How does crafting nurture your creative self?

How does crafting nurture your creative self? 

That's the question we are asking on the beautiful blog Che and Fidel this week. Together with the lovely Jodi, we have put together a giveaway with offerings from our teachers. In order to enter you need answer the question in the comments section of that post. We can't wait to read your answers.

I love the question. It is the reason we have created The Craft Sessions - because of the community and connection we feel through crafting together. We wanted to bring together a group of people with the aim of immersing ourselves for a short time in the joy of craft. It is not often we get to set aside the time and space in our busy lives. So excited.....

In other news....we wanted to let you know that our free Big Hearted Cowl pattern is up on the website and on ravelry. Go have a look. We can't wait to see what you make with it!

Have a great weekend x

Felicia

A Fogo Experience

When I mentioned to Felicia that I would love to write a Craft Sessions blog post on my trip to Fogo Island in June, she did what she always does by responding with the words  “that would be great!” 

We talk a lot about craft building a community, but what does that really mean?

Not many people have heard of Fogo Island, but according to Wikipedia, the Flat Earth Society believes it is one of the four corners of the Earth.  This little 25 km by 14 km island, jutting out into the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, is currently undergoing an economic and social rejuvenation based on eco tourism and the arts. 

I was lucky enough to stay in the newly opened Fogo Island Inn (which in itself is remarkably special) in June this year, and was given a tour of the artist studios that dot the Island. The artist studios host artists and thinkers from a wide range of disciplines who are taking part in the Fogo Island artist residency program.

Fogo Island Inn

One of the Artist's Studios

The artist residency program and the Fogo Island Inn are community initiatives that grew out of one woman’s financial backing and incredible vision.  Zita Cobb, who was born and raised on Fogo, established the Shorefast Foundation, which aims to “create a world-renowned destination for artistic, cultural, ecological and culinary pursuits at ’the edge of the earth’.” 

While the Inn and artist residency program are truly impressive, the other aspect of this innovative and awe inspiring social enterprise project is craft, the pursuit of which has played a vital role in my life for many, many years. Every room at the Inn is furnished with craft made locally in Fogo. Quilts, hooked rugs, crocheted mats and furniture all add to the unique sense of place and made my stay there unlike any experience I’ve had. 

My room - all the furniture, quilts etc are made on the island! 

Handmade Cushion Seat

Crochet rug

Generations of people living on Fogo made their living off the sea fishing for cod.  In the homes of that fishing culture grew a rich tapestry of practical craftwork that has a distinct local aesthetic.  As Fogo becomes an attractive eco tourism destination, local craft adds a unique cultural dimension.

The Artisans’ Guild meets weekly, and the day I dropped in was a hive of activity, with a room full of women busy filling orders for the Inn, as well as stock for the craft store.  I was invited by these lovely women to pull up a seat and, of course, I whipped out my knitting!

From the Shorefast foundation website; "The considered locations of the studios and artists’ homes help connect artists-in-residence with the day-to-day lives of the Island’s local communities."

I hope you enjoy the pics and these follow up links!

New York Times Article 

A talk by Zita Cobb about the transformation of Fogo Island. (this is a great watch!)

Leslie

xx

How to choose a sweater pattern

Alrighty then. This is another post about knitting - I'll do one on sewing soon but this one is close to my heart and I have been thinking about it over the last few days....so stay with me...

I am about to have to choose another major knitting project. I like to have a variety of stuff on the needles. One epic project (the current one is now over two years old!), one for the kids (colourwork cardigan), something for someone else (a cardigan for my SIL which I have been slowly working through), a couple of smaller car type projects (baby hats) and finally something for me that gives-me-immense-joy-to-knit, and is very exciting because I really want it to exist. And the last one is the project that I am trying to pick at the moment. 

I've learnt over the years that picking a sweater pattern is an art and a science! There are some lessons that I have learnt that I want to share with you. And the reason I think this is important enough to write a blog post about, is that each of these choices, the pattern, the yarn, the size and making any necessary modifications, can have an effect that will ultimately lead to a OHMYGODIT'SSOPERFECT_I'LLWEARITFOREVER situation or a MASSIVE_BUGGER! If you are going to the trouble of knitting a cardy or a jumper, you really want all that time and yarn to result in the former feeling.

I want you to know before you read on that I now manage to get this right most of the time. I don't want this to be a demoralising post ;-). I generally make things I love - but I do put the time in before I start, to make sure I have all these points covered!  I'd love to hear in the comments if you can think of any others..... 

A somewhat fail - I got the size wrong! Brooklyn Tweed's Stranger Cardigan. Knitted by me.

