Fibre Person

Grab-bag!

2012-03-05T18:37:00.001-08:00

I've been working on some fun things but it's all a real grab-bag of stuff!

First - I'm going to be teaching Banner/Wall Hanging making through Spark of Brilliance the next two Tuesdays! I'm super excited! Here's the poster and a picture of my yet unfinished "banner". It's a bit of a ugly photo (I'll give you a hint... it's a squid)...

Coming up in a few weeks is Puppet making! That's going to be a fun one, I'll be posting about that soon.

Secondly - I FINALLY made a Schoolhouse Tunic! I took a class at Greenwood Quiltery with the lovely Alison Ellett. Taking a workshop was the perfect thing to kick my butt into action! I finished the tunic using a very beautiful fabric by one of my fave designers, Lotta Jansdotter. As soon as the last stitch was done, I got fabric to make another one so that I don't forget all the tips and tricks that Alison taught us. This time I chose a great fabric from Jay McCarroll! I then signed up for Alison's "Dress Bee" that she facilitates at a local sewing machine shop. A four week sewing bee guided by Alison with patterns chosen by me! I can't wait!

Thirdly - I made these really ugly crocheted cuffs that were just ridiculous and flouncy! I couldn't sit at my desk and write notes or anything! So, I played around with them and discovered I could button them together and make a really cool collar! I was so happy because the yarn was stuff I had purchased at Verb for Keeping Warm when I was visiting last year. I would never want to flub a project with yarn that amazing!

Fourthly - I registered for my second year of the Ontario Handweavers and Spinner's Handspinning Certification Course! (mouthful) It's at the Haliburton School for the Arts and is in May. I still have to do a paper on my crazy eSpinner. I have NOT been practicing enough because of my sore arms and wrists..... it's time to suck it up!

Fifthly (and kind of bestest) - Cal Patch is coming a the end of April and we're going to get to hang out for a week! She'll be teaching classes at the Workroom and it's all very exciting. Also, it's finally time for us to plan my residency at Hodgepodge Farm! It's really happening in August for two whole weeks! BLISS!!

Sixthly - I started working on my crochet EPS sweater made out of my gorgeous Jill Draper Empire yarn. I'm so happy because the gauge swatch worked out perfectly on my magical wand crochet hook that I got from Willette's at Sheep and Wool last October! Now I have to grill Cal on some hows and get started on this sweater!

Classes and E-Spinner!

2012-02-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's almost March! Spring!

I'm going to start off with a few classes that are coming up....

A Needle Felting Class will be running Tuesday, February 28th from 6:30-8:30pm. I'm teaching this class through the wonderful organization, "Spark of Brilliance". Please click on their name for more info and see the flyer for more info too!

I'm also teaching a two part sock knitting class at Greenwood Quiltery! The socks are special because they have short-row heals and toes which mean you can easily re-knit them as they wear! This class runs Saturday, March 3rd and 10th from 10 - 11:30am. Please contact Greenwood Quiltery for more info!

Myself and BirDeye Family Programs are co-facilitating a March Break Puppet Making Camp at The Children's Art Factory from March12 - 16. It's going to be super fun! We recorded an as for the camp at CFRU, which was a very fun experience - so keep an ear open for my lovely voice for more info! Visit The Children's Art Factory for complete details.

It's getting close to the time where I head back up to Haliburton School for the Arts to start my second year of the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Handspinning Program (that's a mouth full!). I'm currently working on my wheel assignment. At the end of the course last semester, each student was given a type of wheel to research, use and write a paper on. I was really excited because I had been really wanting to get an electric spinner. I got a Babe E-Spinner and it's been a learning curve. It's also been really fun. It's run by using a sewing machine peddle. I'm excited to try some different peddles to see if a peddle from a fancier sewing machine makes a difference to the sensitivity of the wheel.

A few weeks ago I visited my wonderful OHS course buddy Andrea Leigh in London. We did a bunch of spinning and knitting. We also went to St. Thomas to visit a really cute little yarn shop called, "The Little Red Mitten". It was a cute shop! I got a child's tapestry loom. I've been experimenting with kid's looms. They are inexpensive and very easy to use.

Being Andrea and I are both vegan, she had some fun places to eat lined up! We went to a restaurant called, "VegOut" it was amazing! Here is the evidence, a piece of raw strawberry- key lime cheese cake and a cup of herbal tea - heaven!

Some Classes!

2012-02-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

I have some classes coming up! Oh! And please join my blog mailing list to be notified when I post! All you have to do is add your email in the space indicated to the right of this post and - voila! It's totally private too....

First is a two part beginner crochet class that I'm teaching through Spark of Brilliance. It runs February 7th and 17th from 6:30 - 8:30pm. Please click on the above link or see the picture below for more info!

On Saturday February 11th, I'll be teaching at the wonderful Greenwood Quiltery! I'm teaching a simple cowl that is done in the round. Students will be learning tips and tricks for casting-on and joining in the round. Please contact Greenwood Quiltery to sign up or for more information.

I'm super excited to be co-facilitating a March Break program with Birdeye Family Programs that will be held at The Children's Art Factory! It runs March 12 through 16th. We'll be creating a whole puppet show with the kids! They will learn storytelling techniques, different ways to create puppets and work on a show that will be preformed to their parents and friends and in the community! Please see the poster below for more information and also get in touch with Birdeye to register!

Winter and Wrists

2012-01-16T10:34:00.000-08:00

So, my wrists hurt - bad. My doctor has told me NO handcrafting for TWO months and I have to wear wrist braces. It's all ok though. For me, waiting out the two months in the long run isn't so bad..... In the meantime, I have to find things to make that are ok for my wrists. There are a few samples that I have to make for classes and I'm trying to be varied. My ukulele is pretty sad sitting there in the corner too....

My wrist braces:

I have some great classes coming up! Saturday the 21st and 28th from 10 - 11:30am I'm teaching an Absolute Beginner Knitting class at Greenwood Quiltery! Contact them to sign up. I don't want to toot my own horn but, I've always received great feedback from this class! The participants really like that I use the word "absolute" in the title of the class! I'll be teaching several classes at Greenwood over the winter that you can check out through them or keep checking back here for info! They will all be run on Saturday mornings up in the Greenwood Gallery - it's a beautiful space that is just full of light and textile art - a wonderful teaching space!

I'm going to be teaching many more workshops through Spark of Brilliance too! Some really great and creative ones that I'm looking forward to making samples for and participating in! Puppet Making! Needle Felting! Wall Hanging making! Crochet! AND it's going to culminate in a gallery show for all the participants! I'll keep things posted here as well.

I've been enjoying the winter. I got proper "base layers" and some snow pants - I can actually go out and walk around and not freeze my buns off! Although, wearing snow pants makes me feel like I'm 12 and why do I always have to pee once I've put all my gear on?!

Winter pics! See the funny smile-y face I found in the tree?:

Lastly, I've been doing a small, small bit of yarn-y stuff - but no more that 10-20 mins a day and I wear my braces when I do it. I want to be totally ready for two months when I can start crocheting my Percentage System Sweater with my SF buddy Jenne. I wound the skein of Jill Draper "Empire" into a ball. It took a while! It's all ready to swatch now! just sitting there staring at me.....

It took awhile but I was sitting in front of the fire! Also, see the last pic? That's a comparison of what a ball of Empire looks like next to a regular ball of yarn!:

Goodness Gracious!

2011-12-18T17:54:00.001-08:00

It's hard to see, but the topper to my tree is a knit sheep!

Well, it's nearing the end of the year... I haven't done much yarn-y stuff lately because of ongoing wrist and arm troubles... I didn't despair this season though! I used the opportunity to support local merchants and small artisans instead of crocheting and knitting like a kookoo for everyone on my Holiday list! It was a different approach for me (as I usually knit and crochet like a kookoo for everyone) and I liked it! So less stressful and so nice to see all the great hand made and local stuff that is out there!

Some nice textures....

At the beginning of the month I ran a Beginner Knitting workshop through a wonderful organization called, "Spark of Brilliance"! It was amazing and we had such a fantastic time. I'm going to be working with them as much as I can in the future! The lovely space where the workshop was held is called, "10 Carden". It's a wonderful co-op space for socially innovative community based organizations and businesses. WOW!
I'm going to be doing some co-facilitating with Birdeye Family Programs coming up soon! Check out these great posters! We will be working together lots in the New Year and I will post much more as the events happen. The posters are for a Kid's Community Quilt Project and an ongoing event we're calling, "Crafternoon Tea"!

I'm working on a broomstick lace shawl!

One of the fun things about December is that, in addition to many holiday parties, Christmas and New Year's Eve, three of my immediate family member's all have Birthdays! I did get to make a little something for my 2 year old niece that LOVES bracelets. The problem is that the always fall off her little person wrists so, I crocheted fun colours around a hair elastic and made her a stack-o-bracelets! The kids at her party all dug them and she very nicely shared them with her little buddies.

This fall we have had a really great "in theory" bird feeder. It sticks to the window so the birds come right up and it's all very exciting.... we had finches, cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, chickadees and SQUIRRELS! In fact, the squirrels were so BAD they kept on pulling down the bird feeder and gobbling up all the seeds for themselves. The birds were left chirruping at the window like, "Hey man! Where's ours?!".... Now everyone is punished and no one gets the feeder until we figure out how to discourage the squirrels. Especially Mocha - he didn't even care if I banged on the window and told him to get lost! They are very sneaky and bold!

Get outta here!:

All the birds now hide in the tree and screech at us...:

The Empire

2011-11-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to be running a beginner Knitting program through Spark of Brilliance! It's coming up in a few weeks and FULL!

So, since my lovely trip to upstate NY there has been a wondrous skein of yarn made by Jill Draper sitting in a place of honour on my shelf. I'm going to be crocheting an EPS sweater in tandem with my friend Jenne in San Francisco. The lovely Cal Patch has already made a sweater from Empire using the EPS in crochet and I will be emailing her and calling her for advice. I really want to make a longer sweater that is sort of "belled" from the waist with a boat neck and 3/4 bell sleeves. A cozy one! I will be using one of my lovely new magic wands (hand-turned wooden crochet hooks by Willette)!

In other news - there are lots of things brewing that I will share shortly - just not now... secrets... shhhhh.....

Also, I had a great time with a group of amazing kids at The Children's Art Factory doing a Monster Making Workshop! Here are some pictures:

Birdeye Family Programs and myself as Fibreperson will be running a few other fun programs through the Children's Art Factory in December and January! Just read these and email me if you need more info!!:

The Community Quilt Project
Hey kids, would you like to help us make a quilt? This is a creative group project that brings happiness to our community. We are calling on kids aged 7 - 12 to join us in making quilt squares. You can embroider, do appliqué, needle felt, paint - anything you want to make your square unique. Then, we will sew them together to make a quilt that will be displayed at the Children's Art Factory and other public places around Guelph! The quilt will ultimately be donated to a not-for-profit that helps children and families in our city. Participants will make two squares, one finished as a banner and ready for hanging at their home, the other will be for the Community Quilt. All materials will be provided. Ages 7 - 12. Thursday, December 29th OR Wednesday January 4th from 1-3pm. $25 per child all materials included!
Sign up by emailing: alisamcr@gmail.com
This program is co-hosted by Birdeye Family Programs and Fibreperson!

Crafternoon Tea
Are you a crafty momma? Knit-star? Is crochet your thing? Perhaps even an embroidery lover? Maybe you'd love to learn but just don't have the time?
Join us for Crafternoon Tea! A time where you can work on what ever your crafting desires may be while your tots are only steps away working on their own little projects.
Starting in January 2012, we will be offering this crafty group for tots 2 1/2 - 6 years old and their parents! The cost will be $25 which includes hands on supervision and all the crafting supplies for your little one, tea for you, and, if you need a project to work on, we will have kits available too! There will be help and instruction in knitting, crochet and embroidery available. Please keep an eye out for further information on this group, which will run bi-weekly from 1 - 3pm starting in January.
This program is co-hosted by Birdeye Family Programs and Fibreperson!

November (already!?) Classes....

2011-11-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some classes I'll be teaching in November and some to look forward to....
Oh, and please use the "follow by email" feature to get all my updates!

First of all, I'm so excited to be working with The Children's Art Factory! I will be teaching classes exclusively for children! Check it out:

Monsters! Aliens! Creatures!
Can you think of a funny monster? A scary alien? Maybe a silly creature!? Come and have fun with pompoms, felt, googley eyes and other fun materials and make that monster come to life! Ages 6 and up! Sunday November 6, 12:30–2:30pm.
Just drop-in for Monster Mayhem! If you need more info please email: alisa@thechildrensartfactory.com.

Beginner Knitting for Kids
You can make all sorts of things if you know how to knit – want to try?
This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn the knit stitch, the purl stitch and how to cast-on and bind-off. Ages 7-9. This is a three-week class, the dates are Tuesday November 15, 22 and 29, 6–7:30 pm. The cost is $60, which includes all materials. Please register by emailing: alisa@thechildrensartfactory.com.

Making Yarn with a Drop Spindle!
Hey Kids! Do you want to make your own yarn! Want to learn about sheep?
Using a drop spindle, you can learn to spin your own yarns! Inexpensive to start, this is a great hobby! Ages 7-9. This is a three-week class, the dates are Wednesday November 16, 23 and 30, 6-7:30pm. The cost is $60, which includes all materials. Please register by emailing alisa@thechildrensartfactory.com.

