Sometimes knitting sh*ts me!

Like today. And yesterday. Shits me. Bores me. Annoys me. As I'm doing it and even when it is just lying around. I look at it, my eyes narrow and I feel jumpy.

I used to think that that meant something about the actual knitting. It turns out, not so much. See the wonderful thing about knitting is that while it shits me, it is also often instructive.

I'm a little better in my old age at tuning in. At looking at whether the feelings I'm having might have a reason outside of whatever is in my field of vision. When I'm feeling a little tetchy I try to figure out whether the issue is actually about what it seems to be about - or if maybe I'm projecting some anger or frustration onto something totally unconnected..... like my poor victimised knitting.

Often when my knitting is annoying me it's because I have something else going on. Feeling this prickly about knitting normally means I'm a little overwhelmed and need to simplify, somehow, anyhow.

Like this week. There is a just a little bit going on. It's school holidays, we are renovating, we are trying to organised parts of a wedding, I'm working on a few side projects that have nothing to do with craft, and The Craft Sessions is about to launch. My head feels crowded, my heart feels crotchety and I feel a little strung-out (and excited! always excited). Knitting when I'm this busy simply ends up feeling like something else to be done. Like the knitting itself is a chore. And having more than one or two things on the needles, well that just feels like a chaotic type of pressure. Like the knitting is trying to punish me by existing and not getting itself done.

Crazy town anyone?

The beautiful thing is that without the knitting I wouldn't have been able to see how overwhelmed I was. By annoying the sh*t out of me, the knitting told me something was up. Then the knitting told me what to do. It said "take some time out", "ask for some help" and "focus".

Then my lovely friend Martine sent me a text with a quote from Steve Jobs.

“Focus is about saying no.”

— Steve Jobs sometime, somewhere, maybe.

I take it back. I love my knitting (and Martine) for telling me what I needed to hear.

How about you? Does your craft ever talk to you?

Felicia x

Announcing Our 2016 Retreat Scholarship.

Craft has been an ongoing, incredibly important support mechanism for me over the last ten years of early motherhood and life in general. It has supported me emotionally and physically, giving me small windows of joy, quiet, and space, while the world went on around me, doing what it does. It’s given me mental (good) health. And I know I’ve said it before but I truly believe it’s saved me. So the announcement of our first scholarship today is very personal and important to me. I want to give someone who couldn’t afford to come, the opportunity to come to the retreat.

Scholarships were always something I wanted to offer as part of The Craft Sessions. I grew up in a family that had ongoing financial stress, and I remember it well. We were a family that loved to make, and crafting was a big part of my childhood. Speaking as adult Felicia, looking back I would have loved to see my mum have the opportunity to come to something like the retreat. She needed a break, and she loved her craft.

The Craft Sessions Retreat Scholarship

What is the Scholarship?

A full place at The Craft Sessions retreat + $500 stipend.

What is the $500 for?

Because we wanted to really make it possible for someone to have a break. So the $500 is for you to spend however you see fit. In order to come you might need to pay for travel, babysitting, you might miss a shift at work, or you might need materials. Whatever you need – it’s totally up to you.

Who is it for?

Someone who is struggling financially and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Someone who loves making, and maybe needs some joy.

Your name won’t be announced. The only person who will know you are the recipient are the panel and me.

And one more thing - we very kindly want to ask that you don't apply if you can afford to come. 

The process:

1. Applications open on April 16th 2pm and are open for one week. They close at midnight on Saturday April 23rd.  You will have a week to get your application in.
2. You will need to tell us a little bit about your circumstances and why you would love to come. There will be an online form to fill in.
3. You can nominate someone for the Scholarship if you would like to, as long as you know they would be able to come and you have their agreement.
4. The chosen applicant will be picked by a small external panel.
5. You would be informed of your success (or not) a week after the retreat has gone on sale to the general public.

Just to be super clear - we will not be announcing a scholarship recipient as we want to keep it totally anonymous for you in order to protect your privacy. That said if you want to tell people then you are totally welcome to!

So just to reconfirm all the dates for this year's retreat!

1. Our 2016 workshop list will be posted on Friday April 15th!
2. Applications for the scholarship open on Saturday April 16th at 2pm.
3. Applications for the scholarship close on Saturday April 23rd at midnight.
4. Registration opens on Sunday April 24th at 5pm.

We are thrilled to be able to finally do this, and give someone the opportunity to come and share in the joy that is The Craft Sessions retreat.

Felicia x

Stash Less Challenge #3 - Create a Making List

One of the most useful things I did as part of Stash Less last year was that I Made a Making List. I am in the process of doing it again so thought that I would set it as this month's challenge.

