Flagel Knitting Files

This whole idea of yarn bombing continues to create a buzz in the yarn world as well as outside it.  There are those who believe it is a relatively harm free way to beautify public spaces.  If you'd like to read what one fan has to say check out what Streetcolor   wrote to the American Association of Museums Centre for the Future of Museums.   Streetcolor argues yarn bombing is a form of art more accessible and/or more familiar to the general public, that this type of art can be created by lesser trained artists thus allowing for more to participant in making art and if  more museums allow groups to use their space not only inside but outside to display their work, the better. Then there are those who are not supportive of this idea.  See this discussion about a Streetcolor yarn bomb installation on the bike racks of a newly remodelled Berkeley Library.  I find the comments after the article quite revealing about the resistance to yarn bombing.  The main concern is what happens

Yesterday was just another drop-dead beautiful Lower Mainland day.  The sun beats down pretty directly here in the North making even a mere 70 degrees F or 18 degree C day seem almost scorching (or is it because the sun has been such a long time coming.)  Yesterday also marked an Open House Carnival at my university so I got an opportunity to be outside talking to people about my work for most of the day. On top of our mountain the air is good and the sunshine even more intense.  It was a great day (Good planning Organizing Committee!) Then there is today.  The sun is not out, there's the threat of sprinkles and I have a house that should be tidied up and laundry to do but before then an update about my knitting (I know I said I'm generally a work first and play second type of person; this isn't by any means a strict rule as you can tell.) I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating, I love to take quick looks at the $l/Loonie shops' yarn  selection whenev

According to their own website "Knit and Crochet Now!" is the most watched knit and crochet program on U.S. public television.  Previously known as "Knit and Crochet Today", the TV show features well known designers along with knit and crochet experts.  Brett Bara, editor of Crochet Today magazine, introduces these experts who demonstrate popular techniques as well as show new uses for old techniques. If you want to know what's happening in the yarn craft world, this weekly 30-minute show is worth watching. When the program's name was changed about 3 years ago the change came with improved social media, a website and Facebook presence.  I have mentioned the Knit and Crochet Now Facebook postings before, most recently the knitted printed wallpaper from Norway.  Everyday they appear to scan the blogosphere of knitting and find new and interesting designers or knitting related items. A design from Tin Can Knits On May 25 a local designer was featured

It was time to change up the look of the blog.  The calm tan was getting boring, at least to me, I have lost interest in the flying birds in the right-hand corner, some of my selected blogs were getting stale, and it needed a different print style as well as a different colour of print for easier reading.  So I changed things up a bit. I know me and I can reasonably predict this will happen periodically so that the overall look of the blog remains fresh for me.  (Sorry about you and what you might like.)  This is a very selfish endeavour, I write about what I want, when I want, and I'm in complete control of this one thing!  So if you don't like the way the blog looks for now, hang in there, it will be sure to change again in the not-so-distant future.  I am, despite the whole control thing, interested in what you think about the change.  Feel free to comment if you like. Thanks Google for making it so easy to redesign this look.  I have spent far longer writing this post

My interest in creating is vast, my skills, well let's say they are more in the half vast range.  When I was presented with the possibility to combine two of them my curiosity was piqued. I do enjoy decorating cakes and cupcakes.  I've been decorating cakes since my now 32 year old turned 1.  At the time we lived far away from family so to make a birthday more celebratory I made specialty cakes.  I remember a "Kitt" car cake (Lex loved  Knight Rider, a TV show starring a young David Hasselhoff), a fuzzy stand up bear cake for Dack, and several other cakes customized to fit the requests of the birthday boy.  I've also been known to take on wedding cakes, like one to feed about 300 people for my niece and another for Dack and Nicole's wedding with fondant.  If you'd like to see that cake and what Nicole had to say about it a year later, check out  her blog post about the topic. Cupcakes have always been an interest because I love the idea of handheld ca

