The Blue Brick

The Perils of Online Yarn

March 30, 2014

I saw this yarn on Etsy a few weeks ago that I absolutely had to have. Sure, it looked just like all my other s@!t, but it was coming from Europe and it was pure silk (and therefore it shouldn’t count against my moratorium on turquoise yarn) and I was dreaming of a beaded wedding shawl, so I bought it.

I won’t name off the designer here, because that’s not cool (and they might have a fit with what I did to their dye job) but when the yarn arrived, it looked nothing like the photo. I was so disappointed. I had expected a deep, ocean blue…

My Little Pony, anyone?

And gotten this instead. I decided to overdye the skein using Jaquard acid dye for wool and silk. I prepared a dye bath (and managed to omit the vinegar despite having done this a million times before, thank Rayna for catching that) and after a deep breath wherein I thought ‘what if I ruin it?’ in she went.

She cooked until the dye bath was totally exhausted. What was my formula? Sorry, a dollop of sapphire blue and a dollop of turquoise… that’s all I got.

Huzzah! This was the result after drying. Much more my speed.

Now it basically looks like the photo on Etsy. Maybe a titch greener. I think it’s significantly different from all my other s@!t in that it’s much more blue, but all I got for this statement was a look that suggested I needed to get my eyes checked (incidentally, I’ve got absolutely perfect colour vision, according to this test so there).

In love at last, time to go find some beads!
FO – Autumn Blaze Luna

March 28, 2014

Firstly an update on my Etsy sale – I was unavoidably delayed, and the sale actually went on at 1:15 instead of noon – my apologies to everyone! Head on over and check it out!

In knitterly news, I’ve finally finished my Luna Viridis cowl by Hillary Smith Callis and I’ve got to say I absolutely LOVE this cowl. I knitted it up in a skein of TFA OOAK blue label called ‘Autumn Blaze’ that was gifted to me by Rayna. The stitch definition is perfect for the piece.

It’s kind of a nifty construction – you work flat as though building a semi-circular scarf and then join in the round to knit the cowl. This is how I blocked mine – with the result that my cowl came out with a point at the front and back that was not intended by the original design.

It doesn’t bug me one bit – I actually really like the result. I’m already craving another one – possibly in Indigodragonfly, I’ve got a gorgeous sea green silk blend that would be perfect!

In the meantime I’m happily rocking the reds =D
Etsy Sale this Friday!

March 26, 2014

After a long break, I’m thrilled to announce a jewellery sale in my Etsy store, starting this Friday at noon!

Tito and I have been working hard on a new set of jewellery–and I honestly believe it’s some of the best work I’ve ever done. Maybe it’s because all the bezels are 100% handmade from scratch, and both of us have been so involved with every step for every piece. Each bezel is truly one of a kind, with all the marks that come with handmade. They’ve been antiqued by us as well, and each one reacted differently to give us a great spectrum of colours.

They’re pretty steampunk, with deep blue hydrangeas, forget-me-nots, baby’s breath, birch bark, Queen Anne’s Lace and maple leaves all in the mix. Transparent bezels, shadowbox effects and a double chain piece all make an appearance in the sale on Friday at noon. There are only 9 precious pieces; we went for time over quantity and really spent time on multiple pours, hand polishing and looking after the little details that make each one special.

Because I enjoy teaching people to make jewellery just as much as I enjoy making it, everyone who makes a purchase will receive a coupon for 25% off of a copy of my e-book Resin Jewellery. Love it, wear it, learn about it, and make your own.

Below is a preview of what’s going on sale. We’ve already got plans for another round, there are tulips, irises and hyacinths blooming on the kitchen table right now!

$65 – Real Hydrangea Petal, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.

$85 – Real Baby’s Breath and birch bark, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.

$55 – Real Baby’s Breath and birch bark, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.

$55 – Real Baby’s Breath and birch bark, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.

$85 – Real Queen Anne’s lace and Maple leaf, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.

$85 – Real Queen Anne’s lace, birch bark and Maple leaf, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.

$55 – Real Baby’s Breath and birch bark, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.

$65 – Real Baby’s Breath, preserved in a handmade brass bezel.

$65 – Real Forget-Me-Nots, preserved in a handmade copper bezel.
The Black Lamb and a New Adventure

March 25, 2014

Last Saturday, myself and my very favourite ~~enablers~~ partners in crime (Rayna, Leslie & Tito) went for a road trip out to Colbourne to see the Sensei of All Things Spinning Related. Alas, I cannot share photos for a while, but I will tell you that my antique wheel is being repaired, and that I have ordered a fabulous handmade Charkha from the man himself. Here is me being an absolute failure at it:

After leaving Colbourne we paid homage to the Great Tradition of the 401, and had lunch at the Big Apple.

We drove into Port Hope, to check out a store I’d researched online called The Black Lamb. The Black Lamb specialized in weaving and spinning. Much damage to my credit cards ensued.

This is Laurie. She’s a hoot. She’s sweet, friendly, enthusiastic, irreverent and we adored her instantly. She not only had weaving looms (something I’ve been craving for a while) but she bade me take off my jacket, sit down and actually weave a few inches while she talked through the features of the loom I ended up buying – the 20” Knitters loom from Ashford. It should arrive in a week or two!

Rayna was looking to buy some roving to spin/knit something for her hubby. Her hubby’s favourite colours include black, light black, blue black, brown black, off black and charcoal for really flamboyant days. Before she could pay for her roving however, Laurie looked at us, and offered to take us to ‘The Pit’.

