The Blue Brick

Photo-Take-Outter Friday #12 – The Holy Nativity Convent (AKA ‘A Good Yarn’). A Photo Essay about a crazy journey.

May 11, 2012

I apologize in advance for the image heavy post – but there was no short way to tell this story :)

In December, the Yarn Harlot very kindly featured my yarn bowls on her blog, which resulted in my being inundated with requests from the US. I don’t ship pottery any more, but decided to fill just one order which had caught my eye – a yarn bowl for the Mother Superior of the Holy Nativity Convent in Boston. How could I say no?

The person who contacted me, Mother Pelagia, became a wonderful pen pal over the weeks that followed. By the time the bowl was ready I made the totally random decision to travel to Boston to meet her, and to give her Mother Superior the bowl as a gift. As a gift for Mother Pelagia herself I took the most Canadian thing I could think of – yarn from Alpaca Acres here in Ontario.

The story begins with me flying to Boston cradling (and occasionally using) the yarn bowl. The next day I took a taxi to a yarn store called ‘A Good Yarn’ which, according to google, is only a 15 minute walk from the convent, so I thought I’d show up early and do some shopping. This is Paula and Maria.

I shared the story of why I was there with them. They were delighted.

Paula said ‘Do you mean Mother Seraphima?’.

‘Yes!’ I said.

‘They’re friends of mine, let me call them for you!’ she said – what a small world! They called and a few minutes later Paula informed me with a grin that the ‘nun-mobile’ was on its way ;) The next day Paula added me as a friend on Ravely with the simple, touching note “Thank you for yesterday”.

An SUV pulled up a few minutes later and 2 nuns came into the yarn store – I was greeted and hugged like an old friend (and not a slightly insane potter) by these beautiful women. They took met to the convent where I enjoyed dinner and a wonderful tour. The convent is a remarkable place – the sisters are industrious, talented and incredibly busy women. This is Mother Seraphima and Mother Pelagia holding their gifts from Toronto.

This is their chapel.

These bells are made from old oxygen tanks, and they sound lovely!

This is the Stash. Before I left I experienced every knitters dream – they gave me yarn of my choice as a parting gift. Imagine standing in a room of stash, and the owner of said stash is begging you to avail yourself of it and won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Wow!

This was a great story: While on their annual pilgrimage to the Holy Land they asked the kids selling souvenirs for a drop spindle. The kid ran home and came back with a stick that had a nail through it. Apparently the Bedouins in the desert have done it this way for hundreds of years. It had a skein of camel hair wound around it. They gave me one of them, and also a more conventional drop spindle – inspiring me to learn spinning next.

They also produce beautiful mosaics…

…murals…

…robes…

…and their own beeswax candles. Did I mention that the convent smells heavenly? There is a wood working studio, a library, a laser etching machine, a book bindery a weaving studio and even a mini photo studio.

This is Max. He’s under the impression that all the fuss in this house is for him.

This was another good story – they asked one of the children in the Holy Land for roving, and this is what they brought back.

Speaking of roving – how lovely is this stuff? Created by one of the sisters there and another reason to learn to spin.

This is my beautiful new family – Mother Pelagia on the left and Mother Seraphima on the right.

I made out like a bandit – they also gifted me with home made beeswax candles which I plan to distribute among my closest friends. The women there are loving, warm, funny and sweet. They didn’t care one whit that I wasn’t much of a religious person. They were also talented, dedicated and light hearted. They loved the alpaca yarn – it turns out they enjoy making prayer ropes from yarn :)

To the Yarn Harlot – if you’re reading this, Stephanie, thank you so much for your little feature last Christmas. Who could know what would come of it? This is the beauty of craft and the love that we put into our handmade things, and the connection that those handmade things can create across distance, and between strangers. Really, thank you.
New FO – The Shattered Sun Shawl

May 9, 2012

The Shattered Sun Shawl is from Sweet Georgia Knits in Vancouver. Designed by Felicia Lo – this pattern was so gorgeous that I cast on almost as soon as I saw it. Ravelry Project page here.

The recommended yarn was not carried anywhere here in Toronto, so I substituted for IndigoDragonfly MCN Sock – in a colour called ‘What the Hay!?’.

