TLA Micro Blog
April 25th, 2025
I AM REALLY BEGINNING TO HATE PINK!
Trying to make a deadline with kids is not easy...
So, for some reason, I got it in my head, a little over two weeks ago, that it would be a good idea to attempt another submission piece as if I didn't have a million other things to do! It would be easy, I told myself; a quick knit and an even faster application. I already had most of the pattern planned out anyway because I had started it with another idea in mind; not just as a submission. I really don't know why I think torturing myself is a good idea but I do it a lot. Lots of big ideas and very little free time for the execution of said ideas.
If you've been reading my updates on this project you know that it was a rough start... it took over three days just to get the thing cast on properly. Then, of course, right on cue, my kids get sick and Easter dinners get cancelled. And now, as if I don't have enough problems, I think I may have made the garment too big, but, I kinda have to roll with it because I'm running out of time and I still need to add all my design elements and embellishments once the base project is done.
Here's where I'm at so far...
It really doesn't look like much and the pink colour, that I thought I loved a week ago, is beginning to annoy me. I keep pushing forward but, like I said in a previous post, I'm not sure if I'm going to get this done on time.
On the bright side... the sun is finally out and the snow is completely, utterly gone! Hello Spring! Hopefully I'll have some time this weekend to sit outside on my balcony and knit in this lovely weather.
More updates on this project to come as the countdown to my deadline continues...
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Time Lost Art
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April 24th, 2025
A WEEK WITH MY NEW KNITTING NEEDLES
Why didn't I do this sooner?...
Wow! I cannot believe the difference between my fixed needles and this new set of interchangeable ones. It's like night and day! I have always enjoyed knitting but now I absolutely love knitting. These needles have enhanced my experience tenfold. It's only been a week but I have noticed quite a few things that I didn't realize were bothering me about my other needles that I no longer have issues with with my Chiaogoos. Namely, I have no hand fatigue at all... zip, zero, ziltch! And I don't have to fight with my cord... no twists, no tangles... it's heaven! I never realized that such minor things could make such a big difference.
Another bonus that I love that I didn't think I ever needed was this nice carrying case. Having my whole set of needles, cords and notions all in one place has eliminated so much headache. (I've never been known to be the most organized person and it wouldn't be a day in my life if I wasn't looking for a pair of lost knitting needles or two!)
If you are in the process of debating whether you should invest in a set of knitting needles, or not, especially if you are debating switching to interchangeable knitting needles... I highly recommend you spend the money and make the investment. I feel foolish for not doing it sooner. It has changed my experience with this craft and, I think, made me a better knitter. Chiaogoos are truly the Rolls-Royce of knitting needles and, honestly, for what you get with this set and with the experience of the needles themselves, it is a great price! $330.00 CAD plus tax for something that will last you the rest of your life and 1000's upon 1000's of projects is not that expensive at all if you think about it.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 22nd, 2025
COLD COFFEE AND HOT HEADS
Sometimes knitting and being a mom don't mix....
So like any other knitter with an upcoming mini holiday from work... I had a lot planned for my Easter break. Working on my top secret submission piece for the knitting magazine, finishing weaving in ends on my newest hat and sweater patterns, taking pictures of it all... you know,... the usual knitty things. However, whenever there are plans, there are kids who make you pivot and rearrange them all.
Day one of my holiday my youngest son woke up with a fever of 102.9 degrees Fahrenheit. For anyone who doesn't know... that's a pretty hot head. So instead of knitting, drinking coffee, going for walks and just enjoying life and the beautiful Spring weather; I was stuck being a pillow while my two year old laid on the couch and watched the 1987 cartoon version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So, once again, I lost another day of working on my magazine submission. I don't know how these moms do it! How can you run a successful home business and create such lovely patterns when you have so many kids? I only have two but there are designers out there that have five! I can't even make a simple sweater and here they are making cardigans and dresses and having regular release dates on Ravelry. At this point all I would love to have is a hot cup of coffee and drink it in a timely manner!
As of right now, I'm not sure if I am going to make my two week deadline for my Spring inspired submission piece or reach my goal of getting my website up and running by September of this year. Everything seems so daunting and hopeless when your kids get sick during a holiday. Here's hoping I can make up for lost time in the coming week. Seems like it's going to be a race to the finish to get my project done before May 1st.
Wish me luck and happy, frog-free knitting!
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 17th, 2025
WAITING VERY IMPATIENTLY WITH UNADULTERATED ANTICIPATION FOR MY CHIAOGOOS TO ARRIVE!
The Rolls-Royce of knitting needles...
As I've been crossing over into becoming a more serious designer I've realized that I need a few things to change - mostly, my tools. I have amazing tension and I rarely have to gauge swatch anymore because I've worked with Estelle yarn so much at this point (more about Estelle and why I love it in a future post) that it has literally become and extension of myself. I'm like the "Spider-Man" of knitting. I know exactly how my "webs" are going to react in nearly every situation. Literally, the only time I gauge swatch now is when I'm trying out a new stitch. The thing that is letting me down most isn't my skills or my yarn... it's my needles.
Like many a newbie knitter, my first set of needles came from Wal-Mart. They were a pair of US 11 (8.0 mm) Red Heart straight needles. Now these needles served me well but they were plastic and hurt my hands so I upgraded to wood and unfortunately snapped my favourite pair right in half. (I am a very tight knitter and it took me a very long time to be able to feel the yarn tension properly with my hands and not pull so tight) After I finished mourning the loss of my wood needles I moved to metal and used my set of Knitter's Pride Zing fixed circulars for years but, like I said in a previous post, I would then buy three pairs of the same size needles just so I could accommodate all of my projects and this has ended up just not being feasible financially or storage wise. So, that is why I have decided to invest in a set of interchangeable Chiaogoo knitting needles!
Originally, I was considering buying a Knitter's Pride set which would have been more cost effective but after comparing the two sets Chiaogoo Twist won by a landslide. Now, I have used Chiaogoo needles a handful of times in the past and I did like them from the start but in recent years as I've become a better knitter, I've grown to love them. The sleek design and point of the needle, the bright red cord with zero memory retention, the beautiful seamless join at the needle base... need I go on? This must be what knitting needle love feels like! I have next to no hand fatigue when I use this brand and the quality of the fabric that can be produced with these needles is unmatched. You definitely need the skills to produce quality knitting but when you also have the perfect tools (in this case knitting needles) for you, you definitely feel unstoppable. Hey, maybe I am the "Spider-Man" of knitting after all. I am so excited to start a new project as soon as my needles finally arrive. 
As you can see, they are on their way home to me now!
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 16th, 2025
SUPPLEMENT
Another project update for my submission piece...
I finally got my foundation row on my submission piece done! Yes I took out that ugly ribbing I was working on in the previous update. I'm planning to redo it so it looks nicer. I've only lost 3 days from my two week deadline... sigh. I am hoping that there is finally a silver lining happening now that my stitches aren't twisted, dropped or plain just not working right. Hopefully, tonight my children will let me enjoy my coffee as I knit. My favourite hot drink has been ice cold far too often of late.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 16th, 2025
BOTTOMS UP!?!
The trials and tribulations of a knitwear designer and why I need a drink...
Being a self-taught knitter can come with its advantages. When you have no one to show you their knitting techniques, passed down, in some cases, for generations, you become a blank slate, able to develop a style all your own. This can be a wonderful and amazing thing. You don't like SSK, okay, use k2togl instead. Who's going to stop you? Who's going to tell you that it's wrong? No one! That's who! Being self-taught gives you a certain amount of freedom that you just wouldn't have otherwise, but, it does have its disadvantages as well. One of those disadvantages is that you have no one to ask when you can't find the answer. One such question that I had as a newbie knitter was bottom up or top down - which is the best knitting technique? Another was knit flat or knit in the round - which produces a better garment? Both of these questions can stir heated debates in the knitting community. It's almost enough to drive you to drinking as you sift through the hundreds of comments online that don't really give you a definitive answer.
