I've been Twittering my very short Every Day in May updates so I don't forget what I do each night. While good in theory, it sure doesn't help with my goal to make a good attempt at blogging. So, today is devoted to expanding on what the Tweets mean.
May 1 - counted the Every Day in May blog post as my creative outlet for the day.
May 2 - I love knitting dishcloths and have been hooked on a simple bar pattern from the Mason Dixon knitting books. It's such a great pattern because you can easily memorize it, it looks much more difficult than it really is, and you can play with all sorts of color combos to use up bits and bobs of yarn. Over the past few weeks, I'd knitted up several of the cloths but never wove in the ends. This day was devoted to weaving in all of the ends (strangely satisfying) and then starting just one more of the dishcloths because I couldn't resist. After this cloth, I must move on.
May 3 - finished up the dishcloth. I also started on a new project - a knitted monster. I have a great knitting book that shows how to make knitted icons. Most of the patterns are for a simple knitted generic body, and then how to turn those body parts into famous actors/musicians/artists/etc. There was also a king kong pattern that looked like it could easily be made into a monster. Why am I making a monster? For a swap . . . not for me. I don't need a monster in my life. I got through quite a few of the monster parts.
May 4 - finished up the monster! Finishing meant knitting up the rest of the monster parts, weaving in yet more ends, and then assembling the monster. There were a surprising number of parts to the little guy -- the head was in three parts plus add-on ears, two parts for the body, arms, legs and also arm/leg "pads/hands". I knitted him up in blue, purple and green to go along with my swap partners likes. Overall, I think he turned out good, but not great. The experience reinforced my desire to learn how to crochet because I think the crocheted amiguramis turn out SO much cuter than knitted animals. There's one exception - I made an adorable hedgehog over the holidays, but it was a knitted animal that needed to be felted.
May 5 - I needed to take a break from the knitting, otherwise, I would have been tempted to start another one of those addictive dishcloths. I took out a cross-stitch kit I'd purchased during my last craft purchasing binge and got to work. It's a lovely pattern of three hanging herb sachets. The colors are primarily different hues of beautiful purples and greens. While watching TV (latest Biggest Loser - very emotional), I stitched up a little section of the project. I hadn't cross-stitched in a while -- been embroidering a lot more these days -- and it was fun to get back to following a pattern and making little x's all over the fabric.
May 6 - Back to knitting. I stayed away from the dishcloth, but didn't stay too far away. My other favorite Mason Dixon knitting pattern is for a hanging hand towel. I made several of these for Christmas and gave them all away. Now, I'm going to make a couple for myself. I like this pattern because parts of it are memorizable, you can play with different color combos, and it has a cute button-over top so it will hang nicely on a rack. It's mitered, so you start with 95 stitches and slowly decrease up to the top. The one pain of the pattern is that the top third of the towel is knit using two strands of yarn, not one. In the end, the reinforcement is definitely needed -- no droopy towels arounds here -- but I still haven't found a way to avoid tangling yarn.
May 7 - Made a little (14 rows) of progress on the hanging hand towel. The bottom part is a rich purple. I haven't decided what the top part will be yet. I need to evaluate the yarn situation.
Tonight and over the weekend, I'd like to get several things done --
1. Finish the hand towel
2. Start (and maybe finish) an embroidered picture to include in a swap.
3. Find all of my digital camera parts (charger, camera itself, cords) -- this is a must-do.
4. Photograph backlog of items I've recently received from others as well as some completed projects so I can post in appropriate places.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Every Day in May
French Toast Girl (www.frenchtoastgirl.com) is hosting "Every Day in May" again this year and I'm thinking it may help me focus on getting stuff done.
The concept is to commit to creating something every day this month. On my end, I'm going to focus on three activities -- blogging, knitting and embroidery. I figure that, between the three categories, I will be inspired to do at least one of the three every day.
Of the three, blogging continues to be the most challenging. I'm still working out whether blogging is something that's helpful to me or weighs me down. Since I love reading so many other blogs (and reading in general) and have "write a novel" down on my all-time dream list of accomplishments, I think that mastering a blog is a reasonable goal/first step to the ultimate. The two main issues are that 1) I'll not think of writing anything down until I'm already away from the computer and/or 2) I am horrible at documenting activities by taking pictures. For some reason, I have never been fascinated by photography as a hobby. As a result, I'd always surround myself with people who do like to take pictures and are willing to send me copies (or links to digital photos these days).
Knitting and embroidery are much easier challenges. I can't bear to watch TV without something in my hands, so these are both activities that are perfect. The only issue with both past-times is that I get serious cases of startitus. I love starting new projects and end up finishing a lot of them; however, I also end up with numerous UFOs lying around the house. I'll need to monitor myself to insure that the month of May does not end with 31 UFOs. That would be quite a sight!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Strange Dreams
Throughout my life, I've been a master at mixing up people and places in my dreamworld, so it's not a surprise to me when I see an old high school friend in a new work situation. What's bugging me lately is that I'm having more and more dreams that are in school-like settings, but there is nothing school-like in my life. I finished my graduate studies years ago, don't take any recreational classes and don't teach any classes.
Last night, I can remember several school sequences and bet there were probably more that I don't remember. There was the classic dream of just realizing that I was enrolled in a class but I couldn't remember where the class was (the physical meeting place) or when I had last attended a lecture. This one always stops with me knowing that there's a test or paper due, so I'm looking all over creation for the meeting spot. I don't think I ever find the meeting.
A new dream sequence was a two-in-one that combines possible with impossible. The first scenario has me signing up for delivering some amazing amount of a crafted item (I don't remember what it was, but it was something small that could be made in multiples) in a short time span. The commitment took place in a school setting.
Next, I was presented with TONS of sheet music because I had also signed up to be an accompanist for hire for a bunch of music majors. The professor was someone familiar, yet intimidating . . . maybe someone famous. Somehow, I was supposed to know all of this music and not make a single error, even though I had just received the assignment. To make matters worse, there were these two strange boys (college age, since I thought I was also college age) that decided to sit beside me. One didn't say a word or help at all -- even when I discovered that many of the music books were actually picture books -- and the other made it very clear that he was an accomplished pianist.
The two scenarios came together when I was trying to figure out how I was going to learn all of the music perfectly so I wouldn't lose my part-time gig while at the same time honor my crafting commitments.
What's up with all of this drama? I'm not under any tight deadlines at work or in my personal life, so it's puzzling that I'm wasting so my energy in my sleep trying to sort things out.
I'm not a big dream person, but thought I'd capture these thoughts because they were a combination of old stress dreams with new dreams that take hobbies/interests and turn them into stress situations. I hope that this is not a sign that this is going to come to fruition in my real life.
Last night, I can remember several school sequences and bet there were probably more that I don't remember. There was the classic dream of just realizing that I was enrolled in a class but I couldn't remember where the class was (the physical meeting place) or when I had last attended a lecture. This one always stops with me knowing that there's a test or paper due, so I'm looking all over creation for the meeting spot. I don't think I ever find the meeting.
A new dream sequence was a two-in-one that combines possible with impossible. The first scenario has me signing up for delivering some amazing amount of a crafted item (I don't remember what it was, but it was something small that could be made in multiples) in a short time span. The commitment took place in a school setting.
