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How Did We Get Here – November Update

Posted on November 2, 2023November 3, 2023 by Leilani — Leave a comment

“Gentleness is strength under control. It is the ability to stay calm, no matter what happens.”
– Elizabeth George

Suddenly Winter

Yesterday, we got our first snowfall. It was merely a dusting here, unlike other parts of the province, but I am so not ready for colder temperatures. Yes, I complain about this every year. I am so not a winter person! I have the tropics in my blood. 😉

I am stunned to think there are only two months left of 2023. I’m not sure how we got here. It doesn’t help that we had a mild October, keeping that late summer vibe going. I am not complaining; it’s been lovely to keep grounding outside and prolonging my garden. But having to dig out winter boots and jackets suddenly is…very unpleasant.

The only thing I enjoy about this time of year is the (forced) slower pace and…fiber projects by the fire!

After all, if I lived in the tropics, would I have an excuse to make scarves, hats, sweaters? Though I don’t rule out living in the tropics someday…!

Hand Woven Scarves

I don’t have a huge update this month as I’m still on a (new product) work hiatus. Looking around my studio, I decided I’d amassed far too much handspun yarn. It’s time to use this up to motivate me to make more. The only way to get good at something is to do it. So, I’ve spun a lot of fiber in the past 12 years. I only put a small fraction up for sale, as many are experimental, and I don’t think it would be worth selling at a discount.

I’ve been having fun weaving scarves to use up my accumulated handspun yarn

My style for both spinning and knitting has evolved; so much of the yarn I’ve spun doesn’t inspire me for a knit or crochet project. Many are bulky and chunky, which I used to knit a lot. These days, I prefer DK, Worsted, and fingerweight yarns.

The good news is many of these chunky, fluffy yarns work wonderfully for weaving on my simple Ashford SampleIt loom. So, I’ve had a lot of fun making scarves this past month. I’m happy to be preserving these yarns because they represent my fiber arts journey. Some of these yarns are sentimental because I processed, dyed, and blended the fiber myself. They also show the progression of my skills.

A Scarf to Keep

The scarf above was made from one of the first chunky yarns I’ve ever spun. It started as a braid of Tunis wool roving I picked up at a fiber festival in New England when I started spinning. I bought it specifically because it was hand-dyed. Unfortunately, it had been overworked in the dyeing process and was too felted to spin comfortably.

Into the drum carder it went, mixed with merino & bits of sari silk. It made for a fun batt (actually batts!) to spin. I spun it chunky – thick and thin-like (remember, I was learning!) and then spiral-plied it to metallic thread. It’s undoubtedly uneven in size but so soft and squishy. Since it lies flat in a weave, you don’t notice the random thick and thin pieces. The thick pieces weave up “bubbly” in appearance against the warp, which looks very cool. And like I said, the best part: soft and squishy!

I’ve held onto this yarn for several years. Part of me was not sure what to make with it, and another part of me found it far too precious to use up. I’m amazed at how fantastic it looks next to this handspun black merino yarn I used as the warp.

This is an extra-long scarf. I’ll get a pic of it worn once I even out the fringe and steam-set it. There is a lot of this yarn, so I still have enough to make at least one more scarf, not quite as big.

Packaging Brainstorming

One of my goals for next year is to make my products retail-ready for local businesses. I took out some of the packaging and branding I had gathered over the years for ideas. I want to make the card backing for my stitch markers to match my handspun yarn hang tags. It would be preferred to use what I have on hand rather than purchase brand-new packaging. These days, it’s essential to save as much money as possible so that I can pass along those savings to my customers.

I look forward to seeing where this evolves this month and in the coming months.

A Coupon Code

I’m offering a discount to visitors to my website for November. Save an additional 15% on your order with code HELLOFRIEND at checkout. This even applies to sale items. I noticed a spike in traffic lately, and I want to welcome all to my little spot on the internet, new or returning.

Until next time, remember to be kind and patient with yourself and others…

Rain Rain Go Away – July Update

Posted on July 9, 2023July 9, 2023 by Leilani — Leave a comment

“Go with the flow. Force nothing. Let it happen, or not happen…trusting that whichever way it goes, it’s for the best”
– Mandy Hale

A girl picks up a crab at the edge of the water — Now that the rainy weather has finally stopped (for now?!)…we’ve been busy making friends at the beach 😉

Here in Nova Scotia, we went from worrisome dry weather to worrisome wet weather. Although the wet means no more forest fires, us gardeners know how devastating the constant rain has been on our gardens. It was really nice (and exciting!) to haul a large harvest of garlic scapes. I was beginning to wonder if I’d get anything out of the garden this season.

