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Sari Silk Yarn!!!
We just got this luscious new shipment of Sari Silk yarn for your knitting pleasure!
Come in and touch it 😀 it’s sooo soft and luxurious. You will just love it. I bet this stuff is going to go fast! I know I considered it 😍
It’s hard to tell from the photo but the first two of these yarns below are sparkly 😮😮😮 I`m telling you… that is temptation! You really have to see them. Drool worthy for sure! From what I understand there is more coming! Can’t wait to see that now..
Look at this! Isn’t this deluxe? This is Roisin’s second Fisher mans Rib sweater called the Fin Bay Fisherman. This one is charcoal with a black collar and button band. The collar and button band have super soft yarn knitted onto the inside. So no itchy scratchy neck! Perfect for all your sensitive skinned Fishermen. it’s getting lots of attention. People just love it. Roisin will be offering classes to teach this one. It’s pretty strait forward. But as of yet there is no written pattern. So classes are the way to learn it!
Look it’s Claire 😮😮😮 Someone cut her head off. But I know is her. And now so do you.
But that`s not the point. The point is her glorious poncho. It’s Roisin’s Chantal Poncho knit out of Katrina’s (that would be me) hand dyed sock yarn paired with my hand spun yarn as an accent. I think it’s just amazing. Like nothing I ever could have imagined. I love it. Very creative.
So September is just a around the corner! Are you prepared for knitting season? We have everything you might need. Tones of fun and inspiration by the bucket load. So come on in! There tones of luxury yarns for you to squeeze and dream of knitting.
Until next week!
💗Happy Knitting!💗
Machine Cones
Look at these babies! 😀😀😀
Are they not gorgeous??? Machine knitters cones or weavers cones. Gorgeous colors. 100% wool form Germany. Deluxe stuff.
And look at the colors! I personally am diggin the oranges, pinks and purples. But that moss green is super sweet too. You should drop by and squeeze them. You will love the feel of it. Very soft.
In other news here is a picture of Patti knitting Roisin’s Savory Island Clammer original design. Lovely colors out of soft cotton. A very nice summer top.
Here she is wearing it! It’s not that difficult a knit if you think you might like to try it. You can come in and pick out your yarn that you want to knit it with and then Roisin will walk you through it if you have any difficulties. Doesn’t Patti look splendid? I love this design. Very cool and so pretty.
Next we have a picture of my progress on my second Wilingdon Beach sweater. It is starting to really take shape now. I just separated for the sleeves. I am super enjoying this pattern. I made a mistake though and had to rip it back a bit. Roisin had to help me pick up the stitches. So far that has happened on both of my attempts to navigate this pattern. I am new to knitting from patterns. This is my first ever sweater pattern. I’d like to make it a couple more times I think. I am learning so much.
I am crazy about the colors in this sweater! And it feels amazing. So soft. The Alpaca is slightly slippery and the mohair is kinda fuzzy. It’s been challenging to knit with two such fine yarns. Also the mohair is kinda sticky/felty so ripping out is dangerous. Making sure I have always got two strands means I have to pay more attention. But all in all I would say it has been a pretty easy project. I am almost done all the tricky bits. All I have left to do is the cable cast on stitches under the arms. then come back around and pick them up. Then is just knit, knit, knit, all the way down the body and I am done! I don’t think I will be putting on caplet sleeves. It depends what I think when I try it on. I will keep you posted!
I hope everyone is enjoying their lovely hot weather and swimming lots and lots while the sun shines. Goodness knows that soon the rains will start and we will be moaning about the grey rainy days! That is part of being a Canadian I think… moaning about the weather! No matter what the weather might be.😂😂😂
September is almost here then it’s officially “Knitting Season” 😀😀😀
We all look forward to seeing you here!
Come drop by even if it’s just to chat😘
Hope to see you soon…
until then…
💗Happy Knitting💗
Atomic Flower Power!
Look at this! My brand new design!!! Atomic Flower Jumbo Drop Spindles !!!!I had help though, from Turtle Made on Etsy.com, together we designed these unique. One of a kind. Hand made. JUMBO drop spindles 😀 These spindles are specifically designed for spinning bulk, chunky, Art Yarns. Each one is individually 3D printed out of fully COMPOSTABLE natural fiber plastics. They are made from CORN 😀😀😀😀 and can Bio-degrade. They are available here at the store already so you can come buy one and try it out. Or I will be teaching classes here at GBOW in spinning designer Art Yarns.