Next, I was presented with TONS of sheet music because I had also signed up to be an accompanist for hire for a bunch of music majors. The professor was someone familiar, yet intimidating . . . maybe someone famous. Somehow, I was supposed to know all of this music and not make a single error, even though I had just received the assignment. To make matters worse, there were these two strange boys (college age, since I thought I was also college age) that decided to sit beside me. One didn't say a word or help at all -- even when I discovered that many of the music books were actually picture books -- and the other made it very clear that he was an accomplished pianist.
The two scenarios came together when I was trying to figure out how I was going to learn all of the music perfectly so I wouldn't lose my part-time gig while at the same time honor my crafting commitments.
What's up with all of this drama? I'm not under any tight deadlines at work or in my personal life, so it's puzzling that I'm wasting so my energy in my sleep trying to sort things out.
I'm not a big dream person, but thought I'd capture these thoughts because they were a combination of old stress dreams with new dreams that take hobbies/interests and turn them into stress situations. I hope that this is not a sign that this is going to come to fruition in my real life.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Good Weekend for Projects
This weekend was another bad weather weekend here in Chicago, so I took full advantage and stayed in my condo for the vast majority of the time. Of course, seeing that VH1 was airing the complete "100 best one-hit wonders of the '80s" on Saturday afternoon helped make my decision that much easier. There were some really great songs in the countdown - especially in the final hour. I wonder if any other decade had so many one-hit wonders or if it was an '80s phenomena? I'm sure there are always one-hit wonders, but really think there were more in the '80s than then '90s. I suppose VH1 will answer my question eventually.
Anyway, on to three projects and something that stumps me.
1. Friday night dinner - Friday nights are labeled in my mind as pizza nights. I think that's common across America but could be mistaken. My label comes from two childhood memories:
-- Spending Friday night with Grandma and Grandpa. Many times, Grandma would "doctor up" those cheap Jeno's frozen pizzas with homegrown tomatoes, additional cheese and whatever else would make it better. When it was ready to serve, she would cut the pizza with kitchen scissors. I thought it was fabulous that scissors could be used in that way.
-- In junior high/high school, Friday nights at Pizza Hut, the only pizza place in town that we were allowed to frequent. There was one other -- don't recall the name -- but it was attached to a bar, so that was not an option.
Now, I really don't have pizza every Friday night, but do catch myself going to it when I can't think of a better option or am feeling nostalgic. This past Friday, I made a great semi-homemade pizza that will never have been found in Grandma's kitchen or Pizza Hut.
-- pre-made pizza crust (not Boboli, but a rival brand that's cheaper and comes two per pack)
-- Alfredo sauce (any brand will do, I selected based on price)
-- frozen chopped spinach
-- fresh sliced mushrooms
-- pre-cooked southwestern style chicken breast
-- minced onions
-- shredded Italian cheese blend (not much needed since there's an alfredo sauce below)
-- Italian seasoning
-- Red pepper flakes
It was great! It was just as good cold and for lunch the next day.
2. Tea towels - I've transferred designs onto three tea towels for a tea towel swap over on craftster and began stitching on Saturday. I have one of the designs complete and have it hanging in my living room to see whether I like the towel itself. The problem is that I'm taking a real animal but stitching it in impossible colors for it's species. I wanted to do something that appealed to my swap partners list of favorite animals as well as favorite colors. I'm glad that I started stitching now so I can live with the results for a while before deciding whether or not to send it on it's way.
3. Dishcloth - On Sunday, I didn't want to embroider two days in a row, so I knitted a quick dishcloth to get rid of some leftover cotton yarn I used to make Christmas dishcloths. I used one of my favorite patterns - the ballband dishcloth pattern from Maxon-Dixon Knitting (buy their books!) - and it didn't disappoint. I love being able to mix and match three different yarns into a cohesive dishcloth pattern.
Stumper - Sometimes, I decide to do something/sign up for something without really thinking the move through 100%. This is the case with another swap I've signed up for on craftster. It's a swap where you exchange "inchies" -- one inch squares of little art -- with a set of folks and end up with 50 inchies in the end (10 sets of 5, so 9 partners + you). I don't do papercrafts, but couldn't resist these guys because they are so cute! Now, I'm reading through the craft thread and everyone has all of this technical equipment, including paper punches that punch out perfectly sized inchies, special glues and techniques, etc.
On my end, I've purchased some black paper and have ideas to incorporate other papers, embroidery floss, yarn, and other bits and bobs to make my inchies. I'm tempted to run around looking for punches and other specialty items, but fear that I'll never use the items again (especially if I hate making these suckers!). So . . . stumper of the week is whether or not to invest in supplies or just move forward with my ideas and see what happens. I think I'll try some without buying anything else first because I do not need anymore craft/art supplies in my life at this time!
Anyway, on to three projects and something that stumps me.
1. Friday night dinner - Friday nights are labeled in my mind as pizza nights. I think that's common across America but could be mistaken. My label comes from two childhood memories:
-- Spending Friday night with Grandma and Grandpa. Many times, Grandma would "doctor up" those cheap Jeno's frozen pizzas with homegrown tomatoes, additional cheese and whatever else would make it better. When it was ready to serve, she would cut the pizza with kitchen scissors. I thought it was fabulous that scissors could be used in that way.
-- In junior high/high school, Friday nights at Pizza Hut, the only pizza place in town that we were allowed to frequent. There was one other -- don't recall the name -- but it was attached to a bar, so that was not an option.
Now, I really don't have pizza every Friday night, but do catch myself going to it when I can't think of a better option or am feeling nostalgic. This past Friday, I made a great semi-homemade pizza that will never have been found in Grandma's kitchen or Pizza Hut.
-- pre-made pizza crust (not Boboli, but a rival brand that's cheaper and comes two per pack)
-- Alfredo sauce (any brand will do, I selected based on price)
-- frozen chopped spinach
-- fresh sliced mushrooms
-- pre-cooked southwestern style chicken breast
-- minced onions
-- shredded Italian cheese blend (not much needed since there's an alfredo sauce below)
-- Italian seasoning
-- Red pepper flakes
It was great! It was just as good cold and for lunch the next day.
2. Tea towels - I've transferred designs onto three tea towels for a tea towel swap over on craftster and began stitching on Saturday. I have one of the designs complete and have it hanging in my living room to see whether I like the towel itself. The problem is that I'm taking a real animal but stitching it in impossible colors for it's species. I wanted to do something that appealed to my swap partners list of favorite animals as well as favorite colors. I'm glad that I started stitching now so I can live with the results for a while before deciding whether or not to send it on it's way.
3. Dishcloth - On Sunday, I didn't want to embroider two days in a row, so I knitted a quick dishcloth to get rid of some leftover cotton yarn I used to make Christmas dishcloths. I used one of my favorite patterns - the ballband dishcloth pattern from Maxon-Dixon Knitting (buy their books!) - and it didn't disappoint. I love being able to mix and match three different yarns into a cohesive dishcloth pattern.