The best that I could come up with was that knitting bottom up is a vintage style of knitting and knitting top down is a modern style. The same goes for knitting flat and knitting in the round, one is a vintage technique and the other is a modern one. Both styles have their advantages and disadvantages and neither way is actually wrong. However, that depends on who you ask. Younger generations of knitters tend to prefer the top down and in the round techniques when making their garments while the older generations tend to prefer the bottom up and knit flat techniques.
There are a few reasons for this... mostly, younger generations are just too impatient. The modern style of knitting top down and in the round is usually faster but, in exchange for speed, you do sacrifice some of the structural integrity of the piece. Knitting a garment flat and then seaming the pieces together can make for a sturdier, more durable, longer lasting end result, (this is just a fact - you can argue about it as much as you like but in the end it is the truth, otherwise it wouldn't have been done this way for so long) which I find a lot of the older generations still prefer. However, this can and does create minor generational squabbles and pet peeves among the knitting community. Another reason younger generations prefer the top down method is because they like to try the garment on as they go. Most claim it is so that they can make minor adjustments if the piece isn't fitting quite right, which, would make it easier, I'll admit, instead of finding out at the very end after all that work that somewhere, along the way, you made a mistake with your measurements. However, there may be an alternative reason for doing the top down method that has nothing to do with fixing mistakes as you go which is... YOU GET MORE VIEWS on your videos if you show as you go! Imagine watching someone knit something bottom up compared to top down. Bottom up can be the equivalent of watching paint dry if you are not a very strong presenter. But there is an argument against the top down method that seems just as reasonable. Basically, it is just know your measurements! If you need to adjust as you go it means that you didn't take the time to plan the piece out properly from the start which is a fair and valid assumption.
I am a planner so I definitely prefer the bottom up method. I always make sure that my measurements are on point before I begin but there is another reason why I like bottom up as well. I absolutely HATE increases! If you go bottom up then all you have to deal with is decreasing for the shoulders and neckline where as if you go the other way you need to increase for the body. I much prefer the satisfaction of my work getting smaller as I go instead of larger. I am told that I'm an "old soul" so maybe that's why vintage methods make more sense in my brain or maybe because I am self-taught I just find the bottome up method easier to use as I have no one to ask about the top down method or knitting techniques in general. Although I will admit that I do prefer knitting in the round to knitting flat. The main reason is that I don't like sewing. Weaving in my ends is one thing but seaming all my knitted pieces together is just so tedious! Being able to skip that step just makes knitting more enjoyable for me, which, is the whole point of knitting really. We knit because we enjoy it and it shouldn't drive us to drinking! Finding techniques and methods that work best for us as individuals is what is so unique and special about knitting and why it is such an accessible, popular craft worldwide.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 15th, 2025
SUPPLEMENT
Magazine Submission update...
My magazine submission knit is not going well. I am literally casing on for the twenty-sixth time - no I am not exaggerating. In an effort to overcome my perfectionism, and meet my two week deadline , I am changing tactics. Instead of a purled edge I will have a ribbed edge. Hopefully this will keep me from wanting to throw my good pair of knitting needles across the room in frustration. When it rains it pours!
More updates to come... Pray for some sunshine for this project.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 15th, 2025
I ALWAYS CHEAT ON MY KNITTING - A MONOGAMOUS KNITTER I AM NOT!
Could perfectionism have something to do with it?... 
Lately, you could say that I've been on a journey of self discovery. If you've read some of my previous posts you would know that, originally, I started TLA in 2012 as a cross-stitch design business on Etsy. It wasn't actually until late 2017 that I started selling my knitting patterns. (read my post "The Road To Fashion" if you would like to know more about how I got started selling my knitting patterns) So after a decade of knitting I've come to a few conclusions about myself - mainly, I lack focus. I don't even know why I lack focus because with cross-stitching you need the same amount of, if not more, focus than you do with knitting and I was fine with that craft.
Maybe it's got something to do with everything being so accessible now. I mean, when I started cross-stitching, in 2003, the only place where you could buy the supplies and patterns was your local craft store and you were literally at the mercy of what they had. Online shopping, really, wasn't too much of a thing yet. We were still mall rats! Fast forward 22 years (wow I'm making myself sound old!) and you have internet giants, like Ravelry, that have 24/7 access and endless project possibilities.
So, is this why I cheat on my knitting? Too many options? Too many new sparkly patterns and yarn catching my attention? Too much social media hype? (yet another thing that didn't exist in 2003) Or, does it go deeper than the outsided influences? Why do I feel this incessant need to continually start new projects without finishing the ones I have on my needles already and how can I stop cheating on my knitting and become a monogamous knitter?
It definitely seems like I have a lot of thoughts to sort out. The one that I do keep coming back to, though, is that I am a perfectionist. I can be my own worst enemy. I do compare myself a lot to others. When you have knitting superstarts like Petite Knit out there it's kinda hard not to. So maybe the reason why I jump from project to project is because if I don't finish anything then I can't fail at it and compare it to someone else's I feel like this era of social media has brought a lot of people's insecurities to the forefront and it's really not healthy. Being constantly bombarded with images and having your work continuously compared to others can be hard to deal with. Don't get me wrong, criticism, especially, constructive criticism can be a good thing and help you to grow, but, I'm sure that you all know very well by now that most criticism on social media is anything but constructive. For some reason we all have it in our heads that sitting behind a computer screen allows us to say whatever we want regardless of the effect our words may have on the other person because I think we forget that we are actually talking to another person. I think being so isolated from actual "in-person" interactions due to technology has made us forget that.
So, knowing and realizing all of these things, how do I fix my multiple knitting project problem? Well, I feel like I need to drown out the noise and focus more inward. I know that as a teenager I would add playlists to my MP3 player (dating myself again... I know) and listen to a few hours of music well I was painting and drawing on my kitchen floor. (better not to ask... why I preferred to sit on the floor to draw or paint is a whole other rabbit hole!) It was nice. I think, perhaps, if I can re-teach my mind how to flow again that my focus will come back. So much of our time now is divided up into 10 second intervals, thanks to shorts and reels, and we've forgotten that our mind is actually like a river and by blocking our river with 10 second long dams, that prevent us from truly forming a thought about what we are actually watching and spending time on, we are interrupting our mind's natural process and limiting its true potential.
I am a perfectionist but the idea behind my perfectionism is that I am not a good enough designer, artist, person, etc. compared to someone else. However, if I can find a way to keep reminding myself that the people I am comparing myself to are, in fact, people and no more special than I am then I think, maybe, I may just have a fighting chance against my perfectionist tendencies and be able to get over my fear of finishing projects and bringing my ideas to fruition. Part of this is remembering to disengage from techonology more and let my mind do it's organic thing which is to flow like a river and take inspiration from my surroundings and create! A healthy mind doesn't need a screen to be entertained, it should be able to entertain itself just by being out and about in the everyday, ordinary, world. Hopefully, with a little bit of effort and practice I'll be able to become a more monogamous and productve knitter and designer and maybe regain a little bit of that child wide-eyed wonder that I've seemed to have lost through allowing myself to become more relient on my computer and less relient on myself.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 14th, 2025
AND I WANTED TO BE A KNITWEAR DESIGNER BECAUSE... ?
How yarn can make you question your life choices...
For the past couple of days I've been extremely frustrated. I'm waiting on a new knitting needle set to arrive... Finally! I'm purchasing a set of interchangeable needles after years of using fixed ones and buying three of every size. (I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this - if you know, you know.) But besides the stress of using subpar plastic needles from Wal-Mart until my beautiful Chiaogoos arrive (I'll explain why I chose them in a later post) because, of course, I don't have the needle size I need in my Knitter's Pride Zing fixed needles, this happened....
Not this picture... the second one.
Why does yarn always tangle so close to the end of the skein when you try to wind it? Yes, my winding technique is interesting, (I use my legs to keep the yarn from tangling as I wind it - if you want an aerobic exercise I definitely recommend it!) but, still it happens EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It's bad enough winding fingering weight yarn to begin with because it takes forever... but then... just like that, it turns into and eternity because now you have to sit there and untangle it all when all you really want to do is knit!
