I made a lot of progress on my Defi 13 sweater during our drive to Montreal (only two sleeves to knit) but until I reveal the finished project, let's talk about the yarn stores that I visited last weekend.
This store is just a couple of blocks away from the Place St Henri metro stop so you can send your non-knitting travel companions to the Marche Atwater while you're yarn shopping. This store carries some great yarns (Louet, Reynolds, Estelle, Schoppel Wolle, O Wool, Hemp for Knitting, ...) but what I really like are the little maple leaf signs that highlight Canadian yarns such as Koigu, St Denis yarns (Nordique and Boreale), Lucy Neatby's Celestial Merino, local alpaca, and last but not least Projekt B.
The Projekt B yarns and fibers are hand-dyed in Montreal and exclusive to this store -- let's just say that I've fallen for them every time I've stopped by Ariadne Knits. How can one resist these gorgeous colors on the alpaca/merino/cashmere, silk/cashmere, mohair, or merino yarn bases? During this third visit, I bought some merino/bamboo fiber and cashmere/silk yarn.
This shop is within a few blocks from the Beaubien metro station in the middle of the Plaza St Hubert. It is packed from floor to ceiling with yarns, fabrics, buttons, and other notions. On the yarn front, you will find Colinette, Sublime, Rowan, Jaggerspun, Araucania, Louet, and Berroco among many other brands. Canadian yarns include Fleece Artist and the local indie dyer Tanis Fiber Arts in merino lace, DK, and sock yarn weight. You will love the store samples that are displayed throughout the store, especially the exclusive kid patterns by Celine Barbeau.
You will probably need a car to reach this store but it is definitely worth it to see the handdyed Biscotte et cie yarns and fibers in person. The yarns are dyed in semi-solid, variegated, and self-striping colorways in a diverse array of fibers (from merino/bamboo to lambswool/angora/cashmere) and weights -- you can even see the yarns drying in the back room! I bought two skeins of Felix sock yarn and some spinning fiber to make a pair of thrummed mittens and a pair of socks.
You can find Louet, Brown Spun, SandnesGarn and other brands, but the other thing that drew me to the store was the fact that it's the only North American store to carry La Droguerie products! You can buy the pattern books, some colors of Alpaga, Plumette, Baby Douceur, Kaleido, Lin, and Kid Mohair as well as an assortment of fabric and buttons. And if that wasn't enough to tempt you, you can always buy locally made project bags or glass pendants.
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