1. hobbies and interests
2. arts and crafts
3. knitting

A little something for the guys
Wrap him up in a sweater, scarf, hat & mitts
Want to knit up a sweater? We
have some beautiful sweater
yarns for you. Short on time
and/or energy? Make him a
warm accessory to wear this
winter.
From the Diamond Luxury Collection, check out machine
washable Aran Fine Merino
in 100% merino wool. This
aran gauge yarn knits up at
18sts over 10cm on 5.0mm
needles and gives you
90m/50g ball.
Diamond Luxury Lima
And we have more Diamond
Lima and new Lima Tinto, a
proven popular yarn in 100%
Peruvian Highland wool. You’ll
get 17sts/10cm on 6.0mm needles and 160m/100g ball.
Diamond Fine Merino Aran
We’ve also stocked up on fair
trade Mirasol yarns, like
Ushya: 100% Merino
Wool knits up super
bulky at 8sts/10cm on
10mm needles. You get
104m per 100g
skein. Sulka:
60% Merino
Wool, 20% Silk,
20% Alpaca in a
chunky weight
of 16sts/10cm
on 6.0mm needles. Sulka
comes in 50m/50g skeins. And
brand new from Mirasol is
Hasa: made from 45% Alpaca,
45% Merino Wool and 10%
Silk, this chunky weight yarn
knits up quickly at 16sts/10cm
on 5.0mm needles. Each 50g
hank has 80m of length.
Left to Right
(clockwise): Mirasol
Hasa, Ushya, Sulka
You should also check out Zitron
Zeitlos: made from 100% Merino Extrafine Superwash Wool
with Rose Oil, this super soft
yarn has an amazing 240m/100g
hank. You’ll get 22-24sts/10cm
on 3.54.0mm
needles.
All of
these
yarns will be available at both
RCY locations during the month
of November.
Knits men want & 250 pattern possibilities
Over the years, we’ve all knit
garments for the men in our lives
and have all been disappointed
to find our lovingly created
pieces hiding in drawers and
closets. Men aren’t being intentionally cruel; they’re just not
comfortable in knitwear made
with bright colors, itchy yarn, or
flashy designs.
So what’s a knitter to do?
Understand the male psyche,
says knitting instructor Bruce
Weinstein. In Knits Men Want,
he presents ten hilarious essays,
each based on a rule that helps
women knit for men successfully. “Men Are Babies” explains
why guys need to wear soft fabrics. “Men Hate Fittings” de-
scribes how to create a sweater
based on one that’s in his wardrobe. Following each essay is a
timeless master pattern, from
socks, hats, and scarves to an
array of sweaters, all in a range of
sizes (e.g. 40” - 60” chests) and
most written for multiple gauges.
River City Yarns has Knits Men
Want at both store locations.
Knits Men Want
The 10 Rules Every Woman
Should Know Before
Knitting for a Man
November 2012
Page 2
For the gals...
Want some sparkle without the scratch?
Schulana Luxair is a soft metallic yarn
made from 58% baby alpaca, 10% merino
wool, 19% lurex and 13% nylon. The sparkling Lurex cord is surrounded with softly
brushed baby alpaca and the finished look
is truly special: a glimmering metallic
shine hidden just past a fuzzy halo. The
fabric is surprisingly light and not at all
itchy, making it the perfect yarn around
your neck and shoulders.
Luxair has 110m/50g ball and knits up
quickly at 12sts/10cm on 7.0—9.0mm needles.
We also have new colours in Moda and
Moda Lame, the lacey scarf yarn that
knits/
crochets up
in no time.
Free patterns for
knitting
Schulana Luxair
these novelty scarf yarns are available on our
rivercityyarns.com pattern page.
And, last but definitely not least… we
have brand new colours in Rowan Kidsilk Stripe. Kidsilk Stripe is a self striping
version of Kid Silk Haze (70% super kid
mohair, 30% silk). The colour combinations have been chosen by colour master,
Kaffe Fassett and when knitted as a scarf
Filatura di Crosa Moda
Rowan Kidsilk Stripe
will compliment any
outfit. One 50g ball is enough to knit a generous scarf.
These yarns are available at both RCY locations.
Santa’s elves like regia!
Regia Lace is brand new. This lightweight
yarn is soft. luxurious and non felting, so all
your hard work is going to last.
Made from 71% new wool and 29% polyamide, Regia Lace comes in six shades
each with a subtle colour change effect.
