FAQs

What does “bistitchual” mean?

It’s a play on the word “bisexual”, which we both are. It refers to doing more than one fibre craft (like knitting & crochet), which we also both do!

 

You seem neat. What do you sell?

All kinds of cool stuff! We stock exclusively Canadian and/or queer yarn, with a gigantic (and growing) selection of fibres from indie dyers. We have everything from lace weight to roving, made with all combinations of plant and animal fibre, in every colour of the rainbow.  
 

Aw dang, I wish I knew how to knit and/or crochet!

We have classes! Come join us.
 

Actually, I don’t want to knit and/or crochet.

That’s cool, we’ve got a whole bunch of other rad stuff too! We have kits and tools for all kinds of other fibre craft kits. We’ve also got pronoun pins, patches, beaded jewellery and tea from local queer artists just to name a few examples.

 

Can I come buy things in person?

You sure can! We are sharing a retail space with Maison Basque at 266 Jane Street in the Baby Point Gates neighbourhood of Toronto.

How accessible is your store?

We deeply regret that our current location is not physically accessible. The door opens outward, and there is a 3.25” step down to get inside. We are working on getting a ramp to accommodate this.  Our store is full of natural light with soft overhead lights. There is only ever very quiet music playing, or none at all. We always love to chat, but strive to be unobtrusive and are happy  for you to browse peacefully if you prefer not to be engaged. 

If you have any questions or suggestions about accessibility, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

 

Wait, what's the difference between a ball, a skein, and a cake?

This is actually a hotly-debated topic (see here for the knitty-gritty), so for the sake of simplicity, this is how we use the terms.
 
Ball: ready to use without any prep. Most commercially available yarn is in ball form. Whether it's a traditional ball, doughnut, or bullet, you pick it up at your favourite craft store, and start knitting as soon as you get home.
 
Skein: needs to be wound before you can use it. It's a giant flat loop that's most commonly found with hand-dyed and/or higher-end yarns. The loop is twisted and folded to make a long, skinny shape that resembles a braid. This is great for displaying, shipping, and storing yarn, it will create a horrifying disaster if you try to knit with it from the loop (as I learned from experience). Fortunately, winding it into a ball yourself is extremely easy to do (and some people even find it relaxing)! 
 

Cake: a skein that's been wound with a yarn winder. It's similar to a ball, but this put-up gets the name from its short, round, flat-top shape--not to mention that the yarn gets pulled from the centre, which kind of looks like a candle. This is the ideal option for folks who just want to knit without the hassle of winding it into a ball. If you select this option, we’ll make your yarn into a cake for you, so you'll be ready to dig in as soon as you open your package.

Can you ship my order?

We sure can! We ship across Canada and the US regularly. We ship via Canada Post and a network of courier services. Order are shipped within 3-5 business days and you will receive tracking information at that time. 

All shipments are insured, so if your order was received damaged, please let us know right away so we can file a claim with the courier.

There are some international countries that we can also ship to. If your's does not come up on the list, please reach out and let us know. 

What is your return policy?

If there is a problem with your order, please reach out and we'll do our best to make it right.

You can return an order, as long as it is original condition, unopened/unused, however, you will be responsible for the return postage. 

If your order was received damaged in shipping, please let us know right away so we can file a claim with the courier.

What if I have a question you didn’t answer here? 

We’d love to answer it for you! Send us an email at info@bistitchual.ca.