Stitch Rabbit

Renew.

It's feeling like a fresh new start over here... the New Year has been good to us so far, and there is a lot of new around the house. And a new look for the blog! With the holidays past us and the somewhat regular routine back I've been feeling refreshed and energized and ready for a fantastic year ahead.

My shop is now closed until Fall 2013. It is a little early for a close, but I am looking forward to next winter season's new designs and new materials. Thank you so much for all your support in buying handmade this season.

 

 

After cleaning out every basket and knitting bag around the house after the holidays, I have cast on about four or five..er, maybe even six new projects, including a few hats for the adults, a triangle scarf by Cait Ffrench and, though I have yet to cast on for this one yet, I am very excited to begin Jane Richmond's lovely cardigan "Grace" from her new book, Islands. I'm using Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock yarn... and this cardigan is all for me.

Looking forward to a year filled with creativity, love, and a whole new light.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

On The Sticks.

What I'm up to lately...

 

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

 

 

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

New and Fun.

Well this is super fun! Since launching the shop on Monday I have been completely bowled over with the shop love, the personal messages, the links, the support and the orders! Every time a new order comes in I literally squeal with delight, stoked that another somebody is going to be wearing something I made for them.

Thank you so much for all your love and support.

So. Rad.

Watch for some shop news coming on Monday morning! I'm going to be a featured artist in an upcoming online market alongside some pretty fantastic people!

 

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

 

Fun Times With Great Friends

Well that was fun! We shot the cowls for about five hours yesterday and walked away with about a million amazing pictures. A million thanks to my friends to help me get this done!

Lessons I learned in just one day of shooting product:

 

1. My friends are naturals in front of the camera. I am not. Shift your wait, move around, stop squinting.

adam & michelle

 

2. You may think you and your Iphone take amazing photos, but when you have a real camera, and a guy who knows how to use it, amazing things can happen.

adam

 

3. Light reflectors are so cool.

adam, michelle & me

 

4. When you've got good friends, it's going to be awesome no matter what.

adam & amy

 

 

 

 

 

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!