a recent project

For the last few weeks I've been working on a piece using my Brooklyn Tweed Shelter yarn that my mom gave me for Christmas. My thing these days has been working through an entire project before starting something new. At least that's what I've been forcing myself to do with knitting projects, otherwise I find I'll abandon a project and never return to it. This stickin' to it thing has been really good. I know that it's saved me money, because I've been limiting myself to buying yarn for the project at hand rather than the project that I dream about starting down the road. Besides, I find it fun to go get what you need and get started right away rather than waiting to finish something else up first. After making four cowls using the softest baby alpaca yarn this winter I wanted to try something a little more interesting and challenging...and thus picked the Romney Kerchief (why it's called that, I have no idea).

A quick five dollar download later, I was facing the prospect of learning a new method of casting on before I could get started. This was the perfect pattern, really. It challenged me to learn a few new things (grafting garter stitch, blocking, blah blah...) but was still relatively straightforward. I know this might be boring knitting talk for those of you who don't knit, but you might be interested in knowing that YouTube is a great source of knitting tutorial videos. I learned to everything I needed to know to make this piece from videos I found there.

Now I have two balls of Shelter left in a beautiful red colour called "Long Johns". I'm considering whether to tackle another of these kerchiefs or to try something new, perhaps this cable and lace cowl. Ultimately I dream of getting up the guts to tackle this beauty or perhaps this gorgeous sweater. Are you knitting anything these days?

five friday favourites: knitting

source

Though all of a sudden Vancouver is being inundated with humid, hot Hawaiian air (this is what they tell me), earlier this week it felt like the right time of year to bust out some wool and knitting needles. I scoured the internet for some tips on the type of thing that I wanted to make (more on what I made another day) and found some great stuff along the way.

Great stuff like this company that has "Brooklyn" in its name (pretty much a pre req. these days for company names): Brooklyn Tweed. But honestly I love their 100% American wool yarns, especially this awesome colour called "long johns". I think I would make it into mittens. Their patterns also look pretty great, and I love the fact that you just download .pdfs from their site for some instant gratification.

I was looking for a finer, textured cowl pattern, but I also came across this super chunky pattern from Martha Stewart. If you want to make something giant really quickly I'm pretty sure it would do the trick.

In my search for exciting (and, let's face it, low commitment) patterns I also found this knitting-centric tumblr: Knitting, Fuck Yeah! It's packed with pages of properly linked patterns and is a great visual collection of knitting inspiration.

I have never been successful with intarsia (using two or more colours in the same row to make magical gloves or mitts like these), but my mom has mastered the double knit New England/Maritimes mitten. I hope that she makes me a pair that I can pick up in Calgary at Christmas time! If I had a picture of her handy work I'd post it as my fourth favourite (though it's technically my first favourite). Instead, I'll just let you know that someday soon she hopes to get her knitwear company, Bow Valley Knits, up and running.

And finally, if you can't afford $100 Norwegian mittens, you could make your own. Mitts are a pretty easy project to take on to learn a few more basic skills, like working in the round and increasing/decreasing. These ones look super easy and would get you started.

There you go, people. The best of the things that I found this week before I just made up my own pattern for what I wanted to make and winged everything. Also, starting a new project may or may not have been an excuse just to use the manual winding machine at the yarn store. I love those things!

traveller's talisman necklace

Since Jeff and Lola and I are on a little trip right now I thought I would list one of my favourite new pieces, the traveller's talisman necklace. You can find it now in the Sadie shop. It's made with a double-terminated rutilated quartz point and a vintage brass charm. Find out more details by following the link. Later tonight or tomorrow I'll share some photos of where we are in this amazing world called the Pacific Northwest. Days like today make me love this part of the planet more than anywhere else that I've been. There is definitely a summer breeze coming into our hotel room off the ocean and Lola is being a freak on the balcony and barking at anyone who walks through what I guess is her parking lot below. This afternoon we ate grilled cheese sandwiches in a park that overlooks the port and mountains. (I know, I know...it sounds like we haven't left Vancouver, but we have!) We enjoyed afternoon cupcake time at our hotel (for real) and now have to nap a bit before engaging in more power shopping. Yay Canadian dollar! Yay Alberta driver's license in Washington (no taxes for us!)! Friday we're back to work and school, so this mid-week mini vacation is much needed. I hope you're having a great week, too.

a few new things...

