Tag Archives: gift ideas

Back in stock: Plystre Project Pouches!

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We’re delighted to announce that we have a few Plystre Project Pouches back in stock!

Plystre is a small company based in Oslo, Norway, that focuses on creating effortless, functional bags for knitters. Our first batch of their Project Pouches sold out quickly, just before we had to close our doors in mid-March due to COVID-19. A second batch was harder to come by, with closings and shipping delays all along the supply chain, but we’re so happy to have a few here on our shelves, and to be able to support small companies like Plystre and its US distributor.

They’re made from sturdy 100% cotton canvas, lined with the same, and close up securely with a zipper. The wrist strap is made of leather, sure to age beautifully and soften with use. Inside is where all the excitement is – a variety of pockets line the interior of the Project Pouch, perfect for storing notions, needles, your phone, and other essentials along with the project at hand. One of the larger pockets has eyelets you can thread your yarn through to prevent tangling.

The bags are $65, and ship for $8 via USPS Priority Mail – fill out our online order form if you’d like one!

Hello, Baby Baggu.

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We’re delighted to have a new batch of Baggu bags in stock! We recently added Baby Baggu to our selection, and they’ve been flying off the shelves.

Baggu’s signature bag is styled after a plastic grocery bag, a cute and clever design. These lightweight ripstop nylon bags are the perfect size for toting a knitting or crochet project, among other things, and fold down to fit into a tiny square pouch.

Carry it by the handles on its own, tuck it into a larger tote, or use it as I often do this time of year – as reusable wrapping paper!

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter tucked into a coordinating Baby Baggu.

We also have a fresh supply of Canvas Zip Totes, a roomy bag that has become popular around here. It’s big enough to carry a couple of project bags, notebooks, and notions, and lightweight so you can lug all those things around as efficiently as possible.

Come by the shop to browse bags for yourself or for a friend – project bags make excellent gifts for stitchers, after all! See you at the shop.

Winter scents from Harmony Farm Candles.

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We’re delighted to have a shelf full of Harmony Farm Candles again!

Harmony Farm Candles is run by our friend Erin in nearby Mebane, North Carolina. Erin hand-pours her candles in small batches using 100% US-sourced soy wax, with no added dyes. Their scents are fresh and bright, but not overwhelming – “delightfully fragranced,” as she puts it.

The three newest scents on our shelves are meant to evoke the season – Sweet Peppermint, Winter Wonderland, and the beloved Wintergreen.

Tuck a candle in with a few skeins of yarn, a special set of needles, or a yarn bowl this holiday season. As gifts, these candles are always warmly-received, and they’re a great little addition to a gift certificate.

Look for Harmony Farm Candles in our gifts section!

HYS Wrist Rulers.

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The holidays are coming, and one of last year’s most popular gifts is back in stock, with a twist – check out our new blue Wrist Rulers!

Wrist Rulers are leather bracelets engraved with inches and centimeters, handmade in Portland, Oregon. These leather wrist rulers are beautiful and practical, a winning combination in our book.

We have three lengths available, to wrap twice around a variety of wrist sizes – 14″, 15″, and 16″. To choose a size, loosely wrap a measuring tape twice around your wrist, then add an inch, and pick the length closest to that number. They’re blue, to match our exclusive Malabrigo colorway, and they have something special engraved on the back…

Look for Wrist Rulers near our notions section here at the shop! Our shelves are brimming with potential gifts – think Harmony Farm Candles, Cocoknits Maker’s Keeps, Akerworks Swatch Gauges and Knitting Tool Kits, HYS zipper pouches, Baggu totes, and of course, good old Gift Certificates. Thanks for shopping locally this holiday season, and for thinking of our shop as a gift source!

Akerworks Swatch Gauge and Knitting Tool Kit.

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The Akerworks Swatch Gauge is among our favorite notions, and we’re delighted to have a new batch of them on our shelves!

The Swatch Gauge is a tool for measuring gauge, a heavy plastic one with cut-outs for counting how many stitches or rows make four inches, horizontally and vertically. We first read about it on Knitter’s Review, where Clara Parkes’ enthusiasm for the product caught our eye.

The defining feature of the Akerworks Swatch Gauge is what Clara Parkes refers to as “honesty teeth.” These little teeth hold your fabric flat as you measure, simultaneously discouraging you from tugging or smoothing it this way or that to get gauge under false pretenses. We’ve all done it – you really want to get gauge, after all! – and knitted fabric is stretchy enough to accommodate our wishful thinking. This Swatch Gauge allows you to count stitches and rows hands-free for the least-biased gauge measurement possible. What a brilliant design!

The clever folks at Akerworks have also developed something new, a Knitting Tool Kit. Like a Swiss army knife for knitters, this gadget is many tools in one: a Swatch Gauge, a needle gauge, a notions case with a tape measure, mini scissors, and magnetized pockets with darning needles and locking stitch markers.

Look for the Akerworks Swatch Gauge and Knitting Tool Kit in our notions department. Pick up one for yourself, of course, but also remember them as gifts for the knitters in your life. See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Harmony Farm Candles.

