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One of a Kind Discount Code 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:28:00 +0000

One of a Kind Promo Code 2012

Hello fans of the One of a Kind Show, Toronto. If you are looking to save money on your entrance tickets please use this link and you will save an extra $1 on your tickets. Buying your tickets online is cheaper than buying them at the door! Door ticket price is $14, online ticket price is $12, use this coupon link, buy tickets online and get in for $11.
Remember to stop by Vintage Baby Revival's booth and say hello! I'll be located at booth H-07. Visit my artisan profile for more info.

Knit NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:27:00 +0000

This summer I took a week's vacation in the Big Apple. What do you think I did while I was there? Why I went to as many yarn shops as I could of course! Also, I visited a whole lotta skate shops (to keep my skateboarding teenage son happy). In between all of those jaunts to yarn and skate shops we did do some sightseeing ;)

Knitting NYC near Battery Park. This was how I passed the time while my son tested a nearby skate park.

So here is my review of the shops I visited.

Purl Soho

The Yarn Wall at Purl Soho
That's me on the right :)

Purl Soho is an exquisite shop in, you guessed it, Soho. That's near the bottom of Manhattan. It may be the most popular shop on the map due to its vast advertising on knitting and craft sites to drive traffic to the shop's website. So the good news is you can shop Purl Soho right from home, no need to venture all the way to NYC. Many of my crafty friends have visited this beautiful shop and have declared it as a favorite. It not only boasts a great stash of yarn but you can find designer fabric, embroidery and needlework supplies and a selection of gifts, notions and accessories for the fibre enthusiast. The physical space is beautiful. Long and narrow with shelves along one side, tables of product down the centre and two skinny aisles for getting around. If you are a polycrafter, like myself, then this is a must-do shop for you. One of my favorite products is the Purl Soho Scrap Bags they put together. Its a pretty collection of colour coordinating designer fabric. Last year I bought a pack and it even had some really cool trim and heavy felt!

Knitty City

At the front of Knitty City. Love their shopping bags!

Available at Knitty City only $19.95

If you are in the Upper West Side you have to get to Knitty City. This shop wins the award for the most welcoming, down-home feeling of the bunch. There was so much activity with knitters gabbing and stitching at the table in the back of the shop. This is exactly what I want to find when I visit a yarn shop. It's packed to the ceiling with yummy skeins and a big basket of spinning fibre to keep the spinners satiated. There is also a wonderful library or stitching books and magazines. I picked up one of Vogue's limited edition copies of Vogue Crochet Magazine. Something to note is that this shop is accessible - friendly to those using walking aids or wheelchairs.

The Yarn Company

At the table in front of the big windows at the Yarn Company. The bags behind me are really cool. Look to be made from recycled materials.

While you're in the Upper West Side you might as well visit the Yarn Company, just around the corner from Knitty City. The Yarn Company is located on the second floor, you have to walk up some steep steps to access the shop. I was a little confused what door to use to enter the shop and rang the bell for the wrong entrance. Ooops! When I found the right door I went on in and found a bright well organized room. I was hoping to find a huge selection of spinning fibres, and left a little disappointed. I would have like to see more variety of hand dyed fibres. But it was nice to see they carried hand dyed by a little indie dyer. The shop looks like it lives in a couple of converted apartments. The main room is spacious with big windows letting in lots of natural light. Big heavy tables are parked in front of the windows with stools inviting patrons to sit and knit or examine potential purchases. I purchased the current issue of Spin Off magazine this time. Trying to be conservative with my spending haha!

Brooklyn General Store

Located in my favorite NYC neighbourhood, Brooklyn. Brooklyn reminds me most of home and its a fantastic 'hood brimming with cafes, restaurants, indie shops and street sales. The Brooklyn General Store had me at hello. I found their website and watched their promo video. I was instantly in love. Go to the website's main page and click the play button on the jar just above the tagline "where country fiber warms the big city" and you'll see what I mean. Go ahead, I'll wait. Are you back? Wow! Just wow! The shop reminds me of Purl Soho, but less hectic. Its got designer fabric, the best yarn, crafty kits, spinning fibre, adorable ribbons and trims, and lovely gifts. I enjoyed the pottery and greeting cards. I loved the focus on carrying items from local artists. Big bonus points for that one! The back of the shop has a table and chairs for gathering and stitching. The front of the shop has a comfy arm chair. The store was perfect and if I was to open one myself I'd love for it to be just like this.

La Casita Yarn Shop Cafe

The last yarn shop on my tour was La Casita. I found this shop by accident while walking around Brooklyn and just minutes before closing time. The shop was packed! All it took was 5 or 6 people and we were at capacity. The little boutique was brimming with fibre, a huge table up front that ate up a lot of floor space and a cafe tucked neatly into the back of the store. It must be such a welcoming space for local knitters to grab a cuppa and then pull up a chair at the big table and knit the day away. The staff were friendly and cheerful, though it was the end of their day. I found some vintage buttons that I had been coveting for a while on Ebay. I was so excited when I saw them right there in the flesh! We would've stayed for a cup of tea, but unfortunately it was closing time. Next time I'll come earlier La Casita!

