Spring has (not) Sprung

It's that time of year when we've all had just about enough of this grey wet cold weather -- Spring promises to be right aroudn the corner but I can't help but feel like it's really taking it's time to arrive this year. Rather than get caught up in this dreary weather, I decided I would search from some inspiring Spring projects to jump start the season. My thinking is that if I start knitting and sewing in my favourite Spring colours, the grey skies outside will follow-suit and brighten up as well, or so I hope!

One of the firsrt places I always check out for new projects is Purl Soho's blog, The Purl Bee and they've just posted their favourite Spring projects here:
http://www.purlbee.com/
How adorable is this sparrow's nest!!

I'm also totally hooked on Stephen West's patterns at the moment, having recently finished his Flagstone Scarf (pictures coming soon, I promise!!). Next on my list his amazing book, Westknits, is the Daybreak pattern which you can also find on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/daybreak
I love that his patterns are unisex, and most can be work many different ways.

So untill Spring actually comes to the West Coast, I'll be inside knitting and (as usual) daydreaming about sunnier weather!

Knitting on the Road

I've been on a bit of a craft hiatus in these first few months of 2011. Deciding to create all handmade Christmas gifts this year proved to be a very rewarding, yet very time consuming project, so I think I a little rest was well deserved.

I recently started a new job in the apparel industry, and headed out on the road with a coworker for a week or so to meet some clients. Our journey took us all the way from Vancouver, BC to Denver, CO with stops along the way including Boise, ID (not much to see there, sorry Boise), Salt Lake City, UT, Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR which was my absolute FAV stop on the entire trip! If you ever find yourself in Portland, please do yourself the service of stopping by Voodoo Doughnuts, they even have vegan options and they are AMAZING!
http://www.voodoodoughnut.com/

While I didn't have time to pop into any of the knitting shops while I was travelling, I did however take a project with me to help the long hours pass quicker while I was in the passenger seat. I stopped by the always adorable and well stocked knitting shop near my office, Baaad Anna's (http://www.baaadannas.com/index.html) and got my supplies to give the Flagstone scarf pattern by Stephen West a try. You can find the pattern here on Ravelry:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flagstone



Here is a picture of the scarf, about halfway done...in a heaped pile on my lap! Hard to tell what it looks like, but I promise to post an updated picture as soon as I get the scarf finished.






Hopefully I`ll have enough wool left over and I can make a second version, but with a different colour placement. Stay tuned for the final product, and I promise I'm not disappearing for two months again ;)

A Sham for Shane

Not too long ago, in my first post, I talked about this amazing Alexander Henry fabric I had just purchased - "The Outdoorsy Type". I am so thrilled with the outcome of my first project using it which was a pillow sham for for my friend Shane for Christmas.

I followed the envelope-backed pillow cover pattern from Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts (http://tinyurl.com/2wubt4f). This is a super easy pattern,perfect for the beginner as the sham is made from one rectangular piece of fabric. Here is the basic pattern:

1. First you need to determine the size of the pillow form you want to make the sham for.To figure out the size of the rectangle you will need, add 1 inch to the height and multiply the length by 2, then add 6 inches. I used an 18" pillow so my rectangle measured 19-by-42 inches. Once you have your measurements, draw the rectangle on the wrong side of your fabric using a fabric pen or chalk and cut it out. With your fabric facing right-side down fold the shorter edges in a 1/2 inch and press. Fold in a 1/2 again, and press. Pin and stitch 1/8 inch from the inner fold on both edges.
   
   
2. Fold the left and right edges in (right side of your fabric facing inward), overlapping them by 4 inches. Measure your square to make sure it matches the dimensions of your pillow before pinning and sewing.
   
   
3. Pin the edges of your square together and sew leaving a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Turn right side out and use a point turner to push the corners out.
   
   *Instructions from 'Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Fabric Crafts' p. 210
   
   
   

Voila!!! A beautiful pillow sham for a great friend for Christmas :)

One of a Kind Show & Sale

Hey Vancouver! Is anyone planning on heading to the One of a Kind Show this week? The show opens today and runs through the weekend. I myself will be heading there this weekend to check out the trends, pick up some gifts and hopefully get some inspiration for future projects.

