Hi friends,

Today I'd like to introduce you to Glenna C., a talented Canadian knitter and blogger whose work is featured in the December issue of Canadian Living (on newsstands today). I've been a fan of Glenna's ever since I saw her awe-inducing Viper Pilots socks, and so I was tickled pink to have the chance to work with her as she developed a pattern for the lovely Mulled Wine Mitts you see below. She did a fabulous job of developing a pattern that's relatively easy to knit, plays up the natural beauty of the yarn and teaches a skill that might be new to you, the k1tbl (knit through back loop). I've already made one pair and there are more on the way!

Now available on newsstands - and a great idea for Christmas gifts!

To mark the publication date of this pattern, Glenna has posted an excellent explanation/demonstration of K1tbl/ktbl, (used extensively in the Mulled Wine Mitts), and she graciously agreed to answer some questions here on Make+Do. Read on to find out more...

Make+Do: How long have you been knitting and how did you learn? Can you think of any great knitting triumphs (or, ahem, teachable moments) you had along the way?

Glenna C.: I’ve been knitting for about six years. I did learn many years before that as a child, but my “real” knitting life started when I was a new PhD student looking for productive forms of procrastination, and my sister decided it was better to teach me how to knit than to listen to me ask her to knit things for me. Then I promptly became about a zillion times more obsessive about knitting than her, found the blogs, found more local yarn shops, found some ideas, and the rest has followed from there.

Hourglass sweater in progress.

My biggest triumphs have been the things that have made me a more confident knitter. Turning a heel for the first time or cabling for the first time and realizing it wasn’t so scary after all; the moment way-back-whenever-it-was when I realized I could substitute yarns and modify the pattern to fit me better; the first time I worked up the guts to go to a knitting night at a local yarn shop and overcome my shyness. All of these things led to me learning something new or meeting more people, which have rewarded me many times over.

Teachable moments? Heh…There was that time I sat down on my knitting and got stuck with a DPN…But really, I think my biggest triumph has simply been acknowledging the fact that I am a very impatient knitter. If I have too many projects in progress I will become unhappy because it will take me so long to finish a single one. So I’ve learned to minimize that and knit the things that make me the most happy at the time.

MD: What’s your favourite thing you’ve ever knitted? Do you have a pattern that you come back to again and again? Why or why not?

GC: My favourite thing is usually the thing that I’ve just finished! No, but seriously folks…I think my favourite right now is my completed Autumn Rose pullover (pattern by Eunny Jang). It was a real culmination of skill and challenge. It wasn’t my first stranded colourwork project but it was certainly a project that challenged me – I modified the fit and colour scheme and it all worked out very well. I was a happy knitter when I finished it. It’s an odd thing to finish a sweater made out of twelve colours, and end up simply throwing it on over a t-shirt and jeans.

The Autumn Rose pullover is stunning.

Another project that I love more and more is my Oyster Bay shawl, which I worked with Tanis Fiber Arts’ fingering weight in a bright fuschia colour. It is the combination of the pattern and colour that I love so much – I have often worn it wrapped around my neck and shoulders with a jacket and instantly feel like that elegant, cosmopolitan knitter we all dream of being. It’s something no one else out there owns except me.

Oyster Bay shawl - lovely lace.

Sometimes things that are quite simple are very satisfying as well – the Hourglass sweater was one project like that. It’s stockinette all over but I modified it to fit my body exactly the way it needed to fit (I’m tall), and made it in Malabrigo which is so soft and touchable.

Jaywalker socks

The pattern I have come back to most often is the Jaywalker sock pattern (by Grumperina). It is the sock pattern I always take with me when I go on a trip, because it has a 2-row repeat that would normally feel very tedious to me, but suddenly becomes very soothing when I’m stressed out waiting in airports or getting into planes and trains and subways one after the other. I can pull it out of my handbag at a moment’s notice and look at the colours lining up on top of each other and be soothed, 2 rows at a time.

MD: When did you start designing your own knitting patterns and why? Where do you find your inspiration, and what is your creative process like?

