OffTheHooks Fiber Studio

Holiday Stitches

2012-01-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

Over the holidays, somehow I managed to get a lot of knitting in. For the first time I can remember, this year's Christmas celebrations felt a lot more relaxed and less hectic. We actually got to stay home on Christmas morning!

I finished 2 hats and 3 washcloths in the span of about 10 days. The first hat was for my nephew who over the last 6 months or so, has been asking me if I can make him a hat "with skulls on it". After a bit of procrastination and wondering how exactly I would make this hat, it was ravelry to the rescue. I found this pattern which uses knitted colorwork, which I've never done before, but I really enjoyed. I had to tweak the pattern a bit to make it smaller for a child-sized head (sizing for children has to be one of my biggest challenges). The colorwork can be a challenge as following the graph forces you to use a bit of math (yes, it's true what they tell you in school, you do need math eventually) and pay attention. But I'm glad I challenged myself and am looking forward to doing more colorwork in the future.

Next up were some washcloths for my dad, who really likes the crocheted ones I made him about two years ago. Since I've been noticing he still uses them AND they are falling apart, I thought it was high time to make him some more. Usually I just wing it and crochet some squares. This time, I decided to knit them as I wanted to use up my cotton stash- and only having a bit of cotton left, I thought I'd knit as it uses less yarn. I forgot to get pictures but I used this pattern that features a basketweave stitch, which I quite like. Here's the photo from the pattern page:

And lastly, I made my first project for our baby bean. I've been so excited to start making things for the little one! The Aviatrix pattern first caught my eye on cosymakes blog. I loved the style of the hat, especially with the handspun. One of my goals this year is to keep more of my handspun and dyed yarns for myself to use in projects. So after Craftateria, I coveted one of my hand-dyes for this hat. The yarn is from my local wool series and is processed right here in Alberta. Orange is not typically a color I choose, but since it's neutral and bright, and Cosy's looked great in orange, I thought why not.

It's actually a bit more orange than it appears in the picture (stupid lack of daylight!) And gosh, I enjoyed knitting this. The pattern was interesting. I finished it off with a funky polymer button I received from Elaine in a Christmas swap from a few years ago. It did turn out a bit bigger than intended, but since baby is due in the spring, it probably won't be needed until the winter anyhow.

Next up, I'm pondering a little sweater or perhaps another hat or maybe some legwarmers for myself! Gotta get through some stash as my current yarn studio will be baby's room come spring!

Season's Greetings & Update from OffTheHooks

2011-12-12T14:59:00.002-07:00

What a whirlwind the last couple of months have been! First, there was the Made Show & Sale at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery back in November:

My second (and final) craft sale of the season is coming up this weekend- Craftateria. This is my third time participating, and it's always a great gathering of local crafters and craft-lovers. And this year is my first time doing two craft shows during the holiday season- it's been fun and I'm so appreciative of the positive response I've received!

Also, we recently took a trip to Mexico, which was a wonderful break and our first time visiting.

If that's not enough news for you, we also are expecting a b a b y this spring! Things are going well so far, despite being a little tired, I've been feeling healthy and excited. And looking forward to the 'slower season' after the holidays so I can start using my time to make wee things for the wee one!

So needless to say, I've been running a little behind in the online world and most of my energy has gone into work for craft sales and for gifts for friends & family. I've heard about the pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome and I sure hope I don't get it! But I still do have many items in my etsy shop, just a bit less yarn that usual. Check out some of the new dog cowls! I just can't guarantee delivery for Christmas now- with the craziness of the post office and the unpredictability of the postal system, it's too big a risk to take during this busy time.

I hope everyone has a great (insert chosen holiday here) and a happy new year!

And.. I have a little favor to ask- what are your favorite baby patterns? books? etc?

Shop Local!

2011-11-09T17:53:00.001-07:00

This holiday season, I'll be selling locally at two craft markets- the Made Show & Sale on November 18th at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery; and the Craftateria Market on December 17 at the Gate.

I've been investing the majority of my craft time lately on creating items for these sales. I've got a whole bundle of my hand-dyed, locally produced yarn almost ready to go:

I'm looking forward to these events, both should be cozy and fun affairs!

Mod Dogs- Bianca

2011-09-04T20:06:00.000-06:00

I recently completed a custom order for a dog cowl for Lizzi and her dog Bianca.
Lizzi was kind enough to share some photos of Bianca modelling her new cowl, and she looks GORGEOUS!
I'm hoping to get busy and start making more of these cowls for the cooler weather ahead.

Mid-Summer Update

2011-08-05T18:18:00.000-06:00

Returning from a vacation has a way of making me want to get back into the studio and kitchen- settling in to do some making! The summer has been busy with renovation projects (we're converting a poorly constructed mud room into a covered deck) and gardening (take a peek over at my other blog) have been keeping me super busy. I haven't done a lot of spinning or dyeing, I did knit a hat on vacation- because we were camped in the mountains, I needed it at night! We camped in the mountains of Montana and British Columbia- a mighty fine time.

The yarn is my own 2-ply, hand-dyed, handspun. The colors were actually a mistake- I think I was trying to create brown and it didn't quite work out! But I'm quite happy with the result. (Don't mind the poor quality of the pictures.. taken in my living room with the curtains closed and still the sun is bright!)

After I got home, I realized almost everything I bought was handmade or vintage! Funny how etsy wears off on you! We visited a few thrift stores, farmers markets and funky downtowns. Here's a few of the items I picked up:

handmade wooden buttons

handmade flipper and cutting board


The Garden that you are: I could resist this book on gardening and gardeners stories all based in the Slocan Valley of BC. It also has some great recipes. We hope to one day settle out that way.

I also got a great apron with a huge pocket that I've been using for gardening. I like going out to the garden and stuffing the pocket full of whatever's ready. Yesterday, it was full of beans!

I've also been having a lot of fun with my new little camera, after almost 6 years of my other one, it was just getting a little too clunky and slow. I am no means a professional photographer, so this camera satisfies my need to step outside the box with some of its built in filters. A few piccys from my vacation...

Mexican Fiesta at the family reunion

Getting ready for some floating on Kootenay Lake!

picking cherries at lakewood inn

sleeping dog in nelson

beer tasting in sandpoint (really, they aren't as big as they look :)

What have you been spending your time doing this summer???

Signs of the Season

2011-05-14T22:11:00.000-06:00

I've been busy getting things ready for gardening season- I can't wait!

Starting tomatoes, peppers and ground cherries indoors- they're almost ready to move outside!

Anxious to try these ground cherries- sort of a cross between a tomatillo and a gooseberry

The "farm"- almost ready for a new growing season!

I've also been filling up the HazelTweed shop with lots of new goodies...


Lemonade. Acorn Earrings

Lot of 3 Vintage Patons Patterns- Make your own toys

Instant Stash- Lot of 4 Jaeger Monte Cristo Vintage Yarn

And doing a bit of spinning here and there...


Sweet Pea. Handspun hand dyed Merino Art Yarn

Honeycomb. Handspun, Hand Carded Art Yarn

All in all, I'm pretty happy that it's finally spring, and so is Sol!

The Debut of Hazel Tweed

2011-05-04T19:01:00.000-06:00

I've been pondering opening a second shop for some time now. I'm a major thrift-a-holic and I've accumulated quite the collection. I have also really come to adore and love Granny Chic and Vintage Modern styling as I've been slowly decorating our house.

So, let me introduce you to Hazel Tweed... Hazel is the name of my grandma, and Tweed isn't her last name, but it represents to me the coziness of all things vintage. Maybe it's kind of an alter-ego?

Regardless, opening up a new shop has been fun.. starting fresh with a new concept is something I have been craving. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE spinning, knitting and crocheting! But collecting and re-making is also super fun!

Hazel's shop is a mix of crafty vintage and new handmade. Here's some of the earrings I've listed lately:

Sapling. Foliage Earrings

Glow. Acorn Earrings

Raindrop. Foliage Earrings

I used to make a lot of jewelry back in university- so I still have lots of supplies and really love collecting & remaking old jewelry.

I also really love anything vintage craft-related. As many of us makers can attest, there's only so many crafts we can master. Unfortunately, I can't use or make everything- but I sure can share some of the retro craft-making supplies I collect! Here's a few things I've listed so far:


Vintage 1965 SEWING for your home booklet. Amy Vanderbilt, Irene Gora


Vintage 70s iron on fabric initial Letter A

Instant Collection- A Rainbow of Vintage Crochet Hooks

Pop by Hazel's shop sometime!

Craftateria II Recap & Wrist Pains

2011-04-22T09:17:00.000-06:00

Last weekend's Craftateria Craft Show was a blast! Of course, another spring blizzard blew in the night before, leaving us with piles of snow. But despite that, craft-lovers from all over the city trudged through the white stuff to come check us out.

In addition to my already spun & dyed collection, I spun up a few new yarns for the show:

This is the scrappy yarn I showed being spun in my last post. Its made with sheeps fleece and scrap yarns & fabrics. It turned out wonderful and I can't wait to see what is made with it! Unfortunately, due to some wrist issues, I was only able to spin one skein up... more on that later.

This is some handspun using local fibers- I'm calling it seedling.

A couple shots of my booth- still working on display... found the wine rack idea online and it works well (and love how it holds wine in-between shows too!) I also brought my folding lendrum spinning wheel this time, a great idea to show how handspinning is done, and also something to do during those quiet times:

And since it was the 'buy for yourself' edition of Craftateria (the last one was near christmas, so naturally it was 'buy for others'), I picked up a few things too. Including this knit fish with catnip for Cohen & Dylan (and sorry it already looks gross- cats really are fond of it):

Cohen enjoying the new fish!

All in all, it was a highlight for me and a great networking event for those involved in the local craft community. I can't wait for the next one! Thanks so much to the organizers!

I mentioned earlier in the post that I've been having some wrist pains. Well, I'm happy to say I went to the doctor and I don't have to stop knitting, crocheting or spinning (or typing)!!!!! She said if I'm not careful it could turn into carpal tunnel and that I need to strengthen my wrist. So I get to roll cans of beans in my hands! Anyone else out there have any exercises they do? I also have been wearing a brace on my wrist which has really helped. Not so much when I am doing an activity, but when I am not. The Dr. said to wear it at night even. And I have to really start paying attention to how my wrists are bending when I'm doing my work. I think with continental knitting (or picking) your wrist can tend to curl over... which is not good.

Anyway, I am just really happy that I don't have to stop. That would be sad! I definitely have had to slow down though. But I've been filling my time with watching Mad Men (SO good!) and growing tomatoes and peppers to plant outside when it gets nice (HA!). I've posted what I'm growing over on my other blog, The Lethbridge Veg.

Happy Earth Day and Easter everyone! Eat lots of fair trade chocolate!

I Heart Moms (and Grandma's and Great-Grandma's!)

2011-04-14T18:20:00.000-06:00

Over the next week, I'm participating in the Trans-Canada Etsy Team's "We Heart Moms" promotion- not only do we share some of our favorite mom stories, but we are also giving our readers and customers a chance to win!

We love Moms. We love our own Moms; some of us love being Moms, and; some love the women who have become Mother figures to us.

This coming week we want to share that love. Ten participating members will share with you tales of Motherhood. Starting this afternoon, join us everyday until April 21st as we hear from our members.

Starting today, we are also offering a chance to win a $50 TransCanada Etsy Team gift certificate which you could use to treat your Mom to a wonderful handmade Mother's Day gift.

For a chance to enter simply make a purchase from any of the participating shops. You will earn a ballot for every $10 spent in a shop. Or, if you wish to simply tell us in this blog comment, why you love your Mom (or your favorite mom-figure) or why you love being a Mom, we will give you one no-purchase-needed-ballot.

Pop on over to the blog today to see my post- I reminisce about a milestone in my etsy shop that made me think of my grandma and great-grandma!

Craftateria II

2011-04-10T19:02:00.000-06:00

It's happening this weekend, and I'll be there!
I'll be hauling my yarns, knits & crocheted goodies, and possibly one of my spinning wheels down to the gate for this great event. The last one was so fun, this one proves to be just as good or even better. I believe there are more vendors this time too.

Here's me spinning some scrappy yarn, getting ready for the show- full of fabric scraps, left over yarn bits, and squishy wool fleeces, it'll make an interesting finished project!

And this is my suitcase, packed full of yarny goodness... and I've even got some funky home-made earrings for sale too- a sneak peek and more on those later this week!

Hope to see all the locals there!

Thrifting Adventures

2011-04-05T20:44:00.000-06:00

A thrifting jackpot...

I found these in the Mennonite thrift store. I don't know what they are for, or what they say (my guess is the name of the plant, but what are the other words?) or what language. I am not sure what I'll do with them, but I couldn't resist the vintage illustrations and beautiful text. Any ideas?