Also, keep an eye out for these fun workshops and crafting days coming up at The Children's Art Factory:

The Community Quilt Project
Hey kids, would you like to help us make a quilt? This is a creative group project that brings happiness to our community. We are calling on kids aged 7 - 12 to join us in making quilt squares. You can embroider, do applique, needle felt, paint - anything you want to make your square unique. Then, we will sew them together to make a quilt that will be displayed at the Children's Art Factory and other public places around Guelph! The quilt will ultimately be donated to a not-for-profit that helps children and families in our city. Participants will make two squares, one finished as a banner and ready for hanging at their home, the other will be for the Community Quilt. All materials will be provided. Ages 7 - 12. Thursday, December 29th OR Wednesday January 4th from 1-3pm. $25 per child all materials included! Sign up by emailing: alisa@thechildrensartfactory.com

Crafternoon Tea
Are you a crafty momma? Knit-star? Is crochet your thing? Perhaps even an embroidery lover? Maybe you'd love to learn but just don't have the time?
Join us for Crafternoon Tea! A time where you can work on what ever your crafting desires may be while your tots are only steps away working on their own little projects.
Starting in January 2012, we will be offering this crafty group for tots 2 1/2 - 6 years old and their parents! The cost will be $25 which includes hands on supervision and all the crafting supplies for your little one, tea for you, and, if you need a project to work on, we will have kits available too! There will be help and instruction in knitting, crochet and embroidery available. Please keep an eye out for further information on this group which will run bi-weekly from 1 - 3pm starting in January.

I'm also excited to be teaching some classes at the lovely Greenwood Quiltery this month too! (click on the link to contact them for more info and to sign up):

Sock Knitting!
This is a two-part class where students will learn the basics of sock knitting. We will be working on four needles from the cuff down. Please know how to work on 4 needles, read a pattern, cast on/off and be available for both classes. Thursday November 3 AND Thursday November 17, 6 – 8 pm. $35 For both classes; materials additional.
Contact Greenwood Quiltery to register.

Drop Spindle Spinning
Entranced by handspun yarns?! Give it a “whorl”! Using the drop spindle, learn to spin your own yarns. Inexpensive to start, this is a great portable hobby!
Saturday November 5 AND Saturday November 12, 6 – 8 pm. $35 for both classes; materials additional. Contact Greenwood Quiltery to register.

Dutchess County Sheep and Wool AKA Rhinebeck

2011-10-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! Did I have a great time with Cal Patch and Jill Draper and all the other lovelies at NY Sheep and Wool Festival this year!

Since there are so many blog posts about how amazing the event is - I'm going to say it with pictures!

Cal and I in our finest - Day 1.

Cal and Chris from Into the Whirled!

Cal spinning in her Spinning Guild's booth!

The first tea and scone.

Cal doing some Saori Weaving - I am obsessed...

Cal and Jill!

A sheepy terrarium...

In our finest - Day 2.

Testing out HAND TUNED crochet hooks at the Willette's booth!

Award winning Cotswold Ram.

This is a close up of his gorgeous fleece.... ahhhh....

A funny sign.

Judging some Angora Goats.A toasty pile of Shetlands.

The next two pictures I love because the sheep look so smart.

The next few pictures are especially for Sel et Poivre. She really wanted to see the new Hodgepodge Farm chickens. The first picture is of the "older girls" roosting - notice the black blob under the branches? Those are the "new girls" (well one is a rooster!). They are not welcome to hang with the big kids just yet. The bottom picture is just of the newbies. Two hens and (what was supposed to be a hen) one rooster. He has a very teen-aged and crackly "cock-a-doodle-doo" going on.

In other news... there is still availability in some of my classes at Greenwood Quiltery - check them out for info.

Also, I'm going to be starting to teach at the most amazing new art space for kids! It's called, "The Children's Art Factory" and they are amazing. Some really great people and some great ideas! I will keep everything posted! In November, I'll be teaching Beginner Knitting and Beginner Drop Spindle Spinning for kid-os ages 6 - 9! I'm also going to be doing a Monster Making workshop there in a few weeks - I'll post more very soon.....

September was busy.... I'm back!

2011-10-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

Me doing a demo at the Wellington County Museum and Archives!

Wow! I'm glad that things have calmed down a bit and I have time to post!

First of all I'm going to be teaching several classes over the next few months at the beautiful Greenwood Quiltery! Beginner Knitting, Entrelac, Sock Knitting and Drop Spindle Spinning! Please contact them for more details : 519-822-2790.

I will also be offering some children's classes though The Children's Art Factory. I met with Melissa, the amazing owner of this new space for kids. The space is inspiring and so much fun. I will post more when the details are all worked out! In the meantime, if you have a little one, please bring them to this creative space!

This past weekend was the Harvest Home Festival at The Wellington County Museum and Archives. It was a celebration of the history of the area and of fall! There were antique tractors, delicious pies, sheep shearing, lace making, candle making, music and wool preperation and spinning (by me).

Showing the kids how it's done:

Drumcarding up a storm:

Creepy Museum Doll:

I had a great time talking to people about the art of spinning and how wool is taken from a sheep and made into something you can make hats, sweaters and socks out of. There were many children that were so interested which made me very excited for the future of spinning! My father even got into the festivities by being pulled into a square dancing demo - he did well!

I also sent in my OHS homework. Second due date and one more to go. The October due date is sneaking up on me and I have to get a move on it!

S and Z homework before and after:

In The Grease homework before and after:

Grist homework before and after:

Next? I'm off to the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY..... I can't wait to see my friends Cal Patch, Jill Draper and Christine Eschback.

I'm taking the train down to the Hodgepodge farm and I'm so excited to watch the county zip on by! I'm sure I'll have many pictures to share.

Late Summer...

2011-08-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy and I have been enjoying my late summer. I have sent in my first assignments for my Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Spinning Certification (that's a mouthful)!
I've taken a fabric dyeing class with Alyssa Light which was really amazing. Great to meet her and learn some new techniques. I also got to take a little vacation with some fun gals. One of which was Andrea Lehnen!

First things' first. Spinning homework. There are all sorts of rules of presentation and extra little things that you have to remember from way back in May when I actually took the course. It took a while to actually get all the elements all together, labeled and mounted in the correct format. I'm expecting the rest of the assignments to go a little smoother now that I know what I'm doing!

Here's the first assignment - Colour Wheels on fleece and yarn naturally coloured white and grey. Mounted in a sensible way with all the recipes:

This is my text message to Andie L it says, "OMG! I'm about to stick everything down and I'm scared!":

Here is the final presentation:

Second assignment - Colour Gradation using fleece and yarn in white. Labeled, recipes, a made up special code for dyestock use and how everything was done. I liked my gradient but it was a little subtle. I called it "Pear" and it looked almost like I had used a plant dye.:

Here is the final presentation:

Now I'm working on my September assignments. I've been spinning at home by myself and have felt a little lonely about it. Although it's really not spinning that you can take somewhere. I guess I'll have to arrange another little hang out with Andie L!

This dyeing class I took with Alyssa Light was so great! She's a fun person and great teacher. We learned a bunch of resist dyeing techniques. The class was held at Greenwood Quiltery (where I'll be teaching loads this fall, I'll keep everything posted here). It was great to learn about dyeing cellulose fibres and I made some pretty neat patterns. My fave was the shaving cream technique. You spray shave cream on a surface and add ink. You can swirl the ink around using a stick or brush then you lay your fabric over top and allow the dyes to soak in. When you remove the fabric you have a really neat marbling effect.

Resist:

"Parfait" dyeing:

Shaving Cream:

Finally, the getaway! The great Canadian Cottage Getaway! We had a great time and saw so many inspiring things, got to relax and regroup!

Ducks:

Fun-times:

Nature walk (the Birch was sparkly gold, which doesn't really pick up in the photo):

August Classes I'm Teaching!

2011-07-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to be teaching the super duper LYS All Strung Out in Guelph this month! I'm also teaching some fun classes at Passionknit.... Take a look:

Start a Log Cabin Blanket
This easy blanket pattern is based on the popular quilt design. It’s done in garter stitch and is fun to make in Noro Kureyon or Silk Garden. Please know how to knit and pick-up stitches and read a pattern. Discounts will be offered for people who take the class and want to purchase a kit. (Pinchy) Thurs. Aug. 18 OR Wed. Aug. 31, 7-9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Easy Lace Triangular Shawl

Jill Draper is a Kingston, NY based designer who has graciously allowed us to use her pattern “A Little Something”. This wonderful and easy pattern is worked from the tip/bottom of the shawl up. It is an easy beginner lace pattern. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn lace stitches and try out a beautiful yarn and pattern. More of Jill’s work can be seen at www.jilldraper.com. Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern. (Peachy) Wed. Aug. 10 OR Wed. Aug. 17, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Sock Knitting!
This is a two-part class where students will learn the basics of sock knitting. We will be working on four needles from the cuff down. Please know how to work on 5 needles, read a pattern, cast on/off and be available for both classes. (Pinchy) Sat. Aug. 6 AND Sat. Aug. 20, 10am-12pm. Please contact All Strung Out for more details.*

Absolute Beginner Knitting

If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you! This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn the knit stitch, the purl stitch and how to cast-on. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy) Wed. Aug. 3 OR Thurs. Aug. 11, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

*Please bring your knitting tool kit to class:
Needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

Dye, Spin, Baaa!

2011-07-16T16:35:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping busy with my hand-spinning coursework! Last weekend I went to visit my friend Andrea Leigh so we could play around with dyeing some yarn. We have to produce an 11 step gradient for class... We had a great time spinning and dyeing and eating vegan delights.

Vegan fish and chips!

It was my first time using the Greener Shades acid dyes. They were a little bit spotty and we were not sure if it was because we crammed too much fibre into each jar or if we needed to add more acid to the dye-bath or if we needed a leveling agent. So much more experimenting to do!

We were also lucky enough to be invited to a friend's farm to meet her Shetland Sheep! They are so cute and all different, wonderful colours. We even got to take off with a bag full of fleece each to spin up and experiment with!

My continuing course work is going well. I've been working on my Homo/Ortho spinning this weekend. The exercise is to produce a yarn that both singles are of different colours (orthogeneous) and another yarn where the colours are carded before hand then spun and plied to produce a yarn that is all one colour (homogeneous). I finished the Ortho part and prepped the rolags for the homo part.... I really have to practise more spinning from a rolag though, I'm finding it difficult to get a smooth yarn there are lumps... practise makes perfect though!

I've also been working on my "in the grease" homework. This exercise involves flick carding greasy fleece and spinning it without washing it. So the wool still has all it's waxy goodness in it. My hands are very soft! Half the fleece is spun "in the grease" the other has to be washed and carded then spun. I wanted to try washing the fleece in very hot water only. This is the way one of my classmates from Germany washes her fleeces. The idea is that the hot water melts off the wax, you don't let the water cool too much or all the waxy grease will coat the wool again. So you soak the greasy fleece for about 1/2 an hour then dump the water and repeat. I did it 3 times and the fleece seems pretty clean. I'm going to see how it spins.

There's Just Something About - Colour!

2011-07-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

Before class reenactment

I've been working on perfecting my Creative Colour Class for a while now.

I am often asked colour advice at the yarn shop and also asked, "How do you do it? How can you just put things together? What's your process?" Well, partially, I don't know.... mostly, practice and training. I have a background in fine art and I've been a hair-colourist for nearly a decade too, which gives me all the scientific "whys" and "hows", my backgroud also gives me the language. BUT - I think that everyone has a instinctive and very personal way with colour. Most people that ask my advice really need another set of eyes... validation for what they already know and feel.

So, a bit on my class, but not too much because you'll just have to take it to get the whole kit-n-kaboodle... Hee, hee!

Class prep - getting organized:

I wanted to create a class that was part hands-on, part basic theory. I also wanted the class to be applicable to yarn-ies as well as just in general (as in, "I'm just kind of interested in colour").

I wanted participants to be able to build a palette for themselves and was very much inspired by the book, "The Art of Felt". The author of the book takes photographs and uses them as spring-borads for surface design. Great idea! I also wanted a large palette to work from and so I ordered the full range of the Knit Picks "Palette" yarn. FUN!

After class a reenactment:

Then I had to organize it and make it make sense for the class....

I also thought it was important to bring in my idea of "The X-Factor" which is a tool I use when creating my palettes. I was visiting my friend Lixolux in San Francisco and we took a scent mixing class with the amazing Yosh. During the class we were asked to rate each oil we sniffed in one of 4 ways. Either you loved it and couldn't live without it in your life, you hated it and it made you barf, you were completely indifferent and could care less OR you weren't sure if you hated it or loved it but it was worth note. This catagory is the X-Factor and it can be quite easily applied to colour in the same way it does with scent. These colours that are "worth note" can quickly become the most important part of your palette. They are the colours you should pay most attention to - they may just be the kick you need to make your palette really sing!

Smell Class:

To end off, here is the intro from my hand-out.... It's a little cheezy, but true (I think):

Colour surrounds us everyday! It affects our mood, evokes emotions, and has deep cultural significance.

The colours of a national flag or religious garb hold cultural significance. Even the names we give colours hold historical significance, for example, "Royal Blue" was the name given to the blues used by the court of Louis XIV!

The beautiful colours of a fresh salad, a sunset, your favorite work of art or your first car – evoke personal memories and feelings.

Everyone holds the creative and instinctual power of colour inside them. A unique, personal palette evident in the clothes we wear, the art we choose to decorate our walls, the bouquet of flowers that sits in the perfect vase – we gravitate to our favorites every time!

