Baaad Anna's Yarn Store

We were invited to host a pop up studio in the Joyce-Collingwood area of East Vancouver next week on Friday Sept 15th and 16th at a new temporary art studio at 5050 Joyce St. To celebrate, we are offering various free workshops and planning a sneak peek of the Tusken Yarns that we are launching at this year’s Knit City. Pop in to say hi and check out this gorgeous space, and stay and knit with us!

If you are in the Vancouver area and are interested in hearing more about our Baaad Ass Road Trip, Lara and I will be presenting at the season launch of the West Coast Knitters’ Guild meetings, on Tuesday September 5th from 7pm. We will also be presenting a pop up shop similar to the one that traveled with us on our road trip. Come knit, share and enjoy as the Guild welcomes visitors as friends!

We are so excited to announce our partnership with the amazing local designer Holli Yeoh to present a lineup of new and classic classes over the next few months.

Welcome Holli!

Beyond the Basics

Holli will be available to work with you on any pattern with a new skill-set over the course of a month in our Beyond the Basics class. In Beyond, you bring whatever pattern you wish to master regardless of whether you are a beginner/intermediate or a well versed advance knitter, and over the course of 6 hours of classes in one month she will help you work towards successfully completing it.

SEPTEMBER: Thursdays: Sept 7, 14 & 21 from 6:00-8:00pm    — or —

OCTOBER: Tuesdays: Oct 3, 10, 17 & 24th from 6:00-7:30pm

COST: $70 – $90 (+tax) sliding scale

Fix a stitch and other tips!

Fixing Common Mistakes

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, un-knitting (cleverly known as TINKing) and other common
fixes will be covered in this 3hr workshop.

DATE: Saturday Sept 9th from 10:00-1:00pm

COST: $60 (+tax)

You can even knit one of Holli Yeoh’s own sweater patterns!

My First Sweater

You are comfortable with the knit and purl stitches and now would like to try knitting your first sweater!   In this introductory sweater class, Holli will guide you through the process.

Materials needed: Bring a pattern of your choice and materials as needed. Materials can be purchased at Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store. Please visit before the start of the first class if you have not chosen a pattern or yarn. Our staff will be happy to help you.

DATES: Coming Soon! (keep an eye on our website for October dates)

COST: $70 – $90 (+tax) sliding scale

Visit the store or call 604-255-2577 to register today.

A reminder that today, tomorrow and Monday we will have over half the store on sale from 20-50% off to celebrate our 8th Anniversary! And for our online community we are also offering 20% off everything SITE WIDE for the next three days to join in the celebration… on now!

And to add to the celebration, on Sunday we will be hosting the talented ladies of the Knox Mountain Knit Co who we visited in Kelowna on our roadtrip. Come and check out their amazing knits in person and be privy to hard copies of their brand new Coquilhalla collection hot off the presses!

Over half our store is going on sale to celebrate 8 years since Baaad Anna’s first opened for the weekend of Sat Aug 26th through Mon Aug 28th. Come get a kickstart on your Fall knitting, and check out Knox Mountain Design Co’s trunk show that we are hosting on the Sunday of the sale.

Here’s some of what will be available for our sale weekend:

20% off:
AMERICO COTTON FLAMME: regular price: $25.00; sale price: $20.00
DIAMOND LUXURY GALWAY CHUNKY: regular price: $10.95; sale price: $8.76
DIAMOND LUXURY TRADITION WORSTED: regular price: $11.95; sale price: $9.56
JULIE ASSELIN FINO: regular price: $34.00; sale price: $27.20
SWEETGEORGIA YARNS TOUGH LOVE SOCK: regular price: $30.00; sale price: $24.00
SWEETGEORGIA YARNS PARTY OF FIVE: regular price: $46.00; sale price: $36.80

25% off:
YOTH BIG SISTER: regular price: $38.95; sale price: $29.21

30% off:
CESTARI MOTICELLO COLLECTION: regular price: $17.95; sale price: $12.57
DRUNK YARN: regular price: $26.95; sale price: $18.87
JULIE ASSELIN NURTURED: regular price: $17.00; sale price: $11.90
JULIE ASSELIN YOTTA: regular price: $36.00; sale price: $25.20
LANA GROSSA MAGICO II: regular price: $17.50; sale price: $12.25
MJ YARNS MAD HATTER MINIS: regular price: $10.50; sale price: $7.35
NATURE’S WONDERS SHAWL PINS: regular price: $23.95; sale price: $16.77
SWEETGEORGIA YARNS SUPERWASH WORSTED: regular price: $28.00; sale price: $19.60
SWEETGEORGIA YARNS POLWARTH & SILK FIBRE: regular price: $30.00; sale price: $21.00
SWEETGEORGIA YARNS PANDA FIBRE: regular price: $30.00; sale price: $21.00
VEGAN YARN SIRIUS: regular price: $43.00; sale price: $30.10

