While I was away the ice went out and the loons returned. What a glorious morning it is when we can once again hear the loons calling! This morning was that morning. “Our” loon pair was out in front of the house letting us know that they’re back. And since they were out front, we got the chair cushions out of winter storage so we could have some coffee on the porch (with blankets) just to spend a few minutes out in advance of the warmer weather.

My trip to Quebec City was everything I hoped it would be. Knitting friend and student, Rudy, and I had tickets to see Arne & Carlos at the Chateau Frontenac on Thursday evening. We made a girts trip out of it and drove up to Quebec City on Wednesday. Rudy has been there before and was a wonderful “tour guide” leading me on the best wanders around town, some great restaurants and more. We stayed at the Hotel du Vieux-Quebec which was exceptional. My room was comfortable and modern with historic details. We spent some down-time in the lounge by the fireplace knitting when we weren’t out and about. The art in the hotel was exceptional and there were a couple of pieces that I would buy for my house. The staff were very friendly and welcoming (as were all the people we me along our way.) Each room has a coffee maker and a tea kettle, a small refrigerator and a full bath with a towel warmer! Everything is labeled in French and some with English translations and it was just a short walk up hill to the shops.

We wandered shops in the Quartier du Petite Champlain where the streets were cobblestones and many of the buildings original (old!) We had some cheese for a snack and a maple “lollipop” made just for us. We went up to the Chateau Frontenac on the Funicular, an automated tram that climbs the steep (STEEP) hill up to the Chateau, and wandered around the shops between there and our hotel.

I highly recommend a ride UP the Funicular! We had our Wednesday dinner at Hortus, connected to our hotel. It’s a farm to table-style restaurant and we had a lovely meal with dessert, too! As we were waiting for our food, we saw Arne and Carlos for the first time – walking by on the sidewalk on their way to dinner. We nearly flew out of our seats to go speak with them … but thought better of it. (Later Arne said we should have come out to say hello. Bummer that we didn’t but oh, well!)

Thursday we had breakfast at a crepes restaurant – savory for me and dessert for Rudy! They were delicious. And then we did some wandering around the shops near our hotel. We took a historical tour of the Chateau Frontenac area that afternoon and it was very interesting. The guide was wonderful; a perfect mix of history, comedy, and acting. We had a late lunch/early dinner at Bello near the Chateau. They serve wonderful Italian food. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals and then headed on to the Chateau where the main attraction was happening. Arne and Carlos were sponsored by Boutique de Tricot, Les Laines Biscotte in the new part of the city. (More on our visit there later) We arrived early and were among the first registered and were milling in the ballroom (salle de balle) when out walked Arne and Carlos. Arne walked right into our “circle” winding a ball of blue yarn and picked up the conversation. It was thrilling to stand and chat with one of my knitting heroes. Carlos came over a bit later and also joined the group for a little bit before their talk. They talked for an hour about their creative endeavors and what inspires them, their home (that Arne bought without consulting Carlos and without any electric or heat), their gardens and their travel. It was inspiring listening to them.

We didn’t win any of the drawings but we felt like winners just being there! After the talk, Arne and Carlos autographed their newest book and put up with us all wanting photos with them. Hey, there’s no proof without photos!

I’d heard that they were warm and kind and welcoming and they were exactly that! Carlos was wearing his (now) famous denim shirt that Arne got the security tag off of (they talked about it on their youtube channel) and they were simple delightful to meet. I need to go on one of their trips now to allow me to spend a little more time with them. (I’ll be saving my pennies!) We also met some lovely women and men who traveled to Quebec to meet “the guys”. The Canadians, no matter what province they’re from, are so lovely to visit with!

And we have arrived at Friday already and time to head home. Rudy ordered us breakfast to be delivered to our room on Friday morning to allow us time to pack up and relax a bit. Imagine my surprise when I opened my door at 6:30am to see this …

Breakfast was beautifully presented in a rattan picnic basket with a red and white checked cloth and included orange juice, yogurt, cheddar cheese, honey (from the hotel’s rooftop bees) and two items from a patisserie – a perfect croissant and a fruit and cheese danish. I will tell you that it was my first idea to eat one and bring one home but I ate them both. LOL. And the yogurt. We met around 8 in the lounge for some knitting near my favorite piece of art there until the three shops that we wanted to stop at to buy a few gifts to bring home.

We ran out at 10am to the Atelier Les Trois Corbeaux for some glass pieces that were made right there in the store. Needless to say, it was plenty warm there with a forge in the building! On to the shoe store for a gift for Rudy and then to Mary’s Popcorn. Yes, we did bring popcorn home and it is something worth mention – if you’re there, buy it! The small size isn’t big enough. Trust me.

And then we were off to the yarn shop! The store space is large and open and well organized. I always love to see what different shops carry and what is different and how they organize their yarns. It was so much fun! La Laine Biscotte carries their own line of yarn, too. It was difficult to not buy more … I controlled myself.

I chose a hank of Arne & Carlos’ new sock yarn for my hubby’s socks, a couple of Biscotte sock yarns to make myself a pair of socks and enough charcoal gray Felted Tweed for another Easy Folded Poncho (or similar). I also bought the commemorative canvas bag. Of course! You can also see my autographed copy of the new ornaments book. I may have to knit a couple just because I have more of the yarn that matches my hand-knit Christmas items that ALL happen to be Arne and Carlos’ designs.

Our drive home was peppered with us saying “I can’t believe we met Arne & Carlos”! And how thrilled we were to get up there to meet them. It was a marvelous trip and we will have fun sharing our experience with the Friday morning knitters at Yardgoods Yarn.

I did get a little bit of knitting done. I’ve worked on the body of the Vanilla Sweater in lavender for my college roommate. I’m getting almost to the bottom of the body. And I’ve worked on my Shawl KAL project, the Hansel Hap Half. I made a little mistake in the first couple of rows in the setup for the border so I frogged back and reknit it last night. It’s much better now. I’m not sure where I made the mistake but I was probably talking too much. I’ve run out of the MC and am finishing the center triangle with a “stripe” of a close colorway that presents as more brown than gray. But it’s ok – I think it will look like another stripe in the shawl. It’s for me and I’ve blessed the project as it uses up some of my stashed J&S jumper weight wool. I have a few hats or a colorwork sweater or two still in my stash. I have no photos of said knitting, however. I’ll update again after I settle back in at home. It was delightful to find some crocus blooming in the yard when I got home.

Gone knititng.