Skirts?! - YES! Sneaky Fibre Adventure?! - YES!

2011-06-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

(I know my eyes are closed, but here is our pre-DKC "cheers")

Last Wednesday Tamaralda and I gave our presentation to the Downtown Knit Collective. It was all about knit and crocheted skirts! We've been experimenting with the skirt for over a year and this presentation was all about what we have learned about fibre, tension, waistband treatment and bum sag!

Fruits of our labours:

Here is the official release taken from the DKC's Newsletter:

JUNE 15: ALISA MCRONALD AND TAMARA KRIEVINS
Alisa McRonald has been crafting since she was born. Making tube dresses for her Barbies and using her little brother and cat as dress models for her creations were some of her favorite activities as a young child (or at least until her little brother got bigger than her)! She has been teaching and exhibiting her work in North America and abroad since 1995. She currently maintains her blog (fibreperson.blogspot.com) and further develops her fibre fixation by immersing herself in the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild handspinning programme.

Tamara Krievins has been fibre-crafting since the sixties… (yes, she even made macramé plant hangers). She has been the manager of the yarn shop Passionknit since 2009. Recently she submitted all of the hand-worked samples and lesson plans, as well as logged the volunteer teaching hours required to receive her Teacher Certificate in Crochet from the Craft Yarn Council of America.

This month: Stylish Knitted Skirts (they don’t need to be dowdy or droopy!) Exploring thoughtful and creative fibre choices, meticulous gauge determinations, and best practices for professional-looking garments.

These two DKC members generated quite a lot of interest when they modeled their skirts at our fashion show last December. In tonight’s presentation, they will share their skirt-making explorations with us—their successes, as well as their “learning experiences”.

Alisa and Tamara’s discussions will include: combining yarns and fibres in order to achieve desired fabric and gauge, fun and flattering colour choices, appropriate silhouettes for various body types, and technical tips for garment construction and care.

Quite a lovely introduction!

Kate Atherely, Fiona Ellis, Flo, Tamaralda and I after our presentation:

So why skirts? People we were encountering were having trouble choosing patterns and completing sweaters/cardigans that fit them! We were always hearing how annoying finishing is and how people complete a garment and then never wear it because it just doesn’t fit right. Making a sweater/cardi is a lot of work, back, fronts, sleeves, button bands – then you have to sew it all together!

Personally, I consider myself a “yarn artist” – not a knitter exclusively. I want my projects to be portable, beautiful and wearable. I was making scarves, shawls, arm warmers – never sweaters or cardis.

We started talking and decided that skirts – basically a tube (although there are difficult patterns out there), cover the same proportion/area of your body as a cardi or sweater and they are not (as) fiddly! Most often it’s one seam or done in the round.

This was our mindset when Tamaralda came running into the shop (on her day off) one day waving the Lansplitter pattern by Tina Whitmore. It was in the current issue of Knitty (Fall 2010) AND we had just received all the new colours in Kuyeron.

The planets were aligned for our skirt experiments to take off… and take off they did! We have an amazing body of work to show for it and so much more experience knitting, crocheting, altering patterns and finishing techiques!

We have compiled a wonderful resource list and if anyone would like it..... just email me or find me on Ravelry: alisamcr

Thanks for helping us set up Boomer!:

DKC members taking a look at our skirts:

Now to the Sneaky (mini) Fibre Adventure... it was the wonderful Boomer's birthday last weekend and she wanted to go to the Niagra area. Visit some vineyards, see the falls, eat good food - once we were in the car I announced my deisre to check out two wonderful fibre shops in Jordan! Hee hee! Her being as wonderfuly supportive as she is made the stops and enjoyed poking around and playing with the house dog at the Fibre Garden!

Fibre Garden is run by two wonderful and creative guys! One of which is in his 4th year of the Ontario Handspinning Programme (I got to pick his brain about homework and how much worse it gets :) ) I bought some wonderful handyed batts one for Boomer, one for me! (I'm so fair)...

Me in front of Fibre Garden:

Stitch was another beautiful shop with fabrics and yarns. It is visually heaven! Displays! Colours! I loved it! (No doggies for Boomer to play with though!) Also! Bee in Niagra-on-the-Lake!

Stitch!:

Boomer and my batts from Fibre Garden:

My congradulations go out to the Toronto Spiders for winning the International Back to Back Wool Challenge for the 5th time! Here is a picture of their trophy! Two of the Spiders were at the DKC meeting telling their story of glory!

Not the best pic of the Spiders' trophy but - pretty impressive!:

Classes in July!

2011-06-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday, Tamaralda and I did a presentation for the Downtown Knit Collective on knitted and crocheted skirts! We had such a fun time and I will be doing a post very soon about our adventures for that presentation.

In the meantime, here are the classes I'm teaching in July... they will all be taught at Passionknit in Toronto (please give them a call to register or for more information at (416) 322-0688:

The Entrelac Technique - Noro Silk Garden Lite Scarf!
If you’re interested in Entrelac, this is the class for you! We will be going over the technique, and participants will be inspired by the beautiful Noro colours! Please know how to knit, purl, pick up stitches and read a pattern. (Pinchy)
Wed. July 6 or Thurs. July 28, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Continental Knitting
Continental knitting (picking) along with English knitting (throwing) are the two predominant ways of knitting. The picking technique is gaining in popularity for those who are interested in augmenting their techniques repertoire. Knitting in this way is very efficient and facilitates colour-work. This class will go over the basics and get you practicing knitting the continental way! You must have a basic knowledge of knitting to take this class. (Peachy)
Wed. July 13 or Thurs. July 21, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Skirt Class – The Lanesplitter!
What a wonderful pattern by Tina Whitmore with over 900 projects on the go in Ravelry. If you are interested in making a knit skirt – this is the one! Flattering to all bodies and easily altered, we will be going over this pattern and getting started using the wonderful Kureyon yarn by Noro. Please know how to knit, purl and read a pattern. (Pinchy)
Thurs. July 14, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.

Beginner Crochet – Flower Coaster
Learn the basics of crochet in this fun class. Learn basic crochet stitches, how to read a pattern, increasing and decreasing. Participants will be working on a cute flower-shaped coaster! (Peachy)
Wed. July 20 or Wed. July 27, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

*Please bring your knitting tool kit to class:
Needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

WWKIPD and Donkeys - Hunh?

2011-06-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a very nice one for fibre AND animals! I went home to visit my family. My mom and I went to the LYS All Strung Out to meet up with our kintting in public friends (WWKIPD = World Wide Knit In Public Day!).

The owner of All Strung Out, Ashley, was there and was a great hostess! We crammed inside the shop and didn't let the cool, grey weather bother us. I felt a little guilty knitting. I wanted to rebel against the specificity of Knitting in public by promoting Crochet but, the crochet project I'm working on requires a lot more attention than the knitting one.... oh well, there's always next year! Or, I could start a WWCIPD?! Any takers?

Our lovely hostess Ashley:
All Strung Out features (love the entryway and displays):

When I was at All Strung Out, I noticed a poster for an amazing Knit Night. The Guelph Enabling Garden is hosting summer Knit Knites! The Enabling Garden is a garden for everyone especially those with varying degrees of physical and cognitive abilities. The beautiful setting of the garden and satisfaction of knitting (or crochet), sounds like a pretty great summer evening to me...

After our public display of knitting, I did go visit a crochet comrade who was working around the corner from All Strung Out. She's organized a Knit/Crochet meet-up in Guelph and enjoys spending time with her group. The store is baby-sitting this beautiful peach and green coloured parrot - pretty bird, pretty bird! She sang a beautiful song... Her beautiful peach feathers were very inspiring...

She's just made that way...:

Finally! It was Donkey Days at the Donkey Sanctuary! I love donkeys, they come in all shapes and sizes and are beautifully coloured/spotted/striped - and that wonderful noise they make! It was fun to take my 18 month old niece to see them. To continue with the knitting theme, I got her a little hand-knit donkey that was knit by a volunteer to raise money for the sanctuary!
Second best thing to brining a donkey home is bringing home a hand-knit donkey!

We arrived just in time for the "Carrot Walk", a parade of Donkeys:

Oui Madame!

2011-06-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

I have been quickly unpacking my summer wardrobe and have dug out all these t-shirts with really great graphics on them. The problem is, the shirts look kind of dumpy on. They have high necks and fit weird and I never wear them... enter Crocheted Edgings!

I took Cal Patch's advice and cut the necks of the shirts into either a v-neck or more of a boat/scoop neck, I also altered the sleeves and made the seam at the bottom a little bigger. The shapes had changed and were way more flattering. Then, to jazz them up a bit, I added some crocheted edging around the necks and arms! I love my new wardrobe! My favorite HAS to be the Spinning Wheel shirt that A Verb for Keeping Warm designed. These tees that I never wore have now become my new faves AND people ask about them too - it's always nice to promote crochet.... (my congratulations go out to Tamaralda who just received her teachers' certification from the Craft Yarn Council IN crochet!)

A few other neat tidbits -

My dad was recently in Inner Mongolia, China where they produce a lot of cashmere and raise cashmere goats! He was there on an agricultural trip and when he got back to his hotel room one night there was this amazing flower arrangement. Please notice the tiny horns on the tiny goats....

Here is a link to an article from the Haliburton Echo about my handspinning class! (I love that the title of the article is, "A Wheel Good Time"...

Also - Tamaralda and I will be giving a talk at the Downtown Knit Collective on our experiments with hand-knit/crocheted skirts! The talk is on Wed. June 15, at 7:30pm! Please click on the above link for more indepth information.

Spinning, Haliburton and Books...

2011-05-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

Finally! I'm posting about my spinning adventures in year one of the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild's handspinning programme.... I spent 10 days in May at the Haliburton School of the Arts - the school is fantastic and I would highly recommend taking one of their many amazing courses!

I had a LOT of fun, it was a LOT of work (and will continue to be as I work on homework and continue my education over the next six years) and I learned a LOT too.

This is going to be a "mostly pictures" post so here we go...

My wheel in top form (notice the Fairy Godmother made and given to me by my wonderful fibre friend Helle).

Experimenting with "washing" raw fleece using only boiled water. One of my classmates is from Germany and this is the way she washes her fleeces. It worked very well!

Hand carding and drum carding:

Drop spindle spinning and me holding a whorl that is over 700 years old!

Samples, samples, samples:

As luck would have it, the local health food store is also the LYS!

I stayed at the Chateau Woodlands just outside the little town of Haliburton. It was such a cute little cottage!

I didn't have much free time, but when I did, this is what I did (thanks for my new bike Boomer!):

A note on bears: there are bears. They were still hibernating when we first arrived and awoke while we were there. Boomer went and took a picture of their cave entrance - I was very anxious. We knew they were out and hungry a few days later when we saw the bite marks on the garbage receptacles. I read the "What To Do When You Encounter a Bear" posters at the school and heeded Boomer's advice: "Do NOT play dead".... I'm no camper...

These next two pictures are especially for Cal Patch of Hodge Podge Farm:

This past weekend was the Textile Museum's annual Yardage Sale. My friend Andrea Leigh came to visit me to go to the sale. We both scored on books. I got a rare book on Spinning Wheels in Canada and some kooky old crochet books (I bought one of them solely for the picture below. I wonder if my cats would like a coat like "Bobo's"?):

After we purchased our treasures, we ate some vegan burriots at a new place in Kensington Market called, Hot Beans (PS: they also have vegan donuts!). We then spent the rest of the afternoon chillin' at Lettuce Knit with the fantastic Denny and Kate! What a great day!

June Classes!

2011-05-20T07:46:00.000-07:00

June's going to be a busy month for me! Tamaralda and I are giving a talk on Wednesday June 15 at 7:30pm for the Downtown Knit Collective. We are speaking about our experiences with our knitted and crocheted skirt addiction!

I'm also the new Membership and Promotions person for the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners. If anyone is interested in learning more about the OHS please get in touch! I'll be posting lots about what the OHS is up to over the next several months.

Here are the classes I'm teaching at Passionknit in June. Please call 426-322-0688 for more information or to register.

Sock Knitting!
This is a two-part class where students will learn the basics of sock knitting. We will be working on four needles from the cuff down. Please know how to work on 5 needles, read a pattern, cast on/off and be available for both classes. (Pinchy) Wed. June 8 AND Wed. June 22, 7 – 9 pm. $50 For both classes; materials additional.*

Knit a Toy – Monster Madness!
This class is going to be a fun one! We will be working on making one of Rebecca Danger’s Monster Chunks (check out her patterns on Ravelry)!
This cute toy is a great way to use up leftover yarn and learn many techniques. We will learn to decrease, pick-up stitches and grafting. Please know how to knit with 4 needles and follow a pattern. Please bring Aran weight or heavier leftover yarn (approx. 100yds) and DPNs a few sizes smaller than recommended for your yarn. (Pinchy) Thurs. June 9, 7 – 9pm
OR Thurs. June 23, 7 – 9pm. $35 includes: stuffing, eyes, felt and glue. *

Colour Class!
Does colour intimidate you? Does colour theory bore you? If you want to let loose and learn how to build a colour palette that works for YOU – this is the class you’ve been waiting for. Participants will be asked to bring in an image that inspires them through colour – it could be a photo of a sunset, an image from a magazine, a favorite piece of art… During the class we will discuss why the image works and build a usable palate that the participant can take with them. Colour will be demystified through creativity and fun! (Peachy) Thurs. June 16, 7 – 9pm OR Thurs. June 30, 7 – 9pm. $30*

Absolute Beginner Knitting
If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you! This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn the knit stitch, the purl stitch and how to cast-on. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy) Wed. June 29, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

*Please bring your knitting tool kit to class:
Needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

Goodies, Animals and Craftiness

2011-05-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Typical morning during Cal's visit!

