i ought to clean up before I take a picture

My living room is a work in progress at the moment. Well, it's been a work in progress for almost two years, to tell you the truth. When I moved into my present house, I had a hankering for a more modern feel than I had in the interior of my last house. We have two living rooms, one with a woodstove for winter and the other with huge windows to look out onto the garden for summer. Big change from my last place, a barely one bedroom glorified cottage!

Anyway, in the spirit of letting you know what I'm making, today I made some more pillows for my "shabby chic" sofa. It's most definately more shabby than chic! After painting the winter living room different hues of gray and getting a most modern sofa and coffee table, I had a yearning for something of the old house.

I didn't clean up and there's still things waiting to find their rightful home behind the sofa, so here's a sliver of a picture:

no crafts for four days!

I brought some knitting but I didn't do any. No, that's not exactly true. I cast on 60 stitches to begin a new pair of socks. That's as far as I got.

I went on my camping trip to the Bay of Fundy National Park in New Brunswick, Canada. It was cold and dreary but we were lucky and the unsettled weather passed us by until after we had packed up our tent and all the gear one has to bring on a camping trip. We did leave a day early. The fog was as thick as it ever gets and there were intense downpours as we drove home.

I like that in Canada, when they tear down an old covered bridge, they put up a new one that looks just like the old one. Very quaint!

We also traveled up to Moncton to see the White Stripes. What a great concert! We felt very old. I dare say we were the oldest people there, hands down. Do we get a medal or an award for being crazy for standing in the front of a crowd of high school kids who have four billion times more energy and don't mind being crammed in like a bunch of sardines? I don't know, but get this: it was worth it. Great concert!

Afterwards, some boys asked us if we had jumper cables and they called Dick (my significant other) "sir".

knitting socks

It has been pointed out to me that I haven't posted in a while. I'm glad anyone wants to see what I've been doing!

What have I been doing? Well, I stopped knitting those bags 'cause I was developing a small mountain of them and I need to find a venue to sell them if I'm going to make so many.

So, I've been knitting socks. I don't think they're "worth" putting up pictures of. They're socks. Fairly plain socks.

I am suddenly crazy about knitting socks since I learned how to do it on two circular needles instead of four (or five) double pointed ones. I really found it annoying, trying to juggle all those needles. Now, it's pure mindless pleasure. And I get to watch bad television at the same time!

So, that's it for now. Maybe I'll post a photo of a pile of socks when I get back from the camping trip I'm going on. That'd make a nice picture.

yes. . .more purple

In an earlier entry, I mentioned that I used to abhor purple. I don't think I owned anything purple until a few years ago. I finally got over my prejudice. Because it's a secondary color it's got a zillion possibilities. Anyway, I am finally starting to do something besides crochet bags. Here's some yarn I dyed up this winter; purples, lilacs, blues and mauves. Oh, you can see that, can't you? Silly me!

I'm about to embark on using my knitting machine again. I spent a good part of today wrestling with the darned thing. My partner spent at least two hours on it himself. It just wouldn't knit. It was the crapola yarn that came with the machine that was the problem! URGGGHHH!!!! Anyhoo, the yarn:

iPod pouches

Of all the bags I've made thus far, these are the plainest, but I'm keeping the black one. It's got my iPod mini in it. The other one is made of chenille and a regular iPod would fit in it. They're not completely flat. The bottom is rounded, just like the others, so ones' ear buds can fit in it without distorting the bag.

I must stop crocheting these things until I get some beads but I just can't stop!

. . .and more bags

This egg shaped pouch became egg shaped because I ran out of yarn. I love how these bags evolve into something different each time, even though they all start out the same. Each one starts with a circle. Where it ends up. . .well, I hope they get more interesting each time. I've got to get some beads with big eyes so I can add more ephemera!



This one's just okay. I know it's time to take a break and do something else until I get those beads.

bag making frenzy

I've made five bags in the last two and a half days and I hope to make another one this afternoon.

Here's another rag bag. This is the only one that is flat:



More ribbons and beads:



I didn't think I was going to like this one as I was nearing its' completion. With the addition of the triangular flap, I suddenly fell in love with it.



I include a side view 'cause I was thinking about Weaver birds' nests as I was crocheting.

the way

The Great Way is not difficult

for those who have no preferences.

When love and hate are both absent

everything becomes clear and undisguised.

Make the smallest distinction, however,

and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

- from the Faith in Mind Sutra

I was looking over my posts and noticed that I use the expressions "I hate" and "I love" an awful lot. It's interesting to notice it. One other thing I notice is that as some of my notions of what I "love and hate" fall away, I am getting more creative. For instance, there was a time I would have not, absolutely not, put glitz or fringe on anything. Period. I "hated that kind of thing". Well, now I just make stuff and see what happens. Funny what places one finds Zen. Everywhere, actually. Not just on the cushion, that's for sure. And lately for me, that's the last place I'm finding it!

ribbon bag

If you look carefully, there's a Swarovski crystal hanging from the top of the bag. I said I was getting into glitz: here's a bit of it. This pouch was made from ribbon, the same ribbon that holds together the necklace I posted a few days ago. Makiing these bags is a lot of fun!

It's funny about crocheting and me. I learned to crochet when I was VERY young. I don't know the names of the stitches or even if I'm doing them correctly. I don't know how to follow a crochet pattern. I've always loved to knit and "hated" to crochet. I'll be honest: I bet the reason I didn't like crocheting is because my mother did it. Yes, it's all psychological. Thankfully, I've gotten over it. For me, crocheting is quite a different experience than knitting: it's more "organic". It's about three dimensionality. I like just making it up as I go along and so, it's pretty relaxing. Not that I don't find knitting relaxing. Knitting is my true love, but right now I'm on a crochet kick.

rag bag crochet

Here's my first crocheted "rag bag". I tore about one yard of fabric into strips. Then, I crocheted this bag, which is definately a dark purple, quite unlike what one sees in the photo. I guess the flash washed it out. It looks sort of like a miniature fishing bag. I wish the photo captured that. I ought to learn to use my digital camera better!