Baaad Anna's Yarn Store

In our second installment of our holiday picks, we bring you more ideas for projects and gifts for the fibre lovers in your life.

Reagan

I chose a range of things from stocking stuffers to “I can’t believe it!” gifts…options for every shopper.

Twill & Print Enamel Pins. These fun pins are great stocking stuffers, and can accessorize anything from a project bag, to a sweater, or be used as a closure for a shawl. New knitters and seasoned pros alike will love this cute addition to their stash. Under $20.

One ball projects using Malabrigo Rasta
If you need to whip up a quick last-minute project, Rasta can be knit/crocheted up in an afternoon and the colours are ever-so-sumptuous! For pattern ideas, check out this ravelry search: http://rav.to/huosd. Under $50.

“I can’t believe it!” gift: Lykke Driftwood needle sets
Not only do you get the benefit of having every needle you could possibly ever need in one set, the dyed driftwood is absolutely beautiful. The perfect gift for someone who’s been bitten by the knitting bug and wants to delve deeper. No more wondering: “do I have the right needles for that?”

Tracy

As the self-confessed non-knitter in the crew, I’m all about picking out gifts for the weaver and crocheters in your life. I’m also a big fan of giving the gift of learning. My suggestions:

A class for the aspiring fibre artist! We have a full schedule of learning opportunities happening in the new year…from knitting, to crochet, to spinning to weaving classes. My two personal favourites are our Intro to Weaving (exploring the versatility and simplicity of the rigid heddle loom) and our Frame Weaving Workshop (a great intro to the art of tapestry).

For an “I can’t believe it!” gift for the weaver, how about a sweet new Ashford Knitter’s Loom? This is a great little table loom, suitable for a new or experienced weaver with limited space in their home or studio, or those looking for a smaller/portable option. Pair with a yarn like the Briggs & Little Sport or some different sized reeds, for the perfect combo!

Check out Part One of our Staff Picks for more holiday ideas. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Stumped on what to give the fibre fan in your life? Our savvy staff have excellent suggestions for yarn and yarn related gifts…for stocking stuffers and beyond.

Cheryl

For my picks, I’ve put together suggestions for things to make, and things to give the makers in your life this holiday.

Right now, I’m deep in holiday gift knitting, and my current favourite yarn is Baa Ram Ewe Pip Colourwork. The Pip is a 2-ply light fingering that holds the colourwork together well after wet finishing. With it, I’m knitting Caitlin Shepherd’s Deery Me Mittens in anharris’s red-nose reindeer version. See my Instagram to watch the project progress! I’m also IN LOVE with the new colourwork hat collection Milarrochy Heids by Kate Davies, and will be making one (or more!) of those with the Pip in the new year.

Beyond project suggestions, my recommendations for the makers in your life are: Sarah Elizabeth’s art batts or West Coast Colour’s luxury fibre bundles. Either of these would make any spinner happy!

Sarah Elizabeth Art Batts

Sarah Elizabeth Art Batts

Paula 

My holiday pick is Sugar Bush Bold.

This affordable superwash ultrafine merino is a great go-to for projects for people who may end up throwing their delicate garments in the wash…and it comes in 42 rich colours! It’s the perfect yarn choice for gifts for babies and children of busy parents because of the “wash-and-wear” ease of this versatile wool.

I like arranging a selection of 3-5 balls of various colours of this yarn, along with a pattern or book. With this you can hit a price range that fits within a budget of $15-$50.

Sugarbush Bold

Sarah

I’m all for practical small gifts and “frivolous” stocking stuffers. I have two current favourites that would make any knitter happy!

The Needle Keeper (single or double ended). I have one for each project I currently have on the needles. They protect me and my project bags from unsightly, needle-caused holes. They also keep stitches from escaping on projects while they’re not being worked on. Perfect for any knitter and can hold most circular needle sizes. For larger needles I would recommend the double ended Needle Keeper and putting one needle in each cap. You can never have too many of these, and when not being used to prevent needle accidents, they’re great for sorting needles by size. Under $50.

Twill & Print Enamel Pins. These are great accessories for a sweater or project bag. Super cute and great for non-crafters too — who doesn’t love an alpaca pin!? The hard part is narrowing down which one your giftee will love the most! Under $20.

