Home Again!

  Remember how I was going to make one more hat in the medium size for the pattern photos?  Well, I was going to have it be two colors and maybe make a note on how I did it.  I weighed the other hat and weighed my yarn.  My yarn was 3 grams heavier and so I felt like I could make it work.   As you can see by that spot of navy blue on the top, it did not work.  I was knitting along, making notes about the decreases when I noticed that my yarn ball looked a bit small to me.  I kept trying to reassure myself that as I was going I was decreasing and each row needed less yarn.  Then I started knitting faster so I could get to the end of the project before the yarn knew it had run out.  I lost that game of yarn chicken.   I also made use of having to re-knit the piece to make the decreases for the extra-small and medium easier to do.  Now you won't have to move the beginning-of-row marker as you go.

  I know people joke about packing too much knitting for how long their trip is.  Like their trip is somehow going to only be about knitting and not about their destination.  I almost didn't bring enough knitting.  I figured I would work on making the large sized hat and that should take me most of the trip.  It almost got me through the whole trip.  I then made a small size, and since that went a lot quicker, I also made an extra small.  I didn't have enough yarn to start a medium hat.

  The lighter yellow on the right was one that I made before I left.  The one on the left was the second hat I started on our trip.  I know they look exactly the same, but I actually did the decreases in an easier manner the second time around.

  I'm not sure why the baby size turned out a different shape at the crown as the others.  It has the exact same decease rate, only fewer repeats of it.  I'm sure it will look fine once you put it on an actual head.  Blocking will probably also help.  I wanted to get pictures taken before I forgot again and give them away at a K&CC meeting.

Final Leg

  We got to pass this again.  I feel like it is so smart because then they won't need to have two people out there all day when they aren't even working on it.  There is also no need to try and rush the job to get both lanes usable before dark.

  We got to see a lot of this before we got to be home.  To help cheer ourselves up we stopped at Sonic.  I was going to just get my usual strawberry limeade, but then I saw an ad for The Reaper.  They said it was a slush made with Carolina Reapers.  I was a bit nervous, but decided to try it since most items at fast food restaurants that claim to be spicy are rarely as spicy as I hope they will be.
  It was a nice level of heat for me.  It warmed my whole mouth but didn't hurt and it also didn't linger too long.  We listen to the podcast And That's Why We Drink and I really like it.  I am so worn out from all the travel and all the fun I had, but make sure to brace yourself for a lot of very similar looking knitting pictures soon.

More Wings!

  We didn't want to leave Canada, so we tried to figure out some more things to do before we had to cross the border.  We found this all-you-can-eat sushi place.  It was really good, they didn't just offer a generic buffet.  You ordered something and they made it for you.  They even had a strawberry and cream cheese roll that was really good for dessert.

  I spotted this on our way north and we figured we could stop by on the way home.  They let you do very affordable tastings.  There are a few of their base flavors, but they also have a lot of flavored options.  Our favorites were strawberry, crabapple, and rose.

  One last stop before we got out of the range of Tim Horton's.  As you can see, I got their loyalty card.  I don't know if I will ever get enough points to earn a reward, but I think it is fun anyway.

  Summit was crazy when we got there.  The parking lot was practically full and the waitresses were running around like crazy people.  Amy was so nice to us and even carded me when I got a beer.  We outstayed most of the crowd and you could tell that the staff was running ragged.  We at least got to try three more flavors: Rattlesnake, Honey Sriracha, Jaz & Junk.  I find it interesting that the wings can vary anywhere from having a lovely dry rub on it to looking like it is floating in delicious soup.

  We went back to the Royal Inn.  There were more people staying this time and there were even a group of bikers.  However, we got one of the rooms in the back and it was definitely not as nice as the first.  There was no ventilation in the room, so it was musty smelling.  There was also a lot more dust and general grim around.  While I would probably stay here again, I would just try and avoid any room numbers 350 or above.

Hanging Around the Neighborhood.

