Calgary shopping

A special treat when we were in Calgary was to visit 4 knitting shop.
I started with The Knitting Room situated on Crowchild Trail NW. Wonderful yarns but not a huge selection. But I did find some beautiful yarns. One self stripping yarn with a black thread running through it for socks. Socks for me that is! :o)


Then I kept going back to a scarf she had on display in the shop. The pattern is available on Knitty under the name of Wisp. I decide to get the yarn but in a different color than the store scarf. It is also a self stripping yarn that will make a heavier scarf than the Wisp pattern. I love it when stores have sample of knitting. It really helps seeing what a yarn will look like when a project is completed.



Second stop was Make One Yarn Studio situated at 841, 1st ave SW. What a great find! Yarns, kits, knitting bags, you name it they had it! There were knitted items everywhere, several of them with ribbons or awards. But what got my attention was their selection of acid dyes. I will now be able to experiment with something else than Kool-Aid!!!
I bought 4 colors. We will see how I make out with those. The owner was telling me that they were offering a great yarn dyeing class later this fall. If only I lived closer!!!


But the next two stores...oh la! la!
Downtown Calgary on 1st St. SW I found Gina Brown. The name of the store did not inspire me at all but hubby convinced me to check it out. A great variety of yarns. I found the perfect yarn for fingerless gloves which I will be knitting for Christmas gifts this year. (But the green/yellow yarn is all mine !) The yarn and pattern is from Louisa Harding. It has a small amount of mohair which makes it so soft!

Another store downtown is Pudding Yarn. Another name that did not entice me. Why call a yarn store Pudding??? I should have asked, I guess. But this store was my favorite! Yarn from one wall to the other, from floor to ceiling. Paradise!

I usually do not like buying yarn without a good idea of what I will use it for. But this time I only know that it will be for our little grand daughter. I would like to do a little sweater with or without a hood for her. She will be about 8 mths old next spring. If you have any idea for a pattern, I would love to hear about it.

Anyway, these were my purchases. My knitting needles will be smoking if I can knit all of this before Christmas!

The pièce de résistance

After 29 years, we returned to Calgary.
Way back in 1980, I went out there to teach. My hubby and I loved the city of Calgary. It was a booming city! We spent almost every weekend in the mountains. The Rockies are so beautiful.

But nonetheless, we stayed only one year. Work opportunities were available back in Ontario.

But last week, after 29 years, we returned to Calgary. The city has changed so much but the beauty is the same!
We took a couple of days to go back to Lake Louise, Lake Morainne and Banff. Great trip down memory lane!

Here is the view from our rental car as we are leaving the city of Calgary on Hwy 1.



Our first stop was Lake Morainne. A very small lake (according to Ontario standards!) but such striking scenery. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue. The mountains are so close, you can almost touch them. It was a very cold day...a high of only 4C ! The wind was glacial.

Then we stopped at Lake Louise. The wind was still very cold and the water not as clear as it can be on a windless day. But there again, we strolled along the shoreline in awe of the nature surrounding us.

But the most beautiful sight, the pièce de résistance, was this little sweet treasure. Our first grandchild, a little girl, born on September 2nd. We ooed and awed constantly when we were around her. She is such a joy. We realize what a special time in our life this is.

My studio

Today, is a typical fall day...lots of rain and wind. It's really cold too. So I thought I would tell you about my workspace a little bit.

Since both of our children have left the nest, almost a year ago, I have slowly been organizing my studio for all my crafting projects. I have a wonderful work surface near a large window, providing me with lots of natural light.

I have the perfect view of nature and the beauty that each season has to offer. I did not want to cover this window with curtains so I decided to hang my colection of glass balls.

Over the years, I have collected five of these glass balls, They vary in size and texture. They are all transparent except for one. That one is super heavy and is navy and gold.
My favorite one is the large pink and orange one. I bought it on a girl's weekend at a cottage in Maniwaki, Québec.
They are hung from the ceiling with nylon thread. The kind that is used for fishing lines.


I would love to add more, maybe eventually cover the entire window...wouldn't that be great!

Banana soft wrap

I knitted a wonderful easy project late last winter. It has been in my armoire since then. I guess that with the cool weather coming in, I got thinking that I should not let it sit there any longer.

I finally got around to blocking the mohair/acrylic blend triangular shawl this weekend. I blocked it on the bed in the guest room. With the fan on and the open window, it dryed very quickly.

Such a great project knitted on large needles in a stockinette stitch. Simple, light and airy is the result. The color is really a light banana yellow.

I have decided that I will put this shawl in my Etsy shop. (I own quite a few shawls allready!)

You can see it here. It would make a great Christmas gift for that special someone.

New style

I have introduced a new style of hat. This little hat actually came about as an accident...I was not concentrating on my knitting and made a couple of mistakes while making the crown of the hat thus extending the 'stem'. I actually like the little curlycue on the top. Hat is made out of 100% lambswool...extra soft for baby's head.

I am heading out of town for three days to a huge meeting. I will bring my knitting along of course...working on a pair of fingerless gloves. I should have pictures to show you on the weekend.

Getting new yarns ready

With the fall and winter seasons coming up, it's time to start thinking about knitting and crocheting projects.

Dare I say, even to start planning our gifts for Chritsmas?

Well, I am starting to think about it...

Last year I made several pairs of socks to give away. This year, I am thinking of making fingerless gloves.

I am getting some very pretty yarns ready for my Etsy shop. I will try out these yarns as well just to see how they knit up.

Here is a green lambswool drying.

And here is a great wool/acrylic yarn also in a green shade. This yarn is somewhat thick and thin and will give a wonderful texture to any project.

I will let you know when they are available and what knitting projects I will get going in the next few weeks!

Have a great Sunday...very hot here...I hear the pool calling me. Ciao!

Please, may I have more socks!

My hubby loves his knitted socks. They can be done in any color and he will be happy...well maybe not any color! He wears them all fall and winter long.

A few weeks ago, he mentioned that he would really like to have a new pair of socks. I know he is allready thinking of his fall activities!

I had this wonderful yarn in my stash in a burnt orange color, almost rust. It has flecks of colors throughout the yarn. Flecks of green, red and gold. It is a great fall color.

The yarn is 80% lambswool (no wonder it's so soft) and 20% nylon (which should make the sock more durable).

I had borrowed the Ann Budd Knitting socks book from the library. What a great book. It has so many details and great explanations.

I decided to give this yarn a go using one of the patterns in the book.

I used 5mm needles and a made the socks a smaller size than usual. The sock is a perfect fit and very comfortable and soft.

I still have some of this yarn available in my Etsy shop. It is reclaimed yarn from a nice sweater I took apart. It would be great for socks and so much more!

Puppies and water!

We have two Golden retriever puppies. Both females come from two different litters. They are 3-1/2 months old and are into everything!
This is the entertainment every night out on the deck.




Chabichou (Chabi) is the one that puts her whole face underwater! The other one, Corky, love to participate and watch Chabi make the mess.

Gone allready!

I went to a baby shower yesterday for one of my cousins. They are expecting a girl in a few weeks...so what would be a good gift for a little girl born in the autumn?


I was going thru Itty-bitty hats by Susan B. Anderson and found the perfect little hat!

An Upside-down daisy hat. So adorable and perfect for a newborn.

I hope they like it.

Featured on Bumblebeads Designs Blog

BumbleBeads has put on her blog, a wonderful line up of Pumpkin items including my little baby hat. Clic on her banner above and go have a look for yourself, this will certainly put you in the mood for Halloween.

Thanks BumbleBeads for including my little hat in your pumpkin selection!