Arrivals

Its a tough decision, choosing which arrival was more exciting this past week. I guess there is some truth in the old saying-good things come in three's. First, the arrival of baby birds in the deck rafters. After waiting more than two weeks, I began to have some doubts about the overly compulsive mother robin building two tidy little nests side by side with pretty blue eggs in each, desperately trying to sit on both for equal periods of time. But on Wednesday morning, the father robin was singing a beautiful clear melody, proudly announcing the arrival of at least one baby.

The next arrival came on Thursday in the form of five large cardboard boxes, a delivery man was hauling in a stack of them on his cart- the first of the new Fall yarns have arrived! The colours are wonderfully bright and cheerful, jewel tones in deep turquoise, purple, coral, lime, and fuschia, a real change from past seasons. It was a long but enjoyable day unpacking each box and finding just the right place for these yarns. I am always amazed how quickly a knitter can spot something brand new in the store, it must be a psychic thing.

The third arrival was later the same evening, the thump, thump of military helicopters as they escorted world leaders from Toronto to Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville for the G8. I must be on a flight path because the treetops were really stirred up by the blades as they swooshed past. A long awaited event for our area, and it will be over so quickly.

A Knitters Boat Cruise

Well........the weather was a little discouraging, as we left Muskoka in our rain gear, hands clasped around warm cups of tea and coffee. But by the time we arrived in Peterborough and boarded the boat for our lift lock cruise, the sun was peeking through the clouds. For our Spring Knitters Tour, on Sunday June 6th, we invited a guest along for lunch, Christina Pridie, who brought some amazing handspun alpaca yarns and her latest sweater designs, all part of a trunk show.

Christina is a Peterborough designer who is very excited about the opening of her own studio. Most of her knitwear designs are worked in the round, eliminating seams. She has been selling her handknitting for years and finally at the request of her customers, has decided to sell her original design patterns as well. Christina will have her patterns available very shortly on ravelry.com. Here she is at the head of the boat, passing samples of her designs around to our group of knitters for inspection. After lunch, we did a little bit of yarntasting, knitting and crocheting with some of her alpaca and silk blends. Now thats a classic cardigan in black, all knit in the round. There was so much to see, the scenery kept changing all around us, and the afternoon went by too quickly. On the bus ride home we had time to knit a few rows on our projects. The next Knitters Tour will be in September, a weekend away in Finger Lakes, New York at the Fibre Arts Festival. Here is a peek at the amazing scenery, also known as Napa Valley of the north.

Crochet On The Runway

There is something about crochet that just breathes s u m m e r, its light and airy, and freshens up any wardrobe after the heavy layers of winter have long since been packed away. Cottons and linens are the perfect fibres to slide across a crochet hook and they keep their cool when the temperature rises. Crochet is showing up on the runway this season making a bold statement with a retro feel. Remember the crocheted bikinis and the long lacy tunics from the 70's?? Here are a few of the latest designs from some of the top designers.

From Charles David- mixes cotton, wood and leather in a breezy open toe sling back.

From Chanel- a sweet and sophisticated summer dress knit in an openwork stitch with crochet detail.

For evenings out on the town, a bit of glamour in simple but elegant drop earrings crocheted in a circular motif.

From Chanel- a lacy knit cardigan in a silk and cotton blend beautifully adorned with knit and crochet flowers and delicate bobble trim.

From Dolce and Gabbana- texture abounds in this stylish handbag crocheted in a heavy cotton yarn.

Feeling inspired to pick up a hook and learn the art of crochet, this summer we will have workshops for beginners.