And here is something else new in the shop 😀😀😀
a whole new batch of all new color ways of my hand dyed sock yarn!
I have been trying out some new colors in my pallet. So I have a whole bunch of new grey color ways.
There are twenty new skeins in all to choose from. They are currently in the window if you want to walk by and have a peak. They are all priced and ready to walk out the door if you are feeling the need for some knitting therapy.
Look at this work of Art!!! It is Roisin’s latest design project. A men’s sweater in lovely Fisherman’s Rib stitch. So as I understand it, Fisher mans Rib is like the less “fancy” predecessor of Brioche. So if it looks similar to you there is a reason for that 😜 This is our new signature men’s sweater and Roisin will be teaching classes on this in the future. So if it looks challenging, no worries, Roisin can walk you through it.
Last but never least I have some news. Belinda and Cindy and I will be having a booth out front for Blackberry Street Festival. 😀😀😀 Here is a picture of Belinda’s gorgeous Blackberry inspired dryer balls! Are they not the cutest thing ever? So come on by and see us for Blackberry fest 😍
Ok! That’s about it for this weeks installment of our faithful blog o sphere presence. Hope you feel inspired! Knitting season “officially” begins in September… that’s less than three weeks away 😮
until next time…
💗Happy Knitting💗
Hot Summer Knits
Hey everyone 😀
Hot enough for ya? It has been truly summer gorgeous out lately. Hot and clear and bright. It’s kind of nice to have a cool day don’t you think? I could really get into a day of rain to catch up on things around the house. Maybe even do some knitting? What do you think? Are any of you knitting in this heat? Some of our customers are. Look at this beautiful sweater that Janet made. Each of those dark lines is a row of loops. So the sweater has a textured effect. It is bright white and navy with one red stripe at each shoulder at the top. So summer! So beautiful! Janet is a very talented knitter. You should see here beautiful work. We get to see it here at the shop when she comes in wearing things she has made. Always a pleasure to see Janet 💗
And here is another of our buddies! William 😀 William does Tunisian crochet. Look at his beautiful blanket 😮 It is a baby blanket all of Galway wool in the colors of Ireland. You have to see this close up to truly appreciate the intricacy of the stitches. It’s glorious. And so thick! Tunisian crochet gives a unique thickness to the finished blanket and an unusual patterning to the stitches. Not something you see every day. We love it when William comes for a visit. He’s so sweet!
This is Cindy’s sock 😲 It’s crochet!!! Not knit. So it looks completely different. For all you crocheters out there reading this.here is a fun project you can try. Crocheted socks! These socks are made out of Katrina’s Hand dyed sock yarn (that would be me😋😜) it looks super cute knit or crocheted. One skein is enough to knit a pair of socks. The colors pool rather than striping or patterning. You can do so much with this yarn. It’s not just for socks! It can be for shawls or sweaters or anything you can dream up! I am currently working on a huge new batch of my hand dyed in all new colors. I hope to have it in the store ASAP.
Look! It’s our friend Melissa 💗💋 Back from out of town for a visit 😀 She was in last weekend to stock up on woolly supplies to knit this summer while she is down from the Great White North for a bit. You can see here that she is needle felting her very own Orca. Apparently the local Orca have been very busy both here at the store and out in the strait. A friend of mine was on the ferry this last weekend and said she saw a pod of them Breaching and Blowing and being their spectacular selves in front of the ferry. She said whatever side they were visible from, everyone on the ferry would rush to that side to watch their display!
Here is Powell Rivers own signature pod of Orca whales that were made right here at great Balls of Wool 💗
So next month is September! Back to school for the little ones… and back to knitting for all you grown up ones! 😄 It’s going to be cooling off soon. Personally I have my winter knitting all planned out! How about you? I am knitting a coat, a cardigan, a sweater and lots n lots of socks. Remember socks? It’s Sockista’s on every Tuesday afternoon from 1-3pm. We are right here waiting for you to come back in to the cozy Loopy Lounge for your winter knitting fix.
Whatever knitting you might be planning we have the tools and yarns to set you up. You can come down and hang out with a cup of tea and your new favorite project and knit knit knit!!!
So we hope to see you soon!!!
Until next time…
💗Happy Knitting💗
Madame Loukes Historic House
Look what the old Great Balls of Wool location has become! It’s an air BnB 😀 We have already had guests. It’s all set up and ready to go should you need accommodation for guests from out of town. You can book it on-line. Or perhaps if you just have the hankering to spend the night in the place that used to be your local yarn shop. Minus the actual yarn. So maybe not. The yarn being the reason you might want to spend the night in a wool shop.