I’m currently writing from Haliburton, ON where I am taking level one of a six-year hand-spinning programme through the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild. I’m having a fantastic time and meeting lots of people. I’m learning a lot too - much of which I will share over the next few weeks.

I want to get back to Ms. Cal Patch of Hodge Podge Farm’s visit… The title of this post pretty much sums up what occupied much of Cal and my time (and pretty much in that order too). One of our many identical interests is goodies, mostly in the form of pastries, only from Indy bakers/bakeries. Also, if one has acquired said goodies, one also needs some sort of delicious tea – preferably black and scented.

Animals – I have cats, Cal has Gertie (a dog that doesn’t really seem all that dog like). My cats were not sure what Gertie was, they knew they didn’t really like her but were not too sure. Gertie, who was raised by cats, totally ignored the cats. We also met Maisy the Workroom dog!

Even Tamaralda loved Gertie!

Best for last! Craftiness! I was able to very happily sit in on several of Cal’s classes. The first was a pattern making class to make a pattern for a dress (the lovely blogstress/my friend Claire was in attendance)! I was so excited to learn how to make a pattern based on MY body!

Gertie is Cal's helper during class.

La Blogstress Claire.

Dress pattern making at Lettuce Knit!

Cal is a wonderful teacher and I was lucky enough to also take a t-shirt pattern making class at Workroom. Workroom is an amazing space full of fabrics and classes and books…. My head was spinning with excitement! Again! A perfect pattern for a perfect t-shirt for ME!

Lettuce Knit was Cal and my home for three evenings in a row! Their Stitch n’ Bitch night was so much fun! I had a great time meeting the Lettuce team! I also got to sit in on Cal’s embroidery for knitter’s class – which re-ignited my love for embroidery in a whole new way.

Lettuce Knit Stitch n' Bitch.

Embroidery class at Lettuce Knit.

Cal and I had the perfect week – well, I guess I can’t speak for her….

As an addendum to my last post, the cardinal nest was empty as of the other day. No eggs/babies/Momma bird. I believe it was some nasty badsy raccoon out for a quick snack....

For the Birds....

2011-05-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

My Cal Gal
(notice the Charles and Diana mug - very timely of the recent Royal Wedding!)

This past week has been a flurry of fibre, tea, pastries, animals and sewing.

None other than Madame Cal Patch of Hodge Podge Farm was FINALLY "up here" in Toronto visiting me and teaching in her amazing pattern making techniques and embroidery too! (as one of my fellow students said, "Add an "m" to Cal and you get calm.") Her teaching is amazingly calming and laid back and I certainly learned a lot from her that I can apply to my teaching as well as just learning a lot of technique that has left me itching to dust off the old sewing machine! If you haven't got her book, "Design-It-Yourself Clothes" yet - what are you waiting for?!

There's so much to talk and share about her trip - I'm going to have to do so over a few posts...

Something I am going to share on this post is about birds, well a bird... All winter a beautiful red cardinal has been stalking my parents. Every time we looked out the window - there he was staring back. My mom and I even thought that maybe it was some reincarnated relative checking up on us. One morning when I was staying at my parents' place, I opened the blind and there he was! It was like a horror movie!

Fast forward to May... it turns out he was casing the place in order to build a nest. His mate has built a beautiful little nest in the thick bushy vines on the front porch. There are three little eggs in it. In a way it's a funny place for a nest... the post carrier, my family, neighbours are always passing by and getting dive bombed by daddy bird.

Oh, and the behaviour of peering and snoopervising all winter - he most likely thought there was another male and could see his reflection. Cardinals are very territorial. Thank goodness for Boomer who explained all this (she's kind of an expert since her degree is in Ornithology and Animal Biology - it's always good to have several types of nerds in the family).

I was reading about how the female builds her nest and basically it's very complicated weaving. Did ancient humans learned to weave by watching birds? Is the drive to make things part of our DNA? It just struck me as a wonderful thing...

Here are a few finished projects. My Granny Square skirt and my Orenburg Lace Sampler complete with crocheted edging.

May Classes

2011-04-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

May is going to be a busy month for me! I am officially on the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners board of directors. I’ll be working as the Membership and Promotions coordinator. I’m very excited to take on this roll!

I’m also starting a six-year hand-spinning course through the OHS this month. I’m so excited to spend 10 days immersed in fibre with a bunch of “fibre people”.

I’m teaching the following classes in May at Passionknit in Toronto. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling Passionknit at (416) 322-0688:

Beginner Crochet – Little Fishy
Learn the basics of crochet in this fun class. Learn basic crochet stitches, how to read a pattern, increasing and decreasing. Participants will be working on a cute fish-shaped potholder! (Peachy) Tues. May 17, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

The Entrelac Technique - Noro Silk Garden Lite Scarf!
If you’re interested in Entrelac, this is the class for you! We will be going over the technique, and participants will be inspired by the beautiful Noro colours! Please know how to knit, purl, pick up stitches and read a pattern. (Pinchy) Thurs. May 19 or Tues. May 31, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Finishing Techniques – Seams and Picking Up Stitches
This class is for those who are interested in augmenting their finishing skills. We will go over the most used seaming techniques (the mattress stitch and the back stitch) and learn how to pick-up stitches. We will also talk about the importance of blocking and go over other useful terms and definitions. Students will be required to make three 3” by 3” stockinette stitch squares out of a medium weight yarn and block them in time for the class. Please bring the following to class: your knitted squares, contrasting yarn, darning needle, scissors and knitting needles of same size used to make squares. Please note that the homework is to be done independently and no instruction will be given prior to class. (Pinchy) Thurs. May 26, 7 – 9pm. $30*

Class Rating:
Peachy = All Levels
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

*Please bring your knitting tool bag to class: Needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

The Non-Fibre Life.....

2011-04-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well, yes, there are other things I do besides fiber-licious stuff. For the past five months I've been learning to swing dance! In addition to social dancing with a partner, I've joined an all girls Charleston group called "The Ladybugs". We had our first performance about a week ago and it went well! For those of you that know me try and find me in these videos.....

"Ain't She Sweet":

"All I do is Dream of You":

I also completed my first full two-colour-in-the-round-picking one colour-throwing the other project. A cute "Year of the Rabbit" hat (I'm a rabbit!) by Good Egg. A really fun pattern!

April Classes

2011-03-19T11:20:00.001-07:00

It’s finally April! I never thought this winter would end – all my favorite flowers bloom in the spring!

This month is a busy one for me so I’m not teaching as much as usual! I’ll be off participating in the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners (OHS) annual conference where I’ll take on the position of Membership and Promotions Coordinator as well as participate as a juror for their annual juried show. I’m very excited to be involved with the OHS and look forward to getting to work with them.

I’m also excited for my good friend Cal from Hodgepodge farm! She’s coming to visit us here in Toronto/Guelph and is teaching several classes at the end of April. She’ll be teaching at Lettuce Knit, The Workroom and Greenwood Quiltery – check out her blog to find out more!

I’m teaching the following classes at Greenwood Quiltery In Guelph.
Please call them at (519) 822-2790 for information and to register:

Beginner Crochet – The Fishy Washy Learn the basics of crochet in this fun class. Participants will be working on a cute fish-shaped washcloth! (Peachy) Tues. April 5, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. $20.00 plus supplies.*

I’m teaching the following classes in April at Passionknit in Toronto. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling Passionknit at (416) 322-0688:

Continental Knitting
Continental knitting (picking) along with English knitting (throwing) are the two predominant ways of knitting. The picking technique is gaining in popularity for those who are interested in augmenting their techniques repertoire. Knitting in this way is very efficient and facilitates colourwork. This class will go over the basics and get you practicing knitting the continental way! You must have a basic knowledge of knitting to take this class. (Peachy) Thurs. April 14, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Easy Lace Triangular Shawl
Jill Draper is a Kingston, NY based designer who has graciously allowed us to use her pattern “A Little Something”. This wonderful and easy pattern is worked from the tip/bottom of the shawl up. It is an easy beginner lace pattern. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn lace stitches and try out a beautiful yarn and pattern. Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern. (Peachy) Thurs. April 21, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Class Rating: Peachy = All Levels Pinchy = Medium Persnickety = Difficult *Please bring your knitting tool bag to class: Needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

Simple Weekend = Fantastic Weekend

2011-03-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

What could be better than a fibre filled weekend with friends?! A few friends from Toronto were headed down to Upstate NY for a retreat and I took the opportunity to tag along and meet up with Cal of Hodgepodge Farm for a long weekend of relaxing fibre fun!

The trip started with a very fun road trip with two lovely ladies. We had a beautiful drive down to the rendezvous point - a cute little shop/bakery in Livingston Manor NY called Main Street Farm. Cal and I had tea and scones and knit for a bit. Then headed off to Hodgepodge Farm headquarters in Accord. From then on it was animals, music, podcasts, spinning, knitting and crochet!

On Friday morning we went to visit Paula at White Barn Farm. A wonderful knit shop that focuses on local yarn and locally made yarn-y goods. She is the proud owner of 12 Cormo sheep and I got to see (and smell) their freshly shorn fleeces. They were GORGEOUS!

That evening more fun times with Jill and Cris. Cal, Jill, Cris and I sat around talking shop and having a great time. We were privy to a sneak peek of Jill's new sweater design that she was getting ready to ship off to Interweave Knits. I also got to sample Hudson Whiskey's Baby Burbon - yum.

Saturday Cal and I sat by the fire all day drinking tea, fibre-ing, watching the animals and eating up some delicious chocolates by Bluestocking Bonbons. I did some drop spindle spinning (I'm teaching DS at Greenwood Quiltery this week!) using some amazing Sweet Georgia roving sent to me from the amazing Jenne.

Also, Cal helped me "fix" my Hodgepodge jumper that I got a bleach stain on while doing Tamaralda's hair...

Sunday we woke up to a very misty morning. It was a beautiful drive to the rendezvous point in Livingston Manor - this time it was an amazing bakery called Flour Power (the best scone I've ever tasted). Richard was taking beautiful pictures the whole way there of all the misty valleys.

Met up with my lovely Toronto ladies and had a very mellow ride back to Toronto. I was a little sad leaving but not too bad because Cal is going to be here in Toronto at the end of April teaching some classes!!!

I love you to everyone who made my weekend so amazing!

March Classes

2011-02-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

I’m teaching the following classes at Greenwood Quiltery In Guelph.
Please call them at (519) 822-2790 for information and to register:

Beginner Lace Shawl Learn the lace basics to make this cozy shawl and attain the knowledge & confidence to venture into more detailed patterns. (Thank you to Jill Draper for the use of her pattern) (Pinchy) Tues. Feb. 22, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. $20.00 plus supplies.*

Drop Spindle Spinning Entranced by handspun yarns and longing to move deeper into the creative waters to knit your own handspun yarns? Using the drop spindle, learn to spin your own yarns! Inexpensive to start, this is a great portable hobby! Tues. March 8 and Tues. March 22, 6 – 8 pm. (Pinchy) $30 plus suplies.*

I’m teaching the following classes in March at Passionknit in Toronto. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling Passionknit at (416) 322-0688:

Sock Knitting! This is a two-part class where students will learn the basics of sock knitting. We will be working on five needles from the cuff down. Please know how to work on 5 needles, read a pattern, cast on/off and be available for both classes. (Pinchy) Tues. March 15 and Tues. March 29, 7 – 9 pm. $50 For both classes; materials additional.*

Absolute Beginner Knitting If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you! This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn how to cast-on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy) Thurs. March 17, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Learn to Knit on Four Needles Don’t be scared! It’s easy and fun! Knitting on four needles allows you to make all sorts of small items in the round. In this class we will be making simple wrist warmers on 4 needles using a luxurious Alpaca yarn. Please know how to cast on, bind off, knit and purl. (Pinchy) Thurs. March 31, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Class Rating:
Peachy = All Levels
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

*Please bring your knitting tool bag to class: Needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

Sore Wrist and Cylons

2011-02-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

I have been on a handwork diet. My several hours a day habit caused some bad things to happen to my wrist and arm. I have been going to a wonderful Chiropractor/Acupuncturist and she has helped me so much and, most importantly, has taught me how to take care of my hands.

Hands are so important to us crafters' and when something is wrong with your hands it travels to wrists, elbows, necks, shoulders, and on… Ouchy! Please don’t forget to take a break every 20 minutes or so and do some great stretches – your body will thank you!

The good thing is that I have used this re-coop time to start dying some fibre. Here are some pics of myself mixing up some stock solutions:

I love to listen to podcasts or music or watch great TV shows while doing my handwork…. Sometimes the two cross over. In this case Lick the Light Switch kindly posted this Cylon Centurion hat pattern! I love Battlestar Galactica! It was so fun to make.

February Classes!

2011-01-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

I've been working on putting together some new classes (and have more new ones in the works for the months to come)!

All the following classes will be taught at Passionknit in Toronto. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling Passionknit at (416) 322-0688.

