End of 1L and before I start my first law job is a perfect time to fill you in on what’s been in production any time I could come up for air throughout the year.  A lot of this stuff was begun during Xmas break and were quick and satisfying finishes once exams were done.

These knits were both for the bf.  He gets a lot of my creations for many reasons.  1) I often feel bad knitting for myself/spending the money on yarn just for me.  I like giving knitstuff as gifts and it seems to propel me quicker in the process.  Also, sometimes I feel like it is easier for me to pick a pattern for someone other than me.  There is so much I like and I am constantly changing my mind.   2) He rows, and when you are getting up in the morning to be on a lake at 7am, you need stuff keeping you cozy.  3) He really appreciates it.  Lately many people have been commenting on how difficult it is to knit for others because you don’t want to spend so much time on something they may very well not enjoy.  I have never had such a fear, and this is likely because I usually knit for him, and he always loves the pattern, the usefulness and the thought.

I suppose this ended up being a somewhat matching cowl (he prefers”neckwarmer”) and mitten set.  It is sort of lame picking yarns for men’s projects: Guys don’t wear colour, apparently.  I am usually relegated to choice between black, navy, forest green, brown or gray.  Even some of these colours are just tinted a little too purple or pink to work for a dude.  Yarns in the right weight and fiber cut the choices down even more. ALAS. GRAY IT IS.

This pattern is the Classic Elite’s Morningside Cowl, the “Men’s Stand Up Collar” version.  It’s made out of the Morningside stitch which is tricky to get the hang of. I would suggest a youtube tutorial because this pattern’s explanation of the basic stitch was confusing to me.  Once you get the hang of it the resulting ribbing effect is classier than your usual purl-knit alternating, and slighty thicker and more wind-resistant as well.  I opted to use some leftover Malabrigo single-ply worsted in “Sweet Grapes” for this project.

The mittens! They’re from Cailyn Meyer’s “Cruiser” pattern.  I had to increase significantly due to the ridiculous size of Mr. wollstoneCRAFT’s hands.  The pattern should have taken less than a skein of the Punta Yarns Merisoft Space-Dyed in Charcoal (305) that I chose.  Instead, it took a full one, and then some.  I also widened the amount of stitches I bound off to keep everything in proportion and the construction itself looks a bit more manly this way.  The cable pattern is easy but keeps things interesting, and just adds something extra to the whole finished project.  Boys like fancy knitting too, you know.  He liked them even though they were recieved in the middle of May.

I also realized that I hadn’t posted this beaut from a few years ago: a toque for my Nonno’s 80th birthday.  I used Knitting School Dropout‘s Really Warm Hat pattern, ditched the pom pom and opted for a lighter yarn: Misti Alpaca’s Tonos Chunky in Mochachino (TTC08).  Despite finishing the hat the afternoon before the event, it turned out great! and apparently Nonno was still wearing it this winter while I was away.  I really enjoyed giving him an extra special present on my own and he showed it off to most of the extended family.  I also wanted to get him in this post since he’s not doing so well in the health department and I love celebrating how cool, hip and active he still is, despite this. Check’im out!

Wicked. Next post is about flowers!
-m.

I finally finished the chunky alpaca scarf that was supposed to be my mom’s Christmas gift.  It’s okay though since it is still probably freezing in Toronto, so it’s not late.  I used Blue Sky Alpaca’s Bulky in Jasmine.  The yarn is lovely to knit with, but it took me ALOT of skeins (about 4-5?) to get a long enough scarf, and it still only goes around once.  This was annoying since this stuff is relatively pricey.  Also: it was hard to block it.  Admittedly, this is the only thing I have ever knit that I have had to block, so there is a distinct possibility that maybe I just did it wrong and didn’t stretch it enough.  It definitely flattened out a bit, but it still tends to roll in on the sides. Lastly, it SHEDS. EVERYWHERE.  How do I combat this?  Only the internet will tell.  Until then, I will wear it with only my grey jackets, or otherwise risk looking like an extreme cat lady.

It’s pretty cute for now, anyways.