This was an adventure, right? Ok, so maybe this is where she keeps the bodies. But we were game, and for our bravery we were rewarded with what I imagine the storage rooms of Mexican drug dealers look like… except filled with bags and bags of roving.

Like kids, we happily dug through piles, literally piles, of this stuff. Rayna walked out with more than she can shake a stick at (see what I did there?). She walked out with 2 pounds of roving.

I’ll be seeing Laurie again soon to get my loom. I’ve been researching and pinteresting (is that a verb yet?) and generally getting myself psyched up to be a weaver. I’m already looking into the accessories I’ll be wanting to buy from her to increase my creative possibilities. The adventure continues!
Ontario – A Random Photo Essay

March 20, 2014

I was putting together a printed collection that focused on our travels through Ontario – some of these have been up on the blog before, but I thought I’d save some of my faves :)

Hwy 11, just after it leaves the 17 in Nipigon

Point Pelee

Rossport Park, Lake Superior

Near one of the many locks on the Rideau Lakes, near Merrickville

Agua Sabon falls, Terrance Bay

The Terra Cotta Conservation Reserve

Neat the Singhampton Caves, Collingwood

The Agawa carvings in Lake Superior Provincial Park

Somewhere between here and Sudbury…

Right off the 400, not 15 minutes north of Barrie!

Toronto, from the Leslie Street Spit

Balls Falls. Yeah, you read that right.

‘The Grotto’ Georgian Bay in February

Ice coverage on the Bruce Penninsula at Tobermory

The ice storm in Toronto last Christmas
Free Pattern – Man Hands!

March 17, 2014

A few years ago I tried to knit a pair of fingerless mitts for a workmate, but to my eternal shame it got lost in the shuffle of other knitting projects and the joke of ‘hey, when are you gonna get Ben those mitts?’ was born.

It took me a while, (and the office collectively enjoyed much mocking) but I finally got Ben’s mitts together last Christmas. I not only got him mitts, I wrote him his own pattern and then whipped off a pair for Tito to test-drive it.

Man Hands. Easy and quick, these simple gloves have just enough pattern to keep you from going batty but are simple enough for dudes to rock without complaining. The waffle stitch pattern is super warm and can show off a variety of yarns. Instructions are given in the pattern for either knitting a basic pair or customizing them exactly to your recipients hands.

They take one skein of worsted weight yarn. Samples shown are Tanis Fiber Arts Green Label Aran and Madeline Tosh MCN Merino. As with the man-slouch these are totally free :) Ravelry project page here!
Collaborative Art and Steampunk Copper

March 12, 2014

Tito has been doing a lot of copper work lately, and to my great delight he has gotten into making bezels. His work is (I know, I’m biased) absolutely gorgeous and totally steam punk.

He creates each bezel purely from scratch, hammering and shaping and soldering each piece until it’s just right. Then they’re hand-tarnished with ammonia and filed like mad to distress the texture.

I’ve taken a bunch of his pieces and filled them with resin compositions of my own, and the results are so satisfying. Ever wonder whether the preservation techniques really work? All the leaves and flowers in these pieces are from last autumn.

I’m thinking of putting a few of these babies on Etsy because they’re just too good to keep to myself. I enjoy the fact that we both had a hand in each of them, and that makes them more special.

Spring is coming, and that means tulip season is almost upon us. I plan to take full advantage of the beautiful colours coming our way to create some bright and springy jewellery. Want to do the same? Check out the book to learn how it’s done!
Random Road trip Sunday

March 9, 2014

Tito and I decided to take the day, and the cameras, and head out to the Cheltenham Badlands. We made a few silly decisions along the way, (mostly related to the flawed perception that a time change meant a 10 degree difference in the weather and the wardrobe choices that ensued).

It’s basically still the tundra out there, and (I found out the hard way) the snow is about thigh deep (and yes, we have snowshoes, but we left them in the house. We like to keep them warm and dry, you see).

These were digitally processed to a faux cyanotone. It seemed to compliment the day, and the weather. We also spent some time in the nearby Terra Cotta Reserve. Both places were lovely and empty and filled with ample evidence of how widespread the destruction of trees from our Christmas ice storm was.

A great place for hiking, but walking those trails inspired me to take up cross country skiing. A new hobby perhaps?
A Pair of Shireens!

March 6, 2014

A few months ago I hinted to my friend Rayna that I love knitted socks, but never have time to make myself some. It hardly qualifies as hinting, I suppose, since I went on to hint that I loved them ankle-high, in variegated yarns, that I was a size 6 and that, therefore, one skein of koigu oughta do it.

Well, even with my egregious hinting Rayna found a way to take it a step further. Not only did I get birthday socks…

But I got Christmas socks.

And tucked behind the socks? A skein of yarn, and the pattern for… the Shireen! Yep, I have a sock pattern named after me, and I’m more delighted with that than any sane person would think is reasonable. You’ve got to head over and check it out, the pattern is easy, fast and free – Ravelry link here.

On top of that (it gets better!) Rayna taught me to magic loop socks, and walked me though my first sock (and then I walked through both pairs of socks, haha, no really. Ok, I’m lame. Wait, lame, get it?).

Magic loop has been a real treat – my poor wrists were done with dpns and this method makes all the difference. I even knitted my first pair of socks in over 6 months – a pair of Shireen’s, for Tito! (get your mind out of the gutter, they’re socks!).

He loves em. And I love having a man that wears crazy socks. What’s better than that? A girlfriend who loves you enough to knit you socks! Thanks Ray, they’re honestly one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten :) Ravelry page for Tito’s socks here.
Just the Sunrise

March 5, 2014

And that big ice cube? That’s Lake Ontario.