The first craft-o-rama was a great success! Mathew did an awesome job at getting the night started with Modular Origami. Thanks to all who came and am looking forward to more bi-weekly workshops – other workshops TBA!
First craft-o-rama at the Vancouver Hack Space!
July 20th, 2010Grown in Detroit: Documentary about Detroit teens becoming Urban Farmers.
July 18th, 2010Originally from Windsor, Ontario, Detroit has always felt like a close neighbour to me. Crossing the border felt like entering through an aged time warp. You could see all the prosperity from the ’80s, aged, overgrown and abandoned. From the crackling paintings at the DIA (which have since been better restored), to the beautifully ornate architecture –
The trailer for Grown in Detroit does a wonderful job describing its current state, and what its hopes are for the future, with urban farming. Can’t wait to see this one and what is in store for the city.
What I’ve Been Up to in my Down Time.
June 16th, 2010I’ve been wanting to build my own spinning wheel for a while … and a recent natural dying course I took at Baaad Anna’s (see photos below) inspired me to push forward a bit more. Surprisingly, I found very few resources on how to do this online … so I went to the library and picked up some books on the subject – luckily found this one … and I’ve been carrying it around with me ever since (Please, if anyone has any other resources, please send them my way!!). It will take a bit of time for me to transcribe the steps exactly (the instructions are pretty crude), but I spoke to some people at Pedal Depot (OCB’s little brother) and they’re going to help me make the necessary cuts (some of the construction involves physically having to cut into the frame). In the end, I’m hoping to make a decent PDF manual that I can share with friends, and a bicycle spinning wheel. I’m sure it will be trial and error, but those are the kinds of projects that I like best
Also, I’m putting together a presentation for a craft night at Vancouver Hack Space (VHS) on Monday, July 5th. We’re hoping that it will be a weekly event! (which means we need more people to share some of their awesome ideas ! (I know you have them) – everything from crafting, to gardening & cooking … ) – I’m super excited about this! and if I don’t already have your email/contact information, please send it over and I’ll put you on the list. Can’t wait!!
Natural Dying at Baaad Anna’s
We used marigolds to get this awesome shade of yellow. Apparently marigolds grow all over Vancouver & all you have to do is pick them, dry them, and grind them up. I have so much to learn!
Post-boiling/Pre-washed:
Magic.
I <3
Upcycle-Type-Fun
May 13th, 2010
I started this project a few months ago and keep coming back to it. It’s sort of a working definition of how I see “upcycling” , which I’ve been reading a lot about as of late. My main aim was to showcase typographically, both the idea of re-making something of greater or equal value to its previous state. I prefer this idea to recycling, as recycling involve taking something of greater value and making it into something that is of lesser value, and useful for only one generation (ie. turning papers into toilet paper). The idea of upcycling is to keep have multiple generations of use.
My main approach to this particular design was to work with how I’ve seen upcycling implemented in real life – ie. taking a part an old or second hand wool sweater and making a new one with it, etc. I chose to also incorporate ideas related to thrift (ie. mending/darning socks), as well as celebrating where our resources come from (ie. trees). Overall I wanted the aesthetic to be more polished, as upcycling itself is about making something that is of higher value. I liked the idea of juxtaposing this aesthetic with more “ragged” elements, like old socks.
in progress sketches:
Make Less … better & slowly.
May 8th, 2010Finished product + In progress Below:
I’ve been reading Future Fashion: White Papers which is a book I highly recommend! it has been so inspiring and has really given me the ability to embrace fashion, while leaving behind the part that I don’t love so much (the polluting side). I’ve learned so much about process and it has filled in a lot of the “unknowns” I have about materials.
All papers are equally brilliant, but one in particular inspired me to play with some more type. John Patrick, of Organic had mentioned that when he began his business, he started with the mantras, “Make Less, Better & Slowly” , which really resonated with me. I’m all for making – but the thought of making “less” really hit home – to make a knitted sweater that takes months to create just one, over buying one for about 50 bucks from the mall.
In a society that is revolving around living & moving faster, it’s totally contradictory to slow down and actually do less. But it makes perfect sense! We’re so inflated in terms of what we own, and what piles up in our house, it really seems appropriate to simplify.
