A Sale, A Sale......Click here

Not my usual post ----however when it's good news, you have to share.

Is having their 4 year anniversary sale. It is HUGE folks. Any glamorous projects that you have been putting off because it was just over your yarn budget....Now it's not...and even if it's still a little over ------TREAT yourself.

I will be there myself at some point, now, where to hide the yarn?

My Free Form Landscape

My free form landscape has taken root has become to express itself. I am able to communicate from the fibre up. From my feet through my hands in the spinning ----from the head and heart to my hands in the knitting (or in this case crocheting).

Hand dyed merino ---- single ply

Same wool plied on to itself

A Hat Blossoms

I have now been able to cross another name of my list of hat names --Introducing "A Bump in the Road". Note that the scarf is still the wool. I haven't been able to knit it all. It was too lovely in wool form to use it all up.

And my second free form design finished today....

A Twist of Fate

Hand Dyed Merino --- Single Ply

Plied with a navy merino


Close up of side

Close up of crown

I would consider this a full day. Although I may have some time tonight to clear the studio...I am expected a huge delivery of New Zealand rovings tomorrow.....Carmen, suck it up and make the room......Wool is good, more wool is better.

And we have a match.

I finished the matching scarflette yesterday, but three posts in one day --- I will make all attempts to deal with what is turning into an OCD by too frequent posting. (Or maybe I'm just really busy)

When you spin your own yarn and then knit it, you are bound to get an original design. What I have only discovered recently (through a conversation I had with my pal Judy) is that the yarn has it's own nature and that I did not need to have perfect yarn to work with it.

Now I am actually searching for different characteristics in the spinning and trying to see how to incorporate them into a design. There is a double pleasure in designing from the wool up.

When I was sitting in the cafe yesterday, a bunch of names of pieces came to me. They have not been designed yet. So I am giving myself a challenge......Reverse engineering hat and scarf design.....Titles first, and then design inspired by that.

Names of hats yet to be made......I will cross them off the list and provide photos once they are knit. This will be a limited edition collection.

• Her Taste Runs to the Fantastic
• Questionable Landscape
• The Heart Decides
• Unrelenting
• Passion Provides
• These Grey Days
• I've Been Here Before
• When Common Sense does not Prevail
• Winds of Change
• A Garden I remember ------done.
• Twist of Fate -------done
  
• Protect Me
• Circular Momentum
• Tidal Impulses
• Where I Dwell
• Small Voices
• A Bump in the Road -----done.
  
• YOUR SUGGESTION HERE......

So if you have a title for a design that you would like to challenge me to work with, I will pick the best one and send the winner a thank you ball of hand spun.....Retail value $40 - $50.... This odd little contest will run until the end of May.

Readers meet Carolyn.....

I spend many mornings out knitting in public at the local coffee shop in the hood. Blenz is my favourite coffee shop in town for a number of reasons.

• Baked goods -awesome
• Staff - terrific
• Free wireless
• Holli and I have a lot of meetings there
• Interesting customers
• No one EVER asks you to leave.

My record for time spent at Blenz was Boxing Day 2007 when I spent 11 hours seaming together 47 hats. (again, and no one asked me to leave).

Carolyn has been my favourite barrista and often would ask me about what my current project was. Today I found out she is leaving on Thursday.....The summer off for travel and contemplation----I'm jealous---but I wish her the best.

I named today's design finished in Blenz after her. "Carolyn" is a free form crochet design from three of my own hand spuns as well as one ball of Malabrigo in "Lettuce". The gold was so energized I didn't know what to do with it and suddenly, the perfect place for it to rest. I crocheted it into this design.

Here are a few more views of a hat I truly enjoyed designing. The rest of the afternoon will be dedicated to designing a matching (sort of) scarflette.


It's been a while since I've allowed myself the luxury of free form play.

Monkeying around in Steveston

Great days turn into better days when they start with fibre and gifts, and we aren't talking about your garden variety flax either.

