by carmen | Feb 1, 2010 | Uncategorized
It was a long fruitful day at the studio yesterday. One of things I enjoy most about being there is just walking down Main Street and poking through the shops. I fell in love with this. Textile artist Jen Thorpe just captured something magical for me.
It’s made completely from recycled materials and the heart is just velvety. I’ve done so much cleaning and editing that I actually have the perfect place for it.
An unhurried day today. Just three orders to finish and off to the studio to rinse some rovings and chunky merino.
by carmen | Jan 31, 2010 | Uncategorized
Finally finished my custom order for the folks working in Whistler who do not want to wear gear machine made in China. Thanks for buying hand made!
by carmen | Jan 31, 2010 | Uncategorized
There is no short cut to making a really long scarf.
That is all.
by carmen | Jan 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
One of the students brought me flowers for the last spinning class. So sweet. Really sweet. I am delighted to send another group of spinners out into the world and surprised and happy to receive such a lovely bouquet.
A surprise visit today had me on an amazing group walk at Jericho Beach. Perfect walking weather and it was the calm before the Olympic storm. Nice quiet, Vancouver.
On top of the fabu landscape, I found this little guy near the Yacht Club. Cute and scary strange.
One more bit of happy. Great Thursday drop in group. Due to extreme fun decided to stay until 10pm. Mostly so I could finish this……Hand dyed cashmere, merino and nylon blend.
100 grams
Plied 148 yards
twist not set
What to knit???
by carmen | Jan 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
In order to avoid the following:
- Paperwork
- Spare bedroom reorganization
- Jury pieces
- Custom Orders
I chose this opportunity to throw away a love seat that I wasn’t really in love with anymore. It was in our dining room under the window. We moved it from Toronto and it has never really fit in the house well. Well, now it’s gone.
And in it’s place, some things I’ve always wanted…
- Grown up curtains
- A bamboo carpet
- A gossip corner (it’s a Turkish thing)
It’s an oasis of coffee drinking and backgammon play. Our marathons have been known to go on for several hours and I think having a station dedicated to it is a nice quirky design idea.
I hope I don’t need any more excuses to not work. I can’t afford to retile the bathroom right now.
by carmen | Jan 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
This piece is moving slowly. At this rate I think it will take at least a week for me to finish. I shouldn’t be surprised since my only tool for this is a 2mm bamboo crochet hook. Fitting that it has the same pace as the island time it was inspired by.
I’ll post completed pictures…….at some point.
And now for something really different.
I helped a friend destash yesterday. It was ruthless. The yarns went into several piles depending on type and function of the yarn. The stacks:
We have a friend who can felt the crap out of anything and make wonderful things.
Another friend does a substancial amount of charity knitting and also makes kick ass socks so this pile was specifically for her.
If there was a specific and doable project for the yarn it was okay to keep. That was brutal. Really.
I really wanted the yarn in that pile. A lot. Drool ensued. This was the pile that had more than one skein of a yarn that might help someone out there in stash enhancement world with just those few extra skeins to complete a project when they came up short. It happens and who was I to deny someone those skeins. Also destashing should offer some small financial reward. It’s a big thing to do.
This pile, was not the super stack, but the quality of the yarn….Yikes. At least three of the skeins were considered for bringing to bed with me.
Hand Maiden 8 ply Camel (2 skeins)
Indigo Moon Fingering Weight Merino (2 skeins, totally MY colours)
Honey Lane Farms from San Juan Island ( 1 skein from a little alpaca named Kaska
Habu—glorious Habu—the silk and stainless steel and a few other bits…if it is poop from Habu I want it!
Hand Maiden – (partial skeins of incredible colours of sea cell)
The strangest part of this was being thanked for taking the wool. It was tantamount to my stealing someone’s wallet and then having them add me to their Christmas card list.
I love the peculiarity of knitters…Yes, I’m including myself.
by carmen | Jan 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
January is the month when I get to play. The cold and wet is perfect for fireplace knitting and spreading all my yarn selections out on the carpet to choose a new palate of colour to work with. The fair isle capelet was a fabulous adventure for me. It made me crazy, but while I was making mistakes and tinking and thinking and just generally cursing the colour work, I was secretly LOVING it.
Consequently, I thought I might try a few designs of my own. In a million years I never thought I would enjoy charting. I looked to my Syrian table runner for inspiration.