I have been making some new pieces for the Sadie shop this week using some amazing quartz stones. The first one is a substantial polished quartz point on a beautiful Japanese 14k gold rolled chain from my New York trip. I love this chain so much and sadly I've almost run out of it. Perhaps I'll just have to back to New York someday soon to get more. Just kidding, I'm much more likely to swing a mail order than another cross-continent trip any time soon.

The second photo shows some of the clear, white and black rutilated quartz that I've been lucky enough to get my hands on. I love the variations in these stones and the fact that they are double pointed. They remind me of Herkimer diamonds and are just so unique.

Finally I'm able to post one more pink and green rutilated quartz necklace. I'm hoping to locate more of these teeny tiny amazing crystals soon, but until I track some down, this is it. One of my friends called this the "dirty crystals" necklace while another called it her "magical pan flute" necklace, either way, it's one of my favourite Sadie pieces. Everything will be posted in the Sadie Etsy shop later this afternoon, if it's not already there. There are silver pieces, too, if you're not the gold type. And just seven more sales until the win at one hundred contest happens! If you've purchased something from the Sadie shop you're already entered. Thanks, everyone! Have a great weekend!

cave explorer number ten

Introducing the tenth necklace in the cave explorer series: this one features an overall-clad, hat-wearing dude doing what looks to be some very heavy work in an agate geode. Take a look at more photos in the Sadie shop. I'm still trying to get some more new pieces together to post before I take off on holidays. Check back tomorrow!

agate geode cavers by sadie

Here they are! The first cave explorer necklaces were received so warmly that I've made some new ones. These crystal-filled agate geodes are all one-of-a-kind and contain a miniature 10mm tall cave explorer...with one exception. Yup, that last one there is a grizzly bear, and it measures in at a huge (by comparison) 15mm. The figures are all fixed securely within the depths of each crystal cave and have been chosen because they relate well to each unique geode. Surfaces are polished. Chains are silver. Find them all in the Sadie shop.

As I mentioned earlier, it's been a busy weekend and will likely be an even busier week, so until I can post again, please check out some of my favourites from blogland this past week:

A look at an Erin Templeton photo shoot over at Clever Nettle.
Trends come and go at Lune Vintage.
And, oh no, already?
Gift ideas for under $50 at I go by Katie.

weekend worship: finally sharing little winter treasures and more!

Well, I've been very busy this week, and today is no exception, really. I'm preparing for two upcoming craft fairs here in Vancouver: BLIM on November 28th at the Chinese Cultural Centre and Portobello West December 4 & 5 at the Rocky Mountaineer Station. Definitely stop by if you're in Vancouver and check out all of the amazing things that locals have made!

Here are some pictures of some of the things that I brought back from Portland. Let's start with my absolute favourite thing first: a leather utility pouch from forestbound. The leather is so ridiculously soft and the design so simple and beautiful. It perfectly fits my phone, camera, and wallet...what more could I want to carry around?

We also loved the Fieldguided table. Jeff bought this beautiful handmade linen tie. Perhaps he'll wear it at our wedding next year?

I always come home with a lot of books from Portland. Powell's and Ampersand were great this time around. I'll spare you the school related ones, here are the others that Jeff and I picked up while we were there. Even if I tell myself that I'm only bringing home one or two, I inevitably come home with a stack. When I'll have time to read them is anyone's guess, but I will most definitely read all of these as soon as I can manage.

