Project of the Month: Chain Hat
For our March Project of the Month, we have turned our hands to crochet! Our knitting and crochet teacher Rebecca fell in love with this pattern on first sight, due to its stylish design with a focus on wearable texture. Not only will we focus this month’s POTM on this great pattern, Rebecca created a ZOOM class around this beyond-basics crochet pattern, which will be on offer for anyone who wants some guidance on how to work together to complete this project from beginning to end!
The Chain Hat is designed by Svetlana Kochkina. It’s part of a collection of 28 modern, stylish crochet designs, and specializes in easy-to-wear textured pieces ranging from socks to sweaters.
The designer didn’t choose to add a pompom on her finished hat, but Rebecca just couldn’t resist! Using a Large Snap Faux Fur Pom Poms this hat really packs a wow factor! Yarnboler is one of our lovely local suppliers from the North Shore creating hand-crafted animal-friendly pom-poms. If you can’t choose which colour pompom you add, these come with snap fasteners which allow you to change the colour depending on your mood! And as a crochet hat it is firmer than a knitted hat, so it holds up a pompom on the top exceptionally well too!
Rebecca teaches the Crochet Chain hat class over two 2-hour sessions. the first session covers all the stitches required to complete the gauge swatch, and the second covers measuring your gauge, confirming size and refreshing on any techniques. Whilst there are 8 videos that accompany the Chain hat pattern unfortunately the videos come without verbal instruction. They are indeed helpful, but as everybody learns in a different way, so for some the interactive class that Rebecca offers is the perfect option!
Rebecca’s students found the trickiest part of the hat to learn was the winding around stitch. This is where you insert the crochet hook a few rows down to pick up the yarn. It can be helpful to use a removable marker while working the 3rd row below to mark where you insert the hook for the winding stitch. The winding around stitch creates a beautifully textured effect and if you choose to use a semi-solid yarn the variation in the colour really shines with this stitch technique. Once you have learned to read and count your crochet stitches it gets a lot easier; practice makes perfect (ish)!
Is crochet is faster than knitting?
There is the belief that crochet is faster than knitting – but this isn’t always the case! Chain hat is made using the yoslst (yarn over slip stitch) technique. It creates a beautiful fabric ideal for rib, but at a slower pace than regular double crochet. However, if like Rebecca, you get addicted to this design and end up making it again and again you will get quicker!
Look after yourself whilst you craft
If you are not an avid crocheter, or the yoslst technique is new to you, this stitch requires looking down at your hands a lot. It is important to be mindful of our body and make sure we do not strain our necks, you may find that placing a cushion on your lap to hold your crochet closer to your head/ eyes will reduce neck strain. …also not crocheting for 3+ hours at a time probably helps too!
Chain hat number #1: 150g/ 377y of Estelle Double Knit.
Estelle DK is a 50% acrylic/ 40% wool/ 10% nylon blend available in many colours and is an affordable option. If you choose to make this hat in a darker colour too, as you can imagine, good lighting is a must. Rebecca had to shine her ring light directly onto the project to be able to make this in the evenings!
Requires: Crochet hook 4.5mm & removable stitch markers.
Chain hat number #2: 150g/ 337y of WildWestDye’s DK weight pure merino in SunSling.
WildWestDye’s Naturally dyed DK weight yarn is a 17 micron pure merino soft to skin wool. Available to purchase in quantities of 25g so you can buy what you need.
Also requires: Crochet hook 4.5mm & removable stitch markers.
Chain hat #3
Included in the pattern is a table so you can calculate how many stitches are required if your gauge does not match the designer’s gauge and also means you can make this hat on a worsted weight too. Rebecca loves the design so much (disclaimer… yup, it’s probably because it looks a lot like knitting) she’s even making a third one! This time in a worsted weight yarn from her stash by Lichen & Lace using a 5mm hook. See how flexible this pattern is?
Whether you fancy making this hat in DK or worsted there is a wide variety in-store and online for you to choose from. Happy hooking!