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As the weather starts to cool down and the leaves change color, we are now finally feeling that fall is underway. It’s a time for stitching, to be sure, and evenings with yarn in our hands are often accompanied by flickering candles in scents that evoke the season. Our friend Erin is the maker behind Harmony Farm Candles in nearby Mebane, NC, and we’ve just had a visit with her, which means – more candles!

We got three seasonal scents in – Mulled Cider, Pumpkin Spice, and Fall Foliage – along with our own signature scent, Lavender Eucalyptus.

Erin hand-pours her candles in small batches using 100% US-sourced soy wax, with no added dyes. Their scents are fresh and bright, but not overwhelming – “delightfully fragranced,” as she puts it.

As gifts, these candles are always warmly-received; keep them in mind for holiday and host gifts, birthdays, and the odd just-thinking-of-you occasion. Look for Harmony Farm Candles in our gifts section!

Hello, Baggu!

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We’re excited to announce that we now carry canvas totes and denim project bags from Baggu!

Baggu is a company that’s all about bags, designed in their San Francisco studio and ethically manufactured in China. They have a long-standing partnership with that manufacturer, and both are deeply committed to ethical and environmentally responsible practices – you can read more about that on their website.

From Baggu’s extensive selection of bags, we’ve selected two that suit knitters’ needs, and pair well with our own HYS Zip Bags. The Canvas Zip Tote is a roomy one, big enough to carry a couple of project bags, notebooks, and notions.

Inside, you’ll find one zipper pocket that snaps in and out of the interior; it was designed as a container to fold the unused bag into, but the knitter in me saw that zipper pocket as a built-in notions bag. It’s big enough for a few containers of stitch markers, after all, along with your scissors, darning needles, needle gauge, and whatever else needs to come with you and your projects.

Baggu’s signature bag is styled after a plastic grocery bag, and this Medium size is just right for a knitting or crochet project. Carry it by the handles on its own, or tuck it into a larger tote.

We have four shades of Medium Baggu, an ivory/buttermilk stripe, a light and dark denim blue, and washed black.

We have Canvas Zip Totes in pecan, citron, and washed black.

Come by the shop to browse bags for yourself or for a friend – project bags make excellent gifts for stitchers, after all! See you at the shop.

New Late Bloomer yarn bowls.

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Our friend Frumet recently stopped by with a brand new batch of ceramic yarn bowls. Frumet is a local potter who makes beautiful functional pieces here in the Triangle, and we’ve carried her buttons and yarn bowls for a few years now.

This time around, we requested shades of blue, and Frumet delivered – from cobalt and indigo to teal and sage, this batch is a beauty.

Yarn bowls are designed to hold your ball of yarn as you’re knitting or crocheting from it, keeping it from rolling around on the floor or getting tangled with notions in your bag. Just place the ball in the bowl and thread your working yarn through the spiral cut-out in the side.

A yarn bowl makes a special gift for a knitter or crocheter, whether it’s a treat for yourself or for someone else. Come by soon to snag one of these special bowls; we have just four in stock, though Frumet will be cooking up more in her kiln soon. See you at the shop!

New Late Bloomer yarn bowls.

Posted by on

Our friend Frumet stopped by this week with a brand new batch of ceramic yarn bowls. Frumet is a local potter who makes beautiful functional pieces here in the Triangle, and we’ve carried her buttons and yarn bowls for a few years now.

Yarn bowls are designed to hold your ball of yarn as you’re knitting or crocheting from it, keeping it from rolling around on the floor or getting tangled with notions in your bag. Just place the ball in the bowl and thread your working yarn through the spiral cut-out in the side.

Every one of Frumet’s yarn bowls is unique, and we’ve enjoyed seeing a variety of colors and textures over the years. She creates this stamped effect by burning a pattern into a sponge, and using that to apply glaze.

A beautiful yarn bowl makes an exquisite gift for a knitter or crocheter, something to keep in mind with graduations, Father’s and Mother’s Days approaching. Whether it’s a gift for you or someone else, come by soon to snag one of these special bowls; we have just four in stock, though Frumet will be cooking up more in her kiln soon. See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Akerworks Swatch Gauge.

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The Akerworks Swatch Gauge is among our favorite notions, and we’re delighted to have a new batch of them on our shelves!

The Swatch Gauge is a tool for measuring gauge, a heavy plastic one with cut-outs for counting how many stitches or rows make four inches, horizontally and vertically. We first read about it on Knitter’s Review, where Clara Parkes’ enthusiasm for the product caught our eye.

The defining feature of the Akerworks Swatch Gauge is what Clara Parkes refers to as “honesty teeth.” These little teeth hold your fabric flat as you measure, simultaneously discouraging you from tugging or smoothing it this way or that to get gauge under false pretenses. We’ve all done it – you really want to get gauge, after all! – and knitted fabric is stretchy enough to accommodate our wishful thinking. This Swatch Gauge allows you to count stitches and rows hands-free for the least-biased gauge measurement possible. What a brilliant design!

Look for the Akerworks Swatch Gauge in our notions department. Pick up one for yourself, of course, but also remember them as clever gifts for the knitters in your life. See you at the shop!