Showing posts with label sneak peeks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sneak peeks. Show all posts

Monday, 4 August 2014

ever expanding blog post


The Ever Expanding Blog Post is a self-interview by a series of artists, makers and designers who ask themselves the same 4 questions and then pass the interview on to other creators they respect. A social media chain letter of sorts. Thank you Lily of Gamma Folk for inviting me.


What am I working on?
I am  in the exhausting (but i love it) process of completing vol. 3 of my knitting  booklets, that i self-publish & locally print, that will contain all new designs, most from my upcoming fw/14 shop update. I just recently released the pre-fall collection, that focuses on techniques such as fringe application, bobbles, using custom dyed wool, shaping & even some traditional lace designs.
 I couldn't wait on sharing the lookbook, that i worked on w/ friends brooke & hollie, so that is how that came about so soon. In the fall, i will feature the rest of the lookbook, & some more photos i shot w/ my friend alyssa, since i added more knits to the collection. 
I am working on so many projects at the moment,(such as finally tackling  enfant/toddler, & beginning design stages of  decor wall hangings & jewelry making).  i just can't even afford all of  the resources needed, so for me i am trying to just pull back my enthusiasm & not  allow it to get me down.








How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I am pretty stubborn with the integrity of my designs, which focuses on the beauty of the  natural fibers, as well as minimalist shapes. Honestly, i still design for myself, "would i wear this & will i continue to want to wear this", i focus to not stray from that sentiment. It is important that my work is wearable, sustainable & ,  that can it be easily mixed into a changing wardrobe.

Why do I create what I do?
For me, it started as an instant obsession, that came about as a way of releasing my creativity through developing my own skills of handicraft. I was inspired to find new innovative ways to develop & knit patterns, w/out a lot of the traditional hang ups of knitting. I continue to knit because it is creative outlet that allows me to independently help support my family. As well, i feel a connection to the political and community based actions that fair trade and small independent businesses empower. 


 How does my creative process work?
At this moment, i am feeling manically creativity, but i still definitely  am experiencing  periods where i suffer creatively through blocks, usually it is caused by forcing it, or so much self-doubt.


Sincerely thanks for reading this post & please make sure to check out the following  self-interviewers;
artist & illustrator julia dickens, jewelry designer of we never sleep sarah elizabeth beaver, clothing designer lauren winter & textile artist samantha purdy . 





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Tuesday, 13 May 2014

meet the photographer: Hollie Pocsai


i am so thrilled to feature & highlight all the kickass ladies that helped make it happen,w/ the anticipation of my pre-fall good night day collection launching on May 19th, & good night day pre-fall lookbook coming out soon, (gah so nervous). I've had the pleasure of knowing Hollie, since the opening of her shop White Elephant, & i've always wanted to work with her creatively, as a long time admirer of her photography. I really wanted to share these very intimate, haunting & immensely captivating portraits she took of her friend musician jessy lansa. all 35mm photos c/o of Hollie Pocsai
what is your occupation? 
I run an independent boutique called White Elephant in Hamilton, Ontario with one of my best buds. We focus on Canadian-made clothing, as well as handmade jewelry and gifts. Sometimes I dabble in photography gigs on the side, and occasionally I help out at a farmers' market stand. Mostly, my heart is in being a shopgirl.
what is your astrological sign?
Libra, Taurus rising, moon sign Sagittarius.
what is your spirit animal?
A hawk.







why is supporting independent makers/designers so important to you personally?
I don't know how, but along the way we've lost the connection to our possessions. I try and support independent makers and designers because it is invaluable to our local economies, and personally, an object gives me so much more joy if I know that one person took their own time and energy to make it - and which often becomes an extension of themselves that they are vulnerably presenting to the world - than something that was mass produced by some faceless factory on the other side of the world. I try and support independent makers/designers in most of my personal life choices, as well as supporting them by owning a shop that provides a place for others to admire and support them as well.






can you explain how you approach a project like shooting the good night, day lookbook?
Very nervously! Lots of anxiety, questioning my abilities, insomnia, going through the stages of imposter syndrome...ha ha. But I try my best to relate to the aesthetic of the line beforehand as to properly represent it through photography, do some research in terms of looking to other photographers and lookbooks for inspiration, and try to have a calm and collected exterior the day of the shoot.


Wednesday, 26 February 2014

recently, on the needles & in progress...


i feel like i take far too many on-the-needles/check-out-my-project photos, yet they just never get past instagram. all of these too-many-photos are really just the result of what loneliness & isolation can do to someone that works independently from their home, during the most incredibly polar vortex of a winter, the snow won't stop.

i'm anxious to get started on a mini spring collection of knits, & i've already knit up this sample leeds in a more modified version, so i could test out thewool, that i picked up from local shop hand knit yarn studio, so i could experiment first. well i've already ordered more, it is a superwash fair trade merino (so what that really means is damn right it is washable, also breathable, lightweight & soft next to skin)
(above) I knit up a cardigan version of the welland (a staple good ngith day batwing sweater) in a bulky wool, as i couldn't wait for the wool to arrive, had to see how it would look & FRINGE! (you'll just have to imagine it in lighter wool for now)

i've  started to order in some new colours (like this indigo silk+merino+alapca wool)  for the upcoming colourblocked toques that will be part of the permanent collection for fall, & thanks to elodie's amazing photos in her own jarvis colourblocked toques, i've already started to do request orders.

i'm a sucker for packaging & apparently washi tape (above & below)
i've added gold to my already growing assortment of b&w patterned washi tape, for the special occasion that my booklets most recent printing now have been edited to included gauge. 



just a favorite lace pattern cowl i amazing work in a bulky merino wool for fall 
& as another free pattern download, very soon!

always taking advantage of the notes pages, don't you?! this is my second of the vol.2 book
as the other was full of writing & notes. although i mostly have everything memorized, i still like to doublecheck too.


love knitting up orders in this very limited wool, which sadly won't be around much longer, as i can no longer can  source this wool that is from an Argentina women's collective. so if you've ever had your eyes on that belleville shawl or wawa cowl (check out shayna's in this variegated wine/blush wool), now is your time to act.