Easy Moebius (Shawl, Hood, Snood…)
During this class you will learn how to cast-on using the provisional method and how to graft together a seam. We will be making a fun and funky Moebius out of Mirasol’s new chunky yarn - Ushya. A snuggly treat!
(Peachy) Tues. Feb. 8, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Cast-On Methods
There are many methods used to cast-on for a project. If you are interested in learning what cast-on is best for what project as well as hands on basic and decorative methods, this is the class for you! (Peachy) Thurs. Feb. 10, 7 – 9pm. $30 please bring a medium weight yarn and appropriate needles. *

Continental Knitting – Easy Lace Scarf
This easy lace pattern is especially fun and fast using the Continental way of knitting. If you’ve experimented with continental knitting and would like to augment your skills, this is the class for you! Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern.
(Pinchy) Thurs. Feb. 17, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Finishing Techniques – Seams and Picking Up Stitches
This class is for those who are interested in augmenting their finishing skills. We will go over the most used seaming techniques (the mattress stitch and the back stitch) and learn how to pick-up stitches. We will also talk about the importance of blocking and go over other useful terms and definitions. Students will be required to make three 3” by 3” stockinette stitch squares out of a medium weight yarn and block them in time for the class. Please bring the following to class: Knitted squares, contrasting yarn, darning needle, scissors and knitting needles of same size used to make squares. Please note that the homework is to be done independently and no instruction will be given prior to class. (Pinchy) Thurs. Feb. 24, 7 – 9pm. $30*

Class Rating:
Peachy = All Levels
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

*Please bring your knitting tool bag to class: Needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

Lanesplitter Part Two – The Alterations

2011-01-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

The skirt obsession started when Tamaralda exploded into the shop with the Knitty pattern for the Lansplitter Skirt. Tamaralda, Jaqual and myself all picked out our Kureyon and each made a skirt. It was so fun and exciting and competitive (in a fun and exciting way)… We all finished and Tamaralda wears hers all the time, Japual wears hers too. When I put mine on, I felt that it was kind of bulky and long and it just didn’t feel comfortable for me… I was sad… I folded it up and put it in my closet knowing that I would never wear it. But every time Tamaralda wore hers I was jealous. When she talked me into modeling our Lansplitters together for the Downtown Knit Collective’s annual fashion show (I have no idea how she convinced me!), I decided that some alterations needed to be done.

Firstly, I removed the waistband and undid Jaqual’s perfect seaming job (sorry):

I know that Kureyon felts really well so I rolled up my sleeves and got to felting the thing. I thought, “If it turns out too small, I’ll at least have a nice bathmat.” The felting was successful!

I then seamed it back up. It was a little difficult to re-seam since the fabric didn’t felt to accurate dimensions. It worked out just fine though.

Since I didn’t want to add any length by doing an applied waistband, I decided to go to the fabric store and buy some jersey material. I cut a strip wide enough for the elastic to thread through and the circumference of the inside of the skirt. Then I got to hand sewing.

I feel great in the skirt now! It fits better and is more of a mini style. I also feel like it’s more stable. It was a wonderful exercise in learning about fit and what to look for in a pattern to know it’s suitable for my body shape. (Here's a pic of myself wearing the altered Lansplitter with knitter extraordinaire Irene):

Tamaralda has been researching skirts for several months now and we’ve been working on combining yarns and working with different fibres to get the perfect fabric for skirt knitting. Our friend Irene has been helping us with advice and knitting expertise. I love knitting and crocheting skirts. It covers as much of your body as a sweater does and you don’t have to worry about fitting in arms or sewing up a bunch of seams like a sweater. They are warm and comfortable and fun to make. It’s been really challenging and interesting figuring out fibre combinations and gauges to make them viable to wear for many years. Tamaralda has several hand-knit and crocheted skirts. I’m currently finishing up a crocheted skirt from a Drops pattern. It has a shaped waist and I think it’s going to provide a much smoother fit and show off my curves. I now know what to look for in a skirt pattern! I can’t wait to finish it and post about it. Then on to the next one! Yay Skirts!

January Classes

2010-12-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some classes I'll be teaching in January! All the classes listed below will be taught at Passionknit (please call 416-922-3832 to register).

I will be teaching some fun classes at Greenwood Quiltery in Guelph starting in the spring so keep an eye out for those! One I'm looking forward to in particular is drop spindle spinning!

Easy Moebius (Shawl, Hood, Snood…)
During this class you will learn how to cast-on using the provisional method and how to graft together a seam. We will be making a fun and funky Moebius out of Mirasol’s new chunky yarn - Ushya. A snuggly treat! (Peachy) Thurs. Jan. 13, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Absolute Beginner Knitting
If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you! This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn how to cast-on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy) Thurs. Jan. 20, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Learn to Knit on Four Needles
Don’t be scared! It’s easy and fun! Knitting on four needles allows you to make all sorts of small items in the round. In this class we will be making simple wrist warmers on 4 needles using a luxurious Alpaca yarn. Please know how to cast on, bind off, knit and purl. (Pinchy) Thurs. Jan. 27, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
Here at Passionknit we have been promoting the “Twist Collective Challenge”. Fiona Ellis, a renown knitwear designer and frequent contributor to TwistCollective.com will be joining for this special Stitchers’ Night! It’s not too late to participate! Come in to Passionknit and we will help you get started. This special Stitchers’ Night we’ll be doing a show and tell of our “Twist Collective Challenge” progress!
Wed. Jan. 26, 7 – 9pm (Free)

*Please bring your knitting tool bag to class:
needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling
Passionknit at (416) 322-0688.

Crochet - how do I love thee?

2010-11-30T14:37:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with crochet right now... it occupies my every craft thought. For me, it's the most versitile and fun way of making fabric. It's very easy to manipulate into sculptural shapes, there are so many amazing varriations, it has an amazing history and I feel cool doing it.

I have to really thank Cal over at Hodge Podge Farms for turning me on to crochet oh so many years ago! I thank Tamaralda for getting me back into crochet after a wee break.

Recently, Tamaralda had me over so we could teach ourselves some new crochet techniques... Broomstick Lace and Hairpin Lace. Both are crochet techniques using hooks and, in the case of Broomstick, a large knitting needle, in the case of Hairpin, a frame.

Broomstick Lace Sampler:

Tamaralda and I had a blast that day drinking Kilkenny and crocheting. We used resources from the internet and are anxious to apply both techniques to small projects.

Hairpin Lace Samples:

Please take some time to check out The Crochet Liberation Front!!

In other news, the elephant in my craft room (ie. setting up my actual craft room), has taken a great leap to being functional thanks to Boomer (see picture below of her using her handy-gal smarts to help clear off my work space).... a big tip of my crocheted cap to her! Now it's time to occupy the space with some crock-pots and messy dye stuffs and get this show rollin'....

Also, if you are in the Toronto area please check out the One of a Kind Craft Show... an amazing and huge yearly show of artisans from all disiplines that runs through December 5th. Stop by Jenna Rose's booth and check out her hand printed homewares!

December Classes

2010-11-18T11:11:00.001-08:00

Here are the classes I'm teaching in December! They are all being taught at Passionknit:
(416) 922-3832

The Entrelac Technique

If you’re interested in Entrelac, this is the class for you! We will be going over the technique, and participants will complete a small sample from casting-on to binding-off. Please know how to knit, purl, pick up stitches and read a pattern. Entrelac Pillow kits will be available for purchase at the time of the class at a 10% discount. (Pinchy) Thurs. Dec. 9, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Absolute Beginner Knitting
If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you!
This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started.
We will learn how to cast-on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy)
Tues. Dec. 14, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Beginner Knitting Hat
What a fun hat! It’s a great beginner project! You will learn how to cast-on, bind-off, shape a garment, read a pattern and sew up your project. It’s a quick knit with great results. Lofty and lovely! (Peachy) Tues. Dec. 21, 7 – 9pm.

$30 plus materials.*

Easy Moebius (Shawl, Hood, Snood…)
During this class you will learn how to cast-on using the provisional method and how to graft together a seam. We will be making a fun and funky Moebius out of Mirasol’s new chunky yarn - Ushya. A snuggly treat! (Peachy)
Thurs. Dec. 16, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

*Please bring your knitting tool bag to class:
needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc. Also, please roll any skeins into balls before class!

Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling Passionknit at:
(416) 322-0688

I love Hodge Podge Farm and the Sheep and Wool Festival!

2010-11-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

In Mid October I went to visit Hodge Podge Farm and attend the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck New York. I got to meet a bunch of new and amazing designers and yarn makers - Into the Whirled, Jill Draper and Hodge Podge Farm. I also met some amazing animals! Here are some photos...

We have the HPF chickens (Joan, Betty, Trudy, Grace and Midge) as well as the face of HPF - Gertie!

The festival:

Cal's Spinning Guild participated in a Sheep to Shawl competition:

We went to the Ravelry party!!!

We had fun around Accord, NY (sitting under Gnome Chomsky the World's Largest Garden Gnome):

AND I got a whole new Hodge Podge Farm wardrobe!!!

Mr. P I was Honoured...

2010-11-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

My lovely friend Hanna who is very involved in all sorts of amazing art as well as all sorts of amazing animal rescue efforts has curated an amazing show for her gallery in Tokyo. I happily participated! The show is of artist designed T-shirts, the theme is cats and dogs, the proceeds of the show will be donated to an animal shelter that Hanna has teamed up with in Tokyo. All around a very great and fun project!

My t-shirt is dedicated to a very important cat in my life. I will say that I have learned many amazing lessons from animals that, for me, hold far more significance and poignance than lessons I have learned from non-furry beings.

Mr. P was an amazing cat. A big boy with beautiful markings and an air of intelligence and concern that was quite unlike any other cat I have ever met. He was not won over easily. It was very important for me to be his friend and he insisted it would be on his terms.

I love cats! On the street, at people’s homes, on TV anywhere – KITTIES! I want to squish them, squeeze them and smell their fur. Yes, I turn into a three year old when I see a cat. Most cats do not like this… Mr. P did not tolerate it at all…

“The Little Prince” has been a guidebook to life for me since I was very young. Much too young to understand most of the analogies, it holds a lot of weight and significance for me. Mr. P taught me one of the most important lessons in that book. The lesson the Fox teaches the Little Prince.

The Fox encourages the Little Prince to “tame” him. This takes patience, the building of trust and time. The reward is that once you have invested the patience, building of trust and precious time, you now have something that alters how you view life all because you now you have “tamed” this other being. I knew my reward had come when, after several months, Mr. P jumped into my lap and, looking at me directly in the eye, sat down.

The Fox and Little Prince's story goes a little further and so does Mr. P's and mine... In the book, the time comes for the Little Prince to leave. The Fox is sad because he now has a great love for the Prince. The Prince gets upset and asks, “Why did I bother, if it causes such pain?” The Fox sums it up by saying, “Wheat fields will never be just wheat fields to me anymore, they will remind me of the colour of your hair - then I will be happy.”

Mr. P had to leave. He’s been gone for over a year now, but I’ve taken so much from the lesson he taught me. Things have never looked the same again because I have seen through his eyes and I spent time and patience and built trust with him – that created a whole new entity of love and experiences that was ours. I value those new little entities that I create with others everyday that alter my ways of thinking and the paths I take. Little things always hold the most significance…

All that in a t-shirt!? Seriously – I put all that into the crocheted stitches in my t-shirt for Mr. P! Mr. P - I was truly, deeply honoured!

A message to Cal at Hodge Podge Farm – my next post will be about my visit to Hodge Podge headquarters! My Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival project is coming along wonderfully. Thanks to my “…into the whirled” roving. Here is a picture of my first skein:

November Classes!

2010-10-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here are my class listings for November.
All classes are held at:
Passionknit 3355 Yonge St.
Toronto, ON
416-322-0688
Please call to sign up or for more details.

Class Rating:
Peachy = All Levels
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

Easy Lace Triangular Shawl
Jill Draper is a Kingston, NY based designer who has graciously allowed us to use her pattern “A Little Something”. This wonderful and easy pattern is worked from the tip/bottom of the shawl up. It is an easy beginner lace pattern. In class we will be using the brand new Malabrigo Rios yarn! This is a fantastic opportunity to learn lace stitches and try out a beautiful yarn and pattern. More of Jill’s work can be seen at www.jilldraper.com. Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern. (Peachy)
Wed. Nov. 3, 7 – 9pm OR Thurs. Nov. 18, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Absolute Beginner Knitting If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you! This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn how to cast on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy)
Wed. Nov. 10, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Beginner Knitting Hat What a fun hat! It’s a great beginner project! You will learn how to cast on, cast off, shape a garment, read a pattern and sew up your project. It’s a quick knit with great results. Lofty and lovely! (Peachy)
Thurs. Nov. 11, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.*

Reversible Cable Scarf – “My Pet Scarf” Knitting using cables is very popular this season! “My Pet Scarf” is a luxurious, lofty scarf made out of wonderfully soft baby alpaca yarn and because the cable is reversible – there’s no right or wrong side. You will want one in every colour! Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern. (Peachy)
Thurs. Nov. 25, 7 – 9pm $30 plus materials.*

*Please bring your knitting tool bag to class: needles, stitch markers, scissors, note pad, etc.

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
This is a special night out for our Passionknit customers to come and socialize. Come join us to “unwind” the last Wed. evening of every month for a fun knitting night. The “Twist Collective Challenge” is still on (contact us for details)! At this meeting we will be discussing knitting related podcasts – wonderful and informative online programs to listen to as you knit!
Wed. Nov. 24, 7 – 9pm (Free)

Twist Collective Challenge and Fiona Ellis!