  Where we are staying did a lot of things right.  The layout of the apartment is really nice and they provided the TV entertainment correctly.  The last place we were in didn't have a TV at all, so we had to just use our phones for watching anything late night.  This place has a small TV with a Chromecast connected.  Since they provide really fast internet, doing this means that they can give you a usable TV without having to pay for cable.

  Most of the places we went to the other days were a bit out of our comfortable walking area.  The most direct way to get to where we were going was to take the 2 subway West and transfered to the 1 heading south.  After that we would usually hop on the Queen Car and get there in no time.  This time we decided to stick to our area and go down Bloor St.

 I was sad to learn that Lettuce Knit was permanently closed.  So it was nice to have a yarn shop so close to our Airbnb that we stubbled upon while trying to get to Shoppers.

   I seem to have a thing about buying three skeins of yarn.  I also bought three when I was in Iceland.  I wanted to just get yarn made in Canada, but the purple called to me.  I got Riverside Studio in Lagoon, Artful Belle in Cabernet, and Hedgehog Fibers in Vengeance.  I'm thinking of putting Lagoon and Cabernet together in what I make with them.

  We passed this place a few times on our first day in town.  Every time we passed we both commented that it sounded good.

  We were thinking of getting bulgogi, but got distracted by other things.  Instead we got Tofu Don, Oyako Don, and Gyoza.  Everything was really good and it was a nice light meal to start our day.

  We missed it the first time and had to turn around.  The Monkey's Paw is a small store with a dark front and no large sign over the door.  It is really easy to miss it.

  This is what we were really after.  You buy a token and you get a random book from the vending machine.  They are usually older books and are fairly strange.  Krissy got Desired Haven by Evelyn M Richardson and I got No Room in the Ark by Alan Moorehead.

  When in Canada you have to go shopping at Roots.  I don't actually know if this is a rule or not, but I wanted to go.  I know that there is a location not far from my house, but I wanted a true experience first.  They were actually having a sale and I got a t-shirt for a pretty good price.  This was a little out of our original planned area, but I'm glad we went.

  We didn't want to head back to the Airbnb yet, so we looked for some place to get a beer and lounge around.  Harbord House popped up and didn't sound like it was too far away.  We walked though the University of St Michael's College.

  I don't know if it was because it warmed up or because the sun came out, but the walk felt a lot longer than it should have.  We were really glad to see that they had sticky toffee pudding, so it was eventually worth the walk.  Krissy also got their watermelon lemonade to help cool off.

  There were so many ramen places to choose from it was so hard to decide.  We scrolled through the pictures of a few and this one looked best.  We were right.

  I was really surprised when she told me that their monthly special of roast beef ramen was a cold noodle dish.  The walk was pretty hot, so it was a welcome surprise.  I was a bit nervous about it, but I really liked it in the end and might make some at home.

  On the way back to Shoppers we spotted this store.  It was a lot like Lil Thingamajigs near where I work and I had to go into it being very careful.  I had to keep an item count in mind and not go over it.  They had so many rolls of cute washi tape and really cute anime keychains.  I got one keychain, and since I got stickers from the shop in the mall I didn't get any of the washi tape.

  These were two things I definitely needed.  I can sometimes find the Ruffles All Dressed at home, but can never find the Ketchup chips.  I am going to wait to try them until I get home, which might be a mistake since I can't easily get more.

  We did get a bit lost when went straight down a road that we normally turn on.  We figured we could just go down one more street and then over, but that lead to a cul-de-sac at an apartment building.  A nice lady who lives there told us of a shortcut around the side and it was a nice walk.

We Found a New Queen St.

  The newer subway cars were really off putting.  I'm used to the metro cars having doors so when there was a bend in the tracks you would see the other car moving slightly independently.  This was just one long tunnel looking thing that would sometimes take an odd turn.
  On the railcar to our lunch destination we heard some lady yell at this girl.  She had gotten on with her bike and secured it on the bike-rack.  I didn't see her scan her card, but didn't want to assume anything about her.  The lady was accusing her of riding without paying and the girl was saying that she had already paid.  I had no idea either way so I tried my best to stay out of it.

