An Invitation

for You to join us 

at our Lower Mainland debut market 

We're on the vendors' list for one of the biggest, hottest handmade juried markets in Western Canada!! {Woot!!} Over 250 talented craftspeople, designers & artisans gather for this awesome 4-day event to bring you a unique shopping experience... accessories, home décor, art, fashion, jewellery, baby items, 'stuff' for the guys, and more...

Come see what beautiful crocheted treasures we've been keeping a secret just for the show!

Thurs Nov 28 (10am-9pm)     Fri Nov 29 (10am-9pm)

Sat Nov 30 (10am-6pm)     Sun Dec 1 (11am-5pm) 

https://www.facebook.com/events/546107335444441/ 

  

Make It! Vancouver at the PNE Forum  

2901 E Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC

'Because You're Awesome' Admission 

Kids 12 & Under Get In Free

Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/210858859077049/ 

for more info & to see the complete Exhibitors List.

Here are some other upcoming fall markets to add to your calendar of things to do in The Lower Mainland:





Sep 28 2013
The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market  
9am-6pm
2514 - 105 Avenue
Maple Ridge, BC    

https://www.facebook.com/events/148745518651654/
 







Nov 16 & 17 2013
Creative Finds Marketplace 10am-4pm
Sullivan Hall
6306 - 152nd Street
Surrey, BC

https://www.facebook.com/events/389388921075526/
 
 







Nov 23 & 24 2013
Simonds Elementary
10am-4pm
Simonds Elementary School
20190 48th Avenue
Langley, BC

https://www.facebook.com/events/644483365567699

Nov 29 - Dec 1 2013
Gifts Galore
Varied Times 
Gizeh Shrine Centre 
3350 Wayburne Drive
Burnaby, BC

https://www.facebook.com/Gifts-Galore-Show





What's your favourite market in the fall season? 
Feel free to post a link in the comments below to share it to this calendar...

Enjoy the coming season change ~ keep safe & we'll see you next week...

...here In The Parlour =)

On To The Next One

A bit later in the day with this post... {dang! wrong button on the computer makes for another photo shoot and more time spent editing before posting}

First & foremost ~ our thoughts and blessings are with everyone affected in any way by the extremely nasty weather that has been hitting parts of the world recently... Our deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones. ~To the many volunteers who have come together to assist, and to those who will soon, a huge "Thank You"  ~To the survivors, please know we all continue to keep you in our prayers...

On to happier topics... Are you beginning to enjoy the early summer harvest of fruits & vegetables? Fresh local produce and seasonal fruit tastes soooo de-lish!! All the late Autumn clean up finished for our Southern Hemisphere friends? 

We've been busy with stitching the octagons and squares together. After 23 hours of hooking & twisting a total of 830gms of yarn {a little over a pound}, it's complete and ready to be delivered... handmade with love...

We substituted Bernat Super Value yarn, purchased the amount recommended on the instructions, and used our Susan Bates J-10/6mm hook. The finished size is 117cm x 145cm {46" x 57"}, so the overall gauge turned out to be a very minimal difference. For those who have recently joined us, the pattern is Octagons & Squares, available as a free crochet pattern download from Red Heart Yarn. There's also 3 excellent video tutorials to go along with it at The Crochet Crowd site on YouTube.

On To The Next One...
The next project hawt off the hook is also from Red Heart Yarn {we love their patterns & Mikey is such an excellent teacher...} This time around, we are using Red Heart yarn, with the recommended hook and our own colour choices in the sequence of Frosty Green, Tea Leaf, Medium Thyme, Windsor Blue and Dark Sage. 

This is the start of our "Ocean Waves Afghan". You can follow the links on the right sidebar to download the pattern and get some assistance with this one. It's a bit tricky to get it going, and it's one of those patterns where you really need to pay attention to your stitch count, but it actually hooks up fast once you get your rhythm going.

That's all for this week... to all our fellow Canadians ~ Happy Canada Day! and to our neighbours a couple of hours south ~ Happy 4th of July! To all of our friends, everywhere, safe travels & keep well!! 

We'll see you next week... here In The Parlour =)

*photos by ccthompson

17May13 So Far... Octagons & Squares

Here's the progress report for the Octagons & Squares afghan since last week... the smaller motifs hooked up in no time at all... now that it's on to the octagons, it's taking somewhat longer to work them...

6 red/black squares ~ complete. 6 blue/black squares ~ complete

 

 20 circles ~ ready to be crocheted into octagons 

  

  

2 completed octagons for mock up ~ 9 blue, 9 red to go

 

{Any guesses what I'll be doing to pass the 2-hour ferry rides to & from Vancouver Island this weekend???}

Even though this challenge is over on Mikey's Afghan Club, you are still able to add your submission to the Flickr photo gallery. I've also added the pattern link to the sidebar if you haven't already got it and are interested in creating one of your own for a unique hand-crafted gift or for curling up under with your favourite book.