Pearl dropped by on Sunday morning bearing gifts, assistance, foliage and just her all round generous spirit.

The Kiwi wheel I have now from Toni (affectionately named Elizabeth) now has a sister with a jumbo fly wheel.......Introducing Indra...she's the one with the healthy tan.


Even more importantly I am now in possession of one of Vancouver's most coveted hand knit items--one of Pearl's hand knit monkeys. No, sorry it is mine, mine, mine.

He arrived just in time for my road trip to Steveston with Claire. BTW his name is Patuula. I will apologize now (only once) for the amount of pics that Patula will be in. He is the most wonderful little purse size pal a girl could ever ask for.

My very talented friend Claire was accepted to the new Steveston Farmer's Market on Sundays and her first day is Sunday May 11th. Please visit her and this market as well. It has a great vibe.

Before we headed out to Steveston we stopped for monsterous portions of sushi --meant only to be eaten by the green giant.

This is what I could not eat. Sashimi portions are the size of a human head.

The day was sunny and gorgeous, the drive and company breezy, and the market a real treat. If you've seen one market you've seen them all is definitely not the case here. People move at a nice relaxed pace, really taking it all in.

Happy to see Vienna Treasures here. By the time we got to the market, she had nothing left. Thank God....Her stuff is to die for ---at least you would be dying from buttery happiness.

And here's something you don't see every day.....Eggs coloured by nature and not a Paz kit or Kool-Aid..


The market takes place in the parking lot of the old Cannery which is now a museum. The pier is delightful small town fun, and the pier is pepper with great ice cream and some of the best fish and chips you'll find.

Claire --in front of the Cannery Museum.

One scoop of coffee and one scoop of white chocolate raspberry gelato

Fish and chips on the pier

It's not polite to stare!

The boats weren't in when we were there, but often are for the freshest catch to take home.

I didn't intend to document the whole day, but it was so lovely. I bought some Matcha and a whole leaf blend of White Ginger Pear tea to take home. There was a little tourist in me after all.

Claire and I watched some syncronized kite flying as our last bit of fun before heading home. I am bringing the wheel here and planting myself down in the meditation garden by the harbour.
----Next week-----

An Ode to a Swap Partner

To Liz:

The Vancouver morning was grim,
a heavy fog setting in,
Errands to run,
A regular day....

Until your long distance parcel
came my way.

The aromas and textures your
parcel provided,
changed the nature of my day--
so much so, I decided

That you must be so thoughtful
and special and kind...
giving joy to a stranger
a lift to my heart and mind

Thank you for a lovely parcel!

Beans from a plantation in Honduras, via Virginia....

Amazing yarn for my first pair of socks

A handmade stoneware coffee mug

A pendant that cuts yarn...Where have you been all my life?

PS> Ravelry is great and so is swapping.

I would like to keep the momentum of the last few days and will celebrate with some additional spinning and a free form crochet hat. To be posted by the end of the weekend. (Talk about giving myself a kick in the pants)

A Warm Blanket of Love

I went to Granville Island for the first time in 5 months. If you've been following along with the blog, there has been no time for 10 hour craft days. I considered myself sequestered for design purposes.

In any case I finally decided it was time to get out show off the new designs. Several things I realized from my two days.....

• There are artisans on Granville Island that I lost touch with and really missed.

• That place can really get crazy.

• There is a unique vibe to the Island that I've yet to find in any other show venue.

I brought my wheel, Toni popped by in the afternoon with her wheel and we had a massive SPIN - A - THON. At one point there were about 30 people around the table all shooting off photographs of our labours of love.

It was a weirdly spiritual experience. While we were spinning, I was focused on the work, but aware of the voices behind and around us and all the conversations that were floating over my head. They were about MY work. It was like a warm blanket of love. If there was ever any chance to suspend time.....this was the one I wanted.

And how could you possibly ice this cake? Holli and Devon stopped by and Kim came by at the home stretch and helped John and I tear the booth down.

Hmmm, should I go back next week? I don't think I'll be able to top this day.