This is Virginia. She made a Jude Skeers circular vest out of a soft light weight yarn. Isn’t it glorious! She did such a good job.
Here is another one of Ruth’s creations and it is knit out of milk. For real. the yarn is made from milk protein. It doesn’t smell like cheese though. It has no smell at all. It’s a chocolate milk sweater. With a matching hat.
Petra’s slipper class is turning out slippers like a factory! One pair after another. here you can see the ladies hard at it kitting up their slippers in a happy group. So fun. Petra is a great teacher. She really rocks. She’s patient and good at explaining how things work. If you want to try out her class she will be teaching slipper class here on an ongoing basis. You can come in and put your name on the list to be notified when the next class will take place, and you can reserve a spot.
This is Monica’s slipper before felting it in the washer. Look how big it is! It will shrink quite a bit and get much thicker and denser as it does so. These slippers have a double layer of kitted fabric in the sole. So they last forever. they a fully washable too which is nice.
Here is Monica herself. Kitting. you can see her working on the mate to the slipper above. you can see she put some fluffy art yarn in the cuff to add some character.
Ok that’s what I have got for you today 😀
I have added a new widget to the blog today. It is a subscription box!if you scroll down to the very bottom you can see it. Enter your email into the box and blogger will send this blog to your email account every time we post. So you can keep updated 😍
Alrighty then…
until next time
💗Happy Knitting💗
th Avenue Dress Shop
This is our shop! Lots of people in Powell River remember when this building was the 5th Avenue Dress Shoppe. Madame Loukes, who owned the shop was a seamstress and Designer from New Orleans. People say she may have come to Powell River around 1912. She opened the dress shop later. She is vividly remembered by the community and we often get people who come in just to look at the shop they remember from their youth.
Here you can see a lovely pictutre of the front of the building. Roisin went to the Powell River Museum and got these photo’s for us to share.
Here you can see ladies looking at lovely garments and chatting about merchandise. What a wonderful snap shot of an era of Powell River history. We are all wondering which one might be Madame Loukes herself? If anyone has any information to share we would be excited to find out any details we can. Perhaps someone out there might know her first name? The exact time she came here? The date she opened the store? Or any good stories of your experiences here would be loved and appreciated.
Above you can get a glimps of how the store was laid out and more fuel for the imagination as to what was on the shelves. Look at the beautiful mannequins! We wish we had those beauties now. Below is another picture of the store front. This one in the day time. This one is from befoer the distinctive shiny black tiles were put on. It sure looks different!
I have yarn store news!
We have as new shipment of Malabrigo!!! It is glorious! We have bags of it. All ripe for the taking. It’s all new colors or colors that have been out of stock for a while.
Here is a picture of the colors. The picture really doesn’t do them justice. You should really come in and have a look. I’m partial to the purples myself. I’m thinking maybe I need some… another sweater would be nice…
Not much to update on my sweaters progress. I have not been working on it as much so it is progressing a bit slowly at the moment. Im not quite to the sleeves yet. but soon. I’m still working on the increases. I’m finding that two strands of fine yarn is so much more challenging than I expected. It’s harder to see the stitches than I expected. Also keeping the two strands on the needles and not dropping any stitches is something I have to pay attention to. I’m loving the Alpaca to knit with! It’s so soft. This sweater will be thin but it will still be warm I expect. I think I am almost ready to switch from the green sparkle mohair to the bright purple mohair. Sorry I did not takes pictures as it looks not a lot different than last time. Just longer.
Alrighty then 😀
I hope you enjoyed looking at the old photos of the shop as much as we did. Once again I will say that if you have any info at all feel free to leave a comment or come in and talk to us.
Until next week…
💗Happy Knitting💗
Clothing
Hey everyone 😀 I thought I would show you some of our clothing that we have here at GBOW. It is all slow clothing. Handmade. Some are even Roisin’s original designs.
We have got a whole rack that we put together for you to brows through. On the right is the Texada Time Wrap. One of Roisin’s original designs. I have a couple examples to show you that are for sale here now. Or if you are up for a creative project you can come in and select the yarn of your choice and get the pattern to make your own!
