Saturday, March 01, 2008

Home from Halifax

I have returned from Halifax, NS. It was a business trip, but I have brought back a nice assortment of knitterly things.
About the trip itself... I had a great time. First, I discovered that the hotel where I was staying connected to the building where my company has its offices. 5 minutes, room door to office. Awesome. Then, I found these great cheese biscuits. If you're ever in the area, go to The Red Pepper. They also have this spinach salad that's to die for. I got to eat my cheese biscuit while sitting in my office, enjoying a view of the harbor, and marveling at the sunshine in Nova Scotia in February.

Then, my manager took me to a yarn store during a lunch break. The Loop Cafe was also walking distance from the hotel, which can be a bit troublesome when you consider what came home with me.

Some patterns I'd always wanted but never got around to ordering...


...Legacy Lane yarn, which is local, a soy and merino mix, and incredibly soft. I bought it to make the smoke ring in the picture above. It's so soft, I want it near my face!


Then, there is the Lucy Neatby sock yarn. Not exactly a local rarety, but look at that green. Slight variegation, bottle green, perfect for spring socks, possibly with a leaf motif.


And then, I saw these spindles. It's made by a local woman who collects old broomsticks and uses them to make spindles. It spins and spins and the weight is beautiful, evenly distributed, just right... no, I couldn't resist.


That's it for my Halifax purchases. I came home Thursday night and collapsed onto the bed almost immediately.

Today, Mr. Batty and I went to an Anglican prayer bead workshop at the church we've been going to for the past 3 years or so. First we made our own rosaries, then we tried them out. I'm not sure yet if this is going to be a big part of my spiritual life or not and I'll spare you the theology, but here is the end product of the 'crafty' part of the session.


Not surprisingly, they are distinctly gothic-looking. The red beads are actually a dark burgundy.

20 comments:

IrishGirlieKnits said...

Sounds like a fabulous trip!! I loved your post on the Knittyboards that said the yarn store was featured as a thing to do in a hotel brochure or something (if I remember correctly). How cool!! Walking distance can be very bad too! But looks like you did a great job!!

I love the blue lace. How pretty is that!

And the rosary...I love it! With all the craftiness around, not sure why I've never thought of that. Yours is perfect for you.

The Kelly Green Rogue said...

sounds like a great trip! Fabulous yarn! Cheesy biscuits! No commute time!

The Kelly Green Rogue said...
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Lara said...

I've only been to Halifax once but had to check out the Loop as well--and couldn't resist some Lucy Neatby yarn as well--it simply called to me, in Bittersweet chocolate. Soooo beautiful. Still waiting to find the perfect pattern for my 100g skein. you picked up some beautiful things!!

Bezzie said...

Oh man what a nice sounding trip!

That spindle looks amazing...It looks heavy..mmmm!!!

I had to zoom in on your rosary pic--I thought for a sec the butterfly was a bat. Would that be sacreligious?

Bonnie said...

Mmmm, the Legacy Lane yarn looks incredibly soft and perfect for the smoke ring. Looks like you had a great trip in many ways.

I love your goth rosary.

Elspeth said...

What fun! I want to go to Canada for work too!

Andi said...

Love the rosary!

I remember being in Halifax when I was 5 months pregnant with my son, 19 years ago. It was beautiful! We were doing a driving tour of Nova Scotia in late August. I remember how COLD the North Atlantic ocean was and marveled at how beautiful and rugged the country was. I'd love to go back some day.

Amanda said...

What a lovely trip. It's great when work and knitting go together!

Becky said...

That is a gorgeous rosary. I'm sure it will be a joy to use.

Great yarn, too. That smoke ring will be wonderful to wear. What a fun trip -- even if it was work!

Lauren said...

Your manager took you to the yarn store? That is priceless. :)

Looks like you found some awesome goodies! I really liked Halifax when I went last summer.

Anonymous said...

The manager took you to a yarn store! Wow! Any openings where you work? How cool is that?

The trip sounds good and even relaxing. I'm dreaming of a harbor view. Ahem. And your spindle.

The rosary is lovely. I've always liked prayer beads.

chemgrrl said...

That yarn look heavenly! Glad you had a great trip. :)

Larjmarj said...

Never been to that part of CAnaDA. Always wanted to check it out.
Nice work on the Rosary, you're right, it is sort of goth.
A spindle...is everyone spinning except for me?
I'm gonna come steal that green sock yarn, you'd better lock your doors!

weezalana said...

Sounds like it was a fab trip! And how lucky are you, to have a manager who takes you to the yarn store.

I'm very intrigued by the soy/merino blend - especially you're description of the softness!

ms. pixie riot said...

Next time tell work to send you to Edmonton when they suggest Canada. ;-) Actually my brother just got back from Halifax, too. If you saw a weird kid taking pictures of a stuffed Optimus Prime near every bit of recognizable scenery... ;-)

I LOVE the rosary. I'm not a religious person, but I love the symbolism and beauty and power behind the concept of rosary beads, and I actually own a half a dozen of them myself. I made one for a good friend a while ago, and it was a really fantastic experience.

Carina said...

Mmmm. Green sock yarn. *drool* I luuurrrrve green. I really need to get to knitting some of my green stash up, I'm having the DTs.

Rebel said...

Not a bad haul! I like the soy-merino yarn, it looks really soft.

fleegle said...

Gorgeous yarn! I am envious!

And thanks for your kind words about my sideways seamless sweater!

SuzannaBanana said...

The color of the Legacy Lane yarn is amazing. It's going to make a beautiful Smoke Ring.

I love the rosary and that you made it yourself. What a cool idea to give you a more personal connection to your church.