Connections

Hello, hello and hello. Three hellos for the the 3 months since I last spoke to you through my favourite writing vehicle… mea culpa. This summer was one of the busiest in my studio and at the Lunenburg Farmers’ Market. Our little town was inundated with visitors from near and far.

I guess this blog post is brought to you by the number three (insert laugh from The Count on Sesame Street). These three texan beauties and one more not seen in the photo, were some of the beautiful women who came to visit me in my studio. Being run off my feet trying to keep hats on my wall is one of my favourite modes. My year shifts speeds according to the season, but those few months where I think of nothing but moving my hands are my favourite.

In between making hats for visitors I was also filling orders for far away customers like Laura. I had so much fun making this hat. Here’s a close up…

Laura is an artisan’s dream customer. She sent me a note with a photo of an older hat from my website asking if I might reproduce it for a fall Southern wedding. I replied that I would, but…..how about if instead I make a black straw hat with velvet flowers? I love straw and velvet and I think it’s just perfect for a changing season. Laura readily agreed. I love custom orders, so long as I can do whatever I want.

The Lunenburg tourist season has quite an abrupt ending in September. Thank goodness, as it allowed me to prepare for The PEI Fibre Festival in Charlottetown. I just got back. It’s such a wonderful, happy event. It’s really hard to be anything but happy when surrounded by beautiful fibres and creativity.

The only difficult part of the festival is staying in my booth. It’s booth after booth of eye candy.

I met so many wonderful, creative women this weekend.

…and men, too. This is Christopher from The Cabin Boy Knits podcast. Christopher and his partner, Jamie, are incredible natural dyers. They share their life and process on their popular YouTube channel.

Some people just overflow with joy. This lady was a school teacher. Lucky kids! She came into my booth to buy some sewing needles, but got swept into hat world. This is my Eliza hat, one of my latest designs. You can find it HERE.

I’m afraid my Madeline headband is being completely upstaged by a fabulous pair of glasses. Could I pull off glasses like these? I think I’m going to find out.

This is the first time I brought kits for making my felt Zinnias to a market. It’s so heart warming to meet a mom, who is not a crafter herself, take her crafty daughter to a Fibre Festival. These kits come with everything you’ll need to make a brooch of 3 felt zinnias, plus a pdf pattern and make along video. Totally appropriate for an older child. You can find them HERE.

The hat that received the most attention was the sample of my Log Cabin Hat. I bring this one to you via a pdf knitting pattern that you can find HERE. It’s a vehicle for endless colour combinations. I don’t release a lot of patterns. Not because I don’t make them or enjoy making them, but because putting out a pattern takes a very long time when done well. I take the responsibility of an accurate pattern very seriously. The pattern has been tech edited and I think is very clear. Also, I do love to help people with knitting problems, so I welcome your questions if you feel like tackling it.

Here’s a preview of my latest pattern, Luella’s Mitts, that will be released in the next few weeks. I’m looking for 1 or 2 more test knitters. If you are interested, you need to have a bit of a social media following of fellow knitters, or be active on Ravelry. Being comfortable with colour work is also a big help.

(press play) Charlottetown truly charms me. It’s a small city with a big heart. The waterfront is filled with sweet art installations. There is a walking/biking trail along the water.

It’s the kind of city you don’t need to escape from. I will definitely be back.

That said…There’s no place like home. Thanks for spending some time with me. xoxo Anna

p.s. I am shipping to the U.S., but please contact me before ordering. There are different tariff rules and exemptions for different items.