Coastal Knits is here!

We are very excited to have received copies of the new Coastal Knits book!  This book has been put together by two very talented designers Alana Dakos and Hannah Fettig who live on opposite coasts of the United States.  The designs inside are beautiful and timeless.

We have also posted new pictures to for our upcoming Cabled Beaded Clutch class in November!  Faye our amazing teacher designed this bag herself.  This class will cover a LOT of different skills and is one that should not be missed!  You will learn how to cable, how to bead your knitting (beads are included in the class!) and how to line the bag and put a zipper into it.  This is a two evening class with the first one being at Knits by the Sea and the second evening at Sew Tuff Quilting Co.  Be sure to register early to ensure you get a spot!  You can register at either shop.

Amy Swenson Patterns...and knit along?

We are very excited here at Knits by the Sea to have received our Amy Swenson patterns!  With so many to choose from they are definitely adding more projects to our every growing queue on Ravelry!  The one that has caught my eye for my next project is the True North sweater.  So cozy looking and since her inspiration was Canada it makes me love it that much more.  Plus it has a technique I have yet to try...steeking!  For those unfamiliar with this technique it is done with fair isle sweaters like this where you knit the entire project in the round and then to create an opening you cut up the centre to create a cardigan.

So with the Amy Swenson Retreat coming up in April I am proposing an Amy Swenson knit along.  This way we keep it open to all her patterns as I know our preferences and tastes can vary!  I would love some feedback as to patterns you would like to knit and when you would like to start.  Would January be easier after all the holiday madness?   Special orders can be made for yarn and colours! So who wants to steek with me??

Feeling Cozy

The thing about fall is that it's the beginning of the cozy weather!  Light a candle or if you are really lucky and have a fireplace light a fire.  The leaves are on the ground and it's the perfect weather for hats, scarves and mitts!   Here at Knits by the Sea we have a great class that we just added to our schedule coming up.  Learn to make a Smocked Hat!  This design is by our lovely local teacher Faye and she will show you how to make this neat hat in only 3 hours!  It's made with bulky wool so it knits up very quickly.  The hat pictured here is knit with Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky wool and alpaca blend.

Feeling the chill myself I have decided to cast on my first pair of Fiddlehead Mittens.  These have been very popular on Ravelry and there are tons of photos with all different variations of colours.  It is amazing to see how endless the options are.  These lovely mittens also have a liner knit into them which is great to add extra warmth and avoid your hands catching on all the little yarns inside.  Would love to hear from anyone else that has done these mittens before and see pictures!

Just in case...

You missed our updates on Facebook here is the latest happenings here at Knits by the Sea!  The retreat details have finally be released!  We are very excited to announce that Canadian designer Amy Swenson will be coming to Tofino for a weekend retreat at Middle Beach Lodge.  We are looking forward to a cozy weekend of knitting, yummy food and great company.  This year we are offering an early bird rate so be sure to register before January to save a little money!  For full details on the retreat go here.

The October newsletter has also been posted.  To read what has been going on at the shop go here.  We have LOTS of classes booked all the way up until the middle of December.  Great project classes to help with your holiday knitting and crocheting and skills classes for those interested to learn to knit or crochet.  Check out our schedule here.

AND in case you didn't get a chance to hear Erin and Ellie on Long Beach Radio this Tuesday teaching host Geoff Johnson how to knit and cross stitch you can click here to listen.  Pictured above is Ellie teaching Geoff how to knit on air.

Great company and a little knitting!

A big thank you to everyone who came out last night for our second Sex and the City Stitch Night!  This time we went to Sobos and it was a wonderful evening.  With tasty margaritas, yummy food and a bit of knitting in there too it was a fun evening.  Sadly I forgot to do the full group shot with all our lovely shoes!  But these photos give you an idea of how the evening went.

And a big congratulations to Emily who finished her first sock! Emily took the Intro to Socks class earlier this month and this is the finished product!  Way to go Emily!

And we just received a new shipment of Never Not Knitting patterns!  Two new ones are the Cloudy Day hat and Roses Are Red.  You can come by the shop or purchase them online! 

We've been Podcasted!

We had a lovely visit from Ursa earlier this September who until earlier this year was the the owner and dyer of Gaia's Colours based in Victoria.  She has since switched gears and is now doing a podcast called The Pagan Knitter and can be found here or on iTunes.  We were very flattered when she asked if she could come by the shop to interview us.  If you want to hear the full podcast we are part of Episode 4 - West Coast Wool.   Thanks for thinking of us Ursa and having us on your show!

Sobo Stitch Night!

Well the rain has come to Tofino this last week making it great knitting and crocheting weather.  And to say goodbye to summer properly we felt it was necessary to have another Sex and the City Stitch Night!  This time it will be at Sobos.  So get your heels out and come and join us this Wednesday September 28 at 6:00 for an evening of margaritas, great food and stitching!

And after much unpacking and photographing the entire shipment of Sweatermaker yarns is now on the shelves and online!  So be sure to take a look at all the lovely yarns we now have in stock including some great shawl kits!

Lots of classes are coming up this fall so be sure to check our website.  We have some great project classes to help with your upcoming holiday knitting and crocheting needs!  And we have a new class on Saturday October 1st!  Learn to use a drop spindle and spin your own yarn. This fun 3 hour class will take you through the basics of using a drop spindle and all the fun you can have spinning your own yarn. See our website for a full details.