I couldn't resist these DIY button covers, either. I'm not sure I even want to do anything with them, I love the packaging! But the possibilities of covering your own buttons with some vintage fabrics.. how can one resist?!

And I found these tin easter eggs.. i love the images and the fact that they are re-usable!!!

New Spring Yarns

2011-03-21T18:00:00.000-06:00

This weekend, I had a chance to catch up on some dyeing. And I realized, "dyeing, I missed you!" I decided to try a little bit of experimenting, and I've always wanted to try 'dip dyeing'.

So for my first go I did this skein and slowly immersed it in the dyepot in 3 stages, with it starting out as a bright pink, then a pastel, and then, almost completely white:

What great fun!

Then I took it a step further with the next skein and put 2 jars inside the dyepot, one with blue dye and the other pink. I divided the skein in half and put one half in each jar.

Once the dye was set, it turned out like this:

I called it Equinox, as the timing seems appropriate, and it goes from cool to warm.

The nice aspect of both these skeins is that they are self striping. When you knit or crochet with them, they will automatically form stripes or short lines of color. Since the color stretches are not really wide, they won't form stripes if you are doing a wide garment like a sweater. But socks, mittens, kids hats, legwarmers, etc, you will notice little stripes forming! And if your anything like me, you probably despise switching yarns!

Watch for more coming soon too!

I also did a skein of one of my favorite color pairings, orange and purple (this one, however is not self striping!):

These skeins are all 100% soft wool, 4-ply, worsted weight yarns.

End of the Line for Angora-Merino for this Yarnie

2011-03-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce I am now a 'yarnie' on ravelry!
This basically means my yarns are now search-able in their yarn database, meaning if you've made a project with one of my yarns, it can now be linked to my yarn page on ravelry! It's a little sparse right now, but it'll be growing!

I recently finished dyeing up the last of my local angora merino for a wonderful customer, Juanita of GenuineKnits on Etsy. She's already made one hat, can't wait to see what else she makes!

I added all the colorways I did in this yarn to my ravelry page, I loved seeing them all together:

I'll admit, I've been in a bit of a creative slump lately, this long winter is really starting to get to me. But on the bright side, I've been doing quite a bit more personal knitting and crocheting, and am currently working on a super fun, stash-busting project I'm calling the Spring Ahead (please) Scarf. You know when you finish knitting or crocheting a project, and then the weather suddenly turns too warm to wear it? Well, I'm sort of hoping that's what will happen with this one.

The pattern, as you can probably guess, is from ravelry and is called the Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf, is fairly easy and a fun way to use up all those smaller quantities of yarn. It features the linen stitch which I find really beautiful:

Pattern Recommendations

2011-02-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm growing more and more obsessed with Ravelry; an online knit & crochet community.

There's no better place to browse patterns, network with other crafty types, get advice on how to fix your spinning wheel, and even help plan your next mini-vacation! Everyone is just really keen to share!

I thought I'd share a few of the projects I've been working on, or had my eye on (you'll need a free ravelry account to access these)

Right now, I'm working on a crocheted soaker for baby diapers by Good Housekeeping (a pattern that's atleast 50 years old!) with some unraveled wool sweater yarn. The important aspect here, being that you use 100% wool; such as this handpainted, 100% Peruvian Highland wool in my shop:

I also just added this knit beanie by Jessamyn Van Den Elzen to my list of favorites, which would also be perfect to use with a yarn similar to above:

A lot of people who purchase my thick 'n thin handspun yarns make baby hats. I spotted this Long Tails Beanie by Jen Bartlett that would work perfectly with those yarns:

(wouldn't it look great with this?)

If you are wanting to make an adult hat with some chunky handspun, the First Hat pattern by Nikol Lohr would be perfect:

Next on my list this Dandy Neckerchief by Ariane Caron-Lacoste:

I love the leafy design! Not sure which yarn I am going to use yet... hoping to stumble upon an earthy green or brown. We'll see!!

Operation Baby Snuggle

2011-01-30T10:13:00.000-07:00

It seems so many of my friends are having babies these days.

It gives me a great chance to try some new patterns that aren't too involved because they are so small. And what a great way to use up stashed yarns!

The latest project was this knit hat for Steph's soon-to-be-born.

The yarn is Malabrigo Twist; colorway plena. It's leftover from a custom project and it's simply gorgeous yarn. Some of the softest wool I've worked with. It almost feels like a cotton.

The pattern is Cabled Baby Hats by Julie Hentz; featuring lots of fun cables (I love cables!)

Next up? well, I can't say, because I don't want to ruin a surprise!

The Laughing Buddha: Now with Scarf

2011-01-23T13:37:00.002-07:00

Just for fun, I knit this scarf for my statue of Pu-Tai, better known as the Laughing Buddha. He's probably my favorite incarnation of the Buddha- so jolly. A little bit like Santa Claus, but way less commercial, and more enlightened, of course. He tends to look a little cold in the winter, or maybe it's just me projecting my coldness on him. I knit a simple i-cord with some handspun cotton, and added some tassles. That's better!

The Laughing Buddha emerged from Chinese folktales of the 10th century. The original stories of the Laughing Buddha centered on a Ch'an monk named Ch'i-t'zu, or Qieci, from Fenghua, in what is now the province of Zhejiang. Ch'i-t'zu was an eccentric but much-loved character who worked small wonders such as predicting the weather.

The tales of Ch'i-t'zu spread throughout China, and he came to be called Pu-tai (Budai), which means "hempen sack." He carries a sack with him full of good things, such as sweets for children, and he is often pictured with children. Pu-tai represents happiness, generosity and wealth, and he is a protector of children as well as of the poor and the weak.

source

Self Portrait in Yarn

2011-01-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

I spun this yarn a few months ago after I got my new Lendrum Spinning wheel. One of the most exciting parts of the wheel is the huge flyer & bobbin that allows large, chunky yarns to be spun with less difficulty. As most makers probably do, I have a large collection of scraps; bits of fabric, yarn, fiber, that I just can't throw away because I know I'll find a use for them someday.

I took that collection and started spinning it into this yarn. Bits of old clothing & fabric, some of my first handspun yarns (that weren't the prettiest or that well spun), left over yarns from projects, lace, ribbon all got spun into the vortex to make this yarn.

I think of it as a sort of self portrait in yarn- now the question is what should I make with it? I was thinking some sort of vessel, but nothing has caught my attention yet. For now, I'll just leave it as yarn.

I'm hoping to spin up some more of these yarns for the shop too, and possibly even offering a service for people who want to give me their 'scraps' to spin up into yarn.

One of my other loves

2011-01-11T19:35:00.002-07:00

I may have mentioned before that I am a vegetarian- I have been for over 10 years now and no complaints. It's just what I am.
I try not to be a preachy vegetarian; but more of a question-answerer if anyone is curious. I really enjoy veggie cooking and the doors it opens for you in terms of trying new things.

Anyway, I started a blog a while back called The Lethbridge Veg; mainly because I missed all the vegetarian restaurants in Edmonton. It's been a gradual start, but I have been posting more often lately. Come check it out, if you dare, I promise no preachy peta antics (this is one vegetarian who has a strong dislike for peta because of stunts like this that degrade women and their bodies). Also, its a semi-experiment to see if I like blogger or wordpress better.. not sure yet- but wordpress is definitely more complicated!!

And if you too are vegetarian, vegan or even a sometimes-vegetarian, please feel free to share with me your favorite website, recipe or story!

New Year = New Mittens

2011-01-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Happy new year!
I hope everyone is off to a good start for 2011.
I had a wonderful time this holiday season. Lots of visiting family, and it was so much less stressful being back in my hometown. There's nothing like being able to go home and fall asleep in your own bed after a busy day! I also got some yummy fibery goodies as gifts, including alpaca yarn, rose wood crochet hooks and a wonderful book of knitted hat patterns.

We had a few family & friends over for new years eve; and new years day was mostly spent on the couch watching movies (Riding in Cars with Boys) and knitting.

Here's Sol, looking a bit hungover:

Over the holidays, I was busy working on some mittens for myself using some of my hand-dyed angora-merino yarn. Since my supply is almost out, I thought I better save some for myself! I was inspired by Laura from Prairie Peasant and the mittens she knit from some of the yarn she purchased from me:

I forgot to take a picture of the yarn before I knit it, but here are mine:

I used one of Elizabeth Zimmerman's patterns from my Knitting without Tears book; its a pretty laid back pattern and it was the first project I have made using one of her patterns. I believe she just calls it "36 stitch mittens". Luckily for me, they turned out a bit long, which is perfect because I have really long fingers. It was fun to knit with the yarn and watch how the colors changed and pooled. On both mittens, a different pattern appeared on the front and back, the front colors pooled more while on the back the colors striped more.. fun! And so far, the mittens are really warm and I now understand how angora bunnies stay so toasty all the time!

It was also one of the few times I enjoyed knitting on smaller needles. I have pretty bad eyes and often find my eyes go buggy if I work on really fine projects. But this was not bad, and now I am even thinking about trying my hands at a pair of socks!

Edmo Visit

2010-12-28T13:23:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger the last couple of months. Here's one of those 'catch up posts' where I talk about things that happened (what seem like) a long time ago.

In November, we went up to Edmonton; the first time for me since we moved back here in March. It was the same old city and I was so happy to see friends and glad it wasn't too cold. Some friends and I took a day and went out to Celeigh Wool; a shop outside of town (near Millet) that I've always wanted to visit, but never had the chance:

Friends Nickela, baby Violet, Ariel and me.

Marg, the shop owner, also has a small flock of Shetland sheep, complete with a matriarch llama, who's very protective of the flock, I hear.

I picked up a few things in the shop, some local merino fleece and (finally) an Elizabeth Zimmerman book:

I haven't had much time to have a good sit-down with it, but I'm happy to finally have an EZ in my collection.

After we got back from the shop, we went over to Nickela's house to check out her and Ariel's new spinning wheels; 4 in total including a couple of vintage country spinners, most likely from the west coast of Canada. Aren't they beautiful?

You could put paper towels on these babies! These wheels are made to spin thick, chunky yarns, probably for cowichan sweaters. They would be perfect for spinning art yarns. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get them working very well. The bobbins pull the wool right out of your hands before you can spin it. I believe they are scotch tension, and we tried adjusting it, but these wheels just want to pull. There's gotta be a way to get them to stop pulling, but I wasn't able to figure it out! I haven't heard whether they have got them working yet either.

Anyone out there ever used a vintage country spinner?

PS: I re-opened the shop today after my little holiday break.

The last knit.. for the year!

2010-12-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Holiday time is a good time to laze about, stuff your face, watch movies and catch up on your knitting/crocheting. Enjoy this little video called "The Last Knit":

Do you find this somewhat relate-able? I know I do at times :)

And what to knit while you watching videos, eating cookies and lazing about? How about this cute Owl Coffee Cup Cozy by knitphomaniac:

(a couple of pics from the project pool- I love how the owl stands out in the first one)

Seasons Greetings Everyone! Best to you for the new year!

Winding Down..

2010-12-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping things are winding down as we approach the last couple weeks before the holidays. I have been busy keeping the shop stocked, but will be taking a break from making anything new until I get caught up on all my gifts and shopping.

I will also be doing a craft show this year- something I typically don't do... but its going to be a really cozy, fun, non-formal type deal. If you are in the Lethbridge area, check out Craftateria! Art and Indie Craft Fair on December 18 at the PARLOUR window downtown:

I'll bring my spinning wheel and some new hand painted yarns, and knit & crocheted goodies.

This year, I'm trying to keep the Christmas insanity to a minimum. But as I'm sure many artists and crafters will agree, it's a challenge to find a happy balance at this time of year. On the one hand, its probably the best time to sell your wares- so you try your best to keep the shop stocked, but on the other hand, you've gotta have a life! I am not complaining as I feel really lucky to have such support for my work, but perhaps this serves as a little hug to all you makers out there- hang in there and keep up the good work!! We are making a deep dent in gift giving awesomeness!

Here's a few of the projects I've been working on.

I was asked for a custom order for a set of family slippers:

I have also been making some mittens:

They are both made out of vintage yarn. The first pair came from a couple of very pink balls of acrylic/wool buffalo yarn, which I over dyed, you can see the original color here:

The second pair I have already mentioned in a previous blog post, but I over dyed the gray color into purple. Here's the original color, before dyeing. This is buffalo yarn too, but 100% wool. (And no, still haven't made my sweater)

And I made a present for myself (gotta have a little gift to yourself once in a while!)- a kerchief with some of the noro furin yarn I picked up on my last trip to edmonton.

I like these triangle type scarves because they are bit dressy and you can wear them indoors and outdoors, and also because you only need one ball of noro (or other super yummy yarns) to make. They are something I'm considering making & selling in the shop- maybe with handspun yarns! I used a vintage wooden button and it can slip anywhere I want in the knitted fabric, so the scarf can be loose fitting or more snug. You'd probably get a better idea of the size if I tried it on, but I'm still in my pj's :)

What I've been up to & Shipping deadlines

2010-11-26T19:07:00.004-07:00

I've been keeping busy & warm with custom orders, adding new listings to the shop, holiday gifts and this darned cold weather!

