Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Fall Plans

It's late summer and, as usual, the urge to knit hits me particularly strongly. With the nights getting cooler, and the chirping of crickets replacing the buzzing of cicadas, I start to think about all the things I want to wear this fall. I find myself unexpectedly in a teal/turquoise frame of mind. First up, a fresh version of Sandridge, amped up with a fuller, swingier skirt, shorter raglan, and higher collar.


Alas, the dark teal colour with little green flecks has come out a sort of boring flat medium blah blue on my screen.

The yarn is Cascade's Eco+ in shade 4009. The colour is so striking that a total stranger came up to me yesterday while I was knitting at a local coffee shop to comment on it. Maybe I'll capture it better for the next viewing.
Next, I want to knit myself a Zora, but I can't decide between Galway Highland Heather in "teal" (really turquoise heather) or "paprika", a slightly orangey red (and terribly daring for me).I might have been influenced to try it after oohing and aahing over this.
As well as knitting plans, there are event plans to think about. This weekend, there's the Twist Fibre Festival northeast of Ottawa (or northwest of Montreal, depending on your perspective) in the beautiful Laurentians. Don't know yet if I'll make it. It might be a spur-of-the-moment decision. Weather could be a factor.
Next, I and four friends are playing a concert next Thursday in the noon-hour series at St. Georges Cathedral here in Kingston. We're the Kingston Viol Consort (although there's a bit of recorder playing in the mix). The programme is mostly Elizabethan, but with a fun rendition of Eleanor Rigby to end. Eclectic, right? Drop by, if you're in Kingston.
On September 18, there's the Twist Collective fifth anniversary fashion show in Toronto, in which I'll be participating. Thank you, Fiona Ellis, for inviting me. The flyer's here. If you're in the Toronto area, I hope you'll come and say hello. I plan to spend the day after visiting Toronto yarn shops. Any recommendations?
Finally, at the end of September, there's the Wolfe Island Fibre Festival. Leave your car in downtown Kingston and walk onto the ferry to the island. The Festival is close by the landing and should be loads of fun, with a focus on local products.
Before I sign off for today, I want to mention that I had tea last Friday with Joan Sharpe of Purlin J's Roving Yarn Company. You can read all about her new yarn-shop-in-a-firetruck here. I love that she plans to show up at all sorts of non-fibre events. Wouldn't you just love to find a yarn shop parked for your convenience at an outdoor concert, especially if you'd just discovered that you accidentally left your socks-on-the-go back home? Joan, who has a background in handknitting design (even though she currently works as a university lab administrator), was wearing a pretty cotton skirt she had knitted and lined (gasp!).



Can't wait to see the actual truck/shop. Best of luck, Joan, with your new moonlighting project!