When I'm not swimming

When I got to the pool yesterday I discovered I didn't have my towel with me. Or my bathers. So I went and had a coffee, and then decided to go to Amitie to check out fabric options for a baby sling I'm making for a friend.

When I asked her about colours, she'd said navy, and when pressed for another colour to compliment it, came up with white. Which for all of you who've never been into a fabric store, is a really limiting palatte to work with. So I've been keeping an eye out for a while, hoping to find some navy and white fabric that I felt comfortable working with. You know how it is when you're working on a gift- you have to like it too. At last, I found a pretty japanese floral wih a bark-cloth textured weave, and figured since they know it's a girl, I could get away with a little splash of pinky red.

And of course while I was there, I dawdled to drool over some of the other beautiful fabrics- the shelves of Liberty and Kaffe, and several new piles of cute japanese prints. I ummed and I ahhed. They have some exceptionally cute stuff. But I really didn't want to buy stuff just because it's nice and cute- I'd rather buy with a project in mind. In the end I came away with some very soft, murky greys, with woven muted dots (for clothes for C) and some Kokka farm scene fabric for a play mat- inspired by Sooz's toy bag. I'm hoping I'll manage to have a sewing day later this week.

Favorites

I'm not much of a favoriter in flickr I have to say. It's taken me quite a while to amass much of a favorite library. Sometimes it's the image that grabs me as striking on some aesthetic level. Sometimes it's a unique project that I find inspiring, or a particularly appealing example of a popular project that I want to make. Sometimes it's purely to do with colour. Sometimes the story behind the image that I want to remember.

I love taking a peek at other people's flickr favorites every now and then. I can't help thinking that, for whatever reason they're favorited, they're an insight into other people's desires- that the images that appeal reflect ideas they're playing with, their underlying design preferences. Which then leaves me wondering whether mine say something about my design ideas- perhaps something I'm not able to see for myself.



I've particularly been trying to figure out my colour tastes recently (I find myself consistently drawn in competing directions when looking at fabrics, yarn, clothes, laminate samples)- perhaps closer inspection of my favorites can shed some light? So, then, trying to objectively read them, I seem to be drawn towards
greys
reds
a splatter of turqoise and teal
maybe a dot of yellow and green
lines
stripes
repeats
variation
movement
edges

Mosaic 1
1. Untitled, 2. In Summary, 3. Untitled, 4. D is for detail, 5. Pregadeira em lã feltrada - Gato, 6. sleeping amineko, 7. crafting 365: 104 - new fabrics Jan 08, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled, 10. Untitled, 11. Untitled, 12. Untitled, 13. chevron scarf, 14. winter camp.4, 15. Winter White :: Friday, 16. red scarflet, 17. habu kit 24, 18. Handknit baby ball, 19. iskänharkkapipo, 20. what dat?, 21. "Please Do Not Move....", 22. quiet book, 23. Koigu KPPPM P610, 24. trains, 25. fancy fryes, 26. mini-zip 3, 27. paper crane jacket - sleeve, 28. djevellue, 29. liberty print and selvedge ordered from purl soho, 30. detail combined shell stitch, 31. Felted Wool Geode Beads #2, 32. Dotty tunic/dress, 33. 30 days :: 7, 34. fog, 35. 1 Pant, 36. and beyold, tomatoes

Mosaic 2
1. stack, 2. Ribbed Jacket in reverse #1, 3. 03, 4. Red Butterfly, 5. denim and crochet, 6. lapkins/picnic placemats, 7. happiness is, 8. shaker boxes wannabees, 9. Midnight Black Diamond Jam, 10. #3, 11. Drops garter jacket b13-9, 12. ⟡⟡ ⟡ ⟡, 13. tube necklace 6, 14. Double bass 5, 15. purple wall, 16. her holiday bathrobe, 17. sunbather, 18. steel wool felt, 19. The Skeletal Remains, 20. from "For Sweet Baby", 21. scan0004, 22. fennel, 23. Fresh, 24. knitting wall decal, 25. riscas, 26. Outtakes, 27. Joie de Vivre: close up sleeve and ribbing, 28. IMG_2437, 29. green, 30. Wow! fly elephant. dumbo!!, 31. opera-house-study-iv, 32. ., 33. pegs, 34. knitting in bed, 35. Book Spectrum, 36. Curled

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

inspirations

1. Clapotis, the Lost edition, 2. the front door area

Seeing: Contact Love Project. See what others see on Flickr.

Sewing: Alison Willoughby. I first saw Michelle's post about 49 Skirts. Then I read about it on Whip up. And then I read Whip up's interview with her. And remembered there was a photo of one of her skirts in Selvedge Issue 19. I'm trying to stash the inspiration somewhere for when I next sit down to sew something for myself.

Reading: Loobylu is blogging again!

Wanting: Beautiful baby shoes. But there's no way I'm spending that much money on baby shoes, so I'll just have to content myself with gazing at them on the screen, imagining turning them over in the palm of my hand, and contemplating how I could (would?) make something similar.

