WOW! I have NEVER been amongst so many bloggers or blog-enthusiasts as this past Saturday. We had our Crafters’ Ceilidh, and all our hours of emailing, planning, making, etc. really paid off! We had such a turn-out and I’m pretty sure everyone had as good a time as I myself had.
It was such a treat to meet so many bloggers whom I have been following, whose projects I had been drooling over, whose strokes of genius I have been trying to emulate. Even the non-bloggers who came (I’m so happy you did!) were so delightful and crafty! Even if you don’t write a blog that doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate craft as much as those who do blog. It was great to be part of something big and fun, and to be cohost on a team of such fabulous ladies. Debi, Kerry & I had such a great time organising this!
So what did we do, you ask?! We all started off the day with some sustenance (tea, sandwiches and cake!) at Frederick’s Coffeehouse, who were wonderful for putting up with our lot! We had printed name badges, itineraries and handmade flower pins (30 of them, made by your happy hosts!) for the occasion, and we all got to initially meet and greet …and eat!
Flower pins and name badges; Debi, Keri & I planning away (photo by Roo!)
Next, we headed down to Princes Street Gardens to meet our hired photographer (aka David, Debi’s very patient husband). We stood outside the fountain, clutching the Saltire Flag (provided by Debi!) between our frozen fingers, for the most picturesque shot of the day, Edinburgh Castle backdrop and all.
Crafters’ Ceilidh Group Photo, From L to R: Kerry, Karen, Winnie, Rachel L., Kari, Roo, Carolyn, Amanda, So-Ha, Kiran, Rachel, Debi B., Kristen, Franca, Alana, me, Hannah, Katie and Melizza. Not pictured: Clare, Anneleen, Tom and Cat.
Afterwards, we headed to the Grassmarket to begin our shopping. I gave a wee rundown of what shops you would find and then we all split up for a bit of shopping at Armstrongs, The Embroidery Shop, K1 Yarns and Fabhatrix. I stole the picture below from Scruffy Badger Time - she must have been recording my uplifting speech.
After Grassmarket, it was on to the FABRIC shopping! Everyone was such a trouper, braving wind, rain, and bitter cold! With a little bussing and lots of walking we made our way to three fabric shops, all around town: Edinburgh Fabrics, Mandors and The Cloth Shop. Each shop was especially patient and accommodating to our large group, and many purchases were made.
My Happy Sewing Place & House of Pinheiro
Bag-laden and wallets emptied, we headed to the soon-to-be-opened Sewingbee Cafe on Leith Walk. Kal, the mastermind behind the cafe, was so kind to open up just for us to have a sit, a gab, and a cuppa. She informed us about all that she is doing, including workshops, ‘Sewcial Projects’, and cafe plans. I can’t wait for the opening! It was here that we also had our fabric/pattern swap which I think became an outlet for the sillies inside us all. Everyone brought some patterns or fabric to give away and we all swapped (very orderly-like, mind you!) and took something(s) home. There were some hilarious patterns, let me tell you!
What to grab, what to grab....
I was pretty happy with my goodies – I left the swap with some tan polka dot fabric, some loverly handbag handles, and 2 dress patterns, what a steal!
And lastly, we headed for dinner at The Voodoo Rooms. Another extremely accommodating place for our rowdy lot! Dinner was yum, conversation was lively, wine was flowing.
Another lovely set of photos by Debi.
As the night drew to an end, we all said our goodbyes, lugged our goodies home to bed, and fell to dreaming of future meet-ups and potential sewing projects from the day’s haul. Or at least I did!
Thank you so much to everyone who came, from near or far! I had a lovely day with you all and hope to see you again!
I’m not calling them resolutions. Not sure why, but they just are that much more of an obligation when you call it a resolution. And I try to avoid obligations – I don’t deal well with something I know I have to do.
And so these are goals. A much nicer word I think. Plus they fit nicely and concisely into categories! Bliss.
SEWING:
- I’m going to begin and FINISH the Minoru Jacket!
- A dress! I think I’d like to make a dress. Have plenty of patterns and some fabric from which to choose, so I need to take stock of my wardrobe to see what my dress needs are.
- Trousers too! I have this Built by Wendy for Simplicity pattern from which I have made some shorts, so next I’d like to make some trousers.
KNITTING:
- 1 goal only: I plan to make SIX new patterns this year. You can bet I’ll be showing them here as they come!
- Shoes: I don’t need any more shoes! I have plenty, yes, but I’m not going to get rid of them because they get loads of use. I’ve learned pretty quickly living here in Edinburgh that with all the walking we do, I need good shoes and lots of them, so that they actually last. But no NEW shoes. I’m set.
