Ulverston and Kendal
After spending ten days in Belfast, hubby and I got on a plane and flew over to Manchester, where we'd booked a car that we used to drive a couple of hours north to the little market town of Ulverston, in England's Lake District. We'd booked a B&B for the next three days and were looking forward to a few days of relaxation after a busy week of visiting.
I have to say that I was totally unprepared for the beauty of the Lake District. I mean, it rains in the UK. A lot. But all that rain is was makes vistas like this:
When we arrived at Ulverston, my hubby used his amazing powers of location (seeing as I had no idea where we were going) and got us to the B&B. And wow. Talk about storybook beauty.
Candlewyck Barn is a separate accommodation from the main house. It's is a converted stone building, with a garage on the ground floor, and a beautiful studio loft on the main floor. It is finished to the highest standard. I literally clapped in delight when we got there.
We had a relaxing evening and, the next day, drove to the town of Kendal. I had one particular reason for visiting Kendal: finding Williams Wools. After visiting the yarn shop in Belfast that didn't take credit cards, I was a little worried that the fun of visiting the shop in Kendal would be marred by having my hands tied by lack of cash. I visited the Williams Wools Ravelry group and posted a thread, asking if they took credit cards, and I got a positive reply. Imagine my surprise when, after finding the shop and bringing my purchases to the till, the owner asked, "Are you visiting from Canada?" She had read the thread herself and was expecting me! And her name is Adrienne!
Anyway, Williams Wools is a delightful little shop, so new that it isn't on Google Streetview. It has comfy sofas and walls covered in wool. It carries all the standard yarns: Noro, Araucania, Debbie Bliss, but I was on the lookout for something I hadn't found at home. At the front of the shop, I spied this:
A skein of Filigran Lace No. 1 by Zitron, a German company. The colourway is Taiga. It's yet another variegated yarn, but I couldn't resist the softness of the fibre and the richness of the colours. I'm thinking I might use it to make Hypernova, by Arlene's World of Lace, but I'll have to figure out how I'm going to do that, since the pattern is written for fingering weight, and this yarn is laceweight, but I've got plenty of time to figure that out.
Kendal itself is a small town at the southern part of the Lake District. The town’s traditional trade was in wool, from which the town’s motto “Pannus mihi panis”, literally meaning “wool is my bread” was taken. Most of the towns in the Lake District made their trade in wool, and this is evidenced by all the pubs that have been built in old buildings with big mill wheels inside of them!
I knew right away that I was going to love this place.
I have to say that I was totally unprepared for the beauty of the Lake District. I mean, it rains in the UK. A lot. But all that rain is was makes vistas like this:
When we arrived at Ulverston, my hubby used his amazing powers of location (seeing as I had no idea where we were going) and got us to the B&B. And wow. Talk about storybook beauty.
Candlewyck Barn is a separate accommodation from the main house. It's is a converted stone building, with a garage on the ground floor, and a beautiful studio loft on the main floor. It is finished to the highest standard. I literally clapped in delight when we got there.
We had a relaxing evening and, the next day, drove to the town of Kendal. I had one particular reason for visiting Kendal: finding Williams Wools. After visiting the yarn shop in Belfast that didn't take credit cards, I was a little worried that the fun of visiting the shop in Kendal would be marred by having my hands tied by lack of cash. I visited the Williams Wools Ravelry group and posted a thread, asking if they took credit cards, and I got a positive reply. Imagine my surprise when, after finding the shop and bringing my purchases to the till, the owner asked, "Are you visiting from Canada?" She had read the thread herself and was expecting me! And her name is Adrienne!Anyway, Williams Wools is a delightful little shop, so new that it isn't on Google Streetview. It has comfy sofas and walls covered in wool. It carries all the standard yarns: Noro, Araucania, Debbie Bliss, but I was on the lookout for something I hadn't found at home. At the front of the shop, I spied this:
A skein of Filigran Lace No. 1 by Zitron, a German company. The colourway is Taiga. It's yet another variegated yarn, but I couldn't resist the softness of the fibre and the richness of the colours. I'm thinking I might use it to make Hypernova, by Arlene's World of Lace, but I'll have to figure out how I'm going to do that, since the pattern is written for fingering weight, and this yarn is laceweight, but I've got plenty of time to figure that out.Kendal itself is a small town at the southern part of the Lake District. The town’s traditional trade was in wool, from which the town’s motto “Pannus mihi panis”, literally meaning “wool is my bread” was taken. Most of the towns in the Lake District made their trade in wool, and this is evidenced by all the pubs that have been built in old buildings with big mill wheels inside of them!
I knew right away that I was going to love this place.
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