Now that we’ve had a stretch of sunny days there is hope the garden will recover! It also means it’s time to get back to work out there.

A large basket full of freshly harvested garlic scapes

Since I’ve been stuck indoors after weeks of rain you’d think I’d get tons done in the studio, but nope. I’m trying to update all my current designs or at least take fresh new photos, but I’m totally stuck especially when it comes to my engraving designs. I wanted to have several necklaces revamped or at least freshly photographed but I can’t seem to get any traction creatively there.

So I’ve just been going with the flow, allowing myself to feel out my projects even though the responsible side of me is screaming: YOU SHOULD BE RE-DOING THOSE PIECES! I should know by now that creativity cannot be forced.

What’s New (or rather returning)

Nevertheless I have the final revamped stitch markers listed, and with a little luck I can get into the necklace revamp this month.

Several stitch markers have gotten a fresh new look and as mentioned last month, I’m trying to vary up the amount in each set so to cover a wide range of prices/budgets.

More Info on the Different Sets

The Must Love cats series is now available under one listing, with 3 sets to choose from. The charms are paired with fun dyed fossil and Mother-of- Pearl beads, with a small discount if you buy two or three. There is a discount on Etsy if you buy all three.

My original Knitting Bling – AKA the first set of stitch markers I ever made – is now available in 2 types. The original extra large slip on ring are paired with dyed mother of pearl rondelles. Something about the combination reminded me of dyed roving, so I thought it would be a good upgrade. The clip-on option however, is paired with dyed fossil beads. Also available in my Etsy shop.

I’ve revamped the Snowflake sets to a smaller set of 4 instead of 8. Available in silver or gold, also on Etsy. These charms make great little embellishments on handmade cards and gifts, too.

A Thing for Shoes is now known as A Shoe for Every Occasion, now a mini-set of 3 and paired with freshwater pearls. Check it out also on Etsy.

Also now a mini-set of 3 is O Christmas Tree. These would also be cute on gifts and cards (in fact, I originally bought these charms for this reason). See them here on Etsy as well.

What I’m Working On

I finished a few knitting projects last month, including the thrummed mittens and slip stitch hat started last month.

Thrummed Mittens: Super warm and Cozy

The thrummed mittens were really fun to make – only I was reminded that I really hate making cuff down mittens (!!) – probably for the same reason I dislike making cuff down socks. I really dislike Kitchener Stitching…I always seem to have to fuss with the tensioning to get it to look just right.

Besides that, I simply prefer to start out my socks and mittens from the fingers/toes up. There is something so satisfying of having that section finished and watching the project evolve in this manner. It feels…more “finished” to me this way and thus I am motivated to keep going. I know that probably doesn’t make sense but that’s my brain for you!

In the case of socks, I like that you can stop when you run out of yarn at the leg instead of being stuck with an unfinished toe. I also know several stretchy bind offs so starting in the opposite direction is more appealing to me. I know that doesn’t work for every pattern, but this is just my preference.

I’m curious to see if I can reverse engineer the thrummed mittens pattern to start from the finger tips down, so that is on my to-do list to try… 🙂

Slip Stitch Hat – still a work in progress

The slip stitch hat I started from scratch (sans pattern) is technically done….but I don’t like the crown decrease. I tried 3 different styles of decreases and disliked every single one. So I didn’t weave in the ends yet in case a want to frog it back for a 4th time. Trust me: it may sit around for months but it’s most likely I will be deconstructing this in the future.

I’m picky with my hat decreases. I’m not a fan of the heavily gathered look, but trying to avoid that made this hat rather flat at top which I don’t like either. Yes. I’m fussy! It’s from years of jewelry design where I expect the pieces to hang. just. right. So when I knit I tend to have the same…fussiness. 😉

Take the other hat in the photo, for instance. That hat started out as a slouchy hat pattern free from the internet. I liked how it worked up until I realized the top pretty much had that draw string look. So, I combed through my collection of hat patterns until I found a crown decrease I liked. I need to do the same for the slip stitch hat, I think.

Weaving Dishcloths

My first time weaving cotton dishcloths. There is 6 in total here fresh off the loom before they were finished/separated

I love to knit and crochet dishcloths instead of buying them, and using cotton or bamboo yarn instead of synthetic fibers. Since I got my little SampleIt loom I’ve been really curious about making dishcloths. After finishing yet another wool panel in handspun yarn I decided to put that project on pause to start making dishcloths.

