“Visible Mending” by Arounna Khounnoraj (the topic of our November 19, 2025 meeting) was an eye-opener. I’d often struggled to repair woolen goods or avoided repairs altogether because I just couldn’t make things look right. My attempts were always obvious, my stitches helter-skelter. But Arouna Khounnoraj removed my self-imposed constraints. She showed that a repair can be a deliberate patch, even an embellishment.
Visible Mending was good news. I love my slip-on felt Glerups but seem to go through a pair a year. The felt thins and open holes appear on the outside of the slippers at the front. The backs also break down from the motion of my feet going in and out. So, prompted by Arounna’s presentation, I wondered what would happen if I fixed my slippers with unapologetic patches. Take a look.
First I drew the sides of the holes and the split backs together with a needle and waxed sewing thread. Then I knit my first patch, a rectangle in woven stitch using sport-weight yarn on 2.25 mm needles. I applied that patch with needle and thread, fanning it out into a trapezoid to better cover the hole. Why not a circle next? I worked one from the centre out, increasing until it could lie flat. Hey, what about reinforcing the heels with tabs next? Oh, and why not add buttons? I saw no reason to stop there. I retrieved two pompoms unused from a child’s dress and added them as finishing touches.
What fun. I’ve now extended the use of my Glerups for at least another year.
Maria wearing her latest project, a capelet knit using Spincycle yarn, and holding her Siamese cat
This month’s member spotlight features Maria Thomas, a relatively new member of the TKG. Her attitude towards diving in head-first from her very first knitting project is sure to inspire. Read on to learn more.
How long have you been a member of the Toronto Knitters Guild? What prompted you to join? What is it that the Guild satisfies for you?
My friend Kathy Kawasaki took me to The Knitting Loft one day and talked about the Guild, I commented that I’d love to join once I improve my knitting skills as I didn’t think a beginner would be able to join. Me thinking it’s for advanced knitters. She said by all means, beginners can join!
I joined in 2023, I also purchased a membership for my friend Debra (number 501) as a gift.
Tell us about when and how you came to be a knitter. Do you have ancestors or relatives who introduced you to knitting?
My grandmother was a knitter and my mother tried to teach me as a child. Do you remember those huge red pencils that way back when were used to teach children how to write? Well, she had these huge needles, supposedly to help children knit.
During COVID, while cleaning out my mother’s place, I found some knitting needles. Then while searching for something on the internet, I happened to come across a picture of a knit wrap that was so pretty and off I went searching for details. I found Ravelry in September 2020. I joined Ravelry, bought this pattern, and ordered the exact yarn that the pattern used. I am still relieved to have found Very Pink Knits slow motion videos to learn the knit and purl stitches.
The pattern is lace, but it doesn’t have any purl stitches, so I thought I can do this, how hard can it be? And off I went! Umm, lace as a first knitting project was tear inducing, but I did it!
Do you accept the proposition that knitting is about “mindfulness”?
Very much so. At least it helps me focus through the repetitive use of your hands, the counting, and seeing progress. When one is stressed or worried, pick up knitting, it is a big help mentally. Of course sometimes a pattern has issues, realizing you made a mistake rows earlier and have to TINK back can itself be a stress. Or panic knitting trying to finish for a gift deadline – then knitting becomes work.
What is the biggest improvement you have seen in your knitting over the last 5 years? How did that improvement come about?
When I started to knit, I wanted to learn something new with each project. New stitches to learn, expand my skills by challenging myself. My second project was a multi-coloured lace shawl. CDD is my favourite stitch. Also I so enjoy knitting lace!
I’m grateful that Lisa Ross’ patterns are so well written. (I later learned that not every pattern is clear, professionally tested…). I ended up knitting FIVE more of this pattern straight away to give to my sisters and sister-in-law for Christmas, plus THREE more later for friends and my sister’s mother-in-law.
Tell us how you go about establishing gauge when you knit? Or is gauge something you even care about?
I started with shawls, so the size doesn’t matter; gauge what is gauge? I’ve knit two cardigans, the first one was a “group” project with a Ravelry advanced knitter in Michigan. Turns out the small size I knit wasn’t good for a designer that knits larger sizes as her main test. I knit a gauge swatch, sent pictures to my friend in Michigan – it worked! I ended up having to modify the design while I was knitting it to make sure it fit. Yes I knit the correct size and the measurements in the pattern worked. But I still had to alter the underarms to fit over my arms and added width to the front. Learning experience – make sure the smaller sizes have been tested by smaller sized knitters!
