I have just come back from a lovely holiday in Canada. I went to Quebec for 2 weeks and had an absolutely amazing time. Montreal and Quebec City were really interesting cities to look round, and I loved staying in the national parks. We visited Mont Tremblant and the Jacques Cartier parks and did some lovely walks, canoeing, via ferrata.....I wish I was still on holiday!
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| La Dauphine sock yarn collection! |
They also really know how to do yarn shops over there too. In Quebec City I visited the La Dauphine shop. They had the best selection of sock yarn I have ever seen in one place. A whole wall of it! I came away with a great selection.
Montreal had several yarn shops to choose from, but as I did not want to bore my other half too much we just got to visit the amazing
Effiloche. The nice thing about looking for yarn shops is that it often takes you to parts of the city that you would not normally visit as a tourist. We walked there from the city centre and it took us through some really interesting bohemian places, unusual architecture and some great cafes. The staff were really friendly in the shop and they also had a great selection of yarn. It was nice to choose some that was locally made and I cannot get at home. I think beautiful yarn is one of the best keepsakes from a holiday. What is better than wearing some handknitted socks or jumper that reminds you of a great holiday? I also brought some really pretty fabric to sew that I have not seen before either. It seemed like a great shop with lots of opportunity to learn new skills. I guess space is easier to come by in Canada as both shops I visited were much larger than the independant wool shops in Britain. I think our shops are starting to become more like theirs though with a better selection of yarn than previously and more of a community feel.
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| Jacques Cartier park |
Whilst in Canada I knitted myself some pocketbook slippers. This was a really easy pattern - just right for taking on holiday. They are lovely and cozy, and look great with the buttons I brought in Montreal. They would make great presents. It was really nice to sit out by the campfire, roasting marshmallows and knitting, looking at the stars and watching out for cheeky raccoons!
