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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Monday, February 8, 2010

Photos in the hometown...part 3: the wool shop..

The great thing about not going into the city very often, is that there's always something new to see. On my way to the wool shop I saw this great wall of graffiti...To me this is what graffiti is all about....not just some tag or offensive language, but honest, public art with passion put into it...
The other great thing about not going into the city very often is that I see things which have always been there, and I revisit them with new eyes...
I love these old doors...the building was a wholesale Chinese produce store for years and now houses a yummy cafe...
 Now, on to the wool shop...
It used to be that there was only one wool shop in the city centre, but a few years back (probably due to the renaissance of knitting) a gorgeous new shop has opened...
Now if you saw a wool bike, wouldn't you be a little curious??
As soon as you walk through the doors, you are met with this sense of creativity...
Fibre arts abound and one can only think...
"I have to make something!!"
I just started knitting a few years back, when one of my friends said she would teach a gang of us how to make a hat...ever since then, I can't pass a wool shop without AT LEAST going in for a look...
...Of course it's like being a kid in a candy shop with all the colors, textures and oh the possibilities!
Knotty by Nature is always a buzz....there is a studio, there are classes, workshops, knitting needles clicking away and  looms being worked on...
If you are a spinner, then this is the place for you...
And if you are a felter, as I am....

...there is roving GALORE!
Who coudn't resist this giant felted egg....
A bounty of buttons...
...and the sweetest hats and booties...wouldn't your little elf look stunning in these?!

Or how about this amazing handwoven screen for your boudoir?

So next time you need a fibre  fix, have a look in the shop with the wool bicycle.



6 comments:

Brenda Stratton said...

Nice photo's and post Kerry...keep 'em coming! Thanks for always reading my blog. xxx Brenda

Unknown said...

Hi Kerry, I have the strong desire to revisit Chinatown and go to the fantastic wool shop. Looks even better than the one in Living mag. The pictures are so beautiful. They tell the story!

myletterstoemily said...

you have me drooling, and i don't have a crafty
bone in my body.

my daughter, on the other hand, will die to see
this wool shop in person.

farmlady said...

You must have thought you died and went to heaven. What a wonderful place this is.
And those doors are beautiful!

I agree with you about the graffiti.It's an unsung American art form that gets a bad rap.

Anonymous said...

Years ago I had this craving to learn how to knit so I walked into a local wool shop and simply asked the lady how to do the basic stitching. My wife and I watched as she demonstrated this wonderful art. We purchased a pair of needles and a few balls of wool and I sat down to simply knit but my lovely wife got her paws on the needles before me and commandeered the them....leaving me just watching. I should have purchased 2 pairs but by then the moment had passed....must revisit that wool shop again.
Trying to catch up with you is like trying to jump on a moving train...the photos and adventures and nature and wool and all kinds of everything .....well ....looks like I have to dust off my camera and go for a spin....I wonder where I'll end up!!!

Linda said...

I can't wait to visit Knotty by Nature on our next visit to Victoria. It wasn't open when we were there on our last visit. Thanks for the virtual tour. I've read about it on various blogs from in and around Victoria.