ottawa

Posted on Posted in Bare Naked Wools, book reviews/events, designing, lace/shawls

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many thanks to the ottawa knitting guild for hosting me this past weekend; what a treat to visit the capitol of canada.

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our weekend was jam-packed with classes on everything from yarn to technique to sweater fitness—a really well-rounded program.

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everyone worked very hard (i am constantly awestruck with the diligence of knitters who take three full days of classes), but i think we all came away with lots to work on and think about.

i meant to take lots more photos during classes, but i also like to talk a lot, haha, so i did not pick up my phone camera often enough to accomplish that.

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i didn’t have a lot of free time to get scout out a variety of neighborhoods to show you on this trip, but on sunday i took a long walk after class, beginning with the museum of nature which was right outside my hotel. the old building looks like a castle but has a few modern additions, like this glass case attached to the side which houses a giant jellyfish!

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currently they are working on an exploration garden out front to which i did not have access, but around back i met a dinosaur in the small park.

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it was such a gorgeous, mild afternoon that lots of people were out as i followed the road down to the canal and across into old ottawa east.

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the streets near the university just on the other side looked very charming but they are doing so much road work along that way that i soon decided to head back toward the canal for my walk.

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with evening approaching, there were just a few stragglers out running, walking, and biking; i know i should have taken the time to change into running gear and join them, but after standing on my feet all day, i thought a walk would suit me better.

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the sunset was warm, highlighting the wooded paths alongside the water, where i could enjoy some of the old houses and buildings across the street from a hidden angle.

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i didn’t really know where i was going, haha, and because i didn’t recognize the correct bridge, i of course overshot the point where i had planned to turn.

no matter; what’s a couple of extra miles on such a pretty byway?

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at least i managed to get back to a neighborhood on my planned route before it got dark. i was really happy to finally pop out into the glebe, where many possibilities for supper presented themselves.

i had hoped to do a little more sightseeing this morning, but when i saw the tsunami of email i’d been ignoring, i thought better of it and spent today getting on top of that.

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while i haven’t had massive amounts of time to knit, i did make some decent progress on my second shawl sample in better breakfast fingering yarn—loving the waffle shade, which i’ve been dying to knit with.

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it’s as warm, squishy, and delicious as its name suggests!

well, there will be some extra knitting time today once i finish up this post—i have a bit of a wait in the lobby until it’s time to leave for the airport and then there will be knitting time on the plane. and with a good night’s sleep behind me, i won’t be tempted to doze off like i did on the trip up here, haha.

i had a lovely time here in ottawa; i highly recommend a stop if you are traveling this way; the architecture is gorgeous and the people are extremely friendly—plus, lots of wonderful knitters to meet.

looking forward to getting home and spending time with david. back to work tomorrow too so i’ll have more to tell you later this week.

7 thoughts on “ottawa

  1. Mmm, Ottawa looks delightful and the classes…we’ll I’m longing for a chance to get to some of your classes.

    The Waffle BBBF looks like it will be a deliciously cozy shawl!

  2. Perfect weather for a walk! My daughter would have loved the museum, just for the giant Jellyfish alone!

  3. So glad you enjoyed our beautiful city! I missed the chance to sign up for your classes, but I’m glad you got to see the Canal and the Glebe where I do a lot of my walks / runs.

  4. Having spent almost every summer of my life with my paternal grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, from the age of five to 16 plus various visits over the years, I can attest to Ottawa being a great city to visit.

  5. So many beautiful places….hard to work them all in. The shawl in the waffle shade is gorgeous–looking forward to the finished product.

  6. Glad you enjoyed our city and that found your way around various neighbourhoods and found the Glebe and Bank street restaurants and shops. Too bad the canal still was in winter mode and hadn’t been filled yet. They are working on repairs to some parts of the retaining walls. Come back in the summer and see the boats travelling the canal and through the locks to the Ottawa River 🙂 I enjoyed your classes very much and love your designs and your wool. Doreen

  7. We flew into Ottawa when we visited Canada a few years ago, but didn’t have enough time to fully explore the city before family things took over. I’d love to go back one day and see more of Canada.

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