Here's the link to their website where you can find all the information you need on attending, or maybe even becoming a future vendor!
http://www.oneofakindvancouver.com/about.php

Admission is $10 for adults, $6.50 for students and seniors and kids 12 and under are free. Don';t forget, there's a $2.00 discount if you buy online!

See you there!

The Craft Corner

It's officially December and I have been in full swing crafting mode for a few weeks now. In order to get everything done in time for Christmas, I decided to temporarily convert my (tiny) dining table into "Craft Central" and to be honest, I don't think I'll change it back! I feel so organized and love that all my sewing notions have their own spot. Plus, have a dedicated craft corner has really inspired to be to get some projects done.

One of the first projects I completed was a quilted playmat for my cousin's adorable new baby, Mia. I had some really bright and fun Amy Butler fabric (http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/) left over from previous projects that was perfect for creating the simple patchwork centre of the mat. I chose two complimentary patterns and cut out fifteen separate 5" squares (7 of one pattern, and 7 of the other). I sewed them together in 3 rows of five, alternating the squares to form a checkerboard pattern. After sewing the three rows together to form the centre I attached a 5" border all the way around and a matching plain cotton back in solid yellow. I used organic cotton batting and followed the quilting instructions for this simple yet adorable blanket featured on The Purl Bee's site: http://www.purlbee.com/cheerfil-quilted-playmat

This was my first attempt at patchwork, and I made it up as I went along so I apologize that I don't have specific directions to post. However, I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out, so should anyone want the directions for my version of the playmat please let me know as I will be creating them for my own records as well. Here is the playmat finished:

The countdown is on to complete all my holiday projects, stay tuned for the finished works!! Sixteen days left before I board a plane and head home to Ontario, hopefully with all my Chirstmas presents completed and wrapped!

It's all About Looking Cute in the Kitchen

Yet another fabulous package of fabric has arrived at my doorstep, and while I am busy busy busy getting all my projects done for the holidays, I thought maybe its time to make a little something for myself!

I've been dying to post some pictures of my completed projects, but since many of them are Christmas presents not yet delivered, I don't want to ruin any surprises! This FABULOUS Michael Miller Fabric with a 50s Housewife pattern is my latest purchase -- and one that I was trying hard to come up with an appropriate project for. In the spirit of the holidays, I've been doing a lot of baking and thanks to my friends over at Penne & Olive (http://penneandolive.wordpress.com/) I made the yummiest batch of snickerdoodles!! As much fun as all this baking (and eating the baked goods) can be, its also quite messy, and silly me, I don;t even own an apron. Well...what a perfect project for my fabulous new fabric!

Thanks to Penne & Olive for the inspiration, and stay tuned for some pics of the finished project -- I only hope it does this amazing fabric justice :)

Sly, Like a Fox

My friends say I'm crafty. While I first thought they meant I was sly, like a fox, it seems more likely that they're referring to my affinity for all things handmade. I learned to knit from my Mom at a young age, and have since taken up every form of handmade craft that I can including crochet, needlepoint, emboidery, crewel, and most recently sewing.

I get really enthusiastic about starting a new project or learning a new technique and will keep myself awake into the wee hours to perfect it or finish that last row. However, I'm easily distracted by the allure a new project brings which has resulted in my shelves and closet spaces at home becoming filled with half done projects and dozens of books and patterns left untouched. I've made a resolution to start completing these projects, and only buy new materials with specific projects in mind - as opposed to buying skeins of beautiful yarns and yards of fabrics just because I like the look of them. My hope is that this blog will hold me accountable for actually completing projects before beginning 10 new ones!

As I'm writing this post, I'm reading an email from a girlfriend saying that our brand new Alexander Henry fabric (http://www.ahfabrics.com/product_details.php?p_id=1802) just arrived in the mail - and in true form, I have NO idea what I'm going to make with it.....sigh....

This is going to be harder than I thought.