As always, our helpful staff are available to guide you and answer any questions regarding your gift giving conundrums. Happy holidays, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Every year Baaad Anna’s puts an open call in December for donations of warm things to be distributed to those in need in Vancouver’s downtown east side. We ask for any good condition pre-loved or purpose-made warm winter items that are not in use in your household such as hats, mitts, scarves or sweaters/hoodies.

As this weekend is our final Give Back Sunday event of the year and will be happening from 1-3pm , this would be a great launch for our month of giving. Come and knit, crochet and craft something for others; it can be anything of your choosing.

31 pairs of socks and counting!

One project we’ve been busily working on through the Give Back Sunday’s is our Second Sock Project, and it is now so close its goal. We are hoping to collect 39 pairs of socks for the residents of the Franklin Street Modular Housing before the holidays, so if you have any pairs to share we would be happy to include it in this donation.

Take a break from the holiday rush and get creative with us! Learn something new and fun, and finish the year with a burst of creativity. What about getting your hands on some soft pillowy fibre and building it into three dimensional objects? Or building your own loom and creating a beautiful weaving for you or someone you love?

Our last two classes of 2018 could be just what you need! See below for details.

BEYOND BASICS NEEDLE FELTING: Do You Wanna Build A Snowman?

Take your felting to the next level! More advanced techniques are taught in this one day workshop.

And if its warm hug you’re for, nothing beats learning to FELT your own snowman! Our 2 hour INTERMEDIATE NEEDLE FELT WORKSHOP from 1:00 – 3:00pm on Sunday December 9th will teach you the basics of building a 3-dimensional fibre art creation. Come play with soft, soft corriedale wool fiber and create one of these…

Snowman pin and figurine made by our needle felting teacher Melinda Broome.

Materials INCLUDED: Includes a mixture of Corriedale wool for project, felting needle and felting foam block. Felting needle(s), a mixture of Corriedale wool, foam blocks and wire.

Minimum 3 and max 8 participants. For ages 8 and up.

DATE: Sunday December 9th

TIME:  1:00  – 3:00pm

COST: $45 (+tax) Includes materials.

INSTRUCTOR: Melinda Broome

To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here to reserve your spot!

Quick Gift Frame Weaving Workshop

Here’s a one day workshop that will open up a world of creativity and leave you with gift of art for the holidays. Join local fibre artist Serah Hedin in a 4 hour class where you will learn various hands-on weaving techniques on a portable frame loom which you get to keep.

Minimum 4 participants; maximum 8.

DATE: Sunday December 9th 1:00-5:00pm

OR Sunday January 20th 1:00-5:00pm

COST: $135 (+tax)

INSTRUCTOR: Serah Hedin

To register visit us in store, call 604-255-2577, or register online here to reserve your spot!

Its the time of year where we get to put together all our favorite things! Whether its a gift basket for the sock knitter or the grab-and-go gift fibre arts lover in your life, let us help you find the perfect little something something!

Check out these pretties…

Our front table display includes a grab-and-go baby knitting set with our ever popular superwash ultrafine merino Suger Bush Bold paired with the pattern book Lollipop from local designer Raquel Oliveira and a hand-woven project tote. We’ve also got some of our other favourite fibre-arts gifts on display such as awesome Twill pins, hand-thrown ceramic mugs and yarn bowls from the Island, and Libre Tea infuser travel mugs which I’m never without!

We’ve also put together a few gift basket sets that can easily be added to every nice knitter’s wish list!

Our sock lovers gift set… just add tea!

And our Every Yarnie Needs set which includes replacement stitchmarkers and snips for ALL your project bags and some other yarny goodies.

Here’s a one day workshop that will open up a world of creativity and leave you with gift of art for the holidays. Join local fibre artist Serah Hedin in a 4 hour class where you will learn various hands-on weaving techniques on a portable frame loom which you get to keep.

I did this workshop two weeks ago and loved it. So much so that I re-warped my loom as soon as the first piece was finished at the end of the workshop and started on a second piece on my own. Check this out…

Minimum 4 participants; maximum 8.

DATE: Sunday December 9th 1:00-5:00pm

OR Sunday January 20th 1:00-5:00pm

COST: $135 (+tax)

INSTRUCTOR: Serah Hedin

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

Are you or a loved one in need of some yarn therapy self care at this time of year? Our Baaad Anna’s 12 Days of Knitmas advent calendar is available now in store and online at www.baaadannas.store in limited quantity; and we ship worldwide! Treat yourself to this set of a dozen hand-wrapped fiber art related treats including indie yarn minis, knitter tools, and quick gift kits. This year we are excited to include a 100g skein of custom dyed specialty yarn from a very talented Canadian indie dyer.

