Nordic Wind Shawl

Hard to believe but it's almost ten months since my trip to Vancouver, BC, and what a busy trip it was - you can read all my posts here.   While there I visited the yarn store, Three Bags Full, and one of my purchases was five balls of  Istex Lettlopi from Iceland - it's an Aran/10 ply 100% wool.  

Exploring Vancouver BC - Three Bags Full

Anyone following me on Instagram and Facebook will be well aware from all the pics I've been posting that I've just spent nine days in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

It's been an incredible trip and I've so much to share I'll have to break it down over two or three blog posts.  For those who love wool as much as I do this is the post for you!!!

A short #3 bus journey from the Downtown Vancouver waterfront up Main Street to 28th Street drops you off at the door of Three Bags Full yarn store.  I headed up there one-day last week intending to stay a while then take a walk on to a fabric shop I'd heard about.

Well, I fell in love with the store, forgot my previous plans and sat on this gorgeous sofa for the next four hours knitting and chatting with staff and other customers.

I couldn't resist taking lots of pics (with permission) to share with you and wait till you see all the scrumptious yarn and fabulous colours.

This is the view as you walk in the store...

...on the right there's some fab accessories/notions, locally sourced hand turned bodkin cases, needles and more

and did you spot the incredible baskets in the front window and displayed around the store?

These Baba Tree African baskets are ethically made by the weavers of Bolgatanga, northern Ghana, you can read more about them here.  In store prices start at CAN $22 and this little beauty just had to come home with me (as did the wool you can see in it but more about that later!).

Alongside the baskets you might also have spotted this Noro yarn

and Elisa, who works in the store, is busy knitting some of it up as a table runner.

I think she's going to felt it for this inviting 'sit and knit at me' table in the centre of the store

and she's already created this felted sample that's also on display.

More shelves of Noro on the left, I tried not to notice them too much, it's one of my favourite yarns and I've already got lots in my stash!

I know many of you love Koigu sock yarn - check out this wall full of it.

And more sock yarn by Franziska Uhl, hand dyed in Germany

If you're looking for a little Canadian something to take home how about this Prairie Wool?

More scrumptious colour on the centre table - if I remember rightly this is Bhada wool from the Netherlands - perfect for wet and dry felting -

 alongside this Kid Silk Haze from Rowan

I'm crazy for this wool having used it several years ago in the Ghost colourway to make this Kim Hargreaves designed 'Down' jumper.

  More eye candy

and then I spotted this particular wall of wool...

 

...how I love these soft colours

it's Lopi Lettlopi from Iceland.

I just couldn't resist and when Elisa showed me it knitted up in a Nordic Wind shawl I knew I had to replicate it - the pattern by cabinfour is available to purchase here on Ravelry and those five balls of wool are all mine!

Update at February 2016:

I've made my own Nordic Wind Shawl now - you can read more about it here.

 For good measure here's a couple more pics of the walls

and then the notions section right by where I settled up for my purchases.

I think I was very restrained, don't you?!!!

Elisa and May, who were working in the store the day I visited, were so welcoming and helpful and we've already become Ravelry friends; I just wish I lived closer and could pop back regularly.

For full details of everything Three Bags Full has in store and online you can visit their website here.  Their classes page is here and they're also on Instagram, Facebook, and Ravelry and their blog is a great follow, full of eye candy.

Three Bags Full Knit Shop

4458 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

If you love yarn and are visiting Vancouver I highly recommend you take a trip out to this wonderful store, I'm so glad I did - Chris :D

Read my second Exploring Vancouver post The Cloth Shop and my third about my Sea To Sky Highway Road Trip by clicking the images below:

For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my sidebar :D

Clicking on an image will take you to a new page of crafty goodness :)

 

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.

It's So Long Since I Expect You've Forgotten!

   

Several weeks ago I took my first trip out to San Francisco.  When I got back I posted about my visit to the Britex fabric store and left you with a promise of more to follow, then life got super busy, the way life does, and I'm only now getting around to my follow up post.

My visit to Britex was wonderful but I had another day to kill while Simon was working so I decided to explore on my own and use the time to visit a wool shop - I was getting around on foot so I set off on a 40 minute walk from Union Square to Atelier Yarns at 1945 Divisadero Street.

Welcome to Atelier Yarns, an independent, family-owned store specialising in luxurious, natural and hand-dyed fibres.  I'm not going to list the vast number of brands and yarns stocked, they are all here for you to see on their website and they do classes too, listed here.  I felt at home immediately and the staff made me incredibly welcome, even getting me a chair and setting me up in front of all the pattern books so I could enjoy looking through them all.

That's my chair and there's even a fountain running outside the back door.

Once I'd found some patterns I liked the staff helped me choose appropriate yarns.

I want to make this little jacket for my grandson-to-be

and this hat too

I'll make them to match and here's the yarn I bought - Adriafil Knitcol trends, superwash merino wool, colourway 57 - Botticelli Fancy.

After chatting with other customers I had a wander around the rest of the store

let's do a close up on this section - I spotted this fantastic rabbit fur that I just couldn't resist

I had a dilemma over what colour to buy and finally opted for the mink brown to make a cowl that matches the brown rabbit fur ear muffs I wear throughout each winter.

It's not cheap and you knit it alongside this Debbie Bliss yarn - it's $86.95 for the kit which includes the two yarns and pattern but I'm very excited to make it and wear it next winter.

When I finally left the store I'd been there over two hours and the time had flown by.

I continued walking on to Mrs Doubtfire's house

and then set off on my return journey walking down Fillmore Street, a young shopping district, where I enjoyed checking out the shops and eating an unbelievably large lunch at La Boulange that I just couldn't finish 

and later a scrummy frozen yoghurt from fraiche.

And just a few more pics from the trip to whet your appetite

I was pleased to discover the guys on Alcatraz were taught crochet as one of their activities.

Sailing past Alcatraz on the way out to Sausalito.

Walking from Sausalito to the Golden Gate Bridge

 Walking the Golden Gate Bridge 

'The crookedest street in the world' - Lombard Street

I also want to give a mention to Virgin America as they exceeded my every expectation in flying out to San Fran.  You may recall from my post about my last trip to Seville that being gluten free I don't particularly enjoy airplane food/snacks and breakfast in particular - rice cakes are most airlines' gluten free food of choice.

This was not the case on Virgin America so while I was still up in the air, I just had to Instagram and tweet this pic of the gluten free crackers they served me with a cheese selection and red wine.  Absolutely delish.

And look what Virgin America tweeted back to me straight away

What a fab flight, wine, scrummy food, watching trashy TV, catching up on my emails, tweeting, Instagramming

and, of course, knitting

I loved San Francisco and I'm looking forward to going back and exploring more, especially all the fabric stores and fab foodie places my new quilty friend, Christopher @The Tattooed Quilter has told me about.

 My next trip is planned for August with Flicky and I just can't wait :D

For details of other fabric, yarn, trim and notion stores that I've visited around the world along with the NYC stores I love, exhibitions and events I've attended and wonderful people I've been lucky to meet click the links below or in my sidebar :D

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only, no payment or commission is received on click-throughs and opinions are my own.