London Yarns
Janet Filipchuk
1615 North Routledge Park, Unit 24, Open For In-Store Shopping And Still Offering Curbside Pickup
London, Ontario N6H 5L6
519-474-0403 | phone
Hours of Operation
| Monday: | Closed | | Tuesday: | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Wednesday: | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Thursday: | 11:00 am - 6:00 pm | | Friday: | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Saturday: | 11:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Sunday: | Closed |
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DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Monday, June 20, 2022 – Designer Spotlight
This email was inspired by our Cheryl when she brought in her newest finished shawl to show us – it is GORGEOUS!! She used two balls of Merino Yak to knit it and the fun part, besides the captivating stitch pattern, was that the pattern was designed by a relative of hers, her second cousin Nicole Bottles.
Perhaps you’ve already had the pleasure of meeting Cheryl, one of our newer members of the London Yarns family. She is a knitter, crocheter, and sewer extraordinaire and it appears that this talent runs in the family. So, let us introduce you to an up and coming knitwear designer, Nicole Bottles.
“You’ll find designs that are intuitive to knit, with techniques built to add to your ‘knitter’s toolbox’ of skills. My passion for storytelling weaves its way into every stitch. I believe in clear, simple designs in a spectrum of sizes that are easily customizable.
I live with gratitude on beautiful Coast Salish Lands, on Vancouver Island, Canada, whose dramatic landscapes of ocean, mountains, and evergreen forests continually inform and inspire my art.” - Nicole Bottles
While most of Nicole’s patterns give a suggested weight of yarn to work with, many (if not all) of her patterns will work very well with any weight of yarn. We have given links to our website so that you can shop the weights of yarn as written, but feel free to explore other thicknesses as well.
Also, Nicole has incorporated a “Pay What Works” structure to her designs. It is a payment “method I am exploring in my efforts to balance financial accessibility and sustainable pricing, while still valuing my work! The price shown on Ravelry is the “true” value of the pattern, reflecting the work (and love!) I put in to creating designs behind the scenes.” – quoted from her Ravelry pattern pages
Today, we are featuring 5 of Nicole’s designs. We can buy these patterns on your behalf for the full asking price. However, if you want to acquire the pattern at a price point more accessible to you, you will need to purchase the pattern yourself using one of the coupon codes that are listed on that specific Ravelry pattern page.
Photos © Nicole Bottles
Knotical is definitely a labour of love, an heirloom piece destined to last through a lifetime of naps and cuddles. Pattern is written (no charts) for 5 finished sizes and the blanket is knit in one piece.
Finished Measurements:
Baby: 35” x 40” (89 cm x 101 cm)
Throw: 50” x 65” (127 cm x 165 cm), shown
Double: 80” x 95” (203 cm x 241 cm)
Queen: 90” x 105” (228 cm x 266 cm)
King: 100” x 110” (254 cm x 279 cm)
Yardage of Worsted weight (#4) yarn:
Baby: 800 mtrs / 880 yds
Throw: 1000 mtrs / 1100 yds
Double: 1600 mtrs / 1760 yds
Queen: 1800 mtrs / 1980 yds
King: 2000 mtrs / 2200 yds
Pattern: full asking price is $6.00 USD, with tiered pricing available using a coupon code
Gauge: 12 sts & 14 rows = 4” in stocking stitch
Needles: 6.00 mm x 100 cm (US10 x 40”) circular + cable needle
This is the shawl Cheryl made with 2 balls of Merino Yak. Cheryl decided to follow Nicole’s motivation of ‘no set gauge’ and use a Fingering weight yarn instead of the suggested worsted weight and guess what?!? It is STUNNING!! Cheryl’s shawl is on display at the store for you to view.
Photos © Nicole Bottles
I wanted a big, snuggly shawl for morning meditation, and realized that the “meditation” can be found in every stitch. And that’s where this shawl began its journey from a tangle of thoughts and yarn to a warm hug of wool.
The Details: This shawl is an asymmetrical triangle, worked side to side, with a meandering lacey design, broken up by simple reverse stockinette sections. Pattern is both written and fully charted, designed with the adventurous, mindful knitter in mind.
Yardage: 728 mtrs / 680 yds of Worsted weight (#4) yarn [or another weight – see photos below]
Pattern: full asking price is $12.00 USD, with tiered pricing available using a coupon code
Gauge: 15 stitches and 24 rows = 4” in stockinette
Needles: 5.50 mm x 100 cm (US 9 x 40”) circular
The journey is the destination.
While in the Baja, Mexico, I spotted the name “Miraflores” on the map, and so wanted to visit a town that I thought translated as “See the flowers”. I dropped stitches swatching at every bump down the desert roads. We arrived in a cozy Mexican town with very, very few flowers, but the drive home was full of laughter, and beautiful vistas. I loved the broken “mistake” motif, and knit up the shawl on the beach.
Miraflores will free you from the confines of gauge and “yarn requirements”, and works beautifully with any yarn. Suggested needle pairings help you create something truly unique and perfect for your style, and weather! While there is no gauge listed, I have some rough estimates of yardage used for my 3 shawl samples - fingering, worsted and super bulky.
