Stitch Rabbit

Why Game of Thrones and Knitting Go Hand In Hand.

 

 

All the good yarn stores have re-purposed the famous line from Game of Thrones, "Winter Is Coming" in some form or another - I mean, how could you resist! Tongue in cheek and oh so clever - Written on their sidewalk sandwich boards, sent out in newsletters and check out this yarn shop in Kamloops BC I discovered a few weeks ago:

 

 

 

Across their front window alongside their own personal handmade "shop banner". I spotted it as we were driving through and let out this weird yelp and made Gabe pull over immediately.

Of course I love the series, and I'm still considered a baby in the game.. I'm just finishing book two right now. I know - shit's gonna get all craaay, I heard. Of course, now that the air is cooler and the sticks are all stacked with projects, I'm finding all kinds of inspiration for you Game of Thrones crafty nerds.

Here are a few of my favorites:

 

House of Stark Knitting Pattern from Shawnallama

(doing it. for my kids, ahem.)

 

 

Photo by KnitPicks Pattern by Freshisle Fibres

(Ah!! Would like to believe I'm gonna do it!)

 

The Starks of Winterfell - Kati at LunasCrafts

(Wanna play with it!)

 

Cross Stitch Pattern at Zahmira

(Perfect for the living room wall)

 

 

 

The Knitting Club.

I joined a knitting club. But it's not the knitting club you might expect. It has beginners and almost-beginners and some well on their way to finishing beautiful projects, but there is something a little different about this group... mostly that the average age of the members is roughly six to ten years old. It's the knitting club at my daughter's school.

I can't even tell you how excited I was as I waited in the hallway for lunch to begin today. A total geek, clutching my knitting bag and the extra needles and yarn to share with the group. I was blown away by how many kids were there, all sitting around tables in tiny chairs, mounds of yarn in front of them, clutching their bare needles, excited by the possibilities. Some of them have been knitting you know, "for a really long time." Some had picked it up "just recently again" since their Grandmothers had taught them. Some had never picked up a pair of sticks in their life.

There was the usual chatter you'd hear at any good knitting club. "Why are knitting needles so pointy" and, "I really like cats." I settled in on a chair and started casting on for some of the kids and knit and talked the entire lunch hour. I would say the only thing really missing was a bottle of wine or four on the table... but I think that would be deemed innapprpriate and I don't think I'd be invited back.

While talking to my Mom excitedly at approximately 1:02 PM (she is a faithful fellow knitter and will be joining us sometimes) she mentioned how neat it was that here were these kids doing something that has been done by groups of ladies (and men) for hundreds of years. It is really neat. That even in the modern child's world saturated with electronic entertainment and the instant gratification of technology, here is this group of kids, sitting around a table making knots on sticks, talking and laughing and learning, just like their Moms, just like their Grandmas, and all the other generations before.

By the end of the class I think almost every kid was really actually knitting. We're making scarves for those who might need a little handmade winter warmth this year. There was even talk of a little yarn bombing. I think I found the best knitting club I could have ever hoped for.

Frankie in Knitting Club

Three Years.

When I first started blogging I had big dreams. I was new to the world of the blog roll and had recently discovered the subculture of MommyCraftyKnittingSewing blogs. I was inspired.

I set out to be just like some of my new found blogging heroes, who were quite busy quilting and knitting and carrying babies on their hips all the while baking delicious glueten-free vegan cakes and brownies on a daily basis. I figured I was set. I had a kid of my own, and another one coming. My mother knew how to knit, I'm sure I could learn. I owned several quilts. I like cakes and brownies. I got this.

I was fresh in the world of sewing, and even dabbling in some needle felting which I now think is a little too hippy for me. I was making diapers and digging in my garden and happily blogging away, feeling confident that I would soon match my blogging heroes in numbers, banging out hoards of tutorials and how-to's, become the beacon of Crafty Mom Blogs and somehow generate enough revenue from my beautiful blog to clothe and feed my family, all the while making everything from scratch and possibly writing a book on the side. Did I mention we would also move to a farm?

