Better Batteries

A second set of new batteries in the camera and I'm good to go again. With a few pictures of the Jazz festival - taken before my batteries died - and some pictures of the BC yarn I am playing catch-up in the blog today.

First the jazz.
This is the Fig Leaf Jazz Band playing at Pipers Restaurant on Friday night.

The Fig Leaf is one of my Dad's favourite groups. If my love of bag pipes stems from my childhood, then my love of Dixie Land Jazz has similar roots.
Not haunting, but lively, peppy, rhythmic, toe-tapping, hand-clapping, danceable music. Played loudly and daily on our sterio, by my Dad, as I was growing up. You either learned to love it or hate it. Me, I love it.

People watching is great fun at a Jazz Festival. Folks just can't help but tap their toes, toss their heads and smile, smile, smile.

But I smile no less when buying yarn. And since the question "Whad'cha get? Whad'ch get? has been asked, I will give you a mini tour of the BC yarns shops I visited and yarns purchased.

Fresh off the plane, our friend Max offered to take me to two yarn stores in Sidney. It being the closest town to the airport. Within fifteen minutes of landing, I was browsing at 'In Sheep's Clothing' on Fifth St. And I bought NOTHING. A nice shop. Quite a good selection of yarns but lots more needlework supplies. On to Beacon Yarn Studio on - naturally -Beacon St. A lovely shop. Spacious and well stocked. And all I bought was this.

One ball of New York Trends. A cotton, polymide and metallic yarn. 77 metres per 50 grams. I purchased one ball. What will I do with that? No idea. But I love the shades of orange and green and the little bit of sparkle. It will make nice trim for something. Two great yarn shops and one ball of yarn. I think I was jet lagged.

Day two, Bee Hive Wool on Douglas St in Victoria. This was a must see, as I have been a reader of their blog for quite some time. The shop is large and stocked to the rafters. But a bit confusing. "Would it kill ya to put all the Double Knitting yarns in one spot?" I bought NOTHING. Since I had forgotten to bring my yardage requirements with me, I asked the clerk if she could tell me how many metres were needed to make a 40 inch cardigan with a gauge of 14 - 15 sts/4in. I surely didn't expect her to know off the top of her head. But having worked in a yarn store myself, I did expect her to have the info available. What I didn't expect was her answer " I would have no idea!" Hmmm.

Day Three. Boutique Du Laine on Estevan St., in Oak bay - a subdivision of Victoria. I arrived just before ten in the morning and lined up with a few other customers waiting for the shop to open. It was the opposite of Bee Hive Wool. Very tiny. About the size of a small bedroom, I would say. But great stock. I bought this.

One of the shop clerks was wearing a vest made of this yarn and it was a thing of beauty. Sold! Three balls of elsebeth lavold Silky Wool. 65% wool and 35% silk. Lovely to touch and very drapey. It is DK weight and I have 525 metres in total. Hopefully enough to make a vest. I stayed long enough in the shop to memorize a pattern for a shawl. It was gorgeous. Mohair. Garter stitch done on big needles, with a ruffle along the bottom edge. Then off to get Fred who was a mere two blocks from the store, strolling along the ocean. Imagine!

Tomorrow, we go 'up-island.' Great yarn stores there.