East Coast goodies
I'm quite happy with the multi-craftual indulgences I made during my holiday -- I even managed to add a whole new craft to my list of things to do! I hope you're not expecting heaps and piles of yarn, because I'm pretty cheap. (Last year at Rhinebeck? I spent $40.) And I'll tell you right now there's no Fleece Artist, because I can find that here. When I travel I like to buy things that I can't get at home. (See how I'm trying to lower your expectations? Is it working?) 
I started off being predictable: the first thing I bought was yarn! I bought this skein of 2-ply laceweight Shetland wool at the Loop in downtown Halifax. The yarn is from the Last Resort Farm in Malagash, Nova Scotia, which (gasp!) doesn't have a website. It's only 400 yards, but I'm going to squeeze a Swallowtail Shawl out of it -- maybe without the nupps, to make sure there's enough. I love this natural light grey colour. 
I mentioned Chéticamp and rug hooking in my Nova Scotia post, and that I had bought a kit at the craft co-op there. I nearly chose a graphic design of a lighthouse but ended up picking a non-picture design of squares. I just have to figure out something to use as a frame for the burlap. (Any suggestions are welcome!) The burlap has to be taut and parallel to the ground; then you hold the yarn underneath and bring it up in little loops with the hook. When it gets really cold this winter, you'll find me nestled on the couch with this little hook in my hand... 
As we drove through the Cape Breton town of Mabou, I saw a small roadside sign with a sheep on it. High alert! Then another sign, with the sheep, that said YARN. Stop the car! We followed a series of these little signs until we arrived at Bellemeade Farm and its little shop. There was a whole wall of rugged worsted-weight wool in lots of colours, but nothing was really calling out to me -- and then I saw the thrummed mitten kits. Perfect! I've always meant to knit a pair of thrummed mitts. The wool I chose for the mittens is an undyed oatmeal colour, and the roving is big blobs of rainbow colours (red, green, purple, yellow, orange, blue, and pink). I'm excited to knit these. 
Finally, I bought two fat quarters of Anne of Green Gables fabric just before leaving P.E.I. They're awfully precious, I know, but cut up into squares and worked into a quilt someday, they'll be nice little souvenirs of the trip. (But can you believe that one says "Anne Shirly"? What the heck? And I always thought Diana had dark hair, but am I just thinking of the movie? Was she blonde in the book?)
So that's it! All things I can't get here, and all things that will remind me of a great holiday. Anyway, I needed to save just a little money for Rhinebeck. Yes, you heard me. I said Rhinebeck. Will I see you there?
16 comments:
I'll be at Rhinebeck. I'm going on a day trip on Sunday. I'm pretty excited. I'm saving my yarn dollars. How possible is it to get enough yarn for a sweater? Or should I be thinking smaller?
I love the Anne fabric, even with the mysterious typo, and I think you're right about Diana. Doesn't Anne go on about her "raven hair" at some point?
J.
I made a swallowtail out of a 400-yard skein of laceweight and I had tons leftover, so I don't think you need to worry about running short. Oh, and Diana definitely had dark hair in the books.
Oh that fabric is just the sweetest! And, yes, I'm quite sure Diana had dark hair in the book.
Why did I just post a comment as my husband? I didn't even know he had a blogger account!
Had you considered a needlepoint frame? They're not very expensive, and you tack the burlap to the frame, so you can get it pretty tight.
A quilters hoop works nicely if the piece isn't too big. I have also seen someone tack carpet tacks -- you know the strips of wood with little nails coming out? -- onto a picture frame and then put carpet padding on top of the nails (for safety and comfort!). I have always used the quilter hoop, but the picture frame sounds good because the burlap tends to slip in the hoop and lose its tension, so it needs a lot of adjusting.
Have fun with your rug hooking project! I can't wait to see your results.
Diana for sure had dark hair... You mentioned all those Japanese tourists... maybe there's some weird translation thing where dark means light and the letter "e" disappears from things. The fabric is adorable anyway. I totally would have bought some too.
Nope, you are right. Diana had dark hair. Anne was very envious of it.
Yeah, I'm re-reading Anne of Green Gables right now and Diana absolutely has dark hair and appley cheeks. Ruby was a blonde...but Diana was brunette. Ah well. If they get "Shirley" wrong, then I guess everything else is fair game!
Thats a great lot of buys!
My husband and I went on a road trip to Cape Breton this summer too, and I saw the Bellemeade Farm signs. Good thing I was driving because my husband would never have stopped. He was napping until we were practically there so he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, now did he? Anyway, I got some great hand-painted sock yarn.
You're right about Diana's hair.
Diana most certainly had the black hair that had Anne so very envious. And yes, she is hugely popular in Japan. I bought a first edition of Kilmeny of the Orchard a few years ago in Toronto and the bookseller had me swear I wasn't going to sell it off to Japan. I was just thrilled that LM Montgomery's reach was so wide and so far.
As for the rug hooking, a small quilter's frame should work--you can find ones made of PVC pipe that work great--and if your burlap doesn't fit, sew strips of extra fabric down along the sides to give it a bigger reach. Enjoy! I used to do hooking like that when I was a kid in the 70s. My mom was big into it. My aunt still does, but with fabric strips rather than yarn.
Rhinebeck!
theres a picture of a frame here http://www.suehawkins.com/index.php?view=tapestry&collref=frames
That fabric is OOC. I'm so jealous.
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