(Have you ever purchased a manufactured sweater and they just “shrunk” the size – which meant the button holes were smaller – but they sewed on the same button size they used for all of the sizes? That’s how I felt with this smaller sized cardigan.)
Also I then learned that a bulk knit yarn can stretch sideways once wet blocked. A swatch may be perfect once blocked, but the weight of a garment in bulky yarn weighs so much more than even a large swatch. Now I have it steamed…and that bulky cardigan went to my sister as it fits her now.
Which weights and fibres do you most like to knit with? What kinds of things do you knit, i.e. hats, scarves, garments, toys…?
I like a heavy lace weight such as Miss Babs Yearning. Perhaps it’s sentimental that was the first yarn I ever knit with, my first project. I also like a snuggly DK weight.
Well my Ravelry page looks like it’s mostly shawls.
When I ended up knitting 18 stranded stockings of the same pattern, I fell for stranded work. I want to make a Nordic sweater next…once I finish all the projects lined up for others right now.
But after those stockings, I never want to knit a sock, another heel nor toe again!
What knitted item are you most proud of? What did you learn while working on it?
Perhaps my fist knitted shawl, as I realized lace was not easy to start with as a brand new knitter, but it’s a sentimental favourite. Also, the 18 stockings, that was indeed a labour of love. I had to learn to knit socks – so toes and heels, plus stranded knitting. I found a beautiful pattern, ordered the yarn, and dove right in!
What is your day job? How, if at all, does knitting fit with that?
I work for a non-profit, which means I don’t have a guaranteed income and the hours are all over the place. Difficult to budget funds and then knitting time. But I enjoy the work and feel I am really helping, even if in a small way.
Have you ever injured yourself knitting?
Perhaps this is too much information? But I lost the feeling in my fingers and toes after chemotherapy. With the first cancer, my oncologist told me I’d have to stop embroidery, cross stitch, and especially hand sewing (and stuffing) teddy bears as without the feeling in my fingers, I could injure myself. He suggested knitting instead. Nope, couldn’t be bothered with knitting. Would LOVE to knit, but I didn’t think I’d ever be able to learn it. But I was a knitter when the second cancer hit, and I knit a shoulder wrap capelet to wear doing chemo.
I’ve gotten repetitive knitting stress injuries such as callouses that cracked when I was in a mad panic trying to get all the stockings finished. Getting up 1 1/2 hours early each day and staying up late. Indeed a labour of love, every spare moment was spent on those stockings.
Do you consider yourself to be a process knitter or a product knitter?
Well I enjoy starting a new project but it stresses me when I cannot knit it fast enough, when on a gift deadline. Think those five lace shawls I was determined to finish for Christmas for my sisters, then the stranded stockings. So my goal is – finish it! I believe I’m a product knitter, if I understand the question’s meaning.
Do you have a favourite stitch pattern? If so, what do you like about it?
Perhaps the first shawl I knit in multiples from Lisa K. Ross, linked above. I fell for the CDD stitch, as the engineering of working a decrease that lines up looks so pretty, plus I enjoy working with multiple colours.
What didn’t I ask you that you wish I’d asked? Is there something else that you’d like to add?
When I started to knit, I wanted to only buy yarn that I was going to use for a specific pattern. Kathy Kawasaki said always make sure you buy enough (more) yarn for a project just in case. Then via Ravelry, I realized that many pretty yarns are limited edition shades, and off I went buying what I fell for and stocking up. But now it is a stress. Still beautiful, but too much to do right now. Afraid of giving it all away and then regretting it…
One of my favourite Advent sets I bought from Sunshine Yarns, based on a finished pattern I saw on Ravelry. I was able to get the re-dye of this set, but it wasn’t quite the same. You can buy stash on Ravelry and I found a lady that was selling the original issue set. But the US$200 price was a little steep for me at the time. The generosity of knitters, the lady sent me the entire set for the price of a skein so she could put a value on it. She said she wanted to send it as a gift to a Canadian from an American as an apology for all that is going on politically and to let me know that there are still nice people in the US. Ya, I cried. So I’m saving this special Advent set for something really special, even if I reknit that same wrap to match the one I fell in love with at first sight. Here is the project I made with the second dye lot that I used to make that favourite piece:
People started giving me yarn (that I didn’t necessarily want). Yes I have projects in mind when I purchased this yarn in my stash, but now I want to cull most of it.
