On Pause

A bit insane with work right now.  So no time for crafting or blogging.  Barely updating my photo-a-day thingy.  But I’ve received a commision for a plush toy due on Monday.  So this weekend is booked! See you soon!

And I was doing so well. . .

Minor set-back last weekend. . . unnecessary yarn purchase.  (Is there an abbreviation for that: UnYP perhaps?)  My laundromat is located next to a little area I call Tujunga Village.   It’s a block long series of shops that range from ice cream parlor to massage parlor to  ‘older woman clothes’ and a tiny tiny yarn shop.  It used to be called Yarn Garden, and is now called The Pink Porch.  It’s small and whenever I get the nerve to go in (usually when the clothes are in the dryer), there are always a couple of ladies sitting at the table working on projects.  I tend to get intimidated going into places like this.  Not because the people are unfriendly, quite the opposite!  But I am a buyer-from-guilt.  I buy because I am afraid of being judged if I don’t.  The store is sooo small, I feel that if I don’t buy something I am a bad person for not supporting such a great establishment and the people there won’t like me.  That’s the only explanation I can find for blindly grabbing something that looks appealing without properly planning out what I’m going to be using it for.  And now that I’ve written that out, that is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard.  But it’s true.  And awkward.

So I bought four skeins (rolls?) of yarn.  I have NO idea what I’m going to use it for.  I think one scarf for the spring and a cozy for my cell phone and another for my camera.  It’s cotten with a tiny bit of wool. If the picture makes you dizzy, like it does to me, I apologize in advance.

In other news, I am going to attempt a picture-a-day until the end of the year.  It’s something I wanted to start at the first of the year, and you can see how well that turned out.  But I figure six months will be a good experiment in commitment.  I’m laughing already.  I can hardly commit to a blog, a picture a day will be a true test.  Well, check out my sidebar in the next couple of days after I figure out how to get my Flickr site up.

Apartment Flowers

I think my apartment complex is cute. And that’s part of the reason I live there. It isn’t a pillbox-like complex that towers four stories. It was built probably in the 40s (based on carbon dating of the tile in my kitchen) and was last updated in the 60s (gold formica in the bathroom). I greet my neighbors by name, and spread local gossip with them. It’s nice. It’s homey. And when I walk from my car to my front door, I walk through an doorway created by a defunct wooden fence and a rosebush. These roses bloom once a year. For three days. They burn out so fast, I’ve discovered, because they are under light twenty four hours a day. Just opposite is a security light that turns on as soon as the sun goes down. So there is no night and day for the bush. It’s always day. I look forward to spring when these flowers bloom, it’s one way of marking time.

 

Chatty-Cathy today.

Okay, I’m sure that you are just as upset as I am about the fact that the Slanket is out of stock. But think of it like this, when the warm weather hits, you’ll be able to get all the Slankets you want and give them as holiday gifts. Yay!

I am just such a fan of cuddling up on the sofa with hot chocolate and the remote or knitting or a book. That’s part of the reason why winter is so valuable in Southern California, because it only happens for four months out of the year. You appreciate the quiet cuddly times, because the rest of the year is spent sticking your head in your freezer for relief.  Anyway, the Slanket just hit home with me because it’s something designed solely to facilitate being lazy on the couch. Your shoulders and neck (always my coldest parts) can now be cozy warm while you read, or crochet! I got so excited when I saw it, I thought about sharing it with you.

And the reason I’m posting this today is because I was feeling guilty that I didn’t post my opinion about it when I posted the link. You come here because it’s a person’s blog, not an impersonal collection of links. So, sorry about that.

Speaking of collection of links. . . check out Scott Wade’s Dirty Car Art. This is just a fantastic example of how creativity can be everywhere, and how something can be transformed from nuisance to canvas. Pretty cool.

And finally, I am done assembling the quilt top I had in pieces on my sewing table.

Gotta say. . .not happy with it. The fabric and pattern is from a kit I bought at a quilt show. When I saw the fat quarters together, I loved them, but now that’s its assembled out, I just don’t like the salmon colored fabric, nor the green (not that you can guess those colors from the horrible horrible picture, sorry). I guess what drew me to the bunch in the first place were the oriental fabrics. But I think they’re lost in salmon and green. Ick.

From here on out, I am really going to make an effort to choose colors on my own. Color selection is not my strong suit. My wardrobe consists of black, tan, brown, blue and white. But sticking with a limited color palette in the beginning, and liking the result, will give me more confidence to try something new. I have to learn that I can’t just put a bunch of fabrics together and expect the result to be cohesive.

I’ve also finished my first non-rectangular knitting project. I’ll share that soon!

