Fall knitting

Fall has arrived, and it seems everyone is back in knitting mode. Maybe it's the chilly mornings begging for a cozy scarf, or the beautiful colors surrounding us, golds and reds, greens and browns. Maybe it's the return of the Pumpkin spice latte that is the perfect companion for your WIP.

I can certainly say that for me, I am back scowering Ravelry, and reading up on all knitting blogs to see what's new and exciting. I think I am not the only one to be thrilled about the recent release of "Coastal Knits". Ever since I pre-ordered it and got the pattern for the Rocky Coast cardi, I've been obsessively thinking of the right yarn to use for it. I even knitted up a swatch in some yarn I already had, but I find it too stiff. It does not do it justice. So the search continues. I've ordered the sample booklet from "Quince and Co" , because I've heard so much about it, maybe it's a good choice. Anyone have any suggestions?

One last summer adventure

I’ve always had a soft-spot for hot air balloons. I find them incredibly romantic and beautiful. This is why, when six years ago they started to hold a hot air balloon festival outside of Montreal, I was thrilled. But every year something prevented me from going.

This year however, nothing was going to stop me. We chose to go the first day the festival opened, as the weatherman promised clear skies, and set off. As an hour drive turned into three, I started to suspect that everyone had had the same brilliant idea. And of course I was not prepared, no toys, no snacks, no distractions. But we were strong, and our patience was rewarded with a parking spot about a 20 minute walk away from the action.

The festival included open-air concerts, inflatable bouncy castles, rides for all ages, food and of course, the balloons. There were over 100 hot air balloons of all shapes and colors scheduled to take flight that evening. How exciting!

We quickly grabbed some sandwiches, and ran to the field to secure a good spot to watch the wonders unfold. After a bit of a wait, because some unexpected clouds decided to shed a few rain-drops, we were delighted with:

What, you mean you cannot see it? Look closely! See that little spot waaaaaaay up in the sky? It’s not a smudge on the lens, it’s a balloon all right! Granted, not a hot air balloon, but….this was all we got to see. The rain had delayed things so much, that it was too late to fly. Did you know that they do not even take the balloons out of the trailer if they do not fly?

Yeah, so feeling completely “deflated” (pardon the pun), we debated what to do. The only way to salvage the outing was to make sure that at least one of us was going to have some fun, so we headed for the inflatable bouncy castles. A few line ups later, the sun was beginning to set and we were trying to convince A., that it was time to go, when  I noticed…..hot air balloons!?

A few of the participants had in the end decided to inflate the balloons, so as to give the crowd at least a glimpse of what we missed. So we did not get to see 100 balloons fly across the sky, but you have to agree that even this sight is stunning.

Summer sweater KAL, mission complete!

It’s done! I am so proud! A few hiccups along the way, but I’ve been able to overcome all these little obstacles, and I’ve learned quite a bit (my favorite being the super-stretchy-bind off). It’s my first adult size project, and even though it took 3 months to complete, I am hoping that with time I will get faster.

I convinced my husband this morning to come to the nearest park and take pictures of me modeling the cardi, and he did really well I think (I can’t blame him for my frizzy hair, right?).

Now….feel free to shower me with compliments..;-p

Our visit to the coast of Maine

As kids, we spent at least two weeks at the seaside every summer. Romania has a beautiful coastline, and we always had a blast being there on vacation.

I remember waking up early, eating in the garden, then marching down to the beach, our towels and beach-toys trailing behind us. We would return in the late afternoon, our skin still hot from the sun, and smelling like salt-water. Magical wouldn't you agree?

To me, no vacation is complete without a stop at a beach. I love the smell of the sea, the feeling of your toes digging into the sand. Since we spend a few days in Boston back in July we decided to stop by Ogunquit for a few days before heading back to Montreal. And it was a great few days. The weather was incredible, and it felt good to just lie in the sun, finish a book and listen to A. giggling while playing in the sand. The only drawback really was the freezing cold water, and by freezing, I really do mean, teeth cchattering, lips turning blue, feet feeling numb kind of cold. What else can you call a water-temperature of 54 Fahrenheit (that's 12 Celsius)?
Here's a few shots of our time spent there.

On another note, my cardi is almost finished...I am actually meeting he (extended) deadline!!!

KAL standstill

My Featherweight Cardi progress has come to a screeching halt!

The body is finished, and I just bound off the collar part….and tried it on…well, let’s just say, I’m going to have to redo the last part.

Here’s my dilemma. I decided to work the collar in a K1, P1 rib. But because it is a lace-weight yarn worked on larger size needles, it looks a bit like a lace pattern, and I like that, but, still, a K1, P1 rib will end up gathering the fabric  (if you know what I mean), so now the front looks short, and almost ruched.  NOT a good look. So I will have to unravel it and redo it in a plain stockinette……ahhhhh, frustrating!  I Can’t bring myself to undo it just yet…..

Boston

I've always complained that I feel isolated living in Montreal, that all vacation destinations are too far. To overcome this mental block, this year we took a road-trip to Boston.

A six hour car ride may sound like a nightmare when traveling with a three-year old, but a trip to the Dollarstore provided us with enough distractions for the drive. The studio booked, the directions printed, and our stops strategically planned out, we left early on a Saturday morning. I took full advantage of the long drive to work on my KAL cardigan and made great progress.

Now let me tell you about Boston. I loved it, we all did! It did not stop us one bit that we were there during the heat-wave, we were out all day, every day. We stayed in the North End, or Little Italy, within walking distance to a multitude of restaurants, cafes, pastry shops, as well as Quincy Market and the harbor. A great location! We spend a lot of time in the Public Gardens and Boston Common to cool off, but we also visited Beacon Hill and Harvard, the Children's museum and the Museum of Fine Arts. Quite a bit for a five day trip. Our planning was based mostly on information from Frommers, a great source.

I will leave you with a few of my favorite shots of our trip.

Next time... I'll tell you all about Ogunquit beach in Maine.

KAL Progress

What a summer! I can say that this one is the first in a long time that I am thoroughly enjoying. I’ve been able to put worries aside, but to be honest also housework and all other chores to really focus on absorbing the good weather. I could get used to this!

I’ll be posting about our trip to Boston and Maine in the next few weeks, but I wanted to give you a glimpse of the progress I’ve made on my Featherweight cardigan. I knew that a 6 hour drive each way would come in handy. I really like how this is coming along. My sister was kind enough to model this time. Not bad right?