Shelagh's Back from Florida!

My sister is back from her three-week trip to Florida with her husband--and I am so excited!

I mean, we still texted and Messengered each other daily, but it's so great having her back and only a 25-minute drive from me! Thank goodness for technology! I think I would have gone crazy if I couldn't have chatted constantly.

And something else cool about technology is that you can scope out local yarn shops at wherever it is you'll be spending time. So, of course, Shelagh did that before she left. And I'm glad she did because she found a very cool yarn shop in Sarasota called Picasso's Moon. Debra is the mastermind designer and dye-queen. Shelagh just raved over her yarns!

Even though Debra wasn't there, her friend and business partner Catherine--aka Rose of Indigo--was and she gave Shelagh the scoop about Debra's work.

Did Shelagh buy any?

Of course!

And, lovely sister that she is, she gave me two skeins! The one above is called "Strawberries & Poppies and is the most-sumptuously soft superwash Merino bulky loveliness. That one I'm saving for myself because it has all my favourite colours in it: ranges of pink from deep raspberry to pastel, oranges, yellows, and hits of green. I'm thinking a lovely, snuggly cowl.

The other is called "Peacock Hues."  Gorgeously green in a variety of shades ranging from off-white to a forest green. I'm so in love with this it's going to take me a while to "see" a pattern for it. In the meantime, I'll just drool over it as I watch Spring bring green back to our neighbourhood parks, lawns, and trees.

I'll try to talk Shelagh into writing an account of her travel knitting--of which she did a lot!--for next week.

Fashion Friday - Three Ways to Wear a Skinny Scarf

A skinny scarf is perfect for transitioning from summer to Fall. It's not too bulky and it stylishly provides a layer of warmth as the temperature drops. The scarf we're showing here is a Merino / Bamboo blend, so it's light but warm and breathable. And it's blue, which provides a great pop of colour to a wardrobe of neutrals / classics. Here's how to wear it now.

First, at work: I mean, what a great way to add some interest to a plain white shirt and black skirt. The tie-blouse became popular last year and we still see it on runways and in stores. But for that classic shirt you already have, why not add a skinny scarf instead of a necklace? It looks great and keeps you warm if you have to go to a meeting in a chilly conference room!

A skinny scarf is a great way to change up a traditional office look. 

Next, picking up / dropping off the kids for after school activities. Skinny jeans and rubber boots, a bulky pullover and a yellow mac: the style quotient for this look is amped up by wrapping a skinny scarf around your neck multiple times. The only other accessories you will need is coffee and a wallet.

Doesn't the blue pair well with a yellow mac?

Finally, let the skinny scarf release your inner rock star! Think Steven Tyler as you dress for a fun night out. Skinny jeans, a white T-shirt, high-heeled booties, and a rockin' belt all topped with a sequin-laden jacket and your skinny scarf wrapped once and draping down. 

How would you rock a skinny scarf?

Y-Knot? A Night to Dye For

Shelagh and I are so fortunate to have such talented ladies in our Knit night group. One of the ladies, Jenn aka The Yarn Therapist, suggested something different than the usual knitting together: she offered to teach us to dye our own yarns! Of course, the entire group heartily agreed because, well, let's face it, we're all yarn lovers. And who wouldn't want to create a custom yarn?

Jenn is an avid knitter, yarn lover, and she dyes her own yarns. She and another of the Ladies, Amanda aka Yarn Enabler, walked us through the process while Christina, aka The Cozy Knitter, was one of our cheerleaders.

So Jenn ordered some yarn blanks in both fingering/sock weight and worsted weight; made up over a dozen containers of dye; and brought along lots of aluminum containers to use for our artistic adventure. Someone brought apple fritters; someone brought coffee; and Shelagh and I brought sangria--'cause that's how we roll.

Shelagh chose two skeins of fingering weight 80/20 Superwash Merino and nylon. I chose two skeins of worsted weight Superwash Merino. And then we spent at least half an hour deciding on colours. Honestly, when confronted by so much choice, it really is difficult to narrow it down to what we wanted.

Did we want a variegated yarn of one colour? Or perhaps chunks of different colours? Or maybe a solid base with speckles of different colours? The choices seem to be endless!

At the top and above, Shelagh "painting" her skeins.

Shelagh went with a different look for each of her skeins; I decided one look for both--I figured I'd need two the same to make something like a scarf.



The photo left shows my two blank skeins in one container as well as each of them after I dyed them using colour Silver Gray.

