The road back to Baaad Anna’s is rarely a straight one. For some, it’s a quick stop to top up on needles. For others, it’s a long and winding route, full of detours through fibre festivals, farm fields, and, sometimes, whole new lives.

It’s not every day the person who started it all comes back with a story to tell. Sixteen years ago, Anna Hunter opened Baaad Anna’s and lit the spark for a community built on yarn, curiosity, and more than a few cast-ons. Since then, her path has led from shopkeeper to shepherd, farmer, wool mill owner in Eastern Manitoba and now second time author. This September, she’s returning to where that journey began.

On Thursday, September 25th, that story will take centre stage at our lovely neighbours Iron Dog Books, where Anna’s BC book launch of The True Cost of Wool: A Vision for Revitalizing the Canadian Industry! Doors will open at 6:30pm, with the event starting at 7:00pm. (register HERE). We will keep the lights on late, ready to welcome you in before or after the reading.

Come early to browse, linger after for a chat, or slip in somewhere in between. Spend $50 that night and take home a free BA project bag,the perfect companion for whatever cast-on her book might inspire.

To make the night even more special, we’ll be hosting Lynne of West Coast Colour for a pop-up that evening from 6:00-9:30pm and she will be featuring Canadian wool and roving from her farm in Tappen, BC near Shuswap Lake! She will be bringing some yarns that have never been available in yarn store (only through her pop ups and online shop) so attendees will be able to explore her homegrown three-ply in white and deep brown, homegrown rovings milled in BC’s newest mill, and her most exquisite Shopshire base processed entirely on her farm!

Additionally we will be our selection of BC-based wools we regularly carry- including GN’R Alpaca, Disdero Ranch, and Shelterwood Farms, each with its own story spun into every strand.

It’s a night of stories and stitches, and a rare chance to celebrate the person who started it all. We’ll see you there book in hand, skein in bag.

From the publisher: 

Follow the remarkable journey of a fibre most of us take for granted. At a time when international trade is being reshaped and Canadians are rethinking where their goods come from, Hunter reveals a striking disconnect: 90% of Canadian wool leaves the country while 95% of yarn used by Canadian crafters is imported. This timely investigation follows wool from sheep to skein, illuminating the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the Canadian wool industry.

Hunter – a shepherd and mill owner herself—traces what happens when wool crosses provinces and oceans, passes through countless hands, and is transformed between farm and finished product. Her compelling research arrives precisely when conversations about regional resilience and supply chain sovereignty have never been more relevant. Through engaging storytelling, she introduces passionate farmers, innovative mill owners, and resourceful entrepreneurs already building more localized, transparent wool systems.

Whether you’re a knitter, weaver, spinner, fashion enthusiast, or simply curious about where your textiles come from, this book will forever change how you see a ball of yarn. The True Cost of Wool isn’t just about understanding a complex supply chain—it’s about reimagining a future where what we wear connects us to land, community, and a more resilient textile economy.