BrisStyle indie Twilight Market, King George Square Brisbane

BrisStyle indie Twilight Market, King George Square Brisbane Australia.

They came, they saw and they experienced, what an amazing night was had at the last brisStyle Indie Twilight Market of the year. Such a dense array of shoppers, but all had one common theme uniting them, a smile of joy as they discover new treasures at each and every stall.

Over 100 stallholders braved the impending rain to be rewarded by a clear starry night worthy of Van Gogh himself-just perfect for marketing! Set against the backdrop of the spectacular Brisbane City Council Christmas Tree in King George Square.

It was a handmade, art and craft extravaganza, I saw jewellery and heard jazz, cards and cushions, buttons and bags, bunting and brooches, prints and pincushions, and even, yes you guessed it a partridge in a pear tree!

BrisStyle, a not for profit incorporated association representing over 150 Brisbane handmadies and artists has played an important role in the growth and promotion of Brisbane’s burgeoning handmade scene. Stallholders at these markets are made up entirely of the very talented brisStyle members. With this in mind the talented folk at brisStyle always manage to put on a knockout array of stalls with a focus on handmade quality and variety.

These markets are totally everyone friendly, families, kids, prams and even dogs. With plenty of room to spread out and enjoy King George Square these markets can get pretty busy with browsing market goers and kids happily running around, creating a real sense of community, something that I believe plays an important part of what handmade means.

If you love hunting down the latest trends, general handmade goodness and supporting Indie business then you have to make it your mission to get to the next brisStyle Market, the 2012 dates have already been set and it all kicks off again on Friday the 24^th of February.

You can find all of next years market dates and out more about brisStyle at www.bris-style.com .

Story by Guest Editor – Emmaline Lamond

www.emmalinelamond.com.au

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Sashiko is a traditional Japanese embroidery technique that uses running stitches to make lines (straight or otherwise) that reinforce and insulate fabric. It can be used as a mending technique or for decorative purposes, and it has become popular in recent years as a visible mending technique.

It’s also the inspiration behind the Sashiko Tee by Elenor Mortensen. This top down, circular yoke top is worked in the round with allover stranded knitting designs reminiscent of intricate sashiko stitching.

You’ll find floral patterns, starbursts, straight lines and individual colorwork stitches in this design.

The pattern is offered in six sizes and two different gauges (both use fingering weight yarn) making a dozen different size options. The finished bust circumference of the sweater ranges from 33.8 to 57 inches, or 86 to 145 cm.

The project calls for two colors, and I love the traditional blue and white of the designer’s sample, but some of the projects shown on Ravelry use more than two or use a multicolored yarn as one of the options, which gives it a different look that’s even more interesting. There are also some projects that show longer sleeves, repeating the patterns from the body on the sleeves, which is a great move if you need a sweater for the fall.

I know I say this a lot but it’s worth your time to look at the different ways people have approached this sweater by clicking on the projects tab on Ravelry. You’ll find different colors and sleeves, different ribbing treatments, added beads, a bit of mohair, different lengths, subtle colors and bolder choices…so many fun options.

The pattern is available in English, French and German, and you can grab a copy of Ravelry. I think this one would be a fun way to get into colorwork knitting without having to deal with a bunch of colors, and you get a cool result and lots of practice following a chart.

[Photo: Elenor Mortensen]

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