The pattern is well written and easy to follow. The complex looking lace is really only 2 rows and it was a quick knit for me. As a bonus I got to knit most of it in Boston :) This was my sunny casting off spot – in the courtyard of the Boston Public Library.

Like all newborn shawls it was wrinkly, not exactly pretty and way smaller than I’d expected…

… but it blocks out beautifully. Finished dimensions were 19″ deep and 43″ in the wings. I can’t wait to take it off the board and wear it – it’s so beautiful and summery looking.

For the record here is how I blocked it – I ran worsted weight blocking wires through the top and then flexible lace weight wires through the last row of yarn overs at the end of the lace. I blocked aggressively to open the lace right up.

For the ruffle border I just gently arranged it by hand in an even fan and left it to dry that way.

It’s a lovely little shawl – I haven’t tried to wear it yet but I think it’s safe to say I’m in love :)
Sewing FO – Throw Pillows!

May 3, 2012

I’d like to say that learning to sew has been very easy for me, and I suppose in a way it has. I’ve had an amazing teacher (thanks Tito!) and my other design experience has certainly come to bear when it came to making up a simple pattern (What Tito calls a safety margin, I call ‘bleed’. Printers terms translate better than you’d expect).

However, that’s not to say that there wasn’t lots of ripping out stitches, lots of cursing, a narrow escape from a drinking habit and lots (LOTS) of crooked stitches. Tito had to work to convince me that there was such a thing as ‘acceptably crooked’ in sewing, that cloth was forgiving and that no one would ever find themselves needing to draw a straight line armed only with one of my cushions.

Here they are, crooked or no I’m pretty pleased wi’ my bad self ;)

I got to enjoy a few new things. I made up my own pattern, I shopped in a Fabricland, I held up countless bolts of cloth and assessed them for cushiony factors and colours that I thought would match my home. It’s about 10x more fun than IKEA.

The Blue Brick is taking a Blue break until Monday evening – I shall return with many lovely photos of Boston :) Have a lovely weekend!
Why I’m going to Boston (AKA the Convent Story)

May 2, 2012

A few months ago the Yarn Harlot featured my yarn bowls as being great Christmas gifts for knitters – which was very lovely of her. Unfortunately it resulted in me being inundated with requests I couldn’t fill – because I don’t ship pottery.

There are lots of good reasons to not ship pottery – it’s expensive and risky and generally, when I explain this to folks, they say ‘Oh, that makes sense, thanks anyways’ and that is that.

Then I got this email:

Dear Shireen, Thank you so much for writing and for explaining the costs – I would still love to go ahead with the order – our mother superior saw your bowls and totally fell in love with them! :) So – it’s worth it! And I thank you so much for accepting the order! The wait is fine!
Happy holidays!
With gratitude,
Sister P_

Well, how could I say no? So I decided to fill just one order – hers. Over the following weeks we e-mailed each other back and forth a few times while I was preparing the bowl. By the time it was ready I realized that all I wanted was to give it to her. I had enough travel points for a short-haul flight and was feeling the need for a few solo days out of Toronto, so I wrote to her again:

“Hey, is it weird if I just come to Boston and give you your bowl?”

She replied “No, a visit to Boston doesn’t sound strange at all ! :)”

And that’s why I’m going to Boston this Friday. I’m looking forward to meeting her for dinner at the convent. I’ve already scoped out where all the yarn stores are located and I’ve booked myself into a snazzy hotel right in the middle of downtown :) I’ve heard Boston is lovely – can’t wait!
Thank you WP – I’m Freshly Pressed!

May 1, 2012

Thank you to everyone who viewed my photos and left comments, and a special thanks to those who signed up as followers on WP or Facebook!

A great photo usually has a little story that goes along with it. I thought it might be nice today to share some of the stories associated with a few of those photos :)

Barn Owl – her name is Chloe and she was such a treat for us! We were driving north on Vancouver Island when we saw the signs for the ‘Pacific Northwest Raptor Society’. We decided to check it out – and I’m so glad we did! The PNWRS is a rescue for birds of prey – all of their ‘residents’ are animals who have been injured and cannot fend for themselves.

