Road Trip!

A week ago Thursday (the day before Good Friday), my sister and I were both off.  So we decided to drive up to Saskatoon for the day.  It's warm enough that we could take the dogs with us, and not too warm for them to stay in the car.

Our first stop is always McNally-Robinson book store.  I got a few fibre related items there; the spring Quilter's Connection magazine, the March/April Handwoven magazine, and a book called Woven Scarves, which has designs specially for rigid heddle looms.

One of the things that is great about McNally-Robinson is that they have an actual shelf for spinning and weaving books.

At Chapters, you're lucky to find a single book on either topic.

Another automatic stop for me is Periwinkle Quilting.  I'm glad I follow their blog, because they have moved since the last time I went to Saskatoon.  I'd have had a heart attack if I'd have pulled up to their empty store on 8th Avenue!  They're now on Broadway Avenue, beside the Extra Foods store.

Karen stayed in the car with the dogs, while I browsed.

I was talking to one of the ladies in the store.  See those boxes at the top of the shelves of fabric?  They are cardboard boxes that have been wrapped with quilt tops.  They made a lovely decoration.

And these framed pieces of fabric!  I have a few orphan blocks that I might do this with.

Loved the new store!

Had a really good day.  We went to Fuddrucker's for lunch, did some shopping, took the dogs for a short walk by the university.  It felt like a nice spring day.

Maureen

Friday Funny

I've been sick all week, so nothing has been finished.  Here's a funny instead.

Have a good weekend!

Maureen

WIP Wednesday

I haven't posted one of these for a long time.

These are three of the WIPs I currently have going...the ones I am more or less actively working on. The colours in the pictures aren't quite true, as they were taken indoors on a cloudy day.

This is a scarf I'm working on for my sister.  It's part of her birthday present (her birthday was in early March!)  I had to rip it out once, as I found I had somehow dropped stitches along the edge.  It's not an easy pattern to simply go back and pick up stitches, so ripping was easier.  I'd estimate that its probably about half done, but I need to weigh the remaining ball of yarn to make sure.  The pattern is the Salish Scarf, and is available on Ravelry.

First sock of a pair.  Although you can't tell it from the picture, I'm actually on the decreases on the toe.  If I could quit coughing up a lung, I could probably finish this today.

Another first sock of a pair.  I started this in the car last week as we drove up to Saskatoon.  The yarn is Opal's Van Gogh series in the Starry Night colourway.  I picked it up in Victoria.  The colours perfectly evoke the painting.  These ones are mine mine mine!

Linked to WIP Wednesday on The Needle and Thread Network.  Check out the wonderful fibre artists in Canada!  Next week I should have a quilting WIP to add!

Maureen

Catching Up: Victoria (Part Three)

Victoria's downtown area is extremely walkable, and I took advantage of this.  I poked through the wonderful stores streetside, and managed to find a yarn store.

Beehive Wool, which is in a heritage building. Of course I had to buy stuff there!  I got some sock yarn, a project bag, and some fibre dyed by Sweet Georgia.

If I remember correctly, the building was originally a Mason's building.  I loved looking at all the old buildings there; in Regina, our oldest buildings are only around 100 years old.  

This statue of Emily Carr is by the Empress Hotel (the building in the background).  There's a monkey on her shoulder, and behind her the little dog is staring intently at it. 

Can't you just see the mischief in that monkey, teasing the little dog?

Finally, this was breakfast one morning.  A waffle, with a Nutella sauce poured over it, with fresh strawberries.  So good!

Maureen

Friday Finishes

I'm still working on my crafting resolutions.  Mostly that means I've been knitting socks.  I'm currently working on my 7th pair, but pair five is hibernating because I'm not sure I like the yarn enough to continue.

These one was Pair Two.  Like all of my socks, they are from Kate Atherly's Basic Ribbed Sock pattern.  The yarn is The Wacky Windmill's Crazy Sock in the Shee-Shee Froo-Froo colourway (isn't that a wonderful name?).  I finished these while I was in Victoria.  The Wacky Windmill has an Etsy shop...check her out!

Pair Three was made using Zitron Trekking Pro Natura.  This yarn has a bamboo blend.  These, and the pink pair that I made earlier in the year, will be great when the weather gets a little warmer.

Pair Four is hibernating.  I'll probably finish them eventually, but other yarns have been callling.

No picture for pair Five yet, but they're a fun pair made from Opal yarn I bought in Victoria.

Pair Six was finished last weekend.  The yarn is Lorna's Laces Solemate in Cermak.  I love working with Lorna's Laces, and the finished product is comfortable.  The blend for Solemate is 55% superwash merino, 15% nylon, and 30% Outlast which is "a rayon fiber technology that continuously interacts with a body's microclimate to moderate temperature from being too hot or too cold".*

* Quoted from the Webs description of the yarn.  It's on sale right now!

I have a definite preference for blue!

Maureen

Catching Up: Victoria (Part Two)

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent a day wandering through the Royal BC museum.  I could have spent even more time there, as I didn't see everything.  I was on the lookout for anything fibre-related, though, and found some lovely things.

A beautiful Singer sewing machine.  I have a passion for these machines.  They're not only functional, but they're a work of art.  My grandmother had a treadle Singer, and I loved to push down on the treadle.

A carder, still with wool in it.

This was in the First Nations gallery.  A spindle with wool attached, a whorl in the foreground, and some balls of yarn.   In the background is a simple loom for weaving.

Here's the details on the whorl.  Again, functional and beautiful.

While I was in Victoria, we were in the midst of yet another of the Polar Vortexes that happened this winter.  Even Victoria was feeling it's affects.  Everyone was bundled up in their heavy winter coats.  I was wearing my light winter coat...it felt like Spring to me.  But Victoria clearly wasn't prepared to be at -1C;

This was the fountain in front of the BC Parliament Building.  It had become an interesting ice sculpture, handcrafted by Mother Nature.

Maureen

Catching Up: Victoria (Part one)

Well, so much for posting regularly!  I had intentions of posting at least once a week, but that just hasn't happened.  So over the next few posts, I'm going to catch up with what I've done since the beginning of February.

I went out to Victoria BC for a  few days at the beginning of February.  I needed to get away, and someone suggested that Victoria would have more sunshine than Vancouver (the place I was thinking of going).

I loved Victoria!  I was staying in a hotel down by the harbour, so I was able to watch the sea planes go in and out.  It's also a very walkable city, so I got lots of exercise while I was sight seeing (and shopping!)

I kept seeing these sculptures along the harbour.

My first thought was that fibre had taken over my brain, because they looked like spindles to me.  Imagine my surprise when I read the plaque beside it, and found out that was what they were!

Here's a better look at the details on the sculpture.

I spent a day in the Royal BC Museum.  Wonderful place to spend the day.  I took some fibre related pictures in there too....but that will have to wait until the next post!


Maureen