Teacosy Jezebel

yarnbombing!

2009-02-21T16:54:00.006+13:00

So the yarn pixies heard about the Global Guerilla Knit-Up Challenge, and thought "why not?" Plenty of spare yarn in the house, and it's always nice to prettify a random something with handcrafts :) One rainy dark morning, and suddenly the gun installation at the local RSA is sporting a fetching decoration!

Closer up (apologies for the shocking photos, it took longer to get the camera to work than it did to wrap the gun barrel! Plus it was 6:30am and the sun wasn't up properly yet.)

Why? Well, first off, no disrespect is intended towards the RSA or its veterans and I hope this craftwork will not be seen that way. I wanted to find a monument to decorate that was reasonably easy to access for measuring and covering. I also liked the combination of a gun barrel being concealed by something so homely and approachable as crochet, and it amuses me to think of the cannon as a sort of oversized teapot in a cosy :) I hope that having something so bright and unusual on something that has been in this neighbourhood for such a long time might make people notice it a bit more. There are all sorts of things in our everyday life that we pass by and don't see, and I think it's good to look around and reassess our environs every so often.

Look, it was still there this afternoon!

kei te nitiniti tokena

2007-10-23T18:43:00.000+13:00

Man, it's taken me forever to start and finish this update! D isn't sleeping very well at night at the moment, so I spend all my Dali-free time catching up on much-needed sleep. But I have managed to get some knitting and crochet done - the time between when he goes to bed and when I do is my precious me-time.

I've started my first pair of socks in a year and a half, and they're coming along nicely: the pattern is Jaywalkers, and I'm finding it quite straight-forward so far. The yarn is quite horrible though - it's some red fluorescent acrylic I found in a bulk bag and it splits constantly. I think the colour is repulsive but a couple of friends have expressed interest so they will probably be a gift for someone - lucky them! These are a practice run for Xmas gift socks.

Yikes, Xmas! It's only a couple of months away, and I'm being seriously overambitious with my handmade gifts. Oh well, I guess there's always the shops for backup.

Also, a finished object finally! It's the Babette throw from Interweave Crochet, done in various scrap yarns. I'm pleased with how it came out - it needs to be blocked a bit better, but most of the squares are pulled into shape by the others so it doesn't look too bad, plus I kinda like its crinkly look. The last strip was done a bit later than the rest and it shows: the yarns are slightly darker. But still, not bad for a first effort. I want to make another but not straight away - maybe in purple, or khaki and lime greens.

Almost finished the jersey for my boy, but I'm stuck at the making-up stage - there's just so many little strands to weave in, and it's dead boring, but I'm going to force myself to finish it tonight.

I've started another jersey, this time for a friend's boy who is turning 3 next weekend. A whole jersey in a week and a bit? Highly unlikely but I'll do my best :)

Went up to Christchurch for the long weekend, which was a lovely break, although not exactly relaxing! Stopped off at the Ashfords factory on the way, where I could fondle and sigh over the Noro yarns, but I was well-behaved and only bought a couple of Tekapo oddments from their sale bin. Checked out the Arts Centre Markets and bought some delicious Blue Earth soaps - I fell in love with a coat from Morphic Creations, but it was way out of my budget. Also stopped off at Borders to check out their knitting book selection, and walked away with Dominknitrix - a few patterns in it I really like, I don't know whether it was worth the $40+ but I thought I deserved a treat.

And finally a D photo - this was taken at Orana Park Zoo last Sunday. I'm so proud of my clever little boy. He's quite mobile on his bottom, and can speed along the lino (towards the cat dishes!) at a rate of knots. He's so smiley and friendly to strangers, and his newest trick is a very enthusiastic wave. He eats pretty much anything we offer him and is growing like a weed. He turns 1 next week, and it's hard to believe that this time last year we were still looking forward to meeting him :)

weirdo

2007-09-23T13:21:00.000+12:00

Okay, so I came up with this idea yesterday to name my scrap hats after songs, I'm not sure whether it's totally whack or what. Basically I'm getting sick of listing them as "Multi yarn scrap hat #75" or whatever, and since they're all one-offs I think they deserve a bit of personality! So I've been coming up with names either from songs I listened to or had in my head when I was making them, or, since I'm slightly synaesthetic (my brain links certain colours to letters) naming them after song titles I feel match the colours. Anyway, it's probably really odd, but it makes them a bit more individual and is fun to do :)

I've also come up with a tattoo I want to get done on my right shoulder: it'll be a ball of yarn stuck with two knitting needles and a crochet hook with a banner saying "Mother's Ruin" underneath and surrounded either by a fire or a sunburst, very much in the style of vintage tattoo flash! Now all I have to do is draw it ;)

where does the time go?

2007-09-21T13:14:00.000+12:00

Have been trying to update all week, but one thing or another always gets priority - oh well! Just finished grinding up a $1 bag of apples for Dali's breakfast, and feeling very thrifty. If I get a chance while he's still napping I'll get to read too, wooo.

Trying to finish all the UFO projects I'd planned to get completed during Sept but it's hard-going. I finished the novelty yarn scarf that I've have on the go since last year, but I've still got a heap of novelty yarns left over. I think the hats I made for Dali and my m-i-l are pretty cute:

so I might make some more of those in future. The baby jersey I started for D when I was pregnant is a real chore - it's easy enough, all in garter stitch, but the problem is that I find it so boring! I'm not a good knitter, so I have to concentrate on every stitch but it's not very interesting to knit - give me some lace or socks or something else anytime! So I keep getting distracted onto making more hats.

I was relieved to see that the op shop up the road has sold out of their scrap yarn bags - I'm seriously addicted to them, and I've already got four. But every time I went past I'd be tempted. What is it about yarn that is so damn acquirable?

Tonight I'm going to check out the travelling Craftwerk show - I've never seen one in the flesh, as it were, although I know lots of people who vend at them. Haven't seen much advertising for it, but I guess if it's a bomb, I can always just sit with a hot chocolate and a book and enjoy some Dali-free time :)

Speaking of the angel, I can hear him waking up in the other room - oh well, maybe I can read later on *sigh* Here's a gratuitous pic of the wee swarthy swab dressed as a pirate on Wed:

new hat design

2007-09-03T19:53:00.000+12:00

This is the hat design I'm all crazy about at the moment - it doesn't really look all that exciting in the photo, but I really like it. It has 8 ridges running down it, then 1x1 ridges around the bottom to look like ribbing. The colours were pretty random in this one, and the other two I'm making that are similar, but in future I plan to do more toning colours. But that'll have to wait until I've finished the hat for my mother-in-law!

SnB

2007-08-31T16:30:00.000+12:00

Stitch n'Bitch last night was really interesting - it was the first time that no one from the original group (bar me) was there so it was just a group brought together through love of knitting rather than because we work together. It was neat, and I'm glad to have the opportunity to meet new crafty types - that's what I started the group for, after all. Hopefully some of the others will come next time, though.

Still working on D's jumper along with a whole lot of other projects. Tomorrow I stop everything and start on a hat for my mother-in-law, who is coming to visit Tuesday week.

lazarus

2007-08-30T16:30:00.000+12:00

I've decided to resurrect this blog since most of the things I've been wanting to write about recently have been craft-related. Dali still takes up most of my time, but I'm managing to get a decent amount of crochet/knitting done and listing WIPs and finished items on Ravelry is helping me keep motivated to get my UFOs organised and worked on. I've set up a rotation system called "SHONE": Sewing (quilt projects), Hats (for sale), Old (UFOs), New (starting small new projects, mostly knitting) and Easy (straight-forward things I can work on a little at a time, like afghans). It's moderately successful, although I recently derailed it by creating a new hat pattern that I'm all excited about - I'll post a pic once the weather is sunny enough for it to come out properly!

Most of my hats from Etsy are now up with a friend in Auckland for her to sell on my behalf at the local markets, but I'm still selling regularly at Vent so most of what I've been working on recently has been going there - they're very eager for earth-toned hats, which seem to be selling well this year. I've started putting together a shop through Shopify, but haven't finished fiddling around with all the different options. I'm also thinking of putting a shop up at felt.co.nz, which is like a local baby Etsy.

I bought myself a set of Denise circular needles, but haven't started using them yet - I want to get some old projects out of the way first before starting anything new. Also planning to knit some socks out of all the sock wool I have stashed away. So a busy time for me!

my boy!

2006-11-09T13:17:00.000+13:00

Dali Rhys Lewis-Browne, born 2:36am Thurs 2 November 2006 by emergency C-section (following roughly 40 hrs of induced labour - wee chap managed to get himself positioned back-to-front and stuck forehead-first in my pelvis!) 6lb 1oz, but hopefully growing rapidly now. Both his daddy and I *heart* our alien spawn to bits :D

I'm sorry I've kind of abandoned this journal - I just haven't had the time to keep it up. I do miss the interaction with all my friends here, though. I still half-heartedly keep up my livejournal at: http://octopusgrrl.livejournal.com/ so you're welcome to visit me there. At the moment I feel like I'm never going to get the chance to pick up a crochet hook again, but I'm sure things will settle eventually!

mojo rising

2006-05-04T14:38:00.000+12:00

Yay, I'm finally back into crafting mode! I still haven't finished the knitted shrug (although I've been trying to do 10 rows each night in order to get through it) but on the weekend, I decided to start a project that I've been thinking about for a long time but hadn't done anything about. It's a crocheted shawl made from all the oddments of green yarn in my storage bin, made with a 10mm hook, so it's nice and loose and loopy. I'm about 1/3-1/2 finished and I'm just addicted - it's looking fantastic I think (like a Monet watergarden), as well as being fun to do. This is the sort of thing I've been wanting to do for ages: hues and colourwashes and just generally playing around with colour. Now I'm enthusing about the next one :) I haven't completely forgotten about the knitting, and I think I'll probably still have one knitting project on the go while I'm doing more crochet.

I'm also getting interested in hats again - I've had more orders from Vent, the shop that stocks them, and even some enquiries on Etsy after a long dry patch. So I've booked a market stall space for the last weekend in May, and I can flog off the last of my boring old hats - I'm looking forward to making more, but not just in order to use up yarn. I know, I should be knitting baby stuff, and I will get around to it, promise - actually, first on my list to make will probably be this!

