Cottage life

Nothing is quite as relaxing as time at the cottage. You can totally zone out looking over the water. What can beat a beautiful sunset?

What would newbie crafters do without scarves?

This scarf was made during a weaving workshop I took with my mom. We learned the whole process from the beginning of picking the pattern and making the warp right to the end of twisting the tassels. I'm not so fond of the scarf and have never actually worn it because we didn't use very nice yarn, but it was a good learning experience. I think it's always good to try a craft because then you can really appreciate the work that goes into it.


My mom is totally into weaving now and bought her own floor loom. I'm not so much a fan I think because there's a lot of math involved. It's ridiculous the amount of calculations you need to do even for a simple scarf. Half our class time was spent doing practice calculations. I'm more of a dive in and figure it out along the way sort of person.

Soft and super cute

I spun this two-ply yarn with alpaca fibre. What a treat to spin! Actually, it kind of ruins you for anything else. It's so soft and just glides through your fingers. This yarn is actually on needles to make a cowl. I should get on that before spring is here. Although it hasn't been a terrible winter where you have to cover up everything to survive the cold. Still, it would be so nice and soft around your neck and face.


Spurred by my love of alpacas and all things fibre, I wrote this story about the place fibre still has in our lives today. Really, it was a good excuse to go to a local alpaca farm and pet the cute creatures, as well as talk to spinners about the craft.

Have a read at http://news.therecord.com/printArticle/649816.

Yikes!

My poor little blog. How I have neglected you. The silly part is that I have been making stuff, but just not posting pictures. I think that's an even worse laziness. I'm not going to make any promises, but I'm gonna to at least catch up on my creative accomplishments. Hmm. Maybe if I broaden my approach beyond crafty stuff to creative stuff in general, I'll feel a bit more inspired.

On that note, here's a photo I took last fall at the Hamilton Botanical Gardens. Peony petals look so soft, almost like velvet.

Welcome, spring! So long, winter!

These bracelets were inspired by a spring-y day that snuck into the winter weather a while ago. (I couldn't post the photo until the jewelry was unwrapped, in case you were wondering about the delay. Read the next post and all will make sense, I swear.)

I simply can't decide which colours I like better: the palette of intense greens, or the sweet, soft blend. My fondness for crystals obviously held sway.

Christmas in April

Here are two scarves I knit forever and a day ago as Christmas presents for two good friends. Unfortunately we had a little trouble getting together for a Christmas gift exchange until this past weekend. (Have you noticed that getting together a few people, especially from all different towns, can be almost as tricky as planning a space shuttle launch?) I bought the yarn even longer ago, I think during a late summer craft shopping excursion with my mom. Not only is it amazingly lovely yarn, but it's for a great cause too. Check out www.besweetproducts.com. Luckily the scarves are for decoration not warmth, so the timing worked out quite well!

A life of leisure

It may have seemed to the untrained eye that I was neglecting my little blog out of crafting and blogging laziness. But in fact I was enjoying the good life in France. I've got a few things to post from crafts past, including my handwoven scarf I didn't get a chance to wear before my vacation kicked off and now will have to keep waiting until next fall.

As my holiday buzz wears off, I face the daunting task of sorting through my photos. At least I only took one camera on this trip! This photo is from a visit to Monet's garden in Giverny, which was in full bloom. Well, all but his famous waterlilies. I guess I have an excuse to go back!