Below is a photo of my finished skeins wrapped scarf-like on our dressmaker's Judy. Can you see the teal, turquoise, purple and black that I added? When Jenn was showing us the colour options, I fell in love with what I thought of as "peacock colours," those bright colours at the "eye" of the feather. I knew they would look amazing on the platinum background.

Now I want to come up for an appropriate name for my yarn; although it will be considered a one-of-a-kind yarn, I think it deserves a lovely name.

I have some ideas, but what would you call it?

FO Friday—Summer Scarves: Two Blue for You

I was going to write the post about how much I loved making my Lace Bias Scarf (which I did love making) and how much I loved working with this new yarn (I did). This summer scarf was, in fact, as fun and easy to knit up as I'd hoped. And I definitely love the finished scarf, it's really pretty and a perfect accessory for summer fun. See the photo at the bottom of this post.

But a bit of serendipity occurred as finished and took the scarf to Shelagh's to block: She finished up a pretty little summery scarf in shades of blue as well! So both blue scarves were laid out on her ping pong table simultaneously! Funny! 

You remember that Shelagh had about 65 g left of her Baby Boo Lace by Turtlepurl Yarns after making the Jamie Crescent Shawl. We found the “Here Be Water Dragons” pattern by Quinton Lime (akqguy on Ravelry) and she decided to try it. That's it blocking (above) and on our mannequin (below). They are both so lovely and soft and perfect accessories. Now that is a happy coincidence!

WIP Wednesday—Well, Sort of. . . .

I don't actually have a new project on the go at the moment--the Spring Greens Shawl is still on my needles, patiently waiting for me. However, what I have is a couple of skeins of amazing yarn I've been itching to get my hands on!

Back in April, Shelagh and I a a few of the Knit Night Ladies went into Toronto for the Knitters' Frolic. It was heaven for anyone who loves working with fibre, including us. It was there I purchased some beautiful yarn from Fleece Artist, a lovely blend of superwash Merino wool and Tencel, which she refers to as "tree wool." It is a pretty blend of matte and shiny, with the shininess coming from the tencel. I've never worked with that fibre before, and Fleece Artist's spun and dyed yarn really caught my attention because of the sheen, the softness, and the name: Beach House. Isn't that perfect?

So, for World-wide Knit in Public Day this past Saturday, I thought I'd do a little test swatch to check what it's like to work with and, more importantly, how many stitches and rows per inch I will get from the yarn. 

I do have a project in mind, but it is from a magazine so uses a more standard yarn. You can see what I've completed of my swatch so far, but I wait to share the pattern until I know for sure it is the right one for this yarn.

What's on your needles?

FO Jamie Crescent Shawlette Finished!!!

Well when I left off with this shawlette last November, I had only the first few rows started on it. When I finally got back to it I couldn't figure out which row I was on even though I had tried to keep track. So I frogged it and cast on all 243 stitches again. I know this sounds frustrating and like a lot of work, but it actually worked out to my benefit. When I finished the first few rows again I realized the new work looked nothing like what I had frogged!

I really like knitting lace, although I have to pay close attention to my stitch count and all the repeats. That can be difficult when you are trying to get even one row done and people keep talking to you . . . even when they see you intently talking to yourself, knitting and continually glancing back at the pattern. My husband is the main culprit in my house. I actually had to tell him to not talk to me if he saw me knitting with the blue yarn I was using.

 Even though the lace pattern was only 14 rows done twice for the edging, it was time consuming while working it. But one of the great things about this pattern is that I learned short rows while knitting the main body of the shawlette. I didn't think it would be difficult, especially since the short-row sections were small. So it was probably one of the easier short row patterns to learn on.

It is now finally done, washed and blocked. I look forward to my next project.  I do have just over 65gm out of the 100gm  I started with. So what next for this lovely Baby Boo Lace? I may just have an idea or two!

WIP Wednesday - Spring Greens Shawl

Confession: Although I purchased a fair bit of yarn at the Toronto Knitters' Frolic on April 25, I had already purchased lots of yarn on April 1. No joke!

I couldn't help myself--about one week prior to April Fool's Day, one of my favourite indie dyers announced a sale. So on the morning of April 1, I signed in to the Georgian Bay Fibre Co. site and bought some yarn. Those four skeins at the top of the page are what I was able to get . . . man, they moved fast!