Anything on your creative agenda this weekend? Kickin' back & relaxin'? Enjoy the sunshine, and for some of us ~ the kick-off long weekend to summer!! 

Have a fantastic week, too, and we'll see you next Friday... here in The Parlour!!

*photos by ccthompson

Octagons & Squares Project

Greetings to all!! Hope you have all been keeping well. Seems we are having a heat wave here in Vancouver as the last couple of weeks has brought us some gorgeous sunshine and summer time temperatures after what seemed like a never-ending rainy winter (by far better than the -40 stupid Celsius I grew up with on the Alberta prairie so I'll stop complaining now lol)...

Here's a few updates before we show off the next project coming off the hook...
First ~ Congrats!! to Jenna & Neil on reaching, and surpassing! their goal of raising $15,000 in support of the Make It Happen Documentary. We love you guys for what you do for all of us handmade artists and can't wait to see the final results next year. Way kewl!! You 2 rock!! Have a super summer and we'll see you at the Holiday Make It show at the end of November.

Next up ~ a couple of reminders of upcoming craft markets... 
May 11 & 12 is the Great Canadian Craft Spring Fling at Canada Place. A fantastic way to spend Mother's Day with Mom, Grandma, aunts, or any other special "mom" in your life.
May 25 &  26 is Portobello West Summer Market at Creekside Community Centre. Check out some of Vancouver's own fabulous designers and have a stroll along the water's edge at False Creek.

Now... coming off the hook...
This project was The Crochet Crowd's Afghan Club début challenge. Sponsored by Red Heart Yarns, this free pattern is called Octagons & Squares. Over 500 photos have been sent in to date, with more being uploaded all the time. Ours is a personal project for our grandson, Cole ~an old-school Spiderman fan~ for his upcoming 5th birthday.

Photo by ccthompson

We did change the recommended yarn to get the perfect red and blue needed, with the black and a darker grey for accent. The gauge is the same, as is the size of skein. It does cost a bit more per skein, but the Bernat Super Value yarn is definitely worth it if you're looking for extra softness to snuggle under. The grey centers will become the large blue and red octagons, with the smaller red- and blue-centered squares in between. We'll share our progress with you in upcoming posts. In the meantime, follow the info links above if you're interested in starting your own Octagons & Squares afghan...

What's on your hook (or needles) right now? Any special handmade art projects on the go or recently completed? Go ahead & share them with us...

Keep safe & keep well... we'll see you next week, here In The Parlour =)

 

Our Make It! Adventures

What a fantastic time last weekend at the Make It! Vancouver craft festival!! It was so nice to see all of our favourite designers & aritsts... and make some new friends =)

Photo by ccthompson

Yapes Paints (April Lacheur) had a fabulous selection of original paintings & art cards available. Sadly, we missed out on the lady owl with the pearls and hair fascinator ~ she was sooo cute!

I visited with Tracey Tomtene and oooo-ed & ahhhh-ed over her gorgeous selection of jewellery and photographic work depicting her worldly travels. What an eye this girl has!!

Tasty authentic chai tea, and a delicious ginger pear spearmint, were among the tea blends we sampled from Trudy Ann's Bombay Masala Chai ~ yummm!

The charming GG, from creampuff by gg, hooked me up with some sassy girlie boxers and a sexy bandaid top. I must say that these are definitely *the* most comfortable boxers I've ever worn! And the top will be for sure be a cute replacement to the camisoles peeking out from under a sweater or blouse.

Some very exciting news from the weekend is that Make It! Vancouver has outgrown the current space at the Croatian Cultural Centre. The fall show is being held at the PNE November 28 to December 1 of this year ~ room for almost twice as many vendors, all in one room!! Fingers crossed our application is accepted & we'll see you at our booth to help you with your Christmas shopping (I know ~ sheesh! ~ it's only April!) We'll be sure to keep you updated on all those goings-on...

Photo courtesy SD Jackson, PixAppeal Photography 

Team photo of Neil Mangan (Jenna's "partner-in-crime"), Myself (Meeter/Greeter), Jenna Herbut & Chandler Herbut (Sister/Brother Team Co-producers of Make It! Productions)
 
To Jenna, Chandler and the entire gang behind the scenes ~ I'm pretty sure I speak for all "The Makies" and the fans out there ~ thank you so very much for all you do and for putting on another awesome show ~ you guys ROCK!!

Keep safe, and we'll see you next week... here In The Parlour =)

The Finished Hexa-ghan

The newest addition to our boutique for Spring 2013 ~

...crocheted using Red Heart Super Saver yarn featuring 'Monet' with combinations of 'Lavender' and 'Light Blue'

A wider border of half double crochet finished with a row of single crochet completes this cozy  99cm wide x 125cm long (39" x 49") lapghan... perfect for settling in with a favorite book or a good movie...  fantastic for keeping baby warm in the crib or stroller, too! 
 

This gorgeous, machine wash/dry blanket is available for purchase by contacting us at our email address on the right sidebar, or through our Facebook page. If you have a different color combination in mind, drop us a line ~ we'd be happy to work with you!!