GC: The first pattern I ever designed was Ivy, in 2006, which was accepted for publication by Knitty.com. I was very lucky to be accepted on the first go. I designed it mostly because it was the sort of sweater that I wanted very much to knit for myself, but couldn’t find any pattern for that existed at the time. So I decided to make it myself, and it turns out that other people wanted to make it too – I still hear from knitters who are making their own Ivy sweaters, or ones to give as gifts, and it’s very gratifying. It’s taken me a bit of time to make designing a consistent part of my knitting process, but I’m enjoying it more and more.

As for my inspiration…It is so hard to predict that I have stopped trying. Mostly, it starts with some kind of question that I try to answer with, “but how would I knit that?” Sometimes it is sheer practicality, as with the Podster gloves from this past fall. I wanted a pair of gloves like that and thought that probably other knitters did too, so I made the pattern do what I needed it to do.

Podster gloves – perfect for that cold wait for the morning bus!

Other times it is the yarn itself that inspires me. I really believe the most useful thing you can do as a knitter is to buy yarn with colours that speak to you, and then take them home and swatch them up and see what they ‘want’ to be. Often it’s the colour or the stitch texture or drape that will give me an idea. This happened with my 14 Karat socks that I worked on this summer – the gemstone sort of colour of the sock yarns I was working with really made me think in terms of diamonds and delicate jewelry, so I made a sock to match that idea.

Jewel-toned 14 Karat socks.

Often, my fannishness shines through and I cannot help but knit it out. This is what happened with my Viper Pilots socks [see top of post]. I have a real fondness for a few television shows, and after a while the fannish addiction sort of takes hold in my brain and will not let go. The Viper Pilots socks were a design I mulled over for a little while thinking about Battlestar Galactica. When I look at them now I just love the way the twisted stitches look and feel and the way the pattern reminds me of the characters that inspired me. They certainly won’t be my last ‘fannish knit’, I can tell you that much! Stay tuned for more from that part of my brain.

MD: You’ve been blogging about knitting for more than three years. How do your blogging and knitting influence each other? What about Ravelry?

Glenna's Viper Pilots socks - a perfect Battlestar Galactica tribute.

GC: My blogging wouldn’t happen without my knitting. So, I try hard to let my blogging be driven by my knitting, rather than forcing myself to write blog posts when I don’t have something I’d like to say. It’s a hard balance to strike sometimes. I knit what I am drawn to, and blog from there. When I think about it, the reason I came to blogging was to be a part of that writing and picture-taking and conversation about what people are knitting and what does it look like, and what are we all learning about and what are we enjoying or being frustrated over…So when I blog I try to put myself into that conversation, and tell about what I’m working on and where I’ve been to in the world of knitting lately.

I love Ravelry and visit it most days. It hasn’t taken the place of blogging for me but it does complement it. I think blogs let us express ourselves more as writers and photographers and ‘roving reporters’, and it’s hard to replace that quality with different media. Ravelry is wonderful for connecting with knitters and finding information and ideas, and as an incredible resource and archive. There’s room for both Ravelry and blogs out there – and more - and I think everyone finds their own niche.

MD: What advice would you give a novice knitter? What would you tell someone who’s been knitting for a while and is looking to take the next step?

GC: If you’re a novice knitter, first I would say “Welcome to knitting! I hope you’ll like it here and stay a while.” And then I would say to just keep going and learning things one step at a time. As a novice there are so many challenges all at once and it can take a while to find your footing. Everything is difficult the first time – so just get that first cable or sock heel or sleeve seam done, so you can move on to the second cable or sock heel or sleeve seam when you’ll be able to say “Hey, I know how to do this!”

Let yourself go through it and know that after each project you make, you’ll have learned something that you didn’t know before – either a technique, or an opinion about the yarn you used, or something about how to make the garment fit you better – and the next thing you knit will be better for it. Knit things you want to knit and the learning will follow from there.

For knitters with a little more experience, my only advice would be to just keep on going and find a way to broaden your skills. Is there another way to do something you already know how to do? How about learning Magic Loop if you already know how to use DPNs? Have you tried steeking or short rows or lace? Also, is there a “dream” project that you have been shying away from making because you weren’t a “good enough” knitter? The only way to be that knitter is to knit that project – the twisted cabled sweater or the intricate lace shawl isn’t going to knit itself. You’ve learned a thing or two by now, so just get out there and knit your heart out.