My very first attempts at blogging were not even here, on Stitch Rabbit. I had another blog, one hilariously called "Blessed Nest". Hilarious because in hindsight, I do not believe blessed was an appropriate word. I should've worded it more like:

"HomeWithToddlerAndSmallInfantAndTryingToSurviveButLooksGoodOnInternet"

I think most bloggers would agree, you start off blogging on your very best behaviour. But it's only a matter of time till you really start to show your true colors. When we moved back to Vancouver and I started up Stitch Rabbit, I felt a lot more like myself:

From the Archives: "It Ain't Always Easy"

 Fast-forward a few years. I've got two kids. They're clothed (occasionally) in smocks and pants that I've banged out on my sewing machine late at night. I've made quilts for each of them, and a handful of others that drape casually over the furniture in our house. I've also made mountains of pillows and bags and handy household items, gifts and dolls. You've seen a lot of them here, on my blog.

From the Archives: "Around Here - It Is Winter"

I learned how to knit. From my mom, like I thought I would. It's become a true passion, a love that I cherish deeply. Knitting gives me time to be in my head, while using my hands and sitting down all at the same time. It makes me productive even while resting and blanking out. I've even managed to start selling my knitted goods in my shop, Stitch Rabbit Handmade.

"Stitch Rabbit Handmade"

I never, ever got the whole baking thing down. I bake, and I like it. But not enough to talk about it, and certainly not enough to take pictures of my uneven cakes and uncertain brownies. I'm not a foodie. I need to get over this. I will probably never bake bread from scratch. This is a fantasy that I need to let go of.

*  *  *

When I first started writing this blog I think my mom read it.

Eventually, a few friends started reading. (Thank you Amy, Michelle and Myki...for still holding on strong) Then I started emailing my posts to people, shamelessly promoting myself to family members and friends who may or may not be interested in my growing belly updates or what I thrifted that day. Over time, my readership has grown. As of now I sit at about 200 unique visitors a day, give or take. That might not seem like much when you consider that some of the big name bloggers generate thousands of readers a day... but to me - some 200 people look at my blog, my photos, my words and my life every day. Some of them are my friends and family, many of them are complete strangers. Some of them are from Canada, some of them are from the United States. Some of my readers are from Japan and Germany and India and the UK. Australia and New Zealand and South Africa. Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia. How cool is that? In the span of my blogging existence, I have had people read my blog from almost every country in the entire world. That blows me away. Whether you've been here since the beginning or you occasionally peek in... I want to thank you for reading. This blog has been a vessel for me, a means to the words I can't always get out, a place where I can sort out my feelings, wonder if I sound sort half-crazy and then hit "Publish" anyways.

Officially, next month I have been blogging for three years. I'm not the "It Girl" of Mommy blogs, I don't generate any money from writing, and I'm certainly not living on a farm making everything from scratch amongst the goats and the chickens. Over the years, I've learned to just be me here... knitting and sewing and yammering on about raising small children and the perils of garden work and taking photos of everything from stacks of fabric to cups in my cupboard. I still have big dreams and a lot more to say.

Thank you for hearing me out.

xo  stitch

 

A New Year - To Create.

I have to say first: Stitch Rabbit Shop !!!  Setting up a shop, working on patterns, knitting final patterns, photo shoots and marketing - it all was a lot of work and I'm really pleased with where it's taken me. I've been totally blown away by the support and encouragement  I've received to make things for people. This winter season was unbelievably busy and it was really awesome always having a gift on the sticks for somebody out there. Every sale I've received is like a really nice pat on the back. It's so nice to know that people like what I make and want to have it for themselves, or give it to someone they love. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for supporting me.

Now that the season in mind is spring, I am looking towards making other things for the shop. I'd really like to get some sewn product in there, bags, accessories, that kind of thing. I'm looking really forward to getting home and getting some ideas out on my machines. I'd like to get some more product out to brick and mortar stores as well.