Pregnancy is going well, still with the headaches but feeling better and more positive about everything. And look:

The spawn - it lives! :D

Beverley was asking me about book recommendations - well, most of the ones I've been reading have just been to clear them off my bookshelf, but I enjoyed the following:
"Quattrocento" by James McLean - a time travelling romance, that reminded me of "The Time Traveller's Wife". Can't say I understood any of the explanations of how the time travel worked, but it all sounded good ;)
"Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" by Rebecca Wells - this was a bit cheesily Southern-cliched in parts, but very entertaining and readable.
"Baghdad Burning" by Riverbend - this is the collected blog posts of Riverbend over the first year of the American occupation of Iraq. Definitely gives you insight and a different perspective
of what it's like living in Iraq now, and also some eyeopening background about the country's history and culture. I wouldn't say "enjoyable", but certainly enlightening.
"Witchsong" and "Nightshade" by Kim Wilkins - the fourth and fifth books in the Gina Champion series, which is an Australian mystery series written for young adults. Gina Champion is a sort of gothy psychic girl detective and I eat these books up like candy - I think it's because they're so easy to read, and Gina reminds me of me as a teenager :)

Anyway, how's that for an update!

sorry!

2006-04-28T09:09:00.000+12:00

I didn't mean to fall off the map quite that badly! I keep meaning to update this blog but since I haven't finished anything new recently I didn't have anything to show off and I just kept forgetting to keep up to date.

News-wise, everything is going well with my pregnancy - I had my first midwife visit on Wed and she let us hear the baby's heartbeat, which was amazingly exciting, and helped to make it all feel much more real to me. P and I went on holiday up North for ten days to visit his family, which was nice and relaxing, but since being back to work this week, I've felt knackered. I also managed to get wet on Wed when we had some enormous rainstorms and flooding and today I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, which is fun since there's pretty much nothing pharmaceutical I can take for it. Oh well, time to break out the natural remedies, I guess! I've been doing a heap of (book)reading, I think I've finished about 8 books in the past month. It's my form of escapism, and it helps me stop worrying and freaking out too much about the future, I think.

That's about it, really. Still not feeling hugely enthusiastic about crafting, but I'm being a bit more productive than I was, and now that I've finished the lace on my shrug and am on the home straight of 2x2 rib for the sleeve, I'm looking forward to finishing it and starting on something new. I haven't been managing to keep up with reading your journals much, I'm afraid, but I hope all is well with all my blog friends!

sweet relief

2006-03-23T17:59:00.000+12:00

I sat and passed my restricted drivers licence this afternoon, yay! This is something that has been hanging over my head for a long, long time - I sat for my learners test about 7 years ago, and it took me about 5-6 tries before I passed, and that was just a written/oral test! As you can imagine, I was not looking forward to sitting the practical test, but my learners licence expires at the end of next month and I needed to be able to drive the car by myself once the sprog comes along, so I didn't have much choice. But now I've got it! Yippee!

Thanks for all your reassuring comments on my last post - I do need to be reminded not to overdo things. Because a lot of the time I don't feel very pregnant, I forget and then get annoyed when I get the side effects. This week has been pretty good though, a few headachey days and I've managed to get some early nights to deal with the extra fatigue.

My first Secret Pal parcel arrived today! I was so worried it was lost in the post, but it was just the snail-mail ;) Lots of lovely goodies inside - I took a photo but haven't processed it yet. There's some beautiful Fleece Artist sock yarn in blues and greens, some Naturally Merino & Fur in shades of brown and blue, a bag of Canadian gummy sweets and a copy of Crochet magazine, plus a lovely card. Such a wonderful surprise :D

ooh, and I cut my dreads off on Friday night! I just really felt like making a change in my life, and I'd been dissatisfied with them for a while - I plan to do them again at some stage but I've learned some good lessons about how they work. Now my hair is short - about 3-4 inches all over, with some longer bits at the front. I'm clipping part of it back at the side with bobby pins and it looks kinda cute, but the best news is that I can wear my cloche hats again!

drained

2006-03-14T15:01:00.000+13:00

I can't believe that I'm still so tired - I had a decent amount of sleep last night, but I felt so weak and dizzy this morning I stayed home from work and slept the rest of the morning, and now I'm tired again! Still, I got to sit out on the patio in the warm and watch the cats play in the agapanthus and the bees gathering pollen - I love my garden, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on a sunny day.

I've started crocheting some boring old hats again - at least I'm producing something and it's easy for me to do at the moment. I hope I get some energy back soon. I know I should be eating better and doing some exercise, but everything just seems too hard at present. I feel kinda like I'm depressed, but I'm not unhappy - I think it's just because everything's in stasis in my mind until I know my pregnancy is going to be okay.

slacker

2006-03-08T12:16:00.000+13:00

Such a long time since I updated! Thanks everyone for your kind wishes - it's a bit of a scary ride so far, with every little twinge or sign freaking me out, but I guess I'll just have to go with the flow of it. Met our midwife last weekend, and she seems very nice, informative without being too controlling and reassuring without being too airy-fairy. I don't get to see her again for another 6 weeks though, which feels like forever at the moment. I'm so over the morning sickness side of things already, and I've only really had it for the past 3 days :( I just feel lethargic and queasy and not really into doing anything much most of the time, and the thought of everything I've got to do is very scary and depressing.

Things on the crafting front have stalled a bit as well from lethargy and disinterest. I wish there was a project I could get excited about, but nothing seems to appeal at present. Ah well. I managed to get the final hat finished for Vent, now I just have to get the energy to drive over to Port Chalmers and drop them off. I was planning to do that today, but I'm not feeling up to it. I'm still ploughing through the lace of my shrug, trying to get at least one pattern repeat finished each night, but I have to get 68cm of it done, and I've only done 32, so it's getting me down a bit.

I'm trying to get stuff done a little bit at a time, but it's an uphill battle at the moment. Hopefully I'll get excited by stuff (knitting, reading, blogging, food...) again soon...

mystery solved

2006-02-27T20:53:00.000+13:00

At least I know why I've been so tired recently:

!!!

We've been trying to conceive for 8 months, so this is very happy news :D

surfacing...

2006-02-24T23:53:00.000+13:00

Yup, I'm still alive, just exhausted after the week before semester starts - so much to organised, I feel drained tonight. Next week should be slightly quieter, fingers crossed.

Still working on my socks - I'm about halfway through the second one, so the deadline will be tight. I just haven't had the energy to work on them hardcore this week. Still, I'll work late on them tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll get them finished in time.

I sold 4 hats at Vent last month - w00t! They've only got one left so I'll have to head over there with some more. I'm looking forward to the freedom that finishing these socks will bring ;)

Received some lovely handdyed sock yarn in a swap from my friend Sarah - I think she must have used Koolaid to dye it, since it smells very grapey. It's shades of blue and burgundy-purple with some of the yarn left white, and I think it will make a spiffing pair of socks. Also, enormous needles - eep! They should be good for knitting scarves come winter.

My dad's in hospital at the moment - long story, he had an operation to remove a tumour on his thigh bone a couple of weeks ago, got discharged last weekend and in the middle of the night on Monday, he managed to break his leg. He finally found out yesterday that the tumour was benign, and had another operation today, but we don't know yet what's going to happen next. So it's been a bit of a stressful time.

Yarn porn!

2006-02-19T17:25:00.000+13:00

Because it was a lovely sunny day today, I thought I'd take Ruth up on her challenge to photograph my stash - so here it is in all its organised/disorganised glory:

The disorganised bit. I generally sit on the couch (you can just see the afghan-covered arm at the bottom right) to do all my crafty stuff, so I like to have everything at hand if I need it. Unfortunately this has extended out to include any new projects I plan to start on being left in plastic bags supposedly so I'll remember...

The big pile o' hats for sale - there's about 50 or so. The rainbow pride ones on the right were supposed to be going to an LJ friend in the US, but she hasn't got back to me about them :( At the rear is a 1950s statuette of Pania of the Reef, and at the front is my poor long-neglected spinning wheel.

Now this is what the stash ought to look like! I've sorted all my scrappy yarns into colours, and store them in these plastic bins. There are 10 like this...

...but poor old yellow and white/neutral missed out on the flash bins, so they're stored in these instead.

Two more - the last one is in the lounge room for a project.

And here's a surprise Calliope I found in the spare room :)

Last night I took a break from knitting and finished off my hat from Brenda's yarn - the photo doesn't really do it justice, it's all sorts of sugared almond colours, mostly greens and purples.

Knitting Olympics progress in photos

2006-02-19T17:22:00.000+13:00

The yarn - Utiku Merino Baby in Bottle.

The yarn balled up (the colour's bad in this one)

Swatch for gauge.

The blocked swatch.

Just after the Olympics opening ceremony finished - a toe!

At bedtime Sat night - a toe and a bit more in pattern.

Sunday night - coming along nicely through the foot.

Monday night - starting the gusset increasing.

Tuesday night - yup, it's looking like a sock now!

Wednesday night - unfortunately I needed to rip out and reknit the heel section because I found a hole, but it was a lot easier second time around.

Thursday night - looking like a proper heel now!

Friday night, I only finished about half an inch of pattern done so I didn't bother taking a photo.

Saturday night - I woke up with a migraine in the morning, but managed to soldier on. Actually, I was supposed to be going out, but wasn't up to it so ended up doing hours of low-stress knitting instead. There's about an inch or so to go, then I'll transfer the stitches onto a circular needle and start on the next sock. Almost halfway there, with just over seven days of play to go.

Sunday night - the finished sock bar the ribbing for the band (which I'll do once the other sock is finished to this point - don't want to run out of yarn!)

Monday night - started the toe but the light was too bad on Tues to get a decent photo.

Tuesday night - as you can see, the weather is still pretty overcast so the photo's not great, but I've just started the patterning for the foot.

Wednesday night - halfway through the foot.

No update for Thursday night, as I only managed to get a few rows finished.

Friday night - just starting the increasing for the heel. Running out of time!

Saturday night - heel completed and starting on the hard yards of the leg.