I’m using No. 10 crochet thread for the warp and commercial cotton yarn (smooth and scrubby) for the weft. I finally got to try out my laceweight reed! I thought the first bunch was…okay. I’ve decided for the next bunch to keep the cotton thread weft doubled and…oh my: now we’re talking!

weaving on a table top loom — Second round of cotton dishcloths on the loom. This is really pretty, but the low light doesn’t show it off well. Do you like my crooked spacer, that the cat bumped?? LOL

For this new set I decided to go with 2 different colors for the warp. The weft is a commercial cotton yarn I hand dyed. The contrast really works, and I love the asymmetrical contrast colors of the warp. I’m going to use the basic hemstitch at the start and finish of each dishcloth. I had my oldest zig-zag sew the edges with the sewing machine on the scrubbies since they were much thinner than these, but I think we’d need to upgrade to a surger to have the ends finished correctly.

Swing Chair Macrame, Part 2

Last month I mentioned that I was working to restore 2 old swing chairs by spray painting with Rust-Oleum and then re-stringing with crochet hooks and macrame cord. The first one I finished, but the second one sat outside half done due to all the torrential rain of the past month. I finally got fed up and asked the Hubs if he could help me bring it into the studio. In a comfy environment, I finished it in an afternoon!

First I decided to remove the original first pass with the white macrame cord. I found the way I did the first chair caused too much sag in the seat, which I disliked. So I decided to to the weave on the seat part only, and only the verticle portion of the weave on the back, separately. I also switched to navy and tan cord which I love! It matched the chair cushion I luckily found online beautifully.

Peanut enjoyed the work in progress, while Osuna was caught enjoying the the final product! 🙂

The second chair turned out so much nicer than the first, I think I will bring chair number 1 inside and re-do it. I know I won’t be able to help myself… 😉

I’m off to enjoy more summer. Until next time…

Call to Action – We Need your Creativity – March Update

Posted on March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 by Leilani — Leave a comment

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
– Vincent van Gogh

Now is the time

When I left the corporate world to explore a creative life, I was secretive and embarrassed to admit it. It didn’t feel like people took what I did seriously. And who can blame them? I gave up a steady salary and the “prestige” of a career to stay at home and play with beads!

Never before in recent history has it been more important to inspire and create. That is my (humble) opinion. It comes from both my intuition and observation. After the past few years, the world needs YOU. Your inspiration. Your creativity. Your positivity introduced by what you create.

If there was anything you’ve ever wanted to try to do, now is the time. That creative energy will help off set all the chaos and negativity that seems to be relentless these days. We can start a creative renaissance!

What does it Mean to Create?

To create could mean well, just about anything. If you are not into an art or a craft, create a beautiful space to share with friends. Put an intention forward to support others, even if it just means smiling at strangers in the grocery store.

Imagine if everyone created something beautiful and positive every day. No matter how small, it doesn’t matter! Take it a step forward and be brave enough to try that new skill or hobby you always wanted to.

Some Days are Harder than Others

I know not all days are inspirational. Today, I didn’t feel like creating or being positive. Instead, I replanted my seedlings into bigger containers. It’s not what I wanted to do, but by the end of the afternoon I felt a sense of satisfaction for channelling my negative feelings into something productive (and thus, positive).

Nurturing these veggie plants that started from seed

March Update

Follow me on Pinterest

Mt Pinterest profile – if you are on Pinterest come give me a follow 🙂

I no longer use social media actively. In 2020 I completely abandoned Facebook and Instagram and I’m not sure if I’ll return. But I’ve been thinking about putting up pins of my creative work on Pinterest. The other day, after doing some research and watching some YouTube videos for advice, I decided to go for it.

Pinterest is more of its own search engine than a social media platform. I use it almost daily for recipe inspiration. So, it seems a good fit for me. I also like that they encourage individuality and expression but in a positive way. If you use Pinterest please give me a follow.

I may consider social media platforms where artists and creative types tend to gather. But for now, the Meta brand is just unpalatable for me.

What’s new

New Bouclé Yarns

Now available: several skeins of bouclé handspun yarn

I enjoy spinning bouclé and have amassed several skeins. So I decided to list them as 1 listing where you can browse all that is offered on one page. Some are mohair and some are Wensleydale, and some are plied with cotton while others are plied with silk thread. Descriptions on each available when you choose a skein from the drop down menu.

These yarns are available here on the website only. I only list clearance yarn items on Etsy. I’m happy to entertain offers for bulk amounts of yarn or payment by barter.

