Baaad Anna's Yarn Store

This Sunday October 20th from 1-4pm we will be hosting a hands-on circular sock machine (CSM) demonstration to help us crank out a few more pairs of socks for our Give Back Sundays Modular Housing Knit Sock Campaign!

Vintage Woodcut from 1871 – English Mechanic and World of Science – Antique Image

If you’ve ever been interested in trying your hand at cranking out a sock on a CSM, or want to help out by hand-knitting toes and heel onto the tubes that we hope to crank out this weekend, stop by and lend a hand. Bring your needles and/or a friend and help us give back some knit love to our community this weekend!

We are open our regular hours of 11am to 6pm all weekend long (including Thanksgiving Monday) for all of your Fall Knit’in needs.

Please note: our Give Back Sunday will not happen this weekend: See below for info about our Nov 20th Give Back special event!

Save the Date: We have been offered a hands-on demo of not one but TWO circular sock machines for use on our donated sock yarns for the creation of more pairs of socks for donation to our Modular Housing Sock Project! Come join us for a free event to help crank out some socks or add in some after-thought heels at our special GIVE BACK SUNDAY event happening on the afternoon of October 20th from 1-4pm. What an awesome way to give thanks and give back to our community! More details to come!

Coming home from Knit City I felt an urge to start and complete a knit project with no strings attached. No months long commitment, no heavy financial burden. Just a quick knit with a happy ending in its grasp. One movie later I had this hat.

Knit with one skein of Black Cat Bigger Bulkier Bulky at $29/skein which we brought back to add to the shop this week, I was able to knit up this basket-weave hat tweaked from a free pattern from Ravelry; and topped with this amazing Yarnboler pompom… that attaches with a snap so I can mix and match pompom colours depending on mood!

I will write up the tweaked pattern and make it free with purchase by the time this yarn is available in store later this week, so I can share the love of this quick knit. Hope everyone is settling in to their Fall knits as the weather has turned perfect for ALL the hand-knits!

Still excited from the Knit City weekend energy? Tonight at the shop we have a special guest teaching a workshop on how to choose colours for your next project, so before you cast on your next Fall project join us tonight for a fun informative yarn-loving session.

CHOOSING COLOURS

MATERIALS NEEDED: 

• Cell phone/digital camera (something with a black and white filter)
• 5-10 different colours of yarn, any weight, about 5g or a pingpong ball-sized amount. Note: You will be placing these in a communal pile for all students to use during the colour play portion of our class. You can retrieve the yarns afterwards if you wish. 

DATE: Monday October 7th, from 6:00-8:00pm

COST: $35 (+tax)

Minimum 3 participants and max 10.

INSTRUCTOR: Sarah Schira of Imagined Landscapes

Sarah lives on the Canadian prairies where she loves to knit, run, and play board games. Known largely for her gnome designs, she also loves designing accessories for everyday adventures. She co-hosts the Imagined Landscapes Podcast with her sister, Katie. You can find out more about her at imaginedlandscapes.com. 

Register online here or visit us in store, call 604-255-2577.

I saved my favorite Knit City announcement for last!

* (but be sure to check our past two weeks of post, or our hashtag #booth240kc on Instagram for the full collection of our Knit City offerings and surprises!) *

We will have 50 skeins of Nobody’s Perfect Rohrspatz & Wollmeise Pure available at each of our Knit City and bricks-and-morter store locations, with a selection also available for purchase in our online store! (…and with some top-ups on Sunday as well). Each location will have a different selection of one-of-a-kind 150g skeins of Wollmeise Pure (100% SW merino) in colourways that are slightly different from their named counterparts for $22.50/skein (down from their regular retail of $44.95).

Available all day this Saturday and Sunday ONLY!

Two of my very favorite companions have just commandeered Baaad Anna’s! Gnomes, gnomes, gnomes, gnomes, and fuzzy pom poms.

This little guy is the newest and quickest addition to the #NeverNotGnoming family from Imagined Landscapes’s designer Sarah Schira; and we will be selling kits to make him at Knit City as well as hosting a class on Wed Oct 9th where you can both start, finish and adopt one of his twins! Sarah will also be making a guest appearance at our #booth240kc (check out this handle on Instagram for a full slate of eye candy of what we will br bringing to Knit City this weekend) on Sunday Oct 6th from 11am – noon! Come by to check out this amazing gnomer, and see a list of three amazing workshops she will be hosting post-KC at our shop.

Also we are thrilled to announce partnering with a local maker from right here in the Lower Mainland who is crafting the most incredible faux fur pom poms. Janet of Yarnboler has created some luxurious pom poms from materials scoured from Toronto’s Fabric district ensuring the highest quality of faux fur to create pom poms that will make you finished object sing!

We are launching the debut of our partnership at Knit City so come check out our full selection at our #booth240kc! Here they are riding atop of some Tin Can Knit designed quick knit hats made out of Anna Hunter’s Long Way Homestead single breed yarns!

