The Treasures a Treasury Can Bring

I just had to write about my final appearence in a treasury on etsy!!! What joys it brings to feel appreciated and respected, hahaha. Not that I didn't before but being chosen among the lost amount of amazing artists on etsy makes me feel extremely honoured and special!! You just need to click on the title and it will take you to the treasury list!! It's titled Swamp Thang, geared towards the rather swampy, green hues the collection is based on. There are some really great pieces listed there.

Spring is in the Air

I had to write another blog about the brooches because I've started a new batch! Bright, beautiful, and welcoming the new season! Spring coloured brooches for one and all :)
I sold the collection of brooches I had to the 8th Day a week ago so I had to start a new batch. They have been going quite well considering they are just sitting in a basket on the counter. So my new batch are as bright as can be and awaiting homes and outfits to dazzle and complete! I have had so much fun photographing these little items. My new digital camera is chalked full of photographs of various brooches. I am so pleased with the macro settings on the camera! You can get within an inch of the subject and obtain amazing crispness and quality. How great is that?

Well it excites me anyways! And so do customers!!! I have finally had some sales on Etsy! Hooray!! Two customers with repeated sales! Sounds good to me! My first buyer was Jenny, who runs IndieQuarter (http://www.indiequarter.com/blog/index.php). She purchased a small brooch from me a few weeks back and still hasn't received the package!!

Because of this she purchased another brooch (this time a large one) which I sent off yesterday. I hope she gets both of them soon!!! Here are some photos of her purchases :) She wanted to stick to browns, like her first purchase (on the left), but I chose to use some rich, dark browns for her second (on the right) to give her some variation. I hope she likes them! My second customer is the lovely Julie of SiohbansDreams (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5304688). She bought one brooch, then special requested three more! What a wonderful gal :) Here are her brooches, as requested. My favourite one is the blue brooch (to go with her denim jacket) but I really like the black, white, and grey one as well. Especially because of the fab polka-dot vintage button in the middle. Tres bien.
If you, reader, are interested in special requesting any brooches, please visit my shop on etsy!! The link is at the top of the page :) I would be more than happy to make whatever colour variation you like (limited to three variations per brooch) with or without super duper buttons! hehehe. Ideally I would like to take some special requests for scarves so I can weave like a mad woman but I won't get too picky here :) hehehe.

THANKS FOR VISITING!!! Sorry I haven't been blogging steadily, I have been on brooch duty for a few weeks! See you soon!

Can You Find Your Way Through the Labyrinth?

There are so many variations to a 4 harness twill it is flabbergasting! You can view a few dozen variations with the pattern alone, only altering the threading and treadling. Then you add colour as a variable and the possibilities are ENDLESS!!! This is not only because of all the different colours you can use but also the actual element of colour in the design. In this pattern here, which I have been calling a spiral twill or (for fun) a labyrinth twill, the bold pattern is created by alternating the two colours in the warp. You could make a wide variety of patterns based on the same tie up and treadling just by alternating the colours in the warp. One red to two purple or two red to two purple would give you two completely different patterns! How amazing is that?? I find it immaculate and amazing and why I love weaving so much :)

This project uses two amazing coloured merino wools which I purchased at my suppliers a few weeks back. They are 100% unshrinkable merino wool, made in Italy. They have the softest, most luxurious feel to them. I saw them at the mill and as soon as I touched them I could not put them down!! They have a bit of give to them as well so the scarf will be a bit stretchy. It is approximately 6" or 61/2" wide and will be about 72" long when I finish it. I am very tempted to keep it as it is my new favourite. No one can survive as a business owner that way though! hahaha. I would keep all of my scarves if that were the case :)
I plan on finishing this one today. It is now a quarter to two....hmmm, I wonder if I will be able to do it?? I have about 3/4 more to do. I better get at it!! I will write another post when I finish it, with some more fantastic photos!! Hope you come back to see it!

Brooches, Brooches, and more Brooches!

They have become my new favourite pastime, keeping my hands busy and being productive. Flower loom brooches! For someone who has heaps of yarn to work with, flower brooches can be the best little craft for colour schemes, yarn combinations, as well as perfect little additions to scarves!

I have had many people go crazy over these little accessories. They can be made into a billion different colour combinations and have potential to be very extravagant (in a craftsters mind).