No update for Sunday night - I'd finished one sock completely by 12am, and only had the band to do for the second, but I was too sleepy to finish.
Monday night - a pair of completed socks!

brain futz

2006-02-14T22:18:00.000+13:00

Just in the middle of turning my first heel ever, it's going really well *knocks on wood* but I needed a break. My head has been sore all evening, but I really wanted to try and get the hardcore heel stuff done tonight so I can relax and do lots of boring rows of no-brain rib tomorrow evening at SnB.

on your marks...

2006-02-11T16:32:00.000+13:00

Just taking a well-earned break from my Knitting Olympics socks - I've just finished the toe and am onto the foot, and I'm really pleased with my progress so far. At this rate, I'll have to start thinking of something else to do if I finish early! I managed to get nearly all of my outstanding projects done, just got half a square hat to go, so I'll probably just do some when I need a break from all the knitting.

I bought this gorgeous handspun and dyed yarn from my friend in Hamilton to make another dreadlock snood - it arrived in the mail today and it's just lovely. So soft... it's a bit distracting really, but I'll try to focus ;)

Anyway, wanted to check in and say hi to everyone - I've been around and reading people's updates, I just haven't had anything much to update about recently! Right, back to work...

amazing!

2006-02-04T19:57:00.000+13:00

Just had to post about this link I found with the most incredible crocheted art: Patricia Waller. I would go potty trying to do that sort of thing, so I'm filled with admiration.

head down, bum up

2006-02-04T12:14:00.000+13:00

Well, I'm slowly getting through all my projects. Annoyed because the fabric I bought for the lining of my Craftster project hasn't arrived - the company has always been good in the past, but I think they've had a few staff changes recently so things are a bit confused. If nothing's arrived by Wed I'll chase them up, I guess. In the meantime I'll have to raid my fabric stash to find something to use instead. I don't think I have anything that would fit the NZ theme, but I guess at least I can get it done.

Good news is that my Utiku yarn arrived yesterday and it's lovely. I bought an extra hank for my Secret Pal's parcel but I'm coveting it terribly at the moment.

Anyway, back to the projects again!

stop it, brain!

2006-02-01T13:05:00.000+13:00

Of course, just because I've committed to going hardcore to get all my projects finished by KO time, I also have the wants to start many more :( I bought a crocheted wrap cardigan second-hand last week, and now I'm dissatisfied with the fit and I'm itching to unfrog the bottom of it and make it shorter, plus I keep being tempted by all these other knitting patterns I've seen online (it's a whole new world for me!) And I have this almost-overwhelming urge to wind up all my larger amounts of yarn on my new niddy-noddy to find out the yardage - I even bought little tags to attach to the hanks... yes, I do have obsessive tendencies, why do you ask?

Getting there with the projects, though, slowly but surely. I'm really pleased with how my mohair hat turned out, I'll have to take a pic.

I've ordered my yarn for the Knitting Olympics (Utiku Merino Baby in bottle green) and I've just about decided on a pattern - either this or this.
Any advice from experienced sock knitters would be most appreciated :)

so many memes, so little time!

2006-01-28T11:32:00.000+13:00

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life:
- graphic designer
- music buyer
- delicatessen attendant
- secretary

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:
- "Zoolander"
- "Pirates Of The Caribbean"
- "Bladerunner"
- "The Fifth Element"

Four Places You Have Lived:
- Jakarta, Indonesia
- Sydney, Australia
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Dunedin, New Zealand

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch:
- "The Bill"
- "Farscape"
- "Firefly"
- "Carnivale"
- "The L Word" (I know, that's 5, but I'm just so hooked that I had to add it ;)

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation:
- Bali
- New Orleans
- Singapore
- Melbourne, Australia

Four Websites You Visit Daily:
- my other journal's friendslist
- check my mail
- the local news
- my horoscope

Four Of Your Favorite Foods:
- tiramisu (Italian dessert)
- inari zushi (deep-fried tofu pockets stuffed with sushi rice)
- dirty rice (Cajun spicy rice)
- gianduja, or basically any chocolate filled with Nutella/hazelnutty goodness (ie. Ferrero Rocher *drool*)

Four Bloggers You Are Tagging:
- anyone who wants to do it :)

sheep go baaaaa!

2006-01-27T15:40:00.000+13:00

Yup, I'm a sheep - I'm doing the Knitting Olympics! I thought it was a bad idea to start with, but the more I thought about it the more obsessed with it I got. I plan to use the time to begin my foray into sock knitting, and I'm going to make myself do swatches and blocking and all the special things that good knitters do. So now I have two weeks in which to get myself organised. Here is the to-do list, which I will try and keep up to date (as long as it doesn't take me away from my precious knitting/crocheting/spinning time!):

do a.s.a.p.
~~- upload new listings for Etsy so I can hopefully make some money~~
~~- email the orderer of the Pride hats so I can definitely make some money!~~

due before next weekend
~~- crochet project for Craftster swappee, due first week of Feb~~
~~- 2 x square hats for Vent, told them they'd be ready about now~~
~~- 2 x headscarves for friend's paid order~~
~~- black skullcap to send with friends' late Xmas present~~

no due date
~~- mohair Nippertails hat~~
~~- crocheted hat for Etsy~~
- squid phone cover (just started)
- knitted blue shrug (over halfway through)
- black and red square hat for Craftster paid order (not started)

Crumbs, I just realised that 1 Feb is next week - eeep! I kept thinking it was mid-January still. Better get a motor on then, eh?

blue as a new tattoo...

2006-01-26T11:28:00.000+13:00

meh, my best friend has flown back to Auckland now - gonna miss that little booger :(

Did a heap of shopping while she was here (but not much crafting), so I'm consoling myself by documenting my purchases. I broke my yarn diet, oops! Apologies for the bad photos, btw - it's mostly the budget camera, honest, and I plan to get a better one this year:

This is a whole lot of yarn that I bought for cheap, either deleted lines at the LYS, or at the op shop - I've noted down the yardage so I can do some calculations as to what I can do with it:

brown: Villawool Fireside 5 Ply, 100% wool, 3 balls x 254m (50c each at the op shop)
burgundy: Cleckheaton Country 8 Ply Heathers, 100% wool, 2 balls x 96m ($1 each at the op shop)
pink: Patons Caressa, 45% wool, 45% acrylic, 10% mohair, 2 balls x 120m ($2 each at the LYS)
blue: Patons Caressa, 45% wool, 45% acrylic, 10% mohair, 3 balls x 120m ($2 each at the LYS)

The pink is so pretty, I wish there had been more available. Never mind, I think I should be able to get that Anthropologie capelet out of it, but I'm not sure what I'll use the blue for yet. I think I should be able to get a shrug or capelet out of the brown, too - I like this one that I found yesterday. The Anticraft is an awesome little ezine, too - check it out!

From another LYS:

Yarn Traders Viscose Velvet: 100% viscose rayon, 155m
Recycled Sari Silk Yarn: 100% silk, 12m in total

Not sure what to do with these - the sari silk's only really enough to trim a hat, and I originally planned to try knitting socks with the viscose, but it's too thick for that sort of thing. It's very pretty and soft though, so I might keep it until the right project comes along, just getting it out and petting it every so often ;) The colours are sort of cadet blue tones with hints of lilac.

This was a knit top I bought for $2 second-hand, gonna unfrog and steal the cotton. I ran into one of the women from my SnB the other day and she was talking about possibly having an unfrogging party, where we all get together, unfrog op shop jumpers and ball up the yarn (and probably in my case, sneeze copiously from the dust!) - sounds like my sort of evening! :)

My current projects on the go (from left):

- the mohair Nippertails hat (just finishing the crown at present, the blue hues in the yarn didn't come out very well in this shot)
- the shrug from the Zhivago pattern book, now reaching 30cm, w00t! 2x2 rib for half a metre each sleeve is quelle boring *yawn*
- the square crochet hat to sell at Vent (I think I might unfrog it and redo it on a larger hook, it just seems a bit too tight. PITA, but got to be done...)

Not shown: purple crochet headscarf for my friend Jackie, which might actually be unfrogged today so I can use the yarn (fine merino 3 ply) for this most awesome squid-shaped cellphone cover, which my Secret Pal put me on to. Also, grey and green crocheted hat, just to go on Etsy.com, because the yarn was there and I wanted something to alternate with all the knitting. Go go Multi-tasking Grrl! ;)

This is just a shot of me getting ready for work yesterday morning - I picked up this shirt at the op shop for a few dollars, and I really like it. Chocolate is the new black, yo.

And here's a shot of my new tattoo, which I got done on Wednesday! Not very clear, but it's the rose from the cover of the Depeche Mode album, "Violator" - I love Depeche Mode and I love roses, and I've always adored this design. It's still a bit pink around the edges, but I really hope the black stays that dark for ever!

less memeage, more projects!

2006-01-19T15:01:00.000+13:00

Finished my boy's cellphone cover last night - just a pocket crocheted from black acrylic with a window for the screen and a flap coming over the top and opening with velcro. Looks much better than my one, which was the first one I made. I should write out the pattern sometime.

Had a call from the shop that sells my hats to say that they would like more! That's the good news, the bad is that they want two square hats and one of the other style... I have about 50 hats made up and ready, do you think I have any square ones in that pile? That style take ages to make, extra yarn, plus they're dead boring to do *sassa-frassing grumble-mumble...* Anyway, I've started one and I have enough yarn for another, so that's something. It's not so bad, really, and it means that hopefully I should be getting a decent cheque from them soon!

The blue shrug is continuing on a-pace - I've done 25cm out of the 51cm needed for the first sleeve, then I get to start on the lace. I've never tried knitting lace before, so I'm looking forward to it. The rib bit is a bit dull, but I'm making myself do at least 5 rows a night before doing anything else. I've done about 4 inches of the mohair Nippertales hat, and I'll try and take a photo of how it's coming along over the weekend.

Tried some spinning the other night but got disillusioned after an hour or so - still having problems with the wheel reversing, and I can't get the tension right. I know I need to persist with it, but it's just annoying me. I'll try again next week.