Revamp: Celtic Braid Earrings

celtic knot earrings silver or gold with tourmaline — These earrings have gotten a face lift and are on sale for the Month of March

These earrings have gotten a face lift and are on sale for the Month of March

These earrings have been available for many years, and originally you got to choose from either Malachite or Onyx beads as accents. I felt that they needed an updated feel, so I decided to pair them with this amazing faceted green tourmaline. Honestly the pictures don’t capture all the beautiful nuances of these gemstones. I’m pairing the silver version with tourmaline that have more of a grey-green tone, whereas the gold has stones that have a more yellowish green tone. Each has an element of either grey-brown or honey-brown as well. I’m really happy with both the look and the feel of these earrings.

New On Sale

celtic knot dangle earrings — A things for Shoes Stitch Marker set of 8

A things for Shoes Stitch Marker set of 8

I’ve added some new products to the Clearance section. I want to retire some older designs, while others are on sale for a limited time.

What’s New on Etsy

I like to list the one of a kind and limited edition items on Etsy. I typically mark them down right away, and I find Etsy a better audience for these type of items. New this month:

Peach Freshwater Pearl Leverback Earrings

Jade and Tigereye Leverback Earrings

Marble Amber and jade Leverback Earrings

Moukaite and Jade Leverback Earrings

Turquoise Chip earrings on Long Gold-Filled Kidney Wires

What I’m working on

I took an entire week off this past month to just work on personal projects. One is this massive it-was-going-to-be-a-rug, now it’s an “ugly” weighted blanket.

I started this project several years (!!) ago, and I have not done any work on it in the past 3 years. I wanted to preserve some of the first yarns I ever spun. Bulky, uneven and of a tougher texture, I think most knitters would tell me to discard it.

Practice Makes Perfect

In order to get good at something, you have to practice. A lot. And for the first 3 years when I was teaching myself to spin, I spun just about every. single. day. Unless I was gone overnight or had a migraine, I was spinning. Back then I wasn’t spinning merino or any of the finer top rovings. It was a lot of cheap wool rovings that I now realize aren’t that easy to spin! In retrospect I am really glad that I learned to spin on such challenging fiber, because it makes me a more versatile and nimble spinner today.

…the rest becomes an Ugly Blanket

But throw it away? Is it really good for nothing? It’s wool, it came from an animal (mostly small farms in New England) and it needs to be respected. So at first I thought I’d make a rug out of it, but I misjudged the size since I’m crocheting holding 2 strands of this bulky yarn together. Now I’d say it’s turning into a delicious weighted blanket.

2.5kg is about 5.5 lbs – and this project is nowhere near done. Weighted blanket indeed!

Not so Ugly Afterall

I have to pause this project for now because I’m running out of yarn! There are a few older skeins that I may want to experiment on my SampleIt loom. Once I determine that, I’ll pick it up crocheting this monstrosity once again. But as you can see below, the ugly project is not so ugly after all!

This is just single crochet using a size N hook.

Moki enjoying a spare bit of yarn from this work-in-progress.

New Reeds For the Ashford SampleIt Loom

I’m really enjoying my little 10 inch SampleIt Loom. So much so that I had to have every reed available for it! So I contacted John & Alan at the Fibre Garden in Jordan, Ontario and John responded that they did indeed have them all in stock (or would be in stock shortly). By the following week, I had all the reeds.

And wouldn’t you know, I haven’t had the time to play with them, yet! The goal will be to try each size and do a mega SampleIt Loom post, with video! Fingers crossed it will happen this year (ha ha!).

Peanut critically inspecting the current weaving project using the 7.5 dent reed that the 10 inch SampleIt Loom originally comes with. This is for DK and Worsted Weight Yarn. I’m currently weaving panels to use up some handspun that was a little rougher in texture than I like to use for my garment knitting. I’m planning on stitching the panels together to make a throw blanket…or a mat if I don’t have enough to complete a blanket

What is Inspiring you?

I hope this month’s post inspires you to get started with creative projects you have been meaning to start or have put off finishing. Can I assist you in any way to get started? Offer you an encouraging word? I’ve been a maker for a very long time, and it has so enhanced my life in ways I can never truly express. At one time, I could sincerely say, creating saved my life! This was long before I ever delved into the fiber arts.

I’m always open to chat, so please leave a comment or drop me a line any time!

We all need a purpose and a drive toward something positive. At first creative work may seem a waste of time in a society that puts so much emphasis on “the grind”. But I promise you the enhancements you will make in all aspects of your life will make it worthwhile. I’m living proof…