They are made on a unique little contraption called a "flower loom" which is a circular peg board. They come in square shapes as well but I am not as keen on them. You can make three different sized flower in a variety of ways. I tend to stick to the basic pattern using a wide array of yarn styles and colours. My little loom is very basic compared to some that are available in craft stores, etc. You can purchase some that have three layers on one loom with a multitude of pegs, giving you an infinite amount of possibilities with design and technique. Some have removable pegs as well which makes it a little less confusing using different patterns. I like the plain jane ones though :) You can make them all look completely different when you alter the texture of the yarn or differ the colour combinations. Adding buttons also makes for a perfect final touch. I tend to go for vintage buttons as well. They're the best :)


The photo to the left here displays a few of my teeny weeny brooches which you can find on my etsy store (top of the page). They are the cutest little brooches around! Measuring less than 2" wide, they add that sweet touch to any outfit, bag, purse, or scarf.
The itsy bitsy brooches are the same design but a bit bigger (measuring about 3"across). They do well to accentuate a jacket, bag, or cardigan. I've just added one to my bag (using the left over teal merino from my Houndstooth project). The centre yarn is one that I plied myself. It was from a spinning demo we had in my weaving class a few years back. I caught on really quickly and had a ton of plied yarn to take home at the end of the day!! How wonderful! hehehe. I can't wait to get my hands on a spinning wheel again actually....oooohh, spinning and weaving...what a dream!

Here's a photo of my latest brooch fan. My friend Erin Gillespie. She's a photographer/cosmetologist/goddess extraordinaire. I sent her three brooches for her birthday and she was dead pleased :) She's used them as a hair pin! How brilliant is that? I think she looks beautiful. The one on the right here was a special brooch which I promised to be the one and only :) It is a replica of the owl design I use for my cards, turned into a wonderful fuzzy brooch. I had a ton of people tell me I should make a load of these but as soon as I heard that, I knew I would only make one. It kills the sincerity and uniqueness. I like making one of a kind objects, not run of the mill manufactured goods. It may be an overstatement when someone was just telling me that they would be popular but I like the fact that it is now the one and only. Plus Erin is totally chuffed to be the one to keep it!

If you are at all interested in purchasing one of these lovely items, please visit my shop! I have a few listed but they are just general listings. If you would like a custom made brooch (where you choose size and colour scheme) please message me on etsy or leave a comment on this blog. I will be more than happy to make one for you! They are perfectly affordable as well :) Hope you enjoyed reading about them!

Hooray for Houndstooth

Well, I finally did it! I finally finished the houndstooth twill scarf I have been working on for the last little while. I had it sitting there with no activity for a while but yesterday I sat down and went at it, finished the last 3/4. I am extremely pleased with the turn out. What do you think? Was it a success?? I am not sure if I am going to list this one on etsy or if I am going to keep it for a small selection that I am going to sell at the 8th Day in Manchester. I have been working there for a few years now and it has progressed into something much greater than it was when I started. It is a small health food shop on the outskirts of downtown Manchester. It has been open for 30 odd years and has changed dramatically throughout the decades. Anyways, this post isn't about the history of the 8th day...I was explaining how it has changed recently. We have just started carrying all kinds of handmade goods and eco-friendly items. Fully eco-friendly is what I want to progress to but England is just jammed pack full of amazing wools. At least I'm supporting local farmers and spinners :) I have had a hard time finding bamboo or tencel yarns around here. They are always in very small bunches and are extremely expensive. Maybe when I move back to Canada......

Right, back to the scarf! It was a great progression for me. I really enjoyed going through the process of learning a new weave. I was quite confused at first because I was compressing too hard which was distorting the pattern. Once I got a handle on it, I was at ease and in my weaving zone! haha. I decided that the most effective ending would be to twist the ends together in colour bunches (as seen on the left here). It seemed to fit better than just tying the ends off in knots. I have also added my new tags thanks to Kristin of Taylor Made Designs (see link at right of page). She did an amazing job on my tags. Look, there they are --> aren't they lovely?! Handmade, screenprinted tags on ribbon. I was so impressed with both the tags and the little well designed package she gives you. You should really have a look at her stuff!!! You can also click the image to get a closer look! So altogher, I am really happy and satified with this project. I hope it goes over well, wherever I decide to sell it!!

