by carmen | Oct 16, 2010 | Events, Felting
I have spent the last 4 days immersed in felt, hanging with felters, soon to be felters and otherwise unique and forward thinking people who want to learn, grow and take their skills to the next level. (except for one woman who was definitely adverse to joy).
Sitting back and watching others create was really a trippy experience. I was in and out of it as my needs morphed. Explore an idea, get wet, make something resembling my intentions, but a bit off and then dig through my wool and work on my freeform scarf. Thank God I had an instructor who understood my need for random acts of knitting. It helps me stay focused (YES, it does)
Many moons ago I studied millinery at George Brown College in Toronto and quickly discarded is as a way to earn a living. Just a chance to make myself a few stylish hats and then move on. Definitely not a way to earn a living or?
Now here I am, spent…still in my wet apron with my wrinkly hands admiring my new hats when I should be finishing sewing the worms on the apple hats for the UBC festival tomorrow. Could I? Dare I? Nah. I am still so in awe of the transformative nature of wool. I enjoyed having yet another thing to appreciate about fibre and fibre arts.
I know that I am already thinking about new elements to incorporate in my work. And I can let it rest at that. Yes, it was a very hectic and satisfying last 4 days. There will be pics as soon as I can get caught up with everything.
I hope your week offered you new learning opportunities and challenges. If it didn’t ….seek some out.
by carmen | Oct 14, 2010 | Events, Personal, Workshops & Classes
- In class all week
- Teaching class this week
- second iPhone in 6 weeks
- No internet for 3 days
- Miss my studio
- Late nights
- Orders piling up
Circle Craft 4 weeks and counting.
by carmen | Oct 12, 2010 | Felting
by carmen | Oct 5, 2010 | Knitting & Crochet
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| Marlowe |
I love knitting hats. The more I shift to grown up stuff, the more photos like this turn up in my in box. *Sigh* A copy of this picture also made it to the Pique(Whistler paper). Jessica used this for her daughter’s birth announcement picture.
I think I’ll drop the scarf I’ve been working on and finish some baby hats today.
by carmen | Oct 1, 2010 | Personal
While I have been ignoring my blog for yarnier pursuits, other people have made me feel like I still have a place in the sphere, like a door staying held open for me…Thanks so much to two great blogs that are witty and wonderful.
Sheryl….huge fan of Elizabeth Zimmerman, a woman with extraordinary taste in fibre, and a mompreneur with her own on line fibre shop and an amazing knitter. She is involved with BC Children’s Hospital’s “The Period of Purple Crying Awareness” as well and is having a sale in her shop for 20% off her purple yarns. She also has yummy vintage buttons in her shop, check them out.
Gabi is an awesome photographer in Whistler who is using my hats for some of her photographs. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to have someone with her talent using my little designs for her work. Her blog is full of photographs that are just breathtaking.
I had to take a step away from production for a bit to work on RIPE which was an awesome fundraiser for the Farmer’s Market. I am so grateful to know people that are so generous, so much food and wonderful craft was donated and I never felt like I was asking for too much or that people did not want to give. Land artisans and craft artisans alike were so giving (reinforcing why I am a part of the market community)
I’m just getting back into my groove with only 1 days to The Drift and only 6 weeks until Circle Craft. I can’t believe that I’m funnelling down into the last few minutes. Three days of being housebound with flu like grossness hasn’t helped, but I’m brave enough to head to Claire’s house for our Production Fridays.
Here are a few pics of the past week of markets….
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| All wet roads lead to Whistler |
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| A study in blues |
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| Coming and going |
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| Neige has a new brother |
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| Neige |
by carmen | Sep 21, 2010 | Events, Knitting & Crochet
Sunday 6:00am……leave house. check, head downtown with relatively little traffic, cozy up to the Lion’s Gate Bridge full of optimism for the day. Road block. Suicide has closed the bridge. Plan B…..drive the long way round to Second Narrows Bridge. Since we don’t often take that route, it was a lovely hazy drive, a little quiet, how do you get on with your day knowing someone just ended theirs.
We were late setting up due to the side trip and putting things together was a bit more frantic than usual, but even with the rain outside, the loan of a tent top (thanks Joan) kept things relatively dry inside. And the customers still came. When it rains that hard and unrelenting, you either laugh or cry. We laughed a lot. And I got some knitting done.
On our ride home HWY 99 was turned into a parking lot for half an hour. It took us a while once we got going to realize that there was a burned out Greyhound bus at the side of the road, lots of foam, several EMS vehicles, an ambulance and firetruck…No injuries. What the frack?
When we got home we were too tired and wet to unload the car, but there was a great piece of fish I had picked up from the market on Saturday. Halibut almandine, couscous and quinoa and some grilled mushrooms. Hoping the rest of the seasons days are less eventful.
by carmen | Sep 14, 2010 | Dyeing, Events, Knitting & Crochet
I am hearty craft stock, I can take the rain, I really can. No wimp here. I never cancel outdoor shows in the rain and I hate looking at empty spaces in a market on a rainy day from last minute cancellations.
Ladner was excrutiating this weekend with more rain inside my tent than outside. (evidenced by people leaving their umbrellas open inside the tent) ….and this….
The table cloth started taking up the excess water, which the hats and scarves then started to absorb. Thanks to Jennifer, Kim and Angela for coming to my rescue. Jennifer, I’ll return the poncho and the towels as soon as they dry up!
Saturday was beautiful and sunny and I had the happiest customer I’ve ever had. Someone as excited by the handspun and lovely felted cloches.as I am.
And a week of dyeing and knitting gave me such a bright and cheerful stack of baby hats.
I’ll be in and out of touch while I’m working on some fundraising efforts for
RIPE. I can’t say enough how I appreciate the local farmer’s markets. Buy a ticket or two if you can and if not and you can consider donating something for the silent auction, please email me at
[email protected]. There will be a few MelonHead items available for you to bid on.
by carmen | Sep 7, 2010 | Personal
I received this email the other day and thought I would pass it along to anyone reading this blog. I believe I have a few eggplant hats I can pass along for this, how about you?
Good Morning Carmen,
I was reading your blog last night and I can see that you are connected to the knitting community in Vancouver and I wanted to ask you to help spread the word about a knitting campaign I am working in with the Period of PURPLE Crying and BC Children’s Hospital.
We are asking volunteers to knit purple newborn baby hats to be distributed at BC Children’s Hospital the week of November 15th. If you are interested in knitting caps, any newborn baby pattern in any shade of purple would be fantastic.
Thank you,
Melissa
Melissa Pelto MA
Communications Consultant
778.558.8582
by carmen | Sep 6, 2010 | Dyeing, Studio
Production day is usually at Claire’s on Friday, but since I have a Clare already in my studio and they hadn’t met yet I really wanted them to get to meet. My two best Clare’s and a whole day craftastic day! It was awesome.
French Claire(or card Claire) and British Clare (or knit Clare) were a perfect pair. A photo shoot ensued and this is my favourite shot.
I spent most of the day at the studio and managed two new colourways. I love when I get to dry the yarn in the sun. I wish all my Fridays were like this one.
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| Tofino |
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| Candy |
by carmen | Sep 2, 2010 | Dyeing, Spinning, Studio
….not that I haven’t loved all the company this week, but today was the sweetest day ever.
The cat matches the couch and the corespun yarn of the day….Best of Ray Charles is playing in the background, Clare is plying some yarn and I’m taking yarn out of the steamer.
I realize that I am not high in production, but there’s a whole lot of happy here today. Might start another colourway while Habib is napping.
