Put A Spring In Your Step: Socks And More
With March just around the corner, now is the perfect time to learn a new skill and put a Spring in your step with the Beginner Sock Knitting class with Holli Yeoh. And we also have our Beginner Knitting and Beginner Wheel Spinning starting next week if that is on your to-do list!
Photo credit Holli Yeoh
SOCKS FOR BEGINNERS
This is a class for the knitter who has been knitting for a while and is ready for a fresh challenge. Over the course of a few weeks you will knit a top-down boot sock (DK-weight) or an around-home sock (Worsted-weight).
Techniques To Be Learned:
• Holli’s favourite stretchy cast on
• Circular knitting with double-pointed needles (DPNs), or two circular needles or one long circular needle for Magic Loop (your choice)
• Avoiding ladders and loose stitches
• Heel construction including heel flap, heel turn and picking up stitches around the heel
• Grafting (Kitchener stitch)
• Getting the right fit
DATES: Mondays March 2, 9, 16, & 23th from 6:00-7:30pm
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
BEGINNER KNITTING
This is a beginner knitting class for anyone who has never picked up needles, or for someone who is looking for a beginner refresher. Participants will learn the basics including casting on, knitting, purling and casting off. The class project will be a choice between simple hat, scarf, or arm warmers.
DATES: Thursdays, March 5, 12, 19, and 26th from 6:00-7:30pm
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
INTRO INTO WHEEL SPINNING
This is a two day beginner spinning class using an Ashford Kiwi Wheel, and includes equipment rental for a 10 day period. Participants will learn how to set up and use the equipment. All materials included ($40 reduction in cost if you have your own Ashford Wheel).
MARCH DATES: Saturday, March 7th & 14th. 9:30-11:30 a.m. — or —
APRIL DATES: Saturday, April 4th & 18th. 9:30-11:30 a.m. — or —
MAY DATES: Saturday, May 23rd & 30th. 9:30-11:30 a.m.
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
Winter Sale List 2020
Only twice a year do we host a blow out of this size. Help us make room for some Spring and Summer beauties by getting a deal at our Winter Sale happening this leap year SATURDAY Feb 29th and SUNDAY Mar 1st and MONDAY Mar 2nd from 11am-6pm.
Here’s a peek on what will be going on sale:
30% Off
Knitter’s Pride Golden Light Needle Set: Reg. $158.00 Sale. $110.60
Knitter’s Pride Wool Winders: Reg. $60.00 Sale. $42.00
Ocean Park Eco Sport: Reg. $32.95 Sale. $23.05
Ocean Park Organic Sock: Reg. $32.95 Sale. $23.05
Ocean Park Mini Sets: Reg. $37.95 Sale. $26.55
Skein Top Half Sock: Reg. $18.95 Sale. $13.25
Elderberry Organic Sock: Reg. $16.00 Sale. $11.20
Colour Adventure Merino Light: Reg. $26.00 Sale. $18.15
Cascade 220: Reg. $11.95 Sale. $8.35
Diamond Luxury Alpaca Sport: Reg. $19.95 Sale. $13.95
Sugar Bush Drizzle: Reg. $11.95 Sale. $8.35
Pom Pom Magazines: Reg. $26.95 Sale. $18.85
Estelle Bulky: Reg. $17.95 Sale. $12.55
Libre Glass Infuser 420mL: Reg. $35.00 Sale. $24.50
Sugar Bush Festivity: Reg. $22.95 Sale. $16.05
Briggs & Little Sport: Reg. $6.80 Sale. $4.75
40% Off
Chiao Goo Twist Mini Set: Reg. $110.60 Sale. $66.40
Wollmeise Blend: Reg. $64.95 Sale. $38.95
Americo Eco Alpaca: Reg. $28.00 Sale. $16.80
Mirasol Umina: Reg. $25.00 Sale. $15.00
50% Off
Cascade Magnum: Reg. $29.95 Sale. $15.00
Lang Jawoll Magic Degrade: Reg. $14.95 Sale. $7.50
Lang Jawoll Magic 6-ply: Reg. $17.95 Sale. $9.00
Lang Jawoll Magic Superwash: Reg. $21.95 Sale. $11.00
Myboshi Comfort Wool Sock: Reg. $13.95 Sale. $7.00
Mirasol Nuna Fina: Reg. $13.00 Sale. $6.50
KFI Indulgence Hand Painted: Reg. $24.95 Sale. $12.50
Uneek Chunky: Reg. $32.95 Sale. $16.50
Cascade Cloud: Reg. $19.95 Sale. $10.00
Noro Taiyo: Reg. $23.95 Sale. $12.00
70% Off
Sugar Bush Pattern Books: Reg. $6.95 Sale. $2.00
Also, our online store will also celebrate our winter sale with its entire listings on for 15% off Sat, Sun and Mon from midnight to midnight! Yay!