I was hoping to have this project underway this past weekend but it's been a no go so far. If you are wondering what it is... it's my newest knitting magazine submission! April showers bring May flowers! Let's hope that this project can start "blooming", instead of raining on my parade. With a little over two weeks until the submission deadline, I'm hoping for a little bit of sunshine and fast knitting fingers. This would be so much easier with my Chiaogoos! As much as I love knitting, I hate knitting prep nearly as much and don't get me started on finishing techniques. Wish me luck as my deadline looms. Hopefully I'll still love yarn after this debacle. By the way the yarn I am using for my submission piece is a brand new colour in the Estelle Highland Alpaca line called Quartz. I, definitely, recommend it if you like wool. It's soft and easy to work with (when it's not tangled) and the best part is it's the perfect colour for Spring!
Stay tuned... more sneak peek updates on my knitting submission to come.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 3rd, 2025
DO EVERYTHING WITH PURPOSE
Skills can be even more important than the idea...
So lately, I've been feeling like people who are making knitting patterns are forgetting that this, is in fact, a service industry. What I mean by this is that as knitwear designers it is literally our job to design a quality product to benefit the consumer in some way. We are providing them with the instructions to make a wearable item or, at least, an item that has some sort of purpose. We are selling them deconstructed clothing, so to speak. (I know deconstructed dishes are still popular in the culinary world right now and I think the analogy works well here. Thank you Gordon Ramsay!) We are literally at the whims of our customers, not the other way around. I also think that would-be designers are forgetting that just like any other skill it takes years to hone your pattern writing craft.
As I've become more active on social media and in the online knitting groups promoting my business I've noticed a few things, mostly, knittng patterns are everywhere nowadays! Literally anything that you want you can find online. Hundreds of thousands of designs now plague the internet and our social media feeds, but, how many of them are actually any good? I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've purchased a digital pattern from a self-published designer just to be disappointed by the lack of thought and care that has gone into writing it.
It seems now, that everyone and their dog is calling themselves a knitwear designer. Younger people, especially, who only have one or two years of knitting experience are writing patterns to sell to knitters at astromnomically absurd prices just to make a quick buck. Yes, these people know how to take a very pretty picture but very few of them truly have any idea how to write a quality knitting pattern.
Just because you can make something does not mean that you are a designer. In order to be a designer you need the knowledge (measurements, construction techniques, why things are done a certain way, etc.), the skills (knowing how to manipulate the stitches to create the fabric you want, knowing the stitches in general, understanding how to write something clearly and concisely to convey your ideas into a tutortial type of format), and the practice (years of experimentation, trial and error, the actual learning of the knitting craft itself). These things cannot and should not be rushed. These things are ones that I have spent the last 10 years perfecting and truthfully it will probably take at least another 10 more before I will even begin to feel satisfied with my skillset.
I am just now, in the past few years, starting to refer to myself as a designer. I have never been professionally published and I have very little formal training. However, what does differentiate my patterns from other self-published patterns is that I am in the process of being formally trained and I actually do want to work in the fashion industry; not just dabble in it because it is trendy and might get me a handful of likes on my social feeds. I do want to create quality, professional patterns that everyone can use for years to come and hopefully teach their children and grandchildren with.
Like I said earlier, being a knitwear designer means that you are in the service industry. Your job is to create a design/pattern for your consumer - a fellow knitter to work from so they can replicate your design precisely. So that means that your pattern has to be clear and concise and adhere to a certain standard. Anyone can become a knitter but not everyone can become a knitwear designer/pattern maker without years of practice and training.
I always tell my children to do everything with purpose; to put your whole heart into something and make it the best that it can possibly be. Here at TLA all of our patterns are being written and rewritten multiple times until they meet our high quality standards. Every pattern is tested by everyday, ordinary people from all over the world, walks of life and various skillsets. This can be over the course of a few months or even a few years all to ensure that we can achieve the highest level of professionalism and quality possible because that is what our customers deserve. Knitting shouldn't be hard and the patterns you use should be helps and not hindrances.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 29th, 2025
TRULY AN END OF AN ERA
After all this time I finally made a sweater that I like....
It started during Covid-19... I was confined to my house with my toddler and I was sick to death of knitting baby hats. I was bored and on Pinterest a lot and I saw a very interesting knitting trend... oversized sweaters. Now, I'd never made anthing bigger than a baby blanket at this point in my knitting journey and I had absolutely no experience in garment construction. So, of course, this was the perfect time for me to attempt to design a sweater. (If you hadn't guessed already that comment was meant to be sarcastic!)
If you've read some of my previous posts from 2021 I do talk a bit about this sweater or at least version 1.0 of this sweater. It turned out okay considering I had no idea what the heck I was doing but it did always bother me. I didn't like the construction techniques I had used or the neckline or the sleeve length. I knit-picked it apart both metaphorically and literally and I knew at some point I was going to have to take it back to the drawing board.
2025 rolled around and I've been on a redesign kick. I've been taking all of my older knitting patterns, the ones I created when I didn't know anything about proper garment construction, and revamping them... adding a wider size range, fixing pattern errors and design errors; truly just polishing everything up and making it more professional. So of course at the top of my list of fixes was this sweater. My "Campfire Sweater"... my big, oversize, squishy sweater that I designed to be a knitter's first sweater project. It is kind of fitting that this was my first sweater project and now I want to market it that way on my website. It does make me a bit sad, though, to finally have it done. I knitted this thing about 10 times over before I got it here. All that's left now is to weave in my ends and it's ready to wear.
This sweater frustrated me, made me cry, made me feel like giving up and, ultimately, taught me how to persevere and challenge myself in ways I never thought I'd be challenged by knitting. I feel accomplished and very proud that I finally brought my idea full circle. The next step is to test knit this monster of a sweater and get this pattern up on my website at last. It's been a four year long journey but it's been worth it even though I'm sure my past, very frustrated, self might not agree. On to bigger and better things; new adventures in knitting are on the horizon. What's that old proverb?... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step... I look forward to seeing where my next steps will lead.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 12th, 2023
IT'S MY HOBBY NOT YOURS - SEXISM IN KNITTING AND THE HARSH REALITY FOR MALE KNITTERS
Why is men knitting a bad thing?...
Recently, because I've been so much more active on my social media, I've noticed a trend in my knitting groups that I don't like... female knitters are not very nice to male knitters. It's almost like they feel men are trying to steal their craft and this is just not the case.
I notice whenever I comment online about teaching my boyfriend how to knit most women stop interacting with me or make derogatory comments about how their husbands could never do it and imply that they are not patient enough, let alone smart enough. Reality check ladies... you do not need to be a rocket scientist to learn how to knit. Anyone can knit and most men have more patience than we will ever know, especially, when it comes to their girlfriend's chattieness. (yes I talk enough for two women at the very least; that's why I have a blog!) Knitting also isn't some secret craft only women are allowed to know. Art in any form should be shared and fiber art, especially, should be passed down to the younger generations, which include... dare I say... MEN! Perhaps this is a little known fact but a couple hundred years ago it was men who did the majority of the knitting. Queen Victoria of England was one of the main influenced that got women into the hobby as she loved to knit and did it quite often.
In a society now clambering for inclusivity for absolutely everything under the sun; I find it absurd that many modern women do not want men to knit. Case and point... our local yarn store is owned by an older woman, (mid fifties I'd wager to guess - we call her the "yarn lady") who is always extremely nice to me when I go in there and even nice when I bring my boyfriend and youngest son along, however, I've been noticing that she directs all her conversation towards me when we go in as a couple. I didn't think anything of it until recently when my boyfriend tried to sign up for a beginner knitting class she was offering at her store. The gist of it is he got told he didn't know enough to take the class. I had been teaching him foundation stitches, cast ons, bind offs and simple stitch patterns so when he told me this I looked at him quite puzzled. When I read the qualification list to take the class he met every one. He even had taken a sample of his work in to show the "yarn lady" but it was to no avail. She refused to let him sign up. This infuriated him and rightly so and it upset me as well. I was the one who told him that he should take the class as I was getting too busy to teach him to knit properly. Between my eldest son (six), my youngest son (eleven months), revamping my website, blog and design work; I had no spare time for myself to knit let alone teaching someone else. The only conclusion we could come to is that she didn't want men in her class. There have been Facebook knitting groups as well that have let me join but for my boyfriend; his request is still pending three months after the fact.