2010-09-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday September 29th officially kicks off the "Twist Collective Challenge" at Stitchers' Night from 7 - 9pm at Passionknit (3355 Yonge St. 416-322-0688). For those who don't know, we are asking people to check out the wonderful online knitting pattern shop Twist Collective, choose and purchase one of the amazing-ly designed patterns, bring it in to Passionknit and one of us will help make yarn substitutions. Then we can all be working on our projects at Stitchers' Night and we'll have a show-and-tell at the first Stitchers' Night in January! I'll be documenting my progress as well as Tamaralda and Jaqual's joint progress....

We have been super duper lucky to have had some of Fiona Ellis' wonderful samples on display at the shop for the past month. We are also lucky to be having her pay a little visit to this Wednesday's Stitchers' Night!

I'm going to be working on the Aran Waistcoat by Megan Rogers. The original pattern calls for a DK weight yarn but I've done some swatching and I'll be using the lovely, soft Malabrigo Twist in Burgundy.

Tamaralda and Jaqual are going to be colaborating on Chartres by Fiona Ellis. They are excited because they both work at very different tensions so they have had to swatch, swatch, swatch! They are working at the same tension on different size needles! They have substituted Louisa Harding's Mullberry Silk for the original yarn the pattern called for (which was a cotton/steel mix - very interesting).

Here are some pictures of the shop and Fiona's samples. I apologize because the pictures didn't turn out as good as I had hoped...

Here are a few of the widow area:

Chartres:

Bonnie:

Rebecca:

Paula:

Pamela:

October Teaching Schedule

2010-09-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

I will be teaching a beginner crochet class at Greenwood Quiltery in Guelph on Monday October 25, 6 - 8pm. We will be making a fish-shaped wash cloth that teaches the basic crochet stitches as well as increasing and decreasing. Please check out Greenwood's website for more info! It's a lovely shop too full of amazing fabrics and yarns!

October Classes at Passionknit
3355 Yonge St. 416-322-0688
info@passionknit.ca

Short Rows – The Ruffle Scarf
The Ruffle Scarf is a fun scarf to make! It can be made out of a funky variegated Noro yarn or a seductive solid colour like the new Royal Alpaca. The whole pattern is done in short rows. Short rows are very important for shaping of garments and turning heels in socks. Fun and funky – The Ruffle Scarf! Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern. (Pinchy)
Tues. Oct. 5, 7 – 9pm OR Wed. Oct. 13, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.

Reversible Cable Scarf – “My Pet Scarf”
Knitting using cables is very popular this season! “My Pet Scarf” is a luxurious, lofty scarf made out of wonderfully soft baby alpaca yarn and because the cable is reversible – there’s no right or wrong side. You will want one in every colour! Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern. (Peachy)
Mon. Oct. 4, noon – 2pm OR Thurs. Oct. 21, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.

Continental Knitting – Brioche Stitch Scarf
The Brioche Stitch is a wonderfully lofty and stretchy stitch. It is especially fun and fast using the Continental way of knitting. If you are interested in learning how to knit continentally, this is the class for you! Please know how to cast-on/off, knit, purl and follow a pattern. (Peachy)
Wed. Oct. 6, 7 – 9pm OR Thurs. Oct. 28, 7 – 9pm. $30 plus materials.

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
This is a special night out for our Passionknit customers to come and socialize. Come join us to “unwind” the last Wed. evening of every month for a fun knitting night. Here at Passionknit we have been promoting TwistCollective.com and Fiona Ellis. We are proposing the “Twist Collective Challenge”; bring in your purchased Twist Collective pattern, we’ll help you make yarn substitutions, then we will all work on our projects during Stitchers’ Night! We will have a fashion show-and–tell of our progress at the first Stitchers’ Night in January! Participation is not mandatory to attend Stitchers’ Night.
Wed. Oct. 27, 7 – 9pm (Free)

Twist Collective Challenge:

We have been displaying local knitwear designer Fiona Ellis’ wonderful sample garments in the shop for the month of September. She’s renowned for her Fair Isle and Cable designs and is famous the world over!

We have been super excited to have these samples and have access to her lovely patterns through www.TwistCollective.com. Twist Collective is an online knitting magazine and pattern shop that was created to showcase the work of independent designers. It offers a generous variety of specially created patterns at very fair prices. The wonderful thing about these types of sites is that a large percentage of the money goes directly to the designers. Electronically formatted patterns are very detailed because they are not limited by printable space. All you need is a PayPal account and you’re good to go!

Here’s what the “Twist Collective Challenge” is all about: We are encouraging Passionknit customers to purchase a lovely Twist pattern online, bring it into the shop and we will help you make yarn substitutions from our gorgeous new yarn selection. We would love to have participants then attend our Stitchers’ Nights to work on their projects. We will have a fashion show-and-tell of our projects at the first Stitchers’ Night in the New Year! A fun way to try online pattern shopping, getting creative with yarn selection AND have a fun group of knitters to work on your project with!

Registration Information:
We keep classes small in order to be able to spend one-on-one time with each student. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling us at (416) 322-0688. Payment in full for the class is due upon registration, please check your schedule and class description carefully, registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. We also do not offer make up classes.

If you must cancel a class you have registered for, please notify us at least 48 hours in advance, we will issue you a credit toward another class.

Two-hour classes are $30, which is for the class only. Materials and applicable taxes will be in addition unless otherwise noted. If a class does not run due to low registration or extenuating circumstances, you will be refunded in full.

A 10% reduction on materials costs is offered once you are registered. You may select your materials anytime after registration.

Doors will open 15 minutes before class and class will start promptly. Please be on time.

We also welcome suggestions for class ideas – just send us an email or give us a call!

For up-dates on Passionknit events and classes please join our mailing list by calling or emailing us.

Class Rating:
Peachy = All Levels
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

Alisa McRonald, Fibre Arts Teacher

Alisa McRonald has been teaching fibre arts techniques classes and curating textile related gallery shows since 1998. Her own work has been shown in shops and galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Montreal.

She continually augments her experience through attending hands-on workshops and lectures on various techniques including dyeing, handspinning and other yarn arts. She recently worked with the Textile Museum of Canada on a “Yarn Bombing” project.

Since moving to Toronto from Los Angeles in 2008 to take a job at Wellington Fibres Yarn Mill, she has maintained memberships with the Downtown Knit Collective, the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild and the Textile Museum of Canada. Says McRonald, “Being a part of the fibre community energizes me! I like to challenge people’s preconceptions of the yarn arts and love talking about the various processes of these crafts. I even take my holidays specifically to attend fibre related events!”

Her personal artwork has been featured in various magazines and publications such as “Harper’s Bazaar Japan”, “Giant Robot”, “Nyoln” and “Time Out New York” as well as a featured artist in “By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art” and colour forecasting publication, “View on Colour”.

In 2001 she had the honour of being invited to be a guest lecturer and critic at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

In addition to teaching at Passionknit, she currently she maintains her own blog: http://fibreperson.blogspot.com/ and her new online venture, “Fibre Person” will be launching later this year.

Lace Sampler Plus +

2010-09-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

Since Tamaralda took a class with Orenburg lace knitter extraordinaire Galina Khmeleva which also co-insided with Piecework Magazine having an issue on samplers (one of which was an Orenburg Lace sampler). Orenburg and Estonian lace have been an obsession of mine. First the Orenburg because of above, then, Estonian because a close friend of my family is Estonian and has shown me some lovely shawls that her sister-in-law has made.

I did a little research on the difference between the two types of laces and from what I can tell, the women who knit Orenburg shawls were paid by the shawl so they wanted to use little material and be able to knit them a little faster. The Estonian women were paid by weight of the shawl so they used more material by incorporating lots of nupps (little bumps that are created by knitting 5 together and not my favorite thing to do!). The Estonian shawls were made out of sheep's wool (the Estonian sheep are dual coated and their fleece is quite coarse. They come in three colours: white, grey and dark brown). The Orenburg shawls are made out of goat hair (cashmere). Both Estonian and Orenburg shawls were knit through co-ops.

So, the beautiful Estonian shawls that I have been lent by my friend Mare, were made by here sister-in-law Erna. She is from Hiiumah which is an island and part of Estonia. She lives in the country and during Soviet times worked on a government run farm. She also has her own land and sheep. She knit for family and friends using the wool from her own sheep that she spun herself! The shawls that I have pictures of were made in the 1960s and are not necessarily traditional Estonian designs, she also made socks and sweaters. All out of the natural colours. I forgot to ask Mare but I bet she still knits!

Here are some pictures! The first shows off nupps very nicely! It is about 24" x 60":

This one is my favorite because it's made of "hugs and kisses" you can't see in the picture, but the border is made of tiny hearts. It's also about 24" x 60":

This is the biggest one. It is a leaf pattern and is quite a big piece about 60" x 60":

They are all quite soft and you can feel the lanolin in them still.... ahhh.....

Now for my tiny, tiny sampler. All done. I'm going to crochet a border around it. I enjoyed doing the sampler and the lace. I think I would do a bigger piece (I don't think Tamaralda will):

As an aside, during Soviet times, the local farmers were only allowed to keep so much of what their farm produced so, and I don't know if this was the case for Erna, some people would have to give up their wool (for example) then buy it back to make things from it.

September Classes at Passionknit!

2010-08-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here's the class list for September. There's some good ones coming up! Including a daytime beginner knitting class.

Learn to Knit on Four Needles
Don’t be scared! It’s easy and fun! Knitting on four needles allows you to make all sorts of small items in the round. In this class we will be making simple wrist warmers on 4 needles using a luxurious Alpaca yarn. Please know how to cast on, bind off, knit and purl. (Pinchy) $30 plus materials. Wed. Sept. 1 or Thurs. Sept. 30, 7 – 9pm.

Mitered Squares
Mitered squares opens the door to knitting many things - both easy and difficult! It also teaches valuable shaping techniques! In this class we will learn how to make a basic mitered square and the door will be open to take this technique as far as you want to go! From scarves and blankets to intricate coats and skirts! Please know how to cast on, bind off, knit and purl. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Thurs. Sept. 16, 7 – 9pm

Absolute Beginner Knitting
If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you! This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn how to cast on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Mon. Sept. 20, noon – 2pm.

Cast On Methods
There are many methods used to cast on for a project. If you are interested in learning what cast on is best for what project as well as hands on basic and decorative methods, this is the class for you! (Peachy) $30 please bring a medium weight yarn and appropriate needles. Wed. Sept. 22, 7 – 9pm.

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
This is a special night out for our Passionknit customers to come and socialize. Come join us to “unwind” the last Wed. evening of every month for a fun knitting night. Wed. Sept. 29, 7 – 9pm (Free)

Registration Information: We keep classes small in order to be able to spend one-on-one time with each student. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling us at (416) 322-0688.

Payment in full for the class is due upon registration, please check your schedule and class description carefully, registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. We also do not offer make up classes. If you must cancel a class you have registered for, please notify us at least 48 hours in advance, we will issue you a credit toward another class.

Two-hour classes are $30, which is for the class only. Materials and applicable taxes will be in addition unless otherwise noted. If a class does not run due to low registration or extenuating circumstances, you will be refunded in full.

A 10% reduction on materials costs is offered once you are registered. You may select your materials anytime after registration.

Doors will open 15 minutes before class and class will start promptly. Please be on time.

We also welcome suggestions for class ideas – just send us an email or give us a call!

For up-dates on Passionknit events and classes please join our mailing list by calling or emailing us.

Class Rating: Peachy = All Levels Pinchy = Medium Persnickety = Difficult

Alisa McRonald, Fibre Arts Teacher
Alisa McRonald has been teaching fibre arts techniques classes and curating textile related gallery shows since 1998. Her own work has been shown in shops and galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Montreal. She continually augments her experience through attending hands-on workshops and lectures on various techniques including dyeing, handspinning and other yarn arts. She recently worked with the Textile Museum of Canada on a “Yarn Bombing” project.

Since moving to Toronto from Los Angeles in 2008 to take a job at Wellington Fibres Yarn Mill, she has maintained memberships with the Downtown Knit Collective, the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild and the Textile Museum of Canada. Says McRonald, “Being a part of the fibre community energizes me! I like to challenge people’s preconceptions of the yarn arts and love talking about the various processes of these crafts. I even take my holidays specifically to attend fibre related events!”

Her personal artwork has been featured in various magazines and publications such as “Harper’s Bazaar Japan”, “Giant Robot”, “Nyoln” and “Time Out New York” as well as a featured artist in “By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art” and colour forecasting publication, “View on Colour”. In 2001 she had the honour of being invited to be a guest lecturer and critic at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

In addition to teaching at Passionknit, she currently she maintains her own blog: http://fibreperson.blogspot.com/ and her new online venture, “Fibre Person” will be launching later this year.

K5 Tog!!!

2010-08-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

My colleague Tamara (Tamaralda) had the good fortune to attend an Orenburg Lace Knitting workshop at the Textile Museum taught by THE expert on the subject, Galina Khmeleva. Lucky for me, Tamara decided to hold a group follow-up with a few of the other participants in the class. We had a lovely evening talking about lace knitting and working on an Orenburg sampler that is in the current issue of Piecework Magazine. (As an aside, the current issue of Piecework is all about samplers – one of my other obsessions).

Galina wearing one of her shawls:

Orenburg lace shawls originated in the Orenburg area of Russia about 250 years ago. The fine lace work is knitted from finely spun goat fibre similar to mohair and sometimes blended with silk. They are always knit in garter stitch and each pattern has a traditional name like: Mouse Print, Strawberry or Cat’s Paw. The shawls are also know as wedding ring shawls because even though the shawls are quite large, they are so fine, you can pass them through a ring.