One down, six to go.

From my husband on Valentine's day.

GIFT VOUCHER
This certificate entitles the bearer to seven (7) days free of household responsibility.

This includes, but is not limited to:
No cooking
No cleaning
No baby feeding*
No nappy changing
No housework
Relax and enjoy yourself while someone else looks after the mundane chores!
Note:

24 hours notice required before voucher usage.

Valid from 12 months from date of issue.

Not transferrable.
*excludes breastfeeding

I redeemed my first day yesterday.
Let's just say that it was blissful, truly surpassing my expectations.

Yesterday #2

Yesterday, instead of spending my child-free day working on the extension, I drove across town to spend some time with two other crafty ladies. I really enjoyed myself, not just for the company and easy, interesting conversations we shared, but because I was able to relax and really focus on the conversation, rather than being distracted by the activities and needs of my baby (although I still needed to remember to express milk at appropriate moments, and not leave it behind in the fridge when I left).

It was good. I really feel more sane and relaxed for it. I even managed to fit in some crafting as we chatted, darning in ends on a some gift projects in progress and a growing pile of dishcloths.
Mum only ended up knitting two dishcloths while she was here (which she kindly left behind for me to make use of), but I feel compelled now that the big ball of cotton has been started, to finish it off. Which is fine- I'd been planning to knit some dishcloths for a few friends anyway, and I'm happy for any impetus gets me started on a project that's been sitting in my head for too long. I also came across Larissa's call for dishcloths (see here) so slipped in one to her specs along the way.

It feels good to have a simple, undemanding project to turn to when I reach a pause or mental stumbling block in the reading and writing projects that are currently underway.

Yesterday #1

Yesterday's mail brought this.
Oh, goody, goody I thought.
A sale at one of my favorite stash enhancement boutiques.
Not that I need any more fabric.



Then I read the details.
Oh.
Yesterday.
Bummer.
Curse you Mr Postman.

bookish

Life is full of words and books at the moment.



A pile of books propping up my afternoon tea, being taken in in short bursts when I let myself have a break from all the other goings on. A feast of inspiration that is hard to put down.

A book review I'm trying to write. (Do you think I need to finish reading the book first? It's just that it's the sort of book I can only take in slowly, with copious re-reading.)

Notes on drawings- trying to bring together information from my head, notebook and screen into one cohesive place. It's taking me so long to make small steps forward. I just want the Extension to Be Done. We've cut down the trees, but we're barely even started.

Blurb. Another rabbit warren to get lost in. I've bought Al's book which looks beautiful, downloaded the software and instantly thought up a list of books that we could make for ourselves. Not anything so poetic as Al's, but perhaps of our wedding, of C's first year, of the process of building a boat, of my favorite recipes.

More words for the to do list...

a little opping

I was telling a friend who is a stellar op shopper (aka thrift shopper) the other day about my present inability to op shop.

When I was in high school I used to dabble in a little rummage through the white elephant stall at the community fair, with my main score being a cool (at the time- it was the early 80's after all) mens suit jacket for $2. I always regretted not getting the pants too. Since then, despite being an avid sale shopper, content to rummage through racks of mis-matched clothes for hours, with no particular agenda other than spotting quality fabrics in colours and shapes that I like, I don't really do the thrift shopping thing.

I like to blame it on the quality of local op shops, which seem to have all the goods that were rejected from other op shops. But perhaps it's more that I can afford new, and I don't like to accumulate things that I don't really need. I also tend to imagine before I start, as I stare at the rack or box of mismatched dull coloured stuff, that I'm not going to find anything anyway, so why bother waste my time hoping against all likelihood that I might.

But today I broke my habits, challenged my expectations, and called into one of the local op shops after dropping C in daycare. After giggling to myself when I spotted the old sheets I'd deposited in their donations bin last month, I came away rewarded.



This AK Traditions doll was hiding in the bottom of a box of rather unattractive soft toys. I felt excitement well up inside me when I spotted a glimpse of the Kaffe Fasset striped fabric legs, and frantically tossed the other toys aside to see what they were attached to. She doesn't look particularly worn- nothing that a wash and a few stitches can't fix. I felt like I'd found gold. Boyed on by this success I rummaged further, coming away with a few other toys and book for C, and a couple of glass storage jars for the kitchen.

Of course, this now leaves me with a new project for the unwritten and lengthy To Do [subsection: Craft] List: Doll's wardrobe. I might even turn her into a he.

relief from stress

It's been a busy week. My parents are visiting. They're house hunting and planning to move. Which is great, but stressful for them, imagining leaving their home of the last 30 years to set up home in a new city. It will be strange for me, cementing Melbourne as my home after 12 years here, with fewer reasons and no "home" to visit on the other side of the country. It will be strange too for my brother, who remains in the remote Western Australian outback, now even more remote from his family.

