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Friday 16 November 2012

Socks From The Toe Up

Yesterday was errands and knitting - mostly knitting - curled up in front of the fire. Several years ago I did The Sock Study where I explored how to knit socks from the cuff down, the toe up, magic loop, double pointed needles, one sock on two circular needles, and two socks on two circular needles. My favourite method was socks from the toe up, using two circular needles, knitting one at a time. The study didn't really go anywhere after that because - at that time - I wasn't interested in a lot of knitting in the round nor in knitting with small needles and skinny yarn BUT...




... times change. Right now, with my lack of interest in sewing together or fitting, socks are perfect. I'm working on the Dead Simple Lace Socks from Wendy D. Johnson's book Socks From The Toe Up.




The patterns in the book range from simple to more complex with several methods for casting on, creating the toe, and shaping the heel. The heel above is called a short row heel. It took me three tries to get it as neat as I wanted and I'm glad I persevered. It looks rather pretty if I do say so myself.




Previously, all the socks I'd knit were plain. This is my first lacy pair. You begin reading a lace pattern from right to left, bottom to top. This one goes k1 and then k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k3 repeated three times finishing with k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k2. That made no sense to me. With k1 at the start and k2 at the end, it wasn't balanced.




Instead I started and ended with k1 and changed the k3 between the two left and two right sets of lace pattern to a k4 which balanced the design and then...





... I finished turning the heel and started knitting up the leg and realized why the pattern was written the way it was written. The lace pattern repeats in the back and wraps around the entire sock leg. It was designed to have k3 between each lace grouping. I have k2 between two, k3 between two, and k4 between two. Not exactly as written but it works and I'm wiser now. I learned a lesson about socks and lace.

Along similar lines, when I thought more about it later, I wished that I'd taken a less confrontational and more generic approach in my comments yesterday, one more in keeping with my own advice. I have edited the posting to reflect that awareness both because I can and because I believe that when we know better we have the opportunity to do better. I apologize for not taking a gentler and more gracious approach from the beginning.




Operation Christmas Child is one of our favourite parts of Christmas and something our family has been doing for years. When the kids were younger, I shopped with them and now that they're all adults, Howard and I go together. Normally we chose the 10-14 age group but this year we decided to do the 2-4 year old group. VERY fun! The boxes are due Sunday. The date is always some time the end of November. It's a wonderful way to begin the holiday with a focus on caring and sharing.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - a conscience

Thursday 15 November 2012

Tip Toeing Through The Adjectives

The picture below is from Advanced Style. When Ari asked the woman if he could please take her picture she said yes and then proudly shared her age. She looks fabulous, fresh, confident, at peace with herself, enviable and she's 84... years old... and female... a lady. In terms of dress style, this woman definitely does not dress old lady. My comment yesterday referred to a specific fashion look that most of us recognize and was meant to identify a style and not to offend. I think that was obvious by the way in which I used the phrase although I doubt there is any phrase I could have used that wouldn't have upset someone...




.... so here's what I have to say. It's a given that some people will deliberately misinterpret our comments and then rudely share their opinions. It appears as if they feel they have the right to say whatever they want to say while criticising the same freedom in others. In my opinion, rudeness and over-reacting to nonexistent insults are negative traits that are on the incline in today's culture and ones that more people need to speak up against more often - although polite persons hesitate to do so for fear of appearing rude. I'm rarely rude or hesitant to speak up so the bottom line is my blog, my way. My intentions are to share and never to harm however I am not responsible if people choose to take my words incorrectly so if you don't like what I have to say or how I say it, you are free to click away or you might instead choose to assume positive intent. It's a much less aggressive and stressful way to live - in my opinion - which I'm entitled to.




When I showed my new thrift store purse in yesterday's posting, I meant to use it as a bridge to talking about the purses I made earlier this year. They came back from the gallery last week only I won't be listing them for sale. I had a request for two, have kept several for myself, gave some away to friends, and have one in the bits & pieces box to re-make into a cover for whatever reader or tablet I purchase next. I wanted the studio to be a positive creative environment and having the purses around wasn't that. My decision to put down any possibility of art as a money making endeavour feels - finally - final. It's an unfamiliar hole for now but overall I'm enjoying the awareness and am excited about moving in new directions, whatever they may be. The posting for the job closed Friday. I would love to get an interview. Actually, I'd love to get the job. It sounds perfect although - VBG - if they're checking out blogs they may not think I'm perfect if speaks her own mind isn't a hireable characteristic.




