old favourites. Check us out on the social media platform of your choice (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) or sign up for our mailing list to be kept in the loop. Happy Stitching!
Our Next KAL: “KAAL,” a Kate Atherley-A-Long!
After the success of our previous knitalong where each crafter worked with yarn dyed by Megan of Lichen & Lace for a project of their choice, we’ve decided to base this one around another favourite artist of ours, the infinitely wise and wonderfully talented designer Kate Atherley.
In addition to being an extremely accomplished knitwear designer, Kate is in high demand as a knitting teacher throughout the English-speaking knitting community. Just this spring and summer she has been invited to Interweave Yarn Fest in Colorado, Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, and the Austin Texas Knit & Crochet Guild, to name a few.
As such, we count ourselves as very lucky to be one of few yarn stores that can claim as a regular teacher on our roster. She can be found teaching at Yarns Untangled virtually every Tuesday and Thursday, and we are especially excited to announce that she will be joining us this Wednesday night (July 13th) for stitch night! The puck-drop will be Friday July 15th, so this will be your chance to meet Kate, get some advice on which pattern would be best for you, or to pick her brain on any questions you might have for your chosen design(s), two days in advance of the beginning of the KAL.
Kate has generously set up a discount code on Ravelry. Check the Ravelry thread for the code that gets you 30% off of any of her patterns from today until August 15th. You can peruse through all of her designs on Ravelry here, but we’d like to take this moment to showcase some of our very favourites.
Always a crowd-pleaser, Asking for Flowers is a fingering weight, garter stitch shawl/scarf with a simple lace edging that is knit as-you-go. It’s simpler than it looks, an extremely rewarding knit, and great for anyone looking to try out lace chart reading for the first time.
Asking for Flowers
For those of you into cables, or looking to advance your skills, the Oswin the Impossible mitts are a joy to make. They use one skein of DK weight yarn, suit any gender, and are a great way to show off a truly special hand-dyed yarn.
Oswin the Impossible
If you’ve visited the store in the past few months, you might have seen either Amelia’s or Nicole’s Wavedeck projects. Wavedeck is a half-pi shawl that is quite a bit less complicated than it looks, we promise. Pi Shawls are a concept initially developed by knitting pioneer Elizabeth Zimmerman, and although it’s based on the mathematical concept of pi, no math is required to put this together (although if anyone wants to geek out, we are ready and waiting).
Wavedeck
And of course, many of you will know that Kate is truly a sock guru. Her sock knitting classes are some of our most popular workshops, and sock patterns make up almost 40% of her published work. These designs range from the most basic (Basic Ribbed Socks)…
Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter feeds for more spotlights on Kate’s patterns as a countdown to the start of the KAL.
Prizes:
Most individual projects completed (two socks count as one project) – bang out as many things as you can in two months! Single skein projects count, so this is a great way to plow through your queue. Prize will be a $15 gift card for Yarns Untangled! Biggest Mess Up/Lesson Learned – tell us your pain! Every new project is a learning experience, and it’s always nice to hear about personal growth. 😉 Prize is a coupon for a private lesson with either Brenna or Amelia at Yarns Untangled. Most ingenious pattern alteration – show us your knit hacks! A little bit of shaping, an extra big shawl, a special sock toe, bonus mitten fingers, or whatever your heart desires, other knitters can always learn from your changes and your experience. Prize is a digital copy of Kate’s book Pattern Writing for Knit Designers. Special Crochet Prize – Since Kate’s patterns are all written for knitters, we’ll be offering a special prize for anyone who tackles the challenge of transcribing one of her designs into crochet! Prize is a $10 gift card for Yarns Untangled. Of course the Random Draw, two winners this time! – each will be awarded a collection of beautiful yarn from Kate’s stash (she gets great stuff sent to her in the mail, this is some primo promo yarn!)
The Knitty Gritty, or “The Rules” (If this happens to be the first you’re hearing of the term “Knitalong” (or knit-a-long, or knit-along or KAL), we refer you to a short write up from our previous undertaking.)
Important Dates: starts July 15th, ends September 15th Wednesday July 13th – Kate joins us for Stitch Night
As always, our Drop-In Clinic on Sundays is free to anyone participating in the KAL, so if a pattern seems like a bit of a challenge, we are here to help. Participation: In order to be considered for entry, crafters must either join the Ravelry thread or post on Instagram (#kaal) and announce which pattern and yarn you’ll be using. Once the project(s) is/are finished, you must post at least one picture of it. If you’d rather, come see us in person and we’ll get a snap of it for you and help you to post it on Ravelry.
If you don’t have a Ravelry account, send us a quick email at info @ yarnsuntangled.com announcing your intention to participate. We’ll make sure you’re kept in the loop Hashtag: #kaal (use this wherever good hashtags are accepted) Pattern: the project must be following a pattern designed by Kate, alterations and adjustments are of course just fine. All patterns are 30 % off on Ravelry for KAL participants using the code from the Ravelry thread. Code is active as of today until August 15th. Yarn: Crafters must use yarn purchased from Yarns Untangled, but it doesn’t need to have been purchased during the time of the KAL. That’s it! If you have any questions, shoot us an email at info @ yarnsuntangled.com, give us a call at (416) 603-2338, or drop in and see us in person!
