Le Tissier Designs

Of Larks and Linnets and Flying Fingers

Tag: Beads

  • On the Mend

    On the Mend

    Nope I haven’t been sick, but I am looking to mend!

    I am going to learn how to mend my clothing. Well, I am teaching myself how to mend my woolens mostly.

    I have been a sewer, (sewist?) all my life. I started with Barbie clothes and I have made my own and my children’s clothing, at various point of my life, with varying levels of success. I have designed and created costumes for live theatre. And I can mend many of of clothes, as in hem, fix seams, adjust fit and play with anything fabric. But I have seldom mended my clothing, as in fixing actual holes in the fabric! That needs to change.

    I also knit. And I have knitted steadily for the last 40+ years. Like most of us knitters I have a stack of woolens to mend. I hate to throw things out, especially now, when we are talking of sustainability and slow clothes and making everything count. So I have been looking at my own pile of clothes that need saving. From woolen undershirts (sorry, they are not pretty enough to be called camisoles) to fine merino sweaters to my handknits – I have things that need mending.

    So, over the last few months I have been collecting books and tools to start teaching myself the basics. Okay, not just the basics, in some cases the more interesting and artistic ways of doing things!

    Not that I will be starting with the fancy patterns, but the possibilities are interesting.

    I am also going to learn how to use a tiny punch needle, really a needle for tambour bead embroidery. Beads as mending! you can see that this is a whole new rabbit hole for me! For mending you are supposed to forgo the beads and just use a fine wool to punch through your knit fabric. And I have just purchased a Speedweve style mending tool. A small one (14 hooks), with a bigger one (21 hooks) on the way.

    Tambour beading is a technique that developed in Europe in the late eighteenth century. A small hook (tambour hook) is used to attach the beads to the ground cloth, rather than a needle. The word tambour is French for ‘drum’ and is named after the drum-shaped tensioning frame that was originally used.

    Plus there are the traditional means of mending as in swiss daring, patching and overdying. Overdying is a great way to recover sweaters that have been stained by life. I have used this method a few times! I would also like to try some leather patching for sweaters, especially hems at neck and sleeves. So, lots of things to explore!

    This is going to be so much fun!

    And then, this fall, there will be a class at Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns in Nanaimo. After all, there are not many things better than sharing an interest!

    Happy Mending

    Lynette

  • New and Noteworthy

    New and Noteworthy

    I have been busy!

    I am currently working on a few patterns for Gathering Yarns –

    • Cats in the Cradle – baby blanket or shawl with coordinating beanies.
    • Funky Brimmed Hat with Bad-dana Cowl – Hat modelled by Glorious Gertrude
    • Caahh…shmere with beads swatch – lusious lace tank in the future.
    • Cashmere beaded Fingerless Mitts – The Bee’s Knees!
    • Cable Cool Balaklava and Mitts
    • Cable Cool vest.

    For fun times in the future – beautiful handmade glass buttons.

    Ada made the beautiful buttons – Ada Babys Beads on Facebook – and I made her this hat with her favourite hearts! I finished the hat with one of her buttons.

    Well, I got the first box from the Beyond Merino Club (hosted by The Small Bird Workshop and Sweet Paprika. It contained 2 hanks of gorgeous, soft Corriedale sheeps wool from the Falkland Islands, one a natural grey and the other a beautiful deep Lagoon blue. Sweet Paprika did the dyeing. I made a half hap shawl. I finished it with I-cord edging and a couple of big, fat tassels. It will be part of the Happiness Hap pattern – coming soon!

    We are planning the next session of classes for Mad About Ewe Fine Yarns. I am planning to teach Mosaic Knitting. The first sample is done – a funky little Cloche – finished with a little tassel. I do love tassels. It is knit with Fleece Artist BFL DK and some Drops Kid-Silk.

    For myself – I am working on a sweater. I just started it last night. And like most sweaters for myself it will most likely get stalled along the way! You never know! I might surprise myself! LOL!

    It is pretty. Some soft mohair from Fleece Artist and a just a few little beads for show!

    Be well and knit Happy!

    I am trying to stay mellow and keep with the flow that comes with knitting. I hope that works for you too!

    Lynette

  • Leavers Lace… A Vanishing Fabric

    Leavers Lace… A Vanishing Fabric

    A few months ago I watched a fascinating little video about Leavers Lace and why it was so expensive. Amazing!

    So why has this come to mind once again?

    Yesterday I went to my favourite fabric store in Victoria, Gala Fabrics. I only go about once a year and not at all in the last couple of years. Umm, I wonder why? LOL!

    I generally shop the Vintage woolens section, you know the section where all the wools and wool blends are discounted to $10.00 a meter! Such a good deal! And you know that wool fabrics can be over dyed – just like wool yarns! So many options.

    But I digress! Leavers Lace! This is todays topic.