Stumper - Sometimes, I decide to do something/sign up for something without really thinking the move through 100%. This is the case with another swap I've signed up for on craftster. It's a swap where you exchange "inchies" -- one inch squares of little art -- with a set of folks and end up with 50 inchies in the end (10 sets of 5, so 9 partners + you). I don't do papercrafts, but couldn't resist these guys because they are so cute! Now, I'm reading through the craft thread and everyone has all of this technical equipment, including paper punches that punch out perfectly sized inchies, special glues and techniques, etc.
On my end, I've purchased some black paper and have ideas to incorporate other papers, embroidery floss, yarn, and other bits and bobs to make my inchies. I'm tempted to run around looking for punches and other specialty items, but fear that I'll never use the items again (especially if I hate making these suckers!). So . . . stumper of the week is whether or not to invest in supplies or just move forward with my ideas and see what happens. I think I'll try some without buying anything else first because I do not need anymore craft/art supplies in my life at this time!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Tea Towel Love
Who doesn't love a hand-embroidered tea towel? I know I do and I can't get enough of them. Growing up, I thought everyone's tea towels were all hand-embroidered. It was a long time before I found out that many people just buy towels at Target/WalMart/etc and there is no embellishing involved in the process.
I have so many Aunt Martha transfers that it's not even funny, yet I still look through the options whenever I'm in a craft/fabric store and buy any that look good. I also love to find images in Dover coloring books, on the web, or adapt ideas myself.
The latest tea towels I embroidered were for a swap over on craftster. By the time I'd finished them, I was in love with them. It was very difficult to part with the towels. I still want another set for myself.
Here are all three together (pics courtesy of my lovely swap partner, Slingmomma, because I forgot to take pics before I mailed -- a common problem of mine), plus a knitted flower. She said that she liked bright colorful patterns and loved flowers. So do I!
This one is my favorite. I love the way the flowers turned out. I used a combination of stitches - laisy daisy, satin stitch, chain stitch, backstitch, and stem stitch. The variety of stitches created a very nice texture.
The second tea towel is actually the first one I embroidered in the series. I think it's ok, but not great. I like the middle flower, especially the way I filled in the center with a sort of overlapping of stitches to create a textured basketweave effect. I'm not sure about the four outlying flowers. The main reason each on is different is that I didn't really like the way the first one turned out, so I decided to experiment with them rather than rip and re-stitch. If I did it over again, I'd make the four flowers the same and either use the upper left of bottom right flower as a guide.
The third tea towel was completed in no time because I used backstitch and long, straight stitches. I really like the clean look of the lines and the effect of using these two very simple stitches.
Now, I'm onto another set of tea towels for yet another crafter swap. I'll be keeping plans for these under wraps for a while -- just in case my swap partner wanders over here -- but look forward to sharing in the near future.
I have so many Aunt Martha transfers that it's not even funny, yet I still look through the options whenever I'm in a craft/fabric store and buy any that look good. I also love to find images in Dover coloring books, on the web, or adapt ideas myself.
The latest tea towels I embroidered were for a swap over on craftster. By the time I'd finished them, I was in love with them. It was very difficult to part with the towels. I still want another set for myself.
Here are all three together (pics courtesy of my lovely swap partner, Slingmomma, because I forgot to take pics before I mailed -- a common problem of mine), plus a knitted flower. She said that she liked bright colorful patterns and loved flowers. So do I!
This one is my favorite. I love the way the flowers turned out. I used a combination of stitches - laisy daisy, satin stitch, chain stitch, backstitch, and stem stitch. The variety of stitches created a very nice texture.
The second tea towel is actually the first one I embroidered in the series. I think it's ok, but not great. I like the middle flower, especially the way I filled in the center with a sort of overlapping of stitches to create a textured basketweave effect. I'm not sure about the four outlying flowers. The main reason each on is different is that I didn't really like the way the first one turned out, so I decided to experiment with them rather than rip and re-stitch. If I did it over again, I'd make the four flowers the same and either use the upper left of bottom right flower as a guide.
The third tea towel was completed in no time because I used backstitch and long, straight stitches. I really like the clean look of the lines and the effect of using these two very simple stitches.Now, I'm onto another set of tea towels for yet another crafter swap. I'll be keeping plans for these under wraps for a while -- just in case my swap partner wanders over here -- but look forward to sharing in the near future.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Random Friday
Today at work, I had to pack up my office because our department is switching floors. The last time I moved offices was 3-4 years ago (and I had a lot of stuff then), so I have several boxes of stuff that's making the move. I finally opened one of the boxes that moved with me the last time -- and has acted as a trust-worthy footrest on a daily basis -- today. In the entire box, I found one file folder of information that needed to be kept.
The most annoying thing I discovered was 3 mugs and 1 ziploc bag full of loose change. I hate carrying around loose change and never even try to have exact change when paying in cash, so it accumulates like crazy. I think the 3 mugs were moved into my current office during the last move, so they're moving once again. Some time next week, I need to go to a CoinStar machine and redeem the change for a gift card.
I know that I have an issue with loose change, but I really didn't think I'd find more of it today because I took ~$75 worth of change to the CoinStar just a few months ago! I truly thought all of it was out of my life. Ugh.
At home, I'm working on my first knitted afghan. It's an Aran Twist tree design and the picture looks wonderful. My afghan is going to be winter white. I'm not sure if I like the green one (called sage). It's getting a little tricky keeping track of where I am in each of the design features because all of the designs are repeats at different lines. (Does that make sense?) Right now, I've mapped out how the lines correspond to each other on a piece of paper and have that, along with the design instructions, laid out beside me when knitting. For a split second, I thought about typing up a table in Excel, but then I caught myself. I can't let Excel creep into my personal life at this stage in the game!
I'm alternating knitting with embroidering a set of tea towels for a swap. They are turning out so nicely. It's going to be incredibly difficult to ship these guys away because they would be so sweet in my kitchen.
This weekend in Chicago, it's a mad St. Patrick's Day celebration. The river gets dyed green, there's the South Side parade in Beverly, and I think there's probably a tamer parade downtown. I'm going to skip the festivities and work away at all of the projects that I keep starting around the house. I'd also love to go for a long walk if the weather cooperates.
I know that I have an issue with loose change, but I really didn't think I'd find more of it today because I took ~$75 worth of change to the CoinStar just a few months ago! I truly thought all of it was out of my life. Ugh.
I'm alternating knitting with embroidering a set of tea towels for a swap. They are turning out so nicely. It's going to be incredibly difficult to ship these guys away because they would be so sweet in my kitchen.
This weekend in Chicago, it's a mad St. Patrick's Day celebration. The river gets dyed green, there's the South Side parade in Beverly, and I think there's probably a tamer parade downtown. I'm going to skip the festivities and work away at all of the projects that I keep starting around the house. I'd also love to go for a long walk if the weather cooperates.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Eat Down the Fridge and Craft Down the Stash
This morning, I ran across an article talking about Kim O'Donnel's (has food blog in The Washington Post) week-long challenge to Eat Down the Fridge. Perfect timing, since that was one of my March goals. Basically, it's an effort to quit buying so much stuff from the grocery store and use what you already have stored in your freezer/refrigerator/pantry.
I'd embarked on this exercise last week after receiving my massive Burger's Smokehouse order and realizing that the amount of food in storage is a bit ridiculous for one person who works outside the home. It would be different if I had a family and/or ate all my meals at home.