After all of my trips to the Middle East, I can’t believe that this is the first time that I have used those colours and designs in my work. They are incredibly rich tapestries of history and adding a modern twist to them gives them new life. I am already working on another design (on the needles first) I’ve figured out that when the math is right I can chart in my head.
Time to pull out the jesveh. I have a craving for Turkish coffee.
by carmen | Jan 23, 2010 | Events, Personal, Studio
Jury Pieces
Never jury with the same article twice (even if it got you into the show). You will look like a one trick pony. It’s not enough that an artisan makes something, but they must be able to show some growth in their work. After 10 years of putting myself out there for judging, I might finally be getting a handle on this.
GST Filing
It’s due in a week, but just because I have a week to go, doesn’t mean I should wait until next Friday. The box of receipts is an ugly tangled mess. Although they are in one place, it’s going to take a bit of wrangling to make them report worthy.
Custom Orders
They all have deadlines and all need to be done, but I need to decompress before finishing everything. One is straggling from 2009 and I’m just trying to make something perfect and maybe perfect isn’t what’s called for here. The others are apre Christmas, some designs for Olympic staffers, and replacement pirate hats. It will happen.
Clean the Studio
Substantial yarn purchases at the end of the year require more adjustment to the studio. A bigger dyeing area for sure and some drying racks. I need to maximize my vertical space…Mariegold…are you reading this?
Pet the Cats
When I’m at home, there is knitting in my hand at all times. I have to remind myself to put the knitting down so that I can pet the cats. Habib has learned over the years to insinuate himself under the knitting and on to my lap. It’s still not the same as a good hug and squeeze.
by carmen | Jan 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
Completely finished the Fair Isle Capelet. Ends are now woven in and it is blocked. I just want to post the photos. I love it and hate it at the same time….
Love:
- Beautiful Aran Weight Alpaca/wool blend that was a pleasure to knit with.
- Great drape
- My favourite colours
- Pattern was extremely well written and kept me engaged
- Quick knit on 5mm needles.
Hate:
- The fit. Not that it doesn’t fit…I just feel like I have to keep my arms at my side. Perhaps this is why I have not owned a capelet in the past. I think I’ll wear it ice skating.
- The amount of ends to weave in.
Changes to the Pattern
- Slightly altered the ribbed bottom.
- Added a few extra textural rows
- Cast off ribbed neckline in a picot cast off.
I have officially crossed to the dark side and will now knit everything on circulars. I received several nods of approval from the drop in group tonight. Perhaps because I had it on a mannequin posing at entrance to the studio?
I admit it. I’m a proud mama. First circulars and first fair isle. First pattern in years (other than the thrummed mitts)and first FO of the year. I know I’m not alone….. What was your first FO of the year?
by carmen | Jan 21, 2010 | Uncategorized
Yesterday was the third week of my spinning class at Birkeland. Six new spinners ready to unleash themselves on the world. Or not.
Spinning is not easy. It is not for everyone. It can reduce a perfectly coordinated and gifted person to tears when “they don’t get it”. There is shock at how your hands and feet can betray you and how your mind alone cannot make the wool.
Initially it is less about technique and more about filling a bobbin. But what do you do when what is on your bobbin looks like baby barf? If you love the fibre —you carry on. If you are stubborn—–you carry on. If you can put your ego to the side —-you carry on. Or sometimes you realize that it’s just not for you.
I am happy to say that the entire group will carry on.
In order to prep for class last night, I went back to the beginning. I took a roving, tore it into equal strips and then just shoved it on to the wheel. It felt fantastic. First 110g of perindale were exhausted on to the wheel and then 200g of BFL.
This was the satisfaction of just letting raw fibre become wool. Sweet. It’s been a while since I’ve let myself spin a single skein without trying to put lipstick on the pig, no art yarn, no balanced and plied yarn, just the basics…
Just before heading off to class I did manage to bump into a crazy batt that I carded and had to spin it. It’s primarily dyed mohair locks and very kitchen sink. The exact opposite of the yarns I had just spun, and yet somehow the same.
On a completely different note, the “poncho/capelet” is done. Just some loose ends to weave in and blocking. There were some modifications. I like them, but I’ll let you decide when I post the completed photos. I think there’s a matching hat in me today before heading down to the studio.
It’s made completely from recycled materials and the heart is just velvety. I’ve done so much cleaning and editing that I actually have the perfect place for it.