  We met with my Aunt to have lunch.  We both decided that since we've only ever had frozen pierogies from the grocery store that we should try some fresh ones.

  There were so many good sounding ones.  I got the butter chicken with half steamed and half fried.  I thought it would be a good idea to get something substantial into our stomachs before we headed to our next stop.

  The Distillery District just sounded really cool.  There were a bunch of different things to go and see, not just places that make alcohol.  There were some clothing shops, a few chocolate places, and some bakeries.

  There were also these guys in various places.  There were signs near them saying that they are friendly aliens who are curious about our "Fantastic Planet" and that they just wanted to spread love, peace, and creativity.  It was put together by the Parer Studio and The Distillery District.

  Krissy was really interested in going to Elcatrin Destileria.  She was hoping to get to try something that it turns out wasn't on the menu.  We decided to keep wondering and see what else was available.

  We moved on to another thing Krissy was really excited about.  She was worried it was going to be hard to find them, but my Aunt assured us that they are pretty easy to find at most bakeries.

  For those of you who don't know, this is a Nanaimo bar.  It is made of coconut, chocolate, and is really good.  We were glad to try an original, because the other place that had them only had specialty flavored ones.

  Since we were in the distillery district, we decided to try something a bit stronger than the Nanaimo bar.  You can take a self guided tour of the Ontario Spring Water Sake Company and get a tasting flight of their Nama-Nama, Teion-Sakura, and Genshu.  We both thought that the Teion-Sakura was the best of the three.

  I was told they make amazing chocolate, so I got a small variety of dark chocolate for my mom.  She will have to tell me how it is.

  We decided to head back to Elcatrin Destileria to try a few things.  I got the Hibiscus mule and we split the table-side guacamole.  The drinks were really good, but the guacamole was a bit small for our tastes.

  We couldn't resist going back to Parka.  Poutine fries, potato burger, broccoli with cashew cheese, and garlic onion mac.  It was way too much food, but we couldn't decide and were probably not coming this far back tomorrow.  We did make sure to sit by our little plant friend again.
  Acting like locals, we got back on the railcar to the metro and made our way back in time to watch Critical Role.

Ne Parle Pas Francais?

  They were closed when we stopped by after the car show, but some of the employees were hanging out in the front.  The lady told us to come back for brunch because she would be the one serving and would make sure we got treated right.

  I got the Gourmande and Krissy got the Rocamadour.  Mine was egg, bacon, brie, fresh tomato, and maple syrup.  Krissy's was goat cheese, walnut, and their rooftop honey, which they really do have bees on the roof.  They were both amazing and this would be a place we would go to a few times a week if we lived nearby.

  We did a tiny bit more wondering before we left the little town we had gotten to know so quickly.  I like how they are just in a sea of orange soda.

  It was also interesting because some of the signs and murals were left from previous residents, even if the building was being used currently.  This used to be the Omega Bar and Lounge, but is now a tattoo studio.

  There was a trim I bought at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts years and years ago.  I bought it when it was on clearance and thought I only needed a little bit.  I didn't want to be greedy.  Long after it sold out I discovered the perfect use for it.  It makes fabric flowers really impressive, but I need about half a yard for each one.  Since then I have been on the hunt.
  Since Toronto has a fashion district, I figured that now would be a great time to look.  I've tried to look online, but have had no luck.  The fashion district and Graffiti Alley are really close to each other, so that was really lucky for us.  I will need to figure out the best way to share all the pictures I took in Graffiti Alley, so those might have to come later.

  We checked with King Textiles, Neveren's Tailoring Supplies, Mokuba, Queen Textiles Inc, and Leo's Textiles.  No one had it but everyone was very nice and tried to suggest one on the list who might have it.  Leo's Textiles, which is pictured, was our favorite.  It was way out of our price range, but it was really fun to look around and didn't feel as cramped as some of the others.