Yay, my best friend arrives in town tomorrow to stay for a few days - I'm so looking forward to it :) She said she had a migraine this morning so I hope she's feeling better. Last time she came she developed gastroenteritis just before she left, so her memories of her holiday aren't great and I really want her to have a better experience this time round. Also, lots of other friends are going to be in town this weekend for a civil union on Saturday, so it's going to be great to catch up with everyone in person. Still don't have any idea what I'm going to wear though!

thanks for the meme-ories

2006-01-19T11:50:00.000+13:00

What were you doing 10 years ago?
First went online around this time and almost instantly "discovered" the Goth subculture. Spent a lot of time on Usenet reading alt.gothic and alt.gothic.fashion, where I met some of my best friends. Worked at a jukebox hire place, being office manager/music buyer/sales clerk/PA, ended up frazzled most of the time. After years with flatmates, P and I had just moved into a flat on our own away from all our friends and we were pretty much moving away emotionally from them as well.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Erm, crocheting lots, began my GetCrafty blog, starting to get buzzed about all the funky DIY crafting that's going on around the place. Just moved into our new house, feeling guilty for not doing more gardening.

What were you doing 1 hour ago?
Starting this post ;) Just finished lunch, was a bit late because I was rewinding some of the balls of yarn I have stashed under my desk - bright fluorescent red baby wool, would you believe? No wonder someone was selling it cheap!

List five creative things you want to achieve this year:
- having a baby
- learning to spin
- dyeing my own yarn
- making cool hats out of aforementioned yarn
- making pots of money from selling craft

List five snacks you enjoy:
- wasabi peas
- green tomato chutney and cheese on toast
- pita crisps
- fresh homemade bread with butter
- Tim-tams *drool*

List five things you would do if money were no object:
- travel to the UK with my grandmother, being able to afford good accommodation and transport and all the assistance she needs to get around and see all the places she's wanted to go to for years
- go to Japan and buy up kawaii and cool shoes
- study fulltime and become a grad student
- increase my donating ten-fold
- start my own shop and employ a seamstress

List five bad habits:
- finishing other people's sentences for them
- picking and poking at spots
- gossiping
- overeating
- biting the edges of my fingers

List five things you like doing:
- op-shopping
- waking up early and knowing that you don't have to go to work that day (yay!)
- watching British crime dramas (Inspector Morse, Taggart, Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Waking the Dead... the list goes on)
- eating yummy food
- winding yarn by hand into balls

List five favorite gadgets:
- stick blender
- corkscrew bottle opener (I've always been fascinated by the design)
- mobile phone
- bread machine
- electric toothbrush

Name one thing you like about yourself:
- I like that when I go back and read stuff I wrote years ago, I actually sound like an interesting person and not a blethering idiot :)

brain splodey

2006-01-17T09:40:00.000+13:00

The parts arrived for my wheel last night but I haven't set them up yet - I've been a bit lazy with it recently. I always get that when I strike any difficulties with new creative projects: it gets dumped in the too-hard basket if I'm not perfect at it straight away. I will force myself to endeavour with it, though.

Started another Nippertails hat on Sunday night using some lovely mohair yarn. It was originally a whole lot of 5" squares I scored for $4 from the op-shop: someone had knitted them up in garter stitch to make up into a sweater or maybe an afghan, so I gently unfrogged it all and ended up with a small amount of greyish-blue, a ball of greyish-pink and a ball of dark pink. I also had a little brownish-blue which I added to the mix, so now it graduates in colour. It's looking very pretty so far, and my knitting speed has much improved.

Going through a very enthused patch at present, but I don't have enough time to do all the things I want to do! The Craftster knitting forums will be the death of me, I swear. I'm getting excited about doing a multi-yarn version of this stripey shrug, and I realised that this hoodie would be great to make out of the green marle Aran wool I'm unfrogging from a friend's unwanted project when I'm ready to move onto cables, and I want to make this capelet as well... *sigh* Tell me why I work full-time again? Oh yeah, bills and mortgage and food and boring old stuff like that... :(

Lots of people coming to stay this weekend for our friends' civil union on Saturday - it'll be lots of fun, but doesn't leave time to do much crafty stuff.

it's all about meme, baby!

2006-01-16T12:36:00.000+13:00

Because I was tagged by Woolly Wormhead:

Seven times Seven meme

Seven things to do before I die:-
- have a child and bring her/him up the best way I can, hopefully getting the chance to see them become an adult
- finish my BA and hopefully go on to do some postgraduate study, ideally getting my PhD (some sort of gender/media/sociology/literature mix)
- go to the UK
- get decent, long dreads
- clear out my to-be-read bookcase
- hopefully have a farm and spin, dye and make items from my own fibre
- grow my own vegetables

Seven things I cannot do:-
- be a morning person
- deal with heights and enclosed spaces
- lie well to people that know me
- remember my past clearly
- wear foundation (it feels icky!)
- give up my yarn obsession
- stop swearing, or at least using words that sound like swearwords

Seven things that attract me to blogging:-
- exposing my self (oo-er missus!) while not exposing myself
- sharing my opinions
- being able to express myself in writing (much easier than in speech)
- reading other people's perspectives, news and daily lives
- "networking", meeting new and interesting people from all over the world
- getting new ideas
- interaction

Seven things I say most often:-
- "anyway"
- "whatever"
- "a hat" (when people ask me what I'm making ;)
- "cock!" (favourite swear word at the moment)
- "oh really?"
- "grrr"
- "pardon?"

Seven books that I love:-
- "Perdido Street Station" by China Miéville
- "And The Ass Saw The Angel" by Nick Cave
- "The Wasp Factory" by Iain M Banks
- "Running in the Family" by Michael Ondaatje
- "Playing Beattie Bow" by Ruth Park
- "Jambalaya" by Luisah Teish
- "The Spiral Path" by Starhawk

Seven movies I watch over and over again:-
- "Amélie"
- "City of Lost Children"
- "Pirate of the Caribbean"
- "Bladerunner"
- "The Fifth Element"
- "Zoolander"
- "Bend It Like Beckham"

Seven people I want to join in too:-
- you
- you
- you
- you
- you
- you
- and, ah, you!

floppy

2006-01-12T15:38:00.000+13:00

I feel like I need a big kick up the backside today - I'm so sleepy. Never mind, it's nearly Friday.

I got my Secret Pal today, yay! And I got an email from the person who got me, so *waves* at the anonymous stranger :)

Had another go at spinning last night. Watched the video, which apart from being rather dated, was quite gentle and non-threatening for a novice spinner, and illustrated the method of spinning really well. Then I had a play with some corriedale roving, but started worrying about my wheel reversing all the time, so went through lots of books to see what this could possibly be a symptom of. Eventually I came across a passage that told me not to worry, this is something that happens in the beginning and that no one gets perfect technique in the first hour, which was reassuring. I spent another half-hour or so practicing treadling and getting the rhythm and managed to end up with something that was on the verge of being spun yarn, so I'm feeling much more positive about it all now. I still need to adjust the tension properly and fit a new brake spring though, once my parcel of spare parts arrives.

Didn't do much knitting yesterday at Stitch n' Bitch (ate too many snacks instead), so I've still only done about 20cm of 2+2 rib on my shrug. I'm so slow compared to my crochet speed!

knit-tastic!

2006-01-11T07:59:00.000+13:00

Hee, I'm stupidly proud of how my shrug has started out so I had to take a photo of it this morning - my knitting looks so neat, I'm amazed! I love this colour too, it's a sort of a cadet blue tending towards lilac. The yarn is Pure Gold DK 100% Courtelle made in South Africa - it's cheap as chips at the local big box store, and it's very soft to knit with, more like a cotton than the usual acrylic (splits a bit, though). I might wait until their next big sale and stock up - I've been using the black for everything, but they have another shade there I liked, a sort of fawn beige.

I noticed after I took this shot that the needles I've been using are actually two different lengths! I must have had two pairs at some stage and mixed them up. Weird.

Grrr, the double pointed needles I bought from TradeMe are way too long for me to use - my own fault, I should have realised from the listing, and at least they only cost me a couple of dollars. If only I could find a place selling 5mm dpns less than 6 inches long *grumble*

Tried spinning for the first time yesterday without much success - I know there's a knack to it, but it's just frustrating trying to pick it up. Going to watch the video tonight so I can get a better idea of what I should be doing.

SP7 questionnaire

2006-01-09T10:15:00.000+13:00

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?
Nope, I'm a yarn slut - I love nearly every type of yarn, and would love to get some of the mainstream US brands I've heard so much about. Absolutely adore anything that's variegated or space dyed. The only thing I would tend to avoid is baby yarn or very lightweight stuff, natural-coloured homespun in the grease, and I'm kinda over feather/fur type novelty yarn (though a little bit is fine).

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
Learning to spin at present, and crochet is my raison d'être.

3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Needles: musty old tartan tube needle bag.
Hooks: manky old handcrocheted blue acrylic purse (one of my early projects - not one I'm proud of, but it works).

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I started knitting as a teenager, but stopped in my early 20s, then started again late last year, so I would say I'm somewhere between being a beginner and an intermediate.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yus: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/1U0N325HBCTQ1

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I love any natural essential oil perfumes like rose, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, frankincense, clove, lavender - but I really don't like anything that smells "fake".

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
oh yes! Love chocolate and boiled sweets.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Mostly, I'm focused on crocheting, knitting and spinning, but I also do patchwork (quilting), sewing or altering my own clothes, and beading.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Definitely up for MP3s - I like a real range of music, from punk to lounge to world to country to folk. Love indie/college rock/brit pop/new wave of the new wave/power pop. The only things I tend to avoid are really atrocious rap, R&B, pop or new country, but even then there are exceptions. I'd love it if my Secret Pal made me a mix CD of the music they really love - I'm always interested in seeing what rings other people's bells.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
Love purple, black, grey, burgundy, light blue. Usually dislike yellow or orange, and most pastels.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my husband, Peter - we've been together for 15 years - and we have two tabby cats, Tintin and Calliope.

