Thursday, September 8, 2016

A Glimpse of Barcelona and Yarn

Hello my friends.  I hope you had a lovely Labor Day holiday.  Can you believe that summer is almost over and that fall is on it's way?  Back in July, I was in Barcelona, Spain for a few days.  My sister-in-law, who is an avid knitter, wanted to visit a yarn shop.  We found via Google a shop named All you Knit is Love.  

If you ever happen to visit Barcelona, this shop is so easy to find. It is located at Carrer de la Barra de Ferro which is a street that branches off from the street where the Picasso Museum is located.  If you put your back against the entrance to the museum and look straight ahead, you will find this quaint, little, gothic street.  As you can see, it is a well stocked yarn shop with many delightful wooly things to choose from . . .

I loved this knitted shawl that was in the window.  The use of the different yarns and their textures really add to it's loveliness.  The yarn shop is owned by an American lady and her Catalan husband. . .

Here's a photo of my sister-in-law, Linda, chatting with designer who is Greta and the Fibers. If you look towards the back of this photo, you will see the natural, undyed yarn that she is preparing to dye.  I bought two different skeins of her hand dyed yarn. The shop had such a special feel with the exposed brick walls and antique lighting. . .

I knew exactly how I was going to use my new yarn.  Awhile back I joined the Shawl Society which is a subscription to six shawl patterns; one released each month for six months.  I was thrilled to receive pattern #2 while I was in Turkey and use my new Spanish yarn.  The pattern is called Amulet.

 
The Spanish yarn knit up beautifully.  I so enjoyed knitting the lace section and there was also an addition of Czech glass beads that I added throughout the shawl.  Helen Stewart is the very talented designer behind the Shawl Society.  I had gradually gotten into lace knitting but I don't do charts.  Lucky for me, Helen's patterns are both written and charted so no problems there!

It was my third time to visit Barcelona and that beautiful city never disappoints. I love the architecture and the little streets that weave in and out.  We found a cute little place, Brunells, on the same street corner to pop in for an Iberian ham sandwich, Catalan pastries and some coffee.  

I'm so excited as I am going to be attending a knitting retreat with my sister-in-law.  I'm a self taught knitter, way before there was any internet.  I bought myself a Coats and Clark's Learn to Knit booklet back in the early 1970's;  I still have this book!  Since I moved to California six years ago, I've really tried to step out of my comfort zone and learn some new knitting techniques.  I think you could say that I'm addicted to Ravelry!

The retreat is going to be held on Bois Blanc Island in the upper peninsula of Michigan.  I've been to the UP before, but never to Bois Blanc Island.  The weather there looks heavenly with cool temps and rain.  What better way than to spend my day in glorious rain clouds with my knitting needles in hand!  I remember years ago when I was young and working at the bank in our small town.  We had a piece of returned mail from the post office.  It was addressed to Sault Ste. Marie and had been returned and stamped with something like ". . .weather. . .ferry service cancelled . . ."  Looking back, I think it may have been sent to Sugar Island in the UP where they receive tons of snow being on the St. Marys River.  This place sounded so exotic compared to the flat, farmland area of where I was living at the time!

I hope you dear readers are all doing well.  I always enjoy reading your comments and I will do my best to visit your blogs, too. Thank you for visiting Lilly My Cat today!

With my best to you,

Pat 
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22 comments:

  1. You sound like you lead an interesting life. Don't sell yourself short as I also bought that book (probably 2 or 3 times) to teach myself to knit and still have no clue.

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  2. Pat what a lovely idea and place for a retreat, can't think of anything nicer. That wool shop looks fab. We only have one very small wool shop in Jersey so the Internet has to serve my wool needs! B x

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  3. I don't know much about crafts or knitting - but Barcelona I love! Happy weekend.

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  4. It all sounds really exciting, I hope you enjoy the retreat, I'm sure you will. The shop looks as if it has all sorts of wonderful bits and pieces to rummage through. The shawl is beautiful. x

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  5. That shawl looks amazing ,,, I enjoyed reading about your visit to Spain and the little yarn shop. And your knitting retreat on the UP sounds wonderful. A cozy rainy day is perfect for knitting!

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  6. Absolutely gorgeous shawl, pattern and the colours. What a brilliant getaway and how lovely to have someone to share it with who shares your love of yarn xx

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  7. The yarn shop looks wonderful and in such a great area too. I hope you enjoy your knitting retreat, it sound like something to look forward to. Have a lovely weekend:)

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  8. I've been to Spain, but not to Barcelona. I've always wanted to visit and now I want to even more just to see the yarn shop! You brought home some lovely yarn and the shawl is gorgeous. Have fun on your knitting retreat -- sounds like a wonderful spot. Happy Friday!

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  9. I've never been to Barcelona, but it's somewhere I'd love to see. The shop you found is wonderful. I think I might spend a fortune in there.

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  10. The shawl is one of the classiest I've ever seen. Love the colors.

    When I was there, I was off looking at Gaudi's weird but exciting architecture when I could have been visiting this shop. Dumb!

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  11. What a beautiful and interesting post, Pat! The shop looks very interesting, the shawl looks wonderful and you must be an excellent knitter. The beautiful photos have been presented wonderfully.
    Have a great weekend! Hugs! xx

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  12. What a fabulous shop! Lots of lovely yarn. Your shawl is very beautiful! Thank you for joining in, I hope you have a great weekend! xx

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  13. The shawl is absolutely beautiful. Have a wonderful time at the knitting retreat, sounds like the perfect, restful break.

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  14. It is wonderful you taught yourself to knit from a book and now can tackle lovely complicated patterns, Pat! I also think it is fun to visit yarn shops while traveling. Several years ago I bought yarn from PEI and Missouri and enjoyed knitting various projects and remembering where I purchased the yarn. I am looking forward to your report after you attend your retreat and hope you have a wonderful time! xx

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  15. A yarn shop in Barcelona, wow! There I could lost my money, when I see all the colors, so inspiring. Honestly: I'm a clumsy knitter and it takes many time, until a piece is finished...
    Have a nice weekend

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  16. It's always good to go away with a friend or family member on an interest retreat. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. I'm only just learning about the different qualities of yarn now that I'm doing some crocheting. Finding little shops where you can buy quality yarn on your travels and talk to the lovely owners must add to the enjoyment of your trips. Your shawl is beautiful. I admire your skill at doing intricate patterns. I hope you have a good weekend.

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  17. First you entice us with that wonderful shop and then a knitting retreat in the UP? It will be Heaven, cool temps and beauty every where you look.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  18. That shawl is just gorgeous! How wonderful to find the yarn shop in Spain! Have fun at the knitting retreat!

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  19. Bringing home some Spanish yarn and then turning it into such a beautiful shawl is a great memento of your trip. Barcelona sounds like a wonderful city.

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  20. Your shawl is so beautiful, Pat! Such a special way to remember your trip to Spain. The knitting retreat sounds wonderful, too. I hope you get to see some fall color there! Sending hugs xo Karen

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  21. What a great find that wool shop was, it looks to be stocked with lots of lovely yarn. Your shawl is beautiful, I've never knit with beads but they certainly add an extra dimension to knitting. How lovely that your share your hobby with your sister in law, the retreat sounds fabulous, I'm sure you'll both have a wonderful time.

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  22. wow love the yarn! like the name of it too! What a pretty pattern x

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