I recently finished #3 Dog cowl for a custom order (see the other two here):

I've spun some new yarn on my lendrum:

The fibers are all local- some merino and columbian fleeces!

***A special reminder that the recommended holiday shipping deadline is shortly approaching!***
Canada Post tells me December 8th is the last recommended day to ship parcels to the states. Parcels can be Xpressposted up until December 16 (although the cost significantly goes up).

In Canada, December 16 is the last day for lettermail (which is how I usually ship orders when there is only 1 item). For regular parcels, the last day to ship is Dec 11.

International shipping times vary- please inquire!

***so if you are thinking of ordering something from my shop, please do it soon! Taking into account production times, custom orders will not be possible by Christmas considering these shipping times!

Can't decide on a gift for someone else? Worried about shipping times? I also have gift certificates! Check them out here- you can also get them in different denominations, and they can be emailed to you or the recipient right up to the special day!

It's that time again

2010-11-22T19:38:00.004-07:00

It's time for the Trans-Canada Etsy Team's annual Christmas giveaway!

This year's shops are:

RJCharms - Buy 3 Get One FREE (Indicate free choice at checkout – do not include it in your cart! Free item must of equal or lesser value to all purchased items. Promo offer is valid until Dec. 4. on new transactions only, and can not be combined with other offers.)

MyHandBoundBooks - Free Shipping on almost everything.

Pixel8ed - 15% off all items for the duration of our promo.

minouette - Check out Minouette's Sale Section, with free shipping on many of the items.

bnazar - 10% off orders of $20 or more (not including shipping)- refund through paypal or convo for an adjustment before purchasing. Quote "TCET Holiday" to receive the discount.

mythicalmatters - 10% off and a free Fortune Telling Miracle Fish!

tooaquarius - Free Shipping!

stringmealong - Save 20% when you enter coupon code TCET12DAYS. Also, free international shipping on most items.

motivatedmotion - Motivated Motion has many of its stock on sale. Savings of 10-25% are reflected in the description, and the items are already reduced for our customers convenience.

PenelopeKuhn - Receive 25 personalized note cards FREE with any custom portrait order!

offthehooks

prairiepeasant and prairiethreads - 10% off all items in either shop before shipping. Just state "12daysTCET" in the message to seller at checkout, and you will get a refund for the discount through Paypal.

rikrak - 15% off any purchase during the promotion. Enter the coupon code "2010HandmadeHolidays" during the Etsy check out process.

ellecools - 20% off all items in shop from November 22 through December 3. Mention '12 Days' in convo, email or comments, before or after purchase, and receive a 20% discount or refund. Free international shipping as always.

paisleybaby - 15% off the entire shop! Please use coupon code "PBABY15" at checkout.

TCET team shop

Join us over the next 11 days as the participating shops share some of their favorite things about Christmas on the TCET blog.

And, now for the most exciting part of this event!! We once again have a fabulous prize package filled to brimming with exciting gifts from all the shops listed above. I'm including some of my little crocheted stockings, seen in the bottom left hand corner:

There are two ways to win:
1) Make a purchase from any of the shops above and for every $10 spent per shop, you will receive a ballot.
2) Write a letter to Santa, telling him which item/s from our shops you would like to find under your tree this year. Just type it into the TCET blog's comments.

We will draw for the prize on Dec 5th!

What I've been up to 11/17/10

2010-11-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

corespinning...

crocheting in bed- my bedroom faces south and i love the sun that shines through during the day (so does my cat dylan)..

Organizing and re-organizing my studio...

A few custom orders (dog cowls)

more custom orders for knitted hats:

and of course, getting to know Lynnie, my new lendrum spinning wheel!

just take a look at how big this flyer and bobbin is!

That bobbin can hold ALOT!

New member of the family

2010-11-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

So I just welcomed this 20 year old into my home that will be living with us.
I call her Lynnie for short.

I got a single treadle Lendrum spinning wheel- the original portable spinning wheel. She is about 20 years old and is quite different than Mrs. Ashford.

Not that I needed another spinning wheel, but I couldn't pass up a relatively good deal.

She came with a generous amount of accessories including a regular flyer, super fast flyer and jumbo flyer. And I mean JUMBO! If you know what a flyer is, you may notice the size of the jumbo in the photo above. Also some hand cards, a drop spindle and a book! I will take some more pictures when I have some light!

I'm doing a bit of test driving currently, its so nice to have such a large bobbin, I can spin a lot of yarn! This jumbo flyer and bobbin is, as far as I know, no longer available. The new lendrums have a jumbo flyer, but its not this big!!!

Volume 4: what people have made with my yarn

2010-11-05T18:50:00.001-06:00

We're long overdue for a "WPHMWMY" post!
(see here for the others)

First, we have Allie Kay Designs transforming this hand spun/dyed merino yarn

into this wonderful hat!

Next up, Uniquely Ewe took this handspun 'pearls' merino yarn

and made this "cream puff" hat!

she also used it to trim this neckwarmer:

Next, GettinKnittywidit took this bamboo/local wool mix

and made this 'twisted sister newborn beanie':

I love how she sewed in a couple teeny little skulls!

Thats it for today- don't forget if you've created something with my yarn, send me a pic or two of your creation for 10% off your next purchase!!!

Fall Abundance

2010-10-24T11:10:00.000-06:00

We have been fortunate enough to enjoy a long, wonderful fall this year.
Our tomato harvest was the best on record, and we recently harvested our potatoes:

There's also a few onions in there too :)

We didn't buy 'seed' potatoes; instead used some of the sprouting potatoes in our pantry- and it seemed to work just fine. We grew mostly yellow yukon gold, and there were a few red in there too. Some of them unfortunately turned green- but we'll stick those in the ground now and see if they'll sprout next year. (green potatoes are apparently toxic)

The flowers and other vegetation in our yard is slowly dying off for winter- but certain plants have become more beautiful in the past couple weeks:

Chinese Lanterns

the bees love these purple flowers (no idea what they're called)- one of the last plants to pollinate!

marigolds after our first killing frost, Oct 17.

The beautiful changing colors of the virginia creeper

I dug into my stash of buffalo wool recently and made this season's first pair of mitts:

My hands are chronically cold, so I think these will be perfect for all the dog walking we'll be doing this winter. The wool is so lofty and thick, its like a blanket for your hands :)

I think I'll be making more too, its an enjoyable quick pattern.

Afghan History

2010-10-13T18:47:00.000-06:00

In browsing the endless abyss of facebook, I discovered a project going on in my former home Edmonton. It sounds like a wonderful project, and the perfect piece of public art for a senior's centre. I always wondered why these blankets were called "Afghans"... I always thought it was a somewhat politically incorrect term.

HOW MANY AFGHAN BLANKETS DO YOU HAVE?
Instant Coffee wants to photograph your afghan blankets
A Public Call and Event
...
The artist collective Instant Coffee would like to photograph your favourite afghan blankets. The resulting photographs will be used as part of a public art commission for Edmontons New North Central Community Recreation Centre.

The afghan blanket with its erratic and saturated palette, its repetitive patterns and grid forms became a common household craft and item in North America in the sixties and seventies. The name comes from the influence of Afghani textiles, which were made from recycled or left over wools, came in vibrant colours, and incorporated holes as a basic part of their geometric pattern. As a North American tradition, the modest, domestically crafted blankets were rarely sold commercially, usually offered as personal gifts and familial hand-me-downs. Currently, they have found a secondary market and are readily available, but the domesticity and sentimentality of their making is still a vivid part of this personal, yet shared history.

Please grab these cherished items from off your beds, sofas, lazy-boys and shoulders, and bring them to Central Lions Seniors Association on Thursday, October 7th at 6 to 9pm for Instant Coffee to photograph, catalogue and enter into a competition. Only three of the afghan designs will be chosen by the collective to be part of a permanent kinetic wall mural. If an image of your distinctive blanket is selected, your name and any information you might have about it will be inscribed next to the artwork.

Works in Progress: Thanksgiving

2010-10-09T09:27:00.000-06:00

Last weekend in the mountains; secret project, beer & bread

Fall outdoor spinning (was for this)

The evolution of my studio, now with drum carder station and a cool new woven rug;

I finally spun the west coast batts I've been saving forever... (and unfortunately forgot to take a picture of them before spinning) Has anyone ever heard of these before? I'd love to get some more but they don't seem to be on the net.

The beginnings of a really simple triangle shawl/scarf- was going to do something a little fancier but then decided to let the yarn speak for itself.

Almost Every Day is a Sweater Day

2010-10-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

It has been a beautiful week of weather here- our lack of summer is partially being made up for with warmer than seasonal temperatures (+26 C for instance).
The warm wind is quickly shuttling the leaves off the trees.

We have been harvesting and starting to retreat to the indoors. Plants have been pulled, outdoor decorations and furniture put away for the year, perennials trimmed and thinned.

I figured there was no use in being sad about the lack of summer so I decided to try and fully embrace fall. After all, I know I won't be hunkering down for another Edmonton winter, so maybe it isn't all that bad. I think fall is the favorite season of many knitters, crocheters and spinners. We can embrace what we do, knowing its fully justified with the oncoming winter. What better feeling is there than knowing you're creating warm, cuddly things for you and your family/friends?

I have a couple of expecting friends, so I thought I'd make them something. I've always been a little bit afraid of baby clothes, maybe its because I'm clueless when it comes to anything baby. But I found a great pattern and made Mary and her bean this little sweater:

The pattern is called Every Day is a new Sweater Day and you can find it on ravelry too- i like to look at the projects to see what everyone has done with it. I really loved this pattern for it's flexibility. You can not do the arms and its a little cap sleeved vest. You can roll the collar over or leave it like a turtle neck. I doubled up the yarns so its probably more of a jacket. I used some vintage pearly crochet yarn:

Doubled up with an oatmeal colored wool, my fave bamboo hooks, a few cups of tea, and my favorite little owl, the pattern took no time at all. Now I just can't wait to see it on the little bean when she arrives :)

The dog days of autumn

2010-09-23T17:56:00.000-06:00

How can it almost be the end of September already?
I admit, I've been absent from my blog as of late... day job (of recent: huge weekend-long arts festival) and harvest time have been keeping me busy. But with the sudden onset of fall's chillier weather (and lack of a real summer) I've eagerly gotten back into my fiber stash, knitting needles and crochet hooks.

One of the dog cowls Sol modeled made it into an etsy finds post & email last week- so I've been busy designing and making more. I listed 2 more recently:

And I have a dog wear section in my shop now.

I have also been making human things lately, too:

And have been busy spinning up a huge-ish custom order of my pearls yarn:

Harvest wise, I have made lots of walnut cranberry zucchini bread, pickled bean salad, marinated zucchini with garlic and herbs, apple juice/cider, and I am currently waiting for our 15 gallons of tomatoes to ripen so I can can (yes you read can twice) some salsa, including the jalapenos, onions and herbs we grew! I'll also be blanching and freezing chard, peeling and chopping apples for the freezer, digging up the herbs and potting them inside, and I'll leave the root vegetables in the ground a little longer to sweeten up.

Oh and I musn't forget about this humungous spaghetti squash I found in the squash jungle last weekend:

Sol is there for scale!
I'm slowly working my way through it, sawing it apart and baking chunks, mashing them and freezing. For such a large size, it is still full of flavor and is wonderful with some butter, herbs and s&p.

Eatin' Weeds

2010-09-04T10:32:00.000-06:00

My edible weeds article got published on Etsy this past monday!

I've been going on about purslane ever since I found out it was edible. We have sooo much of it in our garden! It's a pretty darned amazin' plant if you ask me. A bugger weed to have in your garden, of course. When I weed, I usually let the weeds dry out on the sidewalk for a few hours before I get rid of them. Purslane sat there for 3 days and it still looked juicy!

It was really rewarding to read all the comments people left on the article. Many people said they had been pulling lots of purslane but never realized it was edible. Others were familiar with it and told stories of their families eating it.
I also received some really yummy sounding recipe ideas including:

I usually saute it with garlic (gotta use fresh garlic), chopped onions and tomatoes (plus salt and pepper) with either cubed chicken breasts, ground pork/beef, but my fave with it is sardines (with tomato sauce, not the mackerel ones). I know that not everybody is a fan of sardines. I've seen on magazines & other TV shows where they simply blanch it and include on their salads, while some put purslane in stew - I already tried that. I served it on top of rice... Yum yum! Just thinking of it makes me hungry. I better grab some now on our backyard, we have a lot of them in the garden

One of my all time favorites! After cleaning the leaves, I mix them with plain yogurt, add a little garlic, salt and chili pepper. It makes a refreshing summer salad! You can also cook purslane any way you prepare spinach. I just LOVE it :)

Here in Cyprus it is eaten raw in salads. I never thought of cooking it tho! I got lots of this "weed" growing in my garden.