Tamara and I have been working on our sampler for the past few weeks and the group is meeting again at the end of the month. I’ll post pictures of everyone’s progress!

My sampler is on the left and is made out of Diamond Luxury Alpaca Lace, Tamara's is on the right and is made of Arucania Trauco Cashmere:

In other news, Tamara and Jan (Jaqual) have both finished their Lanesplitter skirts. I have to complete the waistband on mine. I’ll get pictures of us wearing them up just as soon as I’m done. The original post was mentioned on the knitty blog! Thanks Kate!

Lanesplitter pour trois!

2010-07-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

My co-workers at Passionknit and I all get along very well – we share a similar sense of humour, like the same TV shows and all love to knit (of course!), but we certainly all have very different styles.

A few weeks ago, Tamara came running in with a pattern from the brand new issue of Knitty, she’s obsessed with skirts and the pattern was for a skirt called the Lanesplitter by Tina from knitwhits. It’s made out of Kureyon by Noro. Within about 30 seconds we had all chosen our colours and were sitting down to cast on.

We began to joke about this skirt becoming our official uniform and a friendly race began to see who would be first to get it finished. Tamara and I decided Jan the knitting whizz would have it whipped up by the next day. Then I sided with Jan thinking Tamara would have it done first because she’s such a skinny-mini.

It’s been a really fun exercise first seeing the colours of the Kureyon unfold then seeing that the colours we each chose really fit our own unique styles and actually made each skirt different. What colour can do!

We’ve decided to each finish the skirt in different ways. I’m going to go by the pattern to finish the waistband, Tamara is going to try to do a crocheted waistband and Jan is going to enclose the elastic by a waistband formed by a double-knitting technique.

There was also discussion on how much negative ease to put into the garment. Tamara gave 3” and, we’ll just say, that it’s going to be a very slinky skirt! So, I changed my mind about 3” of negative ease and am going to just leave 1” so my skirt will actually fit over my bum.

We are all always so amazed with the wealth of amazing designers out there in internet-land who offer their patterns for free or for such great prices. Sites like Knitty and Ravelry have really changed the craft!

Here’s Tamara with her 3” of negative ease:

Jan has finished hers already!!!:

Here I am still knitting away:

August Classes at Passionknit

2010-07-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

I would like to remind everyone that the Yarn Bombing project at the Textile Museum of Canada is ongoing - if you would like to add to it, please do! I haven't been there in a little while but I hear it still looks great, a little soggy, but great! All you Yarn Bombers get over there and add to it!

August Classes at Passionknit
3355 Yonge St. 416-322-0688
info@passionknit.ca

The Entrelac Technique
If you’re interested in Entrelac, this is the class for you! We will be going over the technique, and participants will complete a small sample from casting-on to casting-off. Please know how to knit, purl, pick up stitches and read a pattern. Entrelac Pillow kits will be available for purchase at the time of the class at a 10% discount. (Pinchy) $30 plus materials. Wed. August 4, 7 – 9pm

Absolute Beginner Knitting
If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you! This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started. We will learn how to cast on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Thurs. August 12, 7 – 9pm

Continental Knitting
Continental knitting (picking) along with English knitting (throwing) are the two predominant ways of knitting. The picking technique is gaining in popularity for those who are interested in augmenting their techniques repertoire. Knitting in this way is very efficient and facilitates colourwork. This class will go over the basics and get you practicing knitting the continental way! You must have a basic knowledge of knitting to take this class. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Wed. August 18, 7 – 9pm

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
Stitchers’ Night is on hiatus for the summer.

Registration Information:
We keep classes small in order to be able to spend one-on-one time with each student. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling us at (416) 322-0688. Payment in full for the class is due upon registration, please check your schedule and class description carefully, registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. We also do not offer make up classes.

If you must cancel a class you have registered for, please notify us at least 48 hours in advance, we will issue you a credit toward another class.

Two-hour classes are $30, which is for the class only. Materials and applicable taxes will be in addition unless otherwise noted. If a class does not run due to low registration or extenuating circumstances, you will be refunded in full.

A 10% reduction on materials costs is offered once you are registered. You may select your materials anytime after registration.

Doors will open 15 minutes before class and class will start promptly. Please be on time.

We also welcome suggestions for class ideas – just send us an email or give us a call!

For up-dates on Passionknit events and classes please join our mailing list by calling or emailing us.

Class Rating:
Peachy = All Levels
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

Alisa McRonald, Fibre Arts Teacher

Alisa McRonald has been teaching fibre arts techniques classes and curating textile related gallery shows since 1998. Her own work has been shown in shops and galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Montreal.

She continually augments her experience through attending hands-on workshops and lectures on various techniques including dyeing, handspinning and other yarn arts. She recently worked with the Textile Museum of Canada on a “Yarn Bombing” project.

Since moving to Toronto from Los Angeles in 2008 to take a job at Wellington Fibres Yarn Mill, she has maintained memberships with the Downtown Knit Collective, the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild and the Textile Museum of Canada. Says McRonald, “Being a part of the fibre community energizes me! I like to challenge people’s preconceptions of the yarn arts and love talking about the various processes of these crafts. I even take my holidays specifically to attend fibre related events!”

Her personal artwork has been featured in various magazines and publications such as “Harper’s Bazaar Japan”, “Giant Robot”, “Nyoln” and “Time Out New York” as well as a featured artist in “By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art” and colour forecasting publication, “View on Colour”.

In 2001 she had the honour of being invited to be a guest lecturer and critic at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

In addition to teaching at Passionknit, she currently she maintains her own blog: http://fibreperson.blogspot.com/ and her new online venture, “Fibre Person” will be launching later this year.

Sheepdogs!

2010-07-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

I love attending yarn and wool festivals (of course)! I also love attending the Highland Games! This past weekend, I went to the Canada Day Highland Games in a small town called Embro, Ontario.

Watching the Traditional Bands compete, the Irish and Scottish dancers and the Tug of War is always fun but, it’s always the sheep demos that are my favorite. This time, they did some shearing demos – which I’ve seen plenty of. The exciting part of this Highland Games is that they had Sheepdog demos! The way the shepherds and dogs work together is very fun to watch.

The Shepherds that were at the games had Border C ollies. Watching these pooches in action is quite a treat – they want to herd the sheep and be running. They had a young dog that was just wild – zipping around like a kook!

There are Sheepdog Trials every year in Kingston, Ontario and I am looking into going to see these teams on a larger scale and competing.

After looking at my silly pictures, check out the youtube link:

I like the way the dogs sneak...

Excuse the Lengthy Pause...

2010-06-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Regular posts are coming back very soon!

Savvy Girls Rule!

2010-06-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Back at the end of April or beginning of May, I had the great fortune of meeting Deborah from the Savvy Girls Podcast. It was a Saturday, we got to talking and hit it off right away. She invited me to her Grandmother’s home the very next day to interview lil' ole me. They are very interesting ladies and have an amazing podcast all about fibre and knitting among other fun things. Please give them a listen here is a link to Episode 25 (with an interview with yours truly).

I’ve finally got down to the last 50 or so rows on the shawl I’m making from the yarn I purchased from A Verb for Keeping Warm. Of course, since I tend to fly by the seat of my pants… I’ve run out of yarn. So, instead of trying to blend or frog-ing or tink-ing (which most people would do), I think I’m going to add my own hand dyed fuchsia mohair/wool blend. I’ll also add a skinny strip up one side maybe? Not sure yet… Ahhh, creative solutions that make it my own – this is why I love yarn arts.

My interest in filet crochet led me to FINALLY figure it out. I did a little tutorial and managed to make up this lopsided little blob of a heart. Yes, it’s a heart. I’m thinking of it as sort of like that first Valentine you made in school. It’s blobby and weird and you may have to tell your mom exactly what it is but, you’re proud of it anyway.

Welcome to the Yarn Bombed Textile Museum of Canada!

2010-05-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

The install was a great success! The Textile Museum has received positive feedback and during the install, many people stopped to ask questions and snap pictures.

Thank you to EVERYONE who participated! Thank you to Claire P for helping with the install!

Now, all you Yarn Bombers who work in the dead of the night…. Please add to the piece! We are very hopeful that this is a work in progress. Visit the museum and leave a little something!

Now for the pictures, pictures, pictures….

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!

2010-05-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have a lot of pictures to put up today…

First the last of the submissions:

A handmade breakfast courtesy of Ottawa based knit artist Greta Grip. It kind of made my day!

Thanks to Claudia Ross for her colourful and spring like squares:

Linda Love hand delivered her submission of some wonderful dangle-y leaves and a very special crown:

Tangle! What an amazing piece you submitted:

All the way from Vancouver – pretty in purple squares from Momoko Ito:

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project. As you will see in the next pictures the piece is just looking fabulous!

We had a little assembly party! Thank you to Textile Museum Chair Ann Posen for donating her amazing condo as headquarters for the event. Thank you to Tamaralda, GlennaC and LadyLungDoc for all lending their hands, cookies and good conversation to assembling the bulk of the piece. It looks amazing and it was a great time!

The assembly continues at Fibre Person's house in preparation for the install that’s coming up this week! Watch for many more pictures of the install!

Tick-Tock Tick-Tock!

2010-05-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

We have received some amazing and beautiful submissions this week that I would like to share with you….

First of all a HUGE “Thank You” to Knitting Teacher Leslie at Subway Academy II in Toronto whose students donated an amazing array of beautiful swatches of all shapes and sizes! So, thanks to:

Emma Egedy, Alena Ganelina, Kelvin Lopes, Jessica Martin,
Erica Pich, Tiffany Saint, Rebecca Shreck, Lisa Smith and
Brittney Venedam.

You guys are amazing and this is such a great donation for the project – keep on crafting!

Mixed Media Textile Artist Wendy Feldberg sent us an amazing crochet crown – WOW:

Beautiful and breathtaking work from Heart Felt - please check out her blog - amazing:

Thank you to everyone for your submissions they are all amazing! As always keep on checking back for updates and pics: Fibre Person, Fibre Lab and Strand News….

Textiles, Textiles, Rah, Rah, Rah!!!

2010-05-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

We are so excited about the response we’re getting for the yarn bombing at the Textile Museum! We are receiving packages everyday now from as far away as England and New York City.

We would like to rally the Toronto/GTA folks – there’s still time and so far, we haven’t received much from the T.O./GTA crafty folk, come on guys! Get those pieces in the mail…

A BIG thank you to Julia Bryant for making this lovely Tunisian Crochet Canadian Flag:

Meadowstitch has sent a very sweet little package from Norfolk, England – Merci!

We were delighted to open this package from Rebecca Crochet and have a whole pile of crocheted violets tumble out:

We have re-discovered the glory of the Pom-pom and made another bike rack cover:

The deadline to get stuff to us is fast approaching (May 15). Please send your submissions to:

Alisa McRonald
23 Murdock Ave.
Toronto, ON M4C 1E3
Canada

Keep checking back to Fibre Person, Fibre Lab and Strand News for more details and updates.

Yarn Bombing is the best!

2010-04-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hurray for Yarn Bombing!

We are so excited that the word is out and that the entries are rolling in! Thank you to all of our global – yes, GLOBAL – yarn bombing friends for reposting and writing about this project.

Thank you to YarnBoming.com (THE source for any thing and everything yarn-y) and Meadowstitch for the mention!

Some entries so far:

Magpie and Cake was kind enough to submit this beautiful sparkly and textural square:

Grandmother’s Legacy has treated us to this rainbow beauty:

A special thank you to the Savvy Girls for donating this mountain of felted goodness. Please stay tuned – Deborah was kind and super enough to interview me about this project for an upcoming episode of the Savvy Girls Podcast! I will keep you posted as to when you can take a listen.

Please seek out Tamaralda on Ravelry who has been kind enough to figure out how to crochet letters, here is her crocheted version of the best word in the English language:

Please keep checking the Textile Museum Volunteer blog for updates and info and keep an eye on this blog too!

Another bit of news is that I have started my own little yarn dyeing business. I’m sourcing all my products from local farmers and producers. It’s in the beginning stages but I do have a blog specific to Fibre Lab – keep your eyes peeled for updates there.

Yarn Bombing at the Textile Museum of Canada

2010-04-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

Hello Fellow Yarn Bombers,

We are excited to announce a special project we're working on with the Textile Museum of Canada. As patrons of the museum we've noticed that there is fairly low visibility from street. After talking with one of the museum Board Chairs, and observing the many city bike racks and planter in front of the museum we decided that it would be fun to form a crew and "yarn bomb" the racks and planter.

Yarn Bombing is the act of re-claiming boring, sterile areas by creating colourful knitted, crocheted, woven, macrame, etc. covers or cozies out of yarn. Usually a group of yarn lovers will form a group or "crew", make the cozies, and do the installation late at night - creating an overnight transformation of a space.

We have taken pictures and planned a large project for the front of the museum Here’s what the planter looks like now:

Our plan is to decorate it with a large cozy made up of a multitude of swatches.

Here’s what the bicycle racks look like now:

Our plan is to adorn them with a fantastical arrangement of adornments.

Here’s a work in progress:

If you are interested in submitting knitted, woven, quilted or crocheted items such as flowers, swatches, granny squares, amigarumi, etc., please mail them to the address below by May 15th! We would love to get this project up in time for the Museum’s annual Yardage Sale.
Please be advised that your submissions cannot be returned to you.