Project of the Month: Downhome Shawl
As the crocuses valiantly start to poke through the hard winter soil you know that spring is around the corner, and the backyard chickens will again start to appear. Nicole Clark, a self professed art lover, knitter and host of the Hue Loco podcast from Boulder, Colorado has been making waves in the yarny circles with her ability to match unique colour combinations in nature onto her yarn base canvas. One of our favs of her many yarn offerings are sock sets (one full skein with a coordinating mini skein) based on the colours found in various species of common backyard chickens.
Use a set to knit a pair of socks (any foot size!) with matching or mismatched heel toes!
Each set comes with a 100g skein in a main colour as well as two coordinating 20g skeinettes for all your colourwork pleasure! Socks are the most obvious way to use these sets but a simple shawl with an allowance for a few good colour pops would work as well and Alicia Plummer specifically designed her Downhome Shawl to work specifically with Hue Loco’s Backyard Chicken sets!
Or knit a a full sized shawl with every yard of this set like this!
This shawl came with its own special game of yarn chicken and I lost! We now sell the pattern with the recommendation to stop one round early, but otherwise you use up almost every inch of this 140g set! We have a few stray chickens still at our shop, but a full set of Hue Loco’s eight 2018 sets, eight 2019 sets and even a pre-launch of her brand new eight 2020 colourway sets will be available at our booth at Fibres West launching on Friday the 13th of March!
Check out how well this yarn matches its inspiration backyard chicken breed!
With four species of roosters (dyed on her Merino Sock base of a bouncy twist 80% SW Merino 20% Nylon) and four species of hens (dyed on her Phyllis Sock base of a relaxed twist 75% SW Merino 25% Nylon) for each year, we will have 24 different sets to choose from!
Save the Date: WINTER SALE!!!
SAVE THE DATE: Our Annual Winter Sale is happening on Saturday, February 29 through end of day Monday March 2!!!
We’re celebrating the leap year with a sale! Come visit us in store on the weekend of February 29th for our annual winter yarn sale during our regular hours of 11am-6pm; as well as check out our online store sale starting at midnight at www.baaadannas.store. As always our full list of sale yarns will be posted on the Monday prior to the sale on our website at www.baaadannas.com as of Feb 24th!
We take our winter and summer SALES pretty seriously, offering almost half of the yarns in our store at 30-50% off regular price! Be sure to pencil us in that weekend for all of your winter knitty needs!
Shorter Hours Family Day
We’re open for your knitting needs for most of the day and will then be headed home to spend time with our families!
We are open Monday February 17 11am – 4pm
Resolutions for the New Decade
I have tried to sit down and write my new year resolution post for many weeks now, but looking back I am amused to see that a previous year’s resolution blog was also posted in February! If you follow the @baaadannas Instagram, you may have noticed I have been focusing on not starting any new year/new decade knit projects until I first make a dent into my multiple stashes of works in progress, lovingly known as WIPs. I have been known to suffer from a bit of yarnie startitis: the love to matching yarn to the perfect projects, project bags, needles and getting the joy of seeing how the project unfolds, only to squirrel the whole kit into some forgotten corner and move on to the next new project before it is finished.
So I have started a new hashtag #WIPtoFO2020 and have completed a month and a half of this new decade in the pursuit of uncovering and working on, and even in some cases COMPLETING my works-in-progress. To date I have finished two pairs of socks and a sweater, and brought the light of day to an unfinished toy, two more half-done sweaters and a mystery project. And SO many learnings! WIPs often come with misplaced patterns, unclear instructions, lost contrast yarn and missing tools… all of which make them so unappealing to restart, but also so unbelievable rewarding to conquer and complete!
All this to say that there is a reason I have committed to WIPs and not starting on new shiny things on my needles: we at Baaad Anna’s have been beavering away at a few new work projects on the community-building front that we are almost ready to share with you. Where WIPs are being focused on to reign in new endeavors on my needles, my team and I have been elbow deep in building the foundations for some new adventures for the decade ahead. Keep an eye on this blog for some fun announcements soon, but the new decade brings so new ventures, and we hope you will join us in strengthening our fibre arts community in these exciting times!
How to Upcycle Your Knits
No need to say goodbye to a favorite hand-knit when you can give it the love it deserves! Join us to find out how!
MENDING WORKSHOP with Holli Yeoh
Photo courtesy of Holli Yeoh.
Materials needed: Holli Yeoh’s Repair Kit (valued at $31) is included in the cost of this workshop and includes: Eucalan sample, bent-tip needle, straight needle, needle felting needle, foam, locking stitch markers, small embroidery hoop, embroidery floss, sweater/blanket storage bag.