There's a lot of good stuff housed in my apartment . . . it just needs some assembling. This winter, I fell into the trap of buying quite a bit of ready-made or near-ready-made meals from the store for no good reason, other than laziness.
After one week, my supplies are down a bit, but there's lots more to go, so I'm continuing on this quest for the near future. One of the reasons this is possible is that I do buy lunch Mon-Fri. Someday, I'd love to get in the habit of bringing my lunch more often -- I even have tons of cute bento supplies to keep it fun! -- but I will have to find a way to wake up earlier before this happens.
In a similar vein, I am also ready to Craft Down the Stash. Over the past year, I've amassed a good supply of craft supplies for tons of different projects. This is the year that those projects need to get made. There's enough variety in the stash that it will be difficult (but not impossible!) for me to make an argument for buying much more stuff this year. I think the exceptions will be for finishing items (buttons, backing, frames) or if there's some new amazing thing that is revealed over the year that I simply can not live without.
I believe we'll see a lot of this type of projects in 2009 because of the horrible economy. In my life, I don't need to make changes because of the economy (yet), but I do like the idea of simplification and using what I have rather than buying more . . . even though this philosophy will not stimulate the economy. Ugh - what a dilemma we've all created over the past 8-10 years.
I'd embarked on this exercise last week after receiving my massive Burger's Smokehouse order and realizing that the amount of food in storage is a bit ridiculous for one person who works outside the home. It would be different if I had a family and/or ate all my meals at home.
There's a lot of good stuff housed in my apartment . . . it just needs some assembling. This winter, I fell into the trap of buying quite a bit of ready-made or near-ready-made meals from the store for no good reason, other than laziness.
After one week, my supplies are down a bit, but there's lots more to go, so I'm continuing on this quest for the near future. One of the reasons this is possible is that I do buy lunch Mon-Fri. Someday, I'd love to get in the habit of bringing my lunch more often -- I even have tons of cute bento supplies to keep it fun! -- but I will have to find a way to wake up earlier before this happens.
In a similar vein, I am also ready to Craft Down the Stash. Over the past year, I've amassed a good supply of craft supplies for tons of different projects. This is the year that those projects need to get made. There's enough variety in the stash that it will be difficult (but not impossible!) for me to make an argument for buying much more stuff this year. I think the exceptions will be for finishing items (buttons, backing, frames) or if there's some new amazing thing that is revealed over the year that I simply can not live without.
I believe we'll see a lot of this type of projects in 2009 because of the horrible economy. In my life, I don't need to make changes because of the economy (yet), but I do like the idea of simplification and using what I have rather than buying more . . . even though this philosophy will not stimulate the economy. Ugh - what a dilemma we've all created over the past 8-10 years.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Mini Digital Camera
Over lunch today, I stopped by Walgreen's to pick up a bubble mailer and bought this little tiny digital camera (mine's pink, but couldn't readily find a pink image). It's unbelievably small and lightweight. It really is a key chain.
I purchased it mainly for the cute factor and the fact that it was $10. I didn't have high expectations with regard to picture quality, but figured that it would do for quick shots and I'd rather lose (or break) this by toting it around in my bag than my "real" digital camera.
Software installation was quick and easy. After taking a couple test shots, photo upload was a breeze. As you'll see below, picture quality is ok, not great.
In this pic, the color is distorted. I don't know why -- guessing lighting issues. It's taken in my office on a white desk. The objects are little shoe-shaped erasers in bold colors. I LOVE these erasers. My sister gave hundreds of them to me for Christmas last year, so all girls I know and/or swap with ends up with shoe erasers. They are so cute!
This is an extreme close-up of some french-beaded flowers that sit on my office desk. The color is accurate and the detail is pretty good. This also gives me the opportunity to rave about french-beaded flowers. I have no idea how I became hooked on them, but I love them. I only buy vintage ones -- preferably made in France and in a china setting -- but do wish to learn how to do this beading at some point in my life. I've also been extremely fortunate over the past year with craft swap partners. One two different occasions, I've received beaded flowers/gifts in swap packages because they noted my interests.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Kindle, My Darling
Woo hoo! My Kindle arrived safe and sound last night. Amazon did a great job with the packaging, making opening up the Kindle a fun experience. Similar to all of Apple's packaging, it was minimal, well thought-out, and every part had a purpose.
Immediately, I was impressed. Set-up was instantaneous and so easy. The wireless worked perfectly and was surprisingly quick. It was very easy to search for books, see bestseller lists, and Amazon's recommendations for me were there, too.
I love the sample option, where you can download the first chapter of a book for free, read it, and then decide if you'd like to purchase the book. I downloaded several first chapters, read one, and of course, bought the book.
Although bestsellers are $9.99, there are also a lot of bargains to be had . . . classics are a couple dollars and there's free stuff too.
Holding the device and reading pages felt extremely natural.
This one's a keeper.
Immediately, I was impressed. Set-up was instantaneous and so easy. The wireless worked perfectly and was surprisingly quick. It was very easy to search for books, see bestseller lists, and Amazon's recommendations for me were there, too.
I love the sample option, where you can download the first chapter of a book for free, read it, and then decide if you'd like to purchase the book. I downloaded several first chapters, read one, and of course, bought the book.
Although bestsellers are $9.99, there are also a lot of bargains to be had . . . classics are a couple dollars and there's free stuff too.
Holding the device and reading pages felt extremely natural.
This one's a keeper.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Cooking Shows to Inspire Creativity
I'll admit it -- I get hooked on reality shows. Some good ones (Amazing Race), some horribly embarrassing ones (Rock of Love, anyone?). One genre of reality shows that always catches my eye is cooking competition shows -- like Top Chef, Chopped, Iron Chef, and Hell's Kitchen. I like each of the shows for different reasons, but realized there is one similar thread to my enjoyment -- trying to figure out what I would do in each situation.
I remember when I first saw Iron Chef -- the original Japanese version -- about 5-6 years ago and couldn't believe my eyes. I had never seen many of the ingredients used on the show and all of the foods they were preparing looked slightly inedible from a Western food perspective. Now when I see some of the old shows, I'm pleasantly surprised that I now recognize and have eaten many of the foods. It's nice to see what a few trips to Asia can do with regard to opening up one's eyes and palate.
When watching the American version of Iron Chef, I enjoy seeing the chefs from Food Network and great restaurants, but the highlight is Alton Brown's commentary. I think watching this series was the first time I started trying to figure out what I would do with the mystery ingredient while viewing master chefs at work.
Top Chef (on Bravo) is another great show for testing out what I would do in similar situations. Their quick-fire challenges are especially interesting. Plus, I love it when Anthony Bourdain pops in as a guest judge -- they should really try to get him as a full-time judge.
I just watch Hell's Kitchen for Gordon Ramsey. I have no desire to put myself in that kitchen or to try to butcher a whole slab of beef or shuck thousands of oysters. I don't understand how the contestants can have so many issues in the kitchen . . . maybe I'm missing something since I have never worked in a professional kitchen . . . but it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult if you have prior restaurant experience.