This blog should probably be called WollstoneCRAFT+dressesIbuy/hem, but hey this is the ‘blogosphere’ and I control everything sooooo… Fact: dresses are my favourite.  I will wear them in every weather, with boots, sandals, heels, runners, tights, socks.  Everyone needs to wear more dresses.  I may have an addiction to buying them, but the amount of use I get out of them is well worth it. We have to bring them back into constant, daily use and not just let them rot in our closets for semi-formals. This is my (and Monic-aaah’s) manifesto. ANWYAYYYS…

That orange dress I am wearing in the scarf pictures is my new favourite! and so is shopping in downtown Victoria for second hand stuff.  It is way cheaper than Toronto, with better quality & selection than Vancouver.  In my boy’s words: “It’s because of all the old people, yo.”  This piece is 100% amazing quality wool, it’s from Sweden, and you can’t beat dresses with sleeves, in my opinion.  It was $20 from Flavour on Johnson Street.  They just opened an upstairs, vintage-only store that I have only had success at.  At 2 dresses, a pencil skirt and a blouse for under $70, you also can’t beat their prices, especially on the dresses. Mr. WollstoneCRAFT also found his new favourite highlighter-coloured windbreaker there for a steal.

Also crafty is how I altered this find from The Patch on Yates, for my Law Semi-Formal this weekend.

The dress itself was $30, which is negligible considering the sheer amount of beading and sequins on silk.  It was pretty long, and when my tailor said it was impossible to hem since the beading would unravel, I took to it with the safety pins, for a grand total of $free.99

Oh, and the back is sick too:

Yeah. Am I right?  I hate being this proud of a find/craft, but damn I was excited about this one. Despite a few road blocks it worked out so well!

I will also note that I also had a lot of success at Front and Company near Main and King Edward in Van.  Prices are higher (dresses are closer to $45-50) but since it’s consignment, they are more lightly used and will last longer at the end of the day.  Blouses and skirts were as reasonable as other places though, and they have a pretty boss ‘designer’ consignment rack.  If only that MaxMara skirt fit me….  They have a bunch of new stuff too, which is pretty nice.  I walked in there with fresh Christmas money, and walked out with a cool 3 consignment dresses and a new sweater, all reasonably priced.

Lastly, he’s some food porn for all of you:  Linguine With Clams, Garlic, White Wine and Fried Breadcrumbs from The Main {recipes} by Anthony Sedlak.

Yum. Thanks boyfriend. You make good pastas.

Look forward to one last knitting-post before exams eat me (they are already starting to).
-m.

You thought wrong.

A pillowcase embroidered with Johnny Canuck the original Vancouver superhero. (Honestly… have you people seen this bullshit??)  This made a perfect handmade add-in to Mr. wollstoneCRAFT’s gift. It’s also the perfect post material for the week of a 7 – 1 Canuck slaying of the Dallas Stars, who are only 3rd in the West, and a 2-1 win vs. Nashville.  Not to mention it’s the day we find out whether the Sedin twins will actually play against each other in the All Star game! That would be. hilarious.

Okay, full disclosure: complete disappointment in the Leafs sometime in elementary school (last time I remember them in the playoffs) and a BC boyfriend were sufficient to make a Nucks fan out of me in the past three years. I wouldn’t sell short the coolness and depth of so many of the current players either.  BUT I DIGRESS (or do I? Leave your hate in the comments please, I revel in your under-performing ire.)

Johnny looks really sharp in all navy blue on the crisp white, especially with a bit of satin embroidery floss thrown in for shininess.  However, I have some warnings for you from my experiences with this piece!

Beware the satin. Make sure you beat off any left over bits of it from your working fabric, because upon ironing that stuff will melt right into your cotton, leaving it all speckled.

I traced the image from an online logo, to make the pattern myself.  I used one of those widely available but ultimately disappointing red iron-transfer pencils.  Beware these pencils. If you can’t find anything anywhere else, and you’re desperate to start your project… they work.  For most of the transfers I have used  them on, however, they also leave noticeable tinges of pink in parts of the fabric where there shouldn’t be any!  I blame this on the pencil medium being inherently dusty.  To avoid this the best you can, make sure you only press down with your iron, and don’t ‘wipe’ with it.  After this project, I did my research, visited my local sewing shop/Sulky product dealer and invested $5 in one of their transfer markers, an online favourite in tools for this job. I have yet to use it, but apparently it stays in place and does the job well, so I can dig it.