We make purselane pickles from ours! Try it, you'll like it.
Crunchy and delicious.

In Turkey it is also considered a veggie. Besides in stews we eat it raw mixed with thick biological yoghourt, fresh garlic, salt and olive oil. Leave it a couple hours like that to get the flavours mixed well and ieat it with fresh bread, delicious! :)

Purslane is also a great addition to soups, thickens it up a bit!

Thanks everyone, for all your comments. It was pretty exciting to not only have my article published, but get so much positive feedback and know that people have been inspired to try it themselves!

Do you have a favorite edible weed? How do you eat yours?

Dog Cozies

2010-08-15T10:15:00.000-06:00

So now that I have a dog, I (not surprisingly) want to make cozy things for him! Especially since he is short-haired; he already shivers when he gets wet- can't wait to see what happens in the snow! Unfortunately, my cats weren't too into dress up, though we did sneak this photo of Cohen when she was a kitten (and more willing to play dress up):

Anyway, I've always liked bigger dogs in necktubes, cowls, cozies.. what ever you'd like to call them.
So I made Sol his first one- the blue one (doesn't he look distinguished!), and since he isn't much of a pink fan, I think the other cabled one will go up in the shop. These are great for all larger dog breeds- and they're warm and washable- made with an acrylic/wool blend. Since they are a chunkier knit, you can slip the clasp of a leash right through the knit material. And, obviously, these should only be worn under supervision.

I'll be working on some kind of a sweater, too. Not sure what exactly yet, and whether I'll knit/crochet it or sew it. I'm thinking of maybe buying one of those polar fleece blankets to use as material- they're warm, cheap, washable, and dry fast!

What's in a Name?

2010-08-05T20:22:00.000-06:00

OffTheHooks. For crafty types, the meaning may be obvious; crochet. It was sort of that way for me when I picked it as my etsy shop name too. Picking a name for your business isn't easy. I knew for sure that I didn't want any numbers in my shop name either, it sounds too.. i dunno. I liked how it differentiated crochet from knitting too.

I had heard it used in a few different ways before, too- one way being "getting away with something." And I kind of like getting away with things, so...

But then I started spinning, and I wondered, how will my shop name work now? Well, lucky for me, the world is full of hooks. As you can see in the pic below, there are hooks on my spinning wheel:

The hooks are on the flyer and pull the newly formed yarn from the orifice onto the bobbin. (There is also a hook you use to pull the leader off the bobbin through the orifice). So, okay, spinning still fits in!! But now that I've finally giving knitting another go, (via continental- thank goodness there is a better way to knit!) what now?!

Well, too late, I'm not changing my shop name! So here's me exploring the many (often amusing) different meanings of Off The Hook(s) (via urban dictionary):

1. Off the hook is actually a modernization of a series of slang words. Closely related to off the chain, there refering to something being so "fresh" and "new" that its literally right off the store shelf. (started in reference to clothes, the hangar being the hook)
Them shoes are off the hook dog.

2. cool; happening
That party was off the hook.

3. adj. exceeding the minimal standard of satisfaction. appealing to one's mind
That song is off the hook!

4. To express such demand or activity that it is beyond normal conditions.

Out of control.
Stems from: A phone ringing so much that it remains off the hook as a result. (so busy)

Man that cat was fighting 6 people and he beat them all. Yo, it was "off the hook", you should have seen it!

5. adj. Freed, as from blame or a vexatious obligation: let me off the hook with a mild reprimand. The Shiznit, something noteworthy, outstanding. Off the chain

"That That 70's show is off the hook, breh!"

6. Intense or out of control, but typically in a good or fascinating way. The term is derived from a boxing metaphor - when boxers train on a heavy bag they can knock the bag "off the hook". Also see "knock him out of the box" for another popular boxing metaphor.

Did you see that Russian climbing video? Damn, those dudes were flipping off four story buildings! It was off the hook!

7. The old school use of 'off the hook' is to "get away with something", or "not be responsible for something", i.e., the fish that got away was 'off the hook'.

My sister broke up with her fiance, so I'm off the hook for buying her a wedding present.

8. Wild, Chaotic, Unencumbered. Derived from ancient naval slang. The hook referred to the anchor. In violent storms, if the anchor would break loose from the seabottom (or break loose from the anchor chain - ref "Off the chain.."), the ship would be uncontrolled, free and wild. Utter chaos. Can you imagine anything more wild than a uncontrolled ship in a hurricane?

That party was OFF THE HOOK!

9. a word meaning cool, brilliant, wicked. made famous by MAXWELL from UK BIG BROTHER 6 (2005)! Said in London (cockney areas) as "Off the 'ook".

Nah man, that was off the 'ook

10. An awesome sushi bar in South Lake Tahoe with unique and delicious food, great prices, and fun atmosphere.

"Where should we eat tonight?" "How about 'Off The Hook'? I love that place!"

re: #10: I have run into some businesses that were named OffTheHook. One was a seafood place, and the other was a place to get wax jobs (not sure about that one?)

Neat to see the connection to fishing, once again. I find crochet & fishing to be close cousins when it comes to womens & mens crafts (not that I think they should be separate). Here's a seafood place we ran into on our holidays last year:

And check out this fishery co-op called OffTheHook; "Atlantic Canada's First Community Supported Fishery":

This summer ‘Off the Hook’ Community Supported Fishery will connect a co-operative of small-scale, groundfish bottom hook and line fishermen from the Bay of Fundy to subscribing customers in and around Halifax. Subscribers pay at the beginning of the summer season for weekly shares of the co-op’s catch of fresh whole haddock and hake.

I don't mind sharing a name with a community co-op!

What story or meaning is behind your shop name?

Pattern ideas for OffTheHooks Handspuns

2010-07-31T08:50:00.001-06:00

There are many of us out there who don't quite know what to do with that beautiful skein of handspun. Often the yardage of handspuns is not enough to warrant a large project; unless it is used as an accent. So below I have collected a number of patterns that I think would work well with my yarns. The majority are made with chunky yarns in mind; just perfect to show off your favorite handspun!!

And some of the patterns are on ravelry, so if you haven't got an account yet, you should!

Wham Bam thank you Lamb! Neckwarmer

Dread Knaught Hat

Instant Gratification Scarf

Update: New Growth in Sight

2010-07-19T20:59:00.001-06:00

As we finally get some heat after all that rain, things are growing steadily around here...

As you may notice, I now have a new web address for this site: www.offthehooks.net
I thought it was about time! If you are a follower, things should automatically re-direct, but if not, please add the new address to your reader!

I reached 200 sales in my shop last week!

We're eating fresh rainbow chard, strawberries, zucchini, onions, lettuce and herbs from our backyard farm (After over 5 years of intensive backyard gardening, am now calling it a farm- and maybe that way we will actually get a 'real' farm sooner!). The potatoes are doing awesome, the pumpkins and squash are starting to crawl, and the pole beans have almost reached the top of their tipis, and the apple tree is bowing from all the weight!

I did a little re-design for the Trans-Canada Etsy Team blog- kinda spiffy, huh?!

Lots and lots and lots of new fleeces are sitting in my studio. Natural merinos, colored merinos and local coopworth are just waiting for me to comb, spin and card them into something soft and squooshy! I sold out of my first batch of pearls undyed merino yarn within 12 hours of listing it. But more coming soon- and it's the softest, silkiest merino I've worked with yet. Just perfect for makin' baby stuff.

I've started listing art batts in the shop too; me and Mrs. Madewell have gotten re-acquainted and she is producing some lovely stuff. These are super fun to spin or felt.

Knitting & Crocheting a Community

2010-07-14T11:39:00.000-06:00

I was happy to find out that there is a small group of people here in Lethbridge that get together once a month "for laughs, friendship, good conversation about social justice, perhaps good food and drink, and of course - knitting! Whether a novice or expert, all are invited to participate!"

And, their group is called Knitting a Revolution! I admit, I haven't actually gone yet, but did participate in one of their projects:

"As you may or may not have heard, this past Saturday a young gay man in Lethbridge was the victim of a hate crime. His garage was broken into and his vehicle was spray-painted with several anti-queer slurs. In response, the Lethbridge community as a whole is coming together to protest actions of hate. Several organizations are coming together to hold an Anti-Hate Rally on Thursday, June 24 from 6pm-7pm at City Hall.

As this is during the Lethbridge Knitting a Revolution's monthly knitting circle time, I was wondering if we would be interested in being a group at the rally....perhaps knitting against hate or something? I think that having people knit is symbolic of anti-violent gatherings but we could do more than that."

So a few friends and I got together in my living room and whipped up a few squares over some wine. The squares along with some foam heart cut-outs that people could write on were installed on the trees outside city hall:

Thanks to Arron for the pics! Someone commented that once installed, the flags reminded them of Tibetan Prayer Flags. These colorful flags, printed with prayers, are often hung in the windy hills of the himilayas and as they are blown in the wind, it is thought that the prayers are 'read' by the wind. Lethbridge can be a pretty windy place, so I liked the comparison :)

Anyway, lots of folks turned out for the rally- and as it was said, this incident has caused more good than harm, as a community banded together to show support & love.

On Handwork

2010-07-09T12:06:00.000-06:00

A friend sent me this video, and now I want to show it to everyone!
Renate Hiller is able to articulate what it is about hand-work that is so meaningful in today's fast paced culture.

It's extra special for me, as we've got twin spinning wheels- right down to the stain! Also if you look closely, you'll notice she's a continental knitter too!!

Tour de Fff?!

2010-07-06T19:37:00.000-06:00

Upon logging into my flickr account lately, I've noticed a few of my contacts have new pictures uploaded with "TDF" on them. I kept wondering, what the heck is this TDF, anyway? They were all pictures of spinning yarn... so I looked it up.
Turns out, it stands for Tour de Fleece! Yes, it's the 5th annual one, too! And yes, it coincides with the Tour de France!

Now how could a fiber geek like me not know about this online spin-along for people who spin yarn and play with fiber?! It's grown from 16 spinners in '06 to over 1500 last year. It's up to about 2500 this year! Needless to say, I'm a little late to the game this year, but perhaps next???

Here's the Guidelines (NOT RULES):

1. Spin every day the Tour rides, if possible. Saturday July 4th through Sunday July 25th. Days of rest: Monday July 12th, Wednesday July 21st. (Just like the actual tour)

2. Spin something challenging Thursday July 22nd. (The Tour’s toughest mountain stage from Pau up the legendary Col du Tourmalet)

3. Take a button if you want one. Then we can use the button on our blogs in show of solidarity. Take it from here or grab a clean one from the flickr pool.

4. Wear yellow on Sunday July 25th to announce victory. Why not wear yellow on any day you feel particularly successful? (Yellow is the color of the race leader in the Tour - but here we are all ‘race leaders’)

5. Other colors if desired: Green (sprinter - think FAST), Polka-dot (climber - as in uphill), and white (rookie)

Check out Keep on Knitting in the Free World for all the details!

I think I will try and spin along as much as I can, this year though! Last night I spent some time in the studio and spun while it rained outside and I also played on my drum carder. I still feel a little intimidated by it sometimes, but with inspiration from hatdiva-atomic blue lately, I really had to try again!! She's got almost the same old drum carder as I do- in fact I call them cousins! She makes gorgeous batts and yarns too.

Here's a couple of batts from last night:

And also the yarn I spun. It's wool/mohair from Nova Scotia:

Yay!

2010-07-03T13:47:00.000-06:00

It was so nice to have Thursday off for Canada Day- though not so nice to have to go back to work on Friday! But now that it's actually the weekend, I have a bit of time to catch up.

I finally listed a new skein in the shop- this one's done with some of the fiber I got back in February, when I still had time to think. I find that it's better fiber for making 2-ply yarn, so here she is:

This is a big one, too, about 130 yards!

I was also lucky enough to make the front page on Thursday with some fingerless gloves- Etsy was featuring lots of Canadian treasuries on the front page:

This weekend, I'm spending lots of time in the garden- and will soon be enjoying some fresh strawberries from my new strawberry patch!

Enjoy the weekend!!

Score

2010-06-26T17:32:00.001-06:00

I've been wanting to make a Cowichan sweater for a while now. Mine (originally made by my aunt, originally as a set for my mom and dad after they were newly married) is starting to fall apart.

The history and meaning behind the Cowichan sweater intrigues me, especially after the recent olympic fiasco that involved the Hudson's Bay Company appropriating the sweater for their $350 olympic version. At the hostel we stayed at in Montreal, I ran into a woman who used to sell the real cowichan sweaters, made by the Coast Salish people on the west coast (I always love a conversation that involves politics and knitting). I didn't realize that White Buffalo Yarn (not actually buffalo wool but sheep's wool, its just called that) is no more. Apparently, the factory burnt down, and you can't but the yarn anymore- unless you find someone with a stash.