Chopped, the latest in this genre, is on Food Network and probably most closely resembles what goes on in my house on a regular basis. On this show, there are rounds of cook-offs. Each round showcases 4 ingredients that must be used in the dish. Of course, the ingredients don't go together intuitively and there are often ingredients that make the chefs cringe -- canned cream corn, cream of mushroom soup, fruit punch -- that sort of thing.
Currently, I'm trying to destash the kitchen and use up all pantry items, both as a way to make sure I use items before the expiration date and to save some money in the short term. I kind of like seeing what is already in the kitchen and coming up with a new creation. Fortunately, I was taught at a very young age general cooking techniques, the advantages of being creative, and that recipes are guidelines, not laws. As a result, I love reading cookbooks, but find it nearly impossible to 100% replicate a recipe. At some point in the process, I always find some extra ingredient or spice that will make the dish better.
I'm grateful that I was brought up to not be scared to try new things in the kitchen.
I remember when I first saw Iron Chef -- the original Japanese version -- about 5-6 years ago and couldn't believe my eyes. I had never seen many of the ingredients used on the show and all of the foods they were preparing looked slightly inedible from a Western food perspective. Now when I see some of the old shows, I'm pleasantly surprised that I now recognize and have eaten many of the foods. It's nice to see what a few trips to Asia can do with regard to opening up one's eyes and palate.
When watching the American version of Iron Chef, I enjoy seeing the chefs from Food Network and great restaurants, but the highlight is Alton Brown's commentary. I think watching this series was the first time I started trying to figure out what I would do with the mystery ingredient while viewing master chefs at work.
Top Chef (on Bravo) is another great show for testing out what I would do in similar situations. Their quick-fire challenges are especially interesting. Plus, I love it when Anthony Bourdain pops in as a guest judge -- they should really try to get him as a full-time judge.
I just watch Hell's Kitchen for Gordon Ramsey. I have no desire to put myself in that kitchen or to try to butcher a whole slab of beef or shuck thousands of oysters. I don't understand how the contestants can have so many issues in the kitchen . . . maybe I'm missing something since I have never worked in a professional kitchen . . . but it doesn't seem like it would be too difficult if you have prior restaurant experience.
Chopped, the latest in this genre, is on Food Network and probably most closely resembles what goes on in my house on a regular basis. On this show, there are rounds of cook-offs. Each round showcases 4 ingredients that must be used in the dish. Of course, the ingredients don't go together intuitively and there are often ingredients that make the chefs cringe -- canned cream corn, cream of mushroom soup, fruit punch -- that sort of thing.
Currently, I'm trying to destash the kitchen and use up all pantry items, both as a way to make sure I use items before the expiration date and to save some money in the short term. I kind of like seeing what is already in the kitchen and coming up with a new creation. Fortunately, I was taught at a very young age general cooking techniques, the advantages of being creative, and that recipes are guidelines, not laws. As a result, I love reading cookbooks, but find it nearly impossible to 100% replicate a recipe. At some point in the process, I always find some extra ingredient or spice that will make the dish better.
I'm grateful that I was brought up to not be scared to try new things in the kitchen.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Anticipation
This week is a week of anticipation . . . not because of any exciting upcoming event, but because of UPS and/or the USPS.
I go through these spurts of online shopping and then end up with multiple boxes being delivered to my house in big batches. I'm sure my fellow condo association members love it when I get in these stages. Oh well, no one's said anything and I DO pick up my packages from the front door promptly.
Three categories of excitedness:
1. Kindle from Amazon -- This one wins the most-waited for prize. I signed myself up to the wait list in mid-January after hearing from several friends that they enjoyed their Kindles and seeing one in action on the el. I couldn't resist. Sunday, I received a notification that my Kindle had been shipped, so it should be here any day now. I'm really looking forward to this purchase and hope it will help tame the book madness going on in my condo at this moment.
2. Meats from Burgers Smokehouse -- I grew up on Burgers meats and can't live without them. The smokehouse is owned by distant relatives (distant in blood, not distant in area because they actually went to the same church I did, my parents see them every weekend, my mom has their grandkids in school). We would go out to Burgers for field trips back in the '80s and it was great. This was before the time of many sanitary rules/regulations, so we were allowed to go right into the inner-workings of the factory, talk to the employees (we knew them so it would be rude not to talk to them!), and go into the various smokehouses (by season - winter, spring, summer, fall) to see thousands of attic hams slowly curing. It was great.
When my parents come to visit, a must on the "bring to Chicago" list is Burgers products. It's perfectly acceptable to give anyone on my mom's side of the family Burgers products. But sometimes, the "meat stash" needs to be replenished.
Therefore, this week, I will be the proud owner of country cured ham, yummy bacon, summer sausages from different meats, and ham style bacon. It's all going in the freezer and being slowly doled out over the next six months. It's an indulgence, but also a necessity because it's SO good.
3. Crafts from more than one outlet -- This is the category that is absolutely not necessary, but irresistable to me. Whenever I get catalogs in the mail, I go through them and rip out pages with items I'd like to purchase for myself or others. This is very handy in the holiday season because I can whip through Christmas shopping in a couple hours. Not so handy when I look at what I'd like to buy for myself.
Last week, I decided to go ahead and order those cross-stitch kits (numerous) I'd been coveting, as well as more sizes of double-pointed needles, an afghan kit, some sock patterns, a nifty gadget to hold and amplify patterns, and cotton yarn that was on sale. There may be a couple items I've forgotten about, but this is the gist of the situation. I'm very excited to see all of them.
These purchases don't help with my lack of organization in the second bedroom, my increasing, not decreasing stash, or the fact that I will want to start every one of these projects as soon as I see them even though there are already other things I need to do first.
As with books, I'll say that I'm stocking up for the future. If anything ever goes wrong, everyone is invited over to my house for safety -- we can read, complete numerous craft projects, eat meat, and I'm sure I could scrounge up some pasta and veggies to round out the situation.
I go through these spurts of online shopping and then end up with multiple boxes being delivered to my house in big batches. I'm sure my fellow condo association members love it when I get in these stages. Oh well, no one's said anything and I DO pick up my packages from the front door promptly.
Three categories of excitedness:
1. Kindle from Amazon -- This one wins the most-waited for prize. I signed myself up to the wait list in mid-January after hearing from several friends that they enjoyed their Kindles and seeing one in action on the el. I couldn't resist. Sunday, I received a notification that my Kindle had been shipped, so it should be here any day now. I'm really looking forward to this purchase and hope it will help tame the book madness going on in my condo at this moment.
2. Meats from Burgers Smokehouse -- I grew up on Burgers meats and can't live without them. The smokehouse is owned by distant relatives (distant in blood, not distant in area because they actually went to the same church I did, my parents see them every weekend, my mom has their grandkids in school). We would go out to Burgers for field trips back in the '80s and it was great. This was before the time of many sanitary rules/regulations, so we were allowed to go right into the inner-workings of the factory, talk to the employees (we knew them so it would be rude not to talk to them!), and go into the various smokehouses (by season - winter, spring, summer, fall) to see thousands of attic hams slowly curing. It was great.When my parents come to visit, a must on the "bring to Chicago" list is Burgers products. It's perfectly acceptable to give anyone on my mom's side of the family Burgers products. But sometimes, the "meat stash" needs to be replenished.