It was my first time using metallic floss. It is sort of a nuisance. It will never ever stay together in an eight-ply thread at its ends.  It was constantly fraying on me.  I may use it again… sparingly.  I still think it looks sharp on the skates.

I’ll leave you with a detail of Johnny’s flannel shirt, which I think I did a pretty good job on.  I used alternating 8-ply and separated 4-ply strands of floss to great effect.

Hope you can look past your own hockey fandom and dig this pillowcase!

While school has truly picked up once again, I still have another pretty cool scarf on the go and hope to keep up on a few more posts.  I still need to do a food one!
Happy crafting for now!
-m.

A scarf for Mr. wollstoneCRAFT’s mom!  NOTE: I LOVED THIS SCARF. I MAY MAKE A MATCHING ONE. Would that be weird maybe?

Kudos to Martha again… this one of the only patterns she has on her website, the Knitted Neck Scarf (creativity points for the title there, Marth).  There are dozens of iterations of this same style floating around the internet, so word to wise: don’t pay for one.  I liked this version since it used DK yarn (thinner than usual) and produced a very delicate scarf instead of something that would have been stiffer and bulkier.  This is of course up to you, but the donee of this scarf (yeah I just dropped the legal terminology for the recipient of a gift) likes wearing light scarves indoors, so this perfectly fit her MO (stop it with the legal allusions already).

Now we can talk about the YARN.
Boxing Day at Romni Wools back home in Toronto is an event to behold.  My friend Lauren (over at Needlework + Seedlings) arranged to meet at 9:30 to get in line for the 10:30 opening.  Does this make us weird people? Unsure.  Did it mean we saved 25% on everything in the store a.k.a. hella yarn? Yuuuuuup.  There are different approaches to the annual Romni sale: many go for quantity.  Some people admitted this was the only time of year they EVER bought wool, and so they were loading up the laundry baskets provided by the shop with tweeds and merinos for big items like sweaters and afghans.  These people are smart. They plan what they are going to make later in the year and stick to it.

I am not so smart.  I am a confessed ADD knitter who will think it would be really great to make that pair of gloves one day, but change my mind a few days later having already grown bored of that idea. It just ends up being lucky I didn’t go to a yarn store within that time frame.  I usually buy yarn before I have something to do with it because it’s so soft and pretty.  Essentially, a yarn is more likely to inspire me to make a type of item before a pattern inspires me to buy a certain type of yarn.  I’m pretty much like a magpie for yarn.  (Have been circling this stuff for a couple of weeks now.)

So when I can get a really beautiful and extremely soft and luxurious and usually expensive yarn for a bit less, you bet that’s what I do.  I’m of the opinion that a mega yarn sale is time for high quality stuff I wouldn’t dream of getting usually.  This is how I ended up with 2 skeins of Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Suri and Silk in colorway ‘Grace’.  80% Baby Suri Alpaca,  20% Silk, 100% needitnexttoyourfacenow.  And what luck! It was in DK weight!  Lucky for sure because the minute I picked it up, the stuff was not leaving my hands.

Even though it was technically DK, this yarn was still very airy and knit a bit looser than the pattern probably called for.  But as I mentioned before, I wanted to go for a more dainty and aesthetic scarf then a thick wind-blocking one (like I am currently making for my mom in Ontario)  The lightness and the lacey-ness were welcome.  I also REALLY like the edging effect that slipping the last stitch instead of the first gives it.  This is a technique I’m going to use for other scarves to come.

Just for a closer look at the colorway:

Mmmm. It’s like a yummy rainbow made out of fibres.
None of you understand what that sentence really means to me.
-m.

