Monday, June 27, 2011

Did you MIni-Maker Faire?

Thanks to an amazing Guild member the Fraser Valley Knitting Guild was at the Vancouver Mini-Maker Faire this past weekend, teaching makers to knit! Check the link in the title, but here are a few things I saw while I was there!

Yarn Bombing!
There were at least two of these knit flags! One at the top of Great Northern Way. We encountered this one on our way to the entrance.

A pedal powered sofa. Seriously, this thing moved great! It even came with music! See the folks sitting on it, there are pedals up there too, so if you want to move around, you just pedal and the legs start to take you forward!

I was told that this was fire breathing.... or perhaps it was the other object... I wasn't really clear on that.

honestly, I don't know how this could use fire at all... it has a large solar panel on the back.

There were so many fantastic things, steampunk stuff, music, a giant snake! Very neat! Important to this tale is the knitting however...

There was knitting and teaching and so many folks were eager to learn. Honestly though, it was a faire dedicated to folks who already like to MAKE... knitting wasn't such a stretch for them, I had some really fast learners, and a few who even leaned toward continental style! Very fun! There were learn to knit kits, and instruction sheets. It was fantastically put together! Thanks J! Check the guild blog for more pictures. Let's hope they do this again next year!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Garden Greenery

Another green photo for you! I really enjoy the inspiration that I get from the Project Spectrum. I have waxed poetic about it in the past, so go read one of those posts if you would like... or just check out the main link.  Next month is another colour..... brown I think. I will have to double check. Ahhhh, blue! Fantastic. But green for this week and next....  embrace the colour!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Green In June

Green is the colour of this month for Project Spectrum, so I am adding a few green shots this week. Hopefully July will be much more green. Sunny weather...... I am waiting! (So are my plants!)

Sunday, June 19, 2011

WWKIP

Yesterday I was out at a local park for World Wide Knit in Public Day..... it was also the Community day for our city and honestly next year I think I will ask for a table. ;) It would be the perfect place to talk about the guild I belong to the Fraser Valley Knitting Guild stop by and check it out.

That being said, it was raining all morning, and I didn`t think I would find anyone out there. I was wrong, we didn`t need our back up spot at the coffee shop. The rain stopped just as I got there and we sat in the grey weather wondering if we will actually get Summer next week. LOL
One of my guild mates was even game enough to do a little modeling for me! Thanks Anna! This is the blocked Multnoma for my Grandmother and this next shot is of the Dover Castle shawl that I knit from some Knit Picks hand-dyed sock yarn.

We had a good time and I am glad that I went out. I hope that your WWKIP adventures were also dry.
One final shot for you of what I was knitting in the park. Inspired by this years` Project Spectrum I am knitting in the Green of June! Outside for a little photo shoot with my Chocolate mint plant. I do not pretend to be a master photographer, but hey, it`s visually interesting.
Happy knitting! and thanks to all the new folks who visited and left a comment, I appreciate it!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

New things and thoughts.

As I mentioned in my last post I have been doing other crafts, not just knitting. Come to think of it, both my previous post did touch on the fact that I have several other crafts in my life. There are times when one just takes over. Lately I have been on fire about my garden, but honestly this is the time of year when you are starting little plants and hoping they survive whatever is lurking in the night. LOL Ask me why..... I lost all my bean and cucumber plants the other night!So no garden talk, I may take some pictures to share when things get really hopping. I hope they will!


Other than that I just really want to make use of all the fantastic creative items that are all over my house! The fabrics! The Paints! The sculptables! LOL

I think that my goal will be to get more all over crafts into my life, not just knitting... I haven't been doing very well. So I hope that when I re-evaluate my goals for the year next month that I can be inspired by other crafty stuff. Honestly I am trying to use this month to get as many projects completed as possible. I want to clear up a bit. so  on that note I have to finish off......


1. The Blue Top-Down Raglan
2. The Essential Cardigan
3. Christmas Stocking
4. Socks (three pairs)
5. Dover Castle Shawl
6. New Beer Gloves

Does that seem like alot? I can't think of anything else on the needles at the moment. I know that a few are less important to get finished, like the socks. I usually have a few pairs on the go so if I don't get them done, I really won't be beating myself up. The decision to re-evaluate my goals at the half year point will happen at the end of this month so I better get cracking. How is it going with your goals? I can say that I am not jogging as mush as I want and I am the only one to blame for that. How do you create a good habit. I have to look into that. Happy crafting! Let me know what you think of my list! Oh, and don't forget World Wide Knit in Public day Saturday at Douglas Park! It's Love Langley Days too, so it should be great and I think there is free hot dogs! LOL

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Hello I have an update!

It has been a great time to mix it up more in my crafty time. Poly-craftual, is a good thing to be. I am sure that most folks, who dabble with one craft, find themselves drawn to another one too.


This does mean that I am making less progress on my current knitting projects, but also that I am refreshing myself with other crafty ideas. There are several just piled up in my bedroom. A few canvases waiting for paint, a bead loom strung and waiting to be given beads, fabric and a zipper intended to be a bag, not to even think of all the potential lurking in my stash of yarns. So having all kinds of goodies at my disposal I grabbed a few and got to work. These past few weeks I have been working on a tea cosy.


Inspired to improve upon one, made for a friend in a holiday swap a few years ago, it was time to get to work. There are more detailed photos of the process, so if anyone wants to give it a go they can, that post will come. A quick summary, I bought a wool sweater at a thrift shop, felted it and cut it into a shape that will work for my teapot. Layered with batting and lining fabric, and then sewn up to make a nice insulated tea cosy. The wool would keep it warm enough, but my hope is the extra layer of batting is going to keep tea piping hot for ages. I will let you know how that turns out after some testing!



There are a few other FO’s to mention, a drawstring project bag that is now wanting a string, I was going to use some lovely ribbon but, am unsure if it will be sturdy enough, so there will have to be an update on that. No sense in waiting trying it out will tell me enough. Also finished is a gift for my Grandmother, a new Multnoma shawlette. I have no idea if she will get much use out of it; personally I find that they are a handy item in the wardrobe. Who knows what she will think. I need to put it in the mail before the postal strike hits me. It has been blocked, but I am just weaving in the ends, so here is a picture of it in the bath of SOAK.

I finished off the pair of gloves that my hubby has been waiting months for. So I cast on for two more pairs, I hope that I can get a few done for him as well as the other men in my family. New projects are for another post. So that is about it for now... more soon.