Change invariably brings fears and stress. My mum didn't bring any knitting or quilting with her and had bitten her nails down to the quick after only a day. I offered her a pair of needles and large ball of cotton yarn to prevent further injury, and she knitted up two dishcloths in two days. They have another two days to go. Good thing I had one of Bendigo Woollen Mills 200g balls in the stash.

I've also heard that laughter is a brilliant form of stress relief and good for your general wellbeing. Releases lots of nice endorphins into your system. If so, someone must be blissfully well.

(Note to blogliners: I think you need to click through to the blog for the video link)
(Note to everyone else: I hope this video thing works. It's the first time I've tried it, and the file was really big)
(Another note to you all: Ok, so first attempt didn't work. This one is a smaller file but I couldn't get it to work on the preview. Hopefully when I publish... Yippee!)

Following through...

...on previous posts:

I'm pleased to report that the NQR bag proved to be just right, as is, for ferrying belongings to the pool for swim class. This makes me happy, and the giraffes look pleased to be out and about too. Swim class itself was great. At first, there were hesitant, clenched fists and rigid legs. But gradually smiles emerged, legs started to wriggle, and kick, and by the end, C's hands were splashing with glee. We're looking forward to next week.

I've been taking advantage of the new "me" time for my own swimming too. After making the day-care drop-off I hightail it to the pool and treat myself to a gentle K. (kilometre). Rhythmic and relaxed. So wonderful to be able to take my time over it, and I'm feeling so good for it too - physically and mentally- already, after only three visits.

It’s so hard to choose 10 bloggers who make my day. I'd curse you Sooz, for throwing this my way, except for the fact that you make my day back in return. So then, I need to nominate another nine bloggers who make my day- several of whom, I feel lucky to know are lovely people in real life, as well as sharing their wonderfully inspiring and interesting creative lives with world. In alphabetical order for want of an ordering logic:



Alison
Amelia
Charlotte
Fiona
Jane
Lisa
Kirsten
Nikkishell
Suse
Sooz

(So ladies, your turn to share, if you care to and haven't done so already: To bestow the award choose 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get this award several times.)

Inertia

I feel like I'm a rabbit stunned by the headlights at the moment. So much I want to be doing, but I feel like I can't get the [PAUSE] button unstuck.

Many things to think about, research, inspect, negotiate and document for the extension. Gifts to be made, lingering in the craft box, patterns and materials alongside eachother waiting for creative momentum to strike. Really unappealing paperwork that needs to be attended to- bills, last year's tax, the mindnumbing (haven't I already given you my address at least 10 times?) government forms associated with parenting and money. Things I want to do for myself, with the precious few hours of time to myself, that have materialised now that C is settling into childcare.

And yet I sit here, feeling like I'm getting distracted by other less important, less vital things. Which, when I remember to think this way, are in fact just as important to experience. Moments of doing that I should take pleasure in, and be fully present in.

Like watching my child perfect the art of commando crawling (aka floor cleaning). (Mental note: ask hubby to vacuum again)

Like making museli bars yesterday. (Verdict: Delicious, despite having to tinker with the recipe due to lack of sufficient ingredients, and successful, even though I was convinced when I got them out of the oven that they were a failure- that I'd merely managed to make toasted museli instead) (Recipe from Bill Granger Everyday)

Like knitting another bib, instead of finishing one of the other works in progress, merely because it involved less thought. I should write the pattern up for this. And show you a decent photo of one too.

Like cruising Flickr and Bloglines, and pondering who to nominate as Bloggers who make my day. (Thanks Sooz!)

9 lives

Remember Smurf? He's been getting a good workout on the playmat, and has had a few washes now. As a result, he'd not looking quite as sharp as he once did- his crisp white paws and face are now stained blue, because despite gentle hand washing in cold water the blue dye runs quite badly. I would be very, very disappointed if I'd used this yarn (Debbie Bliss DK Cotton) for a multicoloured garment. But in a cat, we prefer to think it adds a bit of character and shows how well loved he is.

NQR

I finished this bag in time for C's second day of childcare, but I didn't use it. I won't be using it. I'm not happy with it, despite loving the fabric as far as children's prints go. So fun and vibrant. I do love the expressions on the giraffe's faces and that their necks line up where I put the front pocket zip in.

But as a bag it doesn't really work. Too floppy [I didn't interface all the pieces because my interfacing stash was in the cupboard of a sleeping baby's room at the time I was cutting]. It's the wrong shape for a shoulder bag [Mental note: think things though the whole way, before you start cutting fabric]. The internal pocket gapes and really needs a fastening point in the middle [sewing in odd moments isn't really condusive to thinking through the whole process and what order things need to be done in].

But that's life. Every little project doesn't turn out perfectly. It will hang in the cupboard for a while I suppose, and get used sometime when I'm in desperate need for another bag. Hey, maybe even for swimming class, which starts tomorrow.

**edited to add: OK, so I take it back. It is actually perfect for swimming class, so fear not, the giraffes are adventuring out and about, not lingering in the back of the cupboard!**