The Greatest Product, Ever!

You know, sometimes I am prone to hyperbole when describing things. Especially things I think are neat or handy. And I’ve concluded that this exaggeration is because I am so excited about whatever it is. And the ‘whatever it is’ in this case is such a fantastic idea, that I wish I had thought of it. It’s so simple and so perfect, you too will think it’s the greatest product, ever.

Check out. . . The Slanket.

happy valentine’s day!

This post was written about four different ways before publishing.  I was originally going to rail against a holiday that is not so much about love, but about showing your love.  Then there was the ‘look what craft I made for the holiday’ version.  And so on.

But I really think I would like to say Happy Love Day to those without significant others. And that I think there’s someone out there for everyone, and unless you’re a serial killer or child hurter type, most everyone deserves felicity in love.

For the factually inclined, Slate has a wonderful article, that they’ve published before, about the origins of the heart symbol. 

And because you should take care of yourself while crafting, and avoid carpal tunnel, here are some arm and wrist exercises I’ve become devoted to.

Finally, I did craft for the holiday.  I made a fabric card from Denyse Schmidt’s book.  I made a little alteration inside the card you might be interested in.  I’ll post pictures soon (I had to get it too the recipient!).

Happy Holiday!

I was taking a nap.

I really don’t have an excuse for not writing for two months. So I will just say I was taking a break. A nap. Though really, since I started blogging in October, that’s akin to saying I took a nap at 1pm after I woke up at 10am. Which I’ve done before. I’d rather not say when.

I think the reason was a combination of working a lot around the holiday and suffering a bit of burn out. Plus I hadn’t been crafting as much as I would’ve liked, so I didn’t feel like I had anything to post about. And being such a fan of the blogs listed to the right, I had a bit of low blogger self esteem. Low blogger esteem? e.g. . .I’m not such a witty writer. . .I don’t craft that often. . .my skill level is clearly beginner, etc. But I had a revelation over the past couple of days that there are blogs for everyone. If you are a super pro and knit complicated sweaters or hand piece and hand quilt award winning quilts, then there are blogs for you. So I will make this blog my own.

I do have some show and tell items, but I don’t want to blow my wad all at once (dirty!) so I will trickle it out a little over time. I guess I have start back at Christmas with the brother scarf. He loved it!!!

And I think it looks very dashing on him. He took a trip to the cold and rainy Pacific Northwest, and he said it came in quite handy. Which, honestly, is the best thing, I think, about making a gift for someone. That they think it’s handsome and useful. Right?!! I almost think useful is better. Well, that’s not true. Handsome and useful is better.

six more working days until christmas

Just working along. Work work and more work. Working on a Saturday, working at 4am, working at 9:30pm. My sewing machine wimpers at me when I pass by. That being said, I can’t complain for working [though I am], especially before the holiday. The town shuts down for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. And my next job doesn’t start until the week after New Years. The extra income now will be handy then.

I think I’m going to frog the Brother Scarf. It’s too wide and the longer it gets, the heavier it will be. So I’ll start over and knit it skinnier. I do love the seed stitch. It’s dense and nubby and it gives the piece a ‘not traditionally knitted’ look. I also think it’s a bit masculine, which my brother will like.

In other news… I’m not exactly sure when getting older happened. But clearly the new accessories on my face speak to something.

plugging along

I told myself I would try to post at least once a week, so here I am, though empty handed. I’m working a lot lately and that leaves scant room for time at my sewing table. For those of you that don’t know me, I work as a freelance employee in the entertainment business. When I work, I work long hours and a lot of weekends. But I don’t complain (that is a lie) because sometimes it slows down and I have one, two, three weeks off.
In fact, I may miss Felt Club this Saturday, and I’m for sure going to miss Bazaar Bizarre the following Saturday. boo.

I am crafting though…I’m working on a scarf for my brother for Christmas, and I have a quilt all cut up and ready to be sewn on my table.

I’m really making an effort to put in a half an hour to something when I get home. I find it’s better to spend a little time unwinding after the day rather than, come home, go to bed, wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed…day after day. That’s how burnout happens.

And best of all! My wonderful cousin Sabreena sent me a package of hankerchiefs from our great grandmother that she would like me to make into a quilt. So I have them out and in front of me when I’m at my table so my mind is working on how to turn them into something nice.

i did stuff, but i don’t have my camera cable with me.

Managed to be quite productive this holiday.
Allyson’s birthday was on Thursday and I whipped up a cute winter hat for her.
When I get back to my computer I’ll post a great picture and a review of the kit I learned from.

In the meantime, here is practical advice for shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. I would say it probably holds true for every day from now until Chrismahanukwanzakah.