The underarms seams are sewn and I added the ribbing from the original back as the right button band. It's serged 1/2" away from the ribbing to create a lettuce edge which adds just enough interest without being too frilly for the rest of the garment.




The buttons are from stash. I wanted them on the right band so I'll stitch snaps underneath. There were three large and three small and that's it. I mixed them up keeping the look current and up-to-date without being overdone. How's that for tip toeing through the adjectives - LOL ! ! The hemline is uneven. I need to figure that out next plus I'm working on adding shape to the back.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - freedom of speech which - IMHO - comes with manners and responsibilities that are far too often ignored.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Sweater Refashion: A Good Start

A few things still need to be picked up from the outlet they've been sent to but otherwise we are completely done our Christmas shopping. YEAH. Howard and I went for brunch, planned our path, shopped, had coffee, and spent a wonderful day together. We've always done it this way. Holidays are enough work without the woman doing everything and together is far more fun.

A related discussion came up at knitting last night. It was about developing a routine in retirement and what some men expect and some women resent. Howard and I are not retired yet but it's certainly something to think about in a new way. I have thought about it before as in a start as you mean to go on way.

The day we got home from our honeymoon I explained that I could make his lunch if he'd like to make mine and I could do his laundry if he'd like to do mine but otherwise, we were both adults and I was neither the maid nor his mother.  IMHO - it's important to develop a co-operative relationship with give and take on both sides instead of a one-sided situation and - because women naturally nurture - to learn to delegate. But maybe that's just my soapbox.




On Saturday, I went to the thrift store looking for a pair of shoes to paint. I couldn't find any in my size or a child's size that I liked so I looked at purses instead and bought a faux leather cosmetic bag that is small and firm and will make a good choice for a first project. AND THEN... I found this Lollipops bag in perfect condition, never used - a British brand which makes me wonder how it ended up here. It's a fun piece and I really needed a new purse. Mine was embarrassingly trashed. The cashier couldn't stop drooling - LOL.




The yarn store did have some skeins of plain colored sock yarn tucked in among the variegated. The one on the left is a grey silk blend with a bit of sparkle and the one on the right is plain black. The skeins fit in my knitting bag so storage is not a problem. I started the grey one last night in a lace pattern and pulled out the variegated one I'd started on the weekend. There's not enough yarn for a pair my size so I'll use it to knit little people socks once I find a pattern.




With shopping yesterday and knitting last night, there was no time to work on the sweater refashion but I made a good start on the weekend. The original was an XL men's cardigan. You can see how it absolutely dwarfs Millicent - my dress form - and yet...




... it's still difficult to get the pieces cut out. My hip width is often the same and the underarm distance is an issue. My bust has to equal the sweater's chest. It's typically the waist and shoulders that have the extra fabric. Above is the front. I couldn't cut the extension for buttons or the full length at center front - which is fine - it leaves room to explore.




Each piece was cut separately. Before unpinning the pattern, I fused a narrow strip of interfacing along the edge and then either zigzagged or serged over it depending on which seam it was and whether it needed to be softer or firm.




The original sweater had the arm with the green band on the same side as the front with the grey-green band.  It seemed more interesting - and better balanced - to alternate them. The fronts only meet at the center.




I had the perfect - and free because it was found in stash - edging. The two things to pay attention to with this refashion is not to get too fussy and not to veer off into old lady territory. The color blocking is such a clean detail that fussy could quickly happen. I tried different ideas for a collar and the edging looks best but could easily scream old lady depending on where I go next. I'll work on it tonight. Wendy is coming to sew. First I need to clean house.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - plain socks yarn, refashioning fun, finished shopping, together time

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Scarves & Socks

My decision - for now - to knit items that don't need to be sewn together seems like a good one. I'm getting more accomplished and it's fabulous to start, knit to the end, and be done... sort of !




You still need to weave in the ends and block. Both of these scarves were made with the same needle size and stitch pattern but different yarns. The brown one is 2" narrower than the blue one and much denser. The blue is more lace like.




They were a couple inches longer than my blocking board so I had to do the ends separately. Blocking with knitting is like pressing with sewing. It gives the piece a professional finish.




