Leaving for Chicago

hello

I'm popping in to wish you a happy weekend

the knitted baby boy blanket is finished, and now drying while I blocked it

I am very pleased with the final result

more pictures will follow next week, after I have given it to my friend this weekend in Chicago

she reads my blog, you know... I like it to be a little surprise for her ~ smile ~

besides, there are two things on my calendar in October I am already excited about

in Chicago I will be attending an event in Nina's wonderful yarn shop with designer Stephen West

and at the end of October I will be visiting Blissdom Canada, the Canadian blogger conference in Toronto

if you happen to be attending one of them too, let me know! I would love to meet you

~

but first : I am off to Chicago, I can't wait to see my dear friends again!

wishing you a lovely Fall weekend

Wrist Cozy's : The Pattern

as promised, from today on

new in my shop : the knitting pattern for a lovely set of comfy and pretty wrist cozy's!

if I may say so myself, this is the perfect gift to your lady friends and family members

they are stylish and yet comfy, great for early Fall days outside and all Winter long inside

they don't take forever to make and therefore bring quick satisfaction to yourself too

so hop over to the shop or go straight to the listing of the cozy's

and get those knitting and cable needles out!

make a pair for yourself, or spoil your sweet friends, your darling mom, your lovely neighbor...

they do make a perfect Christmas gift ~ can you believe it is only 89 days before it's here again?

~

with a big hug and a kiss to my dear friend K, who modeled for these pictures

wishing you a lovely and cozy day

Halifax - The Loop

are you ready for a bit of travel with me today?

great, let's go to Halifax, Nova Scotia

a lovely town at sea, actually the other side of the Atlantic ocean from The Netherlands

I think it's lovely to see such a massive amount of water, 

and know that behind that water, there is land you know very well

such a comforting feeling, I find it hard to explain it in words

~

in Halifax we took a break from camping because of the rain

we stayed in a hotel in Dartmouth, just a little ferry crossing away from downtown Halifax

we spent one lovely morning just drinking coffee, chilling, chatting, enjoying the atmosphere,

watching the latest car news on the iPad (him) and crocheting (me) at the perfect place Two if By Sea

my first go at these flower squares, more about that later in a different post

and we did get a little sunshine indeed, upon our arrival in Halifax

~

besides that, I discovered The Loop Craft Café

decorated with loops here and there

nice and bright, with a lovely high ceiling and a welcoming craft table where courses are given as well

and, I am pretty sure you didn't know this too, this is where the longest scarf in the world lives

what?! I hear you thinking, at least that's what I thought when I saw it

yup, you read that well, the longest scarf in the world - made by Rosa DeMattia at the age of 78

150 yards, almost 140 meters long, width 9 1/2 inches, about 23 cm, and it weighs 30 pounds, 13.5 kilo's

and this scarf made it to the 1988 Guinness Book of World Records and into Sesame Street as well

now that is an impressive masterpiece, isn't it?

~

now, besides that super long scarf, this really is a lovely store

I got to meet darling Mimi who co-owns the shop with three other ladies

she had crocheted a scarf I couldn't resist making myself too, so I got the yarn from her shop

pictures and the pattern can be found here on Ravelry, and this is the link to Mimi's account

I haven't started crocheting the scarf yet, but you will find out here on the blog when I do, smile

last but not least, the Public Gardens in Halifax were lovely too

and we enjoyed watching the dahlia set up in this cute cafe

so if you ever find yourself in beautiful Halifax, make sure to visit The Loop Craft Café 

and in the mean time, connect with them on Facebook

~

by the way I am typing this with two warm hands, due to the finished wrist cozy's

pattern to be found in my shop tomorrow....!

