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Happy Knitting!

One ball short!!

Most of us have had this experience.  You are happily knitting/crocheting away only to discover that you are short just ONE BALL!  It can be so frustrating and sometimes impossible to track down a matching skein that has the same dye lot.  So what do you do when this happens?  Sometimes it's just impossible to finish the project without another skein and it ends up being frogged.  Other times you can rip back enough or change the pattern just enough to finish it.  And sometimes you can just add a new colour.

I have been happily knitting away making the "Two-way Shrug & Tank" in a mercerized cotton in red. I had finished the top part of the tank and was getting ready to cast on for the bottom.  Only to discover I had not set aside enough yarn...and of course it was sold out! So what to do?  Fortunately I was at a point in the project where I could change the colour.  So I decided on blue.  I figured it would look nautical.  But 3 rows into the bottom I realized it was less nautical and more gladiator/superwoman looking.  Not willing to quit at this point I carried on and fortunately had my lovely ladies at stitch night to complain to.

So what does one do when they have created a superwoman tank top?  Put on your gold heels and head to karaoke on Independence day with all your friends dressed in red white and blue of course! And that's just what we did.  Thank you to all my awesome knitting ladies who came out last night in red, white and blue. We had a wonderful time and my superwoman top made it's debut.  And to top it all off we had to sing "Party in the U.S.A" by Miley Cyrus since it was the 4th of July.

What to wear?

Our last Sex and the City Stitch Night at Tough City Sushi.

Part of the reason Sex and the City Stitch Night was started is because living in a smaller community there aren't as many opportunities to wear our stilettos and dresses for a night out on the town.  This past Stitch Night discussion turned to what we were going to wear for the upcoming Sex and the City night on August 15th!  Living remotely we typically have to plan a bit ahead.  We have some lovely local boutiques here in town but if you are looking for a particular style/size sometimes you need to either shop online or head to Nanaimo and beyond for some shopping!  This brought us to sharing our favourite online shopping places and I thought you might be interested to see as well!  So while at work if you need a break from browsing patterns on Ravelry these are fun sites to make some wish lists on! ;)

dress911.com - free shipping and returns in Canada!
modcloth.com - great dresses, tops...well all of it is great!
shopruche.com - vintage inspired clothing.
endless.com - literally endless in terms of the amazing shoes that are available at great prices
shoes.com - so many shoes...
aldoshoes.com - all the Aldo styles you love online.  Make sure to select Canada!

And if you want to get really fancy and original and don't mind spending a bit more you can design your own shoes here!!

shoesofprey.com

What are some of your favourite sites to browse?  We would love to hear from you!!

Fun Run and Accessories

A couple of knitters getting ready to run the 1/2 marathon!

What a fun and busy weekend here in Tofino!  With the Rip Curl surf competition and the Edge to Edge Marathon Tofino was buzzing!  I had the pleasure of meeting another knitter who was also running the 1/2 marathon!  We even discussed future knitting projects while waiting for the race to start that we could wear while running (leg warmers were the project we discussed)!

My favourite leg warmers...Romeo! Haha just had to add this photo in for fun!

I finished my first ever 1/2 marathon in the Edge to Edge this weekend which has been one of my goals!  Very excited to have that one done and I'm looking forward to attempting other 1/2 marathons in the future.  And a big thank you to all the amazing volunteers who helped make the marathon so fun.  So many amazing people handing out water, guiding runners and traffic as well as encouraging us along the way.  They really made the run so much more fun!  If you want to participate next year keep your eyes on this website.  With relay teams, 1/2 marathon and full marathon options there are lots of ways you can participate if you want!

Beautiful entrelac gloves that are in Knitscene Accessories.

AND speaking of accessories (well kinda...I mentioned leg warmers!) we just got in the Knitscene Accessories special issue.  This is a very popular one so be sure to come in and get it while you can!  Lots of fun little projects that you can take anywhere!

Hitting the road!

Gourmet Crafter Yarn in our new hand crafted wooden yarn bowls from White Rock!

This Sunday marks the first of 5 festivals that Knits by the Sea will be attending in 2012.  I'm very excited to return to the 100 Mile Fleece and Fibre fair in Coombs as last year it was so much fun!  There were tons of great vendors from within 100 miles plus with all their great fleece, yarn and finished products.  This year I have an assortment of BC yarns that I will be bringing with me including my newly arrived Gourmet Crafter yarn hand dyed in Vancouver.  I will also have Sweatermaker, Sweet Georgia, Indigo Moon and Sylvia Macpherson yarns.  I will also be bringing my special kits that are only available at Knits by the Sea including the Whale Watching Wellie warmer kit, Tuff Love Sock Kit, and I Heart Whale kits!  So be sure to stop by and say hello!  We will be at the Bradley Centre in Coombs!

I can knit so I can garden right?

That's the theory I'm going on this year.  I've never had a green thumb.  Ever.  I tend to start strong with planting something and lose interest when I forget to water it and then I have to try and revive it.  Forget to water it, try to revive it.  You get the picture.  Since I don't really have a green space of my own I have decided my back deck is the spot.  So this year I am determined to grow something.  Anything!  Fortunately I have the lovely OCN Garden Centre here with knowledgable staff to help me.  I have picked out some plants that are apparently very hearty and will grow in a variety of conditions.  Bamboo for decoration, lavender because I love the smell, daisies, lettuce and kale.  I also have a variety of herbs I am attempting to grow as well.  I figure if there is the benefit of eating it at the end I might be a little more motivated to care for it.

Parka is supervising me mixing dirt.

Even Romeo gets to come out and enjoy the deck gardening!

Knitting has taught me patience, perseverance and that swearing can sometimes help.  So I'm hoping this will translate to helping me try this gardening thing.  The only difference is if my knitting angers me I can leave it for days, weeks, months even years.  Probably not a good idea for the garden.

Juliet prefers the shady spot.

Fantastic Night!

Well a huge thank you to all the amazing ladies who came out for our 4th Sex and the City Stitch Night!  This was our best turn out so far with 14 awesome ladies all dressed up and ready to knit and eat yummy sushi.  Thank you to Tough City Sushi for being such great hosts and accommodating our large group.  There was lots of checking out everyone's shoes and outfits, yummy sushi and lots of laughs.  And as always we ended the night at karaoke singing our standard "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey which seems to have become a bit of a tradition!

And a big thank you to all the amazing ladies who participated in our first ever Stiletto Day!  Tofino isn't the easiest town to wear heels in (see our video "Stiletto Off-Roading") but you showed of your heels anyways!  Love the Dental Office ladies' photo they sent in.  Great photo ladies!  This will be an annual day so stay tuned for details on next years Stiletto Day!