Tophatter is Tops

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 07:50:00 +0000

There's a fairly new website that's making its mark as a fresh new way to shop online. Tophatter is a live auction style marketplace where sellers and buyers have an opportunity to engage one another in real time. The site opened in December 2011. I joined in January 2012 when the site was still a newborn infant. I have had the opportunity to see this start-up grow to the gawky teenager it is today.

I sell on the site as LadeeBee, offering mostly jewelry and craft supplies. I have grown a successful little business with the aid of this platform and have had lots of fun doing it! I have almost reached my 1000th sale on the site since I started selling mid February 2012.

A sample of products I offer on Tophatter and in my Etsy shop, LadeeBee Supplies

Tophatter can seem a little intimidating to a new user, however there is now a video tutorial, a help button and the ability for users to chat with a staff person for live support. Also, each auction room has a chat window where you can ask other buyers and sellers for support - everyone in the community is always willing to lend a helping hand.

As a buyer I have found many unique products that I may not have otherwise found. There is also the thrill of bidding and winning your item too. Buyers are also able to choose what gets offered up for auction by placing an opening bid on items in a standby column.

Below are examples of some unique items you can bid on in the auction rooms on Tophatter. Hope I'll see you around the auction block! Oh yeah, if you'd like me to send you an invitation just place your email in the comments section below and I'll send you an invite through Tophatter. Tophatter will give you a $5 credit to spend on anything you win over $5!

Source: tophatter.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Alpacas from Eighth and Mud

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 04:52:00 +0000

At the beginning of the summer I took the opportunity to get out of the city for a day and tour a local alpaca farm. My friend and I set off for Alpacas from Eighth and Mud on a pretty, sunny week day. When we arrived we noticed alpacas prancing in fields on either side of a quaint little shop. I later learned that females were on one side and males on the other. Of course they only mix for breeding purposes! Baby alpacas, known as Crias, stayed with their moms.

We immediately went into the shop and met the farmer, a bubbly welcoming woman named Sharon. She answered all of our questions and showed us some of her hand made works. We feasted our eyes on the shelves of alpaca yarn, hand knit garments, wall hangings and I particularly admired the spinning fiber. You'll also find hand made jams and maple syrup in the gift shop.

Alpaca spinning fiber with silk noils.

Alpacas on Eighth and Mud is also a mill. They mill their own alpaca fiber and will do custom orders for local customers.

Sharon let us see the alpacas behind the scenes. The animals were really tentative around us strangers.

Before we left we receive some "real eggs" from Sharon's chickens and directions on how to get to a local cheese maker's market.

36 by 36 Update: Learn a New Spinning Technique

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 15:36:00 +0000

About 6 months ago I posted 36 by 36 which is a list of 36 things I'd like to accomplish by the time I turn 36. I was inspired to do this after seeing a couple of other bloggers with similar lists. The idea was to do as many as I could and then carry over to 37 by 37 what I couldn't do by 36. I decided to make this list when 36 was half over anyway! This list has always been in the back of my mind and every now and then I remember to work towards some of my goals.

One of my goals was to learn a new spinning technique. Craftsy.com released a class called Spinning Dyed Fibers with Felicia Lo. Felicia is the creator of Sweet Georgia Yarns and a Canadian gal! I have worked with dyed fiber for a while, but I have never officially taken a spinning course. I am a self taught spinner, picking up a few tips and tricks from magazines and other more accomplished spinners.

I very much enjoyed this class and learned a few techniques like Navajo ply, fractal spinning, how to spin off batts, how to make a carded batt, and many different techniques for getting different results from dyed fibre. Also, how to avoid spinning dyed fibre into mud if you don't want mud. I loved the class, it was so informative and beautifully instructed.

Enjoy some photos of my hand spun yarn!

Gelateria hand spun merino wool, dyed and spun by LadeeBee

Circus - dyed by Spun Right Round, spun by LadeeBee

Forest - Merino tussah silk spun by LadeeBee, dyed by Taylored Fibers

Honey Fig - Merino and tussah silk Spun by LadeeBee, dyed by Sweet Georgia Yarns

O'Ryan - BFL spun by LadeeBee, dyed by Radiant Yarnworks

Hand Dyed Cotton First Timer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:25:00 +0000

Yep! I did it. I finally dyed something other than wool. I purchased a hugenormous hank of natural, undyed cotton yarn and decided to custom dye it myself for my crocheted booties. I ordered my dyes from Dharma Trading Co. and picked up the Synthrapol and Soda Ash from a dye shop based in Toronto called G&S Dye. I could have picked up everything at G&S but I realised that only after I ordered my dyes from Dharma. That's okay, its always good to have multiple sources. I didn't get everything at Dharma anyway because shipping became astronomically expensive.

I went to Dharma's website for how to do the dyeing, but I skipped the washing machine and just used a big plastic bowl set up in my bathtub. I left my cotton to soak for 1 hour in the dye solution.

Naturally undyed cotton. Took out out of the giant hank, wound it into giant yarn cakes then back to equally divided hank format. Phew! I chose three main colours and one contrasting colour for the dyes.

Here are all the skeins drying in the afternoon sun on the line.

