Not your average knit/crochet blog

I found the most hilarious blog today and I just had to share it. It's called Handmade by Mother, and in it Victoria Dunn posts entire vintage knit and crochet patterns.

But beware, these are not your everyday patterns...



And the commentary on the patterns is freakin' hilarious.

The beginning of holiday catch up, crochet and furoshiki!

So, I have to admit to running away from my computer lately. A combination of neck trouble and not wanting work to be able to reach me has caused me to leave my laptop on the floor gathering dust a good amount of the time.

This is not to say that I havn't been crafting. Au contraire. I think because of my reduced hours at work (and the lack of computer time) I have really been getting back into crafting - especially sewing and knitting. I also got this lovely book as a Christmas gift and taught myself to crochet over the holidays, something I have always wanted to do.

Crochet amazes me. Perhaps it was because of my knitting experience, but I was amazed at how quick it was to learn. Also, it was incredible how quickly I could put together a finished project! I made a few pairs of slippers for friends and family over the holidays, embellishing them with flowers. I found an old Threadbanger video on how to make the flowers, and it was so fast and they turned out so cute!



I was so excited to give them to my boyfriend's mom, I even forgot to take pictures...

Something else I was really getting into over the holidays is furoshiki, or the japanese art of wrapping things with folded fabric. I love the concept, because I hate throwing out tons of wrapping after the holidays. What I loved about doing it was how fast it went. After practicing a couple of times, I could wrap a gift in only a few seconds.

And you can do it cheaply as well! I bought polyester lining at Dressew for $2/metre, which is more than enough for two average sized gifts, and the shine of it looked so nice under the tree! I didn't even finish the edges - just ripped off any loose threads. You don't need to add bows or ribbon, as these features are generally built into the way the gift is wrapped. The only thing to worry about are gift tags, but I'll go into that in a later post. My favourite wrapping style quickly became this orchid wrap I found on youtube, as I am slightly obsessed with orchids.



Jenn Playford has a lovely book on the subject called Wrapagami. It goes over everything from how to make the fabric squares to various inventive and adorable ways to use them for gifts! She even has her own youtube site with many how-to videos for the wrapping techniques. I love it!

And, to top it all off, since I'm the only one who knows how to do this wrapping now (even though I offered to teach), everyone gave me back the fabric to use again and again. Take that, disposable paper wrapping!

Children's Activity Book and Knit-a-Thon

I have been involved with the Terminal City Rollergirls for a few years now, and one of the first things I ever did with the league was to design a series of graphics to explain roller derby to the unfamiliar. Not really knowing anything about graphic design, I had and idea that I threw together with Adobe Illustrator, and I think the result was fantastic. Several years down the road, I think the rules explanations themselves could use an update, but I'm still proud of the images.

My graphics are also being used on Rollergirl.ca, and are now going to be included in a roller derby-themed kids colouring/activity book! I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like!

Also, I just found out that Baad Anna's is having a charity knit-a-thon this Sunday. Anyone who brings in a donation of canned food or ca$h for the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in between now and then gets 10% off at the store that day. Done! They are also taking yarn donations for the knitting, and I know I have a few skeins of leftover that would be totally usable for scarves and hats. Also, anyone can join in the knitting on Sunday. I am so there!!

Companion Cube Footstool!

A little while back I posted saying that I was going to try to finish my WIPs before the end of the year. Well, here is one of the projects I have had sitting on my shelf for a while - a fun fur Companion Cube footstool! It's made of an old milk crate with a cushion on the top I made by cutting up some leftover bits of fleece.

Here's Mike with an action shot: I love this thing!

Book Thong and Stitch 'n' Bitch!

K.Z. came over for some beading the other night, and I made my very first book thong! I can't help but find the name of these things funny...

I also know that with the way I treat my books, it would likely fall apart in no time. As much as I need more book marks, I don't think anything beaded is such a good idea. I made a fabric book protector out of an old pant leg a while back, but even with that, I don't think it would stand a chance.

On an unrelated topic, I am finally re-instating the monthly stitch 'n' bitch! As it stands, they will be the last Wednesday of every month. If anyone reading this wants to join and hasn't been invited, just leave me a message!

SOAP

I finally made my first bar of soap. It was unbelievably easy.

I used the melt-and-pour soap blocks I bought from Deserres, added colour and lavender oil I bought in Croatia, and bam! Done! If I did this again, I would probably buys the soap somewhere cheaper, but it was a fun experiment. If I had enough space, I would make proper soap with lye and glycerine, but in a pinch, this works. And I'm pretty sure the soap is vegetable based, for all the vegans out there.

Also, cleanup is easy, since all you're working with is soap...

Socks on a Plane!!!

Lack of posting lately has largely been due to a long trip I spent backpacking in Europe. There wasn't much crafting to be done, though we did come across a once-a-year craft fest in Pula, Croatia. It was mostly jewelry, but it was nice to feel at home again...
One thing I did bring with me for crafting was a set of needles, some merino wool, and this free online sock pattern. I have never attempted to make socks before, but thought they would be a great project for traveling because 1) they are made with small needles, so they take a while, and 2) they are small and portable.

Most people don't know that you can bring knitting needles on a plane. I have had some people tell me that they don't allow metal needles, but I have also gotten metal needles on planes, so it could be airline (or airport) dependent. To be safe, I brought bamboo needles, but acrylic would also work.

I love knitting on planes because they make the terrible movies easier to bare. I'm usually too tired to keep my eyes open on a book for too long, and I don't sleep well on planes, so knitting is a way to keep me from getting restless, while still staying in one place. I highly recommend it!