12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Scarves and gloves/mittens, definitely. I have dreadlocks, so most hats look a bit weird over the top, but any sort of dread-storing style of hat or headdress is cool. Bulky ponchos make me look matronly due to my large boobies, but lightweight ones might be okay.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I like Patons Zhivago because it's so soft, and Noro Kureyon because it's fun watching the colours change, but I enjoy using most DK/worsted weight yarns.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'd say anything too fine or fiddly. I have trouble working with feathers/fur type yarns because I can't see the stitches. Hate working with greasy yarn, ugh.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I love the Nippertails hat because I can wear it with my dreads sticking out, so I'm planning to make some more of those. I also love shrugs/bolero style tie cardigans - I keep seeing them for sale in the stores for that whole Bohemian fashion look and want to make my own.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
That's hard for me to answer - I guess I like to knit small, easily constructed items from a pattern that I've already used before. I like to knit with the TV off so I can concentrate, but if the TV is on, I need to do something really basic and repetitive like a scarf.

17. What are you knitting right now?
About to start my next Nippertails hat from really beautiful mohair I bought as squares from the op shop and painstakingly unfrogged, and I'm also going to start this shrug in green acrylic, to see whether or not it works. Crochet-wise, I'm making more dread snood hats from bulky mohair yarns and making granny squares from scrap pieces.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Love receiving handmade - but not something that's just been thrown together. If it's something that has had some care put into it, and been finished off properly, I'll love it to death.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Straight, although I should get into using the circular ones.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Prefer bamboo, but am happy with any.

21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a yarn winder which I don't use, I prefer to ball yarn by hand. Don't have a swift but I've ordered a niddy-noddy by mail.

22. How did you learn to knit?
I think either my mother or grandmother showed me the basics initially, then I used books to work out more advanced techniques.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Probably my scrap patchwork bedcover, which is going on for 17 years or so! Yarn-wise, it would be my two crocheted square hat projects (the crochet bit was finished ages ago, but they still need linings and press studs) which would be entering the fourth year, I'd say.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Bad Badtz Maru
Kogepan
(not sure whether they count as animated, but they sure are cute!)
Favourite animals: cat, seal, octopus
Favourite birds: owl, kereru (NZ native woodpigeon)

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Hallowe'en, Anzac Day.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn ;), china cats from the 50s and 60s, robot-themed things, octopus things.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None, although I've been buying 3 month old copies of Interweave Knits as they arrive at my LYS.

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
I'd like to read SnB Nation, but not dying for it. Love to get some of the beautiful Noro and Debbie Bliss yarns available overseas.

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Nothing that springs to mind at the moment (except for spinning know-how!) but I'm sure as I embark on new knit projects things will come up.

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Never tried, though now that I'm coming to grips with dpns I might give it a go! My feet are US size 7, Euro size 38.

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
05/07 - 7 May.

32. Any allergies?
Only to a little-known decorative tree called a ruse tree, apart from that none known.

better living through chemistry

2006-01-08T20:05:00.000+13:00

Well, I gave in about 3pm and scrounged through the medicine drawer looking for something, anything, with painkilling properties, and Codral was the only thing available. So now I'm feeling no pain and my mood has lightened exponentially - I feel a bit more human again.

Took a few photos before... not exactly showing off the Nippertails very well, but it's hard to do self portraits with a 1.3Mb digital camera (doesn't do good closeups).

Exhibit A: grumpy woman, no makeup, tries to work out camera angles

Exhibit B: grumpy woman, no makeup, trying to smile

Now I'm going to go make some dinner, then try and sort out the tension brake on my wheel while I watch CSI Miami.

sigh

2006-01-08T12:44:00.000+13:00

I've had a bad headache all weekend, and now I've used up all my pain meds. I'm feeling very grumpy and down because of all the wasted time - there's loads of creative things I want to do but I don't have the motivation. Even the cool stuff isn't really interesting to me :(

I think I'll just mope around and feel sorry for myself for a while.

planning and plotting

2006-01-05T15:01:00.000+13:00

So I finished my extremely cute Nippertails hat last night and will take a photo over the weekend. I imagine I'm probably getting too old for that much kawaii now so I probably won't wear it to work, but I think it's just awesome :D I'm so proud of my first knitting project in 16 years! It had a couple of ladder-like bits down the sides where I hadn't kept the tension while swapping needles, but I darned them up so you wouldn't know.

Now I've just about finished the 4th of the 4 pride rainbow beanies I was making for a friend, so once those are done I can start on new stuff, yay. My head is all bubbling with new crochet and knit projects to work on! So these are all the things I want to do:

- finish crochet pride beanies x 4
- multicoloured crochet scrap afghan
- knit Nippertails hat in pink/purple mohair blend
- try crocheting a version of the Nippertails in cadet blue acrylic
- get some red acrylic to match the black to make the last custom job I promised
- more Nippertails hats in various handdyed yarns (okay, maybe getting carried away here!)
- crochet shawl from different tones of scrap yarn, first in blue
- more dread net berets
- more headbands.

I've kinda gone off the idea of making stuff to sell at present - don't get me wrong, it's always nice to sell stuff I've made, but since I'm starting on a creative curve I'd like to explore that a bit for its own merits before having to work out whether something is going to be cost-effective, or popular, or whatever.

ha ha, I win!

2006-01-05T13:25:00.000+13:00

I'm feeling absurdly pleased with myself for something really quite minor. On a whim, I thought to check the university library catalogue for any books on spinning and found that there were a number available from the Science Library, which is a place I've only ever been the once on a mission with someone else. So I decided to pop in there on the way home from work yesterday, left the office ten minutes early since it was a few minutes' walk away, and started my hunt. The TT books appeared to be shelved on the third floor, so I scooted up the stairs (well, as much as ever scoot!) but the numbers went TP - TX. Hmm, I thought, and went to check the oversized books on the next floor down where there seemed to be loads of fashion and textiles books under the TT number, but still not the ones I was looking for. I went back downstairs and checked the recently returned trolleys to see if they were there, and the assistant asked to help me out. When he checked the catalogues it showed that these books had never been borrowed, and offered to come upstairs to help hunt with me, but at that stage I'd been there nearly half an hour and had to leave.

So I went back at lunchtime today, checked the shelves again with no luck, but I couldn't work out why there were so many fashion books under the TT range of callnumbers in the oversize section but none on the main shelves. Then, when I was scouting the aisles looking for them, I saw a small sign saying that books within that range are stored in the Physical Sciences section - eh? Looked on the wall, this is the Life Sciences section - looked in the stairwell and whatdyaknow? There's a fourth floor! So went up there, couldn't find the books, only journals, saw that there was a small range of books over the other side of the corridor, looked for the TTs, went up as far as TA then the shelves ran out. Saw another sign on the wall saying that the rest of the books were shelved in a tiny alcove on the other side of the room, and there they were. No wonder no one's ever taken them out - they're housed on the farthest shelves on the very top floor ;) But I found them so nah. One of them was only a pamphlet not worth getting, but the other one should be good. I also got a couple of craft cultural theory books, one of which is called "Women and Craft" and sports a photo of a crocheted breakfast on the cover, complete with a copy of the Times - looking foward to that one!

Oh, and of course this morning I found the book on spinning that I thought I'd bought! It was in my bookcase, where I'd not thought to look (I didn't realise that I bought it before I moved house last year). Didn't have much of a chance to look through it this morning, but I'll do so tonight. Also, the city library has the Ashford spinning video, so I'll pop in there tonight and get it out. I had trouble sleeping last night because I was busily working out spinning stuff in my head :)

frustration!

2006-01-03T15:03:00.000+13:00

So for the past couple of days I've been playing around with the poor old spinning wheel I bought in a job lot for $30 last year. It's an old Saxony style one from the 70s, possibly an old Ashford though it doesn't have any branding on it (if it's homemade, it's a very good production, but it's probably more likely to be one of the various types that were being sold last time spinning was fashionable!) It's in good nick, but pretty basic and the leather thingamawhatsit that joins the treadle to the stick thingee had broken, but luckily the bag of spinning goodies it came with included an Ashford repair kit that had a spare one, so I've just reattached that and cleaned it up a bit. The main problem I'm having is that the Scotch tension brake seems to have come off, and I've got no idea how it's supposed to go back on. I was sure I had a really good book on how to spin lying around, but I can't find it anymore so maybe it was a library book... oh well, I need to drop off an overdue anyway so I guess I'll call in there in the next day or so. Annoying, though, after waiting all this time to get around to it!

Never mind, I've got plenty of clean fleece to practise carding on instead... scratch that, it's just started raining again :( Argh, thwarted - back to the knitting it is then!

lime and poppyseed buttons

2006-01-02T12:08:00.000+13:00

Here's the recipe for the cookies I made that went down so well at Xmas. It's from a Australian Woman's Weekly Gourmet Gifts cookbook, and I've added notes from my own experience:

Lime and Poppyseed Buttons

200g butter, chopped (I used Olivani, since I wasn't sure whether some of the recipients might need them to be dairy-free)

3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar

1 tsp finely grated lime rind (I grated the rind from 3-4 limes)

1 egg

1 3/4 cups (160g) plain flour

2 tsps poppyseeds

Beat butterm sugar, rind and egg in medium bowl with electric mixer until pale. Gradually beat in flour, then seeds. Cover; refrigerate 30 mins (I'd actually leave it much longer than that - it's terrible to work with when soft, and the longer you leave it the harder the butter sets, but then that might have been from me using Olivani instead). Roll level tsps of mixture into balls, place on baking paper-lined over tray, flatten slightly with fingers. Bake in moderate oven (175 degrees C) about 8 mins (with my oven it was more like 10 mins), leave to stand on tray 5 mins before transferring to wire rack to cool. Drizzle with lime icing (I found the best way was putting the buttons close together on the rack, filling a plastic bag with the icing and snipping the corner off, so you can drizzle it in lines across all the cookies) and allow to set. Dust with sifted icing sugar if desired (I didn't, I think they're sweet enough as it is).

Lime Icing

1/2 cup (80g) icing sugar

1 Tbsp lime juice

Sift icing sugar into small bowl, gradually stir in lime juice (I ended up using the juice of a whole lime to get the consistancy right).

Hope you like! I think I got 100 or so from each batch of mixture. The best bit is when they're cooking and they melt into the little button shapes, and they taste awesome still warm :)

woolly adventures

2006-01-02T11:51:00.000+13:00

I should be in the shower but I wanted to post a quick update. My friend Wendy who is a shearer sent me a fleece and holy crap, there's so much of it! It takes up 6 shopping bags "uncompressed"! I managed to wash one lot last night in the bath, and it's currently drying - I think I got it clean enough, but since it's my first, I'm not too sure. Anyway, any extra crud will probably come out while I'm carding it, and I will be washing it again when it's spun anyway. Today I need to oil and dust my wheel and get it into running order while my wool dries - if it wasn't so darn windy I'd put the lot outside because it's a great day for drying, but as it is it'd end up spread around the backyard. I have a little bit of roving to practice on before I finish processing the wool, so if I have a chance I'll give it a go later today. Exciting!