Rebecca was an avid crocheter throughout her teens and early 20’s but graduated towards knitting once the first baby of the family was due. Back in the 90s, crochet patterns were quite dated – a lot of 70’s style (which you know, are probably quite cool now but we digress). There were lots of modern knitting patterns but not so many crochet ones. Fast forward to present-day and the breath of crochet designs and designers today is like chalk and cheese. Chalk and cheese, Britishism, meaning you are suggesting that the two are very different from each other, have nothing in common.
NEW YARN: Uschitita
You may have seen this amazing new yarny option in store, but we haven’t had the chance to properly introduce to you the wonderful Uschitita yarns and the dyers behind them. Having just unboxed a pretty, pretty top-up this week, this is a great time to launch one of our new Spring line up! With fifteen beautiful colourways, including a personalized Baaad Anna’s colour, the Uschitita yarns are definitely how we want to play with colour in 2021!
Uschitita displayed at Baaad Anna’s.
Meet the Dyers
The creative minds behind Uschitita are Steffi and Juergen, a couple based in Vaals, Netherlands. Steffi began dying wool ten years ago when she just couldn’t find the colorways she wanted. What began in her own kitchen expanded into a small studio to meet the demand for Uschitita yarns that became popular on Instagram. Check out their page here!
While Steffi studies to become a doctor, the couple spends their weekends at the studio to dye the Uschitita yarns. The inspiration for their colorways is all done by feeling, with occasional trips to museums for brainstorming. According to Juergen, Steffi is a bit of a perfectionist and has an eye for colors, style, and beautiful things.
Steffi and Juergen hold a great passion for the fiber arts and appreciate the great community of designers and knitters that come together. In normal time you’re more than likely to find them at yarn festivals, like Edinburgh Yarn Fest, sharing the love for their business.
Meet the Yarn
The name “Uschitita” is based off of Steffi’s nicknames, “Uschi” and “Busita”. Uschi
Obermayer was a famous groupie from the Rolling Stones and Busita (or Busen) means boobs, both encompassing Steffi’s wild side.
Here’s what we carry at Baaad Anna’s:
Fibres: 100% Superwash Merino
Gauge: 28 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
Needles: 3.0 – 4.5 mm (US 2½ – 7)
Weight: Fingering singles (1)
Length: 100 g / 400 yards (366 m)
Fibres: 72% Kid Mohair / 28% Silk
Needles: 2.5 – 5.0 mm (US 1½ – 8)
Weight: Lace (0)
Length: 50 g / 459 yards (420 m)
Uschitita colorways Sugared Violets, Coral, and Highlands.
And we are in love with our Baaad Anna’s custom colourway which mixed grey, red and black with a sprinkle of rainbow. We’ve had a few different dyers use this same colour combo for inspiration to create a Baaad colourway and this one is perfect. There is a very limit number of these custom skeins available; check it out in this herringbone patterned hat and mitts set, when we paired it with a naturally dyed strawberry red from Wild West Dyes:
The Traquair Hat and Mitts in a custom Baaad Anna’s colorway from Uschitita.
Reversible Embroidery on Stockinette TOMORROW
Take a morning to learn something new and take your knits to a new level. Join us for an amazingly unique workshop tomorrow!
Bloom Handmade Studio Class TOMORROW!
We at Baaad Anna’s have long admired Carolyn Bloom of Bloom Handmade Studio’s gorgeous reverse embroidery techniques and are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting her Reversible Embroidery on Stockinette Class online via Zoom from 10 -noon tomorrow.
In this class Carolyn will show how to turn straight stockinette into a blank canvas for embroidery on both the right and wrong side of your work by embellishing it with contrasting yarn. The end result is a gorgeous effect that has garnered the hashtags #stitchesonstitches and #woolytattoo on social media that we cannot get enough of! You will learn ways to add decoration to your projects with truly unique results and will never look at knitting the same way again!
To learn more about Carolyn Bloom please visit her website bloomhandmadestudio.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @BloomHandMadeStudio and Facebook at Bloom Hand Made Studio.
Reversible Embroidery on Stockinette Class Online via Zoom
Are you craving a unique way to add visual interest to your knitting? This class will have you looking at straight stockinette with a newfound appreciation!