Please bring:
- If you have one, bring a swatch from a completed project in stockinette stitch on smooth yarn (so you can see the stitches) that you are comfortable cutting, or
- If you’d like to make one, you could work up a 5 inch square swatch in a smooth yarn, preferably wool. Work in stockinette stitch with a moss or garter stitch border.
- Some small amounts of yarn for repairs in the same weight as your swatch but not in the same colour. For this class, you want to be able to see your fixes!
- Knit items (hand or commercial knits) with holes or thin spots for a discussion on strategies for fixing them
- Two double pointed needles in a size appropriate for the weight of yarn/swatch
- Crochet hook approximate size of knitting needles
- Scissors
- Basic knitter’s toolkit (any other items you tend to use)
DATE: Sunday February 16th from 3:30-6:30pm
COST: $82.00 (+tax) includes Holli Yeoh mending kit valued at $32.00
INSTRUCTOR: Holli Yeoh, of Holli Yeoh Designs
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here.
Learn a Sock in 3 Hours?!
Some of you may already know the talents of local designer Holli Yeoh, but if you don’t you have an opportunity to learn first hand from her this weekend. Knitting is a life-long learning journey and Holli is presenting two workshops for the Intermediate knitter this Saturday that could knock your socks off!
FIXING COMMON MISTAKES WORKSHOP: INTERMEDIATE
Description: Knitting and mistakes go hand in hand. All knitters, even the most advanced ones make mistakes. You already know how to make simple fixes like dealing with a dropped stitch or twisted stitches. Now it’s time to kick it up a notch and learn some advance skills to fix your mistakes. We’ll concentrate on lace and cables, ripping out small sections and recreating them row by row instead of ripping out several rows or the entire project.
Skills needed: You’re comfortable with the basics and know how to knit simple lace and cables, read a chart, and follow simple pattern instructions.
Materials needed:
- Two homework swatches (instructions given upon registration)
- Smooth, worsted weight yarn in a light colour (should have at least 2 plies and preferably some wool content)
- Appropriately sized knitting needles to work with yarn
- Double pointed needles (DPNs) 1-2 sizes smaller (wood or bamboo, if possible)
- Crochet hook (similar size to DPNs)
- Small blocking square, or foam mat, or piece of corrugated cardboard about 12”square
- T-pins or pins with a large, glass bead head
- Reading glasses, if you need them!
- Point protectors, or two runner bands
- Knitter’s tool kit
If needed, needles and point protectors can be purchased at Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store. Please bring all other supplies with you.
FEBRUARY DATE: Saturday Feb 8th Noon-3pm; — or —
MAY DATE: Sunday May 3rd 9:30-12:30
COST: $55
INSTRUCTOR: Holli Yeoh of Holli Yeoh Designs
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
TIP-TOE-UP SOCKS (Learn toe-up sock construction in 3 hr workshop)
Learn how to knit toe-up socks with completely replaceable heels and toes from local designer Holli Yeoh. This is a skill-building workshop with plenty of new techniques such as Turkish Cast On, knitting on two circular needles or Magic Loop on one long circular needle, grafting on the needles and a stretchy sewn bind off on the needles. After practicing your new skills on a sampler in class, you’ll be ready to go home and cast on a sock for yourself.
Skills needed: Knit, purl, increasing and decreasing, knitting in the round.
Materials needed:
- Two colours of a small amount (partial balls will work) of a double knit or worsted weight yarn in light to medium colours
- Two circular needles in an appropriate size for the yarn
- Locking stitch marker
- Basic knitter’s toolkit
COST: $60(+tax)
INSTRUCTOR: Holli Yeoh of Holli Yeoh Designs
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
plus also coming up…
MENDING WORKSHOP with Holli Yeoh
Photo courtesy of Holli Yeoh.
Materials needed: Holli Yeoh’s Repair Kit (valued at $31) is included in the cost of this workshop and includes: Eucalan sample, bent-tip needle, straight needle, needle felting needle, foam, locking stitch markers, small embroidery hoop, embroidery floss, sweater/blanket storage bag.
Please bring:
- If you have one, bring a swatch from a completed project in stockinette stitch on smooth yarn (so you can see the stitches) that you are comfortable cutting, or
- If you’d like to make one, you could work up a 5 inch square swatch in a smooth yarn, preferably wool. Work in stockinette stitch with a moss or garter stitch border.
- Some small amounts of yarn for repairs in the same weight as your swatch but not in the same colour. For this class, you want to be able to see your fixes!
- Knit items (hand or commercial knits) with holes or thin spots for a discussion on strategies for fixing them
- Two double pointed needles in a size appropriate for the weight of yarn/swatch
- Crochet hook approximate size of knitting needles
- Scissors
- Basic knitter’s toolkit (any other items you tend to use)
DATE: Sunday February 16th from 3:30-6:30pm
COST: $82.00 (+tax) includes Holli Yeoh mending kit valued at $32.00
INSTRUCTOR: Holli Yeoh, of Holli Yeoh Designs
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here.
