The shape of my life changed in 2020. I lost my partner, the pandemic hit the world and then, I lost my job. To try and help with all the emotions hitting me at once at the time, and at the urging of my daughter, who was staying with me at the time, we both […]
While there are many examples of fractals in nature, from shells to cabbage, for WATER I became totally enchanted by a photo of a colorful spiral of coral, part of which became my ELEMENTAL WATER FRACTAL. This is one of two true fractals in the series (along with the last in the series, AIR). EARTH […]
When I left the world of quilt magazine publishing in 2019, that wasn’t the end of my quilting career. After taking a short break, I started to work on my Quilt Appraisal Certification. For most appraisers, it takes about three years to certify. At the rate I’m going, it will take the rest of my […]
The town of Slutsak became famous for making the most expensive and luxurious piece of garment of the Shlachta, the privileged noble class of medieval Belarus. Today, the Slutsak Belts are widely known as a Belarusan national relic Download pattern. Read more in our Issue 56. Designed by Iryna Varabei Spirit of Belarus www.ivarabei.wix.com/spiritofbelarus www.facebook.com/SoB.design
Several years ago, while working as a smocking teacher at a knitting shop in Aurora, ON. I spent quiet store hours browsing knitting books and magazines for ideas for my smocking designs. This is where inspiration came to me for the original piece photographed here. I worked it out but couldn’t find a place to […]
This sweater is designed to have a stack of different-sized blocks trail up the left side of the front, but you can run one up the sleeve(s) instead. To do this, add a column of stitches on the right of the chart. Center the 25 sts on the sleeve and place stitch markers for reference. […]
Pops of colour in knitting can only mean one thing – bobbles. I made Bali Pops with randomly placed bobbles using yarn that reminded me of the batik fabrics I used for patchwork quilting. In the second pair, Raspberry Seeds Socks, the bobbles are sedately lined and down the fronts and backs and the colour […]
The Bee Stitch is simple to knit, and it creates a lovely, textured fabric that traps air and helps insulate—perfect for blankets. Here, it is knit in Universal Wool Pop, a round, multi-plied yarn that is smooth and soft, with great stitch definition. The bamboo, wool and polyamide fibres in the yarn take dye differently, […]
When my little grand niece, Elaina May, was born in May of this year, I decided to celebrate her arrival with a very special gift. With delicate lace edging on the sleeves and the skirt, a lace overlay at the bottom of the bodice, and just the right amount of satin ribbon, this little dress […]
When a friend wanted to start her family and conception didn’t happen within her planned schedule, she experienced stress. As her anxiety grew, her doctor advised she take up a craft to focus her mind elsewhere. She decided to return to making hairpin lace, something she did in university to calm herself before exams. Read […]