Finally, we stopped by my favourite art supply store on Alberta St., Collage. There I was able to pick up everything I need for the new Sadie packaging. And speaking of Sadie, there are new rings and cave explorers in the shop, so check it out! Hope you all have a great weekend.

a few new things...

I came across these absolutely beautiful rutilated quartz crystal points and wanted to make something really striking with them. "Rutilated" crystals have mineral deposits trapped within the clear quartz, creating streaky needles of colour. In the case of these crystals the rutilation appears as forest greens, light pinks, and opaque whites. These tiny points are just 1/8" wide and of varying lengths. Six of them make up a substantial pendant, and they are bracketed by vintage faceted brass beads. I've finished the piece with gold tone curb chain that I got while I was in New York this summer.

available in the Sadie shop

available in the Sadie shop

These necklaces are quite a bit shorter than the ones I usually make, but I think the details of the crystals are better highlighted this way. My favourite thing about these necklaces is that each one is totally different from the last. It's fun to put together the crystals on the gold bar until you get just the right combination. 

I'm also happy to have some new baltic birch pieces available in the shop. Inspired by fall (which is quickly turning into rainy winter) I've created these asymmetrical leaf earrings (finished with sterling silver and also available with 14k gold filled findings). Check out the Sadie shop to see more of the new things that I've been making lately. Thanks for taking a look and thanks to all for the great support!

micro worlds

A friend of Sadie mentioned this great video by Christopher Smith, saying the new Sadie "cave explorer" necklaces reminded her of it. I checked it out, and what a lovely world this video walks us through!

It seems a little early to start letting the snow fly, but I suppose if you live in certain parts of the Prairies, that's hardly the case. When I lived in Calgary it seemed Halloween was always the first really cold day of the year, or the first day you noticed how cold it had gotten. Costumes are a little less spectacular under parkas. The key was to come up with a costume idea that could incorporate insulation. Think "giant pumpkin," "wolfman," or "ski team." I was never any of those things. I think my favourite Halloween costume was Donna from Twin Peaks. I wanted to be Nadine but couldn't find an eye patch. Oh well. What are you dressing up as this year?

a few new things...

Here are some of the new things that you'll find in the Sadie shop. All simple and clean designs. Everything comes beautifully packaged to give or keep. Thanks for taking a look! More new stuff to come very soon.

pleasant point polished quartz

italic ampersands

baltic birch inner workings

cat silhouette studs

pleasant point opaque rose cream

the rest of the weekend

Another busy day, another pile of Vancouver adventures. The day began with breakfast at Solly's with my friend Christie and a nice walk home with Jeff and Lola. Along the way we found a cat that Jeff felt could be in the band KISS (link chosen by Jeff), also discovered a little bouquet booth with an honour box. Just $1.50 for flowers, picked fresh from the yard next to the box. It's so amazing to me that it's almost Halloween and Vancouver is still in bloom. We're lucky, it's green here year round, it's just a little rainy in the winter. Finally we met up with Christie again and went to the UBC Botanical Garden Apple Fest. Everything (except kettle corn!) was sold out by the time we got there, but Christie and Jeff still did the apple peeling contest (they fell short by over 2m) and we went on a great walk through the gardens. I love Vancouver on a sunny weekend day!

Also took care of a little blog redesign and a new jewelry project that is really more of a collaboration with Jeff this weekend. Jeff made an awesome crystal mountain diorama for our house (some swear they can see the people moving in it) and I used some of his supplies to make these necklaces out of geodes. More pics are up in the Sadie shop.

