WHAT'S ON AT THE LOOP
Go to knitting summer school with our skills building series!
Ready to spruce up your knitting? Sign up for all three of these great July classes:
and receive a 10% discount on the workshop fees!
This is a great way to build up your knitting expertise. Whether your an advanced beginner or have lots of experience, you will lots of ways to improve your knitting (and your enjoyment of it) from start to finish!
Just starting out? We're also offering Knitting for Absolute Beginners and our "Beyond the Basics" Refresher Clinic for those returning to the needles.
Or if you're ready for a new technique, try our August Lace workshop!
Sock yarn to put a spring in your step
Spring is the perfect time of year for sock knitting: the warmer weather makes us crave smaller projects, and nothing puts a bounce in your step like new handknit hosiery.
Great new sock yarns have been popping up like crocuses at The Loop. Variegated, self-striping and solid, in colours ranging from earthy to zany, in wool, bamboo or cotton blends, our shelves are packed with socks-in-waiting for everyone. And there's even more on the way!
Soft and Shiny from Classic Elite
Drop by and help us welcome Classic Elite Yarns to The Loop. Over the next little while, we'll be adding a number of yarns from this wonderful range. The first to arrive are MinnowMerino (pictured above), a cloud-soft superwash Merino single, and Silky Alpaca Lace a shiny, drapey, but versatile fine yarn. Both come in beautiful colours. The MinnowMerino is perfect for supersoft projects for kids and babies (or adults who love softness!), and has the bonus feature of being machine washable.
The Silky Alpaca comes in a range of tint-like, almost vintage colours--just the thing for springtime shawls and scarves. One more thing to love about Classic Elite--terrific pattern support! Check out their website for great project ideas.
Even better Clover needles and assorted useful things
We've just received our first shipment of Clover's new Takumi Velvet needles. These great needles are finished with a multi-step polishing process, without the use of petrochemicals, creating a lustrous and smooth surface. The price? Comparable--and in some cases lower--to the classic Takumi needles. Give them a try and let us know what you think!
Also new in the notions department:
Magnetic bag closures: a great finishing touch for felted bags.
Wooly Nylon: we've finally tracked down a source for this elusive and much talked about nylon reinforcing thread. Wooly Nylon can be carried along with your main yarn to strengthen sock heels and toes, and any other bits of knitting that get extra wear.
Another new arrival! Three new yarns from Mountain Colours: Twizzlers (pictured above), a luscious and luxurious worsted-weight blend of wool and silk, handpainted in divine jewel-like colours; Bearfoot, a fantastic wool-mohair fingering sock yarn, in colourways ranging from sultry to bright; and Winter Lace, a shimmering handpainted merino-silk laceweight, put up into generous 100g/1200 yards.
Today's exciting arrivals: gorgeous brushed Suri Alpaca shawl kits from Frog Tree Yarns and Posh Knits. Each kit includes 200g of exquisite brushed fingering weight Suri alpaca, produced by a non-profit Bolivian women's cooperative, and a simple pattern for a generously sized shawl. Read more about Frog Tree Yarns here.
Also in, inspired and inspiring books, including Nancy Bush's brand new Knitted Lace of Estonia, Maggie Casey's excellent Start Spinning, and two to recharge your holiday knitting: Leigh Radford's One Skein and Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding.
Just in! These fabulous felt needle rolls from fair trade company Fibres of Life are handmade in Nepal. They have lots of generous compartments for straight and circular needles, and two pockets for notions. Put them on your wish list or get one for a knitter you love!
Back just in time for gift-giving are woodworker Janet Marshall's Woody Knitters--beautiful hand-made needles. Every batch we receive of these needles seems lovlier than the last.
Wray of Unique Wood Gifts just sent us a fresh batch of his creations. From thimbles to nostepinnes, these little works of art make great gifts for sewers, knitters and spinners. Prices range from $10 to $40.
We also have gift certificates, and we're keeping 'wish lists' if you'd like to send an elf in shopping for you.
Holiday Hop means great deals and an exciting contest
From November 17th to 22nd, The Loop has something new on sale each day. Check back here every day to see what's on sale.
Then come on downtown and pick up a ballot for the Holiday Hop 'Gift List'. You can win everything you wish for!
Looking for a unique gift to make? Try a hand-felted silk and wool scarf.
Janine Stewart is offering a workshop here at The Loop just in time for the holidays. Space is limited, so check out our workshops page today for more details.
Nocturnal knitting and art too
On the evening of Saturday October 18th 2008, the streets of downtown Halifax were abuzz with curious art-seekers. Art was being performed, created, displayed and projected in all sorts of unexpected locations around the city.
At The Loop, we invited knitters in to participate in a knit-a-thon for charity (see our blog for more details about the project), while spinners Mimi, Karla and Morgan attracted crowds to the front of the shop.
Click here to see our photos from the evening.
Join Us for The Loop's Nocturne Knit-A-Thon
Make The Loop your home base for Nocturne while you knit for a good cause!
Saturday, October 18th will be an action-packed date. Art exhibitions, performances and special events will be taking place all over downtown as part of the first Nocturne: Art at Night festival.
Among the exciting happenings is our second charity Knit-a-Thon!
(above, some knitters from our last knit-a-thon model their projects)
Drop in anytime from noon to midnight on Saturday (or stay for the duration!), and help us knit blanket squares for Afghans for Afghans and helmet liners and warm socks for Canadian troops stationed at home and abroad. Visit our blog for suggested patterns and more information about this exciting event.
Fall Knitting Workshops
We have made some long-awaited updates to our workshop schedule. Spaces are available in beginner knitting, hat, sock and mitten workshops. Click on the "Workshops" tab for details.
We're working on more classes, like crochet, needle felting and more, so check back. You can sign up for our newsletter (see link to the right) to make sure to receive updates in your inbox.
Thursday nights, The Loop is the place to be
After an August hiatus, Loop Group is back on. Every Thursday night The Loop is open until 9 p.m., and from 6:00 until closing everyone is welcome to drop by and hang out with your latest knitting, crochet or other project. We're looking forward to seeing lots of new faces and old friends.
Just arrived: Pure Shetland Laceweight from Malagash
A lovely yarn just arrived from The Last Resort Farm in Malagash, on the Northumberland Strait. This pure Nova Scotia raised Shetland 2-ply laceweight is put up in 2oz/400yd skeins and comes in three natural colours. Shetland sheep yield a distinctively airy and lively fibre with great "cling". If you love nordic lace traditions, you are sure to want to try it. Make sure to drop by before it is all gone!
Eucalan wool wash
We now have Eucalan wool wash in stock.
Eucalan rinse-free wool wash is non-toxic and biodegradable, and comes in four varieties : eucalyptus, lavender, grapefruit, and unscented. eucalyptus and lavender possess natural moth inhibiting properties, besides smelling so good. Grapefruit has natural antiseptic and disinfecting properties. The unscented variety is perfect for those sensitive to scents.
The fact that this lovely product comes from a Canadian family-owned and -operated company is a bonus.
Ruckus bags are back!
Before the holidays, we couldn't keep these Ruckus clutch bags in the store. These bags are hand-made in Canada with original silk-screened fabric. Whether made from silk or cotton, these bags are perfect for lovingly protecting your knitting project. No two are alike, and yours is here ... but it might not be for long!
The Loop Hours of Operation:
Monday - Wednesday 10am - 6pm
Thursday 10am - 9pm
Friday 10am - 7pm
Saturday 10am - 6pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm
Where the heck is The Loop, anyway?