Up close. The colours appear very intense as the skeins are still wet, but they lightened a bit after they were totally dry.

I am super happy with the way they turned out. They all were not the colours I was expecting! But they're amazing anyway.

The orange booties win for my favourite colour. LOVE!

You can find my shop,Vintage Baby Revival, on Etsy and Facebook

Vintage Baby Revival Giveaway!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 02:02:00 +0000

You can win a $50 gift certificate to Vintage Baby Revival

The giveaway is being run on a fantastic blog called Everything Mom and Baby. Be sure to follow this site if you have young children because there are always great giveaways and product reviews. The giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the US, last day to enter is March 30th. Multiple entries are allowed, click HERE for details.

Internet Rising Stars with Craft Appeal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Craftsy
Craftsy is a really cool new website that just keeps growing and growing and getting better. It is a site dedicated to offering online craft classes taught by experts. You pay one time for the class and have access to it forever. You can learn at your own pace and watch the episodes as many times as you like. I have taken the Quilting Quickly course and Stupendous Stitching. In addition to the courses they offer a space for indie designers to offer their patterns and tutorials for sale to the community. I also quite like the almost daily "inbox temptation" of the Craftsy Deals. With the deals you can pick up some great quality yarn and quilting fabrics at a discount. I purchased some of Bijou Basin's Limited Edition Gobi (70% yak down, 30% camel) yarn and Cascade's Epiphany (60% royal alpaca, 20% cashmere, 20% silk). Competition for the deals is fierce however and they tend to sell out quickly!

Tophatter
Tophatter may not look like much but watch out Ebay as it looks like this could be the new online shopping obsession. Tophatter is a new start-up company with its head office in Palo Alto California. Its backed by Silicon Valley investors and I believe its a rising star in the online selling community. Basically items are auctioned off in real time by independent sellers. Sellers set their starting prices and shipping charges, Tophatter takes a 10% commission fee. I have had lots of success selling on Tophatter myself under the name LadeeBee. It is such a refreshing change from Etsy. I have been running to the post office multiple times a week to ship off all the orders! On the other side of the coin, the shopping! Though I find it difficult to find items that appeal there are some hidden gems on the site. You have the opportunity to pick up some great work from artisans at a fraction of the price, depending on how the bidding goes.I bought these gorgeous silver earrings for less than half the retail!

Shooting is Good for Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:57:00 +0000

I've been selling online for a little while now and when I started out my photos were dreadful! The place I set up shop was on Etsy. I noticed products that were well photographed, I mean really well photographed. The items looked like they could leap off the screen and into my home or made me feel like I was there in the setting or wanting to be there. I felt really geeky next to so many amazing shops. I also knew I wouldn't get much attention without great shots of my product.
All of my learning has been through trial and error, imitation, and finally doing some reading on the subject. I was just getting started and couldn't afford a fancy camera. You know, a DSLR (digital single lens reflex), with the fancy lenses and buttons. Plus those cameras scared the crap out of me. There are two great entry level DSLR cameras that are pretty user friendly and low-cost (comparatively). They are the Canon Rebel and the Nikon D3000. These cameras have on board tutorials that help you select the correct settings for what you are shooting. I have yet to use either one, but I am getting close to choosing one as an upgrade from my current camera.

Ear Blooms by LadeeBee photographed with the macro setting

My current camera is a Fuji Fine PixS1000. Its kinda old and looks like a fancy camera. Its got a lens that can`t be removed but it sticks out tricking people into thinking I paid a lot for it. I paid $200CAD for it about 5 years ago. You`ve gotta put batteries in it, which sucks. I use rechargeables, but on more than one occasion my batteries have been out of juice and not ready for picture day. That`s okay if I plan better or have back-ups I wouldn`t run into that problem. So, my point is with my crappy little camera I can take some pretty decent pictures.

Ear Blooms by LadeeBee
photographed with the micro setting

Here is what you need to take great product shots:
1. A digital camera with a macro and micro button (it looks like a little flower). The macro and micro settings are for taking close ups of your subject. You can have a very detailed, in focus photo using these.
2. Natural light. Outside is best, but next to a window is good too. Slightly overcast works best as it minimizes shadows, which you are trying to control. Full sun is terrible for our purposes.
3. A light box is helpful. You can find out how to make one yourself with a cardboard box and a few sheets of white paper.Click here for a great tutorial.
4. Props. If you sell little items, like jewelry, you can use scrap book paper (like I did in the photo above) or a piece of fabric as the background. Put some effort into it and get creative. For an all white background a simple blank sheet of printer paper will do because it has no wrinkles. I used a white countertop for the photo below.

Japanese Paper on Glass Pendant with 22`` chain by LadeeBee

I could edit this photo further if I knew a little something about Photoshop, but that`s another story. For now I am happy with this.

5. A simple photo editing program. I like to use Picasa. I click on the wand icon to make automatic adjustments and then play around with the sliding settings for highlights, shadows, fill light, and colour. I try to make sure the colour of the item looks as accurate as possible. Usually I judge by the background first.

Take lots and lots of pictures and practice A LOT. I have taken thousands of photos to figure out what works best. Take 10-20 shots then have a look at them on your computer before continuing. I have made the mistake of thinking I was taking shots that were good enough and I could brighten them with a little editing, but it turned out they were all duds and I had to do the photo shoot all over again.