Double Blue

it's all blue here lately

I am working on two blue knitted projects

a baby boy winter blanket for our friends in Chicago, and wrist cozy's like the ones I made in February

our Dutch friends in Chicago are happily expecting their first baby, a boy

because the baby is expected in December, a cotton blanket seemed a little inappropriate to me

the winters can get so cold and rough in Chicago

together with the future mom, I choose this chunky hand dyed yarn which is blue with grey tones

the 100 % merino makes it soooo soft and comfy, I love how this yarn knits up

quite accidentally I managed to capture the softness in the picture below...

the blanket is almost finished, which is a good thing because I am going to Chicago this weekend

to celebrate the future mom and baby at her baby shower ~ I can hardly wait!

what I learned from this project : with this chunky yarn and the large cables

you have to change to a larger needle once you get to the cables, in order for the blanket to keep it's width

I will block this blanket to make it wider, so it will be fine, but for future projects I have to keep this in mind

~

the wrist cozy's are also blue, knitted and with a cable

you spot some personal favorites from my side here?

these cozy's are fun to make because they don't take that much time

and they are so comfy to wear, I am actually typing now with my left hand in that cozy, haha

as you can see, taking pictures of my own hand is easier for me with the iPhone than with my dslr

but, I hope it gives you a good idea of what they look like

~

are you getting as excited about these two projects as I am?

well, the good news is I will add both patterns to my shop very soon, so stay tuned

~

now, I should really get away from the computer and finish that right wrist cozy 

because boy is it getting cold quickly here this year! 

Fall rushed in all of a sudden, we already have the heating on...

I am not complaining though, with the wonderful sunshine and beautiful turning of the leafs

have a lovely new week

What Time Is It?

... it is time to blog!

yay!

I finally made time to sit down, go through our holiday pictures

and create a sneak peek to what holiday stories, craft updates, and shop features you can expect here soon

so, are you ready for a quick view along the East Coast of Canada and the US?

let's get started...

~

after hearing stories and watching guide books, making this road-trip was a dream come true for both of us

if you are interested in the geographical part of it:

we drove North from Toronto, Ontario, through Quebec and New Brunswick to PEI, Prince Edward Island

from there we went South to Halifax in Nova Scotia, drove back to New Brunswick and further South

all the way along the Bay of Fundy, and by mini ferry to Dear Island to arrive at Campobello Island

from the island we went straight into Maine, US and drove South on highway 1 through New Hampshire

into Massachusetts to quickly visit Boston, and home through the state of New York, back to Toronto 

are you still there....?

now let's see some pictures

in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, we got very close to Bambi and family

matching yarn is from a cute store in Maine, US

the main goal of our trip was to visit PEI, Prince Edward Island

and it was so well worth the trip

the red coast and sandy beaches, beautiful sunrise and sundown, and delicious seafood...

beautiful little villages with antique shops, lovely light houses everywhere

a nice breeze and the sun

what more could we ask for?

fishermen docs in every little harbor

craft boutiques on every street corner with beautiful quilts, yarns and their products

the yarn mill where we got a little tour

and of course, the house of Anne of Green Gables

and little treats in Charlottetown

we love PEI!

we drove off the island, on to the province of Nova Scotia

and to Halifax, the main city

we spent a rainy day indoors and enjoyed some quiet time in this cute town

on we went, driving South, to little and unknown Campobello Island

a tiny island, just off the boarder coast of Canada and the US

where we saw whales breaching, a shark jumping out of the water, seals relaxing and bold eagles flying

we visited the cottage of the Roosevelt family, where the decor and family story amazed me

on our way home we enjoyed the drive along highway 1 in Maine, all the way South along the coast line

there were more lovely antique and thrift shops then we and our wallet could handle, haha

we stopped in Boston for a super short lunch and cupcake visit

and decided to once go back there, to see more of this beautiful city and learn more about American history

after 15 days, more than 4000 kilometers, 5 campsites, 2 hotels, lots of laughter and about 1300 pictures

we came home relaxed, recharged, inspired and happy

isn't that what holiday is for?

now, what can you expect to find here soon?

a new addiction as shown; flower cushions, a finished baby girl blanket, 

a baby boy winter blanket in the making, and in the shop: both crochet and knitting patterns!

~

I hope you are doing great, enjoyed a great Summer and made a good start in the 'new year'

at least, that is what September always feels like to me

let's catch up! I missed you all

l o v e