Honey, I Just Adore Honeycomb!

Any weave that has hidden surprises for you has to be worth trying. There are so many out there to try but when I first layed eyes on the honeycomb pattern I knew that I would fall in love with it and want to weave it over and over again. Its a type of double weave which doesn't actually take shape until you cut it off of the loom. You have to wait for the surprise ALL the way through the scarf until that final moment when you cut it free and VOILA! You have an amazing three dimensional weave that feels wonderful and looks fantastic!

Because honeycomb is a double weave, the only thing connecting the two layers is the main honeycomb wool. This yarn needs to be a lot thicker than the warp and main weft yarns; that is, if you wish to have a more dramatic honeycomb effect. You can use any yarn you wish for the honeycomb effect but the thicker they yarn, the deeper the cells will be when the weave is cut from the loom. As seen in the photo on the right, the honeycomb yarn is much thicker than the other two (it is the multi-coloured pink wool shown at edge/salvage). With honeycomb, you also get a completely different pattern on the opposite face of the weave. It does not show the cells at all but the basic weave which forms the base of the textile. If you had a loom with a high number of shafts (maybe 8+) I am sure you would be able to weave a double honeycomb, connecting the two scarves together with the same honeycomb yarn or, with one of the other weft yarns. I am only proposing this theory though, I do not know if it would actually work. I am trying to go through the possibility in my head...It seems plausible but I am not sure which yarn would be the connecting yarn (whether weft or honeycomb). I'm sure it would make for one hell of a scarf though!! Extremely thick and textured!!

Colour schemes are fun to play with using honeycomb as well. My favourite project was a bright green honeycomb with thick pink wool. The main warp was a sort of lime green, very bright and wonderful. For the weft I used a dark forest green which contrasted beautifully with the lighter, lime green. The honeycomb wool was the same as the pink scarf shown on the right above; very thick and spun using a variety of pinks and analogous colours. I sold that scarf at a craft fair in Altrincham, Manchester November of this year. It was a Christmas present for the purchaser's sister. I hope she was pleased. It would be wonderful to spot it somewhere in the public! I wonder if I will ever see it again...

An Ode to Log Cabin

One of the best examples of a simple weave with fantastic results!!! Log cabin is one of the most basic weaves with the gift to look fairly complex. It can be a dramatic pattern when given contrasting colours while also able to be quite delicate and subdued with monochromatic or analogous colours (like red/orange or blue/green).

The set up is so basic and so fast that it is tempting to make every scarf a log cabin! It is completely straightforward and only varying from a basic weave by the fact that you are working with two alternating colours at once! The stripes run vertically (in the warp) and horizontally (in the weft) in single lines (pin-striped) which is what keeps it crisp and clean. You can make the actual squares varying sizes (depending on how many lines across and vertically you make them), which I have experimented with quite a bit (examples in photo directly below).

There are also log cabin variations, which can alter the visual effects quite a lot. The basics of the weave are kept the same (pin stripes of colour vertically and horizontally, with basic threading) but you can vary the treadling. Take for example the Log cabin twill....instead of squares of stripes you get stripes of zigzags. You can also vary it by treadling basket weave as well. If you want to see, visually, what I am talking about, check out this link to All Fibre Arts!

http://www.allfiberarts.com/library/bldraft/bllogcabin.htm I think my next project might be a log cabin twill! Any suggestions for colour? I have some AMAZING merino wools in bright red and deep purple. I reckon that will look quite swell indeed! hmmm.....Kind of makes me want to start on it right now!

The ONLY problem I have come across with log cabin is making mistakes. One little mistake stands out like a catastrophe! Well, maybe not that bad...One missed thread can really project itself in the weave, which can make for an angry weaver if not spotted! If you would like to take a look at some excellent weaving drafts you should visit

http://www.handweaving.net/DraftsHome.aspx Handweaving.net is one of my FAVOURITE weaving websites. It is a weaving goldmine. You can keep a collection of your favourite drafts to refer back to whenever you like as well. They call it your "clipboard" and if you sign up (which I think only entails giving a name and password) you can keep a saved collection of your chosen drafts. How great is that? I have quite a dynamite collection right now.

Well I hope this has been inspiring and somewhat informative. Please leave links to your log cabin projects in my comments box and I will gladly add them to this post!!! Thanks for reading!