Canadians celebrated what we generally call the May Long Weekend on May 19-21.  It means most banks, schools and businesses other than those who do retail selling were closed.  Some in the States call it Canada's version of Memorial Weekend, but that is not quite right.  It originated to commemorate Queen Victoria's birthday, which is actually May 24. (She ruled the UK from 1837 to 1901, BTW.)   Like most modern celebrations rather than hold the holiday on the proper day of the week we opt to hold it on the Monday that falls before May 24.  And like the States' Memorial Weekend, it too marks the start of summer. Paul and I decided to make it a four-day weekend and headed south like many of our fellow Canadians to Seattle.  However, there was a bit of knitting business I did as we drove down.  As I was noodling around all my favorite knitting websites I found an events section that announced the following:  May 17-20 LYS Tour - Destination Yarn 2012, Puget Sound.  I clicke

I started blogging in October 2011 with my first post entitled, Oh No Donuts.  It was pretty inspired because I had just finished making a dozen donuts, donut holes and some long johns. Just this weekend I was reminded of that adventure with a friendly picture in my e-mail.   Here the donuts are again, only this time they have found someone who is appreciating them for what they are, something with which to play.  Additionally it came with the following:  " Our box of Tim Hortons was a huge hit with my niece! Literally hours of fun thanks to Flagel knitting skills."  The donuts with a playmate  I love the way she has already stacked one of the donut holes (or Tim Bits if you prefer) on top of the donut made of the same yarn.  Yes, she is getting into this quite well. For those who'd like a second look at these little beauties here's a redo:  Donuts, Long Johns and donut holes in a Tim Hortons box  If you'd like to reread the entire first post  

I have been following knitting chats for some time and unlike other chat rooms I have yet to read anything that remotely smacks of an outburst or insult.  Kntting chats contain kindnesses to knitters from around the world, all of whom seem genuinely interested in supporting others whether they are beginners or experts at the craft.  The most derogatory comments focus on those retailers who sell yarn or knitting related accessories that don't live up to their hype or price. Paul follows a number of news and political sites and I, at times, follow along.  The banter on these sites in comparison is disquieting for me.  They seem at times to contain demeaning, argumentative and hateful language.  I'm much more comfortable in the supportive atmosphere of knitters. Here's an example of a recent post in one of the chat rooms I follow written by a knitter in the UK: Last Friday I had day surgery (cataract ) and guessing there would be some waiting around took a knitti

Knit and Crochet Now  recently posted photos from a Norwegian blog.    What do you think about it?  A knitting-related wallpaper  This photo gives you a bird's eye view of how this wallpaper looks.  The printed, aka not really knit, stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row) caused a lot of patter about the photos.   Some were worried about how dusty it might get (they missed the point that it is a print).  Others thought it would be great for a wall in a craft area. (Interesting idea)   Someone found it cost $399 Norwegian krone per roll and thought that was quite outlandish.  In fact that is about $67 Canadian dollar per roll.  (Considering the average roll costs between $25-$50, this is a bit expensive, but indeed unique.)  Others complained that it was, of course, knitted and not crocheted, suggesting the designers were knitting snobs.  One really crafty person thought it would be appropriate to paint the wall using whites and grays to make the effect. Than

I have long been a fan of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Test (MBTI).  (For those who want some basic info about the MBTI and a critical review of it do follow the hyperlink above.)  The results of the test categorizes personalities into one of 16 types and gives users a way to talk about differences in people without using loaded, derogatory or demeaning language.  I have used it successfully as a tool in my personal as well as my professional life.    Should you wish to find out your own MBTI type check out this site and take the test. When an article came to my attention stating I could take a knitting personality test I jumped right on it.  A chat post on the Knitting Paradise site stated someone had found a knitting personality test and was rated a Contented Knitter.  If you are a knitter who would like to take the very short test go to:   http://www.knittingbrain.com/  and look for the knitting personality link.  (It takes just moments to complete.) It appears you can be e

Vancouver is especially gorgeous this time of year.  The skies clear, the rains stop, the sun shines and everything bursts into its early summer greenery.  This weekend was a time to get outside and enjoy that scenery.  Of course the annual cleaning of the deck and washing of windows had to be done first.  We are work first, play second type of people most of the time.  Luckily we both agree on this approach to life. We have lived in the same place for almost 9 years and during that time have done little to investigate the Burrard Inlet that we overlook.  (What is it about not taking time to look at your own home territory.  It seems I tend to look for exciting things to do at home only when there are guests to show around.  For example, last summer I discovered a park where John Muir's home was located before he started walking around the U.S. to find Yosemite and create the Sierra Club.  It was merely 20 minutes from the farm I grew up on in Wisconsin. [ BTW, it was a lovely lo