40% off:
MJ YARNS SIMPLE SOCK: regular price: $28.95; sale price: $17.37
NORO TAIYO LACE: regular price: $24.95; sale price: $14.97
SCHACHENMAYR REGIA DESIGN LINE BY ARNE & CARLOS: regular price: $17.50; sale price: $10.50
SIRDAR FOLKSONG: regular price: $6.50; sale price: $3.90
SUBLIME COTTON SILK DK: regular price: $11.50; sale price: $8.05
YOTH LITTLE BROTHER: regular price: $41.95; sale price: $25.17

50% off:
ADDI TURBO/TURBO LACE KNITTING NEEDLES: assorted prices
NOVA PLUS BIO SESIA 3: regular price: $9.50; sale price: $4.75
DEBBIE BLISS BLUE FACED LEICESTER ARAN: regular price: $10.95; sale price: $5.48
PHILDAR LAMBSWOOL: regular price: $6.95; sale price: $3.48
PHILDAR PHIL FOLK: regular price: $14.95; sale price: $7.48
SIRDAR SNUGGLY DK: regular price: $6.95; sale price: $3.48

Enjoy your project planning!

Baaad Anna’s has had a busy summer this year with the launch of our online store and taking the shop on the road, but there has been another first for us recently with being invited on two podcasts! Although I would prefer to stay behind the scenes, these have been a lot of fun.

The first happened prior to our roadtrip and was hosted by two locals Jenny and Natalie, of the Tricities Knit podcast. Jenny is a knitwear designer that goes by the name Sweaterfreak, and you may remember her from the Trunk Show she hosted at our store last year.

Then a few weeks later while on the road we met Marsha who hosts the Fairy Little podcast. This lady is a powerhouse of content and personality and we were lucky to cross paths with her.

We’ve been brainstorming the possibility of hosting a knit & podcast all-nighter, perhaps in September? Be sure to stay tuned for more info!

August 2017 POTM: The Veronika Cardigan made with Cestari Traditional 2 ply Worsted

Having been reading up on Hygge, or the art of cozy living, and anticipating the start of the upcoming knit season nothing has been more welcoming than the launch of Veronika, a cardigan pattern released by a local talent Very Shannon in celebration of an indie collaboration.

Hygge: The Art of Cozy Living, as demonstrated by my sister in law, Ann.

With a mid-July release, this new pattern by homegrown (a Victoria gal) knitwear designer Shannon Cook has been lighting up the summer knitting season! We are thrilled to share our suggestion for the perfect yarn for this cozy cardi: the farm-to-needle Cestari Traditional 2-Ply Worsted.

We knit our cardi in the gorgeous Green Heather colourway to give an old growth feel for some West Coast fashion.

Cestari Traditional 2-Ply Worsted is available at our store in 10 early colours; and to celebrate this pattern of the month, for all of August if you buy a cardigan-quantity of 7 or more skeins of this yarn through our online store, you will receive 15% off!

Fibres:  100 % Targhee/Columbia Wool
Gauge:  16 – 18 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Needles:  5.0 mm (US 8)
Weight:  Aran (4)
Length:  100 g / 170 yards (155 m)
$14.95/skein

BUY NOW!

The Veronika in Cestari‘s Targhee/Columbia wool.

Cestari Sheep and Wool Company is a small family-owned and operated American manufacturer of knitting and crocheting yarn from a farm in Augusta County, Virginia where they raise sheep for wool that they use in their own yarn. We are pleased to also announce that we will be hosting the owner of Cestari, Francis Chester, in our booth at Knit City this year! Read more about Francis and Cestari here!

This yarn still holds some of the sheep’s natural lanolin, making the knit fabric retain the water repellent nature so useful in our autumn climate.

We’ve also had knitters come in to purchase other great worsted weights for this Cardi already, and in addition to the Cestari the big hits for yarn choice on this knit seem to be two Canadian yarn options: Humming Bee Farm Worsted and Briggs & Little Regal. Keep an eye on our blog, as we will continue to feature these throughout the month.

Named after YOTH’s founder Veronika Jobe, this cardi embodies the casual and coziness of West Coast style.

The Veronika Cardigan is simple and relatively quick knit, and a good opportunity for the beginner-intermediate knitter to explore garment knitting. Now is a good time to put this project of your needles to add this classic addition to your Autumn wardrobe!

Buy here and recieve 15% off a sweater quantity of Cestari needed for this project.

*** BACK TO BAAAD ANNA’S ONLINE STORE ***

Thank you to my feisty sister-n-law Ann for getting cozy with this heavy knit during our West Coast heatwave!

Mudpunch has landed!  We’ve just stocked up on our last small batch of Mudpunch yarns before KnitCity, and they will be available exclusively online until Sunday when they arrive in store.

We’ve also stocked up the online store with a few more of our in-store items that did not make it in time for the grand opening, including Sweet Georgia, Cestari Traditional and a variety of local and indie pattern books and mags.

Check out our new lineup at www.baaadannas.store

A month ago today we arrived back from our first (annual?) Baaad Anna’s Roadtrip where we took a selection of some of our most unique yarns across the province to host pop up shops and yarn tasting events across BC’s Interior. Partnering with knitting/spinning/weaving guilds, LYSs and other fibre enthusiasts we enjoyed sharing our favorite brands and bases, and learned a lot about other fibre resources from the people we met across the province.