As with last year’s 12 Days, this year’s calendar includes 12 hand-wrapped knit-worthy gifts to open whenever your heart desires. Some people open each numbered gift every two days starting December 1st leading up to the holidays, others covet it as a whole and open it altogther all of it whenever day they choose for their winter celebration! I’ve even been told someone has already opened the entire 2018 package just because! There are no rules for Knitmas… except don’t spoil the surprise!!

Check out our #baaadannas12days to peek in at what others have received. If you open before Dec 25th, please hide any 2018 reveals behind a SPOILER WARNING! But since this year’s calendar is filled with all new items, we can now share reveals from the 2017 Advent… !

Huge thank you to Arylan Bantog for such lovely photos from last year’s 12 Days of Knitmas!

With an all new set of 12 presents for the yarn enthusiast, this is a great way to treat yourself or a loved one to the spirit of the season! Curated by staff at Baaad Anna’s this will include knit /crochet tools, yarny surprises (including a full skein of a shop favorite!). And as with last year, if the full skein included in your calendar is not of your colour palette taste, we would be happy to exchange it with a skein of any other in-store colourway from the same dyer!

Only a limited number of these will be available, so spoil yourself before they are gone! Available now online at www.baaadannas.store in limited quantity. We ship worldwide!

If you’ve started knitting and become frustrated with your progress, and are itching to improve there is no better place to start than at the beginning. Knit and purl are the foundation stitches of all of your knitting. In the first Building Block Series workshop STARTING TOMORROW or THIS SUNDAY you will work on a sampler block that can be grown into a baby blanket or larger lap quilt, and you work on a review of the knit and purl stitch. You will also review the long-tail cast-on and practice pattern reading, both skills that truly require repetition and practice to perfect!

To register visit us in store, or call 604-255-2577 to reserve your spot!

COST:

Drop-in price is $29 for this workshop, which includes a paperback or ebook of the full Building Blocks workbook. Participants can decide to roll in this fee to recieve a discount on the full 12-series drop-in rate if they so choose at any later date.

DATES:

Come start on the pursuit of new skills for the Fall with this one and a half hour long workshop. Choose to attend this workshop on either:

• Friday Nov 16th 6:00-7:30pm        Workshop 1: Knit and Purl Review with Cast-On — or —
  
• Sunday Nov 18th 9:30-11am         Workshop 1: Knit and Purl Review with Cast-On — or —
• Sunday Dec 2nd 9:30-11:00am      Workshop 1: Knit and Purl Review with Cast-On

Read more about these classes here.

INTRODUCTION TO LOOM WEAVING

This is a two day beginner weaving class using an Ashford Knitters Loom, and includes equipment rental for a three week 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 Knitters Loom).

DATE: Saturdays November 17th & 24th from 10:00am – noon.

COST: $135 (+tax)

To register visit us in store, or call 604-255-2577 to reserve your spot!

So you’ve knit a scarf, or a dish cloth, or perhaps a whole cupboard full. Or maybe you picked up knitting but laid it away for too long to remember. What’s next?

As the holidays rolls in, perhaps it is time to try your hand at new skills: pattern reading, lace, cables, increases, decreases? They can lead to a refresh sense of excitement and a world of new garments for your knitting, and we are launching an easy step-by-step ‘drop-in’ series of skills building that you can do at your own pace. And over the course of the series you also work towards completing a lap blanket extraordinaire!

Work on each 14 inch square per class to learn a new technique and end up with a throw blanket to boot!

To register visit our online store, or call 604-255-2577 to reserve your spot!

**NEW** BUILDING BLOCKS beyond the basics WORKSHOP SERIES

Need a knitting refresher? Or thinking about what you can learn next? This Building Blocks series can take your beginner skills and stitch them into knitting expertise. Select workshops that interest you and work towards completing a sampler blanket.

Prerequisite: Comfortable with your cast on, knit, purl, fixing basic mistakes and cast-off.