Of course, this just made me want to knit a Cowichan sweater even more. Last weekend, we went for a drive to the mountains, and I found a wool shoppe in one of the small towns up there. I asked the store owner if she had any patterns for the sweaters, as apparently those are hard to find too (and I'm talking the patterns made by white buffalo, for specific use with their yarn.. not Mary Maxim wannabe's). She said she had a couple but they weren't from White Buffalo. I got copies (which, can you believe, she charged me almost FOUR DOLLARS to photocopy a couple of pages?!) and then she persuaded me to buy some of the new, 'substitute' yarn that people use for making the sweaters. It's from Briggs and Little- 'Country Roving'. I only bought 2 pucks worth, as I knew that Custom Woolen Mills here in Alberta carries pretty much the same thing, which I got for waaay cheaper.

But then, this weekend, I get talking with my Aunt (who knit the sweater in the first place) and she HAS original White Buffalo patterns AND she was at a garage sale last weekend that had white buffalo yarn!! So we went to the house that had the garage sale, and she still had a whole garbage bag full!!! SCORE!!

annndd.. check it out.. an original receipt!!

1988 baby! The yarn came from a woman's husband who passed away. Apparently he was a bigtime knitter (18 pucks of white buffalo on the receipt!)
now. how long will it take me to knit that sweater?????

Rainy Day Update

2010-06-16T18:38:00.000-06:00

It's raining like mad outside which gives me a good excuse to do a little updating.
As you can see, I've changed up my blog template again! Isn't it funny that I just finished hacking & coding a custom template and then blogger introduces customizable templates!!?

Our garden is in (and very soggy)... almost everything you'd want in a garden except for kale- who knew that kale seeds are so hard to find?

The dog is keeping us busy and is settling in quite nicely:

We went to Montreal for a week and it wasn't the best idea leaving him.. he was a little anxious when we got back. But I don't blame him :) Here's a couple of shots of our trip to Montreal:

It was a wonderful time, and many craft brews were drank. I think I am becoming a beer tourist!

Our house is still a work in progress, and currently we are mostly working on our back yard. But I forgot to share pictures of my completed studio; here it is, overflowing with stuff. Already needs a good clean! It's wonderful because its nice and airy and faces north. Great for taking pictures in.

I've been in a knitting and crocheting slump, but have been able to do a bit of dyeing. I started this neckwarmer last night and doing cables again is kind of addicting! I thought the pattern would work well with some handspun; I did it with some left over lion brand wool ease thick 'n quick.

That's all for now- off to knit!

Lil' shop update

2010-06-10T12:10:00.000-06:00

A couple of new yarns in the shop!!!

This one's not as new, but i re-photographed it with some better light!!

Marigolds in Bloom

2010-06-07T10:59:00.000-06:00

What a nice surprise this morning to find out one of my yarns had made it to the front page as part of this lovely treasury:

Its the bottom on, second from the right!!
And in the shop here:

(I also have more that can be dyed up, if you're looking to do a larger project)

And how appropriate that it's a yarn named after the honorable marigold flower:

A very useful plant to have in the edge of your garden. It's strong scent keeps many pests away. In my last garden, marigolds started to self-seed and I didn't even need to plant them every year!
On the topic of gardens, ours is pretty much complete. Seedlings are coming up already too, and it's only been in for 2 weeks!

Sol-itude

2010-05-22T12:22:00.000-06:00

Spring has been one reason for my sporadic posts of late, the other is a new addition to my family, Sol:

You can see in the first photo our matriarch cat, Cohen is not too happy. But things are coming along and everyone is slowly starting to accept each other. Sol is 4 years old and comes to us from the Prairie Dog Canine Rescue.

His breed is a weimaraner (a german hunting dog) and he's very athletic and fun. He was a little tubby when we got him, but we've been walking and running him every day and he's already started to slim down! We've had him for almost 2 weeks, and I've learned so much about dogs and myself in that short time. I had never heard of Cesar Millan or the dog whisperer 2 weeks ago, but now I'm a fan. Being calm definately helps in Sol's training, but for my own well being too. I love how dogs enable you to get more exercise, and talk to more people (and other dogs!). We've been for some wonderful walks down in the coulees lately. He even does well off leash; he doesn't bark at other dogs/people or run away. He happily greets everyone he sees and when he does run a bit further up the trail (or goes the wrong way!) he always comes back to check on us!

Guess who's getting some nice knitted necktubes this winter?

New Yarns 05/16/10

2010-05-16T12:04:00.000-06:00

A couple of new handspuns I've made lately:

The top one is made with wool I got on this field trip, as well as some pre-spun hemp I got way back on a trip to Tofino. (I used to make a lot of hemp necklaces and still have a bit of hemp left over). I just listed it in the shop.

The bottom one is corespun with a couple of those discoteque batts I carded a while ago on my drum carder. They are mostly corriedale wool with a little bit of soy silk mixed in. I corespun them over some nylon crochet thread I got at the thrift store. I felt like giving corespinning another go as I sold the last skein of my corespun, and as I was getting it ready to send off, I realised I would miss it. Corespinning is one of those gray areas for me, because there isn't a lot of information on the technique out there, but after looking at moonrover's work, I had to give it another go. I'm quite pleased, and I think I'll actually keep the skein for myself (something I don't do very often!) Anyone got any project ideas for about 75 yards??

New in the shop: Recycled Rainbow Sampler packs

2010-05-02T18:29:00.000-06:00

I just listed the new Recycled Rainbow Sampler Pack in the shop. This has been an idea I've had for some time now and I'm so happy to have made it a reality!

These little packs have four mini-skeins of recycled, hand-dyed yarn. Each skein is approx 20 yards in total, giving you about 80 yards to work with. They are 100% wool and come from upcycled, cleaned, second hand yarn. You can combine them to make a groovy striped project such as a hat, or use them individually to edge a project, add them into a larger project, or use them in weaving projects to add bold color & texture, or perhaps as an embellishment in a contemporary fiber art composition.

I have about 6 of these kits available, get yours while they last!
And don't forget, I am always open to requests for custom dyed yarns!

Hello, May!

2010-05-01T10:26:00.000-06:00

Wow.. I can't believe it's already May 1!!

We certainly have had a wet April here in Lethbridge... ah Alberta spring.. one day a pile of snow, the next day sunny and green. But the perennials are popping up everywhere, trees are budding, my tulips are open, and some of the lilacs have already bloomed!

Right, on the day of the storm, the cats are wondering what the hell happened to the sunny skies and birdwatching?? Below are some of the shots of the heavy, wet snow. We lost electricity for about half a day.

To celebrate May, (and hopefully better weather) the Alberta Etsy Street Team is having a May Madness Sale from May 1-7. Over 70 homegrown shops are participating, and you can check out the details here! On items that aren't already on sale in my shop, I'm offering 10% off.

Changing Directions...

2010-04-26T12:32:00.000-06:00

Since my life seems to be taking a new direction lately, I feel like I've had some time to reflect on my own work; and the direction I want to take it. Lately it is dyeing that I seem to enjoy most. Whether it is wool roving, handspun yarn, upcycled sweater yarn, new yarns, or thrifted yarns. Maybe I'm returning to my love of batik, and the aspect of dyeing I loved in that art form.

Also, recovering and recycling is something I have become more interested in too. I love taking something boring, un-used, or plain (but still salvageable) and adding color and life. I've been fortunate enough to have found lots of second hand white wool lately for dyeing:

recycled, hand-dyed yarn

And I think this change is good, if you do the same thing over and over again, it usually gets boring. Not that crochet or knitting has gotten boring for me. But at this point, I'd rather be dyeing or spinning. And if I am crocheting or knitting, I'd rather be doing it for someone connected to me. Who knows if I'll feel this way forever, but for the time being, I'm going to be doing more fiber & dye-related work. And for me right now, I love providing folks with the materials (yarn) to make beautiful things. It's pretty great.

So I've got a few things on sale in the shop, well, actually quite a few things, for really cheap. I'm hoping there's a few people out there who may have noticed something in my shop before, but maybe didn't have the cash to buy it then. It's time for me to clear out and make room for new things. Come have a peek if you feel inclined!

And watch for more fibery goodness soon! And maybe there will be bits and bites of knitted or crocheted goodness in the future too- I'm going to leave it open for when the moment strikes me!

Volume 3: What People Have Made With My Yarn

2010-04-21T16:48:00.000-06:00

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things.. my studio is DONE, except for, you know, the organizing part. But I spun my first skein a few days ago- I think it's been atleast a month! Its so great to be getting back into things, and I'm going to have a table tomorrow at an upcycling show & sale here in town for earth day! You can check out all the details here.

And now,
Volume 3 of What People Have Made with my Yarn!!
Cindy at Reflections by Cindy Custom Child Photography turned these yarns into gorgeous baby props for her baby photo shoots:

This is little Allen, on his 9th day of life!

And this is Noah, on his 10th day of life:

(you can't see it in this photo, but this hat has a little stripe of the blue-green yarn above!)

I feel so honored that my yarn could be made into these adorable caps to adorn these gorgeous new babies! Great work, Cindy at catching these babies at some of the most beautiful moments.

Next, we also have some more baby goodies; I worked with Kristy of Swifferkins and one of her customers on a custom order. The customer requested some baby pink merino yarn:

And Kristy knit it into this gorgeous diaper cover & hat set, complete with teeny little pearls!

She also created another hat with the leftovers:

Julie of BlockHeaters created a "soft n somber" toque with this yarn:

Looks very comfy & cozy, great for our harsh Canadian winters!

And finally, I would like to share something I made for a custom order:

this yarn was knit into a little scarflette:

It was a ton of fun to make!!

Thank-you so much to everyone who has taken the time to send me their photos of what they've made with my yarn! It is truly inspiring to see the creativity & talent out there!

Don't forget, if you've made a project with some of my yarn, send me your picture for a coupon for a discount off your next purchase!!

New Yarns for Spring

2010-04-08T18:35:00.000-06:00

Finally started to get settled and back on track in my new home. My studio is still being renovated, so for the time being I'm working out of boxes, so no new handspuns- but I've dyed these yarns. They are all my merino-angora 70/30 blend except for the top left one which is from my collection of recycled/thrifted yarns and is 100% wool. Check em out in the shop here. And don't forget, I'm always up for a dyeing challenge if you have a specific color palette in mind, let me know!

Following the Fiber

2010-03-31T18:40:00.000-06:00

One of my fave crocheters and all around creative gal has to be Cal Patch of Hodge Podge Farm.
Not only does she make beautiful crocheted, sewn, and dyed goodies, she also has her own book out; Design-It-Yourself Clothes; Patternmaking Simplified (which I've been meaning to add to my library for a long time now!) Cal also lives in an amazing rural farmhouse in New York where she is "living the dream"; creating, teaching and living the handmade life. And I'm pretty sure she has chickens too, which I am highly envious of (in talking to some friends in my new home city, it doesn't look like our bylaws will be bending to allow chickens anytime soon. boo-hoo.)

So in lieu of me not making anything lately due to my move (I am just about at a breaking point here people!), I am vicariously living through others' creations. Cal has done a series along with 2 other artists that follows the fiber from the undyed roving through to the spinning process, and then ending up at the final destination to be crocheted.

It's an amazing journey that often goes unappreciated, so check it out here.

Latest Custom Order

2010-03-29T09:28:00.000-06:00

These were finished and sent off just before I moved. Trish, the customer, had bought this yarn (malabrigo twist) but didn't quite know what she wanted to do with it.

So she had me crochet her a matching pair of fingerless gloves and neckwarmer based on a couple of my previous designs. She also sent me some matching yellow lucite buttons that complimented the yarn nicely.

I was really impressed with the yarn, it is a bulky weight, hand-dyed baby merino wool. It almost has the softness of cotton. I would definitely recommend it to those who find wool itchy.

Update on the moving front: we are settling in quite nicely and I love our new house. I haven't unpacked my studio because it still has to be renovated. But I'm hoping to slowly start spinning and dyeing more yarn over the next month, so stay tuned!

Moving Sale & Giveaway: Winner Announced

2010-03-16T14:52:00.001-06:00

Thank-you to everyone who participated in my moving sale & giveaway! I especially am grateful for the many comments received on helpful moving tips!

Now to announce the winner of the draw for the $25.00 coupon to spend in my shop....
#3- Heidi of Digital Misfit who offered this moving tip:
I use moves as my time for purging.
This is a great time to get rid of the stuff you never wear/use/fit.
Donations to women's shelters, drop offs at Value Village, and letting friends "shop" are all great ways to get rid of the excess baggage.

Congratulations!!! I am very fond of this tip and have been purging. I find material possessions just weight you down (physically & mentally). There's no shortage of "stuff" in this world.
I will be in touch soon Heidi!!

