The Story of my Hat

Last night, I attended the Toronto Knitters Guild meeting. Those are always fun and entertaining and I enjoy sharing knitting talk with passionate makers.

A few of us met for dinner beforehand at L'Espresso and one of the knitters showed us her fabulous hat! I made a joke about MY little hat- I'm sure hers took 300 hours to make and mine took 3!

My friends encouraged me to show the item during Show-and-Tell because the beginner knitters in the audience should see some simple works to inspire them.

So my little hat was featured during that segment of the meeting!

I used Lana Grande, a Peruvian Highland Wool distributed by Cascade Yarn. It didn't look that great in the ball but I had used that yarn before for a hat I gave away and it had worked out well so I bought this ball for half the price- yes, Kyle Vey of Vector Knits,  sometimes a good price influences me to buy a yarn.

The candy-cane effect of the yarn (white and grey) looked smashing as it was knit up!

I showed a trick for putting on a pompom.

Insert the two legs of the pompom on either side of the closure hole and run them through a large button. Tie a bow. This helps the pompom from flopping around.

My pompom is a fake fur one...I thought I was being ecological but my daughter who works in fashion in Paris said those are the worst!! Made of plastic, very bad for the environment. I should source out real fur from reputable companies that have their own fur farms and treat the animals in a  humane way.

Well, I am not getting a fur pompom from Louis Vuitton for my $6 hat!

Food for thought, though!

Umbria, Italy

A few friends and I will be visiting Umbria next summer. We are all artists and we will be collecting ideas for future art works.

Garden where I stay

Walk from the villa to the town 

A few friends sketching on a hot afternoon

Being inspired in Italy! Can't think of anything better.

A collage I made one day after an earthquake!

I've collected ideas from Umbria before. My booklet, shown here, is full of sketches and comments and inspiration to translate into art work, stories, textile work or quilts.

Typical views

Medieval town of Trevi

These pictures were taken by me on a previous visit to Umbria.

Visiting Verona

Roman bridge, Ponte Pietra

Verona's Adige river and Ponte Pietra

Some of my favourite scenes in Verona. I took those one evening while walking home.

Knitting In Italy

I am really excited about my next visit to Italy!! Ten friends and I are going to Verona and we'll be knitting!

Arena, Verona's Amphitheatre

We'll be mainly in Verona but will visit the Lessinia region, the Valpolicella region and Lake Garda.

Looking forward to it!

Returning Home

Friday May 3rd our travellers headed back home.

The 10 days zoomed by. I know everyone will remember their experiences with good stories and smiles.

They were filled with new experiences, great food, inspiration and laughter. There were many "firsts" as well.

First time in Italy, first time traveling without a partner, first time sewing, first time eating horse! And many more.

New friendships were made. That's always nice.

(Kathleen I am missing you in the pictures! Are you still in Verona?)

Our Last Full Day

We spent last Thursday morning learning about some history. We had a tour of the Bastione Di San Giorgio, built by the Austrians.

Pizza Lunch.

We ended this 10 day trip with a celebratory dinner at a fancy place, Dodici Apostoli. Great food! Great ambiance. Very special!

Outside 12 Apostles for our last supper (LOL)

We had a tour of some
 Roman roads and Medieval structures downstairs!
A special surprise!

Slow Sewing and Slow Food

Hand sewing in Italy in a room in the Basilica San Zeno!! Could it get any more special??

LOL! There's Kip's elbow again!

My friends and I visited arguably the most spectacular church in Verona, San Zeno Basilica. Saint Zeno is the patron saint of Verona and this piazza is often the setting for celebration.

Amazing lunch together.

Can't go to Italy without having at least one gelato!

We had an aperitivo later on.

Another good day I'd say.

Wine Country

My friends and I went on a wine tour on Tuesday April 30.

Thank you to the 4 ladies from Ad Maiora for taking the time to accompany us in your cars and spend the entire day with us!! Much appreciated!

We drove up to the Valpolicella where Suzi had organized a fabulous day for us.

Visit to 2 villas. Gorgeous gardens at Villa Giona.

Wine tastings...at 11 am? Well ok!

Lunch at a small place in Fumane.

and then Suzi's house for dessert.

A surprise for the group! What a treat to go into such a special home. People loved her studio!!

She has been organizing this segment for me since 2011 and she is amazing!! I couldn't do it without her.

Entrance to Suzi's home.

We visited Masi. The president, Dott, Sandro Boscaini greeted us.

Notice the flags behind the ladies? What a welcome!
Our group was made up of 8 Canadians,
2 British and one American (living in Germany)

Look at the size of the barrel!!

The Serego-Alighieri homes.

Masimilla Serego-Alighieri (right)
direct descendant of Dante, 21st generation of Alighieri
gave us our tour. 

We ended the tour with another wine tasting.

We drove up to San Giovanni for a great view of the Valpolicella valleys and a visit to a roman church.

Thank you, Suzi!! It was a memorable day.

(Note: This post is a late addition because I had problems with my internet provider and wasn't able to post.)

Monday in Verona

Slow start this morning. We all needed that. It was raining so we cancelled our visit to Giardini Giusti and moved that to Thursday afternoon.

Lunch was in fabulous location in the hills around Verona, the Torricelle, with the most amazing view of the city!

Today's highlight was the cooking class at E Cucina.

A typical Veronese menu: Asparagus appetizer (of course because it is in season), hand- made pasta turned into ricotta-filled tortelli, rabbit alla mediterranean and for dessert, tiramisu!

Everyone participated. Everyone helped each other. There were a few firsts- first time using a pasta machine, first time eating rabbit, first time making pasta.

Chef Luca Fasoli was amazing as always!!! A true pleasure being in his class. He puts his students at ease. The recipes and ingredients were well explained. We all loved his little accent when speaking english.

Martina, the owner, was assisting.

 I am certain many of the group will be trying them out on their friends and family when they get home.

Buon appetito!