WORKSHOP TOPICS (Take one or any in series)

• Workshop 1 (Square 1): Knit and Purl Review with Long-Tail Cast-On (recommended to take second before advancing to other workshops in series)
• Workshop 2 (Square 2: Charts, Gauge and Bind-Off (recommended to take second before advancing to other workshops in series)
• Workshop 3 (Square 3): Yarn Over and Bobbles
• Workshop 4 (Square 4): Simple Decreases
• Workshop 5 (Square 5): Cables
• Workshop 6 (Square 6 & 7): Right Twist, Mock Cable
• Workshop 7 (Square 8 & 9): Slip Stitch. Left Twist
• Workshop 8 (Square 10): SSK with Intro to Lace
• Workshop 9 (Square 11): Increases: Make One
• Workshop 10 (Square 12): Advanced Decreases
• Workshop 11 Joining: Mattress Stitch and Crochet Seams
• Workshop 12 Ask a Teacher/ Review Anything

COST: A package of 12 workshops costs $195(+tax); or drop-in price is $29(+tax) per class.

2018 SERIES DATES & TOPICS:

• Friday Nov 16th 6:00-7:30pm                Workshop 1: Knit and Purl Review with Cast-On (recommended first in series)
• Sunday Nov 18th 9:30-11am                 Workshop 1: Knit and Purl Review with Cast-On (recommended first in series)
• Monday Nov 19th 6:00-7:30pm            Workshop 7: Slip Stitch. Left Twist
• Friday Nov 23rd 6:00-7:30pm               Workshop 2: Charts, Gauge and Bind-Off (recommended second in series)
• Sunday Nov 25th 9:30-11:00am            Workshop 12: Ask a Teacher/ Review Anything
• Monday Nov 26th 6:00-7:30pm            Workshop 8: SSK with Intro to Lace
• Friday Nov 30th 6-7:30pm                    Workshop 11: Joining: Mattress & Crochet Seams
• Sunday Dec 2nd 9:30-11:00am             Workshop 1: Knit and Purl Review with Cast-On (recommended first in series)
• Monday Dec 3rd 6:00-7:30pm              Workshop 9: Increases: Make One
• Sunday Dec 9th 9:30-11:00am              Workshop 2: Charts, Gauge and Bind-Off (recommended second in series)
• Monday Dec 10th 6:00-7:30pm            Workshop 10: Advanced Decreases
• Friday Dec 14th 6:00-7:30pm                Workshop 11: Joining: Mattress & Crochet Seams
• Sunday Dec 16th 9:30-11:00am            Workshop 12: Ask a Teacher/ Review Anything

MATERIALS NEEDED: 50-70g of worsted wool per workshop (recommended one ball of Sugar Bush Bold) and a pair of 5mm 24-inch circular needles. Tool kits that includes darning needle, stitch markers, cable needle, medium size post-it notes and row counter. Materials can be purchased at Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store.

Please note, in some classes two different blanket squares will be started so there might be a bit more materials required; please check the link to each workshop description to verify the appropriate materials and homework list.

INSTRUCTOR: Barth Siemens

To register visit our online store, or call 604-255-2577 to reserve your spot!

To register visit our online store, or call 604-255-2577 to reserve your spot!

Hot on the heels of the kit’s launch at Knit City, the Lacy Day Fingerless Mitts Kits has grown to three new colours! We’re thrilled to be be able to kit up this beautiful pattern by talented young local designer Caitlin Shepherd of pluckypigeonknits.

This garment plays on one of Caitlin’s signature looks — a classic rustic garment, enhanced with a touch of lace.

Seen here in the Sand and Madder colourway.

We’ve paired one of our favorite workhorse superwash ultrafine merinos, Sugar Bush Bold, with a new addition to our lineup of local eco dyers: Elderberry Yarns. Their Nature Dyed Yarn line comes from dyes found in their Saltspring Island garden and yet their yarn stays buttery soft… so lovely!

The kit comes in THREE colourways, and contains:

1 pattern for Lacy Day Fingerless Mitts by Caitlin Shepherd of PluckyPigeonKnits

1 skein of Sugar Bush Bold

1 mini skein of Elderberry Yarns Nature Dyed Sock

$21.95

BUY YOUR KIT HERE!

Teal & Penny Green

Black & Lichen

Sand & Madder

Pair these mitts with a matching Lacy Day Sweater for a complete look!

photo by Caitlin Shepherd

BUY YOUR KIT HERE!

Happy knitting!