About waterfalls and yarn shopping

On Tuesday eight o'clock sharp (plus 10 minutes...) my Mom and I got into the car and started our journey to Niagara Falls. The driving isn't that bad except around and in Toronto...waah! Talk about impo(ssible)lite drivers! Haven't heard that much honking in the two years I've been living in Montreal.

On our way to the Falls I had the brilliant idea that yarn shops deserve a sign just as much as museums, wineries and other tourist attractions, don't you think? It would make locating them so much easier. Did you know that Niagara Falls doesn't have a yarn shop?? Very disappointing but not surprising. Here is one of the not at all disappointing reasons we drove there:


I think I took a hundred pictures...

Then this morning off to Romni - very exciting! It got less and less so when we were stuck in a traffic jam from hell just before Toronto and then I missed the correct exit (of course). To make a long story short: around 10.45 we arrived to look for a suitable parking space. All we could find was one for an hour - which, as any yarn addict can confirm, is not enough for a thorough perusal of a large yarn store. To be honest: at that point I didn't give a damn about a possible parking ticket.


Isn't this heaven? At least that's how I picture it. And lots and lots of cones in the basement. I am almost embarrassed to tell you what I actually bought. Being overwhelmed by all this choice I decided to stick with yarn I knew I wanted, and, of course, being on a budget didn't make it easier.


This is it. Two balls of the new "Regia silk" for a pair of socks and three "Noro Kureyon" Color 146 - a possible scarf for me. I know, know....it could have been so much more! Too bad that the shop is so far away, I would go there all the time.


This is my Mom after shopping at Romni, which is located at 658 Queen St West and not at all hard to find - even I could manage it.

The vest is started

I finally had the time to start the vest for Rolf. I haven't knit a lot on it but I already like how it looks. I decided against ribbing and knitted a hem so I could start with the ribbed pattern right on the hemline.



Tomorrow my Mom and I will be off to Niagara Falls. It is very convenient that one has to pass by Toronto to get there since "Romni" is located almost on our way. We plan to visit the largest yarn store of Toronto on Thursday. Can't wait to check it out!

Riding shotgun and knitting

We (my Mom, Rolf and I) went on a trip to Québec yesterday. I didn't have to drive so I started the scarf with the Brillant and 8mm needles...knitting with big needles is not so much fun after all. And this fancy yarn is not so cooperative either. Well, I finished the scarf today on our way back - meaning this whole thing can be done in 3 to 4 hours. Here is a photo while it was still on the needles - the finished work will follow. It looks quite nice, the pattern with the drop stitches works fine.



I did not expect to find knit-related items this time so I was pleasantly surprised when we stumbled upon this garment in the exhibit "Clothes make the man" in the Musée de L'Amerique Francaise today. It's a fair isle vest from 1925. This particular part of the exhibition dealt with the homemade things men used to wear. Right beside it were some patterns for knitted items, see also below. The pics are a bit flurry, I'm not even sure I was allowed to take them...




Later this afternoon we visited the Maison Chevalier - it was very unexpected and not planned at all. Inside you could see how people used to live in the time from the early 1800 to about 1850 and how their houses were furnished. In between the beds, chairs and armoirs I found this:



Suffice it to say that I was very pleased how our little outing turned out. (And I enjoyed the other things we saw, too!)

My first ring!

Yep, from today on I am a proud member of the Knitter's Review Member ring! That's all I have for now, no news on the knitfront. Maybe tomorrow?

Oh, yes, I'm the great enabler....

It took me only three days to "make" my Mom order yarn from elann...She saw the Classic Elite Tweed for Rolf's Vest and now she wants to knit a sweater from it. Must be the incessant talking about knitting, yarn, yarnshops, patterns....*grin*

I did not knit on the socks yesterday but couldn't resist to swatch said Classic Elite Tweed:

One can hardly tell but it's a ribbed pattern. I like knitting with this yarn very much and I love the feel and how it turns out. Can't wait to get started on the vest.