I also have three crochet hats and a knitted one on the go at the moment as well, so I'm hoping I'm going to have a chance to get everything finished before I go back to work on Wednesday. Don't wanna work, want to play with woolly stuff all day instead :(

youchy and lazy

2005-12-29T12:08:00.000+13:00

Nasty headache this morning. I imagine it could be the blob on its way, but this cycle has been so totally weird that nothing would surprise me. It could also be just from staying up too late and sleeping in a too-hot room as well. I've been pretty lucky the past couple of weeks, especially since I've needed to get so much done for Xmas etc.

Man, I've been so slack this holiday so far! I have a long to-do list but I've only scratched the surface of it. I'm trying to get some crochet finished, and I made a cute black t-shirt, denim skirt and long black socks combo for Imogen that looks pretty cool, but I've still got to really get stuck into my sewing stuff. And I won't even start on all the eating... we have so many leftovers clogging the fridge that I feel it's my duty to consume constantly. Anyway. after New Year P and I are both going to be more careful about what we eat, so I need to get all my gluttony over and done with before then!

It's after midday and I haven't even showered yet. Ah well, that's what holidays are all about :)

season's greetings

2005-12-25T23:48:00.000+13:00

I'm really tired but I just wanted to say that everything went really well today, and it's been kinda cool having my family here after all the stressing.

All the cake and chocolate help, too :)

so martha!

2005-12-24T19:11:00.000+13:00

Here are the presents for my family who are coming over tomorrow for Xmas dinner, all wrapped up and ready to go! I had some leftover hologrammic silver wrap from a couple of years ago, and bought a roll of silver ribbon. Everyone is getting an Oxfam "gift" of either textbooks, a chicken or a goat donation, plus a little box of lime and poppyseed cookies (I bought plain white boxes at $1.99 for 4 and stamped them with a fireworks design in silver and gold) and either a packet of local tea or fair trade coffee. The big present on the left is for my husband but I won't say what it is since he recently discovered this blog ;) I'm really pleased at how everything came out - I wanted to have a compromise between buying something, making something or donating on their behalf instead of a present, so did a bit of all three! Remains to be seen how they'll be received, of course - I'll let you know tomorrow.

This morning I braved the supermarket to pick up the fresh stuff for the meal tomorrow, and this afternoon I:
- roasted a large chicken a la Naked Chef
- made and baked sage and onion stuffing from scratch
- prepared and baked a cheesy vegetable dish of my own devising
- scrubbed the new potatoes
- made gravy from the chicken leftovers
- washed and dried all the dishes
- put all my clean washing away
I'm feeling pretty damn proud of myself, but there's still more to do. I was halfway through making the Xmas crackers when I needed to stop for a piece of toast and lime curd - lunch seems hours ago!

cookie madness

2005-12-23T16:28:00.000+13:00

Yay! All my cookies are now cooked! I calculated that I've made over 200 cookies in the past few days - I think I've started dreaming about the damn things. But at least now all my presents are done, well, once I've iced and packaged them. Phew!

Now I feel all sort of light-headed and silly. Could be too much cookie dough, I think.

waiting out the day

2005-12-22T11:57:00.000+13:00

It's so hard to get motivated to do anything today - it's the last day before the Xmas break, and I've spent most of it so far eating and talking to people! Yesterday I did much the same so it's tempting to just write off the rest of the day.

Here's a blurry pic of Imogen in her new outfit - quite perfect for today, seeing as it's a bit on the chilly side. You wouldn't know it was summer solstice by looking out the window! The hat I just knocked up quickly from the leftover Noro Kureyon and there was only just enough. Now I'm crocheting her a smaller pale pink cardigan from baby yarn, and sewing a navy t-shirt. Other projects I have planned are a pink and orange brocade 60s style dress, a grey denim pinafore, some black stockings and some more t-shirts. She's going to be the most stylish dolly in the street! :)

And here's the dread beret I made from my single precious ball of Kureyon. You can't see it well in the pic, but the colours go from black to silver to khaki to black to burgundy, so it matches a lot of my wardrobe! I've already got heaps of wear out of this hat.

Now I'm trying to decide whether to eat my lunch or not - it's my normal lunchtime, but I stuffed myself with biscuits and danishes at morning tea so I'm not feeling very hungry yet. So looking forward to my day off tomorrow - my family arrive in town today so we'll see them tonight, but tomorrow they're on a whole-day train trip so I can finish off all my Xmas preparations and have a bit of "me" time before the social whirl starts.

resisting the pressure

2005-12-20T13:45:00.000+13:00

I haven't really gotten into the swing of Xmas this year. Being a pagan, I've never felt comfortable with celebrating it the traditional religious way, and the consumer orgy of Giftmas leaves me cold. I've tried considering it more of a midsummer festival but it's hard to ignore all the pine trees and fake snow and reindeer. To me this time of year is a holiday period where I get the chance to spend time with my family and give them gifts and share a meal. If we're lucky the weather will be good, so it's also a time to enjoy the summer and appreciate this time of year.

Anyway, I thought that with my family coming to dinner this year, I should at least have a tree. So I bought a tiny one from the $2 shop and decorated it with silver star tinsel. I'm wondering how much leeway I'll get with changing the traditional meal - we're still having ham and chicken, and boiled new potatoes, and cake and pudding, but I want to have salad instead of vegetables and make a cheesy vegetable bake as well - my brother's partner doesn't eat much meat and neither do I. I also weakened and bought Xmas crackers - they're actually make-your-own ones so I thought that if the jokes are terrible I'll replace them, and instead of gimmicky toys I'll just put little chocolates in them instead. I really really should get onto writing my Xmas cards today - I'm so bad at sending them, no one ever gets them from me until early new year. At least it drags out the joys of Xmas ;)

I sorted out my extra balls of yarn last night, so I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself. It's a start, anyway. I also finished the jeans (well, I still need to sew on a press stud) and tried them on Imogen, and they look very cool. I ordered some boots and shoes for her online yesterday as well - poor dear can't go around for ever in white tennis shoes, can she?

resolve

2005-12-19T11:39:00.000+13:00

I ended up making my Blythe doll, Imogen, a tiny cardigan from the sock weight yarn I bought from Lorraine - it's so lovely to work with, I really love it and plan to buy some more after Xmas (when funds won't be quite so strapped). The cardigan is a bit big, especially around the neckline, but I was pretty pleased with it for a first freehand effort. Now I'm sewing her a pair of flared jeans from this pattern, and I might make her a little 70s pantsuit outfit for Xmas :) Making dolly clothes is very addictive, and doesn't take much fabric - makes a much-needed break from hats.

I've been having a rethink about my crochet. I've turned myself into a hat-making factory, and I can see it spiralling on forever unless I do something to break the cycle. Plus I think I need to approach my crafting from a more creative angle rather than just mindless repetition to keep my hands busy. So I've decided to just finish the hats I'm doing at present and my 2 custom orders, then I'm going to put all the yarn I earmarked for hat-making back into their colour-coded bins. Then that will free me up for more adventures in colour next year, and also to do some spinning and dyeing. I am capable of making more than just hats, and I need to push myself a bit.

I was also going through the sewing room yesterday looking for my pinking shears and realised exactly how many unfinished projects I have. It's pretty daunting, actually. I've got piles of patchwork pieces waiting to be sewn up, and bags and boxes of fabric and clothes for altering. I keep thinking there's this mythical "rainy day" that's going to come along that will give me the time to do it all. I think I need to consolidate things. I know I can do it, I've been able to give away a lot of my fabric before. Over the Xmas break I'm going to organise all the outstanding projects and prioritise them in order to get them finished eventually. Getting money from selling hats has been nice, but it's just more to spend on silly stuff, and it's sucked away my enthusiasm for doing other things and my time. The handsewing I've done this weekend has reminded me how much I enjoy it. Plus I need to tidy things up in the sewing room, and clearing out piles of fabric would be a good start!

I should be writing Xmas cards :)

it's off to market we go

2005-12-17T19:27:00.000+13:00

Everyone was very friendly and it was a nice atmosphere. Only sold one brooch and two of P's postcards (to friends from work) but it was an interesting experience and I was quite proud of my little stand. As people were commenting, it's not exactly the right time of year for buying woolly hats! Ah well, back on Etsy with all the stock. I might do it again in January if they are still going (the venue is still up in the air after next weekend). It was fun, and I got two brooches, a headband and a headscarf made while I was there :)

Now that it's all over, though, I feel at a bit of loose end. I've still got loads of projects on the go, but none of them really light my fire tonight.

long night blues

2005-12-13T13:46:00.000+13:00

I did not sleep well last night - I tossed and turned until at least 2am, then slept in fits and starts with lots of crazy dreams until 6-ish, then the alarm finally went off at 6:30. The whole night seemed to go on forever and I feel like I'm still half-asleep today. Back in the day, I'd have had a couple of cups of coffee to kickstart me into the day, but now I'm a tea drinker solely, and it doesn't quite have the same effect. Now in the cold light of day I wish I'd got up in the night and read or crocheted or done anything rather than flipping from side to side, getting more and more irritated as the morning rolled on. But it would have meant waking P, and one of us should get a decent night's sleep :/

Today I'm wearing the hat I made from the Noro Kureyon yarn I bought off Trademe - it's lovely yarn, but very expensive. It works really well in the net hat because each row ends up being a new colour. I've come up with a crocheted headband pattern which uses very little yarn and is really good for showcasing interesting colours or textures, so I'm making a few of those to sell at the markets. I'm going to take Friday off work so that I can finish off all my bits and pieces for the stall.

Sorry, not really feeling up to much today :(

yikes!