The shifting tones of the yarn look stunning
when knitted into shawls, scarves and accessories.
Regia Highland Tweed is a true innovation in yarn design. This yarn is distinguished by a long color repeat creating
socks with wider bands of color combined
with a fashionable tweed effect. Machine
washable, it’s perfect for socks, hats and
accessories and works up nicely into vests
and sweaters, too. Made from 54% new
wool, 28% viscose and 18% polyamide,
Regia Angora Merino and Regia
Journal 004 for patterns
Regia Lace has soft
shading effects
Regia Highland
Tweed 150g ball
you’ll get 375m/150g ball.
Regia Angora Merino is a brand new yarn
made from 65% new wool, 25% polyamide
and 25% angora. This bunny-soft yarn is
machine washable to 30 °C. Pick up Regia
Journal 4: patterning specifically for this
yarn with options for socks, scarves, hats,
baby jackets, booties and more.
Regia 4-Ply Sock in 60 colours! That’s
right, we’ve unloaded those lovely 50g
balls of Regia 4-ply machine washable
fingering weight yarn in every colour.
Each 50g ball has 210m of 75% new wool
and 25% polyamide. Come in and pick up
your colours while selection is best!
Ho, Ho, How sweet is this?
Use it year after year, and count down the days to
Christmas with Regia’s Christmas Calendar. You’ll
get inspired with a pattern a day from December 1st
to the 24th!
Use your Regia Lace to make the Lace Shawl on Day
9 or the Tea Light Sleeves on Dec 24th. Get cozy on
Dec 8 with a cabled hot water bottle cover in Regia
Angora Merino. Or baby booties (Dec 14). And the
Regia 4-ply sock yarn is featured in crocheted snowflakes, gift tags, ornament balls, arm warmers and
more. There are plenty of hat and scarf patterns,
too. Including a nice scarf and hat set for men made
from Regia Highland Tweed (Dec 10).
Don’t put off getting your copy—they won’t last
long! Available, while supplies last, at both RCY
locations.
November 2012
Page 3
Nicky Epstein will teach you—one day only!
Now is your chance to take a
workshop from New York designer, Nicky Epstein. Nicky is
a brilliant designer and a whole
lot of fun. We’ll be holding two
workshops with Nicky on Tuesday, November 6th at our
Westside store location
(16956—111 Avenue).
$15 off your book purchase
with your paid registration
for this workshop.
The first workshop will help you
learn how to Knit in Circles.
Nicky will demonstrate 6 techniques for shaping circles in
How many ways are there to
your knitting. You can start six
knit circles? Nicky will show
circles of your own and focus on
you six!
learning techniques or you can
pick one type of circle and turn it into one of the 5 easy projects
that Nicky has using just 1 or 2 circles. Nicky’s new book, Knitting in Circles, is a required text for this workshop. We’ll give you
In the afternoon, Nicky will
teach you the intricacies of
Fair Isle knitting (knitting
with more than one colour
across the row). You’ll learn
Learn how to knit Fair Isle style
how to strand and follow a
with Nicky Epstein
detailed chart while making
a small coin purse (or gift
card pocket). Your colourful yarn kit is included in the registration fee.
Why take a workshop with Nicky Epstein? Because you can!
She’s fun, energetic and she’ll inspire you to take on projects you
might not otherwise try. Seating is limited to the first 15 paid registrants so book a PD day and sign up now.
Details at www.rivercityyarns.com/workshops
November Workshops at River City Yarns
We’re getting ready for the holidays at
River City Yarns. Our Knitting 101 workshops have filled up quickly—you might
still be able to get in
our Sunday afternoon
session and there’s
one more class at each
store in the month of
December. Want to
give the gift of a knitting workshop? We’re
taking registrations
for January now, too.
One Big Granny
Square
Socks, Mittens and
Crochet are the big themes for November.
We’ll be teaching Basic Socks (cuff down)
and advanced socks (with a toe-up option)
on two circular needles. Our November
Christmas Stocking class is full but
there’s still room in the December workshop.
We have a Thrummed Mitten class coming up too. If you haven’t knit in the round
before, check out our KITR (Knit In The
Round) workshop. You’ll be introduced to
DPNs (Double Pointed Needles) as you
make a small baby hat.
