Have you ever tried dyeing your own yarn using natural colorants? Are you now looking for more inspiration? Or maybe you’ve always been curious, and are wondering where to begin. Below, we’ve introduced four books that could be exactly what you’re looking for!
One month ago, I found myself in the emergency room with unbearable back pain. I later learned it was caused by a herniated disc and osteoarthritis (OA) that had taken over my entire lower back. Would I ever be able to dye yarn again, let alone... knit...?
What do you do when you have a glut of watermelon? Freeze it and make watermelon slushie! I started doing this last summer and it's the perfect way to use up a watermelon, especially one that's a bit overripe. Plus, with a touch of lime and mint it really hits the spot on a hot day!
Have you ever knit one of Nidhi Kansal's patterns? We've been fans of her work for a few years, especially her eye-catching and elegant shawl designs, so we were thrilled when she agreed to create a new pattern with our Messa di Voce yarn!
We first met Catherine Knutsson, our collaborator on the Beyond Merino yarn club, when she organized the Great Canadian Wool-Along last summer as a way to celebrate crafting with local materials and supporting Canadian wool farmers. We loved the concept of the wool-along, and jumped at the chance to connect with a community of Canadian wool-lovers.
This year we're celebrating Sweet Paprika's 15th anniversary, and it's honestly been a bit hard to get my head around where the time has gone! We've been looking back through some of our old photos, and thought it would be fun to share a little retrospective here. Our little business has come a long way in the past 15 years!
Most of the images I'm including are not our polished product photos (although those have also come a long way since the early days), but more of a behind-the-scenes look at some of the memorable stepping stones along our journey.
Last December, just as we were shutting down the dye studio for a holiday break, we got an email from one of our favourite customers telling us all about an upcoming event we might want to look into: the Year of Gnomes Knit-Along. We loved the idea, and couldn’t resist joining in by dyeing up some mini-skein Gnome Sets for you to play with. We ordered in some special yarn as soon as we got back to work in January, and our Gnome Sets are now ready to head on out into the world!
Saltwater Gifts is the third book in the Saltwater Knits series written by Christine LeGrow and Shirley A. Scott. Like the first two books, Saltwater Mittens and Saltwater Classics, this book is grounded in Newfoundland tradition and includes many quotes, stories, and beautiful photography.
The story of this pattern starts back in 2008 when Elizabeth and I, along with our sister Margaret, decided that we wanted to make a blanket for our parents as a gift for their 25th wedding anniversary. Elizabeth suggested we base our blanket design on the traditional Attic Windows quilting pattern, and she came up with a simple technique to knit the squares.
It's only the middle of July, and we've already had some significant heat waves here in Montreal this year, so I've been swapping out my normal afternoon pick-me-up of a hot black tea for iced tea instead. I've recently discovered this simple method for making my iced tea using green tea instead of black and I've been making it so often that I thought I should share the recipe
Sweet Paprika Designs propose des matériaux de haute qualité pour les tricoteurs et crocheteurs, en mettant l’accent sur des produits locaux et durables. Les copropriétaires (et soeurs) Debbie et Elizabeth créent leurs propres laines teintes à la main, ensemble prêt-à-tricoter et patrons dans leur atelier de teinture à Montréal et organisent des événements de tricot et de teinture dans la communauté.