Therefore, this week, I will be the proud owner of country cured ham, yummy bacon, summer sausages from different meats, and ham style bacon. It's all going in the freezer and being slowly doled out over the next six months. It's an indulgence, but also a necessity because it's SO good.
3. Crafts from more than one outlet -- This is the category that is absolutely not necessary, but irresistable to me. Whenever I get catalogs in the mail, I go through them and rip out pages with items I'd like to purchase for myself or others. This is very handy in the holiday season because I can whip through Christmas shopping in a couple hours. Not so handy when I look at what I'd like to buy for myself.
Last week, I decided to go ahead and order those cross-stitch kits (numerous) I'd been coveting, as well as more sizes of double-pointed needles, an afghan kit, some sock patterns, a nifty gadget to hold and amplify patterns, and cotton yarn that was on sale. There may be a couple items I've forgotten about, but this is the gist of the situation. I'm very excited to see all of them.
These purchases don't help with my lack of organization in the second bedroom, my increasing, not decreasing stash, or the fact that I will want to start every one of these projects as soon as I see them even though there are already other things I need to do first.
As with books, I'll say that I'm stocking up for the future. If anything ever goes wrong, everyone is invited over to my house for safety -- we can read, complete numerous craft projects, eat meat, and I'm sure I could scrounge up some pasta and veggies to round out the situation.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Can't Believe I Forgot - Oscars!
I can't believe I spent all of that time lamenting about my lack of organizational focus and completely forgot to talk about the Oscars!
As a bit of background . . . I moved to Chicago right after undergrad and was so happy to finally live in a large city where you could dream of something to do and then could actually do that in the same day. I grew up in a very small town in the middle of Missouri, so there were many things that weren't immediately at our disposal, including great ethnic restaurants, quality (or any) museums, first-run movies (other than the total blockbusters and even that was a 22 mile hike), etc. When I moved to Chicago, I completely overindulged in all of those things -- it was impossible to catch me in my apartment!
I've calmed down quite a bit now, but still love the fact that I can see practically any move that's been released any time I want to see it. For some reason, going to the movies is a treat to me.
About 5 or 6 years ago, I decided that I'd like to see all of the best picture nominated films before the Oscars aired. It made the Oscars so much more enjoyable that I've carried on with this tradition. Sometimes, I'm good at planning ahead and seeing films are they are released, while other years I have to do a mammoth movie-watch the day before the Oscars.
This year, I was good and kept on track by watching films as they were released. I'm glad I did so, because it would have been quite a depressing Saturday if I had to see of the films at once.
Overall, I'm pleased that Slumdog Millionnaire received many awards. I thought it was very well done - both the acting and the cinematography. I don't think it would have been quite so praised if more Americans would see more foreign films. I don't think Slumdog would have come out on top if it went up against 4 Bollywood films. Those are amazing.
I love the fact that Sean Penn won for best actor. I think Mickey Rourke gave a fascinating performance in The Wrestler, but also think he's been adequately rewarded for his comeback. I hope he sticks with it and continues to find good acting roles. Sean Penn completely transformed himself in Milk. When I saw the film, I didn't think "oh, that's Sean Penn playing Harvey Milk" . . . rather, Sean completely disappeared in the role. He was amazing. I'm also so happy that Milk was rewarded in the midst of all of this Prop 8 craziness.
Kate Winslet is amazing. Her performance in The Reader was heart-breaking.
I haven't seen Vicky Christina Barcelona yet, but hope to do so soon. I used to love Woody Allen movies, but now, I see them when I'm able, but don't run out to see them on opening night. I think I like his older films more than his recent works . . . before he had to be sure he was "Woody Allen" enough for a Woody Allen film.
In terms of the awards ceremony itself, I honestly can't understand why these shows run over every year. It's not like people who have never seen or worked on an Oscar's show are in charge of production. I could easily have deleted 30 minutes from the show and no one would have been the wiser. For example, Hugh Jackman's initial performance was great - witty, showcasing the recession, including great props and sometimes clever lines - but I didn't see the purpose of the ode to musicals feature in the middle of the show.
I loved the star power of past award winners praising the new nominees. It was clear that some of the "assignments" were good (Shirley Maclaine, Robert DeNiro) while others were a bit desperate (Nicole Kidman, Adrian Brody). I hope that the nominees who were short-changed didn't mind too much. I also loved Tina Fey and Steve Marin as a duo -- why don't they co-host next year's show?
Overall, a good show with no real surprises.
As a bit of background . . . I moved to Chicago right after undergrad and was so happy to finally live in a large city where you could dream of something to do and then could actually do that in the same day. I grew up in a very small town in the middle of Missouri, so there were many things that weren't immediately at our disposal, including great ethnic restaurants, quality (or any) museums, first-run movies (other than the total blockbusters and even that was a 22 mile hike), etc. When I moved to Chicago, I completely overindulged in all of those things -- it was impossible to catch me in my apartment!
I've calmed down quite a bit now, but still love the fact that I can see practically any move that's been released any time I want to see it. For some reason, going to the movies is a treat to me.
About 5 or 6 years ago, I decided that I'd like to see all of the best picture nominated films before the Oscars aired. It made the Oscars so much more enjoyable that I've carried on with this tradition. Sometimes, I'm good at planning ahead and seeing films are they are released, while other years I have to do a mammoth movie-watch the day before the Oscars.
This year, I was good and kept on track by watching films as they were released. I'm glad I did so, because it would have been quite a depressing Saturday if I had to see of the films at once.
Overall, I'm pleased that Slumdog Millionnaire received many awards. I thought it was very well done - both the acting and the cinematography. I don't think it would have been quite so praised if more Americans would see more foreign films. I don't think Slumdog would have come out on top if it went up against 4 Bollywood films. Those are amazing.
I love the fact that Sean Penn won for best actor. I think Mickey Rourke gave a fascinating performance in The Wrestler, but also think he's been adequately rewarded for his comeback. I hope he sticks with it and continues to find good acting roles. Sean Penn completely transformed himself in Milk. When I saw the film, I didn't think "oh, that's Sean Penn playing Harvey Milk" . . . rather, Sean completely disappeared in the role. He was amazing. I'm also so happy that Milk was rewarded in the midst of all of this Prop 8 craziness.
Kate Winslet is amazing. Her performance in The Reader was heart-breaking.
I haven't seen Vicky Christina Barcelona yet, but hope to do so soon. I used to love Woody Allen movies, but now, I see them when I'm able, but don't run out to see them on opening night. I think I like his older films more than his recent works . . . before he had to be sure he was "Woody Allen" enough for a Woody Allen film.
In terms of the awards ceremony itself, I honestly can't understand why these shows run over every year. It's not like people who have never seen or worked on an Oscar's show are in charge of production. I could easily have deleted 30 minutes from the show and no one would have been the wiser. For example, Hugh Jackman's initial performance was great - witty, showcasing the recession, including great props and sometimes clever lines - but I didn't see the purpose of the ode to musicals feature in the middle of the show.
