What a beautiful day it was yesterday, and a bunch of us knitters, packed up our needles, yarn, patterns, smiles, and - yes - senses, and headed off to Outlook, SK for a little road trip. Why? Because Leanne and her family have THE BEST COFFEE SHOP EVER!
Originally I had family plans, but as those fell through and Alison had given me a call the night before, we planned our adventure together to the end of joining the girls at CJ's Javajoint.
As Alison and I google mapped our way there and then went over some directions with Alison's houseboy, we took a deep breath, got in the car, waved good-bye to Saskatoon and jumped drove off into the distance.
About 45 minutes into our 45 minute drive we started to get worried. We pulled out our google map as we followed the human directions instead, and found that the google map did not match the verbal directions we were given. We stopped in Hanley.
And got some fresh air.
Then we frantically called Leanne to see where we had went so drastically wrong, and was it possible to still get to Outlook without having to turn around and go back to Saskatoon. Thankfully, it was, and had we been patient, we would have seen that not too far up the road in Kenaston, there was a turn off to Outlook.
The K-Tel tunes were blasting and we were laughing because our Thelma and Louise road trip turned into one more like Ozzie and Harriet. And let me tell you, there were no Brad Pitt-esque cowboys at that truck stop in Hanley to charm us and steal the $ 2.49 we had between us.
We arrived in Outlook and opened the screen door to the charming little patio to gales of laughter (and, incidentally, Gale's laughter). But, as we discovered, we were not the only lost knitters on our little road trip as Gale and Pam somehow ended up in Asquith?! Learning to drive and knit, indeed. Can you imagine where we all might end up if there was actually a way to do that?
Gale was stitching away and making progress on her tank top and providing us with entertainment that had us in stitches as she instructed Pam, with a gun to her head, to knit on double pointed needles. I think Pam ended up getting the idea and after many dropped stitches and forgotten yarn overs, managed to get a uniform looking project going on her needles.
Kristen was plugging away on her first pair of socks, and Alison was very helpful in taking Kristen through the dreaded turning of the heel. I don't think Kristen will have as much trouble with this now as she has put it in practice. As she picked up the stitches along the gusset a discussion ensued as to which method was easier, using a knitting needle or a crochet hook to pick up the stitches. Originally a crocheter myself, I am of the opinion that crochet hooks make it much more painless, what do you think?
We were also graced by yet another male knitter. Leanne's friend Conrad showed up close to the end of our day and proudly showed off what he had been knitting.
We would love to see Conrad and his fantastic smile again.
You can see a bit of Leanne's sock that she is making from a beautifully colorful yarn. Her sister looked quite put out as Leanne joked that they must be for her as her feet are two sizes bigger than Leanne's. They are going to be lovely socks, no matter the recipient, nor the size of their feet.
Me? I started the baudelaire socks and frogged them (because that is what I do), and then began the second of the bamboo socks I have been making for my daughter. I finished them today whilst sunburning myself beyond recognition outside with my kids, so I am able to share a picture of them.
At the end of the adventure, we were all treated to a bit of relief from the sunshine and the rain started to come down. We moved into the more cozy quarters of the coffee shop, and shortly bade each other a safe journey home.
Alison and I were off with the sounds of K-Tel providing us with the belief that we would indeed make it home.