Now I find it a stress to have stash in the closet, to me that means work that has to be completed that I haven’t even started yet. Like a to-do list that you have to keep moving to the next day as you didn’t complete it yet.
Selfish of me perhaps despite my so enjoying knitting for family and friends, but I’d really like to make something for myself. I found this now free pattern over the weekend, I’ve admired those Dale of Norway sweaters. But I find that wool to be scratchy (thinking of the Nordic yarn I used to knit all those stranded stockings). Here is what I’d like to knit for myself, dare I say – in cashmere? Now I have to research if cashmere (perhaps held double) can work for this pattern. Or I’ll make it work!
When I sat down in the salon chair at a recent appointment, my stylist was all smiles.
“I’ve got a compliment for you,” he said.
“A compliment? “
“Yes. From a recent house guest.”
“Huh?”
“Remember your mermaid?”
“Of course I do,” I said.
“Well, last weekend, we had a friend over—he’s into drag—and when he picked the mermaid up off the back of the sofa, he couldn’t stop laughing and saying what fun it was.
“Seriously? You’ve still got the mermaid?”
“Peter won’t part with it,” he said.
We were talking about an item that I’d concocted with needle and yarn at least ten years ago. My hair stylist commissioned a man-sized mermaid for his husband, Peter, who does costuming in the film industry. Peter was raised in northern England by the sea, and when he was little, he and his friends played on the shore and pretended they were mermaids. So, of course he needed one now in wintery Canada, and why not a hand knit one? Did I mention that Peter is very fussy about fibre and only ever wears cashmere sweaters of the highest quality and choicest colours. That meant I couldn’t rely on remaindered chunky acrylic yarn to knit the creature. No problem; unlike others who’ve asked me to knit for them, my hairstylist understands that quality materials cost money and that there’s value to human labour.
I’m no designer, and the only math that I perform is applied arithmetic needed for knitting. I don’t remember the details of making the mermaid, but I must have computed the dimensions and (perhaps) did a gauge swatch. What I do remember is that it took me at least ten minutes to knit from one side of the garment to the other, and that I had to figure out how to taper the bottom and invent a tail. This was not to be a wall hanging—the mermaid was intended for use as a blanket, so she also had to open part way up.
Just before heading out of country on business the other day, Peter posed for a quick photo. Take a look, and see what you think.
Peter, the mermaidThe finished mermaid tailClose up of the bottom of the mermaid tail
This month’s member spotlight features Yun-Suk Kang, a long-standing member of the TKG. Read on to get to know her better.
How long have you been a member of the Toronto Knitters Guild? What prompted you to join? What is it that the Guild satisfies for you?
I’ve been a member of the TKG for over 15 years. I participated in TTC Knitalongs and wanted to continue to spend time with other knitters. I met Kim and Holly at my first TTC Knitalong and decided to join the TKG with them.
The Guild has helped me develop my knitting skills through skill exchange meetings, lessons at Knitter’s Frolic and through help from my knitting friends. I have been inspired by seeing what other knitters have created or designed.
Beyond knitting itself, I value the friendships that I’ve developed with members of the Guild.
Tell us about when and how you came to be a knitter. Do you have ancestors or relatives who introduced you to knitting?
My mother was a talented knitter, crocheter and embroiderer. She used to make sweaters, mittens and hats for me and my sisters.
I learned to knit while attending university. Knitting was something I did during lectures to prevent me from fidgeting.
Do you accept the proposition that knitting is about “mindfulness”?
There are times when I am engrossed in a project that I feel like I am in a Zen state. I enjoy the feel of the yarn, the rhythm of the needles as each stitch is formed, and the look and feel of the fabric that is produced.
Knitting also helps me tolerate long waits at airports, travelling, etc.
What is the biggest improvement you have seen in your knitting over the last 5 years? How did that improvement come about?
I used to find mistakes in my knitting and carry on thinking that I would try to live with the mistake. I’d ultimately frog the whole project after it was off the needles and start again. I’ve learned to fix the mistake and/or redo the project sooner. I’ve started to accept that since I enjoy knitting, reknitting is just spending more time doing a hobby that I enjoy.
Tell us how you go about establishing gauge when you knit? Or is gauge something you even care about?