There is this tricky thing that happens in my head, and probably also in yours, whereby you sit with this overwhelming desire to make the things. Things you have thought of, and things you haven't yet thought of. You get excited as an idea flashes through your mind about some fabric you have in your stash or the shape of a garment you saw the other day that you know you could make. And yet.... there isn't enough time in anyone's world to make all the things. Everyone, even those people that do it for a living, have very limited time to make. And while we can sometimes achieve a lot in that time, we will never be able to make all the things!

So last year I sat down and wrote a list of all the things I had to make (for birthdays and family rituals and to fulfill plans I had) and then I added in a few things that I wanted to make (like the odd dress for me). I based the list by month and I thought carefully about how much time things typically take me (your ravelry posts can help with this) so that I had a relatively realistic assessment of what I could achieve. I then went through and checked to see if I had the materials I needed for that list. What a helpful process.

Now I didn't stick to it like glue - that would be no fun, wouldn't allow for spontaneous making and isn't practical. The queue changed somewhat; things got dropped and things got added. BUT for the most part many of the things on that list were achieved.

What it did tell me was that for the most part I had everything I needed. Therefore any spending I did would be for things that I didn't necessarily have time or space or energy for and would sit on the shelf berating me for my excessiveness (while looking pretty of course).

Stash Less Challenge #3 - Create a Making List

Creating a Making List pulled me out of desire and into reality; I found that creating this list was incredibly helpful with curbing my spending. It also really helped me to get conscious about;

1. How much time really existed in my world with respect to crafting.
2. What it was that I had in my stash - which we have already detailed in a previous challenge!
3. What it was that I needed to make the things on the list.
4. Being conscious about whether what I wanted to purchase was needed or not.

It's pretty simple to create (and update) - just a pen, some paper and a little thought.

Step 1:
Write down everything you need to make this year - for yourself, for your family and for your friends.

Step 2:
Write down things you would like to make this year.

Step 3:
Figure out how realistic your list is with respect to the amount of time you have.

Step 4:
Figure out if you have the materials you need within your stash to fulfill the items on your list - even if that means getting creative.

And just in case you are interested I thought I would give you a breakdown of where I am at with my list for 2016. It has been overtaken by the wedding dress making so I'm trying to keep it pretty low key after getting the current WIP's out of the way.

My Making List for 2016

April/May/June
Finish cardigan for my middle kid - Used stashed old-school superwash.
Cardigan for my niece - Use scraps.
Penguin for my oldest for his BD - Use scraps.
Jumper for my oldest for his BD - Green Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette from stash.
Continue on my Brioche jumper - Unravel my Uniform cardigan.
Continue on my quilt - Used stash
Start on the wedding dress - Using recently purchased lace.

July/August
Slade for my brother - Use the recently purchased Shelter.
Wedding dress cont.

September/October
Four flower person frocks - Unknown
Shorts and a shirt for the small boy for the wedding - Unknown
Birthday dress for the smallest kid - from stash.

November/December
Three small person Xmas Pjs - from stash.
Birthday dress for the middle kid - from stash.

Please leave links to your blog posts in the comments if you are following along. I'd love to check them out.

Felicia x

Favourite Books - Penguins By Anna Maltz

Two things are happening on this here blog today that aren't normal. Firstly we are talking penguins because Anna Maltz has written a knitting book about penguins! And secondly, and for once, I have the slightest conflict of interest :)!  And that is that I've met Anna and think she is magic, so I am possibly slightly biased, but in a good way. Meeting her made me appreciate her work more as I got to put her amazing work in context and talk knitting philosophy, which you all know I love.

But that isn't why I love this book or why I'm telling you about it. This book stands on it's own two feet as one of the most interesting and innovative knitting books I've seen in a long while. Because it isn't just a knitting book. It is a book that has context and stories and information and lovely illustrations .... as well as beautiful patterns, joyful photos and really interesting (new!) knitting techniques.

Some of you may know Anna from Instagram (@sweaterspotter) and I've featured some of her magic on this here website before in our I Made This series where she talks about her amazing dress. She is an artist and a writer and a knitwear designer. She is interested and interesting; I love that in a human.. She makes patterns that look uniquely like her patterns. That is a quality shared by only a handful of other designers I can think of*. How Anna combines stitch patterns and techniques in new and interesting ways that mean the projects in this book have me looking, and looking again.

Marlisle! And Anna's shiny happy face.

One of the things I love about this book - as a seasoned and experienced knitter - is that Anna comes up with her own ways of doing things that keep it interesting. Interesting ways of creating and knitting that lead to beautiful results and fun, like Marlisle, a new technique she introduces in a pattern in the book. She says it best in her quote below, that comes from a great interview she did with Tom of Holland on his blog.

