With the weather rapidly changing here and only 2.5 weeks until our baby is due to arrive, I’ve been a bit more sedentary than I’m used to and have been looking for activities that don’t involve bending over and crawling around on my hands and knees cutting out fabric. So, the bigger my belly gets, the more I’ve found myself more inclined to knit rather than sew!
I thought you might like to join me in some Fall knitting so I’ve created a discount code to give you and additional 25% off the entire knitting section of our shop! The sale lats 3 days only: Enter KNITTHISFALL upon checkout to receive your discount!
To get you excited to try your hand at knitting, let me walk you through my knitting projects and also through the menswear-oriented knitting supplies that we currently have in the shop.
Keep in mind, I’m a complete novice when it comes to knitting (hence my propensity towards patterns that let me sew up the seams and don’t include many details!). So please don’t look too closely at my projects, I’m just proud that they are warm and usable! Above is a cosy sleep sack that I made to fit in baby Noah’s bassinet. It was knit using the Erika Knight Vintage Wool (aran weight) from our shop and is so dense and soft! I used a vintage pattern that looks like it was from the 1970s.
These roomy dungarees (perfect for cloth diapering I think!) were also knit from 3 skeins of Erika Knight Vintage Wool. I knit as per the (free!) pattern but then finished them with snaps along the inseams so they are easier to take off for diaper changes. They are knit in the 6 month size. I also made that cute little chipmunk toque from the British Blue yarn we used to carry in the shop (we’re sold out now!). It was a really fun project that I managed in just a couple of short evenings.
The bunny was a sewing project using the gorgeous stuffed animal sewing pattern created by Willowyn Textile Art. Her website is well worth a peruse (or follow her on Instagram for loads of inspiring images!). I love the vintage style and it was an excellent use of fabric scraps!
If baby knitting is not your style, have a look at the menswear knitting patterns that we have in our shop:
We carry a whole book of beautiful sweaters and accessories. While these designs are made by Erika Knight (like our wool) they do not all call for her yarn and instead feature yarns from many different readily available companies.
One of my first knitting projects several years ago was this sweater from the book.
I went off pattern and swapped the wool for the slightly chunkier Maxi Wool (super-chunky weight) that we stock in the shop. The sweater turned out larger than I expected as a result so, although it was intended for Matt, it ended up perfectly fitting my dad!
He still wears the sweater very frequently each winter when at work on the computer as he finds it keeps him toasty warm.
I really love how it looks on him and I am especially pleased to notice that it still looks just the same as the photo below (it doesn’t stretch out):
We currently have the whole bottom row of colours available (I used the Storm colour second from the right for my dad’s sweater):
If you are looking for knitting patterns specifically suited to the wool in our shop, we have a poster format pattern collection that includes everything from a toque to a sweater:
These are all quite simple knitting projects that are very approachable even for an inexperienced knitter like me (I still don’t know how to knit in the round…despite watching many Youtube videos!).
I used the Vintage Wool (the same weight I used for the baby projects) to knit Matt a toque a few years ago. It’s a versatile weight for sweater and hat projects.
The longevity of this toque is even more surprising to me than my dad’s sweater! I had read that you can expect a knit toque to keep it’s shape nicely for one season of wear but Matt has been wearing this one since 2016 as his only toque each winter and it still looks just as pictured.
We have a slightly more limited selection of vintage yarn left but there is still plenty enough for hat projects. We currently have the red/fuschia, black, and the two centre greys (darker, lighter) on the bottom row. The only colour we have a large quantity of (enough for a sweater) is the black:
Aside from Erika Knight yarns and patterns, our knitting haberdashery and sale also includes locally crafted copper stitch markers threaded on a beautiful shawl pin…
The ever-popular expanding sewing gauge…
…and some relevant Merchant & Mills tools.
Do you knit or is it a skill you’d like to learn? Email me at info@threadtheory.ca if you have any questions about the yarn quantity you need, the yarn a certain Erika Knight pattern calls for or if you just want to chat about trying out knitting for the first time from the perspective of a sewist!
Enjoy 25% off with the code KNITTHISFALL until Monday, 5pm PST! Head to the knitting haberdashery >
Thread Theory 
September 23, 2018 at 1:20 pm
Hi, Morgan, I am so pleased that your long wait is almost over, my mum always said that the last month is the hardest! Personally, I thought most of them were, but I am not a patient person.
Congrats on the lovely little baby things, you have done a super job. Did you use a twill tape to back the snap fasteners on the sweet little dungarees? Or just make it easy on yourself and use premade snap tape?
I learned to sew by hand at four or five years old, and to knit about eight years old, so as I am now almost seventy, that’s a long time ago! And while I can knit socks on four needles, I really don’t like knitting big projects in the round! My aunt in England knitted like a machine, fast and perfect, but hated sewing the pieces together, so she always used her sewing machine for that part.
What you are going through right now is called “nesting” and something we all go through just before birth. Enjoy every moment, and I am praying that you will have a very easy time with your delivery. The first one can be slow, but don’t count on it, as every birth is different and unique. I know you will all be super excited, especially your dad, who looks ever so handsome in his lovely jumper.
God bless you all,
Jean Morgan
P.S. I would have loved to buy some of your wool, but I cannot wear it, cardinal sin for an English girl!
September 23, 2018 at 1:29 pm
Thank you for your lovely comment! Yes, I hand sewed twill tape and then applied the snaps to the dungarees. That’s very interesting that your aunt used her sewing machine to stitch her knit pieces together. I might try that on the next pair of dungarees and see how it turns out! It will probably look tidier than my attempt at mattress stitch to say the least!
We are all very excited! The last couple weeks will really drag by I think, but the rest of the pregnancy has gone very quickly and remarkably smoothly. I’m quite lucky considering all of the stories I’ve heard from other women!
Have a wonderful day!
Morgan