Using the right side and wrong side of your work into a canvas for embroidery, over the course of the class we will talk about anchor stitches, grids, motifs and more. You’ll be delighted to discover that this technique can be applied to right and wrong sides of the same fabric for a gorgeous, reversible piece!
Students will work the technique on both sides of a swatch during the class as a starting point to be able to incorporate this style of embroidery into other projects in the future.
In addition, we will talk about the design process and how to approach incorporating “stitching on stitches” into your work. Before you know it, you’ll be craving the meditative qualities of stockinette, confident in your ability to turn it into a unique masterpiece after the knitting is complete.
DATE: Saturday March 20th from 10:00am-12:pm PT (Vancouver BC)
COST: $45(+tax)
Small homework of a stockinette swatch required for class. But easy peasy!
INSTRUCTOR: Carolyn Bloom of Bloom Handmade Studio
To register call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
Photos courtesy of Carolyn Bloom
Winner! Winner! Chicken…
Well we’ve had a bit of fun with our casual Knit ‘Em Up Chickens Knit/Crochet-A-Long (KCAL) over the first two months of the year. What started with Hilary of Iron Dog Books and I just wanting to get some Hue Loco Backyard Chickens on our needles has turned into a beautiful flock of pretty pretty projects that can be viewed on the Baaad Anna’s Ravelry group page for inspiration and project ideas!
Check out Hilary’s second FO… and amazing oversized shawl from the Blue Langshan colourway.
So who’s ready for prizes??
Our KCAL winners are (chosen by RNG)…
- Pompoms (Choose between a make-your-own pompom kit or two ready-to-wear pompoms): allieMaci. See the winning post here.
- Book & yarn set: kellycknits. See the winning post here.
- Sock Yarn Studio book donated by Iron Dog Books: yuko604. See the winning post here.
- Half dozen eggs from MY OWN backyard chickens: moniqueprevost. See the winning post here.
And I have two additional DEALER’s CHOICE prizes, just cause (chosen by me)!
- A second half dozen eggs from MY OWN backyard chickens: to JANICE R. my staff member above who treated herself to her first Backyard Chicken set and loved it so much to be the first to join our casual KAL. See her winning post here.
- Wollmeise Lace Nobody’s Perfect: HILARY A. my co-enabler for this awesome project… thank you for egging me on! See her winning post here.
If you see your name or Ravelry handle above, come in store to pick up your prize.
But really, aren’t all of us with our new beautiful projects winners??
Happy knitting!
My own second FO for this KCAL… also in the Blue Langshan colourway.
Give Back Sunday’s Yarn Library Project
Is it the Second Sunday of the month already? That means it’s our monthly Give Back Sunday! Join me today for some crafting a community or charity project of your choice, and as always for the second Sunday of each month we want to highlight knits that do good and the fiber arts community that comes together to achieve them. This weekend we will be launching a new community project that we’ve been daydreaming about, and also announcing a new way to connect with our community.
Yarn Lending Library
If you live in the Vancouver area, you’ve more than likely seen community library boxes on street corners or front lawns. The concept is simple: take a book, leave a book. Why not do the same with yarn? These little free libraries have been popping up in Philadelphia and Portland, and we just thought how cool it would be to house our own in Vancouver. A shout out to Wild Hand and Ritual Dyes for spreading the idea!
The Ritual Dye’s Fiber Library in Portland. Permissions granted for photo use.
We are making a call for volunteers who are interested in this project. We need:
- Volunteers to build the Yarn Lending Library.
- Volunteers to house them. Since these are community projects, they need to be housed in accessible locations.
The Baaad Anna’s team is more than happy to coordinate the set up, provide some fiber arts supplies, and create a map that the community can use to find these little libraries. Additionally, as a community project, there is the possibility to apply for a Neighbourhood Small Grant to get funding for building supplies.
We just love the idea of a Lending Library because it’s a great way to connect with the community and provide free opportunities to try some new crafts. Not to mention, it’s a great Upcycling initiative to pass on yarns, rather than throw them away or go unused.