    As I was perusing the woolens with the help of a a wonderful sales person (I am so sorry that I didn’t get her name). She got that I was into vintage stuff and loved fabrics and she happened to mention that a great deal of very expensive beaded lace fabric had just hit the discounted fabric section. Expensive as in it used to start at $149,00 and went up to $200.00 dollars a metre and here it was at $10.00 a metre.

    Not in perfect condition, despite their best efforts to protect the lace (some of it had to be over 40 years old). On some pieces the sequins were discoloured, but still iridescent and in spots the fabric had also discoloured. And it was a little dirty. Time fades us all. It doesn’t matter! Every bead and sequin had been placed by hand, the every piece lace was an intricate designs of holes that was beautiful! The work that goes into creating each piece of fabric was amazing!

    Look at the drape of the fabric!

    We are no longer a society that really dresses up, not with the lace, beads and sequins of the past. Perhaps for weddings or graduation parties and not so much as tastes change. Here on the west coast dress-up now is quite often a pretty dress and nylons (can the nylons – lets just say a pretty dress and sandals)!

    But Oh if we were still that society!

    So I bought a metre and a half of the most beautifully decorated fabric I have ever seen. Machine and handwork combined in a way we don’t see any more, except in theatrical productions and period movies. I am going to make myself a little jacket or little top to wear out and maybe bring back another era if only for a moment.

    On my piece there are some loose beads and detail work that needs to be reattached. I can fix all of that. It is still so beautiful! This is the Leavers Lace.

    Happy Dreaming

    Lynette

  • Summer Things

    Summer Things

    July 6th was our 25th wedding anniversary and the Covid restrictions loosened just enough so we could have our celebration in the back yard. My husband had been working on this event for almost 2 years, continuing to plan and hope all the way through Covid! Many of the original attendees plus family and friends all came for dinner under a couple of tents. It was a wonderful time. We were all so glad to be visiting and sharing the ours stories from the last 16 months. For many, especially our senior relatives it was their first time out in months!

    Then we went on a short trip to Kelowna in the Okanagan. We stayed at the Eldorado Hotel on the Lake and had an absolutely wonderful time. Swimming in the morning, reading or visiting in the afternoon and eating most of our meals on the Lakeside Boardwalk of the Hotel! The service was wonderful – there was a beautiful little cake waiting for us in our room! The room was comfortable and air conditioned – very important in the heat!

    Our second evening we went out to Mission Hills Winery for a special dinner on the Terrace Restaurant – wine and good food – what a fabulous pairing! I really love the Mission Hill grounds. Every view is beautiful and there is Fine Art everywhere. It was what artists call The Golden Hour as we were leaving – so beautiful.

    Their store is fabulous, full of unique items and of course wonderful wine. I purchased a new cookbook – Wine Lover’s Cookbook by Fiona Beckett It has great pictures (it has to have great pictures) and appears to have quite a few promising recipes. We also purchased some Rose for the wine rack.

    On Friday afternoon I did a Show and Tell at the Kelowna Yarn and Needle Craft Shop! The ladies and I had a wonderful time! I showed off some of my knits and told the stories behind the items. The ladies got to play with the samples and try things on. It was a win/win for us all. I hope to go back in a year or so and maybe teach a workshop.

    The only thing that we didn’t get to do was take a trip on the Kettle Valley Train. It was cancelled a few days before due to the high fire risk in the Valley, well all over B.C. right now. Sparks from the wheels and rails could ignite a fire! That will be a definite for next time!

    I am about a week away (maybe a little more) from finishing the Sundail Shawl. The extreme heat we had delayed its progress and did the trip to the Okanagan, but it is looking great! I am organizing the prizes and can hardly wait to get the High Summer KAL started. I have been collecting pictures of my favourite flowers and have ordered another colour of beads for the shawl. Well if my idea works there will be some more beads added to the shawl. As you know, beads are always optional!

    Be well and knit Happy

    Lynette

    PS The test knitter for Crystalline is working on the edging now! It won’t be long before it is released!

  • High Summer KAL

    High Summer KAL

    It is too hot to knit! I don’t say that very often, but here on the West Coast we are experiencing an epic heat wave. Since I cannot knit I will tell you the story of what I am knitting and what images and imaginary place influenced the creation of this new shawl.

    My real garden in early June.

    I was planning on posting this blog on July 1st when I post the preliminary sign-up on Ravelry for this KAL But it can be early as I will need to be knitting to catch up on the knitting time that I am loosing to this heat. This shawl is for a KAL (knit-a-long) that I will be hosting starting Aug 1. I am working with Ancient Arts Yarns to create a fun and engaging time to celebrate the Summer and Summer Gardens! The yarn I am using is their Lascaux Fine, a yarn I fell in love with when knitting a couple of hats, Flat Iron and a new one coming up. This pattern will have options to keep you busy and allow you choices in the finishing. There will be prizes; yarns, stitch markers and a pattern or two. So….

