Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Why It Sucks to be a Slob

Because one day you might find yourself running out the door to pick up the boys from school, and you might think you'd like to read Martha Stewart Living while you're waiting. And you can't find it! You know you had it yesterday, and you start thinking that you also had a bunch of junk mail that you threw in the trash. You look and look and come to the inevitable conclusion that you must have thrown the magazine in the trash with the junk. It's been known to happen. So you gird up your loins, and go through the trash which is full of eggshells and potato salad remnants and some unidentified liquid. When you don't find it, you go through it again. Still no dice. So you wash your hands and look around the front room once more. Only to find that you actually threw it on the couch the day before, and your husband, desperately in search of a clear place to sit, set it aside neatly where it wouldn't get damaged.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Other People's Creativity

I am always amazed by other people's creativity. Even though I haven't posted in a month or so, I've been keeping up on the various blogs that I like to read. I really admire all of you who are artisanally and artistically talented--and prolific! You really keep me inspired, especially when I'm feeling unmotivated. Thank you!

For my quilting sisters, I really do recommend Mel's Own Place. Not only is she super-talented, she has bunches of links to other quilting sites and blogs. As well as bookmaking and basketry sites. And for my knitting sisters, I recommend Zeneedle. I met Margene, whose blog that is, at Swan Sampler Guild, which she helped found, and I love to read her daily entries on adventures in knitting and spinning. My sister maintains the (mostly) knitting blog Big Booty Knits, and I wish she'd post more (but she could say the same about me, lol). She knits beautiful lace--I have The Long Paisley Shawl that she knit for me--and she has links to even more lace sites and blogs.

Besides the Christmas ornaments, and the tatting which is ongoing (I work on it while the boys have their swimming lessons), I have started a new doily:

It's "Victorian Lace" by Jo Ann Maxwell from The Ultimate Doily Book. I started this in the midst of all my other stuff because we were fortunate enough to get a new and beautiful dining room table from my in-laws. It's large and white and round, where our previous table was small and brown and oval. So my off-white doily doesn't really show up on it. I'm doing this in Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Thread in Frosty Green and Ecru and it should be 23 inches in diameter. I had been having trouble because I was doing my foundation chains (not sure that's a term; I mean chains that are going to be stitched into) too tight. I may rip out the last row and a half (the outer green part) and redo it with less tension in the chain. I work on this in the car when I'm waiting for the boys after school, or any other time I have free time in public.

Angel #2 Finished

Wow, I finally finished Angel #2. This time it only took me 34 1/2 hours.

Of course, this does not mean I Finished, which I hope to do this weekend.

At left is Jazzboy's ornament, also not Finished. As predicted, I did it it less than 36 hours--just under nine, to be exact.

Now I'm working on Gameboy's ornament, "Let It Snow" by Country Cottage Needleworks, also in the JCS Ornament Issue. It calls for DMC 469 (avocado), 869 (very dark hazelnut brown) and 3031 (very dark mocha brown); DMC E168 (silver); and Crescent Colors Deep Fennel and Snow. Surprisingly I had the fabric it calls for in my stash: 32-ct Belfast linen in Flax. Usually I have to substitute (or have a Stash-Enhancing experience!). That lump in the middle is a pearl earring. My super-scientific way to find the center of a fabric is to fold it in half both ways, pinch it to make temporary creases and stick a stud earring in at the intersection of the creases. I always start in the middle and work my way out.

I was able to work on it for about 2 hours last night and this is what I got done:
That's a scarf, two birds and the beginning of the border in CC Deep Fennel. When I'm done, I'll be on to Angel #3, which only has to be done by Christmas Eve. Angel #4 is for me, and I have a pile of unfinished Angels #4 from previous years. I'm hoping this year, for once and for all, to finish them and Finish them--they'll make quite a nice display.