Also, I've kept some things on sale in the shop, so feel free to browse, it's a great time to stock up on some cozy handmade items if you're experiencing a chilly spring!

3 1/2 Days left!

2010-03-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

Don't forget you have about 3 1/2 days left to take advantage of my moving sale (15% off) and giveaway (win $25 to spend in my shop!) which ends on Sunday.

Here's just a snippet of what you can find in my shop on sale:

All the details on how to enter the giveaway are here. Thank-you to everyone who has entered and given me such great moving tips!!! The countdown is on for me, in less than 2 weeks I will be in my new home. I'll probably be taking a bit of a break from creating for my shop for a while as I settle in (and make things for my new home!)

Smokin' Clothing

2010-03-09T14:51:00.001-07:00

I think I freak people out when I talk about spinning various fibers into yarn and the possibilities. I guess maybe folks don't recognize that wool yarn is, simply put, twisted sheep's fur. And therefore, you could potentially make yarn out of many other types of fibers, such as cottonwood fuzz, alpaca fleece, angora bunny fur, strands of plant fiber such as hemp, dog fur, dandelion fluff, dryer lint, and apparently now cigarette butts!!

A friend shared this link with me on a project that Alexandra Guerrero is doing with re-purposing a very common piece of garbage into something functional. It sounds disgusting, but after you read about the intensive sterilization & cleaning process, its kind of neat. Cigarette butts litter our streets and take a really long time to break down. I wonder what exactly are the fibers in cigarette filters/butts? fiberglass maybe?

And she makes really cute crocheted accessories with the yarn too!

Read all about it at treehugger and see more pics of finished projects here.

oh, and hey, don't forget to enter my giveaway and the sale happening in my shop right now; 15% off!!

Moving Sale & Giveaway!

2010-03-06T08:04:00.005-07:00

I'm moving!

In anticipation of the big move, I'm having a Moving Sale and Giveaway!!!

MOVING SALE:

From March 5th - 14th, enjoy 15% off in my shop*

Yep, you got it- 15% off handspun or dyed yarns, hand-knit hats, cozy scarves, or whatever else you may find!
Help me clear out so I don't have to pack it up and move it all!

*the discount does not apply to shipping, gift certificates or custom orders, and cannot be combined with any other offer!

....................................................................................................

GIVEAWAY: a $25 USD coupon to spend in my shop!

How to enter:

1.) Go visit my shop and have a look around ... come back here and leave a comment in this post about your favorite item from my shop & why.= 1 entry
2.) Leave me a comment here telling me of a moving tip you've found helpful = 1 entry
3.) Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to it in a separate comment here = 1 entry

4.) Make a purchase in my shop and come back here and tell us about it = 1 entry

PLEASE NOTE: each entry must be it's own comment and you must leave it in the comments of this blog post!

**RULES**

a) it is possible to have a maximum of 4 entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as it's own comment. thanks!
c) using random.org, 1 winner of the giveaway will be chosen on monday march 16th and announced shortly thereafter.
d) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one.

Batt out of Heaven

2010-03-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

Wildberry Pie

Discoteque

A while ago, I told you about my new (old) drum carder and the long history behind it.
It's been sitting in my studio, and has probably been a little bit lonely. So this weekend I carded up a few batts just for fun and to experiment a little. I used dyed corriedale wool, local un-dyed wool and a bit of undyed soy silk (which are the white streaks). And the top one has a bit of angelina sparkle in it too. They are soo soft!

For me, mixing colors, whether in the dyepot, in a canvas, when I'm working on knitting needles or crochet hooks, and now on the drum carder is one of my favorite things.

I'm not sure what the plan is for these babies yet.. might spin them into yarn, or might just list them for someone else to. They would also be great for wetfelting.. but do I dare add another project to my list?!

Granny Love

2010-02-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

Granny squares are back.

It's been a while for me, but I'm itchin' to get back into making them after seeing all the lovely work folks are making:

Photo & Blankets by Elizabethcat

Elizabethcat's African Flower blanket

LittleTinBird's patchwork blanket in progress

cauchy09's keep on truckin' granny

I've made 3 blankets in the past:

Granny ('05?) Made for a friend and her new baby.

Totally scrappy and one of my first large-scale projects.

Granny ('06?)

Some friends from the organic store I used to work all got together and made this granny for our co-worker who was moving back to NZ. I never did get a picture of it finished (hmmm.. some investigating needed)

This is where I learned that if you get 4 hookers together and have them make the exact same square with the same sized hook and yarn, they will all turn out different sizes because everyone's gauge is different!

Afghan '07-08

Here is my first zigzag afghan, which is not even really a granny square but I thought I'd throw it in anyways since we're talking about blankets.

My plans are to make one big granny like cauchy's above for my new home! And I just don't have the patience right now to make a bunch of little ones and then sew them all together.

The yarn?

I will be crocheting 2 strands together using a mix of:

- Maple Tweed Fisherman's Wool

- My hand-dyed angora-merino- 1 dyed magenta, 1 dyed violet:

The colors & yarns will be randomly placed, I think! Nothing too stuffy or structured, cuz granny's are all about fun!

What I've Been Working on 02/22/10

2010-02-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

As much as I thought I wasn't getting anything done this weekend, I did accomplish quite a bit...
Some fingerless gloves, dyeing & spinning of yarn (you can see a couple of skeins of the new angora-merino I have), cat cuddling (those are 2 separate cats, by the way), knitting of a small scarf, packing and even some socializing. The sun finally came out which makes a world of difference in helping one feel productive :)

What People Have Made with my Yarn V.2

2010-02-18T09:59:00.002-07:00

Well, here I am with another edition of What People Have Made with my Yarn!

I think this will be a regular feature as some of my customers are busy, busy bees!

First off we have:

Prairie Wind Handspun Hand-dyed Merino Art Yarn:

Transformed into:

Baby hat by Reflections by Cindy

Custom Child Photography

(can't wait to see it on a little one!)

Cindy is a professional photographer in Utah who was first inspired by watching the growth of her own children. Check out her site for some inspiring work!

Next, is one of my most popular yarns, the simple

Pearls. Naturally white, undyed, handspun merino art yarn:

Transformed into:

Chunky Oatmeal hat

by Sarah of Diggin' the Dirt

Sarah is an avid knitter, foodie and gardener residing in Ontario.

She created the hat for a friend, who named it the "Oatmeal Hat" because of its bumpy texture.

Sarah has posted the project on ravelry.

*update: just realized Sarah's friend is Adria Vasil, author of the book, Ecoholic. I actually have this book and am so honored!

And finally, we have the

Grape Handspun Hand-dyed Merino 2 ply:

Transformed into:

Warm and Kool Aid Touque

by Laurie of KraekerCouture

Laurie lives in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia and loves knitting.

This touque is currently for sale in her etsy shop, check it out!

Thank-you so much to everyone who has taken the time to send me their photos of what they've made with my yarn! It is truly inspiring to see the creativity & talent out there!

Don't forget, if you've made a project with some of my yarn, send me your picture for a coupon for a discount off your next purchase!!

Field Trip

2010-02-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a great one. Not only did we get the keys to our new house, but on the five hour drive down to it, I stopped in at Custom Woolen Mills to check it out and buy some locally produced fleece for spinning. They call their shop the kaleidoscope wool shoppe and it is full of wooly goodness. Kits for making hats, socks, and all sorts of things, fibers, yarns, rugs, most of it being produced right on site with their historic mill equipment (see foggy last pic). I couldn't stay long, but it was a nice jaunt out into the country.

I also stopped in Calgary and stocked up with some local merino/angora yarn- watch for some in my shop soon- I'll be dyeing, knitting and crocheting some new items & yarns- its sooo soft!
Our house is currently being renovated inside, and I'm looking so forward to moving in March! Check out the pillows I just bought from TwoStrayCats for the new place:

Farewell, Tweedle Dee

2010-02-08T11:09:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite commercial yarns, Moda Dea's "Tweedle Dee" has apparently been discontinued, and the whole line has been "retired".

Above are some of the items I made with the yarn. It was one of the first "art yarns" (if you can call it that) that I used, and it was such a pleasure to work with. It's subtle color changes and little sparks of color made crocheting a long scarf (like those above) a little more interesting.

You can still get some of it online, but I guess once its gone, its gone. And I don't order much yarn online so I'm going to savor what I already have (plus I don't need anymore yarn!)
So I've decided to remake the scarf shown at the very top. I've already unraveled it, this time I'm going to knit it in a simple k3p3 pattern, 30 st's wide.. my first ENTIRE knitting project done in continental (the absolute BEST way to knit.. saves so much time!) That way, it will be nice and wide (all the scarves I've made for myself I find too thin). The original scarf I crocheted lengthwise (as a lot of crocheted scarves are) in a mock rib-stitch, and therefore made more of a striped effect. But I'm going to to knit it width-wise to show off the subtle color changes.

Here is what I have so far, and I'm loving it:

Is anyone else mourning the loss of tweedle dee?!

My February Wishlist

2010-02-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

Back in November, I made a wishlist of the things I wanted to get accomplished in the month. I then posted my results, and found it a challenge to accomplish everything I had wanted to because of the approaching holiday season, and because of my lofty goals!

I'm going to try it again this month (keeping in mind I am in the process of packing up and moving cities... we've bought a house and are moving back to my hometown! AND february is such a short month) Okay, now that I've made that official, on with the wishlist:

1) Finish my Tea Cozy pattern: after searching for a crocheted tea cozy pattern, I was never able to find one I liked. So I made my own and sold a few. I thought it only made sense to write up the pattern and put it in my etsy shop. Simple enough, but for whatever reason, I've procrastinated this for some time now. Probably because its my first pattern and I'm nervous.

2. Finish my sweater: I started a crocheted sweater before Christmas, and its been sitting unfinished for a while now. I'd really like to wear sometime before the winter ends!!

sneak peek:

3.) Create more housewares/non-wearable/artsy type stuff: winter will be over eventually (thank goodness) and I want to start focusing on the spring & summer line of product. More eco trivets, garlands, soft sculptures & toys are what I have in mind.

4.) Continue looking for a local source of spinning fiber: this is one of my new years resolutions, so if anyone out there produces soft & squishy spinnable wool, drop me a line!

5.) Continue to brainstorm my "DIY Guide to non-toxic dyeing": yep another thing thats been in my mind for a while now, so many people have asked me to teach them how I do my dyeing.. if I can't do it in person (which I'd also love the opportunity to do) I'd love to create a zine type guide. (Making a zine is another thing on my list of things I've always wanted to do but never have).

Wish me luck!!!

Sharing Creations

2010-02-01T11:25:00.001-07:00

When I ship out my yarn, I often include a coupon that is good for 10% off the next order of yarn IF people share with me a picture of two of what they've made with it.

I recently got a couple of pictures back of some beautiful items, it's so rewarding to see what folks are making with my yarns!

This hat came from Julie from her brand new shop, blockheaters:

And this gorgeous cabled scarf came from Lindy of the CollageCafe:

If you have a picture of something you've made with my yarn, please do send it my way!

What I've been working on 01/27/10

2010-01-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

Fingerless gloves!

(watch for a pair of man-gloves like these soon!)

(vegan-friendly)

(hand-dyed)

Tonight is a Haiti fundraiser, with lots of great music, and a silent auction. I am donating these to the silent auction:

Both are made with my handpainted, handspun wool!

Loca-Yarn

2010-01-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

One of my new years resolutions for my business is to find more local sources of yarn & fiber. I've been dyeing up a few skeins of Custom Woolen Mills yarn. I've probably mentioned them before, but they are a historic spinning mill a couple of hours away from me. They use their historic spinning machinery to process all kinds of Alberta and Canadian grown fleece.
Here's a recent dye:

Also did this sock yarn from Briggs & Little, Canada's Oldest Woolen Mill a bit further away in New Brunswick:

More yarn & accessories to be listed in the shop this weekend!

1 (among many) Idea for Creative Reuse

2010-01-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

It finally happened! The book came out- the first craft related book I've been in!
My day was made on Tuesday when the article on etsy came out about the book (read it here). I got the book for the holidays it was so satisfying to see one my projects in there- I was so excited I couldn't find Aaron, so as I was looking for him in the bookstore, I couldn't hold it in so I told the people working there- and then they gave me a discount!

There's little me with my hobo bag!

Apparently Garth, the fella who put the book together wanted it to be sort of a guessing game, so he didn't put what everything was made out of with the pictures. So you flip to the back and you find out!

The bag that was in the book sold long ago so I decided to make up a new custom listing, since I only have a tiny bit of that yarn left (most of it has went into these). So, practice what I preach, I went to goodwill and found a bunch more wool sweaters to start unravelling:

Sometimes I find it a bit difficult finding sweaters to unravel- it seems to be the time where I can find ones that I would actually wear! Had the yellow one been a different color, I probably would have kept it. I did also bring home a nice blue one that Aaron decided to keep.
I'm waiting next for my ball winder to arrive, my little holiday/birthday present to myself!
In the meantime, yay for creative reuse! Check out the book for some fabulous ideas & inspiration!