We had the added pleasure of taking Chloe on an ‘owl prowl’ through the woods – wearing protective gloves and holding up dead mice for her – she would fly away into the trees and come back to our gloves for her ‘treat’. She was magical – her flight is soundless due to serrated wings to allow her to sneak up on prey, and she weighs less than a pound. What a beautiful experience.

Budgies – This is maybe the most ‘successful’ shot I’ve ever taken – I submitted this one to Your Shot at National Geographic and it was selected as part of the daily dozen, and later on selected for print in an actual issue by NGM. I was over the moon, as a photographer that’s the holy grail.

A girlfriend and I were walking through the side streets of Rome when I saw this gypsy lady with her birds. She was handing out fortunes on little slips of paper in exchange for coins. I still have mine – it says ‘You have had a dream, but not the means to achieve it until now’ – I like to think the fortune was referring to being published in National Geographic Magazine – something that was not possible until I photographed her :)

Emerald Hummingbird – This little nest is the size of my fist! It was located just off the path in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest of Costa Rica. What a magical forest that was – full of the sounds of myriad creatures calling, the sound of wings large and tiny – I didn’t see 1/100th of what that forest had to offer, but I did see this little lady’s nest. I crouched in a pretty uncomfortable position so as not to disturb her from her baby until I got this shot and snuck away.

Spectacle Owl – This is Elton! He’s a real snobby fellow, and he also lives at the PNWRS. When I tried to photograph him he would close his eyes and face haughtily away from me. When I went to shoot him from the other side he would raise his head and look the other way again.

When I pretended I didn’t care and tried to walk away he started cooing and flapping and putting on a little show for me…. only to turn away again when I got the camera ready. He was totally playing with me!

When I asked the guide whether we could take Elton on an owl prowl she said he wasn’t a good candidate for a flight through the woods because, I quote, “All he ever wants to do is cuddle.“.
Make All the Things!

April 30, 2012

These are my purchases from Saturday. They make me so stupidly happy that I had to share them. Incidentally, this photo contains my favourite colour range (ocean, earth) and my 2 favourite yarn artists – Tanis Fiber Arts and Viola Viola.

Viola Viola, alas, is not dying any more yarn for the time being. She’s headed to England to go on an adventure, and I wish her well. However, this did result in my purchasing every thing I wanted from her at the frolic, because hey, this is all there is now!

Believe it or not, it’s all planned for. Yep, I’m organized.

1. TFA Blue label yummy sock yarn. One of a Kind colourway, oh yeah! This one is destined to be paired up with this one of a kind TFA sock yarn that I purchased on Etsy a while back:

I’m joining the TFA Colour Knit Along, and using this beautiful pair to make the Colour Affection shawl.

2. Viola sock weight in a gorgeous ocean blue. Yes, it’s time to finally make the Cream and Sugar Cowl.

3. TFA again, a real treat for me: Orange Label AND a new colourway – Frost! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on either. This lovely stuff has got to end up around my neck somehow, it’s so soft and squishy and luxurious. This baby is destined for my new Jeanette cowl (pattern coming soon!).

4. Another gorgeous, earthy skein of Viola. So earthy that I might make a smallish, long Saroyan from it.

5. Dew Drop by Viola. So lovely and soft! This lovely toned down colourway contains such gentle variations, I know it’s destined for a lacy pattern, I just don’t know what – but I’ll know it when I see it.

6. My last Viola – this one needs to be a simple neck kerchief, something I can tie on, or wrap around easily. Either a simple, shallow, long triangle shawl or I might try to create a sock weight version of Purl Soho’s Bandana Cowl.

7. I saw this fabric and couldn’t resist. I’m sewing pillow cases right now and definitely don’t feel ready to tackle this with my current skill set – but when I do I’ve bought enough to make a lovely, girly, A-line skirt.

Oh, and the best part of the weekend? I got to give a yarn bowl to my favourite fibre Artist. Thanks Tanis!
Photo-Take-Outter Friday #11 – Feathered Friends

April 27, 2012

One of the most satisfying things to photograph are birds. They’re beautiful and graceful, colourful and elusive, sometimes also fast and camouflaged… all of which combines to make them that much more challenging and rewarding. Here are some of my faves, and where I took them. Every shot in this collection was the same lens; the Canon 100mm Prime f2.8.

