TORONTO KNITTERS FROLIC 2015

Spring is on its way...with the announcement of the much anticipated 18th Annual Toronto Knitters Frolic!

Dates
Saturday, April 25th - Workshops and marketplace
Sunday, April 26th - Workshops only

Location
Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
6 Garamond Court
Toronto, ON

Click here for workshops and vendor information.

KNITTERS FROLIC 2014

Yesterday was a wonderful day at the annual Knitter's Frolic held at the Japanese Cultural Centre in Toronto. It is definitely worth getting up early on a Saturday to spend the day amid a dizzying amount of yarn in a vast array of colour and textures, and to be among knitters and friends. It was a happy day filled with lots of laughter, sharing ideas and being inspired. 

I enjoyed taking a couple of classes with Candace Eisner Strick: 'Creating Crescents' and 'Double Dare'. I enjoyed both classes with Candace who has a great way of teaching combined with a wealth of knowledge and sense of humour - truly a pleasure to meet her and learn new techniques - I'm anxious to introduce them into my designs. 

In between classes I had a few hours to shop around the marketplace and found a beautiful stitch pattern book to add to my reference library. I also purchased something called the 'Fleegle Beader' at the BeadFX booth which had people clamoring to purchase this tool used to add beads while knitting. 

My favourite yarn was a new yarn called Mrs. Crosby introduced at the Frolic by The Needle Emporium. Julie designed the booth with vintage trunks and suitcases filled with yarn available in five weights in really beautiful colours - it was like finding treasure in those trunks! The Facebook page for Mrs. Crosby describes it as 'more than yarn. She is about inspiring people to follow their muse and fulfill their dreams. She represents every woman’s search for excitement and fulfillment'. There were also quotes from Mrs. Crosby used throughout the displays. I chose 'Hat Box' (a sports weight) in colour Wild Huckleberry. 

I raced home and wrote a pattern. I've wound the yarn, purchased some glass seed beads, got out the Fleegle Beader, made a cup of tea and I'm ready to cast on...

KNITTER'S FROLIC

I had such a wonderful time at the annual Knitter’s Frolic that was held on Saturday, April 27th.  As I arrived at the Japanese Cultural Centre in Toronto where the event was held, I was instantly mesmerized by the kaleidoscope of colour and the smell of the yarn that tends to send us knitters into a bit of a frenzy. 

I was happily swept away with the crowd and quickly found myself caressing skeins of cashmere, mohair and alpaca – wonderfully luxurious yarns available in an array of beautiful colours.  There were about 60 vendors with something for everyone who loves knit, crochet and spin.  It was definitely a day to indulge in yarn and everything ‘knitting’.

There was such a sense of camaraderie and everyone I met excitedly shared stories of the wonderful yarns they had purchased, workshops they attended and new techniques they learned.  There was also a great deal of discussion about how to deal with the growing ‘stash’ at home although the consensus seemed to be that there is no such thing as too much yarn just a need for creative ideas about how to store (and in some cases hide) the stash.

I loved the display booth for Sheppard Handmade.  Laura had some beautiful pottery with really interesting texture and unique designs.  I picked up a piece to hold my DPNs which I will proudly keep out on display (they're usually tucked away in a coffee can). I also bought some buttons that will add some character and beauty to a sweater. 

    
 Simply a wonderful day...only 363 more sleeps!