iN HOLIDAY: Handmade toques in Lake Country giving holiday giggle
An artisan in Lake Country is making people giggle with the pattern on her handmade toques this holiday season.
Heather McArthur is knitting toques as Christmas gifts for “hard-to-buy-for dads, hunters, outdoorsy people and ladies with a good sense of humour.”
“Don't we all need a little more fun in our lives?” she said.
McArthur crafts the toques with a Scandinavian knitting style with two different layers of colours. They are made with 50% wool for warmth and come in all different colours.
Thick and soft with Christmas pictures on them, they look harmless at first, but when customers look closer, they will see a ‘fornicating deer’ picture on them.
“People love them, they laugh, they think it is great,” McArthur said. “I don’t usually interact with men through my knitting, but the men love the hats and tell their wives they want one for Christmas. A lot of the women like them too.”
READ MORE: Handmade holiday cards are gifts in themselves; some tips
After doing many different crafts over the years, McArthur is currently focussing on knitting, including sweaters, shawls and socks, but the deer toques are drawing the most attention.
“I have a shed full of crafts but my addiction is knitting,” she said. “I do a large variety of knits and techniques so it doesn’t get boring. The toques are more complex with a second layer underneath. It takes me ten hours to knit one.”
It is the second year McArthur has used the deer design and last year she sold out right away. This year she is having a more difficult time making sales, however, she is getting joy out the laughs the toques are creating.
The toques come in medium and extra-large and cost $65 each.
“I think it is the economy, people have to tighten their belts more this year,” she said. “Some people ask me why I charge so much but after I purchase the yarn and do hours of work I still need to make money. These are good quality handmade products. People want character and a laugh.”
READ MORE: CP Holiday Train set to return after two-year hiatus
McArthur said she doesn’t make the patterns herself. She has some patterns with two fornicating bucks and some with two fornicating deer she knits so the LGTBQ2S+ customers can join in the fun.
“I would love to find more of these patterns for next year,” she said. “Maybe fornicating kangaroos.”
Go here to purchase a fornicating deer toque or other handmade knits by Heather McArthur.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
