missliz discovers crochet, news at 11

So.
As if I don’t have enough to do between the sewing, quilting and knitting projects waiting around, I’ve discovered the wonderful world of crochet. One hook! Faster results! Limited time offer!
Enter the Cozy Crochet Kit.

From the corporate bookstore, it comes with a booklet, plastic crochet hooks, 25 patterns and practice yarn (not pictured). I spent a couple of hours with the practice yarn (long gone now), then tackled the beanie hat with more practice yarn, then realized that Allyson’s birthday was right around the corner. Purchased the softest worsted weight yarn in a silvery blue and right in front of her and my family’s eyes, made her a hat! I think it turned out lovely! (beginner’s luck)

I highly, HIGHLY, recommend the kit for newbies like me. The directions are pretty clear and the patterns take you slowly up the experience scale. Furthermore, kits like these are, I think, a great way to see if a hobby sticks. If it wasn’t something I enjoyed, at least money wasn’t spent on expensive hooks and pattern books. But now, of course, I’ll be splurging…

In other news, it’s “Winter” in SoCal. It rained here this morning and it’s noticeably chilly. Hat and scarf weather. What most of the country would call Fall. Time for candles that smell like cinnamon and spice and the crackling glow of my space heaters.

make up for poor blogging on my part

Note to self: Blogging is a useless endeavor unless you update frequently. Or even semi-frequently. Aim for at least once a week.

My work calendar has been very full which has left little time for sewing projects. But I do have an interesting thing or two to post about.

The weekend before Halloween I went to the celebration of Dia de los Muertos. It’s a Mexican holiday that celebrates and honors deceased relatives. In Los Angeles it’s a festival with food, music, dance and vendor booths (!) held at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. But the main reason to go is the familial alters set up along the pathways of the cemetery. Each has food and drink and personal trinkets to welcome back their (dead) relatives. It’s alternately touching and sad and occasionally humorous.
So how does this tie in with quilting? Well!! I ended up with an Arpillera. It’s a phenomenal three dimensional appliqued picture. See photo. I didn’t know anything about it at the time I saw it and the only info I got from the vendor is that it’s hand made by women’s co-operative in Peru. (When I got home, I briefly thought I’d been had, and that it was actually made by five-year olds in a sweatshop downtown.) Based on that info I was able to find some more. Check out info here and here.
What’s totally incredible about an Arpillera is that it’s hand appliqued and three dimensional. I love running my fingers over the furry llamas and sheep, and appreciating the time and effort it took to make the applique stitches nearly invisible.

Today I went to a modern craft fair in Santa Monica. Out of the many vendors there, I really only appreciated 1%. That sounds horrible and I should never demean another crafter, and I certainly appreciate the time and effort it takes to create something out of nothing. . . but! Well I’ll just say, 99% of it wasn’t to my taste. However! I did end up purchasing something I just want to share with you. I bought two necklaces from a vendor named Jenny Gaynor. Her jewelry is made from Murano style glass, but it’s so beautifully simple and delicately pretty. A welcome change from the large chunky turquoise jewelry I feel has been around for too long. Check out her site and hopefully she’ll come to a craft fair near you.

What else…I’ve taken up the knitting needles again for the winter, and I’m starting work on a quilt from a pattern I bought at the last quilt festival. Oh!!! And I rewarded my working self with some books!!! Amy Butler’s “In Stitches,” Denyse Schmidt’s “Quilts”, Built by Wendy’s “Sew U” and finally “Stitch ‘N Bitch.” And! the new Craft magazine. Yay!!! Projects for the winter!! So many good patterns and inspiration, I just don’t know where to begin!

That’s all for now.