Such Fun

Hiking the Rogue – the trail head is just across the street from the B&B
#wearyourknitting – Snow Gaze Cowl and Headband in speckled hand dyed organic cotton from Birdies Knits.

Camera dad and I are still kicking it up here in Canada for treatment, but I had to pause to gush – I got to meet a couple of you wonderful knitters in real life!

Meeting the lovely Kerstin (aka LadyOlivia) and her hubby at David’s Tea was a real treat. Kerstin has a love of all things alpaca and runs an indie shop (soon to be online only) selling gorgeous yarn and finished objects. So if you are looking for alpaca yarn (particularly naturally dyed) or need a finished object and have no time to stitch, check her out… her knitting is flawless, even, and lovely!

Another first for me was the blessing of meeting an indie designer in real life! Say “hi” to Carolyn of The Next Beautiful Thing! Carolyn specializes in relaxing easy knits. I’ve knit her “No Place Like Home” slippers four times now and keep wearing through them. The pattern is great – perfect for knitting by the fire while watching TV on a cold winter’s night. We chatted and laughed all night long.

And then she surprised me with

That’s right, Puddles and I are both returning to the GAL this year – him as the official mascot and me as a full admin / designer. Carolyn has even been cajoled into joining the mod squad – you’ll find her in the “hats” KAL/ CAL!

Speaking of GAL fun, the 6th annual GAL is coming up! For those of you new to the GAL it is a six week long knit/ crochet – along of epic proportions! We have over 300 indie designers signed up this year. I’m especially pleased to announce a strong showing for crochet too. The designers worked hard finding the best of the best and encouraging them to join our event so we’d be more stitch “style” inclusive. In addition to the new faces, a lot of familiar names are returning, some for their 6th year! Pop over to the Indie Design Gift-a-long to join the pre-GAL chat. I’ll be sharing more in the coming weeks!