I loved the star power of past award winners praising the new nominees. It was clear that some of the "assignments" were good (Shirley Maclaine, Robert DeNiro) while others were a bit desperate (Nicole Kidman, Adrian Brody). I hope that the nominees who were short-changed didn't mind too much. I also loved Tina Fey and Steve Marin as a duo -- why don't they co-host next year's show?
Overall, a good show with no real surprises.
Craft as Procrastination Device
After this weekend, I have to admit that crafts often act as a procrastination device in my world. For some reason, I have no problem devoting 6 hours to knitting or embroidery or (and on and on and on), but it usually pains me to take 30 minutes for some household chore. As a result, I end up looking very productive on the "fun projects" front, but fall miserably behind on day to day life projects.
I completed the ruffled cowl Sunday morning and it looks great - just needs a button. I'm still surprised at how much I didn't mind the short rows once I got the hang of wrapping and turning. For a fleeting moment, I considered knitting on in order to make a scarf instead of a cowl, but I really don't need another scarf at the moment. I was also anxious to get to my dishcloth project.
Even though partners haven't been assigned in the dishcloth swap, I couldn't resist starting (and ultimately finishing) one and casting on for a second. Now, I'm secretly hoping that my swap partner hates the colors I used for the dishcloths so I can keep them myself. This sort of thinking does not help in conquering the craft as procrastintion device dilemna.
One project on the household chore list that really must get done soon is organizing my second bedroom AKA office/craft room. Over the past couple years, I have managed to accumulate WAY too much stuff (stash) and it is not organized. While making purchases, I always used the excuse that I would be prepared for whatever I decide to make on a whim. I am now officially prepared for hundreds of whim projects but am still seduced by new products or even new hobbies.
So far, I've made minimal progress on this project. Progress is mostly in the form of purchasing large ziploc bags to hold supplies, sharpies to label said bags, and even little bags for embroidery floss. I've also had dreams about organizing (scary) and have seen some very impressive shows of organization on the web.
Ugh! I just have to buckle down and do it. If I did, then it would be much easier for me to do what I want to do tonight . . . start putting together colors for a tea towel set. If the area were already organized, it would be a breeze. Since it's not, I'll have to tear through several boxes to see what I have or at least part of what I have to work with for the set.
All of this highlights a personality trait that I have never possessed and am amazed at when I see it in other people - the desire (even enjoyment) of organizing big bunches of stuff. I stand in awe of people who take delight in organizing and even organize for other people. At times, it's tempting to hire one of those organizers for my own collection of items; however, I fear that whatever processes they would wish to put in place would bug the hell out of me very quickly.
I completed the ruffled cowl Sunday morning and it looks great - just needs a button. I'm still surprised at how much I didn't mind the short rows once I got the hang of wrapping and turning. For a fleeting moment, I considered knitting on in order to make a scarf instead of a cowl, but I really don't need another scarf at the moment. I was also anxious to get to my dishcloth project.
Even though partners haven't been assigned in the dishcloth swap, I couldn't resist starting (and ultimately finishing) one and casting on for a second. Now, I'm secretly hoping that my swap partner hates the colors I used for the dishcloths so I can keep them myself. This sort of thinking does not help in conquering the craft as procrastintion device dilemna.
One project on the household chore list that really must get done soon is organizing my second bedroom AKA office/craft room. Over the past couple years, I have managed to accumulate WAY too much stuff (stash) and it is not organized. While making purchases, I always used the excuse that I would be prepared for whatever I decide to make on a whim. I am now officially prepared for hundreds of whim projects but am still seduced by new products or even new hobbies.
So far, I've made minimal progress on this project. Progress is mostly in the form of purchasing large ziploc bags to hold supplies, sharpies to label said bags, and even little bags for embroidery floss. I've also had dreams about organizing (scary) and have seen some very impressive shows of organization on the web.
Ugh! I just have to buckle down and do it. If I did, then it would be much easier for me to do what I want to do tonight . . . start putting together colors for a tea towel set. If the area were already organized, it would be a breeze. Since it's not, I'll have to tear through several boxes to see what I have or at least part of what I have to work with for the set.
All of this highlights a personality trait that I have never possessed and am amazed at when I see it in other people - the desire (even enjoyment) of organizing big bunches of stuff. I stand in awe of people who take delight in organizing and even organize for other people. At times, it's tempting to hire one of those organizers for my own collection of items; however, I fear that whatever processes they would wish to put in place would bug the hell out of me very quickly.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Short Rows and W1
A couple days ago, I started a knitted ruffled cowl that is primarily done with short rows. It's one of those one-skein wonders from a big book of ideas and it caught my attention because I had some beautiful dark pink wool from Peru (Christmas gift) that was begging to be used.
Although I had read patterns involving short rows, I hadn't starting any because the "wrap one" step sounded confusing. The cowl was so cute that I decided to give it a try. If I didn't get the hang of it after 20 or so rows, I'd frog and find another idea for the yarn.
It was tough going for the first few rows because it seemed like I spent all of my time readjusting the needles only to knit a few stitches. I remembered that I could do the whole "knit backwards" thing, but I haven't practiced that much (just one night of experimenting), so I felt that would actually make things slower and less even than more efficient.
Last night, I really got into the groove and am now loving the way this project is turning out. Once the ruffles started ruffling, I was hooked. And it no longer seems like a huge chore to switch needles. The W1 move isn't even that bad, although I've caught myself a couple times in mid-purl before remembering that I was supposed to W1. I think I'll have this cowl done this weekend. Chances are incredibly good if we really get the 4-8 inches that it predicted.
Today, I decided to join a couple swaps over on craftster.org. I was really hooked on swapping the second part of 2008, but had to take a break from it after a really killer swap with some outrageous expectations. I knew when I signed up for it that I was signing up for a mammoth commitment, but by the end of it, I was really showing signs of fatigue. I'll not be doing anything that large again, ever!
The two swaps I joined now are much smaller and manageable. Knitted dishcloths and embroidery. The other good thing about these swaps is that they attract crafters who are typically very talented so the swaps turn out pretty even. It will be fun to see who partners are and start brainstorming the packages.
My other big craft to-do is something I dreamed up last night. I'm attending a wedding soon and really wanted to do something more than order off of the Crate and Barrel wish list. Of course, I don't want to be one of those people who gives the bride/groom something that is absolutely absurd or will live in a closet. With that in mind, I'm going for small and useful. Tea towels!! Who doesn't need a set of nice embroidered tea towels? I'm off to search for some fun designs -- I need cute pics of a kitten, a bunny, and a squirrel (long story) -- and then I'll be all set to select colors tonight.
Wow - reading this over makes it sound like I'm settling in for a long winter hibernation! I think I'll refer to it more as making sure I make the most of my time 1) if the snow comes and 2) during the Oscars. I love Oscar night and look forward to watching it with a fun dinner . . . maybe appetizer/small plate-themed . . . some champagne, and one of my projects
TGIF!
Although I had read patterns involving short rows, I hadn't starting any because the "wrap one" step sounded confusing. The cowl was so cute that I decided to give it a try. If I didn't get the hang of it after 20 or so rows, I'd frog and find another idea for the yarn.