Interested in helping out? Shoot us a message on Instagram or send us an email at baaadannas@gmail.com
New IG Guide
One of our ongoing goals is to find ways to strengthen our fibre arts community. We want to provide simple ways to get involved, access community resources, and give back to the community. Check out our new Guide on Instagram talking about ways that you can get involved in our donation drives. Keep an eye out for future Guides on Instagram coming soon.
Baaad Anna’s Community Give Back Guide.
As always, we hope our Give Back Sundays encourage our community to take some time and make something for those in need. Check in with us next month (April 11th) for our usual Give Back Shenanigans.
Staff Spotlight: Cheryl K.
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.
Cheryl on the trans-Canada train (Toronto-Vancouver), July 2019. Knitting the Backyard Chicken socks.
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)
Photo of River Rocks Scarfs from Cheryl’s Instagram.
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!
Cheryl wearing her Latrine Hat. From Ravelry.
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.
Cheryl’s refinished spinning wheel on Instagram.
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.
Ready for Your Next Project?
We have been so inspired by all the new and returning knitters who have taking the Beginner Knitting Class Online via Zoom to either start their new fibre arts journey or freshen up on old skills that we have added a new class to our line up! Our Next Steps Beginner Knitting is the perfect class for those still new on their journey but wanting more! No need to feel intimidated by DPNs (double pointed needles) or knitting in the round, our amazing teacher Rebecca Glazier will guide you through these and other foundational techniques over the two sessions. It is definitely still hat weather out there folks so please come join us online for the next couple of Saturdays and learn how to make your very first hat!
Next Steps Beginner Knitting – Online via Zoom
DATES: Saturday March 6 and 13th from 3:00-5:00pm PT
THIS IS AN ONLINE CLASS via ZOOM, so you will also need to have a decent internet connection and download the free ZOOM app. Instructions will be emailed before 1st class.
Ideal for knitters still new on their journey! Over two 2 hour sessions you will earn to knit your first hat!
We will cover pattern reading, joining and knitting in the round on DPNs, working the mistake rib pattern and decreasing.
There is a small amount of pre-class homework which will be sent out with class registration.
DATES: Saturday March 6 and 13th from 3:00-5:00pm PT
To register call 604-255-2577, or register online here!
Slipstravaganza Knit-A-Long
Are you someone who loves a mystery KAL (Knit-A-Long) or do you like to know what you’re knitting? Stephen West launches multiple mystery KALs a year, and the Slipstravaganza last November one was a beauty! It caught the eye of our knitting teacher Rebecca Glazier as soon as the 1st reveal of section one was public.
Rebecca fell in love with those holes!
We’re not going to lie, this is a monster of a project which is why we thought to host a supportive knit-a-long this Spring via Zoom to encourage and support as you go. If you’ve never tried colourwork knitting, slip stitch colourwork is a great place to start as you only work with one colour at a time across each row and the slip stitch technique brings the magic.
The shawl features 5 sections of slip stitch patterns which are designed perfectly to flow from one to the next. You need 200g (usually two skeins) of main colour yarn, and three contrast colours, each of 100g. This would be the perfect project to stash dive and use some of those precious single skeins of fingering or sock weight yarn you were coveting, or if you prefer to have a kit put together with nicely matched colours, do we have something special for you!
Rebecca is not only our in-house teacher, she is also a talented dyer of the natural dyed yarn company, WildWestDye, and she has put together this amazing set in the custom ‘Baaad Anna’s’ colourway! This kit that Rebecca created for us is naturally dyed (as opposed to chemically manufactured acid-dyed yarn) and features four new colours; Tornado, SilverStar, Eros and a speckle yarn, Polesque in WildWestDye’s supersoft fingering weight pure merino.
WildWestDye uses wool that is carefully sourced from New Zealand and is spun in Canadian mills. The wool is only purchased from farms that do not practice mulesing and attention is paid to the ethical treatment of the sheep (free from hunger/thirst, free from discomfort, free from pain/injury/disease, free from distress/fear).