As Knit City rounds the corner, I am continually working to find a balance between presenting exclusive yarns that I think the local knit community would enjoy being introduced to, with creating a fibre arts destination that is open and accessible to anyone who wants to partake. I have found many partners in the sector that work hard to move beyond the bottom line into a socially responsible approach to small business and am proud to call many my friends.

All prepped in their Knit City sister Sweaters!

After last year’s Knit City expansion and the crowds that it drew, I couldn’t help but wonder whether there were many opportunities for new knitters, or even seasoned artists with a minimal budget, to partake in the the quality and craftsmanship that is on offer at this event. Caroline Dick’s wrote this amazing Instagram post which she let me share earlier this year and since first reading it I have revisited her words many times. I have worked with designers and dyers to create kits that limit excessive yardage and costs, and found alternative substitutes for top-end yarns for knits that still appeal to modern slow fashion taste. But I am most excited to share with you a collaboration with Sarah Elizabeth Fibre Works that we are launching at Knit City to make hand painted Canadian yarns affordable.

Introducing BAAAD SARAH’s five available colourways.

Presenting Baaad Sarah’s… a handpainted 100% Canadian wool available for $15.95/100g at our #booth240kc as well as at Sarah Elizabeth’s booth at Knit City. Five colourways have been painted on one of our most reliable go-to staples, the Briggs and Little Regal yarn. And by mix and matching these gorgeous hand-dyed yarns with the plethora of options of solid and heathered colourways that B&L already is already available in, let me show you how I knit TWO wool sweaters for my daughters in under $80 (4 skeins of Baaad Sarah’s as the MC and 3 skeins of B&L CCs)…

I have seen other dyers dapple in hand-dyeing this Canadian wool base, but Sarah and I have committed to creating these as affordably as possible to allow it to be an option for more knitters to work with artist created colour. Whereas you may find other dyers offering a similar price point, be sure to check the weight per skein you are buying to make sure you do not have to buy twice as many due to a put-up weight of 50g. There are smaller farms that need to sustain a higher price points, and various breeds that deserve the support of our purchasing power; and I absolutely stand behind these (and offer their yarns year-round in our store). But if a dyer is using a lower price-point base such B&L, there is no reason it should be marked up past $20/100g… and I encourage all of you to exercise your math skills and ask many questions while browsing this weekend! Yarn can be accessible, and therapy, and a luxury gift-to-self… just be in the know of your power as a consumer and the support you give!

Mix and matching hand-dyed with Briggs and Little gorgeous solids.

Every yarn has a purpose. This one makes me very happy.

Hue Loco’s Backyarn Chicken sets are back… but have gone into hiding until this weekend’s Knit City! Find the FULL COLLECTION of the roosters on Merino Sock base in 80% SW Merino 20% Nylon, or the chickens on the Phyllis Sock base, of 75% SW Merino 25% Nylon; these sets both include a 100g main skein and TWO  coordinating skeinettes of 20g each! Available for sale now online (for pickup/mailout post-KnitCity), or in person at our #booth240kc this Saturday and Sunday.

And one more exciting announcement: We have also brought in a selection of Hue Loco’s popular yarns in 50g half-skeins, also debuting at Knit City!

Photo credit: Hue Loco via IG

Here’s more on the Hue Loco‘s Backyard Chickens sets! Have you heard of these amazing yarn sets that are inspired by the colours found in chicken breeds of urban farmer?

BUY NOW!

These sets present many colour combinations not often seen in knitting yarn but as they are inspired by nature, they work perfectly together. And Hue Loco has a magical talent at drawing so many nuances of colours into a single string that it is a pleasure to watch it slip through your hands when working up.

These arrived at our doorstep moments before we left on our mid-Island, and subsequent Okanagan and Kooteney Baaadass BC Roadtrips, and were quickly swept up and coveted along our travels. The first batch almost entirely sold out on the road, but we just received a restock of every one of Hue Loco’s 2018 and 2019 sets. With four species of roosters (dyed on her Merino Sock base of a bouncy twist 80% SW Merino 20% Nylon) and four species of hens (dyed on her Phyllis Sock base of a relaxed twist 75% SW Merino 25% Nylon) for each year, we have 16 different sets to choose from!

BUY NOW!

Each set comes with a 100g skein in a main colour as well as two coordinating 20g skeinettes for all your colourwork pleasure! Socks are the most obvious way to use these sets but a simple shawl with an allowance for a few good colour pops would work as well and Alicia Plummer specifically designed her Downhome Shawl to work specifically with Hue Loco’s Backyard Chicken sets!

And if you are still on the fence as to whether you need a chicken in your life, just keep an eye on the news…

As lovely as Knit City is to attend and host a booth at, we have been privileged to meet so many talented British Columbian fibre-related small businesses through our Beautiful BC Baaadass Roadtrips that miss this spotlight. I am pleased to work with three of those talents this weekend to present trunk shows at our bricks and mortar store just blocks away from the Knit City venue; with all sales of their displayed goods going 100% to the artist.