Got tips? Share them below.

Just Getting Started

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:06:00 +0000

There are many tools that I use every day to get my work done. Crochet hooks, knitting needles, sewing machine. The one tool that I use and have vowed to get to know better this year is the home hand knitting machine.

Organic Cotton Cardigan
Pieces knit on my LK100 chunky knitter.

My LK100

A couple of years ago I started to look into getting a knitting machine to assist me with my work as a knitwear designer and creator for my line of baby clothes, Vintage Baby Revival. I found that knitting everything by hand was a slow process, but more than that it was taxing on my body. I needed a more efficient way of getting my work done.

My first knitting machine was found on Craigslist. For $100 I picked up a simple machine and was given a free lesson on how to use it. After that I purchased two more.

After making my initial purchase I realised how few resources there are out there for machine knitters in my city. I wondered how would I learn anything beyond the basics? Thank goodness for the internet! If it wasn't for other machine knitters posting YouTube videos and tutorials in their blogs I would be lost.

Demonstrating my machine knitting skills on my Brother.
This is the first machine that I purchased.

Through the machine's manuals I was able to figure out the basics of getting started on the machine. I have not stepped past the basics and feel that my knitting machines have a lot more potential that I need to explore. I turned back to the world wide web and found some answers. There are great bloggers out there and a global group of knitters that discuss all things machine knitting called KMaholics.

Here is a list of machine knitting resources that I found useful:
Toronto:
Serge N Knit N Sew
Silver-Reed
Blogs:
O! Jolly: Knitting in the Fast Lane
Knitting Machine Museum
Knittsings
Click here for a list of bloggers I have yet to explore but are related to machine knitting.

I hope to update my blog now and then with my progress on the knitting machines, so stay tuned as I learn my way to better knitting.
xxLadeeBeexx

Rita's Story - Crocheting Through Grief

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:06:00 +0000

Rita is a woman that discovered this blog while touring the vast world wide web. She contacted me this week to tell me, and Close Knit readers, about her experience coping with grief and depression after the loss of her daughter.

I have played around with crochet for many years but, I never gave it enough time to be any good at it. July 22 2008 my daughter my boo died she was 31 years old my grief and anguish were unbearable I stayed in my bedroom for a year~ alone I isolated I wanted nothing to do with the outside world that managed to go on without my daughter when I could not. So I picked up my crocheting again I would sit for hours just crocheting.. to others this looked like an obsession to me it was therapy ..I was so depressed I did not leave my home.. I ordered everything I needed on-line. For every stitch I made there was a tear yet somehow crocheting soothed my soul my heart Its over three years later now since Boo died I still crochet and when life becomes unbearable I pick up my hook and soon my pain is lessened there will always be a part of me that my daughter took with her and my heart still cries for her.

Judi Rebecca (My Boo) June 19 1977 - July 22 2008

Save on One of a Kind Show 2011 Admission

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:06:00 +0000

Come shopping at the One of a Kind Show this holiday season in Toronto! Save on admission with this coupon code courtesy of Vintage Baby Revival. Also, follow Close Knit and visit again for an opportunity to win tickets to the show.

Don't know what the One of a Kind Christmas Show & Sale is? It's the very best of handmade by local artisans. You won't want to miss this show. There is so much to taste and experience and you will be inspired by the talent. Please stop by booth D-07 and visit Vintage Baby Revival for beautiful knits for babies, toddlers, and young children.

-LadeeBee xxf

A Belly Laugh a Day

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 05:36:00 +0000

One of the things that helps me get through life is the ability to have at least one good belly laugh every day. As some of you reading this blog may already know, I have depression. It really is a good thing that there is a lot of humour in my home and plenty of good laughs. My partner has the same off-balance sense of humour and we enjoy lots of gut tightening, tear inducing, barely able to breathe laughing episodes together. Mostly I'm the one that gets out of control. Once I watched Dave Chappelle's stand-up and missed half his show because I was laughing at his joke from five minutes ago.

Recently my mood has been going down toward the deeper end. I'm not feeling much energy, sadness comes on for no apparent reason, my sleeping patterns get all funky, and I have a lot of doubts about what the hell I am doing with my life. This past week I was really questioning my choice to work for myself and feeling it was a stupid decision and I was looking at job postings that I might be qualified for. My partner works full-time and now every evening he goes to school to work towards finishing his degree. I don't see him as much and we haven't been getting those belly laughs in. I realise that is what I am missing! I need a good laugh every day. I need someone who gets my sick sense of humour and doesn't look at me all sideways with a silent question. I'm not saying laughing makes it all better, but it definitely helped me this week.

Louis CK performing in Toronto, Canada Saturday October 15th, 2011
I broke the rules and took this photo, and no I did not film him! Just wanted a pic.
Please don't be mad Mr. CK

One of my favorite comedians is currently on tour and we were able to score some tix to go and see him. We saw Louis CK live! I was only 8 rows away from the stage. Let me tell you, it was Awe-some. The opening act was Steven Page from the Canadian iconic band, the Barenaked Ladies. What a treat to hear him perform with his acoustic guitar. Tonight was exactly what I needed.