This is not the only travesty however. Have you ever noticed that there are not a lot of knitting patterns for men? Compared to women and children, men don't have even half of the options or variety that women and children do. Sexism in knitting is very prevalent and this needs to change. Men like sweaters, toques and scarves just the same as women do. This has most definitely been brought to my attention as my boyfriend is having a hard time finding patterns that he would like to knit. So, like me, he has decided to start designing knitwear.
His first pattern, The Every Man Scarf, was just released on TLA last month and he has been requested by a few other male knitters to keep designing so there will be more patterns from him to come. In the meantime... If you would like to read a bit more about the history of knitting please check out the links below:
www.the-sustainable-fashion-collective.com/2017/05/04/knitting-brief-history-knitting-uses
www.allfreeknitting.com/Tips-for-Knitting/Who-Invented-Knitting-Look-Into-Knitting-History/amp
Also feel free to check out some of our other men's designs that are ready for download on our website.
A saying I have been teaching my children is "you get what you give." Always remember that giving love and tolerance to others gets you a whole lot further than exclusion and intolerance.
Ladies we know very well what it is like to be judged and denied things based solely on our gender... we know how it makes us feel so why in the world would we do the same thing that has been done to us to our male counterparts? Just something to think about.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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December 16th, 2022
COMMON THREADS THROUGH TIME - HOW AN AUTHOR FROM 200 YEARS AGO CAN INFLUENCE A MODERN DAY KNITWEAR DESIGNER
Happy Birthday Jane Austen...
I have never been one to follow fashion trends. I know that must sound strange for someone who is a knitwear designer but I have never really gotten into reading the tabloids except while waiting in a grocery line and I could have cared less who J Lo was dating that week let alone what she was wearing. The way I design is not quite as superficial as what is popular in the moment. I prefer to create knitting patterns that will remain timeless and translate well with a variety of age groups and body types. Because of this mindset I do not have a favourite celebrity that I admire. I actually have a historical figure and author, Jane Austen.
I started reading Jane Austen's books as a teenager in high school. I would say that I was a bit of an outcast. I never found that I fit in anywhere and many people said that I beat to my own drum especially with my ideas and how I view the world. I tended to keep to myself a lot and only had a handful of really close friends. What drew me to Jane was that she had also been considered a bit of an outcast by her peers and she had a wicked sense of humour. I found her upbringing was similar to mine; both of us being from middle class families and her belief system was also quite similar. 200 years across time and reading her books; it was almost like talking to a best friend.
Jane Austen was born in 1775 in England and valued family above all else and was very close with her siblings especially her sister Cassandra. She also believed that a woman could live and be independant of a man which was unheard of at that time as woman were only as valuable and who they married. She tended to explore this concept in her novels often referencing her characters wanting love matches instead of arranged marriages. The book Pride and Prejudice written in 1813 is a very good example of this. If you read chapter 34, page 186 in the penguin pocket edition, Mr. Darcy the lead male protagonist proposes marriage to the female lead, Elizabeth Bennett. Choas insues. Mr. Darcy states:
"In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."
Now in this time period, a woman once hearing a proposal like this from a man of such high standing like Mr. Darcy and with very few other prospects of marriage, should have jumped at this proposal. Elizabeth Bennett, however, did something very unexpected and took offense as she knew her worth and as not only a woman but a person and she proceeded to tell Mr. Darcy so:
"I might as well enquire," replied she, "why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will, against your reason, and even against your character? Was this not some excuse for incivility if I was uncivil?"
When I read this novel as a 16 year old girl I couldn't believe the power of this woman's words. In her writing Jane was taking a stand at what she viewed as a true injustice and that greatly impacted me. To this day I love how Jane Austen, who was regarded as a proper English lady, could go against the grain using her intelligence, cunning and wit and how her work is prized as a literary masterpiece and is still standing the test of time to this day. I consider her a true advocate for women's rights.
Jane Austen only lived to be 41 years of age. She died of an unknown illness which many have attributed to a broken heart. Jane's books were these beautiful love stories but in reality Jane never found that kind of love. She was supposedly quoted as saying:
"My characters shall have, after a little bit of trouble, all that they desire."
She wanted her books to all have happy endings because she wanted to give others the gift of hope for love as that love had unfortunately been denied to her.
I think Jane Austen's last life cycle stage was one of seclusion. She was said to have dressed in plain empire waist gowns and headpieced that were not the high fashion of the time. She was also said to have looked melancholy but still continued to have close ties to her family and was proud of her nieces and nephews. Truth be told; Jane Austen died penniless. For many years she published her books anonymously and it wasn't until after her death that she was finally able to claim her work as her own.
If I ever got a chance to meet Jane Austen I think I would thank her. She has truly inspired me to work through the hardships in my own life using my wit and my own perseverance. I feel like our lives have paralleled greatly with how we grew up and with what we wanted to achieve in our lifetimes. She used her humour to bring joy to others even when she had very little joy in her own life. To me this shows characteristics of a very kind, giving heart and like I stated previously, I think her and I would have been very close friends.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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November 11th, 2022
LOVE AND PASSION
How everyday things can inspire you to do better...
Recently, I've been kind of stuck when it comes to my designs. I've been very silent with my posts mostly because I've had a lot of big life changes that have affected my ability to design.
I've had a second child and I've been going back to school to get my Fashion Business certificate and become a certified knitwear designer. The new baby and my studies take up most of my time. On top of that my eldest son has started Kindergarten so now there is show and tell and packing school lunches which doesn't leave a lot of time for knitting.
Then I discovered that I love knitting with wool. So learning how to work with it instead of acrylic yarn has been a fun challenge that has been keeping me up until all hours of the night. Night feedings don't even keep me up this late! Now you might not think that there would be much of a difference between wool and acrylic yarn and you might even think that hey... yarn is yarn but I've been finding that I like the feel of the wool better and the way it knits up just looks classier. Personally I think the wool holds its shape better and I find it easier to work with as it isn't quite as slippery when I am moving it back and forth between my needles.
I have fallen in love with a brand of wool called O-Wash Chunky from a company called O-Wool that is based out of the United States. This wool is a yarn weight 5 and comes in a multitude of colours. I was so inspired by this yarn and this company as they are working hard to make sure that they are responsibly sourced and certified organic that I have started to design a whole new collection of chunky knits that are in the finishing stages of becoming really great knitting patterns especially for beginner knitters exclusively with this yarn. Sometimes all you need to get your creativity flowing again after some major life changes is a pop of colour, some great yarn and a few long forgotten sweater designs that need to be knitted up.
It's sweater weather time! Enjoy the snow!
Feel free to check out O-Wool's website at: www.o-wool.com
I highly recommend this business.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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July 14th, 2021
SUSTAINABLE LIVING - MODERN LIVING AND WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH KNITTING?
Everything in balance...
So recently, due to the worldwide pandemic, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. (It's over a year later and we are still feeling the effects.) I thought this was a wonderful opportunity to work on some knitting designs I've had in the works for a while and prepare for the annual winter craft and trade show I usually attend, however, nothing ever entirely goes as you plan. KNITTER'S WRIST IS A REAL THING! I sprained my wrist at the beginning of April and couldn't knit anything for almost two months. What's a knitter to do?
I binge watched Netflix for about a week and then I became very bored. I needed something to do after my son went to bed besides watch TV. I saw an advertisement on Facebook for some online courses through a website based out of the UK, that after a bit of research, I found was quite reputable and so my quest for knowledge to end my boredom began.
Among the many courses I decided to sign up for, some to help further my career, others that were just for fun, I found one that I was just plain curious about, Sustainable Living.
