The Pop-Up Boutique
Unique to Knitche is our Pop-Up Boutique of products from independent local and regional artisans, including hand-dyers, hand spinners, and apparel and accessory designers.  We have carefully curated a collection of high-quality and sought-after products, most of which are small batch or one-of-a-kind items and many, previously not available in stores.  Each month we showcase a new vendor's unique wares, which is available for purchase that month only, before something new arrives!

We welcome back to the Pop-up Boutique Julie Asselin, hand-dyer extraordinaire from Canada.  We are thrilled to showcase Julie's amazing dyeing technique in four different yarn weights - lace, fingering, dk, and worsted.  Also on hand are a limited number of her gradient and coordinated colorway mini-skein packs. We've been restocked during the course of the extended pop-up.

 

Art for Peace Initiative - Huge Thank You to All Who Participated!

A Huge "Thank You" to everyone who participated either by purchasing a pattern or making a donation either online or in-store.  All told, we collected 76 knitted or crocheted guns and donated $1500 to charity.  We are currently in the process of assembling the art installation and will post more information about this soon.

Here is a summary of the 2016 Knitche Art for Peace/ Anti-violence Campaign:

From June 18 to October 4, 2016, we ran an Art for Peace Anti-Violence Initiative to raise funds for programs helping people living in Chicago's most violent neighborhoods and to raise awareness regarding the level of gun violence in our community. 

We developed two patterns (one knit and one crochet) available in store and through Ravelry for $10 each.  All proceeds from the sale of these patterns were donated to Chicago’s Off The Street Club (www.offthestreetclub.com) OTSC, a long-standing organization that seeks to provide positive role models and make a difference in the lives of adolescents living in the Chicago neighborhoods most directly affected by gun violence.  We are asking that any guns crafted from these patterns be returned to the shop for inclusion in a public Art for Peace installation (mock-up depicted above) designed to raise awareness of the rampant problem of gun violence in our community.  The artwork will be displayed at Chicago area locations to be announced.

 

FAQs

Why are you crafting guns?
We are crafting these solely for inclusion in an art installation against gun violence. The knitted and crocheted guns will be arranged in a collage in the formation of a peace symbol (depicted above), to be displayed in the Chicago area.  The $10 charge is a fundraiser for OTSC and is meant to deter any other use of the pattern.

Why is this issue so important?
Gun violence in the United States in general, and in the metropolitan Chicago area in particular, is at staggeringly high levels.  Chicago gun violence exceeds that in New York City and Los Angeles combined.  So far, shootings in Chicago are up 60% this year over last. News agencies reported 64 violent shootings here over the Memorial Day weekend alone.

If you are protesting gun violence, why not craft items with more positive imagery?
We feel that the juxtaposition of a gun (a cold, hard object that can cause such atrocities in the hands of people) with the soft, warm gentleness associated with knitting and crochet, will have more direct impact on the viewer with regards to the specific topic of gun violence than say, a grouping of flowers and birds. The very act of creating this object from yarn brings a unique awareness, with every stitch, of the disturbing reality of gun violence in our society. Additionally, the hand-crafting of these objects symbolizes the relationship of people with guns, the destructive aspect of which both gun rights activists and anti-gun lobbyists recognize.

What’s in it for me?
Of course the feeling you get by contributing your money, talent and time to this charitable goal is unmeasurable. But we will also give you 15% off any single-item purchase at the shop (in store or mail order) for every knitted or crocheted gun you send or bring in by 9/5/16. Coupon is included in the pattern and is valid through 12/31/16.



Can I contribute to this effort in another way?
Yes, whether or not you craft a gun from it, the purchase price of this pattern will be donated to OTSC. We welcome any monetary donations (use Donate Now button above left) in lieu of, or in addition to, the knitted/crocheted guns.  Additionally, we would be happy to receive contributions of knitted or crocheted flowers, etc. to supplement the guns used in the art installation. We recognize that art is personal and there is no one right way to artistically express social commentary.

Are you advocating for stricter gun control laws?
This initiative is concerned with gun violence awareness and assisting those affected by the violence; we are not taking sides on any Second Amendment controversies.

How can this Art for Peace initiative really do anything to help?
By raising money for OTSC, we are hoping to directly support programs aimed at providing safe havens and positive inspiration to youth in areas directly afflicted by gun violence. The mural we intend to create will hopefully raise awareness of gun violence, the first step toward any positive change. Living in a world where we are constantly bombarded with devastation and sadness tends to provoke a sense of helplessness. Doing one small thing to make a positive difference is not only personally uplifting but, when combined with the efforts of others, can create positive change.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
(Anne Frank)



Knitche is the Illinois flagship store for Quince & Co.!  We have transformed one of the rooms in our shop to house the lovely, sustainable, mostly American collection of natural fibers from the Portland, Maine-based company that so many have come to love for their natural aesthetic and beautiful patterns.  Read more about the Quince & Co. story here.  We carry the company's full yarn line and entire pattern library.

Here are a few pictures from our Quince & Co launch party:

Knitche Profiled on Spud & Chloe Blog

Knitche was featured in Spud & Chloe's shop interview series.  Check out the fun conversation at: http://www.spudandchloe.com/blog/2013/07/interview-with-knitche/ 



Charity Knit Nights
Second Thursday of the month from 7 - 9 pm
Knitche charity knitters meet once a month to support worthy causes near and far.  We gather on the second Thursday of the month to knit teddy bears for the Mother Bear Project, an organization providing a bit of comfort, in the form of a handmade teddy bear, to children affected by AIDS/HIV in emerging African countries.  A nominal donation for the pattern subsidizes the shipping of each bear for this truly selfless cause. We are also knitting/crocheting blankets for the Project Linus Foundation as well as making "jumpers" for oil-soaked penguins for the Penguin Foundation.  For more information on these efforts, please visit www.motherbearproject.org, www.projectlinus.org, and www.penguinfoundation.org.   

 

Open Knitting/Crochet
Thursdays (except second Thursday of the month which is devoted to Charity Knitting) from 7 - 9 pm  Join our informal knitting circle for some stitching camaraderie.  Please try to arrive as close to 7 pm as possible as this is when will be closing up our retail operation.



In the Cafe

Stop by to see our current offerings!  They change...

 Pictured here:  Walnut Quince Ruggelac

The Hinsdalean featured us in a recent Business Profile

(read the article here)

Looking for a bargain?

13th Anniversary Sale
We will hold our Anniversary Sale in August this year - watch your email inbox for more information!

Sale Yarn Bins
We keep a rotating sale bin of yarns with savings of 40% off everyday. 

Sale Books/Patterns
Select books and patterns are available at 35-50% savings everyday. 

General Sale Information:
Sale prices apply to in-store merchandise only (no special orders).  All sales are final.  No price adjustment given for prior purchases.  No Knitche Yarn Yearnings credit or additional promotional savings applicable for sale purchases. 

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