Where Would I Go?

If I could go on a vacation tomorrow, with all of my expenses paid, I think I would go back to Northern Ireland. Why? Some people might ask--would I go some place that I've already been. Well, that is where I went for my honeymoon two years ago and my husband and I had an absolutely awesome time! The only problem was, ten days just wasn't long enough. I would like to have more time to tour around the countryside. While Northern Ireland doesn't look that big on a map, it's larger than life when you get there and has the most amazing shades of green. I would also like to be able to tour around neighbouring countries while I am there (the fact that you can see Scotland from the coast of Ireland is very cool). I would also go to England.

There is one bed and breakfast that I would definitely want to stay at again while I was there. It was the Cairn Bay Lodge in Bangor and it was just beautiful. Our hosts were extremely friendly and very kind; and it didn't hurt that it was right on the water.

I would also like to return to the Botanical Gardens in Belfast. I am a sucker for flowers and they had some wonderful exotic plants and flowers there. My favourites were the hydrangeas. Everywhere you look people had them in their gardens. Ever since my honeymoon, I've been obsessed with acquiring them for my own gardens. But it is much harder to grow hydrangeas in a Canadian climate than in Ireland.

I would also add castles to my list of places to see. I got to see a couple while I was there, but there are many more that I would like to see.

The list of things I would do while in Northern Ireland goes on and on but due to the fact this is a blog and not a novel, I will end this here.

How I Became Hooked on Crochet

Yarn has been around me for most of my life. My mother knits, my grandmothers knit and I have a few aunts that knit. I'm sure some of them crochet too, but what I remember most is the knitting. For my tenth birthday, my parents gave me a set of knitting needles and some yarn and my mom proceeded to try to teach me to knit a scarf. Well....I still have the beginnings of that scarf, dropped stitches, holes and all. Let's just say that at that point in time, knitting was NOT for me.

It wasn't until about five years ago (16 years after my first knitting experience) that I decided I wanted to learn to crochet. This came about mainly because I was spending a lot of time with a dear friend whom was having a difficult pregnancy. Between spending time with her at her home and at the hospital, I wanted something to keep me busy while she was resting. So I headed to my nearest Walmart to pick up a ball of yarn, a crochet hook and a "how-to" book and the rest they say is crochet history.

I have basically taught myself how to crochet over the years--picking up new stitches and techniques as patterns require it. If I have any questions, I go to another close friend who's been crocheting since high school, my co-workers (some of whom are very into crafting) and now I also go to members of Etsy's Create Crochet Team whom are a great wealth of knowledge and have been a tremendous help.

I am always trying new patterns, but I seem to crochet more items for babies and children. If you visit my Etsy shop, that will be evident in what I have for sale there.

http://WestOnSalem.etsy.com

On another note, I am hoping to teach myself to knit this summer. I'm hoping that maybe I'll be better at it as an adult. ;)