A Bounty of Haberdashery from NONA and Cohana

What a fantastic time we had last weekend at our NONA & Cohana Pop-Up! It was yet another inspiring weekend of craft at Loop and we’re so glad that so many of you could make it. But no need to feel like you’ve missed out if you weren’t able to stop by — we saved some treats for you!

The star of the weekend was Cohana’s new Pokeori Loom, which we got to see in action. This gorgeous little tool is a blast to use and an opportunity to let your imagination run wild. It would be great for people who are just getting into craft as you get to see results very quickly and experience the joy of making something totally unique to you. It’s also fantastic for using up little scraps of your favourite yarns that you can’t bear to get rid of but also don’t have enough to knit with. We made little woven charms for necklaces and saw a great example of a fabric patch, but this loom can make anything you can dream up! We’re thinking blankets and pillows for a dollhouse next…

Also in the shop from Cohana are Tombo Dama Marking Pins with incredibly beautiful glass pinheads. These pins are named for dragonfly eyes (the literal translation of Tombo Dama) and it’s not difficult to see why. The technique used to craft the glass heads can be traced back to the Nara period from 710-794 A.D. and the needles are produced in Hiroshima, a city with a 300-year history of making high-quality needles. You won’t find a more special pin anywhere.

Speaking of glass-head pins, NONA also brought some gorgeous new supplies, including a box of Glass-Head Pins. These more understated versions of a glass-head pin are really wonderful to work with and their quality is every bit as wonderful as Cohana’s Tombo Damas.

But of course when it comes to NONA, the threads are the main event, and goodness gracious did Rika leave behind some stunners. New variegated “Stories” threads in Bundles and Twists bring a whole new dimension to stitching and mending work that is just so gorgeous. They’re all naturally dyed of course and at 12.5 metres per twist and 140 metres per bundle, there’s so much you can do with these incredible threads. We’re also very excited that we’ll soon have a Tsudra Box of Thread Bundles and more Mini Tsudura Case of NONA Card Threads, which you all totally loved at the pop-up weekend. The Tsudra Box of Bundles is available to preorder now!

We also have Strawberry Thief Temari Kits available for preorder, combining the classic English design of William Morris with the traditional Japanese craft of Temari. How wonderful is that. We’ve also received soe gorgeous new warm tones of NONA’s Naturally Dyed Thread Bundles and we’re stocked up in some classics like Thread Cards and so many great things from NONA.

There’s just so much to love!

Stories in Stitch with Jessie Chorley

If you’re feeling inspired to pick up a needle (and if you’re fairly patient), Jessie Chorley’s Stories in Stitch class is a perfect way to explore new methods and learn more about illustrating with handcrafts. Jessie’s signature style uses appliqué and a range of hand stitching techniques and she encourages participants to use materials that are meaningful to them. The result is a truly beautiful and evocative tapestry of motifs that tell a story unique to the artist. Our next scheduled sessions are February 17 and April 14 2024.

More Loveliness from Lichen and Lace

How much do we love a delivery from Lichen and Lace? Not nearly as much as we love THREE deliveries from Lichen and Lace! Last week it was two new colours of sock minis, this week it’s a full restock (with some more gorgeous sock mini colours too), and any day now we’re expecting Silk and Wool Embroidery Threads (stay tuned). For now we’re totally loving all the Rustic Heather Sport, 1-ply Merino Fingering, and Sock Minis in the shop, especially the gorgeous new Sock Mini colours bouquet, amethyst, coral, and peony.

Life in the Long Grass Fine Sock — Three New Colours!

Oooh check out these new colours of Life in the Long Grass Fine Sock! This hard-wearing wool/polyester blend is just as good for shawls, light sweater, and kids clothes as it is for its namesake socks, and these new colours add a ton of interest to an already varied range of hues. We even like how they look together! Imagine an ombre sweater starting with Coral Reef, transitioning to Frosting, and ending with Porcelain. Like a sunset over an Alpine lake!

However you’re stitching this weekend, stitch happy!