Thanks so much for chatting, Glenna!

Want to try these lovely mitts? I've got a skein of Malabrigo Silky Merino to give away. Stay tuned...

Hi, Make + Doers! This is Tina speaking. Austen’s on vacation today, so I’m filling in as guest poster. You might remember me as the slightly obsessive craft-room organizer from a few months ago. I’m delighted to be back and to share a little about the crafty trip I took recently.

Remember the excitement of Grade 5 field trips, when you got to get out of the classroom and see something REAL? That was how I felt last week at The Green Mountain Spinnery in Putney, Vermont.

I grew up in New England, so I go back often. This time, my mom and dad decided to spoil me and hit all the yarn shops within a 50-mile radius. They were all filled with lovely yarn, but the Spinnery really stood out.

It’s a cooperative of like-minded wool lovers who work really hard to sustain sheep farmers in the area. They produce a range of gorgeous yarns using environmentally friendly techniques, and the results are inspiring.

Of course, the part my dad was most excited about was the mill behind the shop. The folks who work there are extraordinarily proud of their setup, and you never have to ask twice for a tour.

The Spinnery uses vintage machinery to card, spin and skein their wool. I was amazed at the ingenuity of the people who work there – including one particularly resourceful ex-Navy man who minds the inner workings of these behemoth devices. It’s kind-of like having a ’57 Chevy with a ’92 Toyota engine and ’87 Ford bearings. These folks hunt for parts on the Internet, raid yard sales for old bobbins (New Englanders often use them as candleholders!) and machine whatever they can’t seem to find. It’s a testament to New England frugality and inventiveness.

First, we checked out the chilly barn, where bags and bags of fleeces reside in various states. Some were fresh off the sheep, some were washed and some were just back from the dye house. Each colour is done independently, then a number of colours are blended together to create a specific shade of yarn.

Then, it’s to the carding machine, which stands about 8 feet tall at one end. Fleece goes into the hopper and gets dragged through successively finer-toothed rollers. The carder takes out burrs, twigs and other stuff sheep get into and tease the fibres apart to make them workable.

Here’s my dad’s finger, pointing at the crazy-sharp teeth on the rollers.

Here you can see wool fibres on the rollers on the right, with the smooth, carded batt at the bottom left.

The batt then rolls up over a conveyer into the machine that separates it into individual pieces of roving.

Roving may look like yarn, but it’s not twisted into its final shape yet.  Here you can see a whole row of roving being wound onto a big spindle to preparing it for spinning.

The spindles go into the top of the spinning machine, where the rovings are twisted to form yarn. It could be a single ply for a finer finish, or a bunch of plies together for a yarn with more heft.  At the bottom, you can see the bobbins the spun yarn winds around.

The yarn gets a good steaming to help it stay in its new form. I loved these huge bins of freshly steamed wool on their bobbins. They look so fresh and inviting, almost ready to pick up and knit.

The bobbins then go on a skeiner, which winds the yarn around a huge wooden contraption that looks a little like an old-fashioned clothes dryer. These big circles are then twisted into the skeins you see at the front of the store.  Apparently, this machine takes a steady, patient hand. There’s no rushing a persnickety old skeiner like this.

Before you leave the shop, you run into (literally almost) the pattern wall. The Spinnery designs a huge number of their own patterns – basically, if you can knit it, they have a pattern for it using their beautiful yarn.

I was a little overwhelmed by the variety of wools the Spinnery offered, so I ended up with just a couple: Maine Organic in a smoky brown and Sylvan Spirit in Amethyst. Rest assured, I’ll be back.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual day trip to New England.  Tell us about the special places you find wool – we always love to hear about the champions of handmade!

Hello again, fellow crafters.

I'm very excited to be bringing you this special edition of Make+Do's Weekly Giveaway. As I hinted in the winner's post for giveaway #19, this giveaway is the first in a series of four, and it comes to you as a result of the generosity of the Creativ Festival organizers.