    Starting Aug 1, come and join us as we knit a half pi shawl.   The Sundail Shawl will feature lace panels with floral motifs, some beading (all placed with a crochet hook) and a beautiful floral lace edging.  But the highlight of the shawl is the fair-isle garden that edges the bottom of the shawl.  This fair-isle panel will be reversible and there will be an optional sundial motif, also fair-isle, that is knit separately and then incorporated into the center bottom of the shawl.

    While this is not a true mystery shawl as you know the shape and theme of the motifs, the full shawl will not be revealed until almost the end of the knit – when we start the fair-isle section. The pattern will be released in 4 sections.

    I love looking at pictures of wilder gardens, usually English in style. I am not that kind of gardener. I plant, and hope that the object of my affections will survive my somewhat haphazard style of gardening.

    I have just created a Facebook group and forum thread on Ravelry for the KAL. I hope that you will share your progress photos and gardening pictures – your garden or the one you love the most.

    High Summer in my Fantasy Garden

    I love High Summer in my garden.  I can sit on the deck at the back of the house and contemplate the beds of beautiful flowering plants all in full bloom and vegetables all starting to ripen.  The fruit trees are laden with developing fruit.  My time and efforts are showing the rewards of hard work.  The scents in the air make me feel giddy!

    But my favourite spot in the Garden is at the back of the beds, close to the fence.  Beyond the flowers and sparkling fountains.

    There grow the oldest plants and vines, all started by the original owner of my home, a herbalist with an amazing ability to grow anything (some say she was a witch).  That area of the yard refuses to be tamed.  Right now, the roses are climbing over each other to outdo themselves with headily scented blooms.  There are brown eyed Susan’s and Queen Anne’s lace, fighting for space with Forget-me-nots, Poppies and Bergamot.  Under it all in the center of that garden is an old sundial, grounding the space to the passing of time.

    That sundail is special, it doesn’t show the passing of time. the enamel on the face is as bright as the day the sundail was put into the garden. It stays fast and true as teh garden grows around it. There is magic in that sundail. It spills up into the rest of my garden as I plant and tend. I can feel that my ancestress is working beside me willing the flowers and fruits to grow and flourish. Thank-you dear lady.

    Please join me and Ancient Arts Yarns as we celebrate the Summer. Share your favourite garden photos with us and of course your knitting progress.

    Be well and knit Happy!

    Lynette

    Dates to remember:

    • July 1 – preliminary sign-up for KAL – half price
    • July 8 – next level sign-up for KAL – 25% off
    • July 15 – sign-up for KAL – full price – $12.00
    • Aug 1 – KAL starts – first section of pattern is released
    • Aug 8 – second section of pattern is released
    • Aug 15 – third section of pattern is released
    • Aug 22 – fourth and final section of pattern is released
    • Sept 15 – Show-off date and official ending of KAL

    Places to be

    Instagram tags – #HighSummerKAL #HSKAL #sundailshawl

    Badges

  • Serenity Wave KAL

    Covid has hit us all in different ways. How we cope has been different for us all as well. I cope by knitting and designing things that keep my mind occupied and my hands busy. I have taken a few others along on my distraction journey by creating a KAL with my first attempt at distraction – Covid be Damned or the Impulsive Shawl. For this I picked the happiest coloured yarn I owned and a variety of beads and patterns and just started knitting. I am actually planning the next distraction!

    Covid be Damned or the Impulsive Shawl

    I am creating a new KAL – the Serenity Wave KAL.

    This KAL is designed with relaxation in mind. There will not be anything too drastic in shaping, or anything too difficult in terms of the lace sts chosen. I am hoping that we can relax and go with the flow as we work our shawls. The stitch patterns will feature flowing lines with intriguing shapes.

    Think of your idea of a serene colour or colourway and pull those colours together for this shawl

    Dimensions are approx 22 by 62 inches – most likely a little larger. Dimensions will be updated as the shawl is created.

    This is not a mystery KAL. The shawl is a long oval shape and can be knit with 1 yarn or three different yarns. All yarns are fingering, light fingering or heavy lace weight.

    Beads are always optional but if you are using beads you will need approx 3000 beads size 8/0 plus approx 100 larger drop style beads (I am using leaf shaped beads) for the edging.

    There is a thread in my Ravelry Forum about this KAL. There are sketches and links to beads in the discussions.

    The Serenity Wave KAL starts Sept 8 and runs until Nov 18.

    There will be prizes, support and conversation. This is intended to be fun and if not totally easy at least not so difficult as to cause hair pulling.

    If you are looking for an interesting knit amongst friends please join in the fun.

    Be Well. Live and Knit Happy.

    Lynette