All That Glitters is Not Gold*

It's almost Remembrance Day...a sombre and serious day in which we remember our military, the roles they play(ed) and the sacrifices they make (made) for our freedom and democracy here in Canada and in most other nations around the globe.

At the same time, the days are shortening...the time "fell back" one hour to "Standard Time" here this weekend...and, as we've mentioned in several posts now, the longer evenings mean more time (one hopes!) for yarn-crafting.

Christmas/Holiday gift ideas abound on all the yarn-crafting websites, in the magazines. on social media of all kinds, and those deadlines loom large!

Christmas is fixed at December 25, but this year, Hanukkah
spans the week just before that (December 12-20), while Kwanzaa runs from Dec. 26 (Boxing Day) through January 1 (New Year's Day).

However you celebrate, there are opportunities to make something special -- or to decorate with a bit of colour and glitz to bring into your home the light and joy of the season.

In our last post we introduced a bit of glitter...just to get the inspiration going.

This week, we're offering more...

First up: 

Perfect for arm-knit 'decorative' cowls to complement that glitzy holiday party outfit, to trim a skirt or jacket, or to fashion a garland right off the hank to decorate the tree!

Red Heart Boutique Ribbons

100 grams

75% Manufactured Fibers - Acrylic

25% Manufactured Fibers - Polyester

38 metres (42 yards)

Regular Price: $7.50

Sale Price: $1.88!

And next...a bit of heaven...perfect for finger-less gloves, cowls, scarves, a hat...perhaps a brooch (or two or three)...or a tiny bit of 'home decor' that could become a 'memento mori'...

Sirdar Divine

50 grams

72%  Polyester

28%  Acrylic

Regular Price: $9.00

Sale Price: $2.25!

Whatever you choose, you'll introduce a bit of light, sparkle and energy into this otherwise dark and gloomy time of year.  See you in the shop!



*Merchant of Venice,  Act II, Scene VII, William Shakespeare.


Written by Margaret, happy TCL employee who loves a wee bit o' glitter in her life!

More Summer Knitting: New Dishcloth Yarns!

We have new yarns for all your dishcloth and tableware needs!

Nova Plus Four Seasons Cotton (75 m $2.50)


This is a very nice worsted weight 100% dishcloth cotton that comes in 29 beautiful colors.




Soft but strong, perfect for your dishcloths.

You don't have to limit yourself to dishcloths. Bags, pillows, table linens, and coasters can be made.

Just look at Lori's gorgeous pillow!








She made coasters from the leftovers.

Imagine a table runner or matching placemats. You don't have to worry about getting food on them, just throw them in the washer.

We also have a several booklets that would work well with this yarn. One of them is exclusively bags  which are very sturdy.

People will ask you where you got that purse and you can smile and say "I made it myself."



Red Heart Scrubby (85 m $6.30)

Clockwise from far left: Grape, Royal, Cherry, Orange,
Black, Coconut, Ocean, Lime, Duckie, Bubblegum

You've been asking for it and now we've got it! The perfect yarn to make your scrubbies! Surprisingly this yarn is not hard on your hands at all but it will help clean your pots. Use alone or pair it with dishcloth cotton to make the perfect scrubber. Worsted weight, 100% polyester.

Scrubby up close

It comes in several really bright colors. Hey if you have to wash dishes by hand then it helps to have cheery colors to look at, especially if you're like me. I don't have a dishwasher and my sink is nowhere near a window. I'm sure a man designed that.


We still carry Lily Sugar 'n' Cream dishcloth cotton in solids, stripes and twists. 100% cotton, just $3.20 for 109 m or 86 m.

Now some of you may wonder why anyone would want to knit a dishcloth. Aside from how excellent they are for washing dishes there are other reasons.

1. Try out new stitch patterns. Maybe you have a pattern you're not sure about or a design in your head. Try it out on the dishcloth cotton and make a square before you delve into your expensive yarn. Or maybe you just want to experiment with new patterns. You still end up with a usable dishcloth.
2. Learning how to knit or crochet? Or maybe you're teaching someone. Dishcloths are perfect. The weight of the yarn is easy to handle and it doesn't matter how many mistakes are made. It's just a dishcloth.
3. A stack of dishcloths make a nice gift. They don't take long to make and you can either vary the colors or pick the color of the recipients kitchen. Think housewarming, newlywed, or someone setting up an apartment for the first time or starting over. 
4. Make some dishcloths and/or other kitchen linens and stick them in a basket of kitchen supplies for a gift. Or you can put them in a basket of baby supplies.
5. And yes, you can always make some for yourself. They will become your favorite!
6. They are not too hot to knit! Dishcloths can be made all year round.
7. And they are easy to take along with you anywhere.
8. Plus, they don't take long to make. Need a break from that gorgeous but complicated lace shawl that is taking forever? Knit up a dishcloth and feel accomplished.

There are plenty of free dishcloth patterns on the internet. So have fun looking!

Posted by Anna Maria Junus (happy employee who used to think that knitting dishcloths was dumb but doesn't anymore).

New Red Heart Yarn

It's been awhile. It's called tortuary, or otherwise known as inventory, which is when you have to count 239,609,204 things, register them correctly in the computer, and then watch as everything ends up being wrong anyway.

But we survived it.

In the meantime, while we were counting things, more things came in. And yes, we had to count those too.

We have two new Red Heart yarns. We don't carry a lot of Red Heart so when we do bring it in we think it's exceptional and those other places like Mikey and Ceiling Mart are not carrying them.

Red Heart Stellar 

For you boucle lovers! It's super bulky (6), 99% acrylic and 1% metallic fiber. Machine wash cold on the gentle cycle and dry flat. 8 mm needles, 73 meters.

We have three colors and each ball comes with a free pattern that calls for two balls.

At $7.10 a ball you can make a scarf for under $15.00!


 The picture doesn't do the colors justice. You really have to come in and take a look.

Clockwise - Deep Space (that's the deep purple one), Universe (grey), and Celestial (pink). They all have just a hint of metallic running through them.

Red Heart Infinity

This is a chain yarn. Chunky weight (5), 69% acrylic, 11% wool, 10% polyester, 6% nylon, 4% metallic. Machine wash on gentle cycle, lay flat to dry. 8 mm needles, 118 m.

The balls come with a free pattern which uses 15 mm needles and only one ball. You can make a scarf for only $7.10 plus tax!

The colors are very pretty too. Back to front, left to right, Poppy (peach), Almond (beige), Oasis (blue), Thunder (grey), Denim (dark blue), Seafoam (aqua), Blossom (pink), Enchanted (purple). Of course again the pictures don't do them justice and these too have a hint of metallic in them.

Now we know that it's the height of summer and we've been having some record breaking temperatures and the last thing on your mind is winter scarves, but as crafters we know it's never too early to get ready for Christmas. So come on in and get your yarn and you'll be all ready for when cooler temperatures hit and your home from vacation and the garden is harvested. We would love to see you (plus we have fans going to keep you cool).

Posted by Anna Maria Junus (happy employee who is being tempted by some really pretty colors).