First off was an idea that, in my opinion, was a direct result of the influence of marthastewart.com in my life since I left home and have had to feed myself. No seriously, look out for the book I may or may not write: Martha and Martina: How Stewart Fed Me Through Law School. (You should have been there the day I realized our names started with the same four letters.)  These are jars of super simple Celery Seed Dressing from Joy of Cooking made for my two sets of aunts and uncles.  It’s good on crunchy romaine or baby greens or apparently, just about everything else (my cousins started dipping prawns and raw carrots into it as well!)  The jars I used were recycled from some fancy artichokes or red peppers my parents had already eaten.  After a good wash, the fabric was glue-gunned around the rim of the jar’s cap.  This reduced the fussiness of tying the fabric on just right, and the jar still looks pretty in the fridge after the twine/ribbon/crepe has been done away with.  It also avoids having to worry about peeling off any of the labels on the jar top before reusing it.  Add finishing touches of a bow and a gift tag with ingredients and storage instructions.  Remember, these weren’t properly canned/jarred so I added a note to refrigerate, and to eat within 1-2 weeks.  I think I spent a grand total of 7 bucks on the ingredients and fabric for both of these?

For my Nonna (that’s grandmother in Italian, if you haven’t already figured this out) I made a set of three knit washcloths in pink and brown cotton.  These were knit in a frenzy.  The cotton was meant for baby sweaters but the nice lady at Victoria’s Beehive Wool Shop told me most knitters use it for dishcloths too.  I wasn’t too concerned because, not unlike their upstairs kitchens, pretty handmade things by grandchildren do not actually get used by Italian old women. Anyways, SHE LOVED THEM.  As usual, she pet them over and over saying “che punto!” (what stitches!) and then proceeded to tell me how she likes things that are simple and inexpensive.  The next day on Christmas, she tried her best to convince her three kids to return the entirety of a huge gift basket  they had assembled for her and my Nonno (who was already curiously unwrapping it in the background.)  MEANWHILE, my dishtowels were already hanging in her kitchen.  She’s a peach.

NB: patterns were all from Ravelry– all brown: Waffle Knit Dishcloth by Debbie Andriulli; all pink:  old school Grandmother’s Favourite; and brown and pink: Ballband Dishcloth by Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc (this one could have probably done with a nicer border around the edges: maybe 2-3 stitches of garter like in the waffle one).

Thus ends part one! Fear not! Knits and embroidery to follow!
-m.

Last four months in a nutshell:  move to Vancouver; attend law school; subsequently let law school take over life as expected, knitting needles gather dust; most free time spent visiting boyfriend and/or eating; take up cooking!; foolishly visit Vancouver yarn store in the middle of exams, possible consequences to Torts midterm; only now realize Sweet Georgia Yarns is based in Vancouver; visit home i.e. Toronto; DON’T STOP CRAFTING, NO SLEEP TIL CHRISTMAS; return to Vancouver; POST ABOUT IT.

The “take up cooking” part of that whole dealio, will be in a different post… maybe even a guest one for GGLE?  My Christmas present crafts are also coming, fear not! It’s just that not all of them are out yet since I just got back to Van, and I don’t want to ruin surprises.  Soooooo…

Yay I finally learned how to shorten a dress! I found this baby in a basement vintage shop on hip little Johnson Street in Victoria.  (I will have to check the name once more but) the shop owner is so friendly and does some tailoring for reasonble fees as well.  She has a ridiculous amount of vintage embroidered textiles! I have never seen so many!  Handkerchiefs, tablecloths and runners oh my!

As an embroiderer myself, it is always overwhelming to see so much hand-stitched fabric in one place.  It’s exciting to think about all the work, as well as how many (inevitably) women it took to produce so much quantity.  I also like how it was so necessary at one time. You couldn’t just have a plain one because your table cloth needed embroidered geese on it! The decorative/domestic/entertaining/”good housekeeping” thing is irritating in many ways: this is what was expected for good housekeeping which probably brought a high level of stress upon women who had alot of other things to do in a day.  Yet at the same time, I am one for increased personalization of your home, outside the realm of simple consumer choice, which is something (as I’ve already blogged about) I think in inherent in embroidery.

ANYWAYS I dig Vic ALOT.  I find that the island is the truly what people back East think that the BC lifestyle is like.  Vancouver seems to still have a chip on its shoulder about how it’s so much better than out East… it very well might be, but it would be even greater if they just let the city’s awesomeness speak for itself, and didn’t try to sell it so hard.  Vic on the other hand doesn’t have anything to prove, and I dig it.  Small, yes; might get boring after a while? maybe; but relaxing and the exact place you’d want to be most weekends during law school?  Fer sure.