Coming to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on October 16, 17, 18, 2009, the Creativ Needlework Festival is celebrating its 22nd year of bringing crafters of all kinds together to learn, to shop, and to have fun! As the website describes it:

"Creativ Festival is… trend spotting, inspiration, new products, spectacular shopping, industry experts, conference classes, how-tos, hands-on activities, seminars, fashion & trunk shows, exquisite displays, book signings, door prizes and more!
"Here you will find fabulous fabrics, to-die-for yarns, textured papers, dazzling beads, techniques, project ideas and all the latest and greatest in equipment, tools and crafting supplies whether beginner or expert.
"Creativ Festival is your one-stop shop where you learn how to create your own singular style."

Each week for the next four weeks, I'll be highlighting one craft that will be represented at the festival – and offering the chance to win a pair of tickets AND each comes with your choice of a 3-hour class. (Conference classes start October 14.) This week, I'll be looking at knitting. Read on for more information (and your chance to enter!)

There's lots to inspire knitters (both beginners and experts) at this year's Festival. One big attraction for me is always the awesome selection of retailers, which this year will include British Yarn (UK), Fur Yarn by Paula Lishman International, Headwater Wool, PassionKnit Ltd., The Purple Purl, Romni Wools, Signatur Handknits (Australia), Spinning Wheel Alpacas, Sweaterkits...and that's not even half of it! Start saving your pennies and clear a space in your stash.

Among the many exhibits, a must-see attraction is the "30 Years of Rowan Exhibit," featuring breathtaking hand-knit garments. Many are original and date back to the year they were published – they echo the world of fashion, yet remain timeless and unique, and could still find a place in the wardrobe of today.

Jo Watson (left) and Brandon Mably (right) will both be teaching at this fall's Creativ Festival.

Workshop-wise, you'll want to check out both Brandon Mably (Kaffe Fassett Design Studio) and Jo Watson (owner of British Yarns and host of UK Ravelry Day), who'll bring British knitting techniques to share in their conference workshops. And, get inspired to knit the colours of Australia at the Signatur Handknits trunk show (free with admission!). (Check out more workshops here.)

And, when you're finally ready for a break, you can relax, sip a latte, knit and pick up purls of wisdom at The Purple Purl Yarn Café.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets and two passes to your choice of a 3-hour class, check out the festival website and tell me what you'd most like to go see at this year's Creativ Fest. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, September 20; a winner will be posted on Monday, September 21. Unfortunately, free plane tickets aren't in my budget, but if you think you can get yourself to Toronto (and really, it's worth the trip), be sure to enter!

Good morning friends,

I just had to share a photo of these stitch markers with you. I'm the first to admit that when it comes to knitting equipment, I'm a bit of a cheapskate. For the longest time, I refused to buy stitch markers – why pay for some ugly plastic ring when safety pins and scraps of yarn are free?

Of course, stitch markers have come a long way from the cheap pink and blue hoops that were available when I started knitting 20 years ago. When I visited my sister, Whitney, in Halifax, I saw some of the work that her housemate, Tamara, was doing with felted wool, and that's when the penny dropped. Felted wool stitch markers – how cool would that be? I pitched the idea to Tamara and she graciously accepted the challenge.

Whitney brought the finished markers to me a week ago (that's them up there) and I'm really pleased. I can't wait to start a new project so that I can put them to good use. Thanks, Tamara!

(See some of Tamara's other work in her Etsy shop, GreyLeaf Fibre Arts.)

Hi friends,

I'm sure that all crafters have faced this dilemma at one point or another: how much room is there for your crafts in your home decor?

I've got a big blank wall in my apartment and I need to do something with it. I'd like to make something to fill the space, but I'm having a hard time narrowing down the options. Here are the challenges:

• I live in a studio apartment, so whatever goes on that wall needs to look OK for bedroom, living room, studio and dining room;
• it's a big wall (about 8" by 12"), so I need something with "presence" that's also affordable;
• the wall is opposite a window, so I need something that either won't fade or will look fine if it does, or something that will be easy and (and cheap!) to replace.

My first thought was to hang a quilt on the wall, but after the hours of piecing and quilting, I'd be upset if the fabric faded. My second thought was to do a needlepoint, but considering that cost is a factor (and that I've already waited a year and a half), something like those wonderful Charley Harper tapestries is out of the question.

