The Joys of Spring at Loop!

What’s your favourite emblem of spring? Perhaps the songbirds returning to the trees, or the vibrant colours of everything in bloom? Lovely flowers, sweet little critters, happily buzzing bees — there’s just so much to love! And this week we have a bit of all of it in the shop.

First up, super sweet, lovely, and bright Folk Bird Kits from Corinne Lapierre have fluttered into the shop in all their embroidered glory. We always love sharing Corrine’s work, and we love how her kits make folk stitching accessible to so many people. This kit contains instructions and materials to construct five unique felt birds with different stitched decorations. All you need to have is scissors — everything else is included! If you’re not a confident stitcher that’s no problem. Between Corinne’s instructions, templates, and stitch guides you’re in good hands. These sweet ornaments will make your house feel like springtime all year round!

If it’s colour you’re after, our friends at Modern Daily Knitting (MDK) have put together the colourwork guide we’ve all been waiting for in the form of Field Guide No. 29, “Mosaic”. MDK’s guides to knitting are always lovely and refreshingly easy to follow, but we have a special place in our hearts for this one because it’s co-authored by Amy Christoffers, whose “Pressed Flowers” design is a real favourite around here. If you’ve been itching to try your hand at colourwork, this is the book for you. With clever techniques, Amy and Kay Gardiner will take you through all you need to know to create visually stunning pieces without all the hassle of stranded colourwork. With five new designs, you’re sure to find one you love!

If you’re as enamoured of Amy’s Pressed Flowers as we are, we have the perfect class for you. On 22 June the lovely Rhona MacKillop will be teaching a beginner-oriented class to teach you how to make the Pressed Flowers Kerchief. If you can cast on, knit, and purl, you’ve got everything you need to take part! This pattern is available to download for free from Pompom publishing on the Hobbii website and participants will get all the materials to make the kerchief, including two colours of your choice in Woolia yarn and a circular needle! Hope to see you there!

If blossoms, bunnies, and bumble bees are more your vibe, we’ve just put some excellent crochet kits by Rico on sale! Ricorumi “Blooming Beauty” dolls and super sweet baby booties in the shapes of sweet little creatures are really fun little projects and totally adorable finished items. Daffodil and Snowdrop dolls are precious springtime darlings while Bunny, Bee, and Hedgehog booties are the perfect way to keep the tootsies of spring arrivals nice and toasty. Each of these Rico kits is stocked with the yarn, tools, and instructions you’ll need to complete the project — for the Blooming Beauties you’ll just need to source your own toy stuffing.

Finally, if your favourite thing about spring is that it’s nearly summer, the summer issue of Laine launches today! Laine 25, “Stillness” brings the tranquil mood of a Nordic lakeside cabin to your needles. This is a summer holiday in 148 pages and 12 knitting patterns, plus all the fascinating features and interviews we’ve come to expect from Laine. We can’t wait to sit down with this one on a long train ride or carefree afternoon.

Have a joyful weekend!