I knit swatches, wash and dry them to ensure that I like the knitted fabric and that I am getting gauge.
In addition to gauge swatches, I measure during the project by trying the garment on when possible (i.e. partially knit hats, top-down sweaters, mittens, socks). I’ll adjust where needed.
When I first started knitting, I limited my projects to shawls and scarves so that the gauge would not be crucial to the outcome of the project and because I didn’t want to make a swatch. But when I started knitting sweaters, getting the right gauge became essential.
Which weights and fibres do you most like to knit with? What kinds of things do you knit, i.e. hats, scarves, garments, toys…?
I knit with various weights of yarn. I enjoy working with natural fibres, mostly wool, cashmere, alpaca, mohair, silk or a combination. I like making hats, scarves, sweaters, socks because I like to wear the resulting garments.
I’ve collected some special yarn over the years that I saved for when my knitting abilities improved and would be worthy of the yarn. Since my stash has grown into a SABLE (stash acquisition beyond life expectancy), I’ve decided that there is no time like the present to work with the special yarn collection. I’m currently knitting a pure cashmere Musselburgh hat. I’m enjoying working with cashmere and this project is great for social knitting.
My in-progress cashmere Musselburgh hat
What knitted item are you most proud of? What did you learn while working on it?
I knit a hat years ago that I use almost daily during the winter. I’ve learned that sometimes a simple knit hat is all you need to keep you warm and comfortable.
My favourite hat
Do you have a favourite stitch pattern? If so, what do you like about it?
I like the long-tail tubular cast on for 1×1 rib. I use this cast on for sweaters, hats, mittens and particularly for top-down socks. I love how elastic the resulting ribbing is, making it easy to get socks on and off. This cast on method elevates my finished pieces.
This month’s sponsor spotlight features Sweet Paprika Designs in Montreal, run by two sisters, Debbie and Elizabeth. Sweet Paprika Designs sells high-quality materials for knitters and crocheters, with a focus on locally-sourced and sustainable products, and hand dyes their own line of yarn. Read on to learn more about them.
Tell us about your shop’s history.
Sweet Paprika began way back in 2007 when my sister Elizabeth and I (Debbie) decided to see if we could find a way to use our crafting skills and knowledge to fund our yarn purchases. We started out in Ottawa, running classes and workshops out of our living room and releasing PDF patterns on Ravelry – quite a new concept at the time! We quickly added hand-dyed yarns to our offerings and moved to Montreal the following year. Since then, Sweet Paprika has evolved from a very part-time endeavor run out of our kitchens to a thriving business with a dedicated dye studio.
Tell us about your shop right now, what’s different and interesting?
At the moment we’re very excited because we just moved into a new, bigger studio! We’re in the same building, but the new space will give us much more room to host classes, workshops and social events. We’re working hard to get things set up and we’re planning a grand opening event for the end of March. If you’re ever in Montreal and would like to stop by and say hello, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to welcome you to our space!
Our new studio space, just waiting to be filled with yarn and dye pots!
What are some new and upcoming things our membership should be on the lookout for at your shop?
We’ve been running our Skill Builder yarn club for almost a year now, and we’re really looking forward to the next few boxes we’ve got coming up! We’ll be tackling Brioche in our next box, followed by Double Knitting and Beaded Knitting. For each box we partner with a designer who creates a custom pattern specifically for our members, and we provide photo and video tutorials for practicing the new technique. We make the club boxes available to non-members a couple of months after the members receive them – if you’re interested trying out steeking but intimidated to try on your own, keep an eye out for the Steeking Box (with a pattern by Jennifer Beale) which we’ll be releasing publicly in mid-March.
Upcoming Skill Builder Boxes
What’s your most popular product?
One of the items we find hardest to keep in stock is our Heart’s Delight thrummed mitten kits! We have a limited amount available right now, and we’re planning to dye up a few more of the most popular colours in the next week or two. The pattern for this kit was designed for us by Katie Tucker (formerly Noseworthy) of Newfoundland, and we use a combination of two Ontario-grown wools: a sturdy bulky weight from a dorset-based flock for the mitts, and a beautifully soft Norbouillet roving for the thrums.
Heart’s Delight thrummed mitten kit in the “Northern Lights” colourway
What’s on your needles?
