Dear Stephanie 2021
Dear Stephanie,
Is it actually happening? I think the Bike Rally is actually happening, in a way that involves...people. Being together. In person. It's incredible! I mean we've all been isolated, and have only seen each other through screens for so long that I'm fairly certain when I finally see you again, I might tap your forehead to turn your volume up.
I'm continually impressed with all of the creativity the Friends for Life Bike Rally has shown through the pandemic. The shifts in how the Bike Rally has continued in one form or another when so many other events have been cancelled makes us so proud to support #teamknit and to contribute to sustaining funding for the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation (PWA). We also love knowing that the Bike Rally's reach has expanded to support AIDS Community Care Montréal (ACCM) and HIV/AIDS Regional Services (HARS). The work that Toronto PWA has been doing over the past year to support its clients both physically and mentally through lockdown after lockdown is astonishing.
So here we are: our 9th year of supporting #teamknit.
Our 9th year of special colourways and special yarns dyed just for this occasion. Are you ready?
This year's colours:
The Shrieking Wheels (left) and Tire Swamp (right)
The Shrieking Wheels and Tire Swamp colour stories:
Do not adjust your monitor...
Our concept this year was something bright, bold and exciting. Frenetic. Intense. We dyed two long variegated colourways earlier this spring for another purpose in an epic dyer verses dyer showdown, and the second colour, Colour B, lost the championship by only a few points. When we were discussing the Bike Rally colours for this year, Victoria mentioned that you're in a bit of a "blue period" and the one colour that Colour B was missing, was blue. So, a tweak here and a tweak there, and we've given it a new life as one of this year's Bike Rally colours, aptly called The Shrieking Wheels.
Can you just imagine an Impervious in this colourway? The possibilities are endless.
Now we know day-glo colourways are not every one's thing, so we've also dyed an electric blue that is exhilarating to look at, but calm enough for sweaters, called Tire Swamp.
It'll shine in cables. Textured stitches like Antiope. Twisted stitches like in my Denote Sweater (Knitting Magazine #214; Ravelry), or will perfectly complement The Shrieking Wheels as heels and toes in a glorious pair of obnoxiously bright socks. 
We can't wait to see what people are inspired to create.
Both colourways are available on our website right now, in MerGoat Sock, Cariboubaa and R.O.U.Sport. We also have lots of other pattern recommendations for you on each yarn's sales page.
The Shrieking Wheels (available on all 3 bases)
Tire Swamp (available on all 3 bases)
Tire Swamp Mini Skein (available on MerGoat Sock)
We will be donating 25% of sales of these colourways to #teamknit's fundraising efforts. Any sales made and donated before June 30 will be matched by the Foundation, allowing our donation to be doubled!
We're so happy to see you all start training together again. Our dye stained Team t-shirts are ready to go, and you can bet that we'll be cheering you on so loudly that you'll hear us all the way from Haliburton.
Love,
Kim
P.S. As always, direct donations can be made to each member of #teamknit by following the links below.
Ken (No mauve was used in the dyeing of these colourways. Mostly.)