Thursday, 9 January 2014

just lately... mood boards, swatches,colour themes, packages & book editing


(above clockwise, swatches of tangerine & coral for editing gauge to add to knitting booklets for next shipment in a week & colour inspirations for new knits, saved postcard from chad i never threw away as i loved the black background & those emmensly perfect palette that is both soft & severe to me, past packaging for knitting booklets/ which i'm updating for next shipment of pre-orders ina week, merino wools of colours natural & heavy on the  black then teal, them more natural, postcard of geishas i've always collected over teh years & scorpio page of my new astrology calendar from primastic print shop, i've ordered four this year, kept giving the one i bought for myself away as gifts because come on they are worth sharing)

(above, tattoo artist minka sicklinger's work from tattoo forever & wool of neutral blushes & that hint of plum is killingme)


(last of the hand dyed cotton packaging for the knitting booklets, need tof ind a source to get more of these, the booklets are getting an overhaul, editing to add new photos & also to update each pattern with gauge so knitters can really customize. *if you've previously bought a book/e-book/downloadable pattern & want the updates too please contact me through my shop w/ proof of purchase or order # for a free downloadable replacement w/ updates through ravelry, if you don't have a ravelry update, isn't getting a free gift worth signing up?!)



(oh yah, so new blog look, now to figure out how to change my url name w/out losing everyone on my feed, is this even possible, redirecting in a blog post w/ a new url is always risky & unreliable...)




Thursday, 8 August 2013

moods & inspirations for f/w c/o b&w, contrast, texture, pattern...


always lead by my  own moods & the things that inspire that.
well, i've already shot & shared ( i couldn't wait!) the  f/w 13/14 collection w/ arden wray. it is obvious it has been a love for colours & textures, you can get where my head was at just by the names i gave to those painterly coloured hand dyed merino wools, eg. midnight, bright night, nebula, carnival & dark sky!) i've also been drawn recently toall things b&w, & you can see that in some of my sneak peaks, that will also be part of this fw collection...

sources, above,  ann demeuleester from dazed&confused/ below, picasso's constellation drawings 1924, etoile isabel marant  from la garconne, tattoo artist minka sicklinger & her b&w art & tattoos, mark olich from ballet, erin gilke's warp off the loom/ rinn textiles, belleville  shawl shot by arden wray, ballerina gelsey kirkland photo















Wednesday, 7 August 2013

working on...


i've been working on a few new items for fall/winter that will be added to the 13/14 collection in my shop.
obviosuly, i've been inspired by monochromatic, b&w, as well as colourblocking, textures & patterns/stripes/chevron 

Saturday, 16 February 2013

girls in my knits: stephanie from my neighborhood & rosa from germany


stephanie's visit was just what i needed, it's really hard to work alone & have no one to bounce ideas off, & my own self criticism  can get out of control in my head. so i invited stephanie over for some real perspective, she has been a real supporter of my work on & off of  her blog beaux mondes, even on occasion stepping into role of model, & to talk shop constructively. i  took the opportunity also to show her a sneak peek of the knitting kits to add to my DIY section & some of my samples for f/w 13/14. stephanie is wearing her own jarvis toque in camel of silk+merino+alpaca wool, sorry this isn't available yet!


one of my favorite custom requests i received for this kingston sweater, was from a boyfriend in germany to his girlfriend, at first, i didn't even think i had the wool, or the time, but then i found the extra wool i needed & we made it happen. afterwards he wrote me sharing his girlfriend rosa's blog, which is pretty inspiring. from the translation, "this  slow fashion trend,  not with a collection together with the next, all too quickly, and seems completely arbitrary,... the designer designs a few, a few pieces for a whole year, which produced them by hand and only on demand."
photo of rosa c/o rosa windt, in her own kingston sweater in varigated minty blue of merino thick & thin wool

Thursday, 13 September 2012

introducing belleville cowl/shawl

this is the one piece, that i am completely coveting for myself, i really long to have this piece because it is so  versatile. at the moment i am already imagining it paired with a blazer for fall & ankle boots. when i re-open the good night day  shop tonight at midnight, it might be hard to list all of these. 

thick & thin hand spun wool from a women's collective in argentina
photos: lauren glegg & model: kate campbell


Monday, 10 September 2012

introducing: wawa thick & thin spun wool cowl w/ dip dyed orange


this is the wawa cowl, the one that was featured on  ofakind, & was available on ofakind in an exclusive varigated blue-grey & my favorite creme-blush version, 
an absolute must have for beating fall chills to come, so cozy & ultra-soft.
 with dip dyed subtle orange edge
photos: lauren glegg
model: kate campbell