And best of all, we have a sample knit up in this colourway for those of you that enjoy seeing how colour selection works up:
But if colour matching is in your wheelhouse, the store is stocked with so many wonderful fingering weight yarns for you to choose from for your Slipstravaganza shawl. You can browse them all in the online store or come and see them in person. And of course if you want to use some coveted stash yarn, feel free to bring in 1 or 2 skeins from your own stash as we can help you pick up your contrast colourways to best work for this project! To choose your colourway it is recommended that each contrast colour needs to contrast well with the main colour, but not necessarily with each other. Stephen suggests the ‘lazy swatch’ method to make sure you are happy with your choice before you start:
A lazy swatch is a quick way of visualizing colour choices before you start knitting. Take a piece of cardboard and wrap your yarn around it in the order you want to use your colours.
Sarah and Gabby from the store participated in the mystery KAL in November and you can see their finished shawls and lazy swatch in our Project of the Month post here. Ravelry is also a wonderful resource to check out all the colourways that have been created to help you visualize yours, there are 6078 projects linked to the pattern so probably every which way you can think of!
This shawl is divided into sections five sections, and once each slip stitch pattern is set up, you settle into a flow. We will be hosting a six-part Zoom knit-a-long where you can join us to embark on the amazing Stephen West Slipstravaganza shawl adventure! During this non-instructional but supportive KAL we will meet up for six, online sessions via Zoom, and you can join in for the full six sessions, or hop in on any given week on March 14th, 21st, 28th, April 11th,18th and May 2nd from 11:00am-12:30pm PT.
These sessions are focus on each section with at least a week in between to encourage participants to ‘meet up’ at the next knitting goalpost. Rebecca found that the colour changes within each section was a great encouragement to that ‘just one more row’ feeling, and having a Zoom group to meet up with will help keep this giant project on track.
As the shawl grew, Rebecca’s found that finishing off with 4 stripes of chevron’s at the end, and 900+ stitch rows is not something she does often, but she compares this to working in the round. The only time it was a little frustrating was when a mistake was made and 450 odd stitches had to be tinked. These 900+ rows are also ideal for when you are spending time at Virtual knitting shows! Fibre Love Affair will be happening again from April 24th so fits in perfectly with finishing off those final rows in time for the end of the KAL on April 30th!
And our knit-a-long will have incentives! For those who register to join us and complete the shawl by April 30th you will receive a $10 Baaad Anna’s store credit, and for those who purchase the Slipstravaganza Kit and complete by April 30th a $20 Baaad Annas’ store credit!
During these times of social distancing and limited interactions, this KAL will give us all the opportunity to stay connected, motivated and creative.
Some more thoughts from Rebecca on the knitting of her Slipstravaganza:
What was your favourite section?
Probably the honeycomb and creating the holes, this is what drew me to the design in the first place, but I honestly enjoyed every section. I find that designs which change textures and colours holds my interest for much longer. When a design is the same throughout (texture or colour) I tend to quickly get feelings of cast-on-itus. Castonitus is the intense desire to cast on new projects!
Any snags along the way?
As well as a couple of 450 stitch tinking at the end, in the painted bricks section I completed one row of bricks before realizing it was the ‘wrong’ colour next… oops…
Did you block the honeycomb section before continuing on?
No, I really didn’t see the need to do this as it was going to be blocked at the end, and I didn’t want to pause on knitting! One thing to note, that Sarah, who decided to block her’s before she continued found that one of the colours bled really bad, so if you are choosing your own yarns and not the kit, you make want to knit a swatch and wash to make sure you don’t run into this problem too.
YouTube Video Support
Stephen West created a set of videos to help you through each step of the way available on YouTube, you can learn the ‘Weavin’ Stephen’ technique of joining in new yarns if you haven’t already and if you’re feeling a little stuck in-between KAL’s this is a great resource to keep you on track.
On Shlankets
And if you’ve never made or worn a shawl this big before (or is it a shlanket? A shlanket is a shawl so big, you could also use it as a blanket), and are wondering how you would wear it, Stephen West has recently released a new ‘How to wear you shawl 2.0’ which features the Slipstravaganza shawl along with some of his others fabulous designs.
Join our Knit-a-long
Whether you’ve made a start on this shawl already, or are now tempted to, you are more than welcome to join us for the knit-a-long! In addition to the incentives, we will throw together some fun prizes for this KAL as well!