Speaking of real live stores in the real world...I've been toying a lot with the idea of having a studio space where I could hold classes for knitting and sewing, as well as a retail space for fabric and yarn and space to showcase local handmade artists. Oh man, to be able to do something like that would be really amazing. I'm starting to understand the confidence it takes to work for yourself. In no way am I near supporting a family of four with a seasonal knitwear income, but I can tell you that the happiest work I have done has been for myself. I know enough to say that in my lifetime, that is what I want. I want to be able to do what I love and help support our family with it. Perhaps with a little luck and some thread and scissors, I could make that happen.

 

 

 

 

 

Craftacular This Sunday!

DIY Winter Decorating Links

This year seems busier than most, so there's a lot less time for me to craft the holiday away. I'm late getting into the winter workshop and the elving for the children in my life is taking up some serious night times these days.

Doesn't mean I can't drool over what's happening in the DIY world:

She is so amazing.

Dottie Angel

 

Gabe would hate it, he has a serious hate relationship with wicker, but it would be cool to do this using a pail of some kind.

via babble

 

This makes me want to cry it's so cute.

via Lisa at GoodKnits

 

Okay - this is ONE craft I am TOTALLY making.

from Kate at Ottilie's Closet via GoodKnits

 

 

The Window Community Art Shop

Sometimes a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can get together and make something really, really rad.

The Window Community Art Shop, spanking brand new and painted in white is somewhat of a beacon of expression and art smack dab in the middle of the bustling and busy DTES. To those of you who aren't Vancouverites, the Downtown East Side is considered to some, the poorest postal code in the Greater Vancouver Area, and to others, a place of endless possibilities, a diamond in the ruff, and the location that is very quickly becoming the very future home to the young and artistic with dreams in their heads and paintbrushes in hand.

It is no secret that more and more we are seeing unique and beautiful spaces pop up along the East Hastings corridor and it's side streets. From the funky racks at Community Thrift and Vintage to the deli counter and sandwich shop at Save-On-Meats, the design-worthy coffee stop at Revolver (edging on the outskirts of Gastown) and of course, the beloved turn-a-round multidimensional Waldorf Hotel;  the downtown eastside is truly evolving, and giving the middle finger to the gentrification that is trying to take over with tear downs and condo rebuilds.

The Window Community Art Shop is non-profit venture of the crafty kind, featuring local artists in their retail space, without taking huge percentages of their sales. In the back they are housing a studio space specifically for people who are interested in making art or craft, but do not have the space or the tools to do so. Classes, equipment and materials are readily becoming available to create a space where anyone can come and create. So cool!

 

 

 

 

Tonight was the Grand Opening of The Window, and you can stop by and check the crafty wares most any day of the week:

The Window Community Art Shop

9 West Hastings

Open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10:00am - 6:00pm

The Window on Facebook

The Window Website

 

 

Secret Projects on The Side.

In The Studio with Erin Cleal

This is something I've been wanting to document for a long, long time.

 

It isn't often you come across someone like Erin Cleal, a good friend of mine with an incredible talent for all things beautiful. Her long-time studio in East Vancouver is an art piece on it's own, a sanctuary for lost and found things, a place where tiny forgotten pieces of treasure are magically transformed into the usable, and the beautiful. Impossibly organized, you can spend hours peering through her things, amazed at her eye and ability to see something not for what it is, but for what it could be. Erin is, in my opinion, the Queen of Re-use, and I would like to, without further ado, take you on a tour of the magical place that is completely her.

A well-rounded artist with a knack for cutting and pasting, Erin is meticulous in her studio's organization. Really, with the amount of stuff she has, I can't imagine trying to function in a studio that wasn't so tightly dialed. She thrifts with incredible luck and talent, using everything that you could imagine to store her treasures and materials. From tupperware to jars to suitcases and spice racks, everything - I mean EVERYTHING is labeled, sometimes plain and sometimes quirky with what you'll find inside. Exploring her finds and keeps is like stepping directly into her mind.