So here are my tips for ending up with a garment you love; 

1. Only choose a style you wear! Now this seems to be stating the bleeding obvious but I think this is the single biggest mistake I make. I have made it over and over and over again. I love the look of a pattern - I love it on the model - I love how it is styled - I think that it would be interesting to knit. BIG MISTAKE!  I love the process of knitting it but then don't wear the garment. Ever. It sits in the cupboard because every time I put it on I don't feel like me. 

What you need to do is to think about what you own already - and what you love   - and find patterns that fall kinda within this category. Venture outside what you have a little, but think carefully about the garment shapes and weights of garments you wear all the time.

I have included a small selection below that fit into the fail category... There are more - please don't judge me - or do. I don't really mind. I realise it is idiotic - I'm highlighting this as a community service! Please note; I really love all these patterns. They just aren't my style and sit unworn in the cupboard.

I don't wear swing cardigans! Pattern is Olivia by Kim Hargreaves. Knitting by me.

I don't wear thick round neck lace cardigans! Love this pattern by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne

I don't wear shawl collared cardigans! Pattern is Forestry by Vogue knitting. Knitting by me. 

I don't wear flappy side bits! The lovely Vitamin D by Heidi Kirrmaier.

2. Get the size right. Again it sounds like I am stating the obvious but this is a bit tricky, especially when you are just starting.

The best way is to find a similar cardigan or jumper in your wardrobe that you like the fit of. Then measure the chest width of the existing garment. Knit the size that is similar to the measurement you get, in the pattern. Don't just measure your chest and go with what the pattern says. People like different amounts of ease (tightness/looseness) and the only way to get this right is to measure something you like that is similar. 

Other things that will help - read what the designer says about the pattern and the amount of ease that is needed. This is why the cabled cardigan at the top of this post failed. I ignored what it said and thought that the stated ease was waaaay to much so did the smaller size. And there is not enough ease. I love it so much I wear it all the time still but it niggles me every time I put it on. My brain says "idiot!" (in a friendly bemused way) each time I put it on.....which is no way to feel about something you have spent hours knitting. 

Below is another fine example....can you see the problem? Again I wear this one - but never bothered to put the buttons on as I can't really do them up. 

Problem? The lovely Coraline by Ysolda. Knitting again by me.

3. Swatch! I know, I know; it's boring and you could be knitting. But if you are going to spend hours and hours knitting a sweater then make sure you get the gauge right. Suck it up and do a big swatch. Big! And then wash and dry it. Measure it to the half a stitch in a couple of places. This, really is the key! Try to think of it as part of the exciting  "dreaming" stage of sweater knitting. And don't go by the needle size suggested in the pattern. Change the needle until you get the right gauge for the pattern using your yarn of choice.

4. Match your yarn and pattern! What am I talking about.....well, it isn't just getting the gauge right that makes a difference to the wearability of the sweater. Look at the properties (alpaca, wool, silk %) of the suggested yarn of the pattern and find something similar. This will mean the pattern drapes and wears how it is supposed to.

Another classic mistake is to think "oooohhh that yarn is so soft" and then try to make a sweater out of it. A supersoft untwisted yarn is great for a hat or a cowl but it will end up being a super pilly disgusting mess of a jumper that you won't wear. 

Weird pose - I was trying to show how the shoulders fitted. I loved this cardy. The yarn was a bit "meh" though. Pattern is Bailey by Amy Christoffers.

One tip I have for a flowy drapey cardigan is to use something with some alpaca in it. My all time favourite cardigan is an alpaca silk - 3 years in it hasn't pilled, drapes wonderfully and is wearing super well. 

I have included a photo of the Minimalist cardigan below. And the problem with this one was that I chose a yarn that met gauge but I didn't wear because it was just too damn thick to have 3/4 sleeves. It meant I was hot and cold at the same time - all the time. My partner got sick of me complaining about it and made me rip it. Yes - I ripped the whole cardigan out and reused the yarn to make the Forestry above.....which was another fail. Ho Hum. 

Minimalist Cardigan by Ruthie ?? 

5. Modify. Goes without saying probably, but change anything you need to to make it work for you. Body length, sleeve length, waist shaping. It's your  knitting so make sure you end up with a shape you wear.