When Rebecca was asked what knitting skill is required to make this shawl, or whether they ‘could do it’ or not, her immediate response was ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’
THIS IS AN ONLINE KAL via ZOOM, so you will also need to have a decent internet connection and download the free ZOOM app. Instructions will be emailed before 1st meet-up!
DATES: Sundays March 14, 21 and 28th, April 11th and 18th and May 2nd from 11am-12:30pm PT.
Come join us as we as we embark on the amazing Stephen West Slipstravaganza shawl Knit-a-long!
During this non-instructional but supportive KAL hosted by the incredibly talented and motivating Rebecca Glazier of WildWestDye we will meet up for six, online sessions via Zoom.
The Slipstravaganza shawl is a five-section fingering weight shawl that uses two skeins of main colour yarn and three contrast colours. You can read more about its construction and two sizing options here on our blog.
Even more exciting is that we have our very own custom colourway Slipstravaganza Kit from WildWestDye with brand new colours just for this kit: Polesque, Eros, SilverStar, and Tornado.
We have incentives! For those who complete the shawl by April 30th you will receive a $10 Baaad Anna’s store credit, and for those who purchase the Slipstravaganza Kit and complete by April 30th a $20 Baaad Annas’ store credit, both to be used online.
During these times of social distancing and limited interactions, this KAL will give us all the opportunity to stay connected, motivated and creative.
Materials Needed:
- 1963 yards (1795 m) Fingering weight yarn in four or more colours or one WildWestDye Slipstravaganza Kit
- 3.5mm/US 4 Needles
- Stitch markers
- Sliptravaganza Shawl by Stephen West Pattern
Materials can be purchased at Baaad Anna’s Yarn Store. (Current Canada Post shipping turnaround is min one week, please be sure to order supplies with enough time for them to arrive before the start of class; OR call (604) 255 2577 for more immediate curbside pickup which can be arranged any day Mon-Tues between 11am-2pm and Wed-Sun 11am-6pm)
DATES: March 14, 21 and 28th, April 11th and 18th and May 2nd from 11:00am-12:30pm PT
COST:
FULL KAL: $30.00 for all 6 sessions ∼or∼
DROP IN: $10.00 per session
HOST: Rebecca Glazier
YARN RESTOCK: Julie Asselin Leizu DK
We have recently received a new shipment of Julie Asselin Leizu DK in the shop in sweater-quantities of the most stunning colourways! We love this DK version for slightly quicker finished objects. With a combination of 90% merino and 10% silk, this is a luxurious blend from a very talented Canadian dyer proudly spun in Canada.
The addition of silk in this base creates a beautiful drape and stitch definition, as well as luxurious touch and glow. One of our staff, Janice, recently knit up a Sandoval by This.Bird.Knits which flew off her needles. She’s happy to share she’s been living in it since, finding it to be the perfect weight for our West Coast winters.
Leizu (Chinese: 嫘祖; pinyin: Léi Zǔ) was a legendary Chinese empress and wife of the Yellow Emperor. According to tradition, she discovered silk, sericulture, and invented the silk loom, in the 27th century BC. Leizu discovered silkworms while having a midday tea, and a cocoon fell in her tea.
According to one account, the silkworm fell into her tea, and the heat unwrapped the silk until it stretched across her entire garden. When the silk ran out, she saw a small cocoon and realized that this cocoon was the source of the silk. Another version says that she found silkworms eating the mulberry leaves and spinning cocoons. She collected some cocoons, then sat down to have some tea. While she was sipping a cup, she dropped a cocoon into the steaming water. A fine thread started to separate itself from the silkworm cocoon. Leizu found that she could unwind this soft and lovely thread around her finger.
A gorgeous Wenlock by TCK knit by our store manager Sarah with Leizu held double.
Due to its lovely stitch definition, it is one of the yarns we have recommended for our upcoming Bloom Handmade Studio Reversible Embroidery On Stockinette class.