As soon as I received the package, I knew I wanted to start making something with these gorgeous yarns! I talked to Shelagh about a shawl--something I don't have a lot of experience with but she does--and she showed me a bunch of patterns she had. And when I saw the Sunray Shawl from Ravelry, I knew this would be it!

So, I picked the green yarn--a lovely blend of BFL and silk-- and I started on the shawl. I've renamed mine "Spring Greens Shawl" because of the lovely soft shades of green in the yarn: it really looks like fresh shoots of green seen everywhere in the Spring. And the light airiness of this wool makes me think of Spring and Summer.

Starting with a garter tab cast on, the eyelet details in this shawl lead out in a "ray" pattern.

Manic Monday - Knitters' Frolic

Clockwise from top left: two skeins of MerGoat Sock yarn from Indigo Dragonfly; horn and seed pod buttons; two skeins of Tree Wool yarn from Fleece Artist; one skein of Special Edition Merino sock yarn (Pinot Butter) from Indigo Dragonfly; one skein of Athena Sock from Luna Grey Fiber Arts out of Colorado; and one skein of "Copper & Zinc" from Riverside Studio.

Toronto Knitters' Guild organizes a Knitters' Frolic held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. This year was the 18th year and the first year that Shelagh and I went along. We decided to go because the Knit Night ladies from our LYS went last year and raved about it!

We marked our calendars a year ago--and we were not disappointed!

The colours . . . the textures . . . so much fibre-y goodness!

Five of us travelled with Shelagh in the "party" van (and by party, I mean knitting) and, after figuring out the detours with road closures, we arrived ready to search and shop! (FYI: Toronto has two seasons: winter and construction.)

Shelagh had printed off the floor plan and she and I had already decided we would spend our time looking at hard-to-find yarn, particularly those from indie dyers we had heard about. The photo above is my haul (Shelagh purchased some, but I went crazy). I was thrilled with my purchases: I've been wanting to find yarn from Indigo Dragonfly for a while, and the yarn did not disappoint. I've seen yarn from Fleece Artist--and Shelagh loved making a shawl from some of their yarn--so I wanted to try some myself.

As for Riverside Studio, I hadn't heard of her before but I immediately fell for her colours. It was hard to settle on one, but that Copper & Zinc really spoke to me!

All these new skeins are added to some new yarns I ordered from Georgian Bay Fibre Co. earlier in April. So, now my only problem is: what will I work on first!?!

Highlighter of my Life

Here's a close up of the Super Eyelet Shawl design by The Woolly Brew.

One of the ladies at my local "knit night" is an indie dyer known as "Yarn Enabler." You might have seen her yarns on her Etsy shop; she is known for her Fruity Feet and No. 2 Pencil sock yarn.

A couple of months ago, she posted about one of her yarns. I loved the colourway. It made me smile as it is so bright and cheery. She named it "Highlighter of My Life." I looked at it for several days then messaged her to see if it had been sold; it hadn't, so I told her I would buy it. She was happy. I was happy. And when she brought it with her to Knit Night, I fell in love all over again! It is 462yds of soft, fingering weight heaven! And because it's 75% superwash merino and 25% nylon, you can put it in the gentle cycle of the washer and dryer too. Bonus!

I brought it home and began going through patterns. Being a fingering weight, I had many patterns to choose from: socks, scarf, cowl, or shawl. I don't knit socks, so that wasn't happening. But I knew that whatever I made, it would be  a statement piece! The colours are so bright--like a hand full of highlighters. A scarf, cowl, or shawl would look great with a dark winter coat. Whatever I made would cheer up any day and brighten any outfit.

When I came across a pattern for a scarf called "Red Skies at Night," I knew it would make this yarn pop. So I started on it but just couldn't get going on it: too many other projects on the go. (You know what that's like! So I ripped it out and waited until I could really concentrate on it.

Then a FB post from Nova Scotia yarn store Baadeck Yarns linked to a pattern on Ravelry called Super Eyelet Shawl designed by The Woolly Brew. When I saw the picture, I knew it was the right shawl for this yarn.

I made a couple of attempts, ripping it out each time. Then I took a deep breath and read the pattern closely instead of skimming over it--a very bad habit I have!

Once I got into it, I got really excited about it: it worked up so beautifully. I could tell that it work well as the weather warms up and for the cooler evenings because it is so light weight.

It knit up rather quickly which made me really happy after the earlier frogging I did! It turned a little smaller because I used a sock weight and not a DK weight the pattern called for. It is more of a shawlette-type scarf. This suits me fine as I am keeping this one for myself!