But I digress… The dress is Mid-sixties and used to be floor length. Imagine *that* much of that fabric.  It was special.  Nonetheless, the white embroidery on that electric blue heavy cotton weave was too much to give up, and probably really expensive to buy per yard, back in the day.  The above picture is of my Nonna’s amazing hands, which basted most of the hem since she claimed I was “too slow”. I probably was.  She kept claiming she didn’t have the hand for it anymore (“Non ho piu il mano!“), but there were many times when she got so consumed in sewing again that I’d have to beg to do some parts myself.  And despite having pretty poor vision, her stitches were invariably better than mine.  I was the designated needle-threader though.  She’d almost be done and then yell out for me to start getting another one ready.  It was a great day spent back home with Nonna, something I really used to take for granted.

Something that I can learn from my grandmother and my mom is how thorough they are with their projects.  It wasn’t enough just to shorten this second hand find.  Instead, we had to go through the entirety of its hems, including those around the neck and arms and repair any fallen hems or broken darts.  When I started to wane and just wanted to put the damn thing on, my Nonna refused to let it go without intricate hand stitching on all these problem areas.  She was happy to announce that the dress was not made well to begin with and that you shouldn’t have bought it, and her friend could have just made you one… but it looked really good on you, Martina.  Haha, such is the way of the women in my family.

This thoroughness that I lack in craft is probably the reason why I am so nervous to start sewing to begin with.  However, I think that taking projects on and stopping when I know I am starting to get lazy, picking it up some other time will allow me to get better at this craft.  Unfortunately the middle of law school is not when this is going to happen. haha.

Will employment be better?? Maybe?  SIGH. Not enough time in the day.  For now I will be happy that this winter break produced another bangin’ dress to add to my collection, and something to wear to the first Law Formal of the year.
More posts to come, more often, I promise.
-m.

I finished my (second) Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson while up at the cottage last weekend.  Beach knitting in the sun is another one of my habits (nerd proof) and despite the slight sandiness, and the propensity of my pattern to fly into the lake, this beret came out magnificently.  I mentioned that this was my second go at this pattern.  My last hat was tragically lost around winter exam period, when almost anything could go missing and I wouldn’t really notice, considering my cloistered lifestyle in the library.  There is probably nothing worse than losing something that you’ve knit.  I’ve lost bracelets and other jewelry before, but a knitstuff is just too labour intensive to get over. 

The new hat is practically identical, since I loved the colour and feel of the first one so much.  Again, I used Malabrigo single-ply worsted, the softest, smooshiest yarn around.  This time the colourway was Pearl Ten, instead of Sweet Grapes (who names these things anyways?).  The former is a bit more variegated and less purple than the latter.

I will be keeping a close close eye on this hat for a while to come.  It goes perfectly with my winter coat, and I am excited to finally have a hat&mitt set which I have made myself!

August promises to be a hectic creative month! This is what inspired my “stay in, wear a frosh Tshirt, and PRODUCE” day today.  Most exciting: I am going to be selling my wears at a concert/art event/electro dance party on August 6th at Toronto’s Great Hall near Queen and Ossington. The event is called VOYEUR II (see it here on fbook) and I am good friends with one of the planners as well as the opening act. = )  I think I’m going to bust out a lot of yo-yo necklaces and hair pins (check out my yummy fabrics below!), as well as a lot of new lacy jewelry and cuff links for the boys.  Please come and visit me, even if you already have like, three of each.

Also, I’ve heard some rumblings of a new embroidered pillowcase that may be commissioned soon. CRAFTRUMOURMILLOMG.  If YOU want anything embroidered before I take off to the other side of the country (it is totally still possible when I am out there but hey) please let me know!

Gee, a day of crafting sure can cheer a girl up.  I hope your day was just as (metaphorically) sunny!
-m.