“......being able to reimagine the skills you have at hand, rather than believe you have to make a huge leap into taking on a whole new set”

— Anna Maltz - interview with Tom of Holland

I think the first thing I am going to attempt is the shawl. I love the Rockhopper shawl. Clever construction, and with more subtle colour blocking, it will be right up my alley. Perfect on-the-go school concert knitting or school holiday park visiting knitting. Interesting and boring (in the way only garter stitch can be), at the same time.

The interesting Rockhopper shawl

It's super fun and interesting construction.

Pinglewin.

Except that maybe I may have to first make a penguin. My kid's have been totally obsessed with this book, with a good but very simple reason. And that is Pinglewin. He is an all white bird with his own black onesie that goes over the top, and makes him into a Penguin. Ingenious. So ingenious that even my oldest says he needs one for his birthday.

Sadly for me they all want their own version. I don't do soft toys very often but when they beg you with their big hopeful eyes ....well I'm a sucker for the eyes. Three penguins it is.

If I've sparked your interest then you can buy it direct from Anna here and you can see the projects on Ravelry here. Penguins is a real knitter's book for knitters who love something new, and really who doesn't love a penguin?

Felicia x

*Maybe Westknits and Norah Gaughan and the lovely Kirsten Johnstone and Helga Isager

The Craft Sessions 2016 retreat - The Details!

Hello lovely people! 

So it has been a week of quiet on this here blog but I promise there is a good reason. I was working on the final detail. That stuff is tricky. I want it to be fabulous and so every year I get stuck on the final details...as you do!

I still have a few little things to figure out but to make sure you all know what is happening when, I thought I would throw you a few dates.

Our official launch date is April 15th! By then the website will be updated with all you need to know.....but in the meantime….

Key Dates

1. Class list will be posted April 15th - via a blog post and by email to our mailing list. We are totally chuffed with it and know you will love it! 

2. Registration will open April 24th at 5pm. 

3. The retreat will run from Friday September 2nd 2pm to Sunday September 4th 5pm. 

Registration details

Due to the popularity of the event last year (we sold out in 2.5 hours!) then we are trying to make registration a little simpler.

When registration opens you will need to do two things:
1. Secure a spot by paying a $150 deposit via Big Cartel. The link will be posted on the registration page of the website at 5pm on April 24th. You will receive an email confirming your spot that also contains a link to the preference form.
2. Submit the online preference form with all your details and class preferences.

To finalise your spot you will need to:
3. Pay the remainder of your registration fee via direct deposit by July 7th.

Changing this process enables you to be sure you have a place immediately, and allows us to tell you which classes you have got into within a week - in the past this took time as we waited for preference forms to trickle in.

This year will be a very simple process - promise!

Class preferences

Classes are assigned in the fairest way we can think of - on a first come basis, based on when you register. Each class has a limited number of spots as we think it is really important to keep the class sizes small so we don't crowd our classes! 

We release the class list a week early giving you time to think about what you would like to do before we start registration. There are about twenty different workshops over the three days (as well as three bonus workshops on the Saturday afternoon). There is so much choice this year that we know you will find many things that interest you. 

At registration you will be asked for your top three preferences for each timeslot. The sooner you register the more likely you are to get your first preferences.

In the past classes such as knitting, embroidery, some sewing classes and our weaving classes have been very popular and sell out quickly, but we are never sure of what will be popular until we see your forms coming in…..

Cost

The cost of the event this year will be $889. The cost of the retreat is inclusive and covers;

• Welcome drink on our first night.
• Two and a half days of delicious meals - starting with an organic afternoon tea on Friday and ending with an afternoon tea on Sunday. 
• All classes - 2 full days of workshops in small groups. 
• Yoga - each morning and restorative yoga on Sat afternoon
• Two nights simple twin-share accommodation at the Yarra Valley Estate. 
• An afternoon of "optional workshops" and/or time for crafting, relaxing, walking etc. 
• Gift bag filled with goodies from our wonderful sponsors.
• Open fires, good conversation and community. A chance to slow down and feel the joy craft and community can bring.

The small increase on last year's price is simply based on an increase in our costs.

Payment Plans

This year instead of having a payment plan we are offering everyone the opportunity to pay a $150 deposit with the remainder being due via direct deposit on July 7th. We hope this works for your all but please email us if you have any concerns at admin@thecraftsessions.com.

Please note that we will run a scholarship this year for someone in financial need. Details of that will be up next week!

I think that is it for today. The big class list reveal is a few weeks away. I can't wait! 

Felicia x