If you are interested in sending swatches please do not send any that are bigger than 7" square. Please have fun with textures, colours, fibres and applications.

We installed a "teaser" at the museum earlier this week:

If you have any questions, we invite you to contact at: fibrelabyarns@gmail.com

Address for submissions:
Alisa McRonald
23 Murdock Ave
Toronto, ON M4C 1E3
Attn: Yarn Bombing

You may include your name… or you may remain anonymous, if you wish.
Contributions and participation will be acknowledged on the Textile Museum Volunteer Blog.

To read more about yarn bombing please see the link below:
Yarn Bombing Wiki

Thank you!
http://fibreperson.blogspot.com/

PS- I just want to add, that this project is open to anyone, anywhere! You don't have to live in Toronto or Canada to participate... I wanted to make that very clear so , send away!

May Classes at Passionknit

2010-04-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

May Classes at Passionknit
3355 Yonge St. 416-322-0688
info@passionknit.ca

Absolute Beginner Knitting
If you are interested in learning the basics of knitting this is the class for you!
This class is for those of you who have never knit before and want to get started.
We will learn how to cast on, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. We will talk about different ways of knitting as well as knitting terminology. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Wed. May 5, 7 – 9pm

Continental Knitting
Continental knitting (picking) along with English knitting (throwing) are the two predominant ways of knitting. The picking technique is gaining in popularity for those who are interested in augmenting their techniques repertoire. Knitting in this way is very efficient and facilitates colourwork . This class will go over the basics and get you practicing knitting the continental way! You must have a basic knowledge of knitting to take this class. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Wed. May 12, 7 – 9pm or Thurs. May 20, 7 – 9pm

Cast On Methods
There are many methods used to cast on for a project. If you are interested in learning what cast on is best for what project as well as hands on basic and decorative methods, this is the class for you! (Peachy) $30 Please bring a medium weight yarn and appropriate needles.
Wed. May 19, 7 – 9pm

Finishing Techniques – Seams, Sleeves and Picking-up Stitches
This class is for those who are interested in augmenting their finishing skills. We will go over seaming techniques, how to set in sleeves and how to pick up stitches for necklines. Students will be required to make a small sweater (pattern will be provided) and block the pieces of the sweater in time for the class. Please note that the homework is to be done independently and no instruction will be given prior to class. $30 plus materials. (Pinchy)

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
This is a special night out for our Passionknit customers to come and socialize. Come join us to “unwind” the last Wednesday evening of every month for a fun knitting night. Come and let our array of amazing new yarns and patterns inspire and push your knitting to the next level. (Free)
Wednesday May 26, 7pm - 9pm

Registration Information:
We keep classes small in order to be able to spend one-on-one time with each student. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling us. Payment in full for the class is due upon registration, please check your schedule and class description carefully, registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. We also do not offer make up classes.

If you must cancel a class you have registered for, please notify us at least 48 hours in advance, we will issue you a credit toward another class.

Two-hour classes are $30, which is for the class only. Materials and applicable taxes will be in addition unless otherwise noted. If a class does not run due to low registration or extenuating circumstances, you will be refunded in full.

A 10% reduction on materials costs is offered once you are registered. You may pick out your materials anytime after registration.

Doors will open 15 minutes before class and class will start promptly. Please be on time.

We also welcome suggestions for class ideas – just send us an email or give us a call!

For up-dates on Passionknit events and classes please join our mailing list by calling or emailing us.

Class Rating:
Peachy = Easy
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

Alisa McRonald, Fibre Arts Teacher
Alisa McRonald has been teaching fibre arts techniques classes and curating textile related gallery shows since 1998. Her own work has been shown in shops and galleries in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Montreal.

She continually augments her experience through attending hands-on workshops and lectures on various techniques including dyeing, handspinning and other yarn arts. She is currently working with the Textile Museum of Canada on a “Yarn Bombing” project.

Since moving to Toronto from Los Angeles in 2008 to take a job at Wellington Fibres Yarn Mill, she has maintained memberships with the Downtown Knit Collective, the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild and the Textile Museum of Canada. Says McRonald, “Being a part of the fibre community energizes me! I like to challenge people’s preconceptions of the yarn arts and love talking about the various processes of these crafts. I even take my holidays specifically to attend fibre related events!”

Her personal artwork has been featured in various magazines and publications such as “Harper’s Bazaar Japan”, “Giant Robot”, “Nyoln” and “Time Out New York” as well as a featured artist in “By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art” and colour forecasting publication, “View on Colour”.

In 2001 she had the honour of being invited to be a guest lecturer and critic at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

In addition to teaching at Passionknit, she currently she maintains her own blog: http://fibreperson.blogspot.com/ and her new online venture, “Fibre Lab” will be launching later this year.

Fibre Fun in San Francisco!

2010-04-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

I think this post will mostly be pictures! I went to visit my wonderful friend Jenne in San Francisco. She researched and scheduled us a full schedule of amazing fibre fun and events.

I finally got to visit A Verb for Keeping Warm. Kristine and Adrian are wonderful women who dye their own fibre and yarns from plants from their own garden! I was so inspired by their dye studio and shop. We were also lucky enough to meet Marcel - the freshly plucked angora bunny! Please look at their website from "cover to cover"! I sure did load up on some amazing fibre during my visit...

After telling Jenne about another friend Meredith who organizes Knitting Cruises
I was treated to a funny little "cruise" of our own! We took the ferry from the Port of San Francisco to Sausalito knitting and enjoying the beautiful views for a whole half hour each way! We did get to visit some neat shops in Sausalito including a sticker store, amazing cafe and cute little knitting shop.

I think the best part of the whole trip was taking a perfume mixing workshop with Yosh. For me colour, texture and scent are all very interchangible in how I personally perceive and process things. For an example the smell of Jasmine is a very loose, soft texture the colour would be over exposed yellow like taking a picture directly into the sun... Strange but it works for me when I'm dyeing yarn and now it works for blending scents. Yosh had us smell several oils and had us rate them. We then elimiated based on how we rated each scent until we had a personalized concoction! Mine happened to be: mint, pear, fig, lily and cedar. I can't wait to start building my essential oil collection so I can customize scents for myself!

I can't wait to go back and visit again! But more so, I can't wait for Jenne to visit Toronto so I can plan an amazing time for her!

Please check out all the links, they are amazing! Oh, and check out Sarah Lavoie's blog, she's an amazing textile designer here in Toronto.

April Classes at Passionknit

2010-03-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

March Classes at Passionknit
3355 Yonge St. 416-322-0688
info@passionknit.ca

Felting 101 – Slippers Adult/Baby
This class is geared toward those interested in how to felt their knitting. Participants in the class will be working on a pair of slippers or baby booties while the instructor demonstrates and explains the principals of felting knitted items. The pattern for the slippers/booties is a great pattern for learning short rows. Please know how to knit, purl, read a pattern, cast on and off. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Thurs. Apr. 8, 7 – 9pm or Wed. Apr. 14, 7 – 9 pm

Understanding Increasing and Decreasing – Cotton Face Cloth
This class focuses on the importance of various increases and decreases in knitting. The pattern is very adaptable and can be used to make a baby blanket or lap blanket. Please know how to cast on/off, knit, purl and read a pattern. (Peachy) $30 plus materials. Wed. Apr. 7, 7 – 9pm or Thurs. Apr. 29, 7 – 9pm

Short Rows – The Scowl
This is a wonderful transitional garment! It can be worn many ways and is a quick knit out of one skein of Malabrigo’s new yarn – Rasta. The class focuses on learning short row techniques. The pattern and design was created by local designer Kate Atherley.
(Pinchy) $30 plus materials.
Thurs. Apr. 15, 7 – 9pm or Thurs. Apr. 29, 7 – 9pm

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
This is a special night out for our Passionknit customers to come and socialize. Come join us to “unwind” the last Wednesday evening of every month for a fun knitting night. Come and let our array of amazing new yarns and patterns inspire and push your knitting to the next level. (Free)
Wednesday April 28, 7pm - 9pm

Registration Information:
We keep classes small in order to be able to spend one-on-one time with each student. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling us. Payment in full for the class is due upon registration, please check your schedule and class description carefully, registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. We also do not offer make up classes.

If you must cancel a class you have registered for, please notify us at least 48 hours in advance, we will issue you a credit toward another class.

Two-hour classes are $30, which is for the class only. Materials and applicable taxes will be in addition unless otherwise noted. If a class does not run due to low registration or extenuating circumstances, you will be refunded in full.

A 10% reduction on materials costs is offered once you are registered. You may pick out your materials anytime after registration.

Doors will open 15 minutes before class and class will start promptly. Please be on time.

We also welcome suggestions for class ideas – just send us an email or give us a call!

For up-dates on Passionknit events and classes please join our mailing list by calling or emailing us.

Class Rating:
Peachy = Easy
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

Alisa McRonald, Fibre Arts Teacher
My love of the fibre and textile arts came as soon as I was old enough to sit on my mother’s lap at her sewing machine.

I have been fortunate enough to exhibit my work at galleries and shops in New York, Los Angeles, Asia, England and Canada. It was in the late 1990’s when my work as an artist became solely fibre based.

My interest in hand spinning came first from my love of animals and wanting to learn about yarn production from start to finish. I was able to gain hands-on experience during a two year internship at a small fibre mill / angora goat farm in Elora, Onatrio. During this time, my fibre knowledge was expanded exponentially.

I have been teaching fibre arts classes to both children and adults for several years and I am excited to bring my teaching skills and fibre knowledge to Passionknit. I feel fortunate to be working with a group of people who are amazing knitters and believe in helping people with their endeavors.

Making it Your Own and for Someone Special

2010-03-02T17:49:00.001-08:00

I recently completed Tanis Fiber Art's Baby Shane Blanket. Her colours are amazing and quite "adult" for a baby blanket - which I love! I made my blanket for my little niece in strong colours in hopes that she will cherish it into adulthood and it won't look silly.

Making a project your own is very important. Adding a different edging or a special personal flare gives it a personal signature. I decided to crochet the border around the blanket instead of picking up and knitting the border. It gave it a different texture and I was able to use up every bit of the Tanis' beautiful hand dyed yarn.

It's nice to be able to make something for someone with my own hands. I thought about my niece through every stitch and was so excited to give it to her. A handmade gift no matter how big or small is like giving someone a little piece of yourself....

March Classes at Passionknit

2010-02-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

March Classes at Passionknit
3355 Yonge St. 416-322-0688
info@passionknit.ca

Sock Knitting!
This is a two-part class where students will learn the basics of sock knitting. We will be working on four needles from the cuff down. Please know how to work on 4 needles, read a pattern, cast on/off and be available for both classes. (Pinchy) $50 For both classes; materials additional. Wed. March 10th AND Wed. March 24th, 7 – 9pm

Cast On Methods
There are many methods used to cast on for a project. If you are interested in learning what cast on is best for what project as well as hands on basic and decorative methods, this is the class for you! (Peachy) $30 Please bring a medium weight yarn and appropriate needles
Thursday March 25, 7 – 9pm

Short Rows
Short rows are used a lot in knitting. They facilitate the shaping of a garment and turning heels in sock knitting. This is a great project full of short rows! It is a lightweight hat that can be worn under a bike or ski helmet! You’ll be an expert at wrapping and turning after you experience this class. (Pinchy) $30 Plus
materials.
Wednesday March 3, 7pm - 9pm

Passionknit Stitchers’ Night
This is a special night out for our Passionknit customers to come and socialize. Come join us to “unwind” the last Wednesday evening of every month for a fun knitting night. Come and let our array of amazing new yarns and patterns inspire and push your knitting to the next level. (Free)
Wednesday March 31, 7pm - 9pm

Registration Information:
We keep classes small in order to be able to spend one-on-one time with each student. Please register in advance either by coming into the shop or calling us. Payment in full for the class is due upon registration, please check your schedule and class description carefully, registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. We also do not offer make up classes.

If you must cancel a class you have registered for, please notify us at least 48 hours in advance, we will issue you a credit toward another class.

Two-hour classes are $30, which is for the class only. Materials and applicable taxes will be in addition unless otherwise noted. If a class does not run due to low registration or extenuating circumstances, you will be refunded in full.

A 10% reduction on materials costs is offered once you are registered. You may pick out your materials anytime after registration.

Doors will open 15 minutes before class and class will start promptly. Please be on time.

We also welcome suggestions for class ideas – just send us an email or give us a call!

For up-dates on Passionknit events and classes please join our mailing list by calling or emailing us.

Class Rating:
Peachy = Easy
Pinchy = Medium
Persnickety = Difficult

Alisa McRonald, Fibre Arts Teacher
My love of the fibre and textile arts came as soon as I was old enough to sit on my mother’s lap at her sewing machine.

I have been fortunate enough to exhibit my work at galleries and shops in New York, Los Angeles, Asia, England and Canada. It was in the late 1990’s when my work as an artist became solely fibre based.

My interest in hand spinning came first from my love of animals and wanting to learn about yarn production from start to finish. I was able to gain hands-on experience during a two year internship at a small fibre mill / angora goat farm in Elora, Onatrio. During this time, my fibre knowledge was expanded exponentially.

I have been teaching fibre arts classes to both children and adults for several years and I am excited to bring my teaching skills and fibre knowledge to Passionknit. I feel fortunate to be working with a group of people who are amazing knitters and believe in helping people with their endeavors.