And I still have about 46 gm left, so I may make another small shawl or a scarf.

Manic Monday: Or, Why I Can't Get a WIP Going?

So why is today a "manic Monday"? Well, the last few weeks I've been trying to start a project, but every time I do, I end up frogging it. I just can't seem to find a pattern I like that shows of the gorgeous Madeline Tosh yarn in Jade colourway that I purchased a while back from our local yarn store, Soper Creek Yarns.

I wanted to make a scarf that would look great on a young man and could be "borrowed" by his girlfriend. Something not too girlie, not to masculine. None of the patterns I looked at seemed right, so I started looking through Stitch Guides.

First was a Mock Cable with broken rib between the cables. Nah! The edging doesn't look right and you can't really see the cable. But the broken rib part looks great! So. . . .

How about a scarf that is completely broken rib? Below is a photo of the back, which I love. In fact, it looks good on both sides, which is perfect for a scarf. But now I was worried I was making it too wide to make a long enough scarf. So I'll just start again with fewer stitches.

 But it just didn't look right . . . and it started to curl in a way it hadn't when it was wider. I think I'll make a cowl with it. Now if only I can find a pattern. . . . Any ideas?

New and Exciting Yarns!

Well Margaret and I spent a couple of days together last week. We wanted to photograph a few items with  a "winter" themed background. Although we liked what we were doing, the photos didn't turn out like we hoped, so we'll re-take them in the next week or two.

While we were together and checking through our personal FB pages, Margaret and I both saw a posting from a fibre artist we follow in the U.S., Serene Fiber Arts:  she had marked some of her yarns for sale in her Etsy shop! Excited? Yes, we were! Amanda French is the woman behind Serene Fiber Arts; she is an artisan who spins and dyes beautiful yarns using Merino, silk, alpaca and more.  She makes a variety of yarn types: some that are 100% one fibre and others that are blends.  We have loved Amanda's colour-ways for a long time and often thought about how those lovely natural fibres would feel to work with.

Margaret and I have been following Amanda on Instagram and Etsy for almost a year, eyeing and drooling over the absolutely beautiful dyed rovings and spun colour combinations she posts. When we saw she had put some of them up for sale in her Etsy shop, we discussed actually purchasing some. We went through every item listed for sale, checking the yarn content, weight and colours. We wrote down our favourite ones.

Then we went for a walk to mull over the choices. It seemed to be the last warm day before the cold weather arrives and we wanted to enjoy it. We walked into town to my (our) LYS, (Local Yarn Store) Soper Creek Yarn. Margaret and I had a good look at everything, inhaled some yarn air, touching and feeling the yarns (which always gives me chills). I did buy some sale yarn--it is difficult to go there and not buy anything!

By the time we got home, we had cleared our heads and knew we wanted to make a purchase. So, we  went through the yarns again in her shop (check it out at SereneFiberArts.etsy.com). We ordered five different skeins.

So now the waiting now begins. It will be about 2 weeks before we get them. So, Margaret and I are spending that time talking about all our project ideas for each skein. Check back in a few weeks to see what we have decided to make!

WIP Wednesday - Jamie Crescent Shawlette

I enjoy making shawls but as you know from my post about my first shawl, I have always steered away from shawls that start at the top. There is something about casting on over 200 stitches that usually makes me turn away from a pattern. So when my husband brought me back a few skeins of wool from an Ottawa business trip (yes, he's well trained and he's mine, ladies!), I knew I had to "get over" my aversion because some of the yarns were perfect for a shawl.

One of the skeins he brought me was Baby Boo Lace from Turtlepurl Yarns, which is a 2-ply 80% Merino and 20% Bamboo. It is a lovely gradient of aqua blues to green and suits the name "Wanna Go for a Swim?"--don't you love some of the colour names? This Baby Boo Lace has 875 yards, so I can actually make a couple of small shawls or triangle scarves. And being Merino and bamboo, it's so soft and just eases through your fingers onto the needles.

So I found a pattern that was not an overly large shawl: the Jamie Crescent Shawlette designed by Julie Farmer courtesy of Red Heart, which I found the pattern in Creative Knitting of Spring 2013. It is the Easy Everyday Openwork & Lace pattern.

A couple of starts, a 243-stitch cast-on, and 10-stitch markers later, the cast on row is done and the shawl is under way!

