Baaad Anna's Yarn Store

• EUCALAN 30% OFF100 mL  – Regular price: $5.70; Sale price: $4.00
• • 500 mL – Regular price: $14.50; Sale price: $10.15
• FAUX FUR POMPOMS:  30% OFF Various sizes
  
• SELECT BOOKS:  30% – 50% OFF Prices as marked

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with Vancouver’s only mobile bookshop, Iron Dog Books, at their SFU UniverCity pop up shop from now until the end of March. What’s more cozy than being surrounded by books and yarn?

For the better part of the year Iron Dog Books is housed in a converted food truck and can be found at various community events, Lower Mainland iconic meet ups, farmer’s markets and at its UniverCity home base. But owners Hilary and Cliff Atleo have worked to bring this amazing resource into the UniverCity community in a more traditional form within this temporary space, and it has been attracting locals to shop, meet up and learn together in this fantastic space.

Whether you are new to SFU’s UniverCity or a Burnaby local, there’s no better time to check out the Lower Mainland’s newest bookshop and mini-LYS! Starting next February 19th we will be hosting a Learn to Knit Class on Tuesday nights for the next four weeks from 6-7:30. And various intro-level fibre arts workshops to boot! Here’s the full list of what we’re offering:

• Felted Soap Workshop: Make a soap and natural wool scrubbie!
  • Saturday Feb 16th from 4:00-5:00pm for $25 (includes materials)
  • Sunday March 10th 4:00-5:00pm for $25 (includes materials)
• Beginner Knitting Lessons: Cast-on, knit, purl, cast-off a hat… viola!
  • Tuesdays Feb 19th to March 12th from 6:00-7:30pm for $80
• Learn to Arm Knit: Finish a scarf in one afternoon!
  • Friday March 1st from 3:30-6:00pm for $45 (includes materials)
  • Sunday March 10th 3:30-6:00pm for $45 (includes materials)

Tell all your Burnaby friends that have always wanted to learn to knit that this is their opportunity! Or better yet, come up and craft together!

Register at Iron Dog Books at 8999 Cornerstone Mews where you can pick up some amazing new and pre-loved books as well as some of our yarn and fibre arts kits, or by phone at 778 986 6674.

Photographs courtesy of Iron Dog Books… doesn’t this place just look so inviting?? Come up and visit!

We will open for slightly shorter hours today from NOON to 4:30pm to keep our staff in safe travels.

BUT for anyone in the area, we will offer an impromptu LEARN TO ARMKNIT WORKSHOP today from 12:30-2:00pm as a SNOW DAY BONUS!

You can armknit a bulky shawl in one afternoon in this fun class for anyone ages 6 to 106! A perfect parent-child activity as well as for anyone who wants a fun intro to the art of knitting!

$45 per participant which includes materials… and you can walk out with fully completed scarf today!

To register, come meet us at the store at 12:20 today!

Once a month we come together to collectively work on any giveaway fibre art of your choice. Given this month’s important discussions of accessibility and inclusion in the fibre arts community I would welcome using this weekend’s knit/crochet-in to open up a discourse of actions we can take collectively and individually to make the fibre arts community more open and inviting to all.

As always we have a variety of donated upcycled yarn to use, some treats, and the event is free of charge. The one thing we ask is that the price of entry is that you start or work on a project you are creating for a recipient in need of a fibre arts gift. And the discussion is to be kind and empathetic.

Join us tomorrow Sunday February 10th from 1-3pm. Some ideas for your GIVE BACK SUNDAYS! projects can include purple baby hats for the Click for Babies campaign, cotton handknit breast prosthesis for the Knitted Knockers campaign, or just whip up something to yarn-bomb our neighbourhood with! We will host these on the second Sunday of each month, so mark your calendars for March 10th, April 14th, and May 12th!

Lately there’s been a fun uptake on knitting traditional Fair Isle sweaters with a modern twist. One of our fav local designers has been playing with yoke designs for the past few years with the intent to give the knitter a roadmap to creating their own unique designs within the colourwork yoke. This month we are showcasing one of these knits and the yarn that created it!