While pinning the blue scarf to the board, I found this dropped stitch just hanging off the side. I'm not sure how I invented another one on the next row but I was glad to catch this before it pulled out. I separated a strand of the yarn to create some matching thread and stitched the loop in place. There shouldn't be a problem now.




The scarves are blocked, folded, and ready. I just need to check the calendar for the date of Chinese New Year and make sure to deliver them on time. I know my acupuncturist and her husband will enjoy them. They're a very appreciative couple.




AND... in the same spirit of not sewing together - I started a sock which will hopefully become one of a pair. The color is only okay. I prefer solid colored socks that are - IMHO - more sophisticated, less folksy, and show off any pattern better plus knitting a pattern is more fun that just going around in circles. Unfortunately most of the sock yarn available in town is variegated or self striping. I may need to order solids... and get a sock box for over the cupboards!




When we bought this house the washer and dryer were upstairs in an extra deep closet in the hallway and we moved them downstairs into a larger laundry room intending to use the closet for linens and Christmas storage only it evolved into the stash closet instead. Dark green with dull lighting is not good for viewing fabric. Howard installed a four foot fluorescent with two full spectrum tubes and the difference is amazing. I can actually see what I have - even the details - YES YES! The green walls outside the closet are the same color as the green inside. Isn't it fascinating how light affects color? The hallway light is not full spectrum.

The cardigan is coming along wonderfully - a fun project. More later.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - light

Monday 12 November 2012

A My Size Cardigan

Because I enjoy public speaking, am gregarious, outgoing, upbeat, mostly positive - who is completely positive? - and enjoy people, it's a surprise to many that I'm actually quite introverted. I recently read about a scale for introversion versus extroversion that measures whether you are introverted, introverted and social, extroverted, or extroverted and anti-social although I find that last one hard to comprehend. I'm introverted and social. I've always loved getting out, talking to people, finding out about their lives, exploring new ideas and concepts, and then going back to the re-energizing space of my studio, a space I've had in one form or another for over thirty years.



Claire R wrote - Your wish to be in your space w/out observers is widespread. In France, real estate ads even include that info. They describe an apartment as "sans vis a vis" or, roughly, "no one can see inside.". You are a woman who needs a "sans vis a vis" studio space!

Exactly and I like the idea of a French overtone. Perhaps it'll make me more chic - LOL! I took this picture from the sidewalk in front of our unit. With the sun shining in like this, anyone walking by can clearly read the writing on the box which was five feet back from the window. That's too much on display for me. I'd rather see and not be seen. I researched the window film that Gwen suggested and will get a quote on the top down blinds that Xtine Hutch suggested. Both are worth exploring.

Lorna wrote - I'm just wondering if your unhappiness in your sewing space is due to the hard year you have had. And perhaps you are looking for a spot that makes you feel happy and good and that just needs to come from inside.

I so agree that happiness is an inside out thing - a choice - and even so there are times when what's happening in our lives is harder to deal with than we'd like. This has been a year of back to back stuff -  mostly nothing major - just steady - and it's quite possible that an accumulation of little things is more wearying than major events. If I were to guess, I would say it's more the other way around, that the year has been more difficult because the studio hasn't been its usual energizing space. I'm working on that.

Corinne thanks for keeping me tweaking company ! ! ! It's nice to know I'm not alone.




At the Design Outside The Lines workshop, Diane passed around a box of cards telling us to choose one without looking and trust that we had the right card. This weekend I have focused on what I can do with what I have and have trusted that neat ideas will appear.

What is, is. The studio space that I am currently in is the best choice in this house at this time. There's no way that I could work in the middle of the family room as Lorna does nor would my family want me to. It's not just me. We are a family of introverts and each of us values our personal space however, that said, one of the fabulous benefits of the curl-up chair was that my family and friends would often sit, chat, read, or be quietly together. That's why I'd prefer the chair was in the studio Angela.

If you didn't read my Friday edit this might not make sense BUT... working the other way around, I superimposed the layouts from Friday over the current studio space and looked for ways to add the chair. If I move the desktop downstairs and take the doors off the closet, I could put the chair in that space. It would mean going downstairs when I wanted two monitors - like reading blogs - and using a laptop in the studio - for writing blog entries - and that is - I think - a doable adjustment. The chair would be mostly recessed and I'm not sure about that but it might work so we're going to set up a practice chair to see before we get a new one, a good idea.