Here you can see some of our lighter shawls and summer things. The left is a Chantal Shawl. One of Roisin’s original designs. You can buy the finished product here or you can come in and pick your wool and get the pattern and knit your own 😀
This gorgeous green poncho was knit by Brenda. It’s machine washable and it’s for sale here now. The hat that is with it is sold separately but it would look so sweet with this lovely shawl. The hat was knit by Roisin. It is 100% wool.
These two incredible lace weight jackets are a Jude Skeers design. These were knit by Roisin and are available for purchase here now. We also sell the pattern for this lovely number. I currently am knitting one out of Australian lace weight silk. It’s a relatively easy knit but remember, if you feel like knitting anything you see here just come in and put the materials together and Roisin will help you get it done!
The lovely grey poncho below is another of Roisin’s original designs. She knit this one out of a variety of different yarns but it looks gorgeous done in a solid color as well. We have another solid color one here in the shop that you can look at for inspiration or you can try either or both on for fit to get an idea what size you might like to make. This is a super easy pattern. It is knit flat!
Below is another example of the Texada Time Wrap Poncho. It’s a super fun easy knit too. It is knit flat as well. We have tones of gorgeous buttons to complete your project. So you can come in and get literally everything you need in one stop plus you can come back for instructions if you get stuck!
So in other news I thought I would show you a picture of my Wilingdon Beach Sweater. It is all done! This is another example of something you can make too. It’s super easy and satisfying because it goes quite quickly for a bigger project. We have an example here at the store for you try try on to gauge what size you might like to make. I loved this pattern so much I am making it twice!
Below is the beginning of my second Wiligdon Beach Sweater! I am knitting this one out of two lace weight yarns together to equal a DK weight. The lavender strand is Alpaca and the green strand is Mohair. It is very soft and has a slight halo. Also the green strand has a tiny bit of sparkle! So pretty. Im about half way through the yoke now starting from the collar and working down. Next I separate for the sleeves. This one is going to be sleeveless so once I separate for the sleeves it is a clear shot to the hem! Because it is knit on circs it is strait knit all the way through. Virtually no pearl at all. The only place you pearl is on the short rows when you are building up at back of the yoke. Other than that it is all knit, knit, knit!!! Easy Peasy!
All righty then! That’s about it for today’s update. I hope you will come in and try on some clothing. maybe start a new project??? It’s such a cool and rainy summer it is perfect knitting weather. Maybe we will see you down here for lessons! Come hang out and share tea and snacks. Have a chin wag with the ladies! The more the merrier 😊
Until next week…
💖Happy Knitting!💖
Redecorating!
Roisin has been redecorating! Everything has been all moved around. We have new displays and lots of new stock out that has been waiting to make it’s way to the floor of the new shop after our big move. Yes we are still digging out from the big move. It’s gonna take a while before Roisin gets things just how she wants them. In the meantime it’s like walking into a brand new store every time you come in! We have tones to look at. Heaps of yarn, new Art, Jewelry and more.
This little bin is all Cashmere! Who doesn’t love Cashmere??? And this Cashmere is a bargain. We have had people come in from the city and buy up loads of it because they cannot believe the price. It’s so low it could be a sale price. Roisin can really hunt down the bargains when she is ordering!
This is where the cubbies are now. They just were not working where we had them before. Now that they are up against the wall they take up so much less space and you can dig in them easily without knocking things out the back.
With this new floor plan you can see right through the store. Everything is nice and light and open, very airy. The new displays make it so you can see everything we have at a glance. Or paw through and look at each skein easily.
Look what Roisin made! This is Sally the sheep. She’s a doll that’s a pillow. How great is that? She is a Ravelry pattern. You can make her in this size, which is the small size, or you can make her in the bigger size too! Her body is stuffed but her head and feet are not. So she has this lovely floppyness to her bits and pieces. Roisin is planning to teach a class for this one. Dates to be posted soon!
Look!!! I finished it! I have to admit I loved knitting this. It’s almost like it knit itself. I cannot believe how easy it was. That was major incentive to keep at it and get it done in a timely fashion. Seriously, if you like a bigger project that you can just knit away on without hardly thinking at all. This is the knit for you. So now I’m knitting the next one. I should have taken a picture of the new one! I didn’t think of it. Next time. This next one is knit out of two lace weight strands of yarn which makes approximately a DK weight. One is alpaca and one is mohair. It’s the same pattern but ligher weight yarn and this time it’s going to be sleeveless 😮!!! I’m past the short rows and into the increase rows. after that I separate for the sleeves. Then it’s just strait knit till I’m done! I don’t even have to go back and put on sleeves! I’m hoping it will go quickly. It depends how much insomnia I have the next while. I do most of my knitting in the middle of the night listening to music.