6. Advice for beginner garment knitters.

a. Make your first sweater or cardy pattern a seamless top-down one. Don't be scared by top-down. Follow the instructions and if you get stuck then use youtube. It is very hard to judge the right length of sleeves and the body when you are knitting from the bottom. Knitting in this way means that when you finish the knitting all you have to do is weave in the ends. There is no sewing up and you will be able to try it on all through the process which will mean you can be sure it is going to fit. Win!

b. Choose a pattern with a gauge of about 18-20 stitches. Yes there are lots of pretty patterns outside this but this will ensure you get a quick win. And you need quick wins when you are beginning. Knitting a sweater for a year can be demoralising. And knitting should be all about joy!

c. Choose a yarn you love. Don't buy a cheap yarn. Some people think this is counter intuitive; the old I'm-only-a-beginner-so-I-don't-want-to-spend-too-much theory. Knitting is a lot about the process. Feeling and watching a gorgeous yarn between your fingers for hours on end make the process an absolute pleasure. Not so much with a blah yarn. 

d. Buy a good needle. For the same reasons as I mentioned in point c. A good needle will have a flexible soft cord and a good smooth join. Please don't buy one of those ugly grey circular needles. They will make you miserable! A lovely Addi Turbo or Knitpicks needle will give you many hours of pleasure. They are worth the price!!

e. Choose a pattern you really love even if you think it might be a little tricky! This will help you with your motivation when times get tough. Use youtube to learn the bits you don't know. Youtube taught me how to knit.

Does anyone else have any suggestions, failures and successes they would like to share? I'd love to hear them....

Felicia x

New Teacher Announcements

Exciting news today. We have two new - fantastically talented - teachers joining us for The Craft Sessions. One you will know - the amazingly talented Kirsten Johnstone and the second you probably won't know but you really should - the stupendously clever Anna O'Brien. 

So let's chat a bit about Kirsten Johnstone - a stunning knitwear designer from Melbourne who is also an architect and just has incredible style. I love her work! Beautiful, simple shapes in knitwear patterns are often the trickiest to find and Kirsten has this covered. She has incredible attention to detail - her patterns contain simple details that result in knitwear that is really special. Her design stripes are so incredible that her work has been included in collections from Shibui and the always amazing Brooklyn Tweed. We are lucky enough to have talked Kirsten into teaching the Beyond Beginner Knitting class - she has a wealth of knowledge about knitting - so take advantage people....

The second teacher is a friend of mine in real life - the ever lovely Anna O'Brien. Anna would hands down be the most incredibly beautiful crafter I know. She would scare me a little, as the things she makes are just so beautiful and perfect, were it not that she is incredibly open and generous as a human, and with her crafting knowledge. Actually she is fabulous at more than just crafting. She is also an amazing cook; the woman can make croissants - who does that???? Anna runs workshops in Melbourne and I keep hearing report after report after report of how amazing she is as a teacher. I'm so excited she will be joining us to teach both the Beyond Beginner Knitting and Anatomy of a Quilt. 

Anna O'Brien - her blog is called Swallow Tail and Spool 

I cut some words out of Anna's bio for space reasons but I thought I would post them here as they say a lot about how she teaches and what she loves. 

"I really do feel that anyone can learn to make things with their hands. I think craft is mostly a combination of practice and, like most creative endeavours, a little bit of courage. It is so satisfying the first time a new skill or technique ’clicks’ and something that started off feeling awkward and clumsy suddenly feels natural, or when an idea that has lived in your imagination becomes real at your own hands." Anna O'Brien

{C}

Anyway enough descriptive words (they are all true!)  for one morning. If you want to read a bit more about them - like their bios - I have updated our Teachers page with all their details. Enjoy!

Do you craft for joy?

In putting together The Craft Sessions we thought a lot about who it was for - and the simplest answers is that it for those people that craft for joy! Who craft for the pleasure they get from making something with their hands. For people who love seeing an idea come to life; who feel compelled to make and love getting into the flow of creating.

And it is a bit tricky to explain but it is for exactly the same reason that we put this event together. The idea for The Craft Sessions wouldn't go away. And in the end we felt compelled to do it, compelled to create it. Because there isn't anything like this in Australia - and there should be! We should have the opportunity to get together with other people that make for joy, share, be inspired and learn things. 

Yes there are markets for makers and small crafting groups and wool shows and workshops but nothing that had all the good stuff in the one event. That would bring together people that craft for the fun of it, where there was time to really get to know and be inspired by others outside our immediate crafty circles, super inspiring teachers with great tricks, great food, tea and a bit of scenery thrown in.  

So if you identify with the "I craft for joy!" mantra or something like it - we would love you to join us. Your level of crafty-ness doesn't matter. Beginners who are trying to include more creative time in their lives are looked after as our teachers are all super encouraging. The most advanced crafter is covered too as there is a varied program that allows you to work at your own level. The Craft Sessions is for crafters of all levels - those who know what they are doing already and those who want to know more. I know I'm a bit of both....you?

So why do you craft? For the joy? Or does it give you something else?

I would love to hear your thoughts. 

Felicia x

Registration Update

Registrations have been going really well with the quick-off-the-mark types getting in and locking down their preferences. At this stage we still have space in all classes as people have been choosing classes right across the spectrum. Which is great!