This SXSW Official Selection now has a trailer up for the public. I can’t wait to watch it!
knitting
The Great Northern Knitwear Collection
Being a knitter and a fan of Twin Peaks, I was excited to hear that Teresa Gregorio and Leah Coccari-Swift were writing a book of patterns based on the show. Twin Peaks is known for its many, many sweaters. One fan counted as many as 118! It’s therefore surprising that Teresa and Leah are the first knitwear designers to pursue a Twin Peaks project. However, it’s ideal that they are going to be the ones to do it, since both designers’ aesthetics are well-suited to Twin Peaks. They are not afraid to experiment and tackle the odd and unique, which results in interesting designs that are not run-of-the-mill. All qualities that also describe Twin Peaks.
Both designers are also clearly knowledgeable when it comes to fashion, culture, and history, which is reflected in their work. This is ideal, since Twin Peaks is very much steeped in time and place, albeit one that is not far removed from our own. Masterful clothing and set design is what signals the subtle shift in time and place to the viewer effectively. It’s part of what I love about the show, and these ladies have recreated the feel of Twin Peaks perfectly. While none of the patterns in the book are going to be slavish reproductions of specific sweaters seen on the show, it is evident that Teresa and Leah have done their research and are true fans. Just check out these obvious sources of inspiration.
The Last Evening wrap channels some early Maddy.
The From Another Place sweater has clear nods to Lucy’s first sweater,
in addition to a few other peak-filled (get it?), high-contrast, chevron-y numbers.
And just like that, Log Lady makes her first appearance in this blog post: setting up the perfect segue to…
Cherry Pie. Yes, the Cowichan-like jackets the ‘lady wears while ambling around town and eating the iconic Twin Peaks sugary fare are an obvious inspiration for Cherry Pie, the sweater.
They most definitely informed this design as well.
I’m sure these other cozy gems had something to do with it too.
I love that Gregorio is opting to update this classic look of the Cowichan with more modern colours from Rain City Knits.
I CANNOT WAIT.
Then there’s Audrey’s cropped, fitted little numbers translating well into the design for a sweater called Too Dreamy.
The sketch even LOOKS like Audrey.
Lastly, we have the cleverly named Lynch Pin sweater.
With its lapel collar, use of see stitch and deep beige colour, it’s also very reminiscent of several sweaters in the show.
Well done, ladies!
This fan is impressed.
For more information and to fund the Kickstarter head over to greatnorthernknits.com
New Tricks
So it’s been a WHILE. I finally got a permanent full time position, moved work locations twice, blah blah.
Also took the time to learn a new crafty skill: sewing!
Danger, Will Robinson. I need another thing to stash like I need a hole in the head.
Behold, my first real sewed thing:
A project bag! I wanted something that could hold a medium-sized project (because I rarely do anything small) and the pattern and notions needed for it. I had been specifically thinking about the beaded shawl I was test knitting for a friend and the amount of stuff I needed to cart around for it: yarn, beads, a crochet hook, and a highlighter with copies of the charts (yeah, I’m old school – I actually mark off rows on a physical copy as I go). I followed the great free tutorial available on Sew Mama Sew.
London Trip
So my husband and I did this honeymoon do-over (let’s not talk about the first one, which was full of sickness and tropical storms) in August. Yes, that is over two months ago. My life has been crazy busy.
London was fantastic. We did so much in the nine days we were there, but could definitely have spent more time.
Not only did I most definitely find a knitting store:
from whence I got some lovely English yarn.
(it’s called Bowland DK by Eden Cottage Yarns. I fell in love with the colour. I also picked up a shawl pin, plus they gave me the bag for free!)
but I also chronicled my fibre-related exploits for y’all. In true librarian fashion.
The sign says:
This door was at Westminster Abbey, if you’re curious.
I’ll start with a very cool find at All Hallows-by-the-Tower. Though it’s right by the Tower of London, it’s easy to miss. I only found out about it through an obscure blog post. Even my guide book didn’t mention it, but it’s totally worth a visit. Not just for the fibre-craft related objects I’m going to show you, but it’s a beautiful old church. In fact it’s the oldest in London. It was built on the remains of a Roman house and road, which you can still see in the basement. An added bonus? It’s one of the few churches that lets you take photos inside.
See the weird rectangle-shaped objects hanging below the pews? They are cushions: each handmade by a member of the congregation, going back generations. Here are some close-ups:
There is also this lovely weaving near the altar.
Another very cool find was the textile collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum.
I was SO excited to see these very famous ancient Egyptian socks made for wearing with sandals (ignore the “shoes” description. That’s for another item). These socks are often cited as an example of early knitting made using one needle, much like nålbinding.
The works below are woven tapestries from Byzantium.
The above is a woven silk piece depicting a bishop. It dates to 12-1300’s Germany or Italy. The very modern (i.e.: cartoon-like) looking face (complete with what looks like spectacles!) just kills me.