Every year we host a “Finish it February” make-along, so right now I’m trying to finish off some older projects. The main one I’ve been working on is a collaborative blanket project that will be a wedding gift. It just needs the edging finished and I’ve calculated that if I knit an average of 60 rows per day I can get it done by the end of the month. The rows are only 14 sts wide, so it is theoretically do-able, but the reality depends on whether I get distracted with other projects… The pattern is Cloudy Day Throw by Emily Kintigh, and the yarn is our Winfield worsted weight in Natural, Orchid and Strawberry Gelato.
My blanket project – wish me luck to get this edging finished off!
Don’t forget to visit our membership hub to see the discount that Sweet Paprika Desgins offers TKG members!
For our first sponsor spotlight of the year, we’ve asked Marisa Veri of Pretty Little Yarns to choose 5 questions to answer so we can learn more about her family-run yarn business and her passion for the local GTA fibre community.
Tell us about your team.
My team is extremely small, in fact, some may think it is only me. Truth be told, it mostly is, but I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the part my family plays in making this business work. Like many yarn and fibre businesses, Pretty Little Yarns Ltd. is truly a family business. My husband, Andrew, attends almost every show with me, helps load and unload the product, and is often responsible for late night skeining while I frantically label my wares. My little boys are a bit bigger than when I began this, and they have taken to helping at shows with unloading, setting up, running the cash, and chatting to the customers – they have even tried their hand at dyeing! Even though for the most part I am a one-woman show, I’m really fortunate to have these people supporting my dreams and helping make the magic possible.
How does your community contribute to your business?
I find the Canadian fibre community in general to be such a massive part of both my life and my business, it is almost impossible to imagine things without it. I aim to be at as many fibre festivals as possible throughout the year, and at those events there are customers and other vendors who have watched my business and my family grow up. People who notice the new products that I’m excited about, or who show me what they made with their last purchase or ask about my children. It’s all those points of connection that really fuel my involvement in this industry. There is such a strong collaborative dyer community in Ontario where many of us shop owners and dyers work together on various projects, host pop ups together, share opportunities and generally support one another. In a world of cutthroat entrepreneurialism, it is a really refreshing business to be in
What do people never ask you, but you wish they would?
I wish that more people would ask me about colour choices. I have a really strong background in colour theory from my days as an Interior Designer, but it is just one of those skills that has come really naturally to me my whole life. Colour is my JAM! So when people come to my booth agonizing over choosing the right shade for their project, I’m always bursting with wanting to help. Please never be shy if you see me at a show, ask for help if you need it. For online orders, you can always email or DM me with colour questions and I can give suggestions and take photos of different yarns together for you or even set up a video call.
Do you knit English or Continental or some other way?
I can do both. I’ll use the English style when casting on (I usually use the Cable Knit cast on), but then Continental for actual knitting.
What project are you dreaming about doing next?
Over the summer I completed a Fossil Frenzy Tee Jr for my oldest son. With fingering weight stranded colourwork and ladderback jacquard for float management, it was truly a labour of love. Now, of course, my second son wants his very own hand-made, hand-dyed sweater, so I have been working on the planning stages of his masterpiece. He would like a black sweater with red, yellow, and orange flames licking up from the hem and the sleeve cuffs. I would like a DK or heavier weight yarn and stranded colourwork rather than intarsia so that the project isn’t quite as time consuming. This perfect pattern does not exist, (or if it does, please email me a link and I will reward you in yarn!) For this project the dreaming is a big aspect. I have found some charts for flames that may work, and I intend to dye the colours up myself. The major sticking point is choosing what plain sweater pattern to superimpose this onto – so far, I’m thinking Strange Brew by Tin Can Knits might be the way forward. I am really looking forward to getting it on my needles though. It is going to be such an amazing passion project.
Fossil Frenzy Tee Jr.
What are some new and upcoming things our membership should be on the lookout for at your shop?
With the “show season” coming to a close, it might look like not a lot is happening when you check out our social media. In fact, during this quieter time of year where I normally hunker down and do all of the administrative catch up and planning for next year, I intend to do a full website overhaul. Please keep your eyes peeled for our announcement of when that is completed. I intend to launch it in February, ahead of the show season. Speaking of which, you can also keep a lookout for our 2026 show season line up, but for now I can tell you that next year promises to be our busiest yet! The season will kick off in March, and we already have spots confirmed at five festivals before the first half of the year is through. I want to do more frequent LYS pop ups in 2026 as well, to bring my yarn within squishing distance between shows. Online or in person, you’ll be able to check us out all year long!
