Urban Vancouver

I cannot believe another year has gone by. And what a year.

I want to wish a happy 2009 to everyone out there reading, and especially to my family and friends, who I love to the max. You are always there for me, and I can't thank you enough. xo

It's hard to get more craft rock than this. Each frame of this video is knitted.

Each. Frame. Knitted.

Sure, they were knitted by machine, but still, that is a LOT of knitting. Think of all the sweaters you could make from those panels!

Appropriately, the band's name is Tricot Machine, which means "Knitting Machine".



(via Drawn!)

Ice lace is a simple and lovely idea from Resurrection Fern. She froze doilies to create some delicate outdoor decorations for her porch.





The more I think about it, the more I like this idea. Ice and lace make a complementary pair - both materials have elegant yet complex structures, both are delicate and strong at the same time...

What's more holiday-y than Rachel Denny's Domestic Trophies?

Deer made of sweaters. Seriously, you can't beat that.

'Tis the season to spread some love and cheer.

Booooooom.com is doing their part to share some smiles with its Free Encouragement project. Just email them your message of encouragement to display on their blog.







If you have something nice to say, read the project instructions and get involved. Or just bask in the love by browsing the entries. Booooooom will be posting more messages throughout December.

If you're looking for ideas on how to wrap your xmas gifts this year without using wrapping paper, furoshiki is where it's at.

Furoshiki is a Japanese method of tying cloth in various ways to carry anything and everything - from boxes to bottles. It's a little like fabric origami, but with more practical uses.

The Japanese Ministry of the Environment created a helpful sheet on various ways to tie furoshiki, available as an image or a downloadable PDF.

Fujiya & Miyagi roll the dice in their video for "Ankle Injuries".

In what seems like a super-labour-intensive way to create stop-motion animation, dice are used in place of pixels. I especially like the random gymnast.



(Thanks, Dan!)

The ever-awesome Grain Edit posted a nice interview with Eleanor Grosch, aka PushMePullYou Design.

I am a big fan of Eleanor's work - I love the colours she uses, as well as the sleek, clever shapes that really bring out the key elements of the animals she portrays. Her work's a little Charley Harper-esque, which is big compliment. I have a pair of her owl shoes and a magpie print.



Eleanor talks about her process - actually showing a step-by-step example - and also gives readers a sneak-peek into her lovely home and studio.






Read Grain Edit's interview with Eleanor Grosch and also check out , where you can download some festive cardinals wallpaper for your computer.