Saturday: Caroline Dick Designs

When C.Dick Designs relaunched her Grotine pattern this February with 100% of the proceeds going to True North Aid, Ravelry was on fire. The important discussions of privilege, accessibility, and exclusion had begun and Caroline has been sharing her voice and perspective while juggling the rebranding her talent for knitware design. I cannot support enough the fibre community that Caroline’s efforts are helping to create and this is still my favorite post of hers that should be continually revisited throughout our community. And BTW, True North Aid is a Canadian Charity committed to serving northern Indigenous communities in Canada with practical humanitarian support. Come and see C.Dick Designs ( i love that alliteration, and this amazing logo) this Saturday at our 2667 Hastings St location.

Saturday: Spirit Song Fibre Studio

Hailing from Coombs, BC, SpiritSong Studio is run by Tsimshian Fibre Artist, Cara Barter and focuses on using fibres from local producers to invigorate the local fibre economy. The fibres are mainly processed by hand with love in small batches for a difference you can see and feel. They are processed without the use of harsh chemicals to ensure the safety of future generations. While attending UVic, Cara was introduced to Fibre Arts through an Indigenous women and children’s group run by Tsartlip Elder May Sam. May taught the group how to spin wool and Coast Salish Weave and the importance of working with a good heart and a good mind to pass positive energy into the wool. Spirit Song proudly follows the teachings that the earth is borrowed from our children so we strive to leave the earth in better condition than we found it. Cara will be launching a collaboration this weekend with C.Dick Designs and knitwear jewelry designer Kristan MacIntyre which will be launched alongside Cara’s amazing selection of yarn and fibre also this Saturday at our 2667 Hastings St location.

Sunday: Ukee Knits Designs

Faye Kennington makes her life on the remote western edge of Vancouver Island, in a place known to locals as “Ukee.” Stormy winters make an excellent excuse for throwing some logs on the wood stove and swatching away. She is known for her colourwork designs and quick knits. We met Faye this spring on our Northern Vancouver Island Roadtrip stop in Ucluelet and realized we had come across many of Faye’s extensive pattern collection pieces before without linking them back to this single source of local talent. Currently our favorite is her Wrapt Collection where proceeds from the sale of her online collection are donated to Food Bank on the Edge Society which helps feed those in need in the Ucluelet and Tofino communities. Come and see an amazing selection of Faye’s talented designs this Sunday at our 2667 Hastings St location.

Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store will be open from 11am-6pm throughout the Knit City weekend, so come check out these local talents as well as our newly renovated space!

One of our yarn features for Knit City 2019 next weekend will be the amazing Skein Artisan Hand Dyed Yarn and Fibre from Australia! Skein has been creating their unique hand-dyed colourways for over a decade now, but Baaad Anna’s was the first to carry it in North America!

Skein’s founder and dyer is also a talented designer, and we are offering AN AMAZING sweater kit from Skein for a pattern of Kristen’s own design.

The Salerno is a luxurious boxy colourful pullover with a stunning halo, and is simply a work of art! Her kits (for various sizes) come with 9, 11 and 13 skeins of yarn so are not for the faint of heart, but knitting it is truly a life’s knitted masterpiece. With slipped stitches allowing pops of contrast colours to peek out, and a silky-mohair knit alongside a cleanly twisted fingering weight yarn, it all leads to an visually impactful and pillowy soft knit! And we have three colourways to choose from: the originally misty purple, a turquiose blue, and a neatral with pop; all chosen by the master dyer and pattern designer herself!

Salerno is cosy, top-down sweater that features a relaxed fit around the body and flattering slim-lined sleeves. The fun, woven-stitch pattern used for the body creates little spots of embossed colour that stripe playfully across the fabric.

PICK UP YOUR SALERNO KIT HERE!

We will also be bringing all of Kristen’s gorgeous yarns to Knit City and can be found at our booth (#240) at KnitCity on October 5th and 6th!

Hailing from Coff’s Harbour on the north of New South Wales, Skein is a small, independent hand-dyed yarn company with a love of playing with colour on high-quality yarns and fibres. I love Kristen‘s description of the dyeing process:

All of our yarns and fibres are kettle dyed using professional acid-based dyes.  These dyes are permanently set by the use of a vinegar mordant and heat.  Once the dyes have been fully absorbed and the kettle water is clear, the yarns and fibre are removed, rinsed and washed with a light, phosphate-free wool wash, and then gently spun and hung out to dry under the Australian sun.

You can almost feel the warmth of the Australian sun in that description!

And oh the colours!!! Here is how Kristen describes her technique:

Our dyes are applied in a way that produces variegated colourways with short, random colour repeats which helps to minimise ‘pooling’, producing a fabric which is dappled in colour.  We also offer dip-dyed and semi-solid colourways. Speckles and spots of colour may be present in some colourways; this is common with hand-dying and adds to its unique charm.  When knitted up, these little pops of colour will add a lovely depth to your knitted fabric.

We brought in two of her most luxurious bases: a merino cashmere nylon in both a fingering and DK weights, and a decadent mohair mulberry silk blend.

CHECK OUT OUR ENTIRE COLLECTION HERE!

Thank you Kristen for sharing such talents!