I’ve had friends that have spent time in smaller cities (i.e. Victoria) tell me that “small is good, man.” and it has taken a while for me to really appreciate this.  I’ve sort of had enough of Toronto (see: leaving for Vancouver for school in September) but I never thought I could really stand a much smaller city.  4 days in Hali and I am realizing that I would like it more than I even realize.  People are much more laid back, casual, FRIENDLY and uninterested with what others think.  The music and DIY scene(s) is/are small, but at least you will come to know people more organically.  I realize now how Halifax and Victoria and Hamilton have been able to produce concentrated pockets of unreal talent.  There seems to be a lot less competition, and a lot more collaboration.  Not that the Toronto scene is dying, but I think it is becoming oversaturated and underwhelming.  There is something exciting about heading to a new city and seeing how they do things.  Most of the time, they do them damn well.  This is something that my grade 12 Toronto snob self would have never said!

NOW FOR MARITIME PICTURES AND SOME KNITTING

CANADA!

Hangin’ with the Queen and celebrating Canada’s inception I have had enough time to finish my first knitting project in a while.

It has been cathartic to finally take up my needles again, and make something for myself.  I’ve had a bit of finishing anxiety and have  Let at least 2 pairs of gloves fall to the wayside since December.  These are Ysolda’s Snapdragon Flip-top Mitts from her pattern set whimsical little knits 2, a sweet Conversat gift. I forget the yarn name right now, but it’s a superwash that actually maintains its colour, sheen and softness.  I will buy this light worsted yarn again, for sure. The cables on these babies are just numerous enough to keep things interesting but not make you want to pull your hair out.  They go by fast (I finished one in 3 days) so they were a happy knit.  These are for ME ME ME and I love them already.  So warm and so beautiful.  I think I’m going to go for a grey button to affix the flap with, but robin-egg blue is also a contender. I’ll show you when I find the perfect ones!

Biggest knitting news is that I’ve found three good friends who want to improve their basic knitting, and want to do so in a lovely downtown park with some wine in nalgenes.  So begins another knitting club and so continues more of a great summer in the city.  Music, crafts, friends and the outdoors: July & August 2010, here we come.

Admittedly, I have gone through some of the most stressful and painful months of my life since my last update in January.  Forgive me!  This does mean, however, that there was no shortage of things for me to take my mind off of by stitching!  Crafting has to be my number one mind-clearer, at least when the dance season is on its break.

I ran a craft event this winter where, if you know crafters at all, the room was inevitably filled with curses and expletives focussed towards our needles, threads and other supplies.  “Why won’t you just go through the effin hole!?… No! No! Don’t start to fray, dammit!”  One spectator asked, “Isn’t craft supposed to be, like… relaxing?”  It comes with some challenges, I suppose  (my favourite is my friend Lauren’s exclamation of “NOBODY MOVE!” whenever she drops a stitch)  but the relaxation and release that comes from crafting is about how focused and invested you are in your small project for those few hours, letting everything else melt away.  With dance,  things seem to disappear from the joy of movement and the obvious physical freedom.  It’s different for craft because it feels like I am giving everything to something else in my life for a moment, and in the end it turns out right, and I can use it and love it and brag about it forever.

….I think I just solved all my love problems while writing about textiles.  Man. Shit got real.

ENJOY MY PROJECTS.  MORE TO COME I PROMISE.

This was piece was part of a tea-towel triptych for an ‘Art and Social Movements’ class, and was also shown at my college’s annual art show.  I wanted to put masculine spaces on to feminine textiles and in feminine mediums to confuse the usual imagery that would be found on them.  Also, I thought it would be fun to embroider the front of a strip club.  In the end, this has been one of the most labour-intensive things I’ve ever done.  Each girl took about and hour each, the largest in the centre I did over a couple of days.  Considering that I started embroidering only 6 months ago, I think i did okay!  The girls are turned out pretty hot, and I did well on my assignment.  Props to my friend Lauren for seriously helping me out with the pattern.

A detail:

(pattern from sublime stitching)

I will allude to some upcoming posts now! I promise a knitting recap since this is high warm-clothes season, and I am re-attending my knitting club, so projects have been in the multiple.  Additionally, I am beginning a few pieces for my college’s art show: one will be a larger conceptual embroidery project, and the other will be some necklaces from my jewellery collection. The show goes up in March, so I suppose I will update with teasy images of the works in progress!

Looking forward to February as much as I can right now!
-m.