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  • Blocking Lace

    This week I finally finished the diagonal lace scarf I’ve been working on. This scarf was knit on 4mm needles, using 3 balls of Debbie Bliss Eco Baby (100% organic fair trade yarn) and the pattern for the wakefield scarf.

    Blocking A Scarf (or any finicky piece of lace)

    1. Go to Canadian Tire and buy children’s foam floor tiles.

    2. Get lots of pins. I mean lots, rust proof is good.

    3. For the process I defer to the excellent article on Eunny Knits for blocking lace.

    4. Arrange your puzzle piece boards in the way best befitting your project (one of the best things about using these boards, all in a row for a scarf, in a triangle for a shawl etc. Taken apart they also store under the bed easily)

    5. Keep kittens and other household companions away from your board for a few hours.

    This is the first scarf I’ve ever blocked, and what a difference! It became a foot longer, about 4 inches wider and stopped curling in at the edges. I liked the results so much that I’m making another scarf in the fabulous Rhythm by Tanis – will post pics soon =o)

  • Lightning Photography

    We had a nice light show in Toronto on Sunday night and of course Tito, “Pedro” and I were out there chasing it around. Around 1am/Markham we finally gave it a break and came home but not until getting some great shots ;o)

    Tips for shooting lightning:

    1. Get a remote release for your camera.
    2. Get a reasonably wide angle lens with a reasonably open f-stop (4.0 won’t do – I use Canon’s 28mm prime f 2.8)
    3. Set the white balance to tungsten (this is purely up to your taste, but I like the super blues and purples this gives me)
    4. Set the ISO as low as it will go (you’re already contending with low light, no need to make the noise factor worse)
    5. I like to use a shutter speed of around 2-3 seconds. I set the camera mode to continuous shooting and lock the remote shutter release
    6. Relax, enjoy the lightshow and occasionally get to yell “I think I got that one!”

    The remote saves you from having to man the shutter button and leaves you free to enjoy the display instead of worrying about your camera. Keep an extra battery and card handy in case you need to swap out. Think of it as cruise control for your camera, it certainly beats trying to ‘anticipate’ the lightning.

    Oh, and bring bug spray ;o)

  • Things I am (still!) learning from my Mom

    So my mom has decided to take it upon herself to design jewelry too, and her aesthetic is wonderful and natural and very playful. She designed and I constructed a piece together yesterday that I wanted to share here, (and on top of that, she art directed my photography!).

    I am loving that she’s into crafting, to experience the joy of inspiration and creativity is what I love so much about all my crafts, but to get to collaborate with my mom on top of that makes it a very special occasion every time =o)

  • Fresh from the Kiln

    There is nothing more satisfying than getting a treat from the kiln.

    This weeks haul included this gorgeous, wide mouth shallow serving bowl. The Tanin Red glaze gave it a lovely bronzing effect along one side.

    This pitcher took advantage of the last dredges of purple glaze, I love the colour combo!

    These last two images are of my Wooly Muggeth series, included in the shots are the yarns I’m thinking of using to create the knitted cosy parts. The stunning purple/blue/grey yarn is the colourway ‘Storm’ from Tanis Fiber Arts. Her yarns are beautiful to work with, and the colourways are so inspiring. You can visit her site here.

  • Custom Stitch Markers!

    Check out these adorable stitch markers I made using some of the goodies in my jewelry making stash =o)

  • The mad dash for baby shower gifts

    Produced both booties and hat in a knitting frenzy for a last minute baby shower. The booties are fun and easy but _not_ recommended for car/movie/I don’t feel like paying attention knitting. They work up quickly, but the actual assembly/weaving in ends/ making straps is finicky work.

    For my knitting buddies who’ve been asking me for this pattern, they’re Saartje’s Booties, and the link is here.

    I modified it slightly because I found the booties too small, so I use the bigger bootie pattern and cast on an extra 4 stitches at the outset. The results are still newborn sized and very cute =o)

  • Blog Blog Blog

    So here we go, I’ve decided to get a craft blog. What was that quote on despair.com? Oh yeah…

    BLOGGING

    Never before have so many people, with so little to say, said so much, to so few.