Simple Knits with a Twist .  Doesn't that sound like a book I should own?  It did to me so I ordered it.  Erika Knight, another UK multi-crafter, put together this pattern book that offers 20 projects that are unique and once made could be one of a kind.  When I saw this photo I knew I had to make it.  Wall Flower Hanging  This black and white flower with the red/orange embellishments captured my attention.  A great thing about it is there are no real dimensions and although it will need to be stretched over a frame, I can make the right sized frame myself when I'm finished.  I own a miter saw and it has been under-used. So I checked my stash self assured that I'd have enough black and white yarn for the job.  But much to my surprise, I didn't so off I went to make a purchase. I have started the project:  My flower start  This project uses a knitting technique called intarsia.  It is required to make certain types of multi-coloured patterns. The sam

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee from Toronto, Ontario is a prolific knitter and writer. Her blog, the  Yarn Harlot  is consistently ranked as one of the #1 knitting blogs in North America.  She is able to write in intriguing ways and knits up a storm as well.  I reluctantly encourage you to take a look at her blog  because my efforts pale in comparison.  She is such a great writer.  Hey, she even has her own  Wikipedia  page.   Recently she wrote about her inner knitter and described her as a 14 year old.  This inner knitter demands attention when she wants it, is immature, impatient  and/ or irrational, just like the typical 14 year old. (These are Stephanie's words not mine.  I want no teenagers hurt in the writing of this post.) There are times when she demands that you pick up your needles and knit something specific.  At other times she pouts and says "Whatever" when she's asked what knitting project should come next.  This comparison struck home for me. My inner

My boss, Nancy, has an appreciation for my knitting fetish.  She's an avid reader of this blog, even contributing to it.  She's received a piece or two of my knitted work and really seems to have enjoyed getting homemade things.  So when it was time to figure out something to give her for her recent birthday, knitting her a piece of cake was a natural choice.  Since I had made so many pieces of cake from the same pattern when I knit about 20 for everyone in my office, I thought I'd turn to a new pattern.  Susan Penny , a UK multi-crafter and pattern designer, has created a book entitled Knitted Cakes .  The photo on the front intrigued me so this is the piece of cake I decided to knit for Nancy.  It is a gateau , that is a   chocolate sponge cake with a fluffy buttercream filling and lavish toppings, i.e. a chocolate ganache frosting with buttercream swirls and a coffee bean or mini chocolate chip on the top.  Because of the size of my stash I was able to use two colours

I last left you with some of the pieces of the Gramps baby sweater.  Here it is complete with its green ribbing  and the cowl collar.  (Paul loves this colour combiniation so I think I'll have to find something to make for him using them.  But he's a BIG guy and a sweater might be too much for me.   I'll figure out something appropriate for him though, perhaps socks.)  Mike with my finished Gramps sweater The buttons were the real find in finishing it, at least for me.  I traveled to Dressew on West Hastings in Vancouver.  Over the years it has become my go to place when it comes to all things crafty. Their location is on the fringe of a seedy part of Hastings Street in the infamous east side of Vancouver, but the hours of operation are only during the day so I have never felt uncomfortable walking the streets to get there. This store reminds me of the discount fabric stores found during the late 20th century.  Like these stores, Dressew has taken over a rather o

In all my years of knitting I have never ever taken a single knitting class.  So when my LYS advertised a baby sweater class that promised to teach several things I had attempted to do on my own but had never successfully completed, I signed up. The great thing about the class was one of the co-designers of the sweater pattern was the teacher.  Alexa Ludeman  from Tin Can Knits helped a few of us through a sweater named Gramps. Let's start with a photo of my co-learners; Alexa is in the center.  My Gramps classmates and teacher  Here's a photo of Alexa's lovely daughter, Hunter, modelling her version of the pattern.  (BTW it is named Gramps because it looks like something your grandpa might wear, pockets and patches on the sleeves.) There were several techniques I have failed to do in the past but managed to do right this time with Alexa's guidance and the tutorials from the website .  First there was the provisional cast-on using a crocheted chain.  I