Blooming downtown

Thank you to all of the wonderful donations for the yarn-bombing event in Downtown Halifax this past Sunday. PBJ Design, with the help of Assemblage and Downtown Halifax, added yarn flowers to a fence on Sackville street to beautify the construction-filled area. The street is much brighter with the flowers. And people walking by were very interested in the project!

Check out some photos of the event – and be sure to walk by the fence to see it in person!

Gritty to pretty, eh?

Flowers for the city

Hey, it’s finally summer time! Everything blooms and it might be the right time to bring more flowers to our beautiful city.

This is a message from Alyson Dobrota from PBJ Design, the non-profit that works to revitalise public spaces.

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Join PBJ Design & Assemblage

on July 16th from 10-4

for a yarn-bombing!

We will be putting crocheted pieces into a flower design on the fence that surrounds the parking lot at Granville, Hollis, and Sackville Streets downtown. We’re looking for any spare yarn, extra crochet hooks to borrow on July 16th, or any extra crocheted pieces we can incorporate into our design (ex. crocheted doilies). Most importantly, we’re looking for volunteers on July 16th to help us beautify the fence. Snacks and drinks will be provided for volunteers!

If you’re interested in helping out or have any questions, feel free to email Alyson at: alyson@pbjdesign.ca.

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Lovely, isn’t it? Here are a few links that Alyson sent me to share with you if you wish to make flowers before the event.

She wrote:

“The first two are for basic small flowers, which we could use in any size! If they are smaller, we could incorporate them into larger flowers together on the fence, and if they are larger, they can stand alone. The last link is for a doily, this could be another design that we use for flowers. We’re open to anything!

https://www.thespruce.com/flat-flower-applique-pattern-978604

https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/01/crochet-flower/

https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/03/free-crochet-doily-pattern/

We will be using some fabric strips and some yarn to make the grass and the leaves. We’re also opened to basic stems/crocheted chains for flower stems or grass. The pattern for the fence is very flexible and will depend on what we receive. I am very excited to see where it goes!”

If you feel like bringing more beauty to the public spaces while using your crafting skills and hanging out with other crafters… here is a great chance! 

 

Grateful for the storm

Yesterday it was snowing again. It was the third day this week that the schools were closed due to the weather conditions. Monday and Tuesday I stayed home with my children and thoroughly enjoyed the storm. It was too cold and windy to spend lots of time outside but luckily there was snow on our balcony that needed to be removed.

Most importantly, I have finished the blanket. It was a big project and took me more than three days. Some of the blanket squares — knitted and crocheted by the senior ladies at Shannex — were stitched together with the flat slip stitch join that created a neat decorative line. But, man, it takes time. The linked video shows how to attach two neatly crocheted squares, and I was trying to attach various (not so neat) edges and not all of them aligned perfectly. In order to save some time, I used my sewing machine for the crocheted squares, and I used the mattress stitch for the vertical garter stitch squares — both make the joining line invisible.

It was Tuesday afternoon when we dropped off the blanket at the Phoenix Youth Shelter. I almost never see anyone there, except for the staff members who accept the donations. This time, there was a young guy entering the shelter as I was getting out of the car. He came in and a few moments later I stepped inside, too — it was too cold to talk through the open door. I handed in the blanket packaged into one of those duvet plastic bags with the zipper and explained to the young woman at the door “I have a donation, it’s a knitted blanket”. She thanked me and the next moment another, louder, “Thank you!” boomed from the shelter’s kitchen as she asked if I want to leave my information. “No, it’s OK” was all I said out loud.

As I was going down the stairs, I wished I could shout back to the person in the kitchen “From all the crafters who worked hard to make this blanket — you are welcome”. But I think he knows it anyway.