Now I am sure you are wondering what this has to do with knitting... a lot actually. As knitters we get to choose the kind of yarn we use to knit with. So why not choose a few items that are a bit healthier for the environment? Wool over acrylic yarn is a great start especially if you buy from a smaller business that is certified organic and ethical. They are out there and yes they are a bit more expensive than buying from a big box store but I'm okay paying a little more for quality and a healthier environment. O-Wool is an amazing brand of wool yarn (it is in the name) that is based out of the United States and luckily for me, ships to Canada for a very reasonable price. If you are interesting in learning more about this company and their amazing 100% merino and cotton/ wool blend yarns please go to www.o-wool.com for more details. 
Another simple change that is easy to make might be looking into using wooden needles instead of metal ones. However, if you love your metal needles and don't want to give them up, buying vintage knitting needles from a second-hand store instead of new would also be a great alternative. I've found that they even make wooden yarn needles now which I find very interesting to work with.
These are just a few little things that you can do but if we all start thinking about the little things and making small changes in our everyday lives eventually bigger changes will follow.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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May 18th, 2021
KNITTING, SELF-ESTEEM AND BODY IMAGE
Life after becoming a mom...
Gearing up for our big move to our new house, my son and I have just started going through our clothes. Some of mine I haven't seen in years and frankly, I forgot I even had them. Pulling them out and looking through them I've become slightly self-conscious of the fact that I'm not as thin as I used to be before I had my son. I worked very hard before he was born to get fit as I used to be quite overweight and I made the decision to completely revamp my lifestyle. I lost close to 100 pounds in a year through exercise and healthy eating habits. I've found since becoming a mom it's a bit harder to have that "me" time to focus on my physical fitness. By the end of the day after working and chasing my four year old, I'm just plain exhausted and I've gotten into the slump of not wanting to do anything but binge watch Netflix.
This has gotten me to thinking that I need to change my lifestyle again as I've fallen back into the trap of a few unhealthy habits. Honestly I've become a little blue thinking that I might not look as attractive as I once did before my son was born. My son, however, says I'm the most beautiful mommy because I look like him! (If only he knew that's not how genetics works.) His comment has gotten me thinking that maybe the thing in my life that needs to change the most is my perspective.
So in order to do that I have started looking into some Bohemian clothing designs. I love the flow of the fabric and the idea that one size can and does fit all. As a mom my taste in clothing has changed a lot. I prefer loose fits to tight ones and clothes that I can put on in a hurry. After designing my first sweater earlier this year I've decided I'm going to take a crack at a Bohemian inspired tank top.
Here's my progress so far...
A very close friend of mine, Duncan Cameron, did this very lovely sketch of my design. I want to have a lace back using my favourite stitch pattern... old shale. So far I'm set on a worsted weight yarn in either cream or mauve. We will see what happens as the design unfolds. Knitting needles tend to have a mind of their own!
Happy Knitting and Happy Soon To Be Summer!
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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May 17th, 2021
KNITTING AND MEDITATION - IS THERE A CONNECTION?
Remember to just breathe...
There have been many articles published recently discussing the many health benefits (mental, physical and emotional) of knitting and how doing it on a regular basis is akin to meditation. I don't dispute any of this as I'm not a doctor; I'm just a part-time designer but in my opinion any form of creativity, whether it be writing, drawing, painting, sewing, quilting or even music can be meditative and good for your well being. It just so happens that knitting and embroidery are my creative outlets so that's why these articles have been catching my eye.
Over the years I have seen quite a few of my friends and family members, myself included, struggle with depression and anxiety; mostly in silence. I have also seen how meditation and art can have a very positive impact on their road to recovery. Because of this I would like to encourage everyone to be creative. If you are a DIYer like I am please check out my website. I am releasing new knitting patterns every month and will be releasing my first cross-stitch pattern by the end of the summer.
Use Discount Code: JUSTBREATHE and receive 50% off of your TLA Exclusive Pattern purchases.
Remember it's okay to talk about it...
If you are struggling with anxiety and depression please reach out and call the local help line in your area.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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May 11th, 2021
OVER THE RAINBOW TODDLER BLANKET PATTERN RELEASE
And the overcomplicated rainbow pouf pattern...
So, it has been a few months in the making but I am officially releasing my Over The Rainbow Toddler Blanket knitting pattern on my website this week. It was a smash hit with my "yarn hating" four year old and it has been carted all around the house as a prized possession ever since it was finished. I think the colours are absolutely spectacular and the design itself is simple yet elegant. It has definitely earned its title of favourite blanket.
Over The Rainbow Toddler Blanket
OLD STITCH
MODERN TWIST
This beautiful rainbow inspired toddler blanket will chase all the clouds away with its bright colours and fun design.
Using a variation on the old shale stitch pattern this blanket is a simple beginner knitter project that looks elegant and sophisticated. Measuring 36" wide and 40" long this blanket is the perfect size for your little bean sprout at every stage of toddlerhood.
This knitting pattern is a digital download in a PDF format.
Its companion piece however (an oversized pouf pillow) has been causing me so much grief! Who knew knitting a circle could be so complicated or time consuming? I sure didn't.
Now you could say I'm a seasoned knitter, I've been doing it for a handful of years now and I'm quite proud of the fact that I have just learned how to knit sweaters and everything that entails... shaping, armholes etc. But knitting a cover for my pillow has been one of the worst projects I've ever tried to tackle, mostly because I had no set plan on how to design the cover. I've attemped a few different ways... knitting the top first on straight needles and then switching to circular ones for the body of the piece. Picking up stitches, increasing stitches, decreasing stitches, slipping stitches, nothing seems to give me the shape or size that I want. Then I realized that I didn't need all the bells and whistles, simplicity is best.
I've decided to knit the cover in the round so it is one solid piece. Then I'll create two ties using I-Cord and weave them throug the stitches on both sides (top and bottom) so I can cinch the ends closed. I'm hoping this method works better than the last few I've tried. Only time and my knitting needles will tell.
Stay tuned... more updates about this project to come.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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April 23, 2021
GETTING MY SON TO LOVE YARN!
Quirkiness at its best...
Lately, I've been feeling quite swamped with projects. There is always so much to do and so little time. With the weather improving, my son and I have been getting outside a lot more which is nice after the long winter we've had but that means less time for knitting. My rainbow blanket design has been underway for close to a month now and it's turning out a lot better than I expected and even my son is starting to love it. (If you've read some of my previous posts you'd know that my four year old has developed an affinity for rainbows over the past year.) For a little gentleman who has sworn off all yarn for the rest of his life, he is getting quite attached to the idea of having a new blanket for his bed.
I don't blame him for disliking yarn as he was, and still is, the cutest model and best salesman in town when it comes to my baby toque designs but if I were him I'd be sick of trying on hats too!
In order to get him to love knitted items again I've had to be a little bit creative... the rainbow blanket was a good start but I'm also designing an even bigger project that will accompany my blanket... a rainbow pouf! A child friendly, overly large, round pillow cover for my 32" pillow that I ordered off of Amazon. It will look perfect in the corner of my son's bedroom! If this doesn't get him to start liking yarn again I don't know what will. 
WISH ME LUCK!
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 28th, 2021
KNITTING NEEDLES... METAL OR WOOD?
Too much knitting and knitter's wrist...
When I first started knitting, it feels like ages ago now, I was that typical bright, wide-eyed newbie that walked down the craft aisle at my local big box store full of wonder and a ridiculous notion that I was going to make this massive checkerboard style blanket as my very first knitting project. (I still haven't had luck with big massive blakets, read my therapeutic knitting post.) I had no idea about gauges or tension or the fact that yarn came in different weights let alone how to read a pattern and I also had no idea about knitting needles.
The first set of knitting needles I bought was made out of cheap plastic. (straight needles of course, I didn't learn about circular knitting needles until much later and it blew my mind!) I went home that night with my needles in hand and a massive ball of blue multi-coloured cotton yarn ready to get my project underway. I was young and naive. I had this brilliant idea that I would teach myself hor to knit and figure out what k1 and p1 meant. It was all Greek to me at that point. Many, MANY YouTube videos later and I actually had the beginnings of a blanket. It ended up being only big enough for a baby but still I was pleased with myself. The one thing I did notice however, besides the fact that my tension was way off was that my stitches kept slipping off of my needles. The plastic was so slippery to work with, the needles had virtually no give and the tips were far too dull for my liking. To top it all off they made my hands sore.
