florida

The Gulf Coast of Florida is such a beautiful place, I never tire of visiting the region.  Exploring the Orman House in Apalachicola was a highlight of our trip.  We learned so much about the house, its history and the history of the town from the very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide Mike Kinnett.   I would also recommend visiting the Tallahassee Museum, which has many interesting exhibits and native wildlife, as well as scenic walking paths.  Of course, I'm always a fan of strolling on the beaches of St. George Island, searching for shells and spotting dolphins too!

new sweaters

Recently we did a photo shoot showcasing some of my newest sweater designs.  Each sweater is vintage cashmere with hand needle felted wool embellishment.  Thank you to my lovely model Amanda and to Patrick who took all the photos!  Earl even helped out with the flowers!

earl

My cat Earl shares my passion for textiles, more specifically the materials I use to create my textile designs, such as yarn, fleece, fabric, and paper.  Here he is eyeing up some of my favourite wool yarns!  This evening I am starting a two-part class with my pal Nadia.  We are learning how to make a Tunisian Crocheted Cowl.  Should be fun!  I will post more about it soon.

new project no. 2

Continuing with my posts on new projects for the new year, I bring you my adventures in pom pom making!  I tried out my new Clover pom pom maker using a bunch of different yarns that I had on hand.  This was a fun exercise and I loved seeing the variety of textures that could be achieved.  For the ones pictured above I used a couple of different bulky wool yarns, some organic cotton yarn and wool fleece.  I don't have any major plans for these ones, but I think they look great as is.  Next up, I am going to make smaller pom poms with the same chunky yarns.  I have a few projects in mind that could benefit from the addition of some mini pom poms.  I will keep you posted on these developments! 

IDS 13

Today I attended the Interior Design Show.   While there were a lot of inspiring things to see, the Studio North and Prototype areas stole the show for me.  Below are some of my favourites from this year's show.   

Earth Inc. Designed Landscapes

Tania Love 

Creative Matters

Heidi Earnshaw Design

Magic Pony

Dubbeldam Architecture

The Felt Store

Ikea

new year, new project no. 1

This is the first of many projects that I want to highlight here on my blog throughout this month and into the next.  I'm hoping these posts will not only celebrate the creation of new work but also inspire you to have a go at new projects as well.  Winter is the best time to knit, and knitted pieces make great gifts.  This scarf is for my sweetheart.  He requested a narrow width simple design finished to a moderate length.  I needed only one skein of Nature Spun by the Brown Sheep Company in colour 120 Cresting Waves to complete this project.  The stitch is from a book of knitting patterns that my mom has had for so long, it's yellowed, ripped and well used, but really is the best resource.  It's called the Mon Tricot Knitting Dictionary.  Read below for the stitch details.

Chevron Seed Stitch

Multiple of 8

Row 1: *P 1, k 3*

Row 2: *K 1, p 5, k 1, p 1*

Row 3: *K 2, p 1, k 3, p 1, k 1*

Row 4: *P 2, k 1, p 1, k 1, p 3*

happy new year

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and took time to spend with family and loved ones.  On the eve of 2013, I would like to wish all of you a very happy and prosperous year to come!  The above photo is the view from the kitchen window yesterday morning, I love the way the icicles glimmer in the sun!