About / Fiber Arts
Last Updated: 17/07/2024
Fiber Arts
I've been knitting and crocheting since elementary school, and has probably been one of my longest-lasting hobbies other than drawing. I cannot count or even begin to fully list everything I’ve ever made (nevermind anything I’ve frogged and reclaimed, or donated in that time).
I primarily make accessories and home decor, but I really want to get into more full garments with a little more challenging construction in the next little while. Have a lil browse at some of my thoughts!
Fave Makes | Fave Patterns | Fave Yarns | Book Recs | Vintage
Favorite Makes!
Green Nalu Mitts made from some mystery DL weight superwash yarn I bought forever ago at Tuesday Morning
This is a sweatervwest made from an WWII pattern by Monarch made from Patons Canadiana yarn in the shade Gray Heather (it's brown.)
This is Ann's Beaded Crochet Amulet Bag with Czech Glass beads made with size 10 thread.
Favorite Patterns
Here are some of my favorite patterns, most of these I can just go ahead and make right off the top of my head. Links go out to either the original blog sites or the storefront pages (for the paid patterns).
Nalu Mitts by Leila Raven: sport weight fingerless gloves knit in the round with a thumb gusset. Free pattern. Ravelry page.
They're made from the cuff up, so you can really extend that cuff as long as you like. Even without the cabled wave motif, the instructions to construct the glove are really nice to modify and play around with. This is one of my absolute favorite patterns, I've made at least six pairs.
Dragonskin Dice/Treasure Pouch by Micheala Jandacek: any weight drawstring pouch knit in the round using a magic loop. Easily adapted to use up specific materials or to make larger/smaller. Free pattern. Ravelry page.
Due to the simple pattern repeats, any two-stitch or four-stitch pattern can be used instead of the slip-stitch one described to create the "scales". I've made many of these as gifts and they're especially nice with a simple cotton lining. Pictured is the large one I made for my partner.
I highly recommend adding a lining to these bags, especially if you're giving them as gifts to your trinket loving friends. Knit fabric stretches and warps easily, so the lining gives it much-needed structure and support.
Crochet Hook Case by SJ Crochet: crocheted in multiple pieces and sewn together. Easily customizable. Paid pattern (4.22$ CAD). Etsy listing.
This is a wonderful gift knit for anyone who has any kind of tools or thingies they need to carry around with them. I will say, I just could not get gauge with the right weight yarn no matter how hard I tried, so I usually add an extra two dc-ch2 repeats to the spine section to make the pocket shorter and the overall case taller, and a few rows to make it wider. It's a solid pattern, and great to play around with.
Favorite Yarns
Coastal Cotton by Queensland Collection: worsted weight solid yarn, 100% cotton, 9.95$ CAD
Baroque Crochet Cotton by DMC: size 10 crochet thread, ecru or white thread, 100% cotton, 4.90$ CAD
South Maid size 10 crochet thread, solid or variegated color thread, 100% mercerized cotton, 4.99$ CAD — South Maid pops up a lot at second-hand stores when people clean out their stashes and is often cheaper than buying new (and often are still wrapped up)
Caron Cakes by Caron: worsted weight self-striping yarn, 80:20 acrylic and wool, 12.99$ CAD. They sadly disconintued all of my favorite shades (Gelato and Mint Fudge in the Big Cakes line. I miss you Mint Fudge...)
Stroll by Knit Picks: fingering weight sock yarn in solid or tonal, 75:25 superwash merino wool and nylon, 6.99-14.99$ USD
Book Recommendations
Here are some of my favorite knitting books! While some of them have patterns in them, my favorite knitting books are the ones which talk more about technique and history.
History and/or Theory
Unravelling Canada: A Knitting Odyssey
Author: Sylvia Olsen
Number of Pages: 256
Originally Published: 2021
This book is a delightful combination of travelog, history lesson, interview, and biography of the author, her family, and the various knitters across Canada. Sylvia Olsen and her husband Tex travel across the country to forty different stops to better understand her identity as a Canadian, as well as look into the origins and techniques of creating the classic Cowichan sweater, a striking Canadian icon which originated on Vancouver Island created by the various Coast Salish peoples.
This is probably one of my favorite books period. The travelog format is incredibly effective, with chapters about the trip, then about the workshops and people she met, and then personal anecdotes from those people. It's a very interesting look at questions like "what is authentic?" and similar thoughts about nationality and patriotism in Canada while grappling with history. This is a book I had a hard time putting down every time I picked it up.
A History of Hand Knitting
Author: Richard Rutt
Number of Pages: 248
Originally Published: 1987
I think this is the quintessential knitting history book. It's long, it's dense, and its main goal is to clear up a lot of misinformation regarding the history of hand knitting, and to create somewhat of a timeline of its development and spread across cutltures across time. If you're like me and you read textbooks about your interests for fun though, I absolutely recommend it! Watch listings of this one like a hawk, because even though it's been reprinted it is quite an expensive book, but nothing you need to pay immedietly for. I recieved my copy as a birthday present.
The biggest criticism of this book is usually that it "feels like a textbook," which it is. It's not a fun little story romp it is quite dense and I love it for that, not despite it so your mileage may vary.
Technique and/or Patterns
The Granny Square Sourcebook
Publisher: Meteoor Books
Number of Pages: 208
Originally Published: 2019
This is a wonderful collection of different types of granny squares, from simple ones, intricately 3D ones, to lacy single-color squares, this is a great reference tool for inspiration of quares, joining methods, color combinations. This book has both a round by round written pattern as well as a full-color chart.
AlterKnit Stitch Dictionary: 200 Modern Knitting Motifs
Author:Andrea Rangel
Number of Pages: 168
Originally Published: 2017
Similar to The Filet Crochet Book, the patterns and motifs in AlterKnit have been posted all over Pinterest, but I think physically holding and flipping through the book is worth it. There are some amazing and creative stranded colorwork motifs for all types of projects and that will fit every style and aesthetic. Beyond just being a book of motifs, the author provides interesting commentary on how to best work the motifs into your own projects as well as some patterns based around them.
The photography and layout of the book is fantastic, and the actual pattern pages include a swatch, a chart, and how many stitches to cast on based on what chart and how many times you want to include the pattern in your project. Beyond a nice book, it is a fantastic tool.
The Filet Crochet Book
Author: Chris Rankin
Number of Pages: 158
Originally Published: 1990
If you've ever looked up any kind of filet crochet instructions or inspiration on Pinterest, I can guarantee that you've seen scanned photos from this book. It's an incredibly straight-forward collection of patterns and charts, and full-color images that show the way you can use filet crochet to trim blankets and skirts, or to create full size doilies or kitchen valances. The book begins with a little lesson on technique, and all the patterns include both a graph/chart as well as row by row instructions. It's a great book for both the patterns, but also for inspiration to creat your own patterns and motifs. They're incredibly easy to adapt to whatever you need, at any size you want.
Vintage Fiber Arts
Related to my hobby of knitting and crocheting is a serious, focused interest on knitting during the first half of the 20th century (from the 1910s to the 1950s). I’m continuously fascinated by the techniques and suggestions, as well as watching the beauty standard and fashion trends evolve over the course of the five decades. The social history behind the push in knitting as a hobby and method of homefront production during the first and second world wars is an often overlooked contribution to the war effort.
Some of the best websites I have bookmarked are the Antique Pattern Library (scans of old pamphlets and ladies' magazines) and Free Vintage Knitting (which also includes crochet patterns, don't worry). Another source I found to be great for information on vintage patterns is Subversive Femme. I've not bought any patterns from them, but they host many free patterns as well as articles about grading, yarn substitution, and even faking the vintage look.