Erin's love for her tools of her trade is apparent in quantity alone. She is the one who has every scissor, every brush, every pen that you could desire. The tiniest piece of hard wear you could need, she's got. In silver and in brass.

Systematic and beautiful in every way, I think the best part about visiting Erin's studio is finding something you would've never thought to be useful, and there it is, with purpose, and you're saying "I would've never thought of using that thing that way."

Thank you to my lovely friend Erin Cleal for letting me document her space and write about her and the place that is most definitely at the heart of it.

xo stitch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come Find Me at Poppytalk Handmade!

This month I am lucky enough to set up shop over at Poppytalk Handmade, a monthly curated online street market where you can find amazing goods and emerging artists and buy their wares all in one place! I am honored and flattered to be chosen as one of their featured shops for this month's handmade market:

  "Indie Love."

Jan and Earl of Poppytalk are Vancouver-based designers who also write the extremely popular Poppytalk Blog, discussing everything from design trends to DIY projects. Their love for the handmade and support for the artists make them one of my top five blogs and a force to be reckoned with!

Come visit and make sure to check out the other amazing online tables at this awesome market!

 

xo stitch

Stitch Rabbit Handmade Now Open!!

I am very happy to announce the opening of my new shop!

Come visit me at Stitch Rabbit Handmade.

 

Many thanks to my friends and family for your support and encouragement to really make this happen!

Thank you especially to Adam Campbell for taking such beautiful photographs of my knits, and to Amy Woods and Michelle MacLean for lending me their beautiful faces.

If you like what you see "like" my store pages or this blog post to help me spread the word!

 

xo Stitch

 

Preparing For The Photoshoot.

I am so excited! Today is the day we shoot my knitted lovelies out in the world!

Behind the scenes, I am working hard on my shop. Working out shipping costs, writing up descriptions and designing my "storefront". It's a huge, huge process!! After much deliberation I have decided to go with the online Big Cartel instead of Etsy. For many reasons, but the biggest being that with Big Cartel I get my very own store, and all the creative control I'd like to make it look like mine. And after all, who am I if I'm not myself?

You can check out some of the many amazing artists over at Big Cartel here.

Wish me luck, I'm so happy this is finally happening!

 

Come Find Me On Instagr.am!

In the heat of the summer, when the days are packed and the weeks fly by, I find it hard to have the time to sit at the computer and blog and muse about the days gone by.

An easy and super fun way to keep sharing is with Instagr.am. I'm completely in love with this app for Iphone! You can find me there posting about daily life. I love that there is a news feed so you can keep up to date wth others that you follow, and it's a great way to share your eyes without saying much else! At this point in time, Instagram is only available through IPhone, but I do believe they are working on a web platform coming soon!

Here are a few of my photos from Instagram - come visit me and follow me for more!

 

 

Guest Bloggin' At Make It Dear

Hi folks, you can check out a guest post I've written for my Dear friend Mandi over it Make It Dear.

Click on the image to take you to her lovely blog and check her out!

Links of Love

I read a lot of blogs. I keep them all in one neat little pile of "things to gawk at instead of doing housework"  by visiting one site where my blogs come up in a news feed fashion, with a picture and a small excerpt of the blog post. This way I can scan the blogs (there are many) in a quick fashion, clicking the posts that interest me. There is not enough time in the world to individually click on each blog, and I would for sure forget some along the way.

The magical website of time saving and blog stashing that I use is BlogLovin'. Check it out, and don't forget to add me to your own ever-growing list!

Here are just a few of the blogs that I am really loving right now. Some are well known and others are not, but I love them all and love the daily inspiration!

I am always looking for new blogs to peek at - any suggestions? Do you have a blog? Do you know of a few great ones? Feel free to post them in the comments!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SpinCushion

 

       

 Liesl Made

 

 

Anna Maria Horner

 

knitting blogs

 

all around crafty blogs

 

 

 

 

 

design blogs

lifestyle blogs