So, i decided to hand draw the type (which isn’t really new for me), but use my old school iBook (c. 2006), which was much slower than my beastly macbook pro – to assemble it all. I went through having to delete files just so that I had enough free space, and applications ran a lot slower – and in earlier versions. But to be honest, it was great! and seemed really appropriate for the affirmation. So, I took some screenshots of my process and decided to share them with you! (Let’s just hope my computer doesn’t crash while I upload this!) Cheers!
In Progress:
On the Look-out for Awesome Knitting Patterns!
April 29th, 2010I have yarn baskets that are absolutely over flowing with wonderful yarn (my cat will confirm this ^_^ ) which means that I need to get a new project on the go! So I’ve been looking high & low for some inspiring patterns across the inter tubes. I’m thinking I’m going to attempt the key cozies. Hope you enjoy the round-up!
Totoro Mittens on Ravelry:
Katamari Ear Muffs on Ravelry:
Awesome Socks on Ravelry:
Knitted Key Cozies (Image found on Flickr):
Knitted Beer Cozies:
Link to beer can Pattern here
Awesome slouchy hat on Ravelry:
Day of the Tentacle Figures: No pattern unfortunately and I think these ones are crocheted. But super cool anyways.
Book Jacket Pattern found on Ravelry:
A Type-Filled Sunday
April 19th, 2010In order to unwind & get ready for the week ahead, I spent some time doing some handmade type on Sunday, for a display for some of my work coming up at an exhibition in Chinatown and for Vincent’s relatives in Amsterdam. Stay tuned for more!
Shameless Self Promotion
April 19th, 2010For one reason or another, I collect random pieces of paper. I bought a paper cutter a while ago & got a stamp made with my logo on it. I started cutting pieces of paper up for one reason or another and found myself putting my logo & contact info on them. My random pieces of paper collection had been building up pretty much since I moved out to Vancouver 3 or so years ago & it was pretty precious (maybe too precious) to me. It was such a good feeling to take out all those papers that I had grown pretty fond of and cut them up. It’s also a pretty cool alternative to having to go to the printers & print out a minimum of 7 bajillion cards that I probably won’t distribute entirely, with contact information that will probably change. I like that this method is a lot less set in stone and can work in lots of different places. Plus it’s fun ! there are all kinds of different results after each one – different papers and different alignment yield different results. Hooray!
Oh and this photo was taken on my iPhone with the CrossProcess app. I’ve been pretty addicted to the Hipstomatic app – mostly out of accessibility (I always have my iPhone on me) – but this one’s kind of fun too because you can get bigger photos (the Hipstomatic one crops some of the image) … although, I have this feeling that in about 2 months, all of these holga-y apps may start to be kind of lame.
Know Your Sweater: Bohus Stickning
April 14th, 2010I was super excited to learn about the beginnings of Bohus Stickning in Knitting Traditions Magazine .
The brains behind the patterns is Vienna-born Emma Jacobsson. With a degree in the visual arts and a PhD in Botany, she had an interest in the handicrafts, but she upset her father when she went into botany, as he felt that she should be doing something more “womanly.” Little did he know that during the great depression in the 1930s, she would be called upon by a group of women from Bohuslän, a southwestern province in Sweden, to start a business together. She was largely responsible for the designs and patterns themselves, based on historic textiles, including Peruvian weavings and Chinese textiles, as well as motifs found in nature. She was known for her high standards, precise recordkeeping, and effective marketing techniques.
Bohus Stickning was born in 1939 and lasted until 1969.
Jacobbsson died in her 90s and all who attended her funeral wore her famous sweaters.
To read more about Bohus Stickning, here are some awesome books on the subject. Photos found on Flickr: shutterhoney & cherylfrancis
Steve Powers Video
April 7th, 2010I’ve been following Steve Powers’ awesome graffiti for a while now and really glad to see this video. Love his ideas on community:
“[...]What you need to know is, love exists here [...] If you let the city give, and nurture you, you have a responsibility to give back.” amen.
Happy Spring Time, World!
April 6th, 2010And what better way to celebrate spring time, than starting a new blog!
{Images from China Town & Beyond!}