Family at Woolstock 2024
Stix Trunk Show 2025
Tiara Sock 2025
Don’t forget to visit our membership hub to see the discount that Pretty Little Yarns offers TKG members!
This month’s member spotlight features Jill Hoffman, a new member of the TKG. Read on to get to know her better.
How long have you been a member of the Toronto Knitters Guild? What prompted you to join? What is it that the Guild satisfies for you?
I joined in September 2025. I recently relocated to Toronto, and was introduced to a member, via a friend, who recommended joining. I joined to make new friends and get a sense of community. The Guild is doing both of those.
Tell us about when and how you came to be a knitter. Do you have ancestors or relatives who introduced you to knitting?
I’ve always been crafty, with cross-stitch being my first craft around age 12, and then needlepoint and latch hook. I recall trying knitting as a teenager, doing a big garter stitch scarf in pink and grey. However, I really took it up when I was pregnant with my first son over 20 years ago. My sister-in-law is a big crafter and she taught me to knit and crochet. My first projects were toys, as I was living in the tropics, and had no need for knit clothing.
I took up sewing during COVID
Do you feel you have an aptitude for knitting? If so, what skills/abilities come naturally to you—mathematical computation, spatial abilities, hand-eye coordination, ambidexterity…? Is there anything you struggle with? If so, how do you deal with that challenge?
I guess my special aptitude is to be able to sit and do the same thing over and over again and not be bored. I now can’t sit and watch TV without doing a craft.
Do you knit English or Continental or some other way?
I can do both. I’ll use the English style when casting on (I usually use the Cable Knit cast on), but then Continental for actual knitting.
Do you accept the proposition that knitting is about “mindfulness”?
I’m not sure – I’m always multitasking when knitting, watching TV, riding in the car, talking with people. So I rarely focus solely on the knitting, unless I’m having an issue with the knitting. However, I do know I go a bit squirrelly if I go too long without doing any crafting.
Tell us how you go about establishing gauge when you knit? Or is gauge something you even care about?
I do gauge for when knitting clothing only. I don’t bother for toys or blankets. I usually get gauge if knitting the same yarn and needle size, but it’s always good to check. I will also wash and block the gauge square.
Which weights and fibres do you most like to knit with? What kinds of things do you knit, i.e. hats, scarves, garments, toys…?
When the kids were younger, I did a lot of toys. My signature baby gift is a knit baby ball with a bell inside, I’ve probably made close to 50 of those over the years. My eldest son received the first one, and started crawling chasing it. As I did mostly toys, my stash is a lot of acrylic.
I recently knit with boucle, and did not like knitting it at all, but I do have to say, it looks pretty good done. I am going to attempt mohair next
What knitted item are you most proud of? What did you learn while working on it?
I don’t really have a knitting item I’m most proud of (I do for cross-stitch and sewing). I do have some knit favourites, including some of the toys made. As those were the early days of knitting, I learned a lot, such as increases, decreases and intarsia.
What is your day job? How, if all, does knitting fit with that?
I’m an actuary and an auditor. Both require a level of attention to detail and to be able to sit and do tasks, that some would consider boring. However, there can be a similar thrill to getting a spreadsheet fixed and working as you get when you figure out what is happening in a pattern.
Have you ever injured yourself knitting?
No. Sewing and cross-stitch – yes. The needles are much pointier there!
Do you consider yourself to be a process knitter or a product knitter?
Both I would say. I’m able to make gifts and give them away, so that isn’t as “product” focused. However, I do love wearing the stuff that I make and take a lot of pride in it.
Do you have a favourite stitch pattern? If so, what do you like about it?
INo. However, I do like the effects that you get when you slip a stitch. I’ve done a few blanket patterns with that as the motif, and I like the look of that.
Signature baby ball. I can’t recall where the pattern is from, and stash busting yarn.
Pattern: Park Avenue Cardigan from Kelly Montag designs. I added a button band on the inside and outside and added a zipper. Yarn: Berroco Vintage DK in Cracked Pepper purchased online from Art of Yarn. I’m getting a lot of wear out of it.
The airport screening officer in São Miguel (population 140,000) pointed to knitting needles in my clear, Ziplock bag. “Not allowed.”
“But I just flew across the Atlantic,” I said, “Six hours, and I knit with the bag in full view most of the way.”
