Newsletter June 4th 2021

We’re freshening up the window displays and reorganizing our shelves, getting ready to welcome customers back into the store. We’re thrilled to have a full shop, and that has us thinking of the suppliers and makers who’ve been instrumental in helping us stock the things you need to stay creative and content.

We have appreciated the help and guidance of John Peacock and all the warehouse and office staff at Toronto-based Estelle Yarns. We find their own brand of yarns to be of high quality and a great price point, but they also supply us with Cascade Yarns, Manos del Uruguay, BC Garn, King Cole, and more!
 http://www.estelleyarns.com
 @estelleyarns   

If you’ve been enjoying any of the Katia or Sirdar brands, you can thank Kathryn Petrie of Curated Yarn Collection. She also represents Malabrigo, West Yorkshire Spinners, and Hayfield — great brands that we are happy to have in our store.
https://www.curatedyarncollection.com
 @curatedyarncollection

We rely on Anna Fischer of Fischerwool to keep us well stocked with Opal, Austermann and Flotte Sock, all trusty brands that our customers love.
https://fischerwool.com
@fischerwool


You can’t go wrong getting yarn from Canada’s oldest vertical woolen mill. Briggs and Little has been manufacturing yarn at Harvey Station in New Brunswick since 1857. We love the rustic feel of their 100% wool yarns, which are ideal for mittens, hats, and sweaters.
https://briggsandlittle.com
@briggslittle

We were pleased to speak with Patti Jardine-Waters of Knitting Fever and Eurobrand Yarns earlier this spring. Keep an eye out for new things later this summer!
https://knittingfever.com
@knittingfever 

Three years ago we only dreamed of meeting Rhichard Devrieze. Now he’s our local yarn dyer! He’s also become a great friend of Riverside Yarns, and we’ve had some fun collaborations, including a surprise colourway dyed just for us: Sunset on the Bruce.
 https://rhichard.com
 @rhicharddevrieze

Yarn suppliers often send us small packets of yarns to sample, and one such packet really stood out from the crowd: Illimani Yarns. We could not resist the luxurious feel of these Alpaca blends from Bolivia and Peru. We’re happy to carry five lines from this Montreal-based company that supports artisans in the Bolivian and Peruvian Highlands.
https://www.illimaniyarn.com
@Illimani 

Megan Ingam is another source of extraordinary yarns under the Lichen and Lace label. Her hand-dyed yarn is inspired by the quiet beauty of the forest, the marsh, and the sea near Sackville, New Brunswick. 
 https://lichenandlace.com
@lichenandlace

Earlier this spring we re-connected with Kathryn Drysdale, who dyes yarn in small batches in her studio in Wakefield, Quebec. You’ll be inspired by the colour creations and the softness of Riverside Studio yarns.  https://katsriversidestudio.com
@katsriversidestudio 

Sweet Paprika Designs was launched in 2007 by two sisters who had a passion for creating beautiful things with yarn. This company is known for providing high-quality materials for knitters and crocheters, with a focus on locally-sourced and sustainable products. Their Winfield Worsted is spun from fleece sourced from Circle R Farm in Wellington County.
https://sweetpaprikadesigns.com
 @sweetpaprikadesigns 

We’re also very fortunate to have two local farmers who have been creating unique yarns that we like to call “Farm to Store.”

Doug Beggs launched Meaford Wool from his home at Spruce Meadow Farm. He uses fleece from his flock of Columbia and Shetland sheep to create fingering, lace, chunky, and Lopi-style yarns. If you’re planning on making some thrummed mittens, check out his Columbia Roving.
 https://www.meafordwool.com

Local farmer and fibre artist Bonnie Perry has created a unique line of yarns using fleece from her farm pets - Romney sheep, Angora goats, and Alpacas. The supply of yarn is always changing, depending on what the animals give her. The fleece is spun at a mill in Elora, and Bonnie hand-paints the fibre on her farm in Chatsworth.
 https://www.wooliesinthecountry.ca
@wooliesinthecountry 


Days after we took over the store, we were introduced to Monique Stewart, a local artist whose label is Stone Tree Water. She makes lovely yarn bins, notions bags, and project bags using up-cycled fabric and embellished with block prints, hand stitching, and felt work.
https://www.facebook.com/Stone-Tree-Water-837388513001816/

Marilyn Felbert is a quilter and maker based in Orillia, Ontario who enjoys diving into her fabric stash to create colourful project bags for Riverside Yarns. Each bag is a fashion statement.

The craftsman behind Nature's Wonders buttons and shawl pins is Gary Fleischauer, from Hanover, Ontario.  He makes these items by hand, using a mixture of exotic and domestic varieties of wood. The right button takes a project from finished to fabulous. 

And the right shawl cuff can add style to any shawl or scarf. We are pleased to carry leather shawl cuffs hand-crafted right here in Owen Sound by Mike Kilby of Raven Leather Shoes. For more information, you can contact Mike at m.kilby@rogers.com.