Gauge: No set gauge. Be free! For any yarn weight, choose the largest recommended needle size of your chosen yarn, or one size larger. This will create a lovely lace fabric!
Here are a few yarn recommendations to give you an idea of ideal yardage for the shawls! I’ve knit them in 3 lengths, small, medium and large. To size up or down, add or subtract yardage!
Pattern: full asking price is $12.00 USD, with tiered pricing available using a coupon code
Fingering Weight Shawl (size small)
389 mtrs / 425 yds of Fingering weight (#1) or Sock yarn
Needle: 4.00 mm x 100 cm (US6 x 40”) circular
Worsted Weight Shawl (size medium)
412 mtrs / 450 yds of Worsted weight (#4) yarn
Needle: 5.00 mm x 100 cm (US8 x 40”) circular
Bulky Weight Shawl (size large)
328 mtrs / 360 yds of Bulky weight (#6) yarn
Needle: 10.00 mm x 100 cm (US15 x 40”) circular
Photo © Nicole Bottles
Photos © Nicole Bottles
Our landscape is wildly diverse on the West Coast, and we locals wouldn’t have it any other way – rocky shores, lush rainforest, grassy fields, tall peaks, ocean waves & urban skylines. This shawl uses motifs inspired by the tradition of the far off island of Guernsey Island, to share stories of life on Vancouver Island, in the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada. Keep warm during the change in weather, cool ocean breezes, & rain with this generously sized worsted weight shawl. Pattern is both written and fully charted.
Finished Measurements: 72” wingspan x 36” deep (183 cm x 91 cm)
Yardage: 800 mtrs / 880 yds of Worsted weight (#4) yarn
Pattern: full asking price is $12.00 USD, with tiered pricing available using a coupon code
Gauge: No gauge. Be free! But if you’re into gauge, 16 sts & 24 rows in stockinette = 4” square (10 cm)
Needle: 4.50-5.00 mm x 100 cm (US7-8 x 40”) circular
VARIATIONS:
Colour Shift - If you’d like, choose 200 mtrs of complimentary colour for a gradient effect, and begin knitting with this shade. Switch before a garter section when (for me, that was just after Gulls & Garters Motif!).
Fingering Weight Version:
Finished Size: 60” wingspan x 30” deep (152 cm x 91 cm)
Yardage: 768 mtrs / 840 yds of Fingering weight (#1) or Sock yarn
Gauge: 20 sts & 32 rows in stockinette = 4” square (10 cm)
Needle: 3.50 mm x 100 cm (US 4 x 40”) circular
For the wilder souls, win the battle against the chill with this lengthy, cozy shawl. Our weather on the West Coast changes by the minute, with rainstorms and wind blowing in from the Pacific.
The shawl begins with an elegant leafy motif, cascading down the shoulders, before diverging into warmer sections of garter stitch. Then we move to swirling windy motifs and garter stitch ‘til the end.
Pattern: full asking price is $12.00 USD, with tiered pricing available using a coupon code
Worsted Weight Version:
Yardage: 800 mtrs / 880 yds of Worsted weight (#4) yarn
Gauge: 16 sts & 24 rows in stockinette = 4” square (10 cm)
Needle: 4.50-5.00 mm x 100 cm (US7-8 x 40”) circular
Fingering Weight Version:
Finished Size: 60” wingspan x 30” deep (152 cm x 91 cm)
Yardage: 768 mtrs / 840 yds of Fingering weight (#1) or Sock yarn
Gauge: 20 sts & 32 rows in stockinette = 4” square (10 cm)
Needle: 3.50 mm x 100 cm (US 4 x 40”) circular
Looking for a good home…
Bis-Sock from Biscotte Yarns is the sock yarn par excellence and because of its unparalleled softness and self-striping colourways. Projects made with this yarn will charm you with their sweetness.
This self-striping sock yarn is dyed by hand so as to create stripes when you knit it. It's almost magic!!
Only 4 skeins remain…
and it’s on sale!
Think…fingerless mitts, a hat, a pair of socks – 1 skein will do each of these projects.
BIS-SOCK by Biscotte Yarns
Was: $32.98; NOW $28.98 per skein
Yardage: 400 mtrs / 437 yds / 100 grams
Tension: 28 - 32 sts = 4" (10 cm)
Suggested Knitting Needle: 2.25 to 2.75 mm, US 1-2
Fibre Content: 85% Superwash Merino Wool, 15% Nylon
Care: Machine Wash Gentle, Flat Dry
If you’ve fallen in love with any of Nicole’s patterns and need help sourcing yarn for your project or any other projects, we are here and always ready and willing to help, happily!
If you want to have an idea of what you’re looking for ahead of time, all of our yarns are listed on our website, along with needles, notions, accessories, sale yarns, patterns & books, felting supplies, etc.
If you prefer to shop in person, we are open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm.
Hope to see you soon,
Patti-Ann
LONDON YARNS
519-474-0403
Website: http://www.londonyarns.com
Email: info@londonyarns.com
Instagram: @LondonYarns
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