I was working on a top-down sweater of drop-spindle Alpaca yarn from Peru. My work and knitting tools, including extra circulars, had made it through security in Toronto, Canada, no questions asked. As is my practice, I had placed the project in a clear bag on the conveyor belt at security and displayed it like carry-on toiletries and liquids—in the open.
The São Miguel screening officer gestured to a uniformed supervisor who hurried over. “Not allowed,” she echoed, taking hold of two 4.5 mm circulars—a 24-inch ChiaoGoo Red Lace set and an Adi Click set on a 12-inch cable.
I was about to board a small plane in Ponto Delgado for a half-hour flight to the island of Pico (population 14,000) and was, apparently, too armed and dangerous to be a passenger. But, there was nothing to be done. I surrendered the needles and stuffed the rest of my knitting back into my carry-on, relieved that the sweater itself—on 3 inch wooden Lykke needles—had not been disturbed.
Three weeks later for the first half-hour flight en route home—from an airport smaller than the one in Kenora, Ontario—I made sure that my carry-on luggage contained no metal knitting needles. But airport security in the Azores was not yet done with me.
“Not allowed.”
This time the airport screening officer pulled a 3.25 mm metal crochet hook out of the clear bag. Like many knitters, I use a crochet hook to correct mistakes, and the smaller the hook, the better.
“Not allowed!”
“Oh, come off it,” I said. “This doesn’t even have a point on it.” I pushed the tip into my index finger to demonstrate.
A uniformed supervisor then appeared. She wagged her finger and shook her head. “Not allowed,” she repeated.
“This is getting ridiculous,” I said.
Meanwhile, the first security officer discovered a small pair of folding scissors. He opened and closed them. Satisfied that they weren’t as threatening as a crochet hook, he put them down and began pulling the in-progress sweater out of the bag.
“Hey, take care!”
Both officers ignored me. At the bottom of the bag they simultaneously spotted a darning needle threaded with bright red yarn.
“Not allowed!”
I yanked out the red yarn, and handed over the needle.
This month’s member spotlight focuses on Kim Hume, who many of you may have seen as our official photographer at in-person meetings, but probably don’t know much about. Read on to get to know her better.
How long have you been a member of the Toronto Knitters Guild? What prompted you to join? What is it that the Guild satisfies for you?
I’ve been a member for at least 15 years. I’ve been involved regularly since at least since 2009, as that’s the year I went on the TTC Knitalong and met Yun Kang, and we’ve been knitting pals and TKG folks since then.
I joined the Guild to hear and learn from the speakers each month, but it quickly became about the friendships and community. Before the pandemic, a group of us met for dinner before the meetings, and then once we had to be at home, we began meeting weekly over Zoom, and that has continued to this day.
The Guild is great for sharing and inspiring – from the speakers to the other Guild members, there’s always something new I want to make or learn more about
Tell us about when and how you came to be a knitter. Do you have ancestors or relatives who introduced you to knitting?
I don’t remember the order of things, but I learned to knit in what used to be Brownies, the precursor to Girl Guides. I also learned from my aunt and my mother. My aunt was always knitting scratchy socks and she gave me a Patons booklet on how to knit that I still have, and following along with that, I learned increases, decreases and new stitches.
A neighbour’s grandmother from Newfoundland showed me how to cable when I was still in grade school, and from there, I figured things out.
Do you feel you have an aptitude for knitting? If so, what skills/abilities come naturally to you—mathematical computation, spatial abilities, hand-eye coordination, ambidexterity…? Is there anything you struggle with? If so, how do you deal with that challenge?
I think I am a process knitter – I see things that look complicated, and I want to know how they are done. That is definitely what led me to crochet – I came across a knitting pattern I wanted to make that stumped me from the start: “begin with a crochet start.” I didn’t know how to do that, so I had to learn.
I’ve made many garments that didn’t fit, that I’ve ripped all the way out to start over – sometimes multiple times. So I’m not afraid to work on things and figure things out.
I love learning about colour and texture and combining things.
I used to teach crochet at the Knit Café and at our own Knitters’ Frolic. I’m currently teaching knitting to colleagues at work. We’re on our fourth session of once-a-week lunch lessons, and we have new beginners joining us every week. Now that a few of them are comfortable knitting, they can help each other, which is so lovely to witness.
Do you knit English or Continental or some other way?