Tin Can Knits is a knitwear designer partnership of two ladies on two continents. Both were originally BC locals, but now Alexa lives and works in the Lower Mainland while Emily has landed across the ocean in Scotland. They are the talent behind the create-your-own-yoke-sweater-adventure.

This little Strange Brew sweater was knit up by Lynne of West Coast Colour in her Fits and Giggles DK. Hailing from the Shuswap area, Lynne and her hubby are two vegetarians running a sheep farm who found their calling in their love of fibre and colour. This Fits and Giggles yarn is saturated giving plenty of depth to their tonal colours. Check out the full lineup here.

Strange Brew comes as a single pattern, or in a create-your-own-yoke-sweater-adventure collection of patterns from Tin Can Knits. From the Tin Can website: Join us on a colourwork adventure! Whether you choose to knit one of the 12 designs, or follow our step-by-step recipe pattern to design your own colourwork yoke sweater, this collection invites you to step off the beaten path and get outside your comfort zone! 

And a special thank you to Ewan for hamming it up with me on this photoshoot this week. We had a lot of fun!

I’ve been doing a lot of unpacking, listening, reading and discussing of the issue of accessibility and inclusion in the fibre arts community that has surfaced in social media and (hopefully) everywhere over the past two weeks.

The first thing that needs to be said is let’s practice patience, kindness and empathy in this discussion. This weekend the Baaad Anna’s staff came together, and what became quickly clear is that every one of us is at a different place of understanding and impact, but we spent the morning learning from each other and working through our different perspectives. Its only one step in each of our journeys, but a critical piece that took time to manifest.

Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store was opened specifically to provide an inclusive and accessible place in the fibre arts community. Here is the wording we have always stood by:

Baaad Anna’s provides affordable, diverse, and eco-friendly yarn, knitting supplies and classes. We strive to create a community space for diverse crafters, parents, artists and non-conformist knitters in the East Van Neighbourhood.

We carry a spectrum of yarns and fibres of different price points, fibre contents and intended purposes. Recently, an indie dyer that we have been an exclusive stockist of in Canada publicly entered this diversity conversation and posted statements that have hurt and encouraged hateful discourse to fibre artists in our community. I felt it was our duty to come together as staff to collectively work through this issue. It is not a simple issue, and there was a lot to unpack. But moreover, there is not a single obvious answer as to what action to take to create the greatest good. There are various options: pull the yarn, overdye, allow the remainder of the stock to be sold with proceeds supporting the community that was negatively impacted, to name some. We chose the following:

We will not be selling any more of Tuskenknits yarn. We will offer refunds to anyone who has a skein in their stash that they feel uncomfortable with. And personally I will be making a monetary donation to a local organization that helps newly arrived Canadians settle into their communities. This will be to an organization I have supported in the past, and will continue to support their amazing work in our neighbourhood bringing inclusiveness, life-skills, support and kindness to our community. And I welcome a continuation of this conversation, and encourage action in this issue that creates the fibre community that we can all be proud of.

Join us this Friday evening Feb 1st 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 favorite dyers and farmers: LITLG sock, Yarn Ink DK, Elderberry sock, Wollmeise DK, and Americo Tweed sock! 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, February 1st 2019

Time: 7:00pm – 9:30

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.

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.

Give Back Sundays started last February and is hosted by one of our Baaad Anna’s regulars. Come join us this Sunday January 13th from 1-3pm to create any giveaway fibre art of your choice! We will have free yarn to cast on as well as some treats. Some ideas for your GIVE BACK SUNDAYS! projects can include purple baby hats for the Click for Babies campaign, cotton handknit breast prosthesis for the Knitted Knockers campaign, or just whip up something to yarn-bomb our neighbourhood with! We will host these on the second Sunday of each month, so mark your calendars for Feb 10th, March 10th, and April 14th!

The start of our next 52 sock goal!

Our second Socks for Modular Housing project hit its goal over the holidays, and we were able to donate 39 pairs of socks for each resident of the Franklin Street Temporary Moduclar Housing project. We had such a great response to our holiday call for action to help us hit this goal that we now have 11 pairs of socks already donated for our next goal: 52 pairs of handknit socks for the Union Street Modular Housing set to open later this year. This temporary modular housing at 258 Union Street will have one building with 52 studio homes. All units will be self-contained dwellings with a private bathroom and kitchen. At least 10% of the homes will be wheelchair accessible.