I think that doing my own art or watching a talented individual performing theirs is a helpful way to deal with depression when it starts to rear its ugly head. What experiences have you had lately that has helped improve your mood?

Muskoka Cruise with Debbie Bliss

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:52:00 +0000

Friday September 9, 2011
Debbie Bliss Dinner Cruise
Gravenhurst, Muskoka

This past weekend I went on yet another knitting adventure. I joined the well-known knitwear designer, Debbie Bliss, on a dinner cruise in Ontario's beautiful Muskoka region. It was good to see Debbie again and to meet and chat with her daughter, Nell. Thirty-five Debbie Bliss fans each received a gift bag with a book of Debbie's latest patterns.

Debbie signs my book!

I had so much fun and can't remember the last time I was that excited. Debbie is really easy to talk to and so approachable. If you are a fan I highly recommend taking advantage of an opportunity like this.

The second day I attended a lecture by D.B. She discussed a little bit about her background, her design process, and her current designs. We had a chance to play with her samples, try them on and even model them for one another. Of course, shopping was part of the day.

Before heading home we made sure to stop in at an awesome fibre arts shop and mill in Gravenhurst, Gateway Fibreworks.

Shop and Mill

A selection of beads and findings, hand dyed wool for spinning,
natural alpaca rovings, felting fibres, yarn , fabric and art kits are available
to satisfy your fibre, sewing and bead crafting needs.

The entrance to the retail store. Beautiful knit shawl in natural
alpaca and printed with leaf motif.

A cozy nook to relax and work on projects within the shop.

The yarn wall. Gateway has their own yarn that is spun in house.

Alpaca is being pre-drafted in preparation for spinning.

A single ply wound on a bobbin sits ready in the machine.
Tours of the mill are possible but you must call to request.

What's your favorite yarn shop? Leave the name and link in the comments section below so that I can enjoy a virtual tour of your favorites!

Next week I will be sharing another Ontario knitting adventure...so check back!

Book Review: Knits to Give by Debbie Bliss

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Here she goes again! The hard working knitter extraordinaire, Debbie Bliss, adds another book to her growing catalogue of patterns. This one is just in time for you to be inspired to begin your holiday knitting projects. It's got something for everyone in your life: men, women, children, and pets!

Knits to Give 30 Knitted Gift Ideas - Debbie Bliss
Hardcover $30.47 CAD on Amazon.ca
Release Date: Sept 5th, 2011
image: © Penny Wincer

The book kicks off with Debbie reminding us that our hand knits deserve to beautifully wrapped. She gives nice suggestions on how you can achieve simple yet memorable gift packaging.

If you've ever been curious about knitting with beads, the "Beaded Clutch Bag" is a good place to start for a fool proof tutorial. A large chevron pattern is incorporated into the design of this elegant clutch you'll want to take with you on all of your special events at holiday time.

"Beaded Clutch Bag"
image: © Penny Wincer

Lace and cables are prominent design features in the "Gifts for Her" section of the book including patterns for "Covered Bangles", "Lacey Stole", "Cabled Arm Warmers", and the "Ribbon Tied Belt".

Stripes and simple stitches make up the main design features in the "Gifts for Him" section. My favorites are the "Rice Stitch Scarf" and "Moss Stitch Tie".

Bunny Booties
image: © Penny Wincer

The book is chalk full of gorgeous knits for babies and kids. "Bunny Booties" would pair nicely with the "Garter Stitch Jacket" for gifting to the latest addition of your family. A "Ladybird Backpack" is a fun knit sure to be loved and admired by young school children.

Ladybird Backpack
image: © Penny Wincer

The last chapter, "For Home", has some practical items to knit up for anyone on your list. For instance the "Tea Cozy Wrap", "Moss Stitch Table Mats", and the "Hot Water Bottle Cover". Just for fun there is a sweet pattern for a "Pot of Pansies".

Tea Cozy Wrap
image: © Penny Wincer

"Knits to Give-30 Knitted Gift Ideas" by Debbie Bliss is definitely a book of patterns worth adding to your library. Now is the time to start those knitted gifts for the holidays and this book has patterns to satisfy any knitter.

Happy Knitting!

-LadeeBee xx

Pot of Pansies
image: © Penny Wincer

What Kind of Crafter are You?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 09:14:00 +0000

Life as a Full-Time Crafter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:45:00 +0000

Feel I owe you an explanation as to my whereabouts over the last little while. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know I haven't been far away. After about a month of not posting anything on my blog I have been thinking about how neglectful I've been of Close Knit almost daily. Well, I can finally be guilt-free!

About two years ago I quit my job and began working for myself. I haven't got savings or lots of credit, but I have managed to make it work. My partner has a job, not fantastic pay, but he can manage the rent (phew). Crafting for a living is tricky, so I have to wear a lot of hats to make it work. I teach crafty workshops, participate in the odd craft show, do two major craft shows per year, provide childcare for some families in my neighbourhood, keep two online shops, and work at a craft market up the street from my house. It is crazy busy and it means I essentially work all the time - no complaints, I LOVE what I do!