I am a thrower, but I can knit continental, especially because crochet uses continental where the yarn is held in the opposite hand from the crochet hook, and the hook swivels around to catch the yarn. I use Continental when I’m doing colour work because it’s so much neater and the different yarns don’t get twisted.
Do you accept the proposition that knitting is about “mindfulness”?
Absolutely knitting is mindful. We just had Sally Melville come and speak to us about creativity, and how the repetitive aspect is good for the brain while also reducing stress.
What is the biggest improvement you have seen in your knitting over the last 5 years? How did that improvement come about?
I am now comfortable transposing patterns to my own gauge. It means I don’t have to find a pattern that works exactly with whatever yarn I’ve decided to knit with. It’s very freeing. The improvement came through trial and error and recognizing when the joy is there and when it’s not.
If you are producing a fabric that gives you joy – with the colour, fibre and texture that’s working – it makes all the difference.
Tell us how you go about establishing gauge when you knit? Or is gauge something you even care about?
I do gauge swatches because I like to make garments that fit. I’ve learned a lot about gauge recently by re-knitting garments I wasn’t happy with, either because the gauge was wrong for the project, or I didn’t like the structure of the fabric I got when I adjusted the needle size to get gauge.
I try to find the needle size that works with the yarn first. I want the fabric to hold together well. If the knitting is too loose, the garment will stretch. So I go down in needle size until I have what works with the yarn. Then I do a swatch and measure out my gauge, and I adjust that to work with the stitches in the pattern that works for my size.
Which weights and fibres do you most like to knit with? What kinds of things do you knit, i.e. hats, scarves, garments, toys…?
I work with all weights – from lace to bulky. I think I like fingering best, but I will work with anything.
I’ve been making a lot of blankets with yarn I’ve inherited, and those I like to crochet because it goes faster and the fabric is thicker and reversible.
I also make tops and sweaters, but most of my stash is not a sweater quantity so I have to combine yarns. I’m also making baby socks for friends and colleagues who are expecting little ones.
What knitted item are you most proud of? What did you learn while working on it?
That will be whatever project I haven’t started yet and what I learned making mistakes while making it!
What is your day job? How, if all, does knitting fit with that?
I work for a union in communications. Knitting fits with it because I’ve discovered there are many other crafters where I work. I’ve also finally started teaching knitting at work once a week during lunch.
Have you ever injured yourself knitting?
When I’m knitting with really fine yarn and sharp needles, my left index finger gets sore from pushing the tip back through. I don’t mind, though.
Do you consider yourself to be a process knitter or a product knitter?
I am both, but more a process knitter. I don’t have any trouble taking something out and knitting it again if it didn’t turn out the way I wanted, because it’s all time spent knitting. People ask me “how long did that take you?” and I answer that first of all, I don’t know; and secondly, that it doesn’t matter, because I enjoy doing it, and it takes as long as it takes.
Do you have a favourite stitch pattern? If so, what do you like about it?
I like to try new stitch patterns all the time. I use a spiked crochet stitch in my favourite linen dishcloth pattern. I discovered this by knitting and crocheting a whole bunch of the free Knit Picks dishcloths. Crochet dishcloths hold together much better than knitted dishcloths. And making them with linen makes them antibacterial. See this free pattern. I add a border to it. https://www.knitpicks.com/sloped-lines-dishcloth/p/55553
A recent purple linen knit dishcloth with a dark contrasting border
Look at these two raw swatches—same yarn, same needles. Same knitter? You wouldn’t think so. Even in an unblocked state, swatch A is superior to B. A’s stitches are more or less regular. By contrast, B’s stitches look like the hind end of a dog, with many more distorted and split stitches.
Swatch ASwatch B
The yarn—a mystery picked up at Steeped Skeins—is a very low-twist, slippery, 100% viscose yarn that snags and splits with ease. Blocking remedies some of the issues, but not all.
close up of the unknit yarn
How to manage such yarn? Not by changing needles: four different makes and models made no difference, whether the tips were pointed or blunt. But knitters who have taken Suzanne Bryan’s knitting bootcamp will remember her injunction and will know—knit on the tips. That’s what this yarn called for. When the knitter deliberately knit with the tips of the needles (in the case of these swatches (a Lykke Indigo 4 mm circular), the number of split and distorted stitches was reduced – swatch A was knit on the tips!
Celebrating the Joy of Yarn
Monthly meetings from September to June on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, starting at 7:30 p.m.