From sheared fleece to yarn in 3 steps

2010-01-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Alot of people ask me how I get yarn out of sheared sheep's fleece.
Here's a small glimpse into the process:

Step 1: Washing Fleece: after the sheep is sheared, the fleece needs to be washed to remove dirt, vm (vegetable matter), debris, and lanolin, the oily substance found in sheep's fleece (which is often used in lotions for its moisturizing qualities). This needs to be done with very hot water and a gentle soap without too much agitation to prevent felting:

Step 2: Once washed and dried, it then needs to be carded (combed) to prepare the fiber for spinning. think of it like brushing your hair, it removes knots, and makes it soft and fluffy, and aligns the fibers. I used my antique madewell drumcarder to do this and ended up with 4 squishy batts:

Step 3: Then the batt can be separated into small, long strips called roving to use for spinning. The spinner can choose to make the yarn a single ply (one strand), 2-ply (2 strands) or even 3 ply using the navajo plying technique. Here is the 1 ply yarn I spun on my ashford traditional:

Once the yarn is spun, the spinner needs to wind it off into a skein. Then you need to set the twist, meaning a light washing to make sure the yarn stays twisted and to stablize it. I do this in my sink with warm water and a little bit of gentle, biodegradable soap. Then I gently squeeze the water out of it, and roll it up in a towel and step on it to remove as much water as I can. It is then often "whacked"; meaning hit against a hard surface like a wall, rock, or bathtub to distribute the twist evenly (great therapy!) and hung to dry. Once dried, it can be wound into a center pull ball and you are ready to crochet or knit it!

Not sure what I will make with this yarn, but I will be sure to share when I do!!!

Thank-yous

2010-01-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to find out my parachute handspun yarn I was featured on Twinkie Chan's cute little Blog on December 28th with a bunch of other lovely stuff. Check it out over here.

Also my Bamboo/silk Wristwarmers in Lichen are currently featured in Etsy's voter for "Which Item Soothes the soul?" Come on over and vote for me here.

Happy 2010! Year in review

2010-01-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

Wow! What a great year it has been, full of learning and fun!
I'm looking forward to the new year's challenges as I continue to grow my skills and life. I feel like 2010 will be a year of change- and I feel ready for it too.
Thank-you to everyone who helped or supported me in 2009; you are truly appreciated!

On the horizon for 2010:

- more handspun yarns

- more hand-dyed yarns

- crochet patterns

- a d.i.y. guide to non-toxic dyeing

- fiber supplies- hand-dyed rovings & batts

If you have something you would like to see more of in my shop, feel free to drop me a line!

I heart cables

2009-12-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, I finished my first cabled hat (or cabled anything, for that matter). I am so happy with the result, and was amazed at how easy these cables worked up! I used good ol' reliable lion brand thick n quick in the color barley. I am hoping to make a matching neckwarmer too!

I don't think everything lines up perfectly, but i'm still pretty happy with my first cabled hat!

A wee sale

2009-12-22T07:47:00.004-07:00

I am putting a few things on sale in the store to make room for next year.
Check out the great deals including these hats, which are $12 each:

Thanks to Secret Santa

2009-12-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

This year, I participated in the TransCanada Etsy Team's Secret Santa Swap. I received a lovely package from Elaine at tooaquarius- handcrafted polymer clay beads & accessories. She makes beautiful work, I got handmade buttons- some the lentil beads style, and the others little leaves and fruits. She also included a heart pendant necklace, a tiny handmade polymer dish, 2 cards with images of rural Saskatchewan, and of course, some chocolate!

Thank you so much Elaine! I can't wait to use some of these gorgeous buttons to embellish hats with! Be sure to check out Elaine's wonderful shops:
tooaquarius
claychicks

New Crochet

2009-12-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

I've been itchin to do lots of stitchin' lately. What with the freezing weather- apparently the only place colder than Edmonton on Sunday night was Siberia! The Edmonton International Airport saw a record low of -46.1 C and -58.4 C with the windchill, outfreezing even the Arctic. So what better time to cozy up on the couch and make stuff!

A few new things in the shop, some of them I've had for a while, but just haven't had the daylight to photograph them:

The fingerless gloves are a new idea, they are made with 2 different yarns giving them a two toned effect. I think they turned out kind of neat and love how I can use up smaller amounts of yarn this way.

I also dyed & spun some new yarn this weekend, did a bit more experimenting with drum carding, and continued making gifts. I also found a new obsession: cable knitting. I finally made a (cabled) hat for myself with some chunky yarn and I am so proud of it!! I finished it over the course of 2 days and its my new favorite thing to wear! I am hoping to make a matching cabled neckwarmer too... I will have to get a picture soon. I think I like working better with chunky yarn and bigger needles than I do the really tiny stuff (as much as I adore it, my eyes don't seem to appreciate it as much).

I also sent off a couple of hats and a scarf to a fellow team member on the Alberta team who is putting together a care package for a family near Calgary who lost their house to a fire. I hope we can cheer them up with some handmade goodies.

What I've Been Working On: 12/12/09

2009-12-11T14:58:00.016-07:00

Handspun Yarns:

Holiday gifts:

What else is there to do in -30 or colder Canadian blizzards?

*for M: those may be your gloves, but those are not your slippers! You'll have to come for a visit to find out what you're getting!

Gorgeous finds with StringMeAlong

2009-12-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce Carol; aka StringMeAlong on etsy. Carol makes beautiful vintage-inspired jewelry, and she is a fellow team member on the Trans Canada Etsy team. (She was the genius behind our recent 12 Days of Christmas promotion!). Carol is a huge supporter of Handmade, Canadian goodies. She lives in Moncton, New Brunswick and has an eye for collecting unique beads and findings that make up her jewelry- everything from earrings, hairsticks, brooches, and necklaces. What I like about Carol's designs is that they are timeless. Fads come and go but these really are pieces that will take you through the years with style and a touch of femininity & romanticism.

Here are just a few of my current favorites in Carols jewlery boutique:

Be sure to check out Carol's blog too, which is full of lovely little tidbits- lots of great "wishlist" items are mentioned too!

November Wishlist results

2009-12-01T08:21:00.003-07:00

Back in this post I made my first to-do wishlist. I thought I'd give it a try as I had seen many other crafters do it, and I can always use a bit of extra streamlining & organizing of my ideas. I'm fairly happy considering that in combination with these tasks, a great majority of my time was spent just trying to keep the shop stocked with yarns as they were going like hotcakes!

1.) Make more slippers and booties for the holiday season, to give as gifts and to put in my shop. Preferably with recycled yarns too. Oh and make a pair for myself- why do I never keep anything for me?!

made 3 pairs... one was my "made to order" listing, and two new ones; all with recycled yarns (and haven't yet kept any for myself):

2.) Learn how to knit thrummed mittens; which I've always wanted to make and have. These type of mitts were developed in Newfoundland and have little "thrums" of fuzzy fiber on the inside to keep you extra warm. nope.. did not happen- need to find time and then learn how to knit on dpn (double pointed needles) first!

3.) Make more eco-trivets/potholders: I still have so much great, colorful fabric I want to cut up and make trivets with. sort of happened- i cut up more fabric but haven't gotten around to crocheting it :(

4.) Continue to make more fingerless gloves. yes- I made these new ones with some of my handspun yarn:

also made & sold a couple of "made to order/custom" listings

~~5.) Crochet more holiday decorations.~~ yes & no- I did make a few but I never listed them because I included them as freebies with some outgoing orders.

6.)Knit a hat or two..yes, I made this one, very easy, using this pattern. This one is next on my list.

~~7.) Start something for a yarn bombing project.~~ no... not yet!

8.) This one might not happen, but I thought I'd put it on here anyway: make soap. I took a soapmaking course last fall and I have finally come to the end of my soap. I would love to make more and I almost have all the supplies I need. ya that didn't happen!

I think I will try a wishlist again, as it was useful.. but maybe next time not in the height of the holiday shopping season. I've just finished spinning the last of my 2 pounds of merino- now waiting for some more fleece to come in to get going again! I'm also teaching a beginner crochet class this week so I've been getting ready for that.

My December Wishlist:

1.) rest.

2.) work on christmas gifts

3.) work more on drum carder

4.) rest.

A Contest, Giveaway and Sale!

2009-11-25T08:58:00.002-07:00

whooo! I don't know about you, but I certainly feel the busyness of the holidays coming on!
Here's a couple of things to help get you geared up for the season:

1.) The Trans Canada Etsy Team's 12 Days of Christmas Promotion: Starts today (Nov 25) and runs to Dec 6th. Each $10 purchase from a participating shop will earn you one ballot into a draw for a SUPER goodie basket of handmade Canadian goodness!

find out all the details here.

In conjunction with this promotion, I am offering 10% off your purchase (excludes items already on sale & gift certificates). Check out the TCET blog daily for little bits of holiday cheer- stories, traditions, and recipes (including my christmas caramel recipe!).

2. The rikrak studio MEGA handmade giveaway: rikrak is once again offering up one of her great handmade giveaways. This time it is for a lovely gift package worth over $450!!! It includes one of my handmade wristcuffs complete with red vintage button. Check it out over here.

3. Etsy's Black Friday and Cyber Monday Promotions: Black Friday through Cyber Monday is a recognized shopping weekend that has quickly gained a reputation as the best time of year to find promotional sales on gifts for the holidays. This is going to be huge on Etsy, so check it out this weekend. You can search using the tags "EtsyFreeShipping" or "EtsyHolidaySale" (or click those words to be directed to current search results). as mentioned, I'll be offering 10% off from November 24th - Dec 6th.

What I've been working on

2009-11-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Things have been pleasantly busy lately- a flurry of sales resulted in my last weekend's celebration of 100 sales... Since then I've been working on a few custom orders, including these gloves:

These were a result of my create your own listing. She chose to have thumb sleeves, and have the gloves made extra long. I'm really happy with how they turned out, and hope the customer is too. The yarn is so mossy and lush- and they are so cosy and warm- I almost wanted to keep them for myself! I think I might list another pair in the shop as a "made to order" item.

I'm also working on some custom handspun yarn for a local knitter who makes baby hats and photo props. It will be a baby pink version of this, that will be made into a baby hat and diaper cover:

Hopefully after that I'll be caught up to get working on some Christmas presents and also start working more with my drum carder. Since I've gotten it, I've been more interested in felting, as I can now make great art batts that can be felted into all sorts of things! I think I might start with these.

Stitching up the house

2009-11-18T08:08:00.005-07:00

A while back, before Halloween, I talked about a project I was participating in at the end of this post. I just remembered that I haven't shared photos of what that project was!

A friend offered up her family home as a kind of living installation/performance space for the Halloween weekend. I knew I wanted to participate, as I have participated in one of these house-projects before and deeply enjoyed it. After visiting the house and location initially, I was in awe of its history. The house showed its age well, and so I thought it was fitting to sew up the cracks that appeared in the walls- exposing a pure truth that the house and surrounding landscape had- the location used to be a lake and was filled in by the city ages ago. Many of the cracks had been plastered over, only to re-crack anyways, so I thought why try and hide them.

The weekend turned out to be a pretty fun and interesting event- there was body mapping, dance performances, artwork, a "confession booth", and other installations.

The Big 100

2009-11-12T16:08:00.002-07:00

I've hit a major milestone in my shop today- I've reached 100 sales!
Thanks to fellow Alberta Team member, GlassCircus, I am no longer staring at that annoying number 99! Thank-you Martina, and to the other 99 OffTheHooks customers! She's getting this Headband/Necktube with Handpainted local Yarn:

The number 100 has so many connections... according to wikipedia:
- One hundred is the basis of percentages (literally "per hundred"), with 100% being a full amount.
- 100 degrees Celsius is the boiling temperature of pure water at sea level
- 100 is the atomic number of fermium.
- 100 is The number of years in a century
- A 100 year old person is known as a centenarian. George Burns. Bob Hope, were among those who had lived to 100.
- In Greece, India and Israel, 100 is the police telephone number.
- In Belgium, 100 is the ambulance and firefighter telephone number.
- In the United Kingdom, 100 is the operator telephone number
- 100 episodes, generally the point at which a TV series becomes viable for syndication (often reached during a prime time series' 5th season)

Okay, okay, so you get the idea!
To celebrate, take 10% off any regular priced item in my shop- until Sunday, November 15th! Just quote "big 100" in your notes to seller!

And check out the lovely GlassCircus' work below:

Short History of a Made-Well

2009-11-10T18:54:00.005-07:00

I've been wanting a drum carder for some time now.