Barn Owl, Vancouver Island BC

Budgies, Rome, Italy

Anhinga, Caño Negro, Costa Rica

Green Parrots – Agra, India

Brown Pelican, St Maartan

Emerald Hummingbirds, Quepos, Costa Rica

Emerald Hummingbird, Monte Verde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica

Spectacle Owl, Vancouver Island, BC

Jabiru, Caño Negro, Costa Rica

Kingfisher, Caño Negro, Costa Rica

Blue Heron, Victoria BC

Green Heron, St Maartan
Begone, crafting void!

April 26, 2012

I have a sewing machine :) Last night I made my first thing – headbands. Simple and pain-free and the machine was easy to learn on. Here’s my new toy:

And here are my snazzy new headbands.

…And here’s a weirdly blown out pic of me wearing said headband and sporting my next free pattern – the Jeanette Cowl! Stay tuned for details :)

Next up; chair covers for our white IKEA dining chairs. This is why I need chair covers.

At least she’s cute ;)
Liar, Liar

April 25, 2012

I set my pants on fire in Monday night lampworking. I can’t help but feel that it was a rite of passage; I now have the right to produce decent beads. (I’m exaggerating, actually my glass ‘shocked’ in the torch and hot glass shrapnel landed in my lap. It hurt though, in that ‘surprise pain’ kinda way. Let’s face it, ‘on fire’ sounds way more dramatic.)

Anyways, having paid the requisite fee to the gods of glass I went on to have a pretty decent night. They’re almost always round now!!!

My fellow Monday night lampworkers recommended “Passing the Flame” by Corina Tettinger. It’s a pretty good read, and I decided to try the simplish looking ‘Rainbow Bead’.

Nailed it?

I actually feel pretty decent about the attempt, I learned a lot and I’m looking forward to giving it another go. My biggest disappointment was the fact that the clear I used for encasing got this ‘scorched’ look.

Here is my first take at encased florals – for the encasing I used a clear amber, you can see the difference in how clear it came out.

I also tried the same effect with an amber-light yellow combo. For some reason my colours didn’t blend like hers did. I’ll have to find out why.

Next week I’ll be trying to build on the same skills ;) In other news I’ve finally got a sewing machine! Quilts, customized hand bags and clothes that actually fit… I can’t wait. Begone, hole in my crafting arsenal!
Photo-Take-Outter Friday #10 – Fishing for Lightning

April 20, 2012
Lightning is a challenging thing for photographers, but the satisfaction of catching a bolt can’t be beat! Here are my settings and equipment for lightning photography:

Equipment:
- Tripod, obviously ;)
- Remote release that can be locked to re-fire the shutter, or hold it open.
Your settings are a sweet spot that you will have to determine based on the kind of lightning that you’re trying to get. I use tungsten for my WB because it gives the lightning that great bluish glow, but that’s just a personal preference.

My ISO is typically quite low – unless the lightning bolts are small and faint. A high ISO will just shoot you in the foot if you catch a really dramatic one though – your shot will blow out, so beware!

My shutter – ah, here is the trick! Trying to anticipate lightning is a one way street to a drinking habit, so
- I set my shutter speed to 1/10 of a second
- Position the camera where the action is,
- Put on a wide angle lens so I’m capturing as much of the sky as possible…
- and then I lock the shutter.
Locking the shutter will keep it firing at regular intervals, at high speed without you having to touch your camera. Then you wait. It’s kind of like fishing. When the lightning happens, there is a really good chance your shutter was open. Afterwards you search through your card and sift out all the winners. This bit is like Christmas ;) Best of all, you’re free to enjoy the show and not worry about your camera. Make sure you’ve got a high speed, high capacity camera card and extra batteries!

I feel obligated to say this bit – lightning can be dangerous. Don’t stand near hydro towers in a really big storm. Don’t be the only thing standing in a massive, empty field. Keep your camera dry. If it’s really humid out, pack your camera case with those silica gel packs you get in your shoebox – it will draw out the moisture when you put your camera away. Springtime brings great storms – good luck!