Our Spotlight this month is about our wonderful online store administrator, Cheryl K! An avid fan of historical fiction, like Outlander, Cheryl’s crafts are largely inspired by the rustic and vintage designs. You can check out her work on her Ravelry page.

Journey to Baaad Anna’s

Cheryl has always worked at home as a medical transcriptionist and enjoys spending time with her family. She would often use her down time to knit. When her daughter grew up, Cheryl had more time to herself and realized she missed that person-to-person interaction. That’s when she walked through our doors in 2017 and helped Baaad Anna’s set up our very own online store! Cheryl’s passion for the fiber arts, mixed with her tech experience, made her fated to be a part of the Baaad Anna’s team!

We sat down virtually to ask Cheryl a few questions:

What do you have cast on right now?

C: I have too many crafts at this point. Knitting, crochet, embroidery, spinning, weaving… Although I’ll never go as far as having sheep, that would be too much for me! With my husbands hobbies of pottery and carpentry, we hope to one day have His and Her craft studios.

I also have what you might call “cast-itis”- too many things cast on. My favorites right now are:

• Zero to Hero using her own handspun yarn (2021 is the year of spinning for me)
• Clan MacKenzie Boot Sock paired with Curiosity and Opportunity Sock (a classic case of single-sock-syndrome) 
• Soumak Scarf in BC Garn Sarah tweed
• River Rocks Scarfs in Julie Asselin Leizu DK (I just sent these off as wedding gifts)

How do you take to learning a new technique?

C: I love the process of making things, figuring out things like measuring and gauge. Youtube has everything you need to learn something new. To me, being curious is the most powerful tool to learning a new technique. My proudest piece is the Latrine Hat where I learned the process of fiber to end product. I spun the yarn and knit it from a pattern based on an 18th-century artifact that was excavated from latrine at the Fortress of Louisburg, Nova Scotia. How cool is that!

What has been your comfort show/movie/book?

Outlander, of course! The audiobooks or rewatching the show are great for background knitting noise. I’m a huge historical and vintage nerd. I love imagining when others were doing this craft, how they lived, and what their lives were like. I try to find something cool about what I’m learning and embrace the long-standing history behind these crafts. 

My dream job would be to work in a Burnaby museum to dress up and do these crafts. In 2018, I made it a personal project to refinish a 1940s spinning wheel.

What is your hottest knitting take?

C: As I always say in store, everything is subjective. It’s better to try a bunch of techniques, so you can make a better decision. There are so many different qualifiers for technique opinions. Needle preferences, yarn selection, and color choices are very personal. Ask yourself, what are the pro’s and con’s to these techniques and materials? If you ask me a question, be warned, I will give you lots of information so you can make your own opinions!

We’re so happy to have Cheryl on the Baaad Anna’s team. She’s the perfect go-to for any question for any craft (she’s done them all!) Thanks for joining us again for this month’s Staff Spotlight! Keep an eye out for the next one in April.