2005-12-09T17:03:00.000+13:00

The market is back on again at a different venue now! I'd better swing into action with getting myself organised. I borrowed a table today from a friend at work, it's about the size of a folding cardtable (1 metre sq), so should be big enough to lay out hats and brooches on, plus hold a mirror and my glass head. I might take along my folding laundry rack as well, and some clips, and clip the extra hats to it if necessary - I'll get a better idea of the area I'll be working with when I go along to check out the market tomorrow. I'm dropping in to the Warehouse (local equivalent of Walmart) after work to pick up a folding chair - I've been meaning to buy some for ages so we can sit on the patio on a good day and read, so if they're not too expensive I'll get two. So this weekend I'll have to haul tail with getting more stock together as well as finishing my Xmas presents - eeep!

Went to the Narnia movie premiere last night - it's very absorbing, and quite exciting, but I didn't connect with it emotionally as much as I'd hoped. Enjoyed the latest Harry Potter film more, I must admit. But got to see the previews for King Kong, which looks pretty super, and the next Pirates of the Caribbean - I'm hanging out for that one now!

imagery

2005-12-08T09:36:00.000+13:00

Don't appear to have a headache this morning - yay! My office was stinking hot when I arrived, but with the window open and a cool breeze, it's cooled off a lot.

Decided to take some photos this morning of some of the things I've been talking about recently in this blog - the photos are really awful a) because I was half-asleep and the light wasn't great and b) because I'm a crap photographer ;)

This is one of my dread beret/net/hat thingees that I love to wear - I have it on my head right now! I have about 6 now - some are plain colours and yarns, but I think the novelty or handspun yarns look better for this style. This one was made from some I got in a box of assorted yarns from a Trademe auction. The colours are a bit more reddish-brown than in this shot.

This is a crummy blurry shot of my favourite one - my "mermaid" hat. It has irridescent sequins spun into the yarn, so it sparkles in the sun like water :)

This one I made from the spacedyed Manukau Yarns hank I bought in Auckland - I love the colours, they pretty much sum up my wardrobe at present!

This one is slightly larger than the usual ones I make, as it's for someone with longer dreads. The yarn is some Magnum Prints acrylic I had left over from the throw I made for my best friend this time two years ago.

This is one of a pair of fingerless glovettes I'm currently making from the pattern in the latest Interweave Crochet - I've now made three (a set was for my best friend) and I'll hopefully finish the fourth today. I left the pattern at home but I'm pretty sure I've committed it to memory now, plus I have the other one to match it to. You can't see the pattern very well but it's called "blossom stitch" and is quite nice. I've never tried a crochet lace pattern before and I might have to search out some more in my old books. The yarn is a nasty black acrylic that splits constantly and is pretty horrid to use, but it came with another box of assorted yarns so was cheap as chips. I plan to make another set of these with the handdyed sock yarn I bought from Etsy, as I think the lighter weight will show up the lacy pattern better.

like a bear with a...

2005-12-07T13:34:00.000+13:00

Well, this is now the 15th headache I've had in the past month, so it can be considered "officially" a chronic daily headache :( Wish I knew what was causing it, I thought it might have been my allergy spray but it's not listed as a side effect, and although I'm taking paracetamol when it gets bad, it's usually only one pill a day, so surely not enough to be causing a rebound effect. Bloody annoying. I've actually been feeling much better healthwise these past six months, but now I feel all lethargic again. At least this time it's controllable and dealable, and hopefully it might disappear again soon. Last time it was stress that was a major contributor, but I don't think I'm that stressed nowadays, especially not in comparison - sure, a few niggles here and there, but no major anxiety.

In other news, the market has been postponed due to issues with their lease. Part of me is disappointed but part of me is relieved - I wasn't exactly super-organised, and I can do without something else to worry about with Xmas right around the corner. Now I have to get out of the "must create stock!" mindset, and finish off some more custom jobs. One is now done and in the air, one is sitting on my table waiting for me to contact the buyer, another is halfway through and then there's just the 3 extra pride hats to do, which will be pretty straightforward. Plus Vent wants some flower brooches, but they won't take long to make up, and if we go there on the weekend to drop them off, I can see if they're selling any more handdyed DK - yay!

But I must stop spending so much money - I've already spent way too much on Xmas, and with both my husband's and my best friend's birthdays next week, I keep seeing bits and pieces for them. Then there's that whole thing of "I've just been paid, I can go spend on fripperies now" - no! Bad octopus, no fripperies.

Speaking of fripperies, I bought a ball of Noro Kureyon from Trademe all for myself. I'm going to make myself another net hat from the pretty - I'm so looking forward to it. And I have some new BPAL scents coming through the mail from a friend, which is also neat. It's all about indulging addictions at the moment ;)

snarler

2005-12-03T11:46:00.000+13:00

Drinking a cup of tea and hoping it will help get rid of this headache I woke up with. Sick of having headaches this week - I think I've had one of varying levels of intensity every day this week, since the evil migraine I had on Sunday. I'm so over it, and it can stop now please kthxbye. Also, having dizzy spells I can do without - at least most of those I've experienced while sitting down. Wish I knew what was triggering them.

I'm in a bit of a grump today. Dissatisfied and not really sure what I want. I'm annoyed at someone who bought two hats off me and hasn't paid for the second one yet - I just want to have it all sorted out so I can send them to her, and I hate chasing people up about money. Oh, and my parents and grandmother are coming down to see us for Xmas after all, since Dad can't have his operation until next year. I'm looking forward to seeing them again, but I'd already started thinking of stuff to do during my break from work, and I hate having my plans up in the air. Also, pretty nervous about showing off my home and Xmas dinner management skills or lack thereof...

Ah well. Supposed to be going to see the new Harry Potter film this afternoon, so maybe that will help.

yarn yearnings

2005-11-29T09:38:00.000+13:00

Well, here I am at work, where it's incredibly quiet, and I'm dreaming about yarn. Specifically gorgeous space-dyed yarns - I just discovered that that is what I should be calling the stuff I call "variegated". Last night I wound up the hank I bought from Vent about three months ago, and it's just lovely: greens and golds and burgundys and browns *sigh* I wish I could remember how much was on the hank, I think it was about 160m. The other pretty one I was talking about yesterday was from Manukau Yarns, and I've just been trying to find somewhere to buy it online. This place seems to sell lots of it (I think this was the one I bought, the price is much better!), so when I get paid again, I might invest in some more *drool*

I just came across a photo of the yarn my friend Brenda spun and dyed, which I made into the dread net beret I'm wearing this morning - it's called "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and was 80m. I think there was a metre or two at least left when I'd finished it, so presumably that means that a dread net takes roughly that much yarn. I hope Brenda sells some more yarn soon - I absolutely love this hat and I want another one. I call it my "mermaid" hat :)

Another custom order came through from someone overnight - argh! They might have to wait until after Xmas. I wish I could crochet at my desk, I'd get a lot more done ;)

back to the grind

2005-11-28T11:11:00.000+13:00

I'm avoiding updating my Livejournal because it involves too much thinking at the moment (says a lot about this entry, heh!) Suffice to say, I visited my parents for a few days, submerged my identity a bit, returned, had a migraine yesterday from delayed tension... Not to say it wasn't a good trip, and I love my parents dearly, but it was a bit emotionally stressful, and I always have trouble reconciling the person I am now with the person I was when I was younger.

Anyway, I'm feeling a bit post-migrainey, sort of washed out and fuzzy. I think I'm stressing a bit about all the custom jobs I have lined up at present: I need to finish the scarf I'm working on and send that and its matching hat away, then I need to make a square hat for someone who prepaid (I hate prepaid orders :/) then I need to make 3 pride beanies for someone else. Plus I just had someone come in who'd like a dread beret (I am wearing one at work and they fancied it - nice that someone else finally likes them but just one more thing to do!) and I have to get more of those and some headkerchiefs made for the market in three weeks. At least both those styles don't take long or need much yarn.

Bought some lovely handdyed wool in Auckland, varigated in shades of burgundy, plum, green and blue. There's almost 400m worth (for $16.95, pretty good value), so I've made a dread beret and a headkerchief so far for myself, and am trying to decide what to do with the rest. I'd like to make a Nippertales hat but it's taking me forever just to do my first one, with my tragic lack of knit-fu :( I also bought and received some handdyed merino from Etsy.com while I was away, but it's quite a lightweight ply - advertised as "sock weight" but that's one of those Americanisms that I haven't got a local reference for. It's gorgeously soft, but I don't know quite what to do with 400-odd metres of the stuff! Plus I still have the 160m of local handdyed DK that I've had waiting for me to do something with it for months. I love handdyed yarn so much, but because it's a one-off, I'm always terribly hesitant to use it up.

zzz...

2005-11-21T09:00:00.000+13:00

Man, I'm sleepy this morning. I need to get my act together since this is my first and last day of work this week - I'm off to visit my parents for a few days tomorrow. I went to bed pretty late, I always do on Sundays, but I got sucked into finishing watching "Blackpool" and "NCIS" on tape. Then I found it too hot for me to sleep in the bedroom, and I didn't end up dropping off until about 1am. I woke up at 4am and then again at 5:50am, then the alarm went off at 6:30am *sigh*

It's totally hat-o-rama at the moment. I had one Etsy sale over the weekend, then a previous buyer bought two hats from Etsy and ordered another custom design, and an LJ friend has asked for three more hats like the one I made for her! Add that to the custom order for hat and scarf I'm currently completing, and the pompom hat I need to finish for my friend before I leave tomorrow, so my knitting ambitions might have to be put on hold for a bit :/ I think I might take my knitting on the plane though, since it's good to have something to concentrate on for the hour or so I'm in the air (crocheting hats is a no-brainer, I can literally do it with my eyes closed!). But I need to check to see whether I'm allowed to take needles on or not - I'll ring the airline at lunchtime.

Mmm, Dr Bronners soap is very good. I had just about run out of my Dreadhead HQ super-expensive dread soap, and people have recommended Dr Bronners for dreads - plus $11 a bottle rather than $28! It's a lot smaller bottle, but I needed to use much less and it makes my hair smell lovely and lavendar-y :) I think there's a rose-scented one as well, I might have to try that one next.

very domesticated

2005-11-19T19:04:00.000+13:00

I just finished mixing a chocolate cake and it's busy baking - hope it turns out okay! I haven't made this recipe for years, but we have some friends coming over for drinks tonight and one of them has just had a birthday and is a huge chocolate fan. I just hope I can get the cake cooled down and iced before they arrive!

