Special Stitching Treats this Holiday Season

The holidays are here and we have the perfect thing for every stitcher on your list — even the ones who don’t know they’re stitchers yet!

First up, we have a brand new class we’re introducing next year and we think this one is going to be a real hit. The Pica Pau Workshops with Yanina Schenkel on Saturday 27 January are the perfect way to learn how to make Amigurumi, whether you’ve been crocheting for years or just mastered the basics. Sweet Olivia Mouse and Greta Hen are just darling, and we have sessions to help you master each pattern. Yan is coming all the way from Argentina to host these workshops and we can’t wait to welcome her. We’re doing this workshop a little differently and hosting it next door to Loop at Frequency Coffee. It promises to be a great day of stitching and creativity, so arrive a few minutes early to get settled with a hot drink!

The Olivia Mouse workshop on the morning of the 27th is suitable for beginner to intermediate crocheters while the Greta Hen workshop in the afternoon is suitable for intermediate to advanced crocheters. Workshop participants will receive a kit with everything you need to make Olivia or Greta except a 2.5-3mm crochet hook. The kit comes in a Loop Dove of Peace project bag and is offered exclusively to those who attend the workshop. When you sign up you’ll get your pattern of choice as a PDF to download. Please bring a printed copy of this along, or a charged up device you’re comfortable working from.

If you want to give the gift of more Amigurumi or you’re not sure if your giftee can make the workshop, you can share more of Yan’s creations with the books Animal Friends of Pica Pau, Pica Pau 2 and Pica Pau 3 all of which are on their way the shop, so keep an eye out for their arrival or click “notify me when available” to be the first to find out when they land. These animal toys are bundles of fun to make and the whole crew is a blast. Come one come all!

We are also expecting more of the fabulous Mimster Mosaic Embroidery Rabbit Kits any day and they’re available now. We love these adorable patchwork-like rabbit toys stitched using Tomomi Mimura’s unique technique. Our first batch of these kits sold out super quickly and you can see why! This kit includes nearly everything you need to make your own sweet rabbit: a needle, yarn from Mimster, pattern printed fabric, cotton filling, and instructions in English. All you need is an embroidery hoop and sewing material. Tomomi Mimura visited Loop from Japan earlier this year and we just fell head over heels for all her wonderful creations. We hope you get to bring home your own little rabbit this season!

For the knitter in your midst we have a new colour of Mette Mehlsen’s Colourwave Scarf Kit and it’s glorious. The multicolour option takes the signature marl of this fabulous scarf and splashes it with a beautiful variety of natural hues. Mette’s naturally dyed wool is as exquisite as ever and the ability to play with so many of the unique colours she has developed is really a treat. We’ve carried many of Mette’s kits over the years but the Colourwave Scarf was the first knitting kit we added to our collection and we’re so happy to have a new colourway. With 24 cakes of Mette’s plant-based wool (which is held double throughout) and the printed pattern, this kit has all you need to make a fabulous scarf.

For the person on your list who loves art and craft but isn’t so handy with a needle and thread, Nami Horikawa’s Sashiko Stitch Brooch is a gift as special as it is stylish. Made of black felt with detailed silver stitching and a leather backing, these brooches take their inspiration from folk traditions to make really fabulous accessories that they’ll wear for years to come.

For more ideas, you can always have a look at our Gifts Page on our website, with ideas for everyone on your list!

Holiday Hours and Last Posting Dates

This year we’ve extend our opening hours to 11am to 6pm (opening half an hour earlier and closing half an hour later) from Wednesday 13 December to Sunday 17 December and from Wednesday 20 December to Saturday 23 December. We’ll be closed from 24 to 28 December, open 29 and 30 December, and then closed again for New Year. There’s more information about our opening times and holiday hours on our Visit Us page. You can see our full list of last shipping dates here — the first deadline is next Wednesday, 13 December for International Tracked Services, Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia, Bulgaria, Caribbean, China, Far and Middles East, New Zealand, Norway, and Portugal.

Happy stitching!