According to the Julie Asselin website you can machine wash this yarn but we also advise hand washing in cold water and laying flat to dry. As with other hand dyed yarns, we recommend purchasing sufficient yarn for your project in one go as tones may vary between dye lots and from skein to skein. In case you are not already aware, but Baaad Anna’s has a very forgiving policy on yarn returns (allowing returns of many months past the regular purchase return date to make sure people can purchase enough with spare for their project requires with fear of extra costs, as a just in case!). Another great trick with hand-dyed yarn is to alternate your skeins as you knit to avoid any striping if you are using multiple skeins of one colour in a project.
- Fibres: 90% Superwash Merino / 10% Silk
- Gauge: 20 – 24 sts = 4” (10 cm)
- Needles: 4 mm (US 6)
- Weight: DK (3)
- Length: 115 g / 260 yards (238 m)
LAST CALL! Knit Em Up Chicken KCAL
Do you have any Hue Loco Backyard Chicken yarn that you have been meaning to get on your needles? Now’s the time to cast on to join our knit- or crochet-along and get a dent into your project as we have put this awesome group of prizes up for offer! Drumroll please…….
Some yarn and matching pattern book, pom poms, and pom pom making kits donated by Baaad Anna’s as well as this amazing Sock Yarn Studio book of patterns donated by Hilary of Iron Dog Books. Also I will be handing out a half a dozen of my precious, precious backyard chicken eggs from my own little squakey ladies as a dealer’s choice prize!
If you haven’t had a chance to browse our Wall of Fame, there are some amazing photos of FOs (finished objects) and WIPs (works-in-progress) that have been entered into our #fowlKAL over in the Baaad Anna’s Ravelry group. So inspiring! Be sure to add yours before the end of Feb to be eligible for our prize draw!
BUY BACKYARN CHICKEN SETS HERE.
I just finished my second chicken project of 2021, and get this… even with extra repeats to knit up tall socks, I had enough leftovers to KNIT A SECOND PAIR from this set!
Hilary of Iron Dog Books did a different take on the same yarn set colourway above! I passed along my leftovers to her to help grow her shawl into a giant FO! Can’t wait to see how it ends up!
If you missed our previous post on our Knit’Em Up Chicken KCAL, you can catch up here:
POST UPDATE: See below to find out how to join us before the end of the month and enter our draw for Knit-/Crochet-Along prizes!
Do you have a Backyard Chicken that you have been saving for a rainy day? Or have you been eyeing one of these Hue Loco beauties but haven’t made the leap yet? Join us for a casual knit along (KAL) to get these gorgeous birdy yarns onto your needles and into your 2021 FOs (finished objects)!
BUY BACKYARN CHICKEN SETS HERE.
Our lovely neighbour, Hilary Atleo of Iron Dog Books and I have decided to cast on our chicken yarn and egg each other onwards towards completion. This yarn is so pleasant to knit because every stitch gifts you with a new colour/shade. In the past have finished complete projects (two shawls and a pair of socks) with these sets in just over a week, and that is our aim for this KAL! We both have two sets of chickens we plan to work on over the next few weeks, so join us if you wish and we can celebrate together!
Check out this great photo essay Hilary posted yesterday on Instagram:
Pick up your favorite chicken set here, and cast on a Downhome Shawl, a pair of socks or just play with us using the free skeleton shawl pattern by Stephan West, The Boneyard Shawl, which allows for your own adornments of playing with lace or colour segments! Email us at baaadannas@gmail.com if you want to join in; And stay tuned for updates as we go!
BUY BACKYARN CHICKEN SETS HERE.
We now have a place to chat and enter our draw for prizes in the Baaad Anna’s Ravelry thread:
We’re keeping it simple: cast on, or finish a project with a Hue Loco Backyard Chicken set, and post a photo in the CHICKEN PHOTOS NO CHATTY thread (one post per chicken), we will do a RNG (random number generator) draw for prize winners at the end of February.
If you need help adding your entry to Ravelry, email us a photo with your name and phone number at baaadannas@gmail.com and we can post it for you.
No other rules: play fair (ie. put some good amount of stitches into the project), share progress photos in our Ravelry Knit Em Up CHickens KCAL thread, and enjoy the chicken knits!
