Vibrant & Invigorating Vancouver

How often serendipity leads us to the most incredible places.  And so it was the day I made an inpromptu journey by the False Creek Ferry from Sunset Beach Vancouver to Granville Island.

A collection of old warehouses located beneath the Granville Street Bridge, I knew nothing beforehand of what Granville Island had to offer.  Then on finding this view soon after arrival, it was clear that the place I was about to explore was going to be creative and lots of fun.

I was also immediately struck by the immense warmth and friendliness from complete strangers and this was a constant on all my visits.  Indeed, it was my standing with a map looking confused that promoted a kindly passer by to stop and direct me to find my first textile find on Granville - the Silk Weaving Studio.

The silken loveliness I found on stepping inside my first Granville textile emporium was breath taking and it was a struggle to decide which direction to point my eyes towards first.

This sumptuous hand dyed Sanjo Silk yarn was one immediate draw and I felt a mild panic arise at the meare thought of having to chose just one colour.

My creative brain kicked in when I spotted this tactile silk paper - there must surely be a project I could bring to mind to use these.

It was a joy to see that this was also a working studio and that I was welcome to photograph products and equipment as much as I wanted - another display of Granville friendliness.

The working tools in the studio were many and I had to keep reminding myself that I had a baggage allowance to observe to get me back to the UK.

A descendant of silk weavers, it was impossible for me to leave without some silken treasures to take home and to work between my fingers.

And so my textile adventures on Granville continued with the continued help of those I met.  Chatting with knitting guru Marilyn Guille in a coffee shop, she took great delight in pointing me towards the textile haven - Maiwa.  Stepping into this store of exquisite Indian textiles I felt the love and care with which they were made ooze from every inch of floor space.  How to take it all in - another friendly Granville resident of course.

I listened to the moving story of how Maiwa has supported the production of the high quality textiles in Indian communities for over 30 years, the most exquisite I have ever seen first hand.  The booklet on this link gives the heart warming account told to me and this photo of Banjara embroidery shows the quality of hand work that my eyes feasted upon that day.

Owner Charlotte Kwon has travelled, researched and written extensively on the textile work of the Banjara, who continue to maintain a strong traditional culture in the face of pressures to conform to modern living in their communities across India.

Oh to travel and explore a culture where textiles are cherished and placed at the heart of living.  Made from organic and hand dyed cotton fabric and embroidered around wafer thing shisa mirrrors, I have yet to decide what I will use my newly acquired beautiful Banjara bag for - travel tickets for another textile adventure perhaps!

After more kindness being shown around the Maiwa workshop, I said my goodbyes at the Maiwa supply shop.  Here I found a wonderland of organically produced textiles and all manner or products to enable textile makers to do likewise.

This collections of organic and hand dyed fabrics was impossible to choose from and I am still amazed that I left the shop without a single metre

What called at me most loudly was the 'Natural Dyes' section, despite having very little dying experience of any kind.  All the same, with much appreciated help from knowledgeable assistant Liberty, I purchased pretty much everything I needed for my first natural dye experience back in Somerset.  Fingers crossed for that luggage allowance!

Inspiration on Granville came in all shapes and forms, including the public market with its staggering array of fresh produce and cooked food.  Intermingled were yet more talented artisans, working in all manner of innovative media.  I'm very conscious that this post gives credit to so few of the talented makers that Granville Island supports.

I am so grateful to the local people who made my trips to Granville Island so pleasurable and fun and who gave so generously of their time.  I can see why Granville is such a creative mecca and I highly recommend to any maker who visits Vancouver.

I found so many invigorating places in Vancouver, it is hard to pick out just a few.   The stupendous Stanley Park with the 9km sea wall walk was fabulous for walking and cycling and autumn was an amazing time of year to see this wonderful wooded park surrounded by water on three sides.

The aquarium at Stanley Park was mesmerising and gave a fabulous insight to the vibrant sea world around the Vancouver coast.

Then there was exhilarating tree top walks at Capilano with its 140m swinging suspension bridge over the Capilano river 70m beneath.  To quash my fear of heights and walk across this bridge twice awakened every sense in my body and I felt a huge achievement.

And a hour and short cable car ride later, I found myself in the wintery wonderland of Grouse Mountain, standing within feet of these orphaned grizzly bears.

By contrast, I equally loved spending time on Sunset Beach with it's many large logs - placed to enable a Vancouver passion for watching the sun go down.

One thing is for sure, you need plenty of time to visit Vancouver to enjoy all that it has to offer - my post has barely scratched the surface.  The vibrant and invigorating experiences to be found are many and they will likely leave a lasting impression, as they have with me.