Being a childcare provider is a skill I carry with me from my experience in the workforce. I studied Early Childhood Education and have my degree in psychology. I am intrigued by infants and young children and I am very good with them. I spend snippets of time here and there throughout my week happily getting my baby fix, riding bikes with preschoolers, and crafting with the very young.

My two shops are LadeeBee Supplies and Vintage Baby Revival. LadeeBee is vintage buttons, handspun yarn, and lately a little bit of cheerful jewelry. Vintage Baby focuses on knits for kids 0-4 and knit scarves for women. Running a shop involves photography, listings, updating, promoting, and hopefully filling orders.

Dahlia Ear Blooms
Available at LadeeBee Supplies

LadeeBee Supplies is a like a hobby for me. My hobby is very similar to my actual work. I love to make new things, try new things and test them out on the market. The above Dahlia Ear Blooms have been my latest success. Vintage Baby Revival represents work that has evolved over time into a line of high-end knits for young ones that I am really proud of.

Hand Knit Wool Poncho
Available at Vintage Baby Revival and the One of a Kind Show and Sale in Toronto

Organic Cotton Tunic and Matching Hat

In addition to my crafty work I have a 15 year old son. He is a wonderful person and I am always inspired by his energetic youth. People think I was a baby when I had my son because I may look younger than I am, but I was 19 (not a baby, but close).

Niagara Falls '08

My home is dusty (from all that fibre!) and chaotically organised. Just about every inch of my home has got one of my projects in various stages of completion (my poor family!). Also, I've got furniture for my big show at the One of a Kind, props, inventory and the like stored in all locations of my two bedroom apartment.

So that is what I have been up to and that's a bit of what life is like as a full-time crafter. I am bound to drop a ball here and there, but I'll always pick 'em up!

Inspired by Sil

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:52:00 +0000

I met Sil Frebrian, owner of Batavia by Sil on the wonderful world of Twitter. We finally met in person when we were placed as neighbours in the Rising Stars neighbourhood at the One of a Kind Spring Show and Sale 2011. I spent five days staring at and drooling over her upcycled hand made bags. Her designs are so sweet and you can totally see they are made with passion. Each bag is truly unique-no two are ever the exact same. She adds so many beautiful touches to her bags such as embroidery, hand made wooden buttons, applique, and braided handles.
After the spring show I went home and began work on my own bag. While mine is a very straightforward design I was inspired by Sil's work!

I made this pattern freehand. Project inspired by my neighbour at the One of a Kind Spring Show 2011, Batavia by Sil. I admired her bags for the entire show. She creates gorgeous clutches and purses with reclaimed fabrics and adds her own hand made wooden buttons.

Outer fabric purchased at Value Village.

Button by the Woodlot purchased at the One of a Kind Spring 2011

Lining fabric from Diana Brugos acquired in a trade. This is vintage seersucker with a light floral pattern.
One big inside pocket.

Nice and roomy to carry all of my knitting projects!

Rebecca's Story

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:31:00 +0000

Hello, my name is Rebecca and I can’t sit still. When I'm not reading, knitting or making jewelry, I spend a lot of hours dancing in my own living room, my den, my kitchen, with my earbuds in and the volume on my iPod turned up. My wife is always tickled to catch me doing it. Our dog and two cats are perpetually confused and I can only imagine what my neighbors think.
I wonder what they all would think if they knew I do it so that the energy inside doesn't build up and push me around the bend.
Like a lot of people, my history with depression precedes my birth: two of my great-aunts were in psychotherapy for most of their adult lives. My father was formally diagnosed with clinical depression in 1991 and had been hospitalized when he was in high school. My childhood was filled with hugs goodbye and "see you later, sweetie. Daddy's got a doctor's appointment." No one told me until I was much older that the doctor he was seeing was a therapist.
My own symptoms began when I was fifteen – I couldn’t get to sleep at night. For the majority of my high school years, I attended class on between one or two hours of sleep every day. Food issues soon followed – I would become nauseated and purge everything I'd eaten. I’ve never called it insomnia or bulimia because, to me, they were merely recurring symptoms of a much larger problem. It's normal for adolescents to experience high energy and low self-esteem, but children with depression suffer everything in the extreme. On a good day, my energy could have kept Paris lit for a week and my self-esteem hovered somewhere around -50. I felt absolutely worthless.

I stowed my depression away where no one could see it. It helped that there was always another crisis going on nearby to hide behind: a friend who was having a manic episode and needed rescuing, another friend who was having a sexuality crisis and needed comforting, a sibling with autism who was being bullied, a parent who was leaving, a parent who was dying. I invested myself completely in caretaking duties – being a bulwark for the people in my life who were swept up in their own turmoil - and, for a time, it helped me to forget my own just under the surface.
Later, chasing scholastic success replaced the crises and I poured all of the dark energy I’d been trying to ignore into getting a good education. Finally, when I graduated with my B.A. in Journalism and came out to a rapidly shrinking job market, there was no place left to hide it.
Crafting came into my life at this time. After graduation, I had a seasonal job at a metaphysical shop which also sold beads and bead findings. When I wasn't scanning online ads for reporters or writing freelance pieces, I started making my own pearl and jade jewelry to wear on job interviews.