Funny thing is, this pattern does start at the bottom, as most of my favourite shawl patterns do, but because this one is crescent-shaped (rather than a triangle) the wide bottom means I have to cast on a large number of stitches.

Unfortunately, so many projects on the go means something's gotta give. So, birthday knitting, consignment knitting and finishing other smaller projects have taken my time. But I will get to this eventually. I have to because it is sitting in my knitting room looking at me when I am working on other projects! It keeps saying, "What about me?" and making me feel guilty me when I pick up another project!

FO Friday - Peach Melba Scarf

I always have a hard time figuring out what to write about. This has never been one of my strong points. I may have lots to say about knitting but it is putting it down on paper that is not my strong suit. That is Margaret's area of expertise!


I have finished a lovely scarf in a Manos del Uraguay Maxima yarn. I noticed that I have a preference for bright cheerful colours. This colourway is called Peach Melba. It has beautiful deep fuchsia to peach variances. With it being 100% extra fine Merino wool, it is so soft to work with and would be lovely to wear around your neck on a cold dreary day. The colours would be so cheerful in the middle of winter and be a great pick-me-up!

I tried several patterns before I settled on this one. The pattern I chose was from one of the many knitting magazines I have purchased over the last several years. It is in the Creative Knitting magazine, Easy Everyday Openwork & Lace Spring 2013. 8-Hour Shawl designed by Lorna Miser courtesy of Red Heart. The wool didn't have enough yardage to make the shawl so I decided to make it a warm scarf or maybe a cowl. I loved the stitch. It added so much more character to the wool. Now it is done, washed and blocked.

The next step was to figure out if I should leave it as a shorter but thick scarf or to sew the ends together to make it a bigger than average cowl. It measures 41" long by approx. 10" wide. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to leave it as a scarf. I think it would be better to wrap around your neck instead of pulling it over your head. It would be difficult to double it up as a cowl but easier as a scarf. It could be folded in half and wrapped around your neck once or twice. You can wear the scarf with either side of the stitching showing There really is no wrong side to it!

WIP Wednesday - Mean Tangerine Infinity or Cowl

You might remember my post "Which comes first, the yarn or the pattern?" posted on October 8. Well, I have begun work on what I think will be a cowl in the gorgeous yarn I purchased at the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter's Fair.

As I mentioned, the yarn is 100% Merino in a gorgeous variegation of oranges that just sing with happiness. After trying two different patterns and not liking either one, I decided to try a test swatch of a stitch I quite liked, called Tweed Stitch.

So, I knit up a test swatch on the needles I'll be using to make this lovely scarf to figure out the gauge and ensure I have adequate yardage to complete the project.

My test swatch sitting atop the photo of this glorious stitch pattern. Isn't it pretty?

I know I've made the right choice because I'm absolutely loving how this stitch is working with my yarn! A perfect balance of interesting stitch and gorgeous yarn.

After I did my test swatch, I figured out number of stitches per inch, tore out the swatch, measured the number of yards, and worked out how long and wide I could make this scarf based on that information.

Who knew I'd need arithmetic after all these years!?!

So now I've cast on the number of stitches I think I'll need and begun knitting what should be an infinity scarf . . . assuming my arithmetic is correct. I'll just have to see how it works out! I'll share soon on an upcoming FO Friday post. 

FO Friday: The Rebel Scarf

As I was knitting this infinity scarf, tracking my stitches and my rows, I started to think I ought to name it. For several days I sat in the sunshine in my back yard and knit, watching as the design took shape and how the colours merged differently depending on the stitch I used.

I love how the colours reveal themselves: stripes in stockinette stitch and bold blocks in the open-stitch pattern.

One day an old saying popped into my mind: “Blue and green should never be seen.”

“But these colours are beautiful together,” I thought. And that's when the name revealed itself to me: Rebel.

Yes, initially it was the colour combination that made the name seem appropriate. A colour combination that was considered wrong or incongruous at one time; but one I considered to be beautiful. As I continued knitting, repeating the name to myself, I realized this scarf represented me and where I am in my life. And, yes, “rebel” applies, although you may not see that if you were to meet me. I am not a placard carrier; nor am I living on the fringes of civilized society. I don't stand on soapboxes or rant against people, groups, or ideas.

Close-up of the pattern.

But this knitting adventure I am on gives me opportunities to rebel against a lot. By becoming an entrepreneur, I am rebelling against the corporate world that I participated in for over 25 years. By choosing to design a scarf, I am rebelling against an inner voice that tells me I can't. And by sharing what I make and what I think about this adventure experience, I am rebelling against the fear of failure.