Bit of a baking week this week. Monday I was having terrible period cramps so didn't feel like making much for dinner, but I had a bunch of bananas almost too ripe sitting on the bench, so I made some banana and raisin muffins. I'm also thinking about making people something tasty for Xmas, since the original idea I had has turned to custard (I was going to decorate teapots and package them up with some nice local teas, but the store I was planning to get the pots from has sold out and doesn't look like they'll have them again). I'm not going to have time to finish anything before I see my parents next week (long story: they were originally going to visit us for Xmas, but Dad has to have a hip operation next week so it's been postponed) unless I manage to find something in the next day or two. Currently I'm thinking maybe little porcelain canisters for the tea, and maybe some bags of Xmas cookies. We'll see how I get on at the store tomorrow. If it's something small, I won't need to stress about taking it next week, I can send it in the post. The tea I ordered hasn't arrived yet anyway, so it might all just have to wait.

Thinking of going over to the "dark side", yup knitting. I started making one of these cute little hats in a black acrylic, just to see if I still had the fu, but now I'm eyeing up other patterns as well. Don't get me wrong, I still love my crochet, and I've kinda backed myself into a corner with the custom jobs I've got to complete yet, but the siren song of the needles is hard to ignore...

it's off to market we go...

2005-11-18T09:59:00.000+13:00

Replying to Woolly Wormhead got me thinking about how I value my work and the need to get myself organised for the market next month. If you're reading this and you have no idea what I'm talking about, the short answer is that I crochet hats and sell them. Mainly online at Etsy.com and Champion, but I also have some in Vent Creative Outlet in Port Chalmers, NZ, and I do some custom work.

With my hats, I pay bugger-all for materials since I use mainly yarns from my stash, or from cheap job-lots at auction. Occasionally I'll buy odd balls as well, and I'll buy new yarn for custom jobs, but I rarely pay full price for yarn. From two average-sized balls of yarn, I can make a basic beanie hat in about 4 hours, and I charge my time at $5 per hour. I value my time low because I enjoy making hats while watching TV, and I would be making them anyway. So if I paid $2 per ball for the yarn, plus $20 for labour, theoretically that hat would be valued at $24. And because I'm not really concerned with being compensated for my labour but I like the idea of making a little money from my hats, I consider anything above the material cost my "profit". Then I have a look at what other comparable hats are priced at - at the local markets, knitted and crocheted hats range from someone who seriously underprices theirs at $8, to more elaborate styles for $35, and local boutiques charge anywhere from $35 up to a crazy $90 for a "designer" crochet mohair creation. Online at Etsy, most of the hats range from US$10 to US$30. So I keep the basic price of one of my hats to $25, and the Etsy ones either US$10 or US$15. I've been told by people that I'm not charging enough for them, but I'm happy with this price for the time being for these particular hats. But I worry sometimes that by pricing the hats cheaply I'm undercutting other craftspeople who want/need to charge more for their wares, and also whether I can raise the price later if I need to in order to generate income.

So anyway, next month the Dunedin Craft Market is starting up on Saturdays, and I need to get myself organised. I plan to go the second Saturday, which will be 17th Dec, and probably the second Sat in January as well. It's $20 each time, which is not too expensive, but I also need to get a trestle table ($50 or so from the Warehouse), a folding chair and a mirror to take along. This is a great little tutorial about getting ready for a market. I thought I'd cover the table with one of my afghans from home to keep up the crochet theme, and make a sign at work. I already have price tags which I'll need to fill out, and I can either use those as business cards or make some at work the week prior. Hopefully I'll have my green hoodie creation (like this one, but in greens) finished by then to serve as more crochet-themed marketing. I'm not really bothered if I don't sell anything on the day, it'll be just good for the experience and for networking, and worst comes to worst an extra 6 hours' crocheting won't do me any harm! :)

funfunfun

2005-11-13T12:02:00.000+13:00

Well, despite my negativity I found a heap of lovely things at Savemart! I spent $55 and got three dresses, three tops, two cardigans, and a pair of shoes, plus a couple of books. All the clothes are in lovely shades of chocolate, burgundy, plum and green - not exactly summer colours, but who cares, I think they'll all work in well with what I have in my wardrobe already. I was really pleased with the shoes because I've had a pair of ballerina flats I bought for summer last year but they've never fitted and I hate wearing them, and they were the only warm weather shoes I had for work, so now I've got a new pair with an elastic strap that don't go "flip" when I walk. Didn't find any doll clothes at all, it seems like all the dolls nowadays come with the clothes they have in the boxes and that's it. Weird. And couldn't find a decent stamp for making my Xmas presents, but I'll check out the art shop on Monday and if I have no luck there, I've seen one I like online and I'll order that.

I've been mulling over why I have so many journals now. This one I think will just be for day-to-day blethering - because AFAIK I don't have an "audience" I can just merrily blether on about boring stuff, and the minutiae of how I'm feeling without wondering whether anyone reading is thinking less of me. I guess it is a form of censorship, but now that I've got over 100 people on my LJ friends list, I find myself super-aware of how I'm being perceived. I know some of the things that piss them off and I guess I'm trying to avoid doing them in that forum. One example is that I have a number of friends with chronic health conditions that put anything I have to whinge about in the shade completely, so I feel stupid bleating about how my head hurts or I stubbed my toe, call the waahhhmbulance woe is me. But I still have a headache or a sore toe and that's how I'm feeling at the moment, so why shouldn't I put it in my journal? So I guess this is a less in-your-face way of doing it. I know I could set up friends filters and stuff in LJ but I can't be bothered, and part of me likes the idea of a new journal with no baggage or preconceptions. So there's this, and my LJ, then there's my Getcrafty blog, which is more for recording crafty projects and completions, then there's a weight-loss journal I share with two others, and there's my totally private one for creative writing or when I feel like I need to write something out of my system. And I think that's all the journals I deserve ;)

ouchie

2005-11-12T10:19:00.000+13:00

My head is pretty sore today. I should have taken a pill last night before bed, but instead I had to take it at 6am, and I think it's starting to wear off. Maybe a cup of tea will help.

Off to town this morning to drop off some library books, hopefully find some dolly clothes that will fit my Blythe and pick up some Xmas crafting supplies. I might treat myself with a trip to Savemart as well, although the way my shopping-fu was looking last night, I probably won't find much.

PS. "Serenity" was fantastische - I want to see it again, and soon. I was really depressed afterwards just knowing that that is it, no more "Firefly" for the foreseeable future.

bouncebounce!

2005-11-11T09:42:00.000+13:00

Well, I got my prescription filled and now no more allergies - yay! My arm is still quite sore and has come up in a big black bruise, but it was okay for the afternoon. My exam went well - I managed to get everything finished and I was pretty pleased with the essay I did about "Maus", but time will tell whether I did any good. My internal assessment wasn't too hot so I need to really excell in the exam to keep my A average, but if I don't I don't and a pass is enough for this paper. Weird thing is, I developed a blister at the base of my thumb from writing! I started off using a good ergonomic pen but it ran out about halfway through, so I switched to a plain old Bic pen, and that's what rubbed so hard. I've never had that happen before, but then again I haven't written anything longhand really quickly for ages.

Friday today, and tonight I'm going to see "Serenity". I'm ludicrously excited by the prospect. I've been waiting for it for so long, and I adore "Firefly" - I'm not a huge Joss Whedon fan, didn't really get the "Buffy" thing, though I loved "Angel", and "Firefly" just seemed to hit me in the right place. Not to mention that I have filthy thoughts about Nathan Fillion ;) So finally the "Firefly"-shaped hole in my heart will be filled. I'm a little nervous because I know a number of core cast die and that's going to be traumatic if it is who I think it might be. Damn the Interweb and those people who spoil things intentionally because they think it's amusing :(

cutting off my nose to spite my face

2005-11-10T09:52:00.000+13:00

Gah, damn sinus! I went to the doctor yesterday and got a prescription for a nasal spray, but she mentioned something about laying off antihistamines for two weeks before I take an allergy test - I just googled it and it seems that the spray should be okay in the meantime, so I'll get the prescription filled at lunchtime. I had some blood taken yesterday - I watched the nurse take it and I thought she did a good job, but it was really sore afterwards and came up in a welt, so maybe she nicked a muscle or something. Today it's still pretty sore, and my shoulder is achey as well, I don't know whether in connection or not.

I should have got her to take it from my left arm, since I have my exam today and have to write for 3 hours with my right hand. I might take a paracetamol if it's still sore in a couple of hours. I feel a bit more confident about the exam - reread some of the earlier texts from the course last night so I'm quite familiar with two of the four I'll probably need to cover, and I'll go over the other two at lunchtime. Eh, all I can do is give it a shot. I really haven't connected with this paper at all, in contrast with the last English paper I did - I think I'm becoming more cultural-theory-focused, so I don't know whether I need to reconsider my major or not. Maybe if I concentrate more on postcolonial/postmodern writing, it might interest me more. I'm much more attracted to gender studies and sociology, but my grandmother loves the idea of me doing English since that's a "real" degree ;)

Plus I sold 2 hats yesterday, and my friend sounds a bit better than she did, so yay!

feh and meh

2005-11-09T11:52:00.000+13:00

Feeling a bit out of sorts today. Woke up at 1am with a sinus attack, so my sleep was pretty disturbed, and I've already started worrying about not getting enough sleep tonight before my exam tomorrow :(

Good things:
- one of my hats features on the front page of Etsy.com!
- my best friend had a great date last night with a rather lovely girl, so she's feeling a lot happier than she has been recently
- going to the doctor today, who will hopefully prescribe me something for my ongoing hayfever

Not so good things:
- no one is buying any of my hats despite the publicity
- another of my friends is depressed plus a long way away from me, and I don't know what I can say that might help
- exam tomorrow, worth 70% of my mark, and no matter how much I read, it just ends up being words on a page.

testing testing one-two-three...

2005-11-08T16:53:00.000+13:00

This is just a new blog I'm trying on for size. I thought it might make it easier for me to track and comment in other blogger journals. My usual journal is at http://octopusgrrl.livejournal.com