Learn Something New THIS WEEKEND
We’ve got a few classes and one-day workshops happening this weekend to get you started on any new fibre arts adventures you may have been hoping to try!
Ready to take your knitting to a new level with some catered-for-you skills building? Try our…
BEYOND THE BASICS
For knitters that are comfortable with the basic stitches, here’s a way to conquer your next knitty challenge. Bring whatever project with a new skill you would like to master, and our teacher will work with you over 6 hours of class time to teach you the skills you need to succeed in its completion. Self-paced with the project of your choice, this is a class for knitters of all skill levels to try a new technique, while receiving help and feedback on their work-in-progress. No need to abandon a project when help is less than a week away! Work with an amazing local designer to tackle a new pattern or project and master some new skills.
Materials needed: Bring a pattern and materials as your project requires. Materials can be purchased at Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store. Please visit at least a half hour before the start of the first class if you have not chosen a pattern or yarn. Our staff will be happy to help you.
FEBRUARY DATES: Thursdays February 6, 13, & 27th from 6:00-8:00pm
COST: $70-90 sliding scale (+tax)
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
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Or if you have the knit and purl down but have an inkling that you need some help with the first reading and fixing what you are working on try…
FIXING COMMON MISTAKES WORKSHOP: BEGINNER
Description: $%#$@#^! Isn’t knitting supposed to be relaxing?? Learn how to get yourself out of a knitting related disaster and get back on track.
Picking up dropped stitches, fixing missed increases and twisted stitches, un-knitting (cleverly known as TINKing as it is the word KNIT backwards!) and other common fixes will be covered in this 3hr workshop.
Skills needed: You’re comfortable with the basics and know how to decrease, increase, and follow simple pattern instructions.
FEBRUARY DATES: Saturday Feb 1st Noon-3pm
COST: $55 (+tax)
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
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Or are you ready for a project-specific workshop? How about…
ENTRELAC WORKSHOP
Get hands-on with a new technique in this 3 hour workshop with local designer Holli Yeoh. Learn how to create a basket-weave effect with your knitting in this project-based, introductory class. You’ll learn how to knit entrelac in the round while making a wrist warmer. After class, you have the option to turn your wrist warmer into a mitten by following the Pulse Point pattern on your own.
Skills needed: Knitting in the round, familiarity with different kinds of decreases (k2tog, ssk),and picking up stitches.
COST: $60 (+tax)
Minimum 5 and max 10 participants
INSTRUCTOR: Holli Yeoh of Holli Yeoh Designs
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
***
Or have you started a beginner crochet project such as a scrubbie but want to work on two-class hat?
BEYOND BEGINNER CROCHET, Two Week Hat
Learn how to crochet a simple, stylish toque in this 2 day crochet workshop! Participants will learn how to create a crocheted rib stitch, how to crochet in the round, as well as simple decreases. Pattern will be provided.
Skills needed: You’re comfortable with the basics; have made at least a scrubby!
DATES: Sundays Feb 2 & 9th from 10:00am- Noon
COST: $70 (+tax)
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
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And what about taking your felting skills to the next level with our…
INTERMEDIATE FELTING
Take your felting to the next level! This three hour workshop will focus on advanced details, firmer structuring, unique shapes, and added wire to your piece to allow for bendable sculptures.
DATE: Sunday February 2nd, 1-3pm
COST: $45 (+tax) Includes materials.
To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register here online!
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We also have only a spot or two open for our Learn to Knit and Learn to Weave classes! Don’t miss out!
Winter Yarn Tasting THIS Friday
Join us Friday January 24th for an evening of yarn mini sampling, pattern discussions and treats. With a new year, comes time for an introduction to some of the newer yarns that snuck into the store during the Fall rush!
What is a yarn tasting?
This will be a sit-down event with some refreshments, hands-on knitting and good company! Your reservation will include five mini-skeins from some of our newest and favorite dyers and farmers: Hue Loco, Suburban Stitcher, Okanagan Dyeworks, Baaad Sarah’s and Americo! Compare different yarn weights and fibre content head to head while knitting up a simple pattern or swatch square.
What: Winter Yarn Tasting Event at Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store
When: Friday, January 24th 2020
Time: 6:30 – 9:00pm
Cost: $25
To Register: Book online or give us a call at (604) 255 2577.
All featured yarns will be 10% off for the duration of the evening. Don’t forget to bring your own needles and hooks for working with fingering to worsted weight yarns.
There are only 20 spots available so get your ticket soon!
Here’s some eye candy from past yarn tastings. It is a perfect way to spend a rainy winter evening. Hope you can join us this round as we have some pretty exciting yarn in store for you to try on your needles!
To Register: Book online or give us a call at (604) 255 2577.