  We walked up and down that street so many times that we decided we had earned a treat.  I got the Chatime Tea with coffee jelly.  It was so perfect at that moment refreshing and a bit of a snack.

  I follow a few people from the area on Instagram.  I asked one of them for some food recommendations.  One of the places she suggested was Parka.  It was after 6pm, all the fabric shops were closed, and we were tired and hungry.  A bowl of mac 'n' cheese sounded really good, so we decided to go for it.
  I got the one with truffle oil, sauteed organic mushrooms on top of their cashew cheese sauce.  Krissy liked it and she doesn't even like mushrooms.  It was some of the best mac 'n' cheese I have ever had.  We were thinking of coming back to try one of their vegetable burgers.

  This little plant was on our table at the restaurant and I just wanted to prove that I really am also knitting on this trip.  I cast on sometime after we had set off from my house and this is where I was today.

  SInce we were in an unknown city we decided it wouldn't be the best idea to drive anywhere.  Good thing Toronto has a really good public transit system.  We both got some TTC Presto passes and figured it all out.  Luckily for us everywhere we have wanted to go has been pretty straight forward.
  We even found a shop in the mall, Miniso, that sold cute things from Japan.  I spent too much on stickers for my Gratitude Journal, but I couldn't resist them.

  We spotted this place while trying to find the Shoppers so we could but Presto Passes.  It had turned out that we could have also purchased them at the station before getting on, but this was more interesting.  While here at the Black Horse we got to watch a little of the Calgary Stampede on the TV.  It was very fitting.

  We got to meet some of the neighbors.  One was even curious about us and stood up to get a better look.  There were three in total and they soon moved on when none of them saw us offering any food.  They got startled a few more times by passing cars and someone walking down the street.
  They have since moved on with their route and it is time for us to go to bed.

There's a Car Show?

  The Fae Nature was open!  We went in and wanted to buy everything.  It was so magical inside.

  The cutest shop attendant came out to see if we needed any help finding anything and to see if we would offer any chin scratchies.  He wanted to play with the feathers on the ends of the dreamcatchers.

  Of course we had to go to Tim Hortons.  I got a small original iced capp and a Beyond Meat sausage sandwich.  They were both really good and I'm temped to join their frequent shopper program, even though there isn't one near me.

  We went on one of the Niagara Falls boat tours.  We went from the Canadian side, so we got to wear the red ponchos, the US side had to wear blue.  There was a trail to go behind the mists and they were in yellow.  The boat ride was even better because when the mist became more like a rain some of the ladies would squeal about it.

  We had really good timing on our stay because the last night we were in town there was a car show happening right out of our front door.  The lady at Fae Nature was actually the one to tell us about it.

  The whole thing spanned about 5-6 blocks and felt like it was growing by the second.  Our Uber driver said he had never heard about it before and might come back another time to check it out.  It sounds like it happens every Tuesday.

  It is really hard to find a late dinner in this sleepy little town.  Most places are open until 8pm, some as late as 9pm.  We were wondering around considering getting another round at Tim Hortons when we spotted a sign saying that this place was open.  I saw that their special of the day was tacos.
  We got there and saw the special was indeed tacos, since it is Taco Tuesday, even in Canada.  We asked how many tacos you get for $5 and they said you only get one, but it is really big.  That sounded a bit expensive but we decided to go for it anyway.

  This is what we got.  It was definitely not what we were expecting when we were told that we were going to get a taco.  Don't get me wrong, it had everything needed to be a taco: taco seasoned filling, tomato, lettuce, cheese, outer tortilla, and the option for sour cream and/or salsa.  The presentation gave it a more burrito feel, but the flavors were definitely taco based.
  If you find yourself in the Niagara Falls general area on a Tuesday, make sure to head to Queen Street and see the car show, then wonder over to Victoria Ave and get yourself the best "taco" you will have in a long time.

  On the way backup to our place we ran into the couple from Ohio again!  They are in apartment 4 while we are in 2.  They live near Akron, which is where I went to college.