It was tough going for the first few rows because it seemed like I spent all of my time readjusting the needles only to knit a few stitches. I remembered that I could do the whole "knit backwards" thing, but I haven't practiced that much (just one night of experimenting), so I felt that would actually make things slower and less even than more efficient.
Last night, I really got into the groove and am now loving the way this project is turning out. Once the ruffles started ruffling, I was hooked. And it no longer seems like a huge chore to switch needles. The W1 move isn't even that bad, although I've caught myself a couple times in mid-purl before remembering that I was supposed to W1. I think I'll have this cowl done this weekend. Chances are incredibly good if we really get the 4-8 inches that it predicted.
Today, I decided to join a couple swaps over on craftster.org. I was really hooked on swapping the second part of 2008, but had to take a break from it after a really killer swap with some outrageous expectations. I knew when I signed up for it that I was signing up for a mammoth commitment, but by the end of it, I was really showing signs of fatigue. I'll not be doing anything that large again, ever!
The two swaps I joined now are much smaller and manageable. Knitted dishcloths and embroidery. The other good thing about these swaps is that they attract crafters who are typically very talented so the swaps turn out pretty even. It will be fun to see who partners are and start brainstorming the packages.
My other big craft to-do is something I dreamed up last night. I'm attending a wedding soon and really wanted to do something more than order off of the Crate and Barrel wish list. Of course, I don't want to be one of those people who gives the bride/groom something that is absolutely absurd or will live in a closet. With that in mind, I'm going for small and useful. Tea towels!! Who doesn't need a set of nice embroidered tea towels? I'm off to search for some fun designs -- I need cute pics of a kitten, a bunny, and a squirrel (long story) -- and then I'll be all set to select colors tonight.
Wow - reading this over makes it sound like I'm settling in for a long winter hibernation! I think I'll refer to it more as making sure I make the most of my time 1) if the snow comes and 2) during the Oscars. I love Oscar night and look forward to watching it with a fun dinner . . . maybe appetizer/small plate-themed . . . some champagne, and one of my projects
TGIF!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Knitting Therapy
I've always known that hobbies like knitting, embroidery, cooking, sewing, etc can have therapeutic uses, but this fact was really driven home to me over the weekend. After having to tell two work friends (in my department) that their positions had been eliminated last week, it was incredibly difficult to get back on track. I felt that there needed to be some sort of personal closure, but wasn't quite sure how that could happen in a short period of time.
Friday night, I decided that a small knitted gift may do the trick. I would be able to focus on each of their personalities . . . selecting the right pattern and yarn from my overflowing stash . . . and be able to do something productive while sorting through the changes. I'd also be able to share one of my personal hobbies with people I regard as friends, but won't be able to see on a daily basis moving forward.
In the past, I reserved handcrafted gifts for family or as part of craft swaps because it is giving away a part of me. This seemed like the right time to break tradition and give to two people who had made a big difference in my life.
Three days later . . . after watching numerous movies and changing my mind on the pattern for one scarf several times . . . I had two scarves that I personally liked and felt would be appreciated by others. I'm about to go out to lunch with them and give them their gifts. I can't wait to see their reactions and hope that it's apparent that this gift is from the heart.
Friday night, I decided that a small knitted gift may do the trick. I would be able to focus on each of their personalities . . . selecting the right pattern and yarn from my overflowing stash . . . and be able to do something productive while sorting through the changes. I'd also be able to share one of my personal hobbies with people I regard as friends, but won't be able to see on a daily basis moving forward.
In the past, I reserved handcrafted gifts for family or as part of craft swaps because it is giving away a part of me. This seemed like the right time to break tradition and give to two people who had made a big difference in my life.
Three days later . . . after watching numerous movies and changing my mind on the pattern for one scarf several times . . . I had two scarves that I personally liked and felt would be appreciated by others. I'm about to go out to lunch with them and give them their gifts. I can't wait to see their reactions and hope that it's apparent that this gift is from the heart.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Rebalancing
When I started this blog in September 2008, I had high hopes that I would overcome my lifelong lack of desire to keep a diary. I've enjoyed so many people's blogs and learned so much from them that I figured I'd give it a whirl. Obviously, that didn't work out so well.
I couldn't figure out how to post more than one picture in an entry. Everyone had all these cool sidebars but it wasn't apparent how they were created. I'm thinking the "edit html" option has something to do with all of the upgrades, but ran out of time (or didn't make time) to figure it out. Then, the battery in my digital camera died and I still can't recall where the battery charger is hiding in my condo.
Excuses, excuses.
So, the decision was to delete the blog entirely, delete my 12 poor little posts and pretend to start a blog for the very first time, or resume where I had left off in 2008. I didn't want to lose my blog name . . . although how many people in Chicago would be lined up for it? . . . and it's never good to erase history . . . so I'm going with option #3.
I'm picking up now because 2009 is destined to become a year of rebalancing and reprioritizing. Things are grim at work, with layoffs occuring and compromises being made on roles (including mine), so work can not take up as much of my time as it has for the past few years. Although I've always been known for being a "lifestyle person", even I can see that lines were becoming fuzzier and fuzzier. There truly is no need to check my blackberry at 10 pm . . . anyone emailing me at that time had better not be thinking that there would be a response that night.
I'm going to allow this blog to have a life of it's own and not be strict about it being solely devoted to crafts or any such parameters. Some posts will have pics (when the battery charger emerges or if I break down and buy another one) and some will be ramblings. Maybe there will be some starts of short stories, maybe not. Maybe I'll figure out this html thing, maybe not. Maybe I'll tell people I know that this blog exists, maybe not. Everything is up for consideration.
I hope that this will be a useful way for me to work through a difficult year and rebalance my life in a way that is more rewarding.
Here's to new starts!
I couldn't figure out how to post more than one picture in an entry. Everyone had all these cool sidebars but it wasn't apparent how they were created. I'm thinking the "edit html" option has something to do with all of the upgrades, but ran out of time (or didn't make time) to figure it out. Then, the battery in my digital camera died and I still can't recall where the battery charger is hiding in my condo.
Excuses, excuses.
So, the decision was to delete the blog entirely, delete my 12 poor little posts and pretend to start a blog for the very first time, or resume where I had left off in 2008. I didn't want to lose my blog name . . . although how many people in Chicago would be lined up for it? . . . and it's never good to erase history . . . so I'm going with option #3.
I'm picking up now because 2009 is destined to become a year of rebalancing and reprioritizing. Things are grim at work, with layoffs occuring and compromises being made on roles (including mine), so work can not take up as much of my time as it has for the past few years. Although I've always been known for being a "lifestyle person", even I can see that lines were becoming fuzzier and fuzzier. There truly is no need to check my blackberry at 10 pm . . . anyone emailing me at that time had better not be thinking that there would be a response that night.
I'm going to allow this blog to have a life of it's own and not be strict about it being solely devoted to crafts or any such parameters. Some posts will have pics (when the battery charger emerges or if I break down and buy another one) and some will be ramblings. Maybe there will be some starts of short stories, maybe not. Maybe I'll figure out this html thing, maybe not. Maybe I'll tell people I know that this blog exists, maybe not. Everything is up for consideration.
I hope that this will be a useful way for me to work through a difficult year and rebalance my life in a way that is more rewarding.
Here's to new starts!
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