From necklaces, I made the leap to malas -- long strands of Buddhist prayer beads I would wear around my neck or wrist. After I spotted several "wearable collage" necklaces for sale in one of my favorite coffee shops, I made another jump to decoupaging wooden pendants for myself and my family and friends. After I met my wife and moved to Chicago, I taught myself to knit partly inspired by communities like Geek Crafts, partly to have something in common with my new mother-in-law and also to give myself something to do on the long train rides between home, school and work. I also think I wanted the challenge of mastering something new when the old feelings were so hard to master alone.

I've made a lot of progress in the past year. I've been seeing a counselor first through my university and then through a center downtown. Having an objective third party to talk with on a regular basis has done me a world of good. I've also found that when I have a project in mind and am working on it -- whether it's beading, painting, hunting for sticker sheets and charms or just imagining a certain concept in my head -- it pushes my demons into the background.

Rebecca has shared her story with Close Knit readers but writes about her own experiences mostly over at her blog Black Mood Craft.

Top Six Strategies for Shopping the Knitters Frolic

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:52:00 +0000

This past Saturday I had an opportunity to attend this year's Knitter's Frolic put on by the DKC at the Japanese Cultural Centre in Toronto. It is a convention of Ontario yarn shops, wool growers and artisan spinners all selling fibre, yarn, buttons and all the goodies that a knitter could dream of. When I arrived at 9am the line-up was way down in the parking lot and growing by the second!

My friends and I were smack dab in the middle of the line. Look at the end of the line.
We enjoyed admiring the parade of knitwear as we waited.

Looking towards where the lineup begins and as you can see more frolickers are arriving!
My friend said her heart was racing with excitement and I have to admit my palms were a little sweaty in anticipation.

Top Six Strategies for Shopping at the Frolic

Know the patterns you want to make and buy the yarn accordingly
Go and buy what you're heart tells you to buy and then figure out what you'll make with it later
Buy only the deals. Lots of great yarn on sale at the frolic!
Go for unique and different. Artisans, small farmers, and handmade buttons rule the day.
Hit the booths you know and love first.
Bring a friend who is equally addicted to fibre and will not only encourage you to buy what you are considering, but to buy more than one. (thanks Lisa for this one)

Strategy #4 is my favorite. I really like to find something that I wouldn't be able to access just anywhere. I like getting a hold of some nice hand spun yarn. When we were waiting in line a friend was showing off her scarf made from some awesome hand spun.

Check out the needle felted mushrooms in the yarn! This yarn is by StudioLoo and available at Rose Haven Farm Store.

Proud Knitter

I was inspired to pick up my own skein of StudioLoo Yarn

I chose this one for the colours and the natural walnut shell halves that were mixed in to this yarn.

Cotton fabric was also incorporated into this hand spun.

I employed strategy number 2 and 3 for my next purchase. Three skeins of hand dyed cotton. This yarn was half price. Original price: $17 per skein! Great deal!!

I am totally loving orange lately.

I only had a limited amount of time for shopping because I was teaching a crochet class across town and it would take at least an hour to reach there by transit. I felt like an hour and 15 minutes was just the right amount of time for me to get through the show, take some great photos and to feel satisfied. I would've loved to stay longer but my bank account thanks me for the short stay! My next post I'll feature some of the most unique vendors with lots of yummy shots of yarn and buttons for you to drool over!

Janine's Story

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:33:00 +0000

The following blog post comes from guest blogger, Janine. More on Janine can be found at the Unfinished Project Project, "a blog about (eventually) getting things done."

I've had depressive episodes for more than thirty years now, on and off, although it took quite a while for me to realise what they were. The first episode came when I was in my final year of high school. I thought I was just burnt out and unmotivated, and did nothing about it. There was another bout in my final year at university, which I put down to similar reasons, but the crunch came about seven years ago, when I suddenly had a nervous breakdown; in the course of one evening I went from feeling reasonably normal, if a bit down (which is not unusual for me) to thinking of suicide. It was the most frightening experience of my life. I felt as though my personality had splintered and I had no real sense of who I was; I guess that's what is meant by disassociation.

I got help pretty quickly – drugs and therapy – but what did me as much good as anything was knitting. Although I was still going to work and seeing my friends, I didn't feel that I was functioning normally. For many weeks, I spent hours sitting on the floor knitting obsessively. While it didn't stop the distressing thoughts, it seemed to give me something else to focus on. I think the repetitive nature of knitting is soothing, and I found satisfaction in being able to make something. I'd stopped eating and doing other normal things, but I could still create, and that felt like a link to my old self.

It took several weeks before I began to resume any kind of normality, and a couple of years before I felt completely back to normal. I've had another couple of depressive episodes since then – work and family problems are definite triggers – but they haven't been as severe.

When I was diagnosed as clinically depressed it was almost a relief, as it helped explain what was wrong with me. From the start I decided to be pretty open about it – it's not as though it's easy to hide, after all. One thing that was heartening to me personally, but rather appalling on a wider level, was that many of my friends have had depressive episodes too, many of them recurring and severe. One of my friends has been sacked for having depression; if she'd had cancer or multiple sclerosis or any number of other illnesses, she'd have been offered help and sympathy. Instead, she was given the boot.