Keep well & we'll see you next week... here in The Parlour =) 

Coming next week: Our Hooker Heroes

photos by ccthompson

Workin' The Hexa-ghan

Apologies again for the delay in posting these photos. Our online editing program has been having some technical issues ~ everything worked up to the 'save' point.
All is well now, so without further adieu, here's a quick peek at the 'Hexa-ghan In Progress' using Red Heart's Monet, Lavender & Light Blue... 

A bright, cheerful addition to any room... a unique handmade gift for Easter, a treasure for Moms' Day coming up, or perfect for keeping baby warm in the cooler breezes...

 

 

layout for the finished blanket

 

50 hexagons going together

 

strips ready to join

The full lapghan, complete with border, will be our next post coming out April 5, after the holiday weekend. What do you think so far?

Have a fabulous long weekend!! Keep well & we'll see you next time... here in The Parlour =)

 Coming April 5: The Finished Hexa-ghan

photos by ccthompson 

More From The Hook

The inspiration for this design came about when my daughter asked me to make some crocheted bath mitts for her son, like the ones I made for her and my son when they were small. Back then, I did far more sewing than crochet. With some guidance from Oma on sizing, we used a bath sheet and the sewing machines to whip up 10 - 12 of them in no time. Crocheting one takes a bit longer but the results are so worth the handmade goodness crafted into every stitch...

Choose from 2 sizes when ordering:
Adult size measures 18cm long x 14cm wide (7" x 5.5") and comfortably fit a larger hand. 
Youth size measures approximately 15cm long x 10cm wide (6" x 4") for smaller hands. 
Hooked with a heavier, 100% cotton yarn, these bath mitts will surely outlast thinner terry cotton face cloths and easily wash & dry with the regular load of towels.











One of the brighter colors available ~  

for a rejuvenating bath or shower... 

 

One of the calming colors available ~ 

for a soothing & relaxing spa time...











Along with a bar of handmade soap or some scented bath salts, they make an excellent gift for someone hard to buy for, a last minute stocking stuffer, or "to me, from me, love me" when you feel like pampering yourself... and because these mitts are soft & gentle on sensitive skin, they're wonderful for baby's bath time or facial cleansing routines too... you could even add a luxurious bath towel for wrapping...


With next week being a holiday weekend for most, we will be out of the office to spend time & enjoy a feast with family. However, as promised last week, a bonus post of the Work-In-Progress will be out this weekend... 


Happy Easter (to those who celebrate), safe journeys to all & we'll see you after the long weekend, here in The Parlour!

Coming up next time: The Finished Hexa-ghan

Photos courtesy SD Jackson, PixAppeal Photography

On The Hook

A while back, we found a couple of balls of 'Monet' Red Heart Super Saver in the studio yarn stash. Some of you may have seen the resulting hexagons in our Facebook album, "Hookin' In Progress".  Tossled on what color, or colors, to pick up out of the many in this gorgeous variegated colorway, we set the motifs aside until later.

Fast forward to later... 
The last couple of weeks, the hook has been twisting up more double crochet stitches on the remainder of the hexagons for the 'ghan'. Continuing with the Red Heart yarn, we decided to feature the calming colors of  'Lavender' and 'Light Blue'.

Once joined and the border is added all around, the finished size will be approximately 34" wide by 45" long ~ perfect for baby, or for a lap-ghan full of coziness while curled up in a favorite chair... 





These hexagons of handmade goodness will be ready to go in time to be an extra special Easter gift to be cherished for many years to come...

We'll be sneaking in a bonus post of the completed 'ghan' as soon as it's finished...

Keep well & we'll see you next week, here in The Parlour!

Coming up next week: More From The Hook...

Photos courtesy SD Jackson, PixAppeal Photography; ccthompson

Changes at The Studio...

I've been a busy little bee for the past 3-4 months...
As of September 8, 2012, I am open for business at Carla's Victorian Heirlooms Online Boutique     
     YAY!!!

*Photo by SD Jackson, PixAppeal Photography

My boutique is located on the brand new selling site for handmade artisans ~  
Shop For HandMade Built and operated by Andrew McMaster, the website is based in the UK and hosts strictly handmade items created by talented artisans. Andrew took the time to find out what crafters wanted in a selling site and incorporated those features, and then some! (Thank you, Andrew, for this awesome creative community!) For more information on becoming a seller, if you are a supplier for handmade artisans, or if you are a curious buyer, click on the Shop For HandMade link above and message Andrew. He will happily answer any questions you may have...

In the meantime, stop by my new boutique and browse the catalog that features crocheted creations, counted cross-stitch treasures and home-sewn goodness... I use a secure PayPal payment system to accept credit cards, PayPal account transfers, and postal or bank money orders for your purchasing convenience...

I will be creating more unique handcrafted pieces over the coming months. You can follow my Facebook page or Twitter page to receive announcements of when new items are added to the catalog... I'm off to channel my creativity...

May your yarns be tangle-free <3