Fast forward a few years and I'm a well seasoned knitter with a better knowledge of everything knitting related. Regarding (straight) knitting needles I have found that I prefer the wood ones the best. My most favourite pair I've ever owned was a set of rosewood 4.0 mm (US 6) made by Boyd. I haven't found a pair since that can match them but I've come close.
My new favourites are Rainbow Wood by Knit Picks. (I am beginning to carry them on my online store.) They are made entirely of birchwood and are lightweight with a nicely tapered tip. They also look amazing! My son loves them because of the unique rainbow design. He has an obsession with rainbows at the moment.
I also have a fondness for Knitter's Pride Dreamz circular needles. I've found over the years that I tend to get hand fatigue and knitter's wrist if I'm not careful. The last time I sprained my wrist I couldn't knit for almost three months! These brands, especially Knitter's Pride claim that their needles are easy on the hands and I can honestly say that they work well for me.
If wood isn't your go to then I would recommend checking out Knitter's Pride Zing aluminum knitting needles. I've used both the straight and the circular and I love their easy glide coating. The stitches move smoothly but don't slip like they did with my cheap plastic set. With so many options available you are guaranteed to find the set that suits you best!
If you would like to purchase the Rainbow Wood knitting needles by Knit Picks please check out our products page for more details.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 23rd, 2021
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Loving all colours...
If you have read my Halloween post you know that I have a now four year old little boy who loves rainbow kitties. Getting his Halloween costume ready this past year was eventful to say the least. He says he loves rainbows the best because he loves all colours so I decided to design a blanket just for him.
Since my son was little he has always been my number one model for all of my baby designs. Because of this he absolutely hates getting his picture taken now (I was a bit of a shutterbug when he was first born) and he says he doesn't like yarn either. His newfound hatred for yarn is only surpassed by his hatred of getting his picture taken. I wish I could get some of our conversations about yarn and photographs on video; they can be downright absurd at times. The only way I have been able to knit a blanket for him is if I use all the colours of the rainbow. He has told me that if I do that then he will use the blanket even though it is made out of yarn.
My progress so far... I've decided to do a twist on old shale.
I'm almost half done. I'm really loving the lime green.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 22nd, 2021
WOOD SMOKE AND BARBEQUE
It's time to pull out that sweater...
I really enjoy sitting around the fire with friends and relatives on a cool summer evening. Roasting marshmallows and making s'mores has always been a yummy family tradition and nothing beats meat cooked on the barbeque. As nice as it is however I tend to get cold quite quickly as soon as the sun goes down. The one thing I always ask for at a fire is if anyone has an extra sweater. Some of my friends have learned over the years to pack one just for me because I always forget to bring one.
Thinking about what designs I wanted to make this year, a big, bulky, oversize sweater was at the top of my list. I've never attempted an article of clothing this big before so it was quite fun to make and I thing it turned out extremely well.
Introducing...
The Campfire Sweater
I can't wait to wear it this summer!
This design will be making its way onto this website in the coming weeks. Until then please check out our other patterns in the TLA Exclusives section.
Happy marshmallow roasting!
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 19th, 2021
SUPPLEMENT
Campfire Sweater update...
I spent yesterday evening after my son went to bed seaming the pieces of my newest design, the Campfire Sweater, together. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about this one because I wanted the seams to be just perfect. I was pleasantly surprised when I was finished at how well it turned out.
Progress... 
Tomorrow night I'll add the neckline and finish weaving in the ends. I can't wait to have this pattern here on this website as a digital download! Until then please check out some of my other designs in the TLA Exclusives section.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 19th, 2021
THERAPEUTIC KNITTING - STRESSED NO MORE
It really is a thing...
Being a single mom can be hard at the best of times let alone in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moving back to my hometown (city actually), finding a full-time job after being a stay at home mom for two years, trying to start my own business and dealing with the daily trials and tribulations of having a now four year old little boy is not easy. (read my Halloween post :P)
The one thing that has been helping me get through this very trying time is that I have wonderfully creative and supportive people in my life that constantly push me to continue to be creative myself. I draw a lot of inspiration for my designs from the people I know and the situations that arise in my life. No situation or experience is too tough to get through.
I always try to see the glass half full even though lately it's been getting harder and harder to do so in my personal life and my professional life.
I have been working on this mountain blanket design since last July for a Christmas present (that was the goal anyway as it is March 2021 now) and I've had to start over six times already. I try not to look at this as a failure as I've learned so much trying to attempt this pattern that I created; new stitches and new techniques in order to get the result I desire but it still has been a very long, difficult process. Because of this I thought it might be interesting in this post to talk about how I create my patterns and how many times I do start over in order to get it just right. This is my personal version of knit therapy. Sometimes in order to create you must first destroy! Ripping out my knitting after getting frustrated with it can be truly satisfying at times.
STEP 1 Idea
Now an idea for a new design can literally come from anything or anywhere for that matter. My friend's favourtite colour or a conversation I have with my child; even a picture or image I see online or in my travels. For my mountain blanket it all started with a conversation that I had with my coworker. He talked about growing up in Banff, Alberta and how he would go snowboarding in the mountains and bam it hit me, I'd design a pop art inspired piece. That's all it was in the beginning, just two words... mountains and pop art. (well I guess three words but you get the idea)
STEP 2 Design
Designing is always fun for me. I get to let my imagination run wild. For patterns that involve any kind of pictures as part of the design element, like my mountain blanket, I use my Microsoft Excel program and create a chart.
Once that is underway I decide on a size for my pattern and adjust my chart accordingly. This can take a few hours or even a few days to get just right. My blanket was designed specifically to fit a twin bed so it was quite a big undertaking to begin with and having to start over six times... I'm surprised I haven't ripped all my hair out yet.
STEP 3 Making
Now it's one thing to have an idea and another to have a design but if you can't take your vision and turn it into reality it's back to square one. I have spent the past 8 months trying to make this blanket work. It has a beautiful seed stitch pattern followed by the mountain design and I just can't get my tension on the mountains right. My stitches are either too tight or too loose or my yarn drags too much on the underside of the blanket. It's been such a frustrating project, I've actually shed a few tears over it. That's where Step 4 comes in.
STEP 4 Adapting
Like I said earlier this blanket was meant to be a Christmas present. I should clarify, it was Christmas 2020. So three weeks before Christmas I had finally had it with my blanket. Enough was enough. I was still only half done and had to rip out the mountain section yet again. Nothing seemed to be going right and it looked like I wasn't going to have a gift to give at our Christmas gathering when I decided that my best course of action was to get back to basics and go back to my roots.
In one of my earlier posts I mentioned that I was a cross-stitcher before I was a knitter. That skill certainly came in handy here. A knitting chart and a cross-stitching chart are very similar so it was quite easy to convert my mountain pattern over to a smaller needle and thread.
Four weeks later I had my design completed as a cross-stitch just in time for our Christmas gathering. (sometimes a Covid-19 quarantine around the holidays resulting in festivity postponement works in your favour) A good lesson here was not only do you need to know how to adapt but you need to know when to adapt. As an artist and as a person I need to know my limits and when certain skills or certain things are just out of my reach. It doesn't mean that I'm going to give up, it just means that I need more time to acquire what I need in order to succeed. At the end of the day I'm still new to knitting, I've been doing it for less than a decade and I still have so much left to learn. I just need a little bit more time before I can attempt the kind of intricate patterns that I would like to do. Until then it's good to take a break from knitting every once and a while and make sure my embroidery skills stay sharp.
Pop Art Mountain Mash-Up 2.0
Not too shabby!
If you would like to purchase any wooden embroidery hoops or embroidery thread please check out this website for more details.
A smaller cross-stitched version of this mountain pattern will be available for purchase in the summer months.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 18th, 2021
SUPPLEMENT
I would just like to share my progress on my newest design the Campfire Sweater.