These woven pieces date to early Christianity in Egypt, around 400-600:
Here is a close up of the tapestry on the left. It depicts ankhs – an ancient Egyptian symbol of life that was adopted by the Christian Copts around the 4th century.
Below we have a quilt dating to 1360-1400. Probably made as a wedding gift, it depicts fourteen episodes from the adventures of Tristan. It was hard to take in all the detail on our camera, but you get the idea: lots and lots of stitching BY HAND. So gorgeous. It really has to be seen in person.
This next one is obviously a passion of the Christ scene. Probably from France around 1400-25. Once again woven BY HAND, folks. Our tour guide told us it took a professional weaver about a month working full time (sunrise to sunset) to make 1 square meter. Remember, most of these were big enough to cover a castle wall!
By the way, if you’re curious why tapestries were so common in the medieval period, here’s an answer: no central heating. Well-to-do homes that could afford tapestries were also typically made of stone. That sh*t gets cold!
We also got to see the famous, and enormous, ‘Boar and Bear Hunt’ woven wool tapestry, probably made in Arras, France or Tournai, Belgium around 1425-30.
The last fibre arts related stop that we made was at the Globe Theatre. I was super stoked to find a whole reproduction of an Elizabethan costume textile workshop in the museum.
Can you say “heaven”?
I really doubt that the following close-up images need introduction. Fleece, yarn, dye pots, sewing, pattern drafting, embroidery and lace work, it’s all here.
Pssst: the velvet above is authentic 15th-17th century Spanish and Italian handmade velvet.
And here we have the costume worn by an actress who played Queen Elizabeth at the Globe re-opening.
Check out the handmade lace!
I’ll end with this cool video my husband took of the Swiss Glockenspeil in Leicester Square near Piccadilly Circus/Covent Garden. Not textile related, but still a pretty cool handicraft.
Up in the northcountry
Only the weekend after Rhinebeck my knitting group had our annual cottage trip.
It’s always a great time, but an added bonus was that this year was especially productive for me.
Exhibit A) I learned how to chain ply on a spindle! In beautiful surroundings, no less.
You might recognize the Briar Rose roving and David Reed Smith spindle from my last post.
PS: if you haven’t heard of chain plying, you should look into it. It is magical, time saving, and generally awesome.
Exhibit B) I learned how to use my spinning wheel. A big undertaking considering last time I tried it was at the Frolic.
After a bumpy start I finally got something that resembled yarn 😀
Exhibit C) Happy Seamstress let me use her drum carder!
Wensleydale + second quality angora I got at Rhinebeck, plus some firestar = pretty AND pretty soft.
But perhaps the best part of the cottage is the time away from the city with friends, fibre, yarn, and good food.
Yes, that is a chocolate marshmallow. A HOMEMADE chocolate marshmallow.
I’ll leave you with the doodle Lynn left in the cottage owners’ guest book.
Ingenuity
I haven’t honestly been working on much this summer, besides GOING TO LONDON, ENGLAND. More on that later though, I digress.
Happy Seamstress gave me this lovely hand-spun skein for my birthday.
It got turned into these:
Here is the pattern I used.
I also came up with this cute little pouch for my mom. She has both rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes. The case they gave her for her needle is a) huge and hard to fit in a purse, b) falling apart and they don’t make it anymore. All of the make up and eyeglass cases she’s tried are too short. Hence I knit her an easy-to-open pouch and using a very tight gauge so that it is a bit of a thicker fabric to protect the somewhat fragile needle and needle toppers.
I cast on with Turkish cast-on 15(30) stitches and then just started knitting in the round. Once it was as deep as it needed to be to fit the needle (plus a little room for closure) I added created eyelet holes through which to thread a drawstring (I made 8, but any even number would work).
The most beautiful thing about Turkish cast on?
NO SEAMS.
Have I gone on about the awesomeness of this cast on before? I feel I may have…
Anywho, here is a great tutorial I found on Turkish cast-on.
The Most Canadian Sweater Ever
So I was shopping at a flea market with the family and my mom pointed this out.
Bless her.
As soon as I saw it I HAD to have it.
It’s Cowichan (see more about Cowichan in my post here) with maple leaf and curling motifs. CURLING.
Did I mention it’s handmade? And IN MY SIZE?!
It’s a bit bulky, but then that’s how cowichans are supposed to fit. At least it’s not a man’s size and I’m swimming in it.
TTC Knitalong 2014
A little late, but I changed jobs last week so I’ve been a bit swamped.
Saturday July 12 was the annual TTC Knitalong. It’s that annual event where Toronto’s knitters (and others! I know people come from far and wide) break off into teams and travel from LYS to LYS via Toronto’s public transit system, the TTC. I was on the best team (sorry, everyone else): Team Lace. We got to visit Passionknit, Creative Yarns, The Purple Purl, and Romni Wools.
Here is a great photo of us at the Purple Purl that I stole from Lynn.