This trip started out as a brainstorming idea between myself and my partner in crime, Lara H. Some of you might recognize Lara as she is involved in multiple facets of Vancouver’s knit community such as the West Coast Knitters Guild, the Froggers Knit Group and Knit City volunteering. Without her this trip would not have happened! But from an idea came enthusiasm, and the rest fell into place quickly and seamlessly.

As the dog days of summer roll out, I want to share with you a short photo-essay of our trip as this was a wonderful journey. So with 3000kms to go, let’s get cracking!

Stop #1: Castlegar with the lovely ladies of the Selkirk Weavers and Spinners Guild. This Guild is lucky enough to have a gift shop and meeting space at the Doubhobor Museum which holds a lot of history on local fibre shed and its impact on the lives of the people who settled in this area. Well worth a visit, the museum also hosted the Guild’s summer picnic where we were invited to host a pop up shop. A sunny day and great company; Baaad Anna’s also picked up a few local items that will appear in store: spectacular hand woven tea towels and fibre batts from a local artist.

Right next door the Kootenay Gallery was displaying a Canada 150 celebration in artwork including a number of fibre art maple leaves: if you look closely you can spot some cross stitch, macrame, braiding and free form stitchwork, among other amazing mediums.

And there was also a display of the work of the above mentioned fibre artist, whose batts we are currently stocking; Sarah Elizabeth Fibre Works was one of the local artists featured as part of this celebration; check out this amazing circular weaving which has inspired me to try my hand at yet another new fibre art!

Stop #2: Grand Forks! Just an hour down the Crows Nest Highway we stopped by a local yarn store named Lynden Tree Yarn to cohost a yarn tasting event. Check out this well curated store in the Kootenays and say hello to Linda if you’re in the area.

Stop #3: Oliver. Next we retraced our tracks heading back down the Hwy 3 towards our first stop in the Okanagan. We were invited by the Desert Sage Weavers and Spinners Guild to host a yarny pop-up in a hair studio! Being both creative and intimate, this was a fantastic location to get to know a few amazing lovers of fine yarns.

Pause in Penticton: We got a day to recoup and spend some time with friends by Skala Lake, taking in locally crafted wines and spirits and a short jaunt in one of these lovelies…

Stop #4: Summerland Farmers Market! Fruits, soaps, jewelry and for one day only yarn and fibre!! We were invited to join the regular lineup of this twice-weekly open-air market and were visited by some of the local moms’ knitter groups as well as local fibre arts podcaster Marsha Ibuki, host of the Fairy Little Podcast.

Stop #5: Kelowna + Knox Mountain Knit Co + Relentless Knit Co + Meadow Vista Honey Wines = one of the most amazing knitting experiences I have ever been involved with. This knit event on a breezy Okanagan early summer afternoon included our pop up shop, a trunk show, a yarny lottery, honey wine tastings and bring-your-lawnchair-and-knit night. With over 150 people stopping by, this was such a celebration of local talent!

Thank you to these lovely ladies of Kelowna who know how to through an epic knitting event! From l-r there’s Sasha and Willow of @knoxmountainknitco and @karlacrafts of @relentlessknits hit it out of the park by introducing so many knitters to @meadowvistahoney Honey Winery. Knox Mountain honoured the event with the talents of their designs hosting a trunk show and designing a free pattern to commemorate the event! Check out their #honeybeehat live and free in Ravelry today! Thank you ladies!

Pause in Kelowna: After the whirlwind of the Okanagan knit events, we got to spend the night at the amazing Mission Creek B&B which is a retired sheep farm. If you ever need a place to stay in Kelowna, I cannot recommend this enough for the quality and lifestyle of this tranquil place.

Stop #6: Kamloops as a guest of Carla of Knit2yarns for a pretty rockin yarn tasting event! Check out this amazing shop with many gorgeous yarns I have never seen before! When a yarn store owner needs to go yarn shopping, you know you’re onto something good — don’t even think of passing through Kamloops without stopping here first!

Pause in Kamloops: We got to spend another two nights on a hobby farm of a friend of mine, along with her sheep, alpaca, chickens and horse. This is the life.

Stop #7: New Denver for a yarn tasting for the opening night of the FibreFeelia Yarn Event back in the Kootenays. This event featured six yarns from six presenters fir six times the fun! (Notice the elustriuos Holli Yeoh in the corner?). Last town on our roadtrip but it was a full weekend of fibre!

Stop #8: Fibre Feelia Festival in New Denver! This was a new fibre event hosting by some stunning ladies of the Kooteneys including Kathy of Sew Much More Yarn … great job ladies on this inagural event as it was a wonderful weekend!

Pause in New Denver: And no roadtrip would be complete without visiting one of BC’s ghost towns at sunset, correct? Here’s a town where old public transportation vehicles go to die, Sandon BC was mostly abondoned after the end of the local mining boom and is now full of buses and spirits alike.

And that wraps up the 2017 #baaadannasroadtrip! A huge thank you goes out to Lara H who made this trip such a success! And there may indeed be some more brainstorming still happening so stay tuned!