 

Getting the right tools in a timely fashion has been so important these past few months. We’ve established a great working relationship with N. Jefferson, a family-owned Canadian wholesaler of sewing, quilting, knitting, and craft notions, and we can’t thank Hollie Chow enough for her attention to detail.
https://www.njeffersonltd.com
@n.jefferson.ltd 

Closer to home, H.A. Kidd and Company Ltd. of Toronto has been keeping us supplied with a great selection of buttons. Annette Drouin has helped us navigate the H.A. Kidd offerings, as well as products offered by Universal Yarns, like our popular Bamboo Pop Socks and Allegro sock yarn. 
https://www.hakidd.com
@hakidd  @universal_yarn 

We're looking forward to seeing folks in the store again! 

The provincial stay-at-home order was lifted on June 2. This means we can meet outdoors, with limits - hurray! Indoor activities, however, are still off-limits. Non-essential businesses will stay closed until June 14. No worries, we will continue to offer curb-side pickup, and a flat-rate shipping fee of $10.

What happens after June 14?

We'll be opening our doors to customers on Tuesday June 15!
We'll have space for three customers at a time, and we ask that you wear a mask and continue to social distance.

We'll also be keeping the same store hours.
Tuesday - Friday 12PM - 5PM
Saturday  10 AM - 4PM

Let's try to keep line-ups to a minimum by being prepared! Please visit our website to familiarize yourself with our products. Think about what you'll need before you come in.  Don't be afraid to email us ahead of time if you have a question about yarn requirements and pattern support. 

We're all in this together!

 
Riverside Studio is back!

We are happy to re-introduce you to some luscious yarn from Kat's Riverside Studio. Each skein is hand-dyed by Kathryn Drysdale in her studio on the banks of the Gatineau River. Her yarns have been available from us in the past, and we’re thrilled to be able to show them off again!

Organic Super Sock is an 8-ply yarn that is gently treated with a GOTS-certified process to make the fibre machine washable. It's a soft 80% organic merino, 20% nylon blend that is ideal for next-to-skin wear. One 115g/440yd skein is enough for a beautiful pair of adult socks, a lovely shawl, or a baby garment. We have it in eight vibrant colours, at $30/skein.

Superwash MCN Sock is a beautiful Canadian-milled 3-ply blend of 80% merino,10% cashmere, and 10% nylon. This fingering-weight yarn is incredibly soft and has a supple drape. Use it for socks, shawls, and baby garments. Each  378yd skein sells for $38, and we have it in eight colours.

Organic Super Sock and Superwash MCN Sock are both available online now!

 

Buy Now
It's sale time!
ONLINE ONLY
Monday, June 7
Take 20% off all non-hand-dyed worsted weight yarn. Stock up on Estelle Worsted, Briggs and Little Heritage, Cascade 220 Heathers and more!
Finished Object Gallery
Catherine Dowell has been on a shawl journey this spring - she finished these two shawls and took part in our Coronavirus Smackdown KAL. Right: Waiting for the Sun by Ute Nawratil, done in fingering-weight yarn.  Cathie used Thede by Rhichard Devrieze in the 'Huron Sunset' colourway,  with Sugar Bush Nanaimo in Chocolate as a contrast colour. Left: Butterfly/ Papillon by MarinJaKnits. Cathie received the pattern and yarn - Urth Uneek Fingering in 3003 Glacier and Cascade Heritage Solid in 5672 Black - as a gift from a friend. Who wouldn't appreciate a gift like that?

Bonnie Cathrae’s six-month-old grandson, Marshall, is perfectly content in his Baby Surprise Jacket. The classic Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern is adaptable to all sizes. Bonnie knit this up in King Cole Baby Drifter, and was able to add a wee hat and booties to the ensemble. 

 

Julie Davenport had a lot of fun knitting up these 'same but different' hats for her cousin's newborn twin girls. She used Sirdar Crofter Baby Fair Isle in Cara and Keltie for the hats, and Sirdar Snuggly DK in Pastel Blue and Lilac for the sweet flower accents. 
 
Lynne West recently finished this Hooded Cardigan in Sirdar Snuggly DK. The pattern was originally published in Patons booklet #500983 Baby: Too Cute, which is now available for free on Ravelry. It's a cosy and easy-to-follow slipped-stitch pattern. The duck buttons finish it off nicely.
It’s always good to have something to look forward to and this is it: when we can safely welcome customers back into Riverside Yarns we are going to plunk this little table and chairs out on the sidewalk in front of the store. Knitters, crocheters, yarn-lovers of all stripes, please come and sit with a cuppa and your WIP. Cheers!
 
It's a shame that no one can come in the store and see our selection of clearance yarns. They are available online though, and at 30% off it's worth a look. So until shopping in person is a thing, check out our sale yarns.
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