I feel really fortunate that I was able to attend the very first Knit City in Vancouver, BC. I've been looking forward to this since before I moved up north and it did not disappoint!
I got to attend the marketplace on Saturday and the venue was packed long before the doors even opened. When they did, the crowd poured in! I always walk a few laps around the room to get an overview before diving in to individual booths. This time it would have been hard not to since every booth was full of knitters.
But I'm sort of skipping the best part, jumping right in to tell you about the marketplace. On Friday night, there was a fantastic kick-off party. Look at all these knitters! The sight always warms my heart.
Kim Werker spoke first, telling a room full of knitters why we should love crochet. She answered some great questions, including how to check gauge with crochet, which has always been one of those things that made me hesitate to follow crochet patterns, and how to achieve drape with crochet. I don't know that I'll be crocheting any fitted sweaters in the near future, but it did give me a serious hankering for some granny squares. And Kim's example garment, a gorgeous cabled bolero on Madelinetosh DK with a delicate crochet edging made her point beautifully.
The second speaker was Sylvia Olsen, author of Working With Wool: A Coast Salish Legacy and the Cowichan Sweater, among many other books. Her talk was about the history and impact of Coast Salish knitting and Cowichan sweaters on knitters, their communities, and the people who wore those sweaters. I'm especially fascinated by just that subject since I moved here to Cowichan Bay. Lucky for you Seattle folk, she'll be speaking again at Knit Fit in just a few short weeks! I really encourage you not to miss that. She has slides with pictures of sweaters and knitters galore! (While you're checking out Knit Fit, you can sign up for my class too. There are still spots available, but registration closes soon.)
And look at this batch of local Victoria knitters! It was really fun to meet folks who live in my new community even if they are a bit south of me. In the middle there is the talented Jane Richmond! Hopefully I'll get a chance to knit with these ladies soon.
And now back to the marketplace! This yarn display was stunning, but somehow I missed the name of the yarn! If anybody recognizes the label & knows what it is, please let me know!
And best of all, the Salish Fusion booth. Sylvia Olsen and her daughter Joni Olsen were on hand to answer questions about their hand knitted bags, slippers, sweaters, hats, mitts, leg warmers, and furnishings. Much of their work is felted creating a clean, modern look that melds perfectly with the traditional yarn and geometric patterns of the Coast Salish. They also offered kits so that knitters could make their own projects with their very special wool. And of course a couple of Sylvia's books were available.
All-in-all, it was a successful event & I can't wait for next year!
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It was so great to finally meet you in person Andrea! Lovely recap of the event, I really like your black and white photos, they make things look less hectic somehow, lol. Let me know next time you are in Vic, I promise we won't miss each other this time! ...I think the yarn is Raventwist.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I wish I'd had my photographer (husband) with me at the event - it sure is a challenge getting good indoor photos, so I'm glad you like the black and white. It does give a sort of calming effect. I'll be down south in just a couple weeks, so we'll set something up once I've got solid plans. And thanks for the yarn ID!
ReplyDeleteI was also super excited to meet you too, andrea! also, i really like that black and white photo of us. could i get a copy? i'm STILL thinking and dreaming of knitted pants. and i probably won't stop until i cast on. lol. next time we head up island, i'll be hoping for a knitterly meet up! xo
ReplyDeletePM me on Ravelry with your email address & I'll send along the photo. I need to make some Kalaloch leggings for myself too - I only have my sample and they're perfect for this soggy Vancouver Island weather. Maybe we should have a knit along!
DeleteHi Andrea - that yarn display is Raventwist, formerly known as Rocky Mountain Fibre Works. I bought 4 skeins from her....
ReplyDeleteI also covet your yarn pants! I would totally join a KAL!
Fiona
It was a really wonderful display & I loved it up close. I'll have to see about organizing a pants knit along because we all clearly need wool pants! (Ahem, a bit of damp weather lately?)
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