I'd like to see depression talked about more and not regarded as something shameful to be hidden. I think more people should know about depression, and how pervasive it is – it's not something that sufferers can just 'snap out of'. If it were that easy, there would be not depressed people!

I think it's also important that people know that those who have depression, or have had it in the past, are not 'weird' or abnormal. It's just a disease – albeit a serious one – and people can recover from it.

Six Steps to Kool Aid Dyed Wool - A Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:52:00 +0000

Whatcha Need

large microwave safe bowl or container
plastic garbage bag
selection of Kool Aid envelopes
plastic coat hanger
microwave
wool to dye
rubber gloves
old crappy towel
rag

Step One

Submerge the wool in a container of cool water. Make sure wool is soaked through. Drain water, squeeze off excess water and lay out as pictured on plastic garbage bag.

Merino wool and Kool Aid envelopes

Step Two
Open packets of Kool Aid in your chosen colours and sprinkle on your wool. Don't mix the colours over one another too much as you can muddle the colours and end up with brown.

Experiment with different colours, its lotsa fun!

Step 3
Put on your rubber gloves and gently rub Kool Aid into the wool so that it dissolves and disperses the colour. At this point you may want to turn the wool over to the other side and repeat steps 1-3. Sometimes I leave it as is for less intense colour.

Step 4
Heat the wool in your microwave safe bowl on high for approx 5 min or until the wool is completely heated through. Should be steamy when you pull it out of the microwave.

Steamin' pile of Merino

Step 5
When wool has cooled enough to safely hold in your hands, squeeze out excess water into the sink. Lay out the wool as before but now onto an old towel. Not much of the dye will leak out at this time, but use an old towel just in case! Now roll in the towel and press.

Step 6
Drape wool over the plastic coat hanger and hang on the shower curtain rod, away from fabric, and allow the wool to air dry. Open a window if possible to improve air circulation. Once in a while squeeze excess water that settles into the ends of the wool. Ready to spin when thoroughly dry!

Share your Kool Aid dyed wool with Close Knit readers by posting links in the comments below.
xxLadeeBeexx

Sit and Spin

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:15:00 +0000

When I need a break from making baby sweaters and booties I try to do something a little different. I learn a new skill, try to finish a project, use up some of my yarn stash to make something for a neighbour. Really, there isn't much difference between what I do for a living and what I do as a hobby-and that's the way I want it!

I acquired a spinning wheel from a friend, an Ashford Traveller with a single treadle. I didn't know anything about using a spinning wheel, but I new I wanted to find out! I did some drop spindle work, but I wanted my spinning to go faster and more sophisticated.

My very first hand spun on a drop spindle.

My second hand spun, I liked a little better. Plus this wool I dyed myself-that was fun!

The wheel needed some cleaning and fixing up-giving me an opportunity to really become acquainted with the parts and functions of the wheel. I've seen wheels in action before, watched videos on YouTube and seen spinners in real life, so I kinda got the gist of it. Also understanding the concept of spinning with a drop spindle and plying made a good foundation for understanding how to use the wheel.

I've been practicing on my wheel and decided it was time to put some handspun up for sale in my Etsy shop, LadeeBee Supplies. One of these was the first skein of yarn to find a new home:

Recently I decided to try dying some wool with Kool Aid to see how that went. Here are the results:

Two beautiful skeins. So fun to spin and watch the colours change, especially when I plied them together.
Plying is when you take two or more single spun yarns and spin them together - in the opposite direction.

I used cherry, strawberry, blue raspberry, and lime flavoured Kool Aid to achieve this colourway.

You can see little kinks in the yarn. That's because I didn't set the twist yet. I've gotta do one more step before its ready to knit up...

Another look at the variation in colours.

I have to say spinning is a very enjoyable, satisfying and relaxing activity. I feel really good when I finish up a skein of gorgeous yarn. I play with if for a while and examine every part of it...kinda like examining your newborn baby.

And the Winner Is...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 08:33:00 +0000

Here is the breakdown of the eligible entries and their assigned numbers:

Melanie Cronyn 1-5
Shan Ven 6,7
Heatherty 8-12
Natalie Ann 13,14
Dawn 15-18
Gili 19,20
Lioz 21
Kitta May 22
Lioz 23
Eliblu 24
Billi Jo 25-26

The Grand Prize goes to Lioz #21 selected by a random number generator at Random.org. Congrats Lioz you receive a $50 gift certificate to Vintage Baby Revival and a pair of tickets to the One of a Kind Spring Show and Sale.

The Runners Up Are: Melanie Cronyn #2 and Heatherty #11
You each receive a pair of tickets to the One of a Kind Show and Sale!

Thanks to everyone for participating, I appreciate your comments and your entries-sharing about the contest and supporting my work! Hope that I'll have a chance to meet each and every one of you at the show.

One of a Kind Spring Show Discount Code

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 22:42:00 +0000

Looking for the Christmas 2012 show promo code? click here

Save $$$ Buy your tickets to the show online and get a discount using the code on this flyer.

Discount code: ADczaaj