guilty pleasure: fast times at ridgemont high

Fast Times at Ridgemont High! Woah! Who remembers that this movie is Dirty with a capital "D"? Cuz it is. Caroline sold us all on this one by bringing it on VHS and mentioning that this movie was very, um, educational for her, if you know what I mean. Things to watch out for: a very young Nicholas "Coppola" (soon to be "Cage") cheering from the bleachers, some of the best dance moves of the early '80s, and, of course, a very young and way too cool Sean Penn. I've seen this movie a few times, but I definitely needed to refresh my appreciation of it. It's hard to believe this movie is 28 years old, but then again, it's hard to believe that Jacqui just had a big birthday, too. We celebrated at Guilty Pleasure Movie Club with a lovely dinner and a zucchini cake with lemon glaze from David Lebovitz's blog. The photo of the birthday girl with her cake might just be the most adorable photo I've ever seen. It's hard to tell whether it's a 2010 birthday party or a 1976 Thanksgiving dinner that's been captured. Next week's choice falls to Ryan, a new Guilty Pleasure Movie Club member! Can't wait!

getting started

spicy bffs

fresh lemon juice for the glaze

perfect zucchini cake

the almost last weekend of summer

What an amazing weekend I've had! Usually I'd like to end with a video in a post, but I'm just too excited about this one and need to put it up front. Jeff and I were fortunate enough to meet Jelly Jells while we were in NYC this June when we were hanging out with my friend Kaiti (the girl he skips off with in this video). This video is pretty new and I'm sure most of you haven't seen it yet. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Super busy weekend! Saturday I had to get up for the community garden work party. It was a hot morning so after a couple of hours of attacking weeds in the sun I was ready for a low key afternoon and dinner with Jeff and my friend Stephanie. We had a great Vietnamese noodle salad with cucumbers fresh from the garden and peaches and raspberries for dessert. 

the holy mountain inspired necklace

Saturday was also exciting because I saw a stranger wearing some of my jewelry at the fabulous Regional Assembly of Text. She mentioned that she liked her Sadie earrings so much because they reminded her of the film The Holy Mountain. We watched it last night and true to what she predicted, it did blow our minds. You can totally find it online and you should watch it. We did Holy Mountain inspired crafts while watching: I made a necklace, Jeff made a friendship bracelet and we made some collages with stuff I picked up at Urban Source. Good to make stuff with a crazy movie playing, it gets the creative juices flowing.

peach rosemary jam

Today was busy too, I met up with my brother's lovely girlfriend Kiki and we made Martha Stewart's rosemary peach jam (sooooo good) with rosemary from the community garden and zucchini chocolate cakes. The zucchini was the 16" long one they gave us at the UBC Farm on Friday, and the toasted walnuts we put on a few came from a trade that I did this week: one of my home grown cucumbers for four amazing organic peaches and a bag of toasted organic walnuts from the Okanagan. I love this time of year! I also stopped by the Blim Market this morning to check out the wares of local artisans and bakers. There was some seriously tasty stuff there and some beautiful jewelry, clothing, and art, too. You should go next time! I'm going to be there with new Sadie pieces Sunday, November 28!

zucchini chocolate cakes

Finally, tonight we're really missing the guilty pleasure movie club as Jacqui and Blair are out of town, but we've found CB4 on a movie channel, so that's sort of making up for it. We'll be back is session next week when Blair is sure to have a stellar pick for us. We might have some new members, too! Tomorrow I'm off to Seattle with my mom, despite having so much to do before school starts in a week and a half or so: annotated bibliographies to research and write, grad project topic to write a proposal for and I desperately need a haircut, among other things. I hope I can find the time over the long weekend! It's also Jeff's last week as a postie before he heads back to school this fall! Wish him luck, though I'm sure he'll love everything about his new endeavour. Wacky D from CB4 seems like a great end to a Sunday post:

recycled jewelry

I've been making these necklaces lately out of thrift store finds and vintage pendants and chains. Inspired by a crazy necklace that my friend Camilla was wearing when she came for a visit from Montreal, I've been collecting a variety of interesting chains to use on these super long necklaces (about 36"). Pendants are made up of upcycled earrings, necklace pendants and beads and vintage pieces that I've found on sites like Etsy. Camilla's necklace had so much stuff on it that it maxed out the chain. I like to think of these ones as works-in-progress. If you found another awesome thing you could easily add it. Click on any of the photos to learn more about the pieces on Flickr.