So right now it's down to these ideas:

• Stretch some of my favourite fabrics in embroidery hoops, like this, and hang them up.
• Make large prints of some of my favourite photos and hang them up (but I'd prefer something craftier).
• Try this idea, passed along to me by Lisa Fielding*. She sent me an email on the weekend and said: "I was just in a knitting shop in Burlington [Spun Fibre Arts] and noticed this on the wall – they've framed a bunch of swatches in complementary colours. Thought it was a neat idea."

I like it, and I have to say that the swatches are in the lead right now. What do you think?

*Remember the picture of Lisa's dog, Douglas, in that handsome bow-tie? If you have a haut dog, too, you might want to check out Lisa's Etsy shop, Longfellow's, where you can buy a handmade bowtie for the special canine in your life!

PS I still haven't heard from Carla, who won last week's giveaway. If you're out there, Carla, check your inbox (and maybe junk mail folder?) for an email from me. Or just drop me a line to claim your prize.

Hi friends,

Ever Google something a little bit random, but end up with unexpectedly awesome results? That happened to me today, and I'm still smiling.

Yesterday, senior editor Miriam Osborne casually mentioned to me that she'd seen something about David Suzuki being a knitter, and said she thought that would be a neat thing to feature on the blog. I was having trouble deciding what to write about today until I remembered her words. Over to Google I went, and what should turn up? This photo of Canada's favourite environmentalist – with a larger-than-life knitted portrait of himself!*

I know, it's awesome! The thing is, he didn't knit it. That sweater is the handiwork (quite literally) of the Vancouver-based knitwear design company Granted. Granted is in its second year of operation; it's an offshoot of a family-run business that's specialized in Canadian heritage sweaters since 1978. No, not the stereotypical curling-stones-and-sitting-ducks sweaters you're thinking of, but honest-to-goodness Cowichan sweaters, handmade of 100% wool in Vancouver. The old sweaters might have leaned toward traditional patterns, but these days Granted is pushing the envelope a little, tweaking those traditional intarsia designs into a collection of handknits with a decidedly modern edge.But don't think they've left Canadian heritage in the dust. One look at this fabulous custom-made CBC sweater (worn here by CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence) proves that Granted knows exactly where our hearts lie. (Read what Grant wrote about his sweater here.)

And check out the back....

...doesn't that just scream "Hockey Night in Canada?"

Aside from the great designs, the other thing I like about Granted is that they use 100 per cent natural fibres from ethical producers, and their knitting is done by local knitters. Oh, that, and they're perfectly willing to spend 10 minutes talking on the phone to a complete stranger who calls for more information on a Wednesday afternoon. (Thanks for the chat!)

Head over to the Granted website to find out more about their collections (2009 sweaters will be announced this fall), check out their blog to keep up on the news and visit their online store. (Granted also does custom work. Hello, best present ever!)

*Love that David Suzuki sweater? It could be yours. It's going to be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the David Suzuki Foundation. Find out more.

p.s. Don't forget to enter this week's contest.

Hi friends,

It's another grey and dreary day here in Toronto. All I want to do is go home and sit on the couch with a hot cup of tea and a pile of craft books to while away the time until the hot, sunny weather reappears.

Lucky for me, I have a pile of craft books waiting for me at home. I've had a good run of great finds recently, at writing this blog gives me just the excuse I need to pick them up and bring them home. Here are the books at the top of my reading list these days.

Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac - This is an oldie-but-goodie, a book I'd heard about for years but never actually laid eyes on. Until this weekend, that is, when I found a copy at one of the stops on the TTC Knitalong. It's got a year's worth of projects and a hearty helping of down-to-earth advice for knitters...and more than a little bit of sass. I'd like to have met Elizabeth Zimmerman; this book tells me that much for sure.

Linen, Wool, Cotton by Akiko Mano - A long-time favourite for people with the wits to puzzle out instructions and diagrams in Japanese, this was just recently released in an English translation and I snapped one up as soon as I found it. I haven't tried to make any of the projects yet, but I've spent a good long time studying the photos and the instructions, and you can bet your sweet bippy that I've already got a wishlist on the go. I'll start with the cute fabric lunch bag and the long linen apron, and take it from there. The tea towels and embroidered pillow cases look cute, too.

Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson - I picked this up two weeks ago when I was on the hunt for something to knit during the knitalong. I'd looked for this on and off for sometime, but could never find a copy at my local big box book emporium. (Here's the thing: small, independently owned yarn (or fabric) stores are a great resource for crafting books. Box stores might have a wide variety, but you never know what you're going to get. At your local yarn store, chances are they've got the book you're looking for, have read it, and have tried a project from it, so they can tell you if it's worth the money. You won't get service like that elsewhere.) Anyway, this one's worth the money - and I've got an inch of baby sweater to prove it!

Lost Crafts by Una McGovern - This is less of a hands-on book than the first three, but no less interesting. Author McGovern covers 100 handcrafts, including guddling for trout, caning chairs, making thatched roofs, whittling, tatting, and many, many others. The instructions are basic but they get the job done; if you're interested enough to want more information, she points you in the right direction. There's a lot more to crafting than needlework and glitter-and-glue.

What are you reading these days?

Hello, crafters!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I had a great adventure on Saturday: I participated in my first ever TTC Knitalong.

The organizers did a great job setting up the routes, figuring out the teams, making tote bags and badges (above) and wrangling all the knitters (50 all told!) on our city-wide shop hop.

Thanks to The Naked Sheep for this team photo!

Tina and I were on Team East, starting at The Naked Sheep* and moving gradually toward the centre of the city, to The Purple Purl, Lettuce Knit, Americo and Romni Wools. Every time we hopped aboard a streetcar the needles came out and the knitting began. It was a great day.

*One last thing: Lisa at The Naked Sheep asked me to share this exciting news with you:

An exciting celebrity guest will be visiting our store this Wednesday and Thursday! Annie Modesitt will be at the Sheep June 10 and 11. She'll be teaching classes in Combination Knitting and Modular Knitting. Each class is $60, or take two classes for just $100. There are only 5 spots left in each of the classes, so sign up soon! (Call 416-691-6320 for more details and to sign up.)

What did you folks get up to?

(Check back later today for the winner of last week's giveaway.)

Hello friends,

One of the perks of my job is the number of craft books that arrive on my desk. There's just something about a brand-new craft book, so filled with possibility, that makes me very happy. Late last week something a little different landed in my inbox: Knitting for Good! by Betsy Greer. I was just heading out for the weekend, and, intrigued, I scooped it into my purse. I'm glad I did.

Betsy Greer is the person behind the website craftivism.com, a site that's built around the idea that, as she puts it:

"...activism + craft = craftivism. That each time you participate in crafting you are making a difference, whether it's fighting against useless materialism or making items for charity or something betwixt and between.

It's about the not-so-radical notion that activists can be crafters, and crafters can be activists."

Knitting for Good explores the notion of using knitting to reconnect with yourself and your community, and as a way to do some good in the world, one stitch at a time. Current events – wars, economic crises, natural disasters – can seem completely overwhelming, so big and so complicated that there's no way for one person to do anything. Knitting for a good cause, Greer points out, is a very real, very hands-on way for a person to make a difference, whether it's by knitting items to donate to a charity, teaching knitting to young people, or using your knitting to foster relationships with elderly or marginalized members of society.

At a time when I have ideas for crafts coming at me from every direction, when the focus on crafting can seem more about material acquisition than on human achievement, I found this book to be a gentle push toward looking at knitting – and crafting in general – as more than just a hobby. The writing is friendly, conversational, and never preachy, and the book is peppered with anecdotes from well-known craftivists, as well as knitting patterns suitable for making and donating to charity. It was a refreshing read that made me look at my yarn stash in a whole new light.

If you're looking for a different perspective on an age-old craft, I'd recommend giving this book a read. Let me know what you think! And if you're already involved in knitting (or crafting) for a good cause, I'd love to hear about it.

Have a great night!

PS Don't forget to leave a comment on Monday's post for your chance to win the The Unibind PhotoBook Creator Starter Kit and coupon for two free products (with free shipping) from RocketLife. This week, I'm interested in hearing about your favourite craft to take on a road trip.