This simple scarf, dear reader, represents a key point in my life: the point when I walk away from my past and look to the future. This simple scarf—using colours that aren't supposed to work together, designed by me, and lovingly knit by me—represents the faith I have in myself to live a creative life.

WIP Wednesday: Bridges Infinity Scarf

This is an interesting one, at least to me. I had some leftover yarn I wanted to use in . . . something. It was a fine yarn, meaning that small needles were required if I knit it alone. I don't really like small needles: too finicky. But I love the colours in this yarn: purples, blues, pinks, golds, and grays all spun together with a very fine metallic something that gave it a nice sparkle.

If you look online, you can find all kinds of patterns that are “stashbusters,” which means small projects that will use up the odds and ends a knitter often has once the original project is complete. But this beautiful yarn was way more than a small odds and end piece: there was still quite a bit left.

With all that in mind, I knew I wanted to use it along with another yarn to make something lovely. When I visited one of my favourite yarns shops, I found the perfect yarn: Classic Elite Yarns' Magnolia. On the way home I began imagining exactly what I wanted to created with these two yarns, picturing the finished piece and hoping the warm brown would pair as well as I thought it would. And when I got home, whew! They paired up beautifully! The brown of the solid yarn grounds the sparkly multi-coloured yarn; and the sparkly yarn glams up the brown. Perfect!

I started knitting right away.

Sparkling colours and chestnut "girders."

The pattern—my very simple pattern—is designed to let you see the combined loveliness along with just the brown. The reason? That brown yarn is a luxurious mix of merino and silk and looks like what it is named for: chestnut. As I worked through the pattern, I kept thinking of both the Forth Bridge in Scotland and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. You know those rusted-looking girders? That beautiful, reddish-brown? Well the garter stitch in this pattern, using only the Magnolia, reminds me of the girders that sturdily hold up bridges. And the stocking stitch portion of the scarf makes me think of the sparkling water over which both these bridges span reflecting lights in the dusky darkness.

I'm a little over halfway finished and I'll share the finished version on a FO Friday soon.

A Travel Yarn: Nova Scotia

This is the first in an occasional series about knitting and yarn and travelling.

In September 2013, Shelagh and her husband took our father and step-mother on a trip to Nova Scotia. They flew to Halifax and then rented a car to tour around. Of course, the tour included several days along the beautiful Cabot Trail, ending in the small town of Badeck. 

Before travelling to a new place, I like to research local yarn spinners and dyers as well as local yarn stores. I like to support local small businesses anyplace I visit. 

I discovered a store playfully named Baadeck Yarns, which sold yarn from a Nova Scotia spinner/dyer Fleece Artist. The company was established in 1979 and is still going strong; they sell yarns throughout Canada and the United States.

When I first walked into Baadeck Yarns, I was drawn to a green and purple variegated yarn. The store owner saw my interest and started chatting with me. She told me the colourway was called "Scottish Thistle," which made me love it all the more because of my connection to Scotland: I have family there I've visited several times! She also told me about the yarn maker, Fleece Artist, who creates a variety of different yarns. The one I was drawn to was from the Tosca line and is 96% Merino and 4% nylon, spun and hand dyed into a thick and thin, slubby yarn. The store owner suggested knitting something using a simple stitch to emphasize the texture of the yarn. She suggested a knit2, purl2 variation on seed stitch.

When I got home, I tried the pattern: it's simple but it really does show off the texture of the yarn. And the Tosca is lovely to work with because of the Merino. That's because Merino is a fine wool with a smooth finish. Merino is one of the wools that has what's called "next-to-the-skin" soft, and it's both warm and breathable. Mixing Merino with nylon in the spinning process makes the fine wool slightly stronger and more likely to keep the shape of the final, knitted item. I loved working with it to create a lovely scarf; here's a detail from the finished scarf.

Another Tosca yarn that caught my eye was dyed in a purple/blue colourway called "Lupins." I used the same simple pattern to make another scarf but didn't make it as wide. Again, the yarn was wonderful to work with—soft and strong—but this time in richer colour.

Next time I visit Nova Scotia I want to visit Fleece Artist in Mineville. In fact, I'd love to do a yarn tour of that province!

I did so much yarn shopping at Baadeck Yarns that I now research yarn stores and local fibre artists before travelling anywhere! I know I'll be able to make something special from each journey.