Jennifer the Happy has another version of the same picture on Instagram and Twitter:
Team lace @thepurplepurl #ttckal2014 #ttcknitalong http://t.co/9fa8NbgpWI
— Jennifer The Happy (@jhappyone) July 12, 2014
And here is the day’s stash additions of my 3 knitting group friends and myself. Not too shabby.
I especially enjoy Alia‘s open mouth of joy and Kara’s fingering of the silk ball in the bottom right corner. I regret none of the innuendos in the preceding sentence.
There are more awesome photos in Lynn’s blog post.
Here’s what I got 😀
(click on the photo for what store and colourway/dye lot info)
100% silk! And Passionknit had 25% off all yarn so… I really couldn’t say no.
NEON SOCK YARN. Need I say more? Lynn, Kara, and I decided we had to have it as soon as we saw it at Creative Yarns. Other team members judged us, but I don’t care. At one of our knit nights we plan on all showing up with neon socks-in-progress. It’s going to be epic.
And that is all the yarn I bought. I KNOW, right? But Lord knows I have enough stash at the moment.
BUT, Passionknit was lovely enough to give out free Mirasol lace weight. Yes, you read that right.
Other awesome freebies included this gorgeous wooden crochet hook and some stitch markers from the Purple Purl,
and this cool button from Wool Gathering (then again, I love buttons) sporting a sentiment I happen to share,
as well as a bag, back-issue magazine, and yarn from Romni Wools. How incredibly generous LYSes can be.
And here is this year’s official button and bag, both of which are probably my favourite of the three years I’ve been doing this.
I also won a prize! Which floored me, because I never win anything. I won a copy of French Girl Knits by Kristeen Griffin-Grimes and a skein of Diamond Luxury Collection Fine Merino Superwash Lace from Knitty and Diamond, respectively.
And I like almost every pattern in French Girl Knits. Bonus! I mean, how could you not. Look at this gorgeousness:
I also bought two books. This is likely not a surprise to anyone who reads this blog…
Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop is a classic. The late Mrs. Zimmermann was a master knitter from a European generation who memorized “recipes” for patterns, rather than rely on following written patterns verbatim. Take this page from her instructions for The Original Shetland Shawl as an example:
Marianne Kinzel’s First Book of Modern Lace Knitting is in the same vein, albeit the lace work featured in it is so detailed, some instructions are needed. I would like to try this doozy. Wish me luck.
Of course I will be using it as a shawl rather than a dinner cloth 😉 I’ll be damned if I let anyone eat off of this sucker.
Can’t wait till next year’s TTC Knitalong. It will be the 10th anniversary!
Relay Recap
Friday night into Saturday morning was the Canadian Cancer Society’s Toronto-Central Relay for Life in support of Sunnybrook Hospital’s Odette Cancer Centre.
Our team, Downtown Knit Collective, raised almost $13,000!! I myself raised my all-time best of $560! Thanks to those of you who saw my many requests and blog post and donated 😀
In a typical relay you walk around the track all night from 7pm to 7am. Now, 12 hours is a LOT, so that’s why you register in teams, so that you can spell each other off, hence “relay.” Our team, however, has special dispensation to knit all night instead.
Though the reason for the event is serious and sobering, which is at times brought home by things like the Luminary ceremony, ultimately it is a fun night of camaraderie and hope. That and lots of sugar and coffee to help you stay awake.
There were also activities you could do on your breaks, including SUMO WRESTLING (yes, again. I don’t care it’s super fun) and these gigantic inflatable bouncy pony things that became the best thing ever at 3am.
CanadianChia even cut off her hair to donate to Locks of Love. And instead of just sending donors on their way, volunteer professional stylists styled your new cropped ‘do for free!
New this year was a Night Market. Naturally, we knitters had some wares for sale.
Flowers by the lovely Ilana. 
The cuteness of this hat just kills me.
Relay for Life 2014
Once again I’m participating in the Relay for Life on the Downtown Knit Collective‘s team.
We’re currently in third place for top fundraising team!!! (PS: if you feel like helping us get to number one, and donating to a very worthy cause you can donate by clicking here)
I’ve participated in the past (see here), but this year is particularly meaningful to me because my grandmother is fighting her battle with cancer. The same grandmother who taught me how to knit ❤
This year also marks 10 years of the Downtown Knit Collective relay team. To celebrate we will be hosting a Fibre Arts Activity Area at our Team Site at the Relay. As you may remember, in order to help the relayers stay up all night there are various activity areas. In 2012 canadianchia and I got to wrestle in sumo suits (pics here). We are thinking of using our activity area to teach other relayers things like arm knitting and finger knitting, making a pompom, corking/spooling, knitting on a giant scarf, crochet, making a flower, demos of spinning on a wheel and needle felting.
There is also going to be a marketplace this year and we have been offered a table. We will be selling small items in the range of about $1 to $5, such as hand-knitted cancer ribbons.
I’m SO excited!!!
Cnyttende Textiles 