This is my first attempt at making a sweater and this one is a bulky oversize!
I'll be seaming it together later tonight, I'm quite pleased with how it is turning out. This design will be ready for digital download in the coming weeks.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 18th, 2021
LAUNCHING THE "SAVE THE BEES SAVE THE TREES" CAMPAIGN
Going green is easier than you think...
Sustainable Living...
Now I'm sure most people have heard this term in recent years as it is growing in popularity but does anyone really know what sustainable living means?
Essentially it just means making better choices and being accountable for your actions; realizing everything you do creates waste whether it is visible (physical trash) or invisible (emissions) and recognizing that you do have a considerable impact on the world. Sustainable Living is really just Smart, Healthy Living and it is achievable, we just need to take it one step and one day at a time.
One moment can change a day,
One day can change a life,
One life can change the world.
-Buddha
Now you are probably wondering what all this has to do with knitting. Well as knitters we have a wide variety of choices when it comes to the yarn we knit with. Similar to how we can switch from plastic bags to paper bags when we go grocery shopping or even better than paper, cloth reusable bags, (I do have some for sale on this website) we can do the same with our yarn.
In an effort to promote environmental awareness and how important it is to take accountability for our own actions I will be releasing some new knitting patterns over the next few months all made using natural fiber yarn as well as beginning to carry some wonderful lines of that yarn on this website... hemp, bamboo, cotton, flax and wool.
You are probably wondering how all this can make a difference. Moving back from a small town to an urban centre I know how hard it can be to live sustainably especially with my four year old son, some great first steps I'm taking to live a more sustainable life are simple things that you too can do as part of your daily routine like switching from plastic containers to glass for example or making everyday items like reusable make-up remover pads out of a sustainable material. (For a simple free knitting pattern see my "Three R's" blog post)
Living in the Great White North (Canada) I love my Tim's coffee and used to go through the drive-thru on a regular basis before the Covid-19 virus. A great way to make a small change that can make a difference is bringing your own coffee sleeve. Think of all th paper waste you can prevent in one year just by bringing your own sleeve for your coffee cup especially if you are a coffee-aholic like I am! I will have a sewing pattern as well as knitting pattern for these items appearing on my website this summer so stay tuned... Another easy change is switching from plastic grocery bags to cloth ones. As I stated before I do carry some cloth ones on my website right now and will be releasing two knitting patterns for knitted market bags in the near future. Lastly, (this change is not for the faint of heart) you could switch up your feminine hygiene products. Wait, wait... hear me out... Ladies, we all use them so why not use reusable cloth pads? The amount of money we spend on these products over the years should be enough to give you pause and have you considering switching to a more eco-friendly and wallet friendly solution. I will be releasing a sewing pattern for this product, created by Carrie Olson, as well over the next few months.
Please check out Carrie's Facebook page Logically Green Products and Creations at
https://m.facebook.com/pg/logicallygreenbycarrie
for more environmentally friendly, chemical-free products.
2020 was a rough year but as we make our way into 2021 we ccn all hope for the best and a fresh start. At TLA we are looking forward to the release of new lines of products, new blog posts and new ideas. Keep checking back for the latest updates and thank you for supporting my business.
TLA is now carrying Rainbow Wood Knitting Needles by Knit Picks
And...
Coffee Shop Wool Blend Yarn by Premier
Please feel free to read about the "Save The Bees Save The Trees' Campaign to find out more about why promoting environmental awareness is so very important and close to our hearts here at TLA. Article coming soon!
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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March 16th, 2021
TLA is getting an update!
My knitting patterns are once again available for purchase...
Come and check them out!
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October 31st, 2020
ALL HALLOW'S EVE DOTH APPROACH
Apparently rainbow kitties are a thing...
In previous posts I have often mentioned my son, my little "Gremlin". He was the reason I started all of this in the first place. He has always been an integral part of TLA and in truth he is the heart of it. Thank goodness for him, he has a mommy that can make almost anything out of yarn.
Throughout the course of the year my son has wanted to be a zombie, a witch, a zombie again, a skeleton and a zombie yet again for Halloween. Have I mentioned that he is three? Well he finally settled on being a ghost for Halloween at the end of September. I thought to myself that this is wonderful! He can just wear the ghost costume that I made for him last year. Oh the whims of a child... It's like playing pinball and having the one flapper that keeps sticking. We've all been there, it's frustrating.
The beginning of October rolls around and my son tells me that he wants to be a black cat for Halloween. Here I am sitting on my front step just gawking at him. My mind starts whirring, it's like a little whirlwind in there when my creativity takes over. I start calculating... okay there are three weeks until Halloween, I need to make a body, tail and ears. Check, check, check... doable.
Three weeks before Halloween attempt number one begins. As you've probably guessed it doesn't go well. My first design ends up almost being too small and barely fits over my son's head. I've just lost a week. I go back to the drawing board, recalculate my measurements and increase my needle size so I can get it done faster. Twelve days before Halloween I start Cat Costume 2.0. (It took me almost a year to design and make his Little Boo Ghost Costume, just to give this some perspective) It's at this point my son tells me he wants to be a rainbow kitty for Halloween instead of a black one because rainbow is his favourite colour you know. After some intense negotiations we settle on a compromise of having rainbow cat ears and a rainbow bow on his tail. The results aren't too shabby.
The Bad Little Kitty Cat Costume knitting pattern will be available for purchase on this website in the coming weeks.
Happy Halloween!
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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February 7th, 2020
"CHEAP" DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN POOR QUALITY
A rant from someone who works in retail...
I was at a craft and trade show this past holiday season selling my wares and there was an issue that kept coming up that didn't quite sit well with me: the pricing of my products.
Most people wouldn't even consider purchasing my needlecraft supplies because they were the same brand that you can get at your local dollar store, and since I was selling them for so "cheap" they must not be very good quality. Cheap, the dreaded word that no salesperson wants to hear. When that horrible word is uttered your can literally see the sale fly out the window: a potential customer's eyes lose that lively glimmer.
I carry over 200 products on my website right now. Some are highly recognizable brand names and others are not, but everything I carry on my website I, myself, have used at one point or another. If I can't break it or destroy it in some way I consider it amazingly durable and it passes my quality test! Yes, I am one of those clumsy people.
Now, all my knitwear is made using inexpensive yarn but I think it looks just as beautiful and holds up just as well as any of the other knits on the market. Who said knitting had to break the bank?
Fuzzy Wuzzy Baby Toque
Materials Needed
Fuzzy Wuzzy Baby Toque Knitting Pattern $4.20
1 Pair 4.5 mm Circular Needles $2.60
1 Pair 4.5 mm Straight Needles $2.60
1 Ball of Needlecrafters Dark Brown Acrylic Yarn $2.60
1 Ball of Needlecrafters Taupe Soft n' Fuzzy Yarn $3.20
Needlecrafters Metal Yarn Needle (comes in a 2 pack) $2.40
All items are available for purchase on this website
Cherry On Top Baby Toque
Materials Needed
1 Pair 4.5 mm Circular Needles $2.60
1 Ball of Needlecrafters Dark Brown Acrylic Yarn $2.60
1 Ball of Needlecrafters Baby Pink Acrylic Yarn $2.60
1 Red Coloured Pom Pom (comes in a multi-pack) $1.60
Needlecrafters Metal Yarn Needle (comes in a 2 pack) $2.40
All items are available for purchase on this website
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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January 6th, 2020
DIY - THE THREE "R'S"
Recycle, reduce, reuse...
Growing up in the 1990's I remember watching tv shows like Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Fern Gully and Once Upon a Forest, just to name a few. All of these shows had one thing in common, they were geared towards helping the environment. Not only that, but at the time, there were numerous tv commercials about recycling, reducing and reusing to eliminate the amount of waste that was ending up in our landfills. I'm sure if you were around in the 90's you would recall some of the catchy jingles about it. Fast forward to 2020 and it seems that the three "R" movement is stronger than ever. So many people are looking to reduce the impact that they are making on the environment by cutting down on the amount of plastic they use, growing their own food or even switching to alternative cleaning and hygienic products. A good friend of mine, Carrie Olson, saw a need for these alternative products and using her own recipes, developed with ingredients that she found in her own kitchen, has created a line of environmentally friendly cleaning and bath products that, in my opinion, are comparable and, in some instances, far superior to any of the big brand name products of today.