All right. Other than that we have a needle felting class coming up to make Willma the wale. That’s happening Friday June 29th from 10am till noon. $30.00 includes everything you need and the class fee. There are still a couple spaces left so come on in and book one! Make your own super cute little critter. Petra’s slipper class is in full swing. Annnnd… I believe we will be selling her gorgeous slippers here soon! So if you missed her last craft fair, or if getting out to craft fairs is a problem for you and your hankering for a pair of her deluxe slippers… your wish has been granted! For those of you who want felted slippers without having to make them yourself.
Alll righty then! That’s about all for today.
I hope to see you soon!
and remember. Summer is for knitting too!
Knitting in the sunshine = bliss!
Knit ahead. Then you are ready for winter.
💖Happy knitting💖
Felicia Joseph Paintings!
Hey! 😀 How is everyone today? Are you knitting in the sunshine? Or have you put away your needles and yarn until winter? I am still knitting and so is everyone here at GBOW. Summer projects are the best projects 😂 I finished my Willingdon Beach sweater! Pictures to come! I just have to wash it and block it. Then I will model it for you. I love it! It fits perfectly. I finished the sleeves without indecent. Then went back to the hem line and pulled out my cast off and picked up all the stitches and added another six inches or so. Much better.
In other knitting news Belinda is knitting cotton socks for summer and Roisin is working on various things. She just finished a sheep pillow and is working her way through a summer weight sweater out of a linen blend yarn. Pictures to come!
For eye candy today I have Art photos! We have a selection of new paintings by up and coming young artist Felicia Joseph!
They are so beautiful! We have a variety of different sizes of her work at different price points. Something to please everyone.
This big one below was in the window for a month. Did you happen to see it? It is spectacular. You really have to come in and look at it if you have not seen it.
They really are so beautiful. You should stop by and have a look. We are always happy to have browsers!
I think this last one is my favorite. I may have to add one to my Art collection!
So we are having a variety of classes available throughout the summer. Petra is doing another slipper class! People cannot get enough of her slippers. Check the previous post of dates and times. Belinda will be teaching more felted animals too. Also mentioned in the previous post. There are a few spaces left in each class but they are filling up fast. You should jump on it if you want to get a spot!
As always HELP! is available on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. Come and learn virtually anything you might like to know about knitting. Stitches. Projects. Beginners. You name it.
Allllrighty then! That’s about it for today 😘
Hope to see you soon for a visit!
Until then…
💖Happy Knitting💖
Summer sweater days
So we have been having some summer sweater weather the last few days 😀
In appreciation of wearing our lovely handmade things in summer I thought I’d blog about summer sweaters that are happening here at GBOW.
Below you can see Kitty’s lovely Aran Knit emerald green cozy sweater. It is knit out of Diamond Supreme Merino yarn. It is ever so soft and squishy!
Next you can see my progress on the Wilingdon Beach sweater. As you can see I am most of the way down the arms now. They have mismatched striping happening on them. It is longer than it seems it’s just rolling up at the hem. I will fix that when I block it. I am wanting it to be longer than this though so I am going to pull out the cast off edge and add on another six inches or so.
This is Lisa’s top down Wilingdon Beach sweater in progress. It is looking gorgeous so far. She is just about ready to put her sleeves on stitch holders and then move on to the body of her sweater.
This is Lisa in her newly finished beautiful brown sweater. It is knit out of our Pure Wool Roving yarn. Lisa loves this yarn and knits with it often. I believe she may have knit s sweater out of this wool already but I am not 100% sure about that.
Look at Mira’s lovely brilliantly colorful Noro creation! It’s not quite done yet but it is coming along marvelously.
Petra will be teaching felted slipper classes again soon. They will take place on Wednesday’s from 1-3 the first day will be June 20th. That class costs $75 dollars plus materials.
Belinda will be teaching a new felted animal class. Wilma the Wale. You can needle felt your very own little Orca wale doll if you want. That class is $30.00 that price is inclusive of materials and instruction.
As ever there is drop in learning classes happening every Friday afternoon from 1-3 and every Saturday morning from 10am until noon. Feel free to drop in for help on your project or even learn something new. Roisin is available for all your knitting needs 😌
Alrighty then 😍
Hope you are having a great summer!
Feel free to drop by and see us here at GBOW for all your summer knitting needs.
Until next week
💖Happy Knitting💖