The 39 sock donation to the Franklin St Modular Housing.

Come by and pick up some donated yarn for this or any knit-for-others project this weekend at our Give Back Sunday event, or feel free to drop off socks or any other donation knitting project and we will find it a good home.

Look at the generosity of the local knitting community! How amazing!

And a huge thank you to all who dropped off knitted goods for our annual Warm Things Charity Drive. We will be donating these this weekend to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre to help with the winter chills. What a way to support our community than to offer the hug of a hand knit item!

The New Year has arrived, and many of us are planning our projects for 2019. Why not add this gorgeous Teroldego Shawl to your list?!

This asymmetrical, oversized, lightweight triangle shawl, designed by Caitlin Hunter, is named after the Teroldego red wine from Montinore Estate in Oregon.

Lace, colourwork, bobbles and stripes highlight this breezy, spring-ready design. The main body is worked in stockinette, and the shawl finishes off with a narrow garter edge.

We used three skeins of Life in the Long Grass Singles Sock (hand-dyed in Ireland) in three wine-like colourways — Thornberry, Tanned and Barefoot —  to pay homage to the shawl’s name.

Choose your colours and buy your project kit here! Pattern is free with purchase of three skeins of Life in the Long Grass yarn.

Life in the Long Grass is an Irish artisan hand dyed yarn and art studio in the countryside in Ireland, and their colourways are inspired by the countryside that surrounds them.

Choose your colours and buy your project kit here! Pattern is free with purchase of three skeins of Life in the Long Grass yarn.

Need a creative boost for the new year? Why not learn a new crafty skill, or build on already established expertise with one of our great fibre arts classes?

The first part of 2019, starting in January, is filled with a wish list of learning opportunities from our expert instructors!

Beginner Knitting

If you’ve never picked up a pair of needles or need a beginner refresher, this is the class for you! Knit a simple hat, scarf or arm warmers using the basics of knitting, including casting on, knitting, purling, and casting off.

Classes include 6hrs of instruction over the course of a month in the evening.

Runs JANUARY on Tuesdays: January 8, 15, 22 & 29 from 6:00-7:30pm

Sign up here!

Additional courses will also be running FEBRUARY, MARCH and APRIL. Check dates here.

Building Blocks: Beyond Basics Knitting

Build on your beginner skills, and graduate to knitting expert with our Building Blocks 12 session series! This class is an innovative approach to learning new techniques and stitches, with each session building into the final completed project — a 12 square sampler blanket. The class is structured to allow you the choice if taking all 12 blocks, or picking and choosing individual sessions that interest you.

Runs continuously on a drop-in basis, JANUARY through APRIL.

Evenings, 1.5 hours per class, must pre-register.

Sign up for 12-session package here!

Please call the store at 604-255-2577 to sign up for individual classes.

Intro to Wheel Spinning

What could be more fun than spinning your own yarn from raw fibre? Not much!

Learn the basics of spinning and wheel set up in this two session beginner class. The price includes all materials and a one week rental of the Ashford Two Treadle Kiwi Spinning Wheel. You’ll be spinning beautiful creations in no time!

JANUARY DATES: Saturday January 12 & 19 from 10:00am – noon  — or —

MARCH DATES: Saturday March 9 & 16 from 10:00am – noon

Weekend days, 2 weeks, 2 hours per class and includes materials and wheel rental.

Sign up here!

Beginner Crochet, Scrubby

Wash your dishes in crafty style with a hand crocheted scrubby in a fun colour of your choice! Crocheted scrubbies are a stylish solution to alleviate the drudgery of dish washing, and make great gifts too.

This project incorporates basic stitches for crochet including; chain, slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet and magic ring.

Saturday JANUARY 26, 1-3:30pm

Weekend day, 2.5 hour workshop.

Sign up here!

Can’t make a January class? We’ve got more coming in February, including: Intro to Loom Weaving, Beginner Sweater, and Beginner Sock Knitting.