- Yarn: I also am set on yarn. I have plenty and I think I can go for a year without buying more. One loophole, though. I can buy yarn if it is (1) for a project for someone else that (2) I do not currently have the yarn for.
- Fabric: Same as for yarn, although I have much less fabric than I have yarn, but I have also that much LESS time for sewing than I have for knitting. And so, no new fabric (same loophole applies as above though).
- Working out: I started to work out towards the end of last year and it was great! I had an expensive temporary gym membership which I could not continue to afford, and so I must find free ways to continue keeping active. Running outside perhaps?
- The balance of working hard while relaxing: I’ve got a pretty demanding year ahead of me, in which I have a great job that I love, but there are plenty of tasks and responsibilities. Not only that but I’ve got lots of work-related goals for myself as a designer/blogger so I must find a way to keep on top of them both while also making time to relax, take holidays, and spend time with darling Trent.
It’s about time that I share with you the projects with which I have started 2012. I find myself with actually only a few projects at the moment, but I also have some recent FO’s with which I’m a bit pleased. I usually have a lot more on-the-go’s, and I’m sure that very soon I will be starting more.
The first FO (and in these pictures you can see my new haircut too) is the short row sweater by purl soho. It’s an interesting construction in that you knit back and forth in short rows until you have a wide triangle (in which you’ve added neckline and armholes) where the ends wrap over each other and the top edge becomes the shoulder seams. Additionally I modified mine by adding sleeves, short row style.
The pattern is free and really fun! Lots of stockinette which you know I love. I wanted to use some DK yarn instead, so I modified the pattern to accommodate my own gauge. Unfortunately I didn’t pay attention to keeping that gauge and the top turned out a bit tiny.
At first I was really unhappy with the result (which was my own fault, of course) so the finished garment sat for a few weeks. Finally I went back to it, wove in my ends, blocked (meanwhile stretching the heck out of it) and I’m pretty please with it now! The ravelry link for the pattern is here.
The other 2 FO’s were finished just before Christmas, as gifts. I made for my friend Sara the crochet bib necklace out of yarn I dyed with black beans a few years ago. I only did one strip rather than the pattern’s suggested three, and I soaked it in sugar water and let it dry so as to give it stiffness. She really liked it, which makes me pleased as punch! She is an incredibly talented painter so whenever I make her something and she likes it, I give myself a pat on the back…
For a new friend of ours, Sally, I made a Selbu Modern. She really liked mine and joked that she’d like one so I decided to surprise her with it! The pattern is free and really quick to knit. I was happy to have an excuse to do it again.
Ok, so those are my recent FO’s, but what do I currently have on the needles? Another sweater for Trenty! This one is just a basic crew-neck jumper from JC Rennie chunky lambswool, which is really an aran weight. Di Gilpin (the incredible knitwear designer who is also my employer!) sells it off the cone from her studio, which means you can get exactly the right amount that you need, so I got some lovely charcoal black for this project. Just like last year’s jumper that I made for him, this took three frogs to get the shoulders right but now it is a perfect fit.
I did the 3-needle bind-off for the shoulders and short-row set-in sleeves – both techniques yield very clean results inside and out. I just need about 1 and a half more sleeves to go and this baby is complete!
Another project of mine was one that I began the night before we flew to Florida because I was in need of some good airplane knitting (yes, I ALWAYS knit on planes, and so far I have NEVER had my needles confiscated at security). The Fountain Pen shawl pattern by Susan Lawrence fit the bill. A lovely design, easy repeat, and a big project! My dream.
I’m using a skein of Old Maiden Aunt Alpaca/Merino laceweight from the dyeing workshop Rachel & I did last year, but in retrospect it may have been pretty cool to use a deep inky colour like blue, black, or indigo (because its a fountain pen shawl!) but it’s still lovely in the soft grey.
That’s it at the moment for knitting projects, however I am really excited about my next sewing project: the Minoru Jacket by Tasia of Sewaholic! I got the pattern from my mom for Christmas and we went to Joann’s to pick out the fabric:
The dark tan is for the outer of the jacket. The flannel is for the lining, much like Molly’s version, which I loved so much! The only downside was there was not enough of the fabric for the entire lining so I got the red flannel for the sleeve lining so that it doesn’t show. I’m just waiting on the zip and the water-repellent wash that I just ordered, and I’m ready to go! Plus the sewalong starts Monday so I should only be a wee bit behind.
So what are your current/upcoming projects?