This weekend, I cleaned every box, basket, drawer, and cupboard in the studio plus both closets, something I do twice a year. It reconnects me with the stash. I have literally touched every piece of fabric, every skein of yarn, every book, and every pattern I own and that has a wonderful way of getting my mind focused on the possibilities. LOVE IT! The spare sewing machine is now out of its box and stored in the work counter. Out of town friends will enjoy not having to pack their sewing machines anymore and I don't need to worry about mine spending a week in the shop again. YES YES!




I bought some decorative storage boxes for over the upper cupboards to put the yarn stash in. There's still a bit more yarn inside the cupboard since I could only find four boxes that I liked the design and size of. I'll watch for one or two more that go with.




My studio is organized around designated spaces. I allow so much room for books, for yarn, for fabric, for thread and so on and when that designated amount is full, I cannot have more of that item until space is freed up. That means no more yarn - not until I knit some of what I have - HOWEVER... more fabric will fit. By using boxes to divide up the closet space, everything is neater, condensed, less likely to become disorganized when I pull a piece out, and there's room for more - a whole box, the top portion of several boxes, and that green patch which is almost another whole box worth of more. YEAH!

As part of the process, I sorted through the bits and pieces of potential box and the zero waste scraps. It's always nice to get some distance from these things and perhaps a more realistic impression of which scraps are worth saving and which pieces actually have potential. And sometimes you've outgrown the potential that was there. The box on the floor bottom right is the zero waste scraps and the two at left are of possible refashions. That's lots to work with. The two boxes under the fabric are old photos and art supplies that aren't needed frequently.




This is a picture of my camera which required another camera to take. It went missing two weeks ago and since I had until today to return the new one - in the saga of things going weirdly - I expected the old one to show up this afternoon. Thankfully, it was found last Tuesday but talk about weird. My camera is only ever on my desk, by my sewing machine, on the work counter, or in its red case in my purse. I found it in the bottom of a basket of yarn. I'd been praying about where could it be and was prompted to check that basket after remembering looking through it and wondering if I'd scooped the camera up with the yarn when I put it back. Apparently that's exactly what I did. It's nice to have it back.




The turquoise t-shirt is in the zero waste scraps box for now. It's not really a scrap or a zero waste project but it's something with a mostly negative overtone that I'll leave for later. What's needed now is an engaging project. When I thought about all the possibilities my hands had touched, this was the project that stood. It's a navy blue, grey, and green cotton pullover sweater in a man's extra-large that may be as old as the last color block trend and is about to become a my size cardigan.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - finding the camera

Friday 9 November 2012

Playing With The Layout

Edited 9:20 AM

SO... skip all of the below. After drawing out a template of my current studio and superimposing it over the potential new space and analyzing the differences in terms of adding the curl-up chair, a different loss of privacy, and where would the computer go, I decided that I'm not confident enough that the benefits outweigh the negatives. If I personally could slide everything around and decide, no problem, I'd try it, but because it requires significant involvement from other people including dismantling, reassembling, unhooking and re-hooking up and because that space has limitations that I'm already familiar with from the last time I was there, I think it's better to wait - maybe even until Kyle moves out - LOL - so I'll ponder what I can do with what I have instead although that means no curl-up chair for now.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This has been one of the most interesting moves I've ever made and I've made a lot. For some reason my ability to figure out what should go where with certainty has deserted me. Perhaps it's a lesson in not arrogantly assuming that I'm right all the time or perhaps it's just a a really yucky year. I was telling a friend yesterday that the back-to-back crap started on New Year's Eve and with the exception of my birthday and our miracle grandbaby, this has been my worst year ever - and that's saying a lot - cause I've had some real winners - which means that I'm looking forward to Christmas with the kids and after that 2013 can't come fast enough for me.




And when it does, I hope it finds me settled into a studio that feels like home, one where I don't have to keep the blinds closed because I'm so visible to the neighbourhood. I'm not a blinds closed kind of girl only with where our unit is positioned in the complex and with the wonderful lighting we installed, the neighbours can clearly see all the details of whatever I'm designing which is great for them and bad for me. All I see is black. It's uncomfortable - like being behind one way glass - so the shorter and darker the days, the more I've been avoiding the studio and that just won't do.




I didn't realize how environmentally sensitive I am. Is it aging or have I just never been in a situation  where I had to notice before? Who knows. Whatever it is, I'm adding "can't be visible to every Tom, Dick, and Harry walking up and down the street" to the list of things I know about my perfect studio.