What is a drum carder? It's a piece of spinning equipment that is used for combing and aligning fleece into batts that can be used for spinning, felting or even for quilting. I spend too much time drooling over the batts some people create on etsy- incorporating different colors, textures and fibers. When these get spun up... gaaaa! so beautiful!

Anyway, I found a second hand drum carder this weekend, for really cheap. I have never even used one before, but I bought it anyway. I have been trying to figure it out ever since. I don't think there is anything seriously wrong with it. Just one major thing: the teeth are rubbing against the feeder tray; not only does this prevent it from working properly, it makes a godawful noise (metal on metal type deal- see 2nd pic). After several different arrangements, I think I finally have the belt on properly:

It was incredibly dirty and full of all sorts of who-knows-what fibers. I've been giving it lots of TLC and it is starting to look much better. But I haven't really got it working yet. This whole experience reminds me of when I got my first spinning wheel- actually a borrowed antique one from a colleague who had no idea how it worked or what was missing. It turned into a research project of sorts for me, and now I have a working spinning wheel, (and returned the antique one as, sadly, it's destiny is probably more of the aesthetic life) and I have much more knowledge on how spinning wheels work (and don't). This drum carder is inevitably turning into a research project; I've been scouring the internet for the past 2 days; googling, ravelry-ing, making phone calls, and wandering the halls of the hardware store looking for parts that could possibly fit.

If you are looking for information on old drum carders, it is not easy to come by. Sure, if you want to buy a brand new ashford that costs upwards of $500, there is plenty of $information$ out there. I finally got some clues after watching a few hilarious youtube videos (especially the one with the beaver). In one of the videos, someone had almost the same carder as mine- proving that mine was not homemade. Throughout my searching, the name "Pat Green" kept coming up- I saw some pictures of carders that looked just like mine that apparently were the Pat Green brand. I now know that Pat Green is an actual man who lives in Chilliwack, BC who has been making these drum carders for some years now. Pat and his wife Paula still run the business and they even have a website! but the only thing was, I couldn't find the Pat Green Logo on anything on my carder:

People on ravelry said I should phone Pat Green and that they would be able to help me. So I phoned there and I'm pretty sure his wife, Paula answered (cute). I explained my drum carder and once I mentioned it had a leather belt, well, that was it. "Well it's not one of ours then- it must be a Made-Well". A Made-Well? so then I did a search for well made and stumbled onto DawningDreams blog. Apparently a Made-Well is a drum carder that was made in Sifton, Manitoba. She also found a bit of history on the company on ravelry:

“The company was started during the depression by John Weselowski, it later became the Make-Well Manufacturing Company and was famous for it hand-operated drum carders as well as it’s wheels. Several of the stylistic features of this wheel were borrowed from the traditional Ukrainian wheels. Wheel and Flyer spindle are arranged vertically. The inner maiden bearing is a hole drilled in the wooden upright. Tensioning is accomplished by raising or lowering a tablet on the outer maiden. Hallmarks of the Spin-Well wheel include a solid drive wheel, pre-cast metal flyer, treadle-system using a fixed treadle bar, footman placement in front of the wheel and provision for extra bobbins.”

“These wheels were made in the 60’s and 70’d during the rebirth of the handspinning and weaving crafts. They are well built wheels made of maple and solid core maple plywood. At 27.00 they were prices well below the better New Zealand wheels which sold for 80 to 100 at the time I’ve had two in maple and one in walnut. Paula Simmons used their wheels.”

And there you have a full circle. Paula Simmons is Pat Green's wife. When I talked to her, she wasn't too enthused about Made-Well's, so I'm not sure about the comment above. Paula said that that John Weselowski has been deceased for a long time now, and wished me good luck in finding parts for my Made-well.

So that's where me and my Made-well stand for now. I'm still looking for information on what the best ideas are to get it to stop rubbing on the feed tray. I've pretty much taken apart the whole thing, cleaned it and put it back together. I hope this post will add to the very limited bank of information out there on these vintage, Canadian-made drum carders. Feel free to leave comments on your own drum-carder restoration experience!

Update: I have taken out the bolts, (pictured here, on the top of the carder). I was able to gently tap the wood back away from the feed tray and now they no longer rub. It also gave me an opportunity to give the whole thing a good cleaning. I also learned that to oil the thing, you just put a few drops down the holes you also see here between the two bolts and above the crank handle.

November Wishlist

2009-11-05T11:19:00.002-07:00

I've seen a number of other makers such as BlondeChicken and Laura Bucci have little (or not so little) to-do lists, wishlists and manifestos of plans and things they want to make for the upcoming month on their blogs. I am going to try it this month too, as I really do like lists (and checking things off them). As an artist, I always have soooo many ideas floating in my head, at the most random times too!

So here is my November Wishlist:

1.) Make more slippers and booties for the holiday season, to give as gifts and to put in my shop. Preferably with recycled yarns too. Oh and make a pair for myself- why do I never keep anything for me?!

2.) Learn how to knit thrummed mittens; which I've always wanted to make and have. These type of mitts were developed in Newfoundland and have little "thrums" of fuzzy fiber on the inside to keep you extra warm.

3.) Make more eco-trivets/potholders: I still have so much great, colorful fabric I want to cut up and make trivets with. (On a side note: one of the remaining few eco trivets in my shop is in the etsy voter this week!! Thank-you so much to everyone who voted for my candy corespun yarn last week- it made 5th place!!!)

4.) Continue to make more fingerless gloves.

5.) Crochet more holiday decorations like these.

6.)Knit a hat or two.. great patterns here.

7.) Start something for a yarn bombing project.

8.) This one might not happen, but I thought I'd put it on here anyway: make soap. I took a soapmaking course last fall and I have finally come to the end of my soap. I would love to make more and I almost have all the supplies I need.

I will report back in about a month and hopefully have pictures to show how I did on my wishlist!

Another way to stay cosy: Thumb Sleeves!

2009-10-30T09:53:00.000-06:00

I've been tinkering with my fingerless glove pattern and I now have the option of "thumb sleeves" on my fingerless gloves! Here are the first pair:

Citrine Fingerless gloves w/ pure new wool and thumb sleeves

As you can guess, I have many pairs of fingerless gloves myself (my hands are always freezing). I'm always tinkering with the design as to make it warmer. So one more way to warm them up is with thumb sleeves. I've also started making the edge of the glove come further up the fingers, as to keep more of your hand warm too.

I've added a color chart to my custom listing option for fingerless gloves so you can pick from lots of earthy colors and create your very own pair:

Happy Halloween! Hope everyone stays cosy this weekend and eats lots of yummy treats! Stay tuned next week when I'll post some pictures of a project I am involved in this weekend- a great collaborative art-house party is happening, and I'm stitching up the house!

Spooky Candy

2009-10-29T13:13:00.001-06:00

I can't believe Halloween is almost here- I have no idea where October has gone! We haven't really had a fall here, we had a wonderfully warm September, and then before the leaves could turn gorgeous yellows (we don't get too many other colors here), everything froze while it was still green and fell off the trees!!! (although the lilacs outside our house still have living green leaves on them- figure that one out!) And beleive it or not, I'm still trying to find ways to use up tomatoes! I've been canning and boiling and freezing like a mad woman! But having too many homegrown tomatoes is not such a bad thing. I guess you could call our tomatoes the candy of the garden.

Now, speaking of candy, I wanted to say that I am in the etsy voter again, this time it's themed around candy, specifically "Which Candy item gives you a sugar high?" My candy hand-painted, corespun merino is currently in 6th place!!

I'd sure appreciate your vote, come check out all the lovely items here.

And also speaking of voting and Halloween, the TransCanada Etsy team is having another one of our fun fun monthly challenges! Rhonda from myhandboundbooks is hosting this months Halloween theme. Come check out all the spooky entries over at our team blog and vote for your favorite, and win yourself a cute little halloween gift courtesy of myhandbound books:

1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse

2009-10-24T13:32:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, I had a lovely surprise- one of my projects is going to be featured in the book 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse! I had submitted something what seems like ages ago, and I completely forgot about the book until I received an email from Garth, the guy behind the book. Apparently it will be released on Nov 1 in the states, I am not sure about Canada yet.

The project I submitted was this Earthy Hobo Bag with upcycled yarn, which has since sold (I kind of wish I hadn't sold it!)

Yay!

New Stuff

2009-10-22T11:05:00.000-06:00

A few new things listed in the shop lately; as the weather gets cooler I feel more and more like hunkering down and doing some crocheting!

Frost Pixie crocheted bonnet with upcycled & hand dyed/spun yarns

I haven't been making a lot of hats lately, so I thought I'd start again. This one was lots of fun because I improvised as I went, using lots of different yarns and stitches. I love the long tassles too- you can tie them underneath your chin or leave them hanging. The handspun yarn in this has a special touch of angelina fiber sparkle to it!

Teeny Crochet Stockings

I've started a few things for the holiday season...These little stockings are just perfect for the holidays and were so fun to make using up little bits of yarns (of which I have many!). I made a holiday section in the shop, so check back there for some cute new things soon!

Cornucopia fingerless gloves w/ upcycled, hand dyed yarn

I can't seem to stock enough fingerless gloves in the shop.. what can I say, people get cold hands! These are one of the newest pairs, perfect for harvest time!

Playlist & Giveaway with... me!

2009-10-15T18:51:00.000-06:00

This week I am delighted to be featured on the rikrak studio blog sharing some of my favorite music and having a giveaway! Rikrak is a fellow teammie from the TransCanada Etsy Team and EcoEtsy... she has a great little blog with lots of interesting reads, and not to mention her lovely eco goodies!

You can come check it out and enter to win here. Last day to enter is October 20th. The winner gets to spend $25.00 in my shop!

It sure was fun making my playlist, but gosh it took sooo much longer than I thought! You can get lost on that youtube! Here's one of my favorites, a new song from fellow Albertan Corb Lund:

Yarn Bombs of Love

2009-10-09T12:08:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I stumbled upon a great book- Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti by By Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain. The book is beautifully put together and offers a history of yarn graffiti, as well as how to start your own projects, and patterns for knit graffiti. I didn't realise how much of a movement was going on with yarn bombing, especially here in Canada. I've been thinking about trying it for a long time and this book may have just given me that extra inspiration (along with great tutorials) to try it sometime. Edmonton gets so cold & gray in the winter, I think some urban & natural landmarks/features could use a little cozying up.

The book is published by Arsenal Pulp Press, the same folks who put out Sarah Kramer's Vegan cookbook series, of which I have La Dolce Vegan. I'm not vegan- I'm vegetarian... but I always try and incorporate vegan recipes into my meals, and I just love it when it happens "by mistake" ie, i didn't even plan it.

Anyhoo, if you get a chance, check these books out they are both rad.

And, the blog is still a work in progress- if you have any comments, please feel free to email me... Is the font too small? Does something hurt your eyes? Viewing things on the web seems to change from screen to screen.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who are celebrating! Perhaps some of us will be indulging in some homegrown beets, the inspiration for my latest yarn:

Ch-ch-ch-anges

2009-10-05T11:21:00.000-06:00

So I'm in the process of re-formatting my blog- so please bear with me as i figure everything out!
Hopefully the end result will be more organized and clean-looking and I will have the ability to categorize everything better and it will have more of a website look & feel.
Watch for some exciting news in the next week or two relating to SPINNING and MUSIC!!

Alberta Prairie Harvest

2009-10-03T09:53:00.001-06:00

The Etsy Alberta Street Team is having a Prairie Harvest Sale from Saturday, October 3- Friday October 10. Over 50 shops are participating, everything from jewelry, clothing, accessories, housewares, paper goods, supplies and toys are all on sale.

My favorite part: it's the perfect time to shop local and get your christmas shopping done without leaving the house! Here's a couple of my favorite deals running:

- Silver Sisters Studio: Free shipping world wide + more specials in shop. She makes the cutest accessories, such as these barrettes, with upcycled, felted wool!

Littlejumpingbeans:

25% off everything except custom crib sheets. Love, love LOVE her little slipper booties for kids & babes, especially these pea pod ones!

cindylouwho2: 15% off all items. BEAUTIFUL, natural jewelry, such as these pretty Paua Abalone Shell Earrings.

Splurge: 15% off all items, such as these Tiger eye and gold earrings, LOVE the natural elements in her jewelry designs!!

In my shop, I'm having 15% off your order, as long as it's not a custom order or already on sale.
Check out the Alberta Team blog for a full list of the 50+ shops participating:
http://etsyalberta.blogspot.com/

Autumn Challenge

2009-09-28T11:22:00.001-06:00

The TransCanada Etsy Team's very first monthly challenge is happening! The ideas was for members to create something that fits in with the theme of autumn, gathering, sowing or scattering. Members rose to the occasion, and members submitted some absolutely stunning entries! Now comes to hard part: choosing which of these will be named the winner of the first monthly challenge.

I entered my changing tides pocket scarf:

Come vote for your favorite over here.