FIbres West 2017

What a happy surprise for me to find out that my trip recently to Vancouver coincided with the Fibres West Yarn show.  I have a supportive yarn husband who didn't mind making a slight detour in our plans to check this festival out. This annual fibre show held in Surrey turned out to be a forty minute subway ride, followed by a fifteen minute taxi drive from downtown Vancouver.  It is a two day event that focuses on fiber and yarn and is held at the Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Grounds.

There was a good combination of fibre, yarn and spinning supplies and equipment from different artisans.  Here are just a few of my pictures to give you an idea of what was available.

Twisted Fae Fibreworks

West Coast Colour

Chaotic Fibres

Fleece Artist Halo Bundles from Wool Is Not Enough

Big Blue Moma baskets a fair trade company working with artisans in Ghana

Shibui Yarn from Valley Yarn

Sweet Georgia display

Sweet Georgia Silk Mist

Penelope Fibre Arts

nan.c fibre art studio

I thought that this event was held in the perfect venue allowing vendors and shoppers plenty of space to shop.  I love going to yarn shows and I am glad I had the chance to go to this one.  If you have ever have the chance to visit this event I would highly recommend it.  Here are a couple of my purchases that I couldn't resist:

Handmaiden Halo bundle:  one skein of a mohair blend and another skein of fingering single ply yarn

Flock Fibre Studio:  Take a Hike Sock

And as for knitting, I finally got through second sock syndrome and finished my Hermiones's Everyday Socks.  

Pattern:  Hermione's Everyday Socks  

Designer:  Erica Lueder

Yarn:  Gale's Art Wonder Sock (75% bluefaced leicester 25% nylon)

Colourway:  Skittles

I love the result and only wish I had finished them much more quickly.  I am slowly trying to get some works in progress off the needles before I cast on any new sweaters.  Happy spring knitting everyone!

Caterpillargreen Yarns

Sometimes when I get new yarn, it stops me in my tracks and I leave it on my desk where I can admire it.  This is the yarn that I am currently enjoying:

Of course, it didn't arrive in that state.  It arrived like this, hiding it's inner beauty:

 But then when it was opened up this gorgeous rainbow of colour appeared.

This beauty, my friends, is Caterpillargreen Yarns created on Vancouver Island located in British Columbia.  I was lucky to grab a skein during an online sale in order to make the Playground Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska, a free pattern available on Ravelry.  It is MCN Fingering yarn in the colourway Concrete & Tulips, a 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere and 10% nylon blend.  So soft!  If you have never seen the Caterpillargreen Yarns website, I highly recommend you check it out.  The yarn sold on this website is self-striping and comes in many gorgeous colourways.  They are not made available very often so you have to be quick.  However, you're in luck if you live in Vancouver or nearby. Caterpillargreen Yarns will have a booth at Knit City October 2-4. 

As for me this yarn will stay on my desk for some time where I can admire it.  

#yarnlover

That's all I have to say : )

Vancouver in Springtime

I had the pleasure of visiting Vancouver for a very quick weekend away and fortunately the weather was sunny and warm.  We rented a car and drove to Squamish, about a forty minute drive from downtown and took the Sea to Sky Gondola up the mountain and admired the amazing scenery.   There were a lot of hiking trails to choose from and I really wish we could have spent more time there.

Then we took a walk around Stanley Park.  Signs of spring were everywhere.

The next day we took a walk to the Waterfront from our hotel.  Imagine living here and seeing this scenery everyday!

As we were walking around at night we passed by a florist and saw this lovely display.  Unfortunately I didn't get the name of the store but the flowers were stunning.

 We returned to sunny, warmer temperatures back East with spring around the corner.  Thank goodness : )

Spotlight: 88 Stitches

Everytime I travel I like to visit the yarn stores in the area.  Luckily I have a wonderful husband who supports my habit.  A perfect yarn store to me is a store that carries a good variety of interesting yarns, in a welcoming, cozy atmosphere run by someone who is knowledgeable, but not pushy.

This time when we visited Vancouver we stopped by a lovely store called 88 Stitches which fits this description.  As a fan of Melissa Thomson and her Sweet Fiber yarns I had wanted to visit this store as it owned by her mother, and of course is one of the retailers that carries Melissa's yarn.  The second I walked into the store I just loved it.  It is a bright and sunny place with a beautiful selection of yarns, and the owner was very welcoming and helpful.

So much yarny goodness!

This yarn store carried a great variety of brands including Rowan, Shibui, Jamieson's, Swan's Island Yarns, Sweet Georgia and Berroco to name a few.

All the samples from Sweet Fiber Yarns' pattern collection were there.  The patterns combined with the beautiful yarn were even more impressive in person.

Bridgeway & York

Dockside & Brae 

Bedford Cowl

Capilano:  a cowl made with 2 skeins of Cashmerino Worsted in Moss

Of course I had to buy some Sweet Fiber Yarn.  Unfortunately the stock was a bit low as Melissa Thomson has just finished relocating her dyeing studio.  But the good news, for those that live in the Toronto area, is that Melissa Thomson is coming with her yarn to the Toronto Knitters Frolic at the Japanese Cultural on April 25th.  Hopefully many people can visit her booth that day and then will understand why I like it so much.

Sweet Fiber Merino Twist DK in Chartreuse

West Yorkshire Spinners Bluefaced Leicester Yarn
and Sweet Fiber Yarns Super Sweet Sock in Parchment

I just wish this was my neighbourhood yarn store.  I would be there all the time!

Granville Island, Vancouver

I had the pleasure of tagging along with my husband on a business trip to Vancouver.  Our plane landed on a Saturday morning and our first choice was to visit Granville Island.  To get there we took a sea bus to the island.  Granville Island has a farmer's market full of great things to eat, restaurants, artists, and many vendor selling beautiful things.  There is also live entertainment.  It was the perfect spot to wake us up after a cross country flight.

Fresh produce

So many food choices

Flower markets

 Of course I couldn't leave the island without visiting a lovely craft store called the Maiwa Supply store.  This store carries a variety of craft materials such as yarn, felt, dye and many other craft supplies.

Maiwa Supply

Embroidery thread

A lovely assortment of yarn 

Many dyes

A huge assortment of felt

It was a wonderful beginning to our time in Vancouver.