Her "Everything Salve" is made from organic local plants and beeswax and is good for... well... everything. You can use it on burns, dry skin, bug bites as well as part of your general skincare regime.
Her window and antibaterial spray is citric acid free, granite friendly and safe to use on LCD screens.
Her laundry detergent is high efficiency friendly, doubles as a stain remover and is colour protective.
Please check out her Facebook page at
http://m.facebook.com/pg/logicallygreenbycarrie for more information about her "Green Line" and how to order.
Now like I've said in a previous post, friends can inspire you, and Carrie's passion to make environmentally friendly, chemical free products has influenced a few of my newer knitting designs. Once of which I'd like to share with you right now...
Reusable Make-Up Pads
Materials Needed
1 Ball of 100% Cotton Yarn
1 Pair 4.5 mm Straight Needles
1 Yarn Needle
Cast On 8 stitches leaving a long tail for seaming
Row 1 knit
Row 2 knit to last stitch; turn
Row 3 knit
Row 4 knit to last two stitches; turn
Row 5 knit
Row 6 knit to last three stitches; turn
Row 7 knit
Row 8 knit to last four stitches; turn
Row 9 knit
Row 10 knit
Repeat this pattern seven more times
Bind Off leaving another long tail for seaming
Sew Cast On and Cast Off edges together; you should now have a doughnut shape
Cinch middle closed
Weave in ends
If you like this design please come and check out the TLA Exclusives section on this website... more knitting patterns like this one to follow.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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December 23rd, 2019
FROM THE GROUND UP
Building a brand...
Creativity, like most things in life, can ebb and flow. Sometimes it can spill out of you as if a floodgate has been opened, other times it can be nothing more than a trickle.
When it comes to my designs there really is no method to my madness. I wish there was, it would make things a lot easier. Sometimes I can come up with four new designs in the span of an afternoon and other times I can come up with one new design in the span of four months. The perfect example is my son's Halloween costume this year. I knitted a little ghost costume that consisted of a toque and a poncho. It took me a whole year to design and make. YES! You read that right. A WHOLE YEAR! I started it last November.
Now having the right inspiration to create a design is only half the battle, the other half is branding. Not only do you have to have a good quality product but you have to know how to market it and the best way to do that is to develop a strong brand. Branding is something quite new to me. There has been a lot of trial and error on my part such as developing a memorable logo and deciding what I want to sell and why I want to sell it.
Times Lost Art has evolved as I have evolved. I really had to think about TLA and what that name meant to me. As my life changed, my thoughts on TLA changed as well.
In the beginning Times Lost Art was about embroidery. I wanted to bring recognition to it as I felt it was never given as much credit as it was due. As I got older and had my son, however, I realized that Times Lost Art was more than that. It was about all those grandmothers and great grandmothers, aunts and great aunts, that stayed up late into the night sewing, knitting or embroidering those none too favourite holiday gifts that their young grandchildren or neices and nephews opened on Christmas morning eagerly expecting toys and receiving socks instead. Handmade socks, mind you, but socks all the same. I'm sure many of us have had a similar experience at some point in our youth. I look back on it now as an adult and I have a new appreciation for those gifts. I never understood the time, effort and love that went into them as a child. I needed to have my business reflect that somehow. How could I build a brand that was modern, stylish and trendy while at the same time paying respect to the sentimentality and skill of these arts?
STEP 1 was learning how to design for a larger audience, not just what would look best on my son (although that does impact a lot of my baby and toddler designs). You can't build a successful business off of the cuteness factor of a single toddler however... much as I'd like to.
STEP 2 was learning how to ask for advice and take criticism. No single person can do everything alone, sometimes you have to call in reinforcements or, in my case, run into a like-minded person on my way to the bathroom at a craft show. You can find friends in the oddest of places and if you let them, they can inspire you to do things you never thought you were capable of. Designs and logos are good things to have when you are building a business but the best way to build a brand is to network. Networking is key.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
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December 7th, 2019
THE ROAD TO FASHION
Love creates all things...
I stumbled into fashion entirely by accident. There was no "Ah Ha" moment where I said this what I want to do for a living, no growing up with a shoe or purse addiction, no need to have brand name clothes or continually sketch the newest trending designs in my notebook. It was a lot more basic than that.
As a young twenty something, I knew that I wanted to start my own business - that was it. I had no plan, no idea what I wanted to sell or what my business should be called but like many modern day entrepreneurs I decided it would be a good idea to open an Etsy shop. I took the first step down the road that day and I didn't even realize it.
Now when you've never run a business before you learn quite quickly that it is not as easy as it looks even with Etsy's cheat sheets. Setting up shop took quite a bit longer than I expected partially because I didn't have a name for my company and partially because I had no products to sell. This probably wasn't the best way to start off being a business owner but that's kind of what happens when you decide to walk in blind... you stumble.
I stumbled quite a lot. I think I spent more time catching myself from falling than I actually did building a business. In the beginning Times Lost Art or "TLA" as I like to refer to it now was more of a daydream while I was working at my "real" job than anything else. Case and point, I came up with the name for my business one day at work while I was washing my hands at the bathroom sink. Really inspirational stuff going on there, I mean REALLY!
I was big into cross-stitching and embroidery back then so that's what I decided to start making to sell in my Etsy shop. BIG MISTAKE! Anyone who has done any kind of embroidery can tell you first hand that it is extremely time consuming and you will never, ever, I REPEAT, never, ever be able to sell your embroidery for a price suitable enough to make up for the time you spent creating the piece itself.
And so I went on for a few years drifting in and out of th idea of starting my own business. My failures continually outweighing my successes. I was running out of drive and ambition and slowly but surely falling into the trap of living an ordinary, creativeless existence (if that is even a word).
Now working for a living isn't the only thing that can effect one's creativity. As with anyone's life, people can have an effect on it as well. Friends and lovers can appear and disappear as if by magic or at least that is how it feels sometimes. My artwork and designs were at a standstill, I was bored of spending so many hours cross-stitching even though I had become quite good at it. It was at that point that I decided to turn my attention to a newer hobby, one that didn't take quite as much focus and was quicker to execute... knitting.
I had taught myself how to knit a couple of years prior by watching YouTube videos of all things. (FYI - New Stitch A Day is an amazing website with numerous tutorial videos that I still reference all the time. I find them extremely easy to follow especially if you are a beginner knitter.) I found that I enjoy knitting very much. It is calming and relaxing and at the same time rewarding because you get to make something from literally nothing. You are essentially tying knots in a skein of yarn to turn into a garment. When you think of it in such layman's terms it really puts a new perspective on something that up until a few years ago I, myself, never considered an art form.
It wasn't until my son was born, however, that I got this crazy idea to take that art form and start designing my own patterns. Up until that point it had never occured to me to design my own. I had just been contented enough to follow someone else's knitting pattern. Once I had my baby, however, I had someone to make things for and the drive and ambition I had thought I'd lost came back full force.
My very first design was created shortly after Halloween 2017. My son and I are avid Batman fans but do you think I could find a bat toque? I looked everywhere in town and nothing. For it being Halloween where bats and ghosts and pumpkins are supposed to be abundant I was sorely disappointed. I had never made a toque before let alone used more than one colour of yarn at a time. Knitting in the round was something new to me as well but I was persistent. After about the third go around I finally managed to hammer out a basic design that was wearable. At this point my then 8 month old was so over trying on hats that he would pout every time I came near him with one.
Being able to make something for him was exactly the inspiration I needed because shortly after that nine more baby toque designs followed. I finally had a clear vision of what Times Lost Art was supposed to be. It wasn't the same vision I'd had when I began and for that I am thankful. I followed the road to fashion not by choice but by love, the love I had for my little "Gremlin". Now it was time to take that love and build a brand.
Gabrielle Vansteelandt
Times Lost Art
