Nuit Blanche Toronto 2023

Hi there. Here are a few shots from Nuit Blanche which was on Saturday night. It's "the annual all-night celebration of contemporary art" that has been happening in Toronto for the past 17 years, except during covid, where there are installations set up, mostly outdoors, all over the city, which you can see from 7pm until 7am. I find it to be a really fun event and have been out for nearly all of them, however, I missed last year and then really struggled with the feeling of having missed out when I woke up on the Sunday morning after it was all over. So, while there weren't many installations near our home this year (they change locations every year), Nick and I still ventured out to see what we could see. Also, it was such a gorgeous evening out, with no jackets required, that we were keen to have a middle-of-the-night walk.

First we went to Stackt Market located near Niagara and Bathurst, where we somehow missed seeing the display I wanted to see, called "Tight Spaces". FAIL!! It was jammed with people in there, though, and it was hard to walk around and I have a tendency to claustrophobia in crowds, so I steered us out of there. I did particularly like this coloured umbrellas display, though, which wasn't part of Nuit Blanche.

Week 36 Creative Challenge : A Crochet Doily in a Seasonal Colour

Hi! I hope you're well. Popping in with my weekly update post for the Creative Challenge I'm doing this year. [UPDATE: Ok, I didn’t make it for the whole year on this. I was still making things every week but I got behind on photographing and posting about them. But, I did get through 70% of the year and that’s good enough for me! Thank you if you followed along.]

We were on holiday at Wasaga Beach last week and all I'd packed to craft with was a ball of cotton crochet thread and a hook. It sat untouched the whole time until the rainy evening on the last day. We couldn't complain about the rain, though, because the weather had been absolutely stunning the rest of the time, very warm and sunny, just like the middle of summer.

I started out following a pattern for this doily, but I was distracted by the view out the huge window I sat in front of, so made a mistake which I only noticed several rows later. But the piece looked ok so I didn't rip it out and finished it by improvising. That is all to say that I don't have a pattern to link to, or written out, for this one.

While I hadn't packed a variety of crafting materials, I remembered from previous visits that the light at the cottage we rent is not good for making things, so I brought along my new "neck lamp" that drapes over my shoulders and can be pointed directly at my work. I got this one from Amazon and, so far, it's been great. I'm really happy with it.

Week 35 Creative Challenge : A Macramé Owl Wall Hanging

Hello! Last week for my Creative Challenge I tried something I haven't done much of before and that is macramé, motivated by a bag full of jute twine bundles that I found at the thrift store the other day.

The whole bag cost $2.99 Cdn, not much more than you'd pay for one spool of thin jute cord like this. It contained premeasured bundles of cord, in various colours, which appear to have been prepared by someone for a class in beading or maybe even macramé, although I now know this might be a bit fine for most macramé projects. But, that is all to say that, if you like making things, check out the thrift store for supplies. That same thrifting trip, I found another bag that contained different yarns, including one complete and pristine skein of pure alpaca wool that is still available today at $18 Cdn per skein, while I got the whole bag for $2 total.

Week 34 Creative Challenge : A Crocheted Mouse with an Outfit

Hello! Here is my weekly post for this year's Creative Challenge . I wasn't sure what I'd make so I took a look at an ongoing list I keep on my ipad called "Things to Remember". Way down at the bottom, I found a link I'd saved years ago, to a tutorial on making a cute crocheted mouse.

If you'd like to make one, too, you will find that pattern here, complete with both written instructions and a video. Thank you to Sharon Ojala for the free pattern.

I made the mouse and then kept on going, adding a sweater, a hat, and a cross-body bag, all of my own design. Those took shape as I went along, so I didn't write down the patterns but if you make the mouse and would like to know how to make the other pieces, please send me an email at the address in the footer.

The original pattern was intended for a "Little Red Riding Hood" theme, so there are instructions with the mouse pattern for a hooded cape, a shawl, and a granny hat. There's also a pattern for a cute wolf, that I plan to try to make sometime soon.

I finished off the mouse's outfit with a scarf made from a scrap piece of cotton.

The last little detail was a tiny envelope with a note inside, that I tucked into the mouse's bag. I think I made this for a child in my life but we'll see if it ever makes it over to her home because I've grown quite attached to this creature, and I do have a collection of mice! I might have to make another one.

Week 33 Creative Challenge : A Sewing Needle Book

Last week's make for my Creative Challenge was something I needed, so I tried combining a useful item with one that is nice to look at and feels good in the hand.

If you're not a regular hand-stitcher and are thinking to yourself, "What the heck is this necessary for?!", there are many different kinds of sewing needles for different jobs -- some are big, some small, some thin and some chubby, some very pointy and some purposely blunt, some with large eyes and some with tiny -- and this helps to keep them all organized! I even have a needle that was my husband Nick's, that he's had since the late 80s. It has a special tip made for sewing through leather. He had it before I met him (when I voluntarily took over all his stitching tasks), so I "inherited" his sewing needle, haha! I also still have and regularly use, the very same tapestry needle I got when I first began crocheting when I was 7! That is all to say that if you keep your different sewing needles organized in some sort of case / holder, they will last you a lifetime!

I made a sewing needle book about 8 years ago, and although I've used it a lot, it had some obvious shortcomings, so I finally replaced it with this new and improved version.