We’ve also got Crochet classes. Start with
the Crochet
Crash
Course, then
try out the
Churchmouse
Crocheted
Baskets and
Learn to Crochet!
the One Big
Granny Square workshops. Warning…
it’s easy to get “hooked”.
For all the details on these and upcoming
workshops in December and January, visit
our website and click on the workshops
button.
Feature workshop: freeform knit and crochet
Let your inner knitter out! Wouldn't you
like to throw away the pattern and just use
the tools and yarn you have at hand to be
creative? It's time to rebel against gauge,
needle size and recommended yarns and
go "freeform". Learn to make unique
swatches incorporating both your knitting
and crochet skills and how to put all your
shapes together to create a beautiful, one-
of-a kind handbag.
Over three weekly classes, Barb will review basic knit and crochet shapes, review
stitch patterns and teach you some new
ones and give you hands on experience in
combining your knit and crochet stitches.
You will also learn how to assemble your
freeform pieces into projects and in this
case, how to
attach them to
a structured
form and put in
a lining. Barb
Freeform Knit & Crochet
will inspire you
Sample
with other freeform designs and designers. To register
for this workshop, call 780-477-9276.
Canadian made lug project bags
We brought in Lug bags last year and found them to be perfect project bags: sturdy, easy to
clean and lots of pockets! This year, we’ve expanded our line. Check ‘em out:
We have two locations!
River City Yarns Westside
16956—111 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5M 4C9
Phone: (780) 477-9276
Email: [email protected]
River City Yarns Southside
3438-99 Street
Edmonton, AB T6E 5X5
Phone: (780) 450-9276
Email: [email protected]
With three carrying options (yes, it’s got backpack straps; shorter tote
straps; and a removable, fully adjustable messenger strap), the Sprout
Carry-All is the trifecta of totes! Its super-smart features—like a padded laptop compartment, cargo pockets for paperwork, and foldout
option—the Sprout is perfect for school or work.
We have it in three colours: grass green, midnight black, and plum purple.
Tuk Tuk Project Bag
The Tuk Tuk bag comes equipped with all kinds
of niceties: padded straps, a ventilated compartment and removable drawstring bag. Organizational compartments galore—two front pockets
for water bottles, convenient zip pockets, multiple interior pouche, quick access zip pocket for
mobile phone material and more.
Here’s the perfect project bag for your smaller
individual pieces. Store your yarn, pattern and
needles in plastic lined compartments. The TwoStep features two separate compartments that
have a clear plastic coating for easing viewing.
The larger bottom area has a zip pocket and
clever elastic straps to keep yarn balls in place,
while the top section has another big zip pocket.
rivercityyarns.com
Clearview Notion
Envelopes
Sprout Carry-All
Two Step Small Projects
Clear the clutter in your project bag with these versatile Clearview Envelopes (one large and one small is included in each set). Perfect for storing scissors, tape measure, locking stitch markers, crochet hooks, cable
needle and all your small project needs.
These Canadian made Lug bags are available at both RCY locations.
Come into either of our River City Yarns locations and fill out a Christmas Wish List! We’ll keep it on
file and when your “Santa” comes in to shop, we’ll help him/her/them find exactly what your heart desires.
Can’t make it in to the store? You can send us an email. Santa’s Helper (aka Patricia) can be reached at:
[email protected].
When life gives you goats… make cashmere!
Valerie is a new knitter (she just picked up the pointy sticks this August). She wanted to make her
mother-in-law a chemotherapy head scarf in something very, very soft so she chose ArtYarns 1 ply
cashmere. This fine gauge yarn is produced in Italy and hand-dyed in beautiful colourways. Next,
Valerie went looking for a pattern. She couldn’t find one, so in the
spirit of adventure, she modified a dishcloth pattern. It turned out perfect! “My mother-in-law loves it and finds it very comfortable and soft!”
Valerie has shared her “recipe” with us, so if you’d like to make one
too, here it is:
I used a 32 inch circular needle size US 2.
Cast on 4 stitches
Row 1: Knit 4
Row 2: Knit 2, yarn over, knit across the row.
Repeat Row 2 until you have about 230 stitches on the needle.
Last Row: Knit 1, *Knit 2 together, yarn over* (repeat from * to * until 1 stitch remains), Knit 1
Cast off loosely.
Valerie’s handknit
Chemotherapy head scarf
Valerie used her leftover
cashmere to make i-cord
flowers and sewed them
onto the head scarf with beads. You can
embellish yours any way you like.