new fall 2011 pieces

Sam and I did a photoshoot the other day, and I gotta say, I'm a pretty awkward, erratic model. But we did end up getting a bunch of good shots, which will be appearing soon on my Etsy site (westlakedesigns.etsy.com). 

Here's a sneak peek...

 openwork cowl in slate, acrylic, hand crocheted

75-

 braided headband in tropical sand, bamboo cotton blend, hand knit

38-

 two-tone tote in crimson and flax, wool, hand knit 

48-

 braided hairband in metallic gold, acrylic, hand knit and crocheted

12- 

dropstitch cowl in black, knitted cotton yarn, hand knit

60-

Some of his techniques for trying to get me to relax were getting me to do everyday activities such as...

(tomboy toque in granite, acrylic, hand knit, 55-)

or...

Good idea in theory, but I somehow think the question 'Why is she frantically mopping the bathroom floor?' might overpower the 'Wow I really want to get that hat!' sentiment...

growing a pinapple from scratch

One of my first experiments in plant propagation: a year old pineapple plant grown from the top of a pineapple dumpstered from jean talon...

 

Such an incredible plant! It took three months to root in a jar of water, and has been growing steadily since being potted last summer. new growth sprouts out from the centre and, in another 2 years (with any luck), a pineapple fruit will follow!

Here's a little step by step guide I made for how to grow a pineapple from a pineapple top 

(click on it to zoom in)...

*** Special note about step 3: Seriously, the rotting flesh can really stink, so make sure it gets all cut away. Another pineapple attempt of mine somehow housed two insects which burrowed through the flesh and ate all the roots. Needless to say, this one didn't do so well, so if you see that some flesh has been left (or some insects have made their home), it (or they) can be rinsed off in running water.

Here's what you've got to look forward to...

pineapple growing in florida

birthday trip to the botanical gardens

Atop a Saguaro Cactus

by Jennilee Marigomen

inspired me to post some pictures of my birthday trip to the botanical gardens last february...

tropical witch's den

oooh, bromeliads

 

moving day

This move was absolutely insane. We figured out that in the two years we had this apartment, 18 different people lived there at one time or another- not including partners or temporary guests! So after moving 5 peoples' stuff to three different new homes, we were left with a bizarre mish-mash of things left behind by 18, most of which we (and by we I mean Em J) dive-bombed off the back fire escape.

 the park girls...

Cynti, me, Al, Gisèle, Em J

so tired...

so sad...

so angry...

so scared?...

there's a *$#%!!(@ pigeon on the balcony...

the July 1 moving and clean up crew...

my childhood yard

So the lull in the film work seems to finally be over, since Em J and I both got calls yesterday! But in my rather long stint of waiting, I got the chance to explore the corners of my childhood backyard in all its midsummer glory. It`s so lush here it makes me realize why I feel crazy if my Montreal bedroom isn`t filled with plants and sunshine.

 elderberry (I think)...

bleeding hearts...

peonies...

trumpet vine...

roses...

ginkgo tree...

day lily...

the pear tree has rust (a parasitic fungus) this year, but hopefully the fruit will be unscathed...

the old fish pond, turned water feature for the birds...

As a child, I had a thing for pioneers. I would dress up in gingham pinafores and knit sitting on the straw mattress in the pioneer house- this little 'log cabin' in the yard...

the lone morning glory bloom...

And, oddly enough on the same day Sam sent me a link to the discovery of the record-breaking new world`s largest fungi at 10 metres long, I found my own specimen of bracket fungi growing from the wooden arm of a deck chair...

 

Check out the new, world record breaking fungus here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14294283!

new fall fabric- velvet and lace galore

I spent the other day roaming the overflowing isles of fabric stores of Toronto’s garment district for new fall/winter ’11 fabrics. I came up with velvets in black, golden flax, crushed olive and imperial purple, as well as a few simple, ethereal laces in black and white.

And yesterday my mom and I rooted through the crawlspaces of her attic to find hidden gems from my high school fabric collection. We found a great stash of wool tweeds, herringbone, and natural cotton...

We also found some scraps of fabric she saved from her projects from over the years, which I hope to incorporate into a quilt.

An old silk shirt of my mother's, which my sister and I played dress up with for years...

My grandmother's curtains from the house my mom grew up in...

From a chair my mom re-covered in my childhood home in Alliston...

My mom's old couch...

The cushions on the old porch rocking chair, also from Alliston...

I can't wait to get back to my sewing machine and serger to start on new fall/winter '11 cowls with these new great finds!

knitting 101 zine

I've been working on a Knitting 101 zine for the last little while, and I'm getting very close to finishing! It will cover knitting basics like casting on, guage, and knit and purl stitches. Here's a sneak preview of some of the hand- drawn step-by-step diagrams...

In the end, it will hopefully be an informative, easy-to-follow, affordable booklet for beginners, available both in hard copy and pdf forms. It should be finished any day now!