For those of you reading from afar and not familiar with where I live and have my shop, Canmore, Alberta is located in the spectacular Canadian Rockies, just five minutes east of Banff National Park. What I love about living here (among many things), is being so close to nature and wildlife. I see deer and/or elk weekly, and almost daily sometimes, when walking the dogs. And occasionally I see one of these guys lurking around the back yard of our house, like I did this morning:



Yup, that's a coyote taking in a little sunshine. His friend trotted off when I went out on the deck to get a photo, but I did manage to get a shot in.



And for anyone who has dogs, you might appreciate the fact that even their wild canine cousins do a little boot-scoot'n boogie from time to time too!

Here are some photos of my recently felted rug. It was knit in Deluxe Chunky Tones from Universal Yarns. This is a bulky weight yarn that felted really fast, with the resulting fabric coming out about as thick as if you'd double-stranded two worsted weight yarns.

Before...

Pre-felt size was 37.5” x 46”; finished size 25” x 32” and I've used my dog, Faith, as a model here for a sense of scale.

After...


Last week we got a ton of new books on knitting and crocheting in at the shop (more about that in another post...), including some books on felting, as well as copies of "The Knitted Rug" by Donna Druhan, upon which my felted rug was based. So do stop by and check them out!

Here's the result of the Malabrigo Aquarella/AddiTurbo combo: a fast 'n easy finished object (FO). This neckwarmer uses just one ball of yarn and knits up in less than an hour. It's from a pattern is called "Fourteen" and is a free download from Ravelry.

A shot of Malabrigo Aquarella just waiting to be knit up on AddiTurbos...life doesn't get much better!

The squares for my felted rug are done and ready for assembly. I've decided to do a throw rug and I have twenty 9.5-inch squares done up that I'll put in a 4-square by 5-square layout. I had originally thought 4 by 6, but it just seemed proportionately too long, so I'll have a few squares left to play with.



I am anticipating that the felting process will shrink the whole thing by 30 per cent and if all goes as planned the finished size will be about 26 x 33 inches. If all doesn't go as planned, I guess the dogs will have a new mat to lie on!



It's all a learning process--not the knitting this time round, but in thinking that I should be knitting something more difficult, more important. Customers would come in the store to purchase yarns for a fabulous sweater, or cabled mittens or a lace shawl, and there I was churning out mere squares!

How many times do we feel this way in life, not just in knitting; feeling that we should be doing something bigger, better, more challenging, more important? When in reality it's totally okay to relax, to enjoy simplicity and to not always set monumental challenges for ourselves. I'm not saying goals aren't good, or we shouldn't challenge ourselves in our knitting...just not all the time. Because, as recent post on Knitting Daily says:

"Sometimes we forget: Knitting is supposed to be fun. It's what we choose to do in our free time, it's what we do for ourselves—to calm ourselves, to enjoy the rhythm of stitches, to revel in the feel of yarn slipping through our fingers."

Just in: another shipment of the new Addi Click interchangeable needles. Yay! We sold out of the first shipment and and due to their popularity, have waited a couple of months for this one to arrive.
The Addi-Clicks provide 10 pairs of different sized AddiTurbo needle tips from 3.5mm to 10mm, plus three different lengths of those amazingly pliable Addi cords, which come in 60 cm, 80 cm and 100 cm (24, 32 and 40-inch) lengths. By using either one cord or combining two cords with the connector that comes with the package, you can get six different circular needle lengths: from 60 cm (24 inch);to 183 cm (72 inch). That means that you will always have the right size and length of needle when you need it!

So the next time your gauge calls for a needle one size larger or smaller than you anticipated, you just switch needle tips and you are ready to knit. Can't beat that! Call today to reserve your set.

There are still a couple of spaces left in our upcoming "Toe-up Socks" class that runs three Saturday mornings (March 7, 14 & 21) from 10:30AM – 12:30 PM.

If you're already a sock knitter, this class will build on your skills and teach you a new technique, and if you've never knit a sock...well, here's your chance to learn how to make one of the most popular knitting projects!

Please call us at shop if you'd like to register: 403-609-5582.