The last few inches of my handspun Lothlorien were completed while watching, for the third or fourth time, all the most obscure DVD extras on the LotR:FotR:EE. Not for the first time, I think to myself that the Lord of the Rings Films are, to a slice of my generation, our equivalent of Star Wars. … More Not Idly Do the Leaves of Lorien Fall
Fox fur is great for trim, and there’s the occasional use of rabbit, or even polar bear, if you are either a hardcore adventurer or made of money. However, the real meat (so to speak) of Inuit sewing-with-skins is done with seal skin. I’ve been longing to try sewing with sealskin for a while, so at … More Seal Skins, Staples, and Sartorial Oscillation: Inuit Arts and Me, Part 3
I didn’t make an amauti last year, but I bought two used ones. One is for spring or fall, and one is for winter. I got the winter one for a great deal at a yard sale; it’s traditional white, has two layers, and genuine oil stains from fixing a snowmobile. It’s kinda big on … More Never Say Never to Nylon: Inuit Arts and Me, Part 2
When we moved north north north a year ago, I was so excited to be moving somewhere that handcrafts were a big deal. To this day, I’m grateful that my knitterly preoccupations fit right into my otherwise very different environment. And I was willing – nay, eager – to adapt further to the landscape, and … More Fine Fox Fur Fuzz Feels Fabulous: Inuit Arts and Me, Part 1
I do miss my trees, most of all during fall. The season of turning leaves reminds me, every year, that there is no way to freeze a moment of perfection, no ownership of beauty, and all things are passing away. But up here, the warm seasons are all so short that I still have seasonal access … More Fall Colours
The race to the Olympic finish was something else. I paced myself carefully those last few days, pulling a couple very late nights to meet a benchmark for the day. The real risk, at the very end, was running out of dark brown. I had decided to do the full length on the bottom hem, … More BrownSands and Ravellenic Gold
It’s all over. The dash to the finish line was a crazy one, and I want to tell you all about it after we have a proper photo shoot. While BrownSands is blocking, though, let’s talk about sports. Because I have been watching a lot of sports. I caught medal events in athletics, badminton, basketball, … More On Sports Metaphors and the It Factor
Just a quick progress update, no time to comment, ‘cuz it’s day 15 and I’ve still got a fair clip to go. The long, placid, enjoyable slog through the body was my weekdays this week. I had finished the body and divided off for the pockets in what seemed like good time, but for whatever, … More No Time, Must Knit
Day 8 of the Olympics, and we’re nearly though what I think of as the “swimming/gymnastics” half of the games, getting into the “athletics/whatever else TV decides to cover [generally not the stuff I want]” half of it. We’ve seen Ledeckey, Phelps, and Oleksiak smash their competition with confidence, and watched a ridiculously powerful American … More Hitting My Stride
And now we give you a recap of the first three days of the Sweater Triathlon here at the Ravellenic Games. With us are star commentators Meg Swanson and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. They’ll be following the progress of one of Team Canada’s newest members. Over to you, Meg. M: Thanks Ron. We’re here following Rebecca Osborn, … More Colour Commentary
Osborn Fiber Studio 