Basically we're shifting three rooms. We moved the family room on Wednesday night. It's now in what was originally supposed to be - and one day will be - Howard's office and then became the second studio and then became the guest room and is now becoming the family room. The guest room bed is leaning up against the window in my area so I can paint. It will be going upstairs to the current studio which will become the guest room which is exactly what it was when we first moved in.  Considering my studio is going back into half of the original space maybe I did - sort of - know what went where. I just didn't know it required downsizing significantly and sharing.

Howard and I are sharing what would be called the recreation room on the original floor plan. My end is the one with the blue - now green - wall and his end is the one with the door. The dividing line is at the edge of those white upper cabinets. They are his. I get everything to the left including the window which works for him because he's always closing the blinds to get the glare off the computer screen. The dividing wall will be as high as the top of the cupboards.




On the layout above, the blue wall is at right and the window wall is at the bottom. There's a 42" wall that forms a jog into the room at top right. In the earlier picture, you can see it covering up the door to my son's room. In this layout, the work counter is forming the divide between the two spaces and below...




... it's on the wall at the top which is really the best choice because the upper cabinets can be easily secured above. The other way there's no wall to screw the cabinets to and the one we want to build will only be temporary and not attached to the floor or ceiling meaning not really safe for holding upper cabinets. We'd have to get ceiling mounts and I'd rather not.




At first, it seemed like I could have the curl-up chair or the computer but not both and the chair was winning but I think I've figured it out. In this last layout, the work counter is at the top, the computer and bookshelf are to the right, the sewing desks are in the middle, the curl-up chair is angled in front of the window, and the filing cabinet, Millicent, and the design wall are on the dividing line. The three circles are my two desks chairs and Millicent. They're slightly bigger than scale to illustrate pivot room.

There is a 2 1/2 foot opening to the laundry room at top left, 1 1/2 feet between the sewing desks and the curl-up chair, a 2 foot x 4 foot triangle between the sewing desks and the computer, 2 feet between the work counter and the corner of the sewing desks, almost 3 feet between the corner of the wall and the sewing desks, and a 3 foot entrance into the space. On paper, it's a bit tight but works. We'll have to see what happens in real life.

Today, I'm painting white trim and then I'll start packing. Howard and I plan to move the work counter tonight and I need to ask the boys (young men) to come and move the furniture on Saturday - which I'm somewhat mortified to do - and hoping that a steak dinner will be motivation enough.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - having my favourite color in my studio again

Thursday 8 November 2012

A Go To Chair

In my previous studio - meaning the one in the other house - I had an extra wide, curl-up chair. It had cat prints across the cushion and one arm from where my friend's kitten had walked through black paint and then over the chair but I didn't mind. They were character prints. The chair was free and incredibly comfortable.




When we moved, I planned to use a loveseat in the studio and there was no room for the chair so we gave it away. BIG MISTAKE. More than any other feature of my previous studio, I miss that chair. Perhaps it's a case of not knowing what you have until it's gone because that was the first time I'd had a curl-up chair. I didn't realize how accustomed I'd gotten to journalling or reading or knitting or hand sewing or visiting or relaxing or having a good cry in that chair. With each successive move, there has been less and less furniture in the studio - so no chair and no loveseat - and I've realized it's important to me to have a go to chair. 

Some of you will laugh. Some of you will think I'm so completely crazy that I almost hate to admit that we are moving my studio... again. It's going back to the original location only this time the room will be divided in half with Howard at one end and me at the other. We plan to have our contractor build a 6' high temporary wall between the two spaces giving us the division we need while still providing light to each side. The configuration on my side will be vastly different from the last time I was in that space since almost all the furniture is gone and the island is now a work counter.  Which means...




... once everything is arranged I'll have room for a curl-up chair again. I can't get my other one back but this one from Ikea is almost as big. It's 41" wide with a comfy cushion and nicely curved arms and it comes in lilac which I'd love except that...




... I already have this gorgeous purple upholstery fabric. There's five meters 56" wide which should be enough for a chair cover but if not, I can mix it with another fabric because...





... buying the ugly white version and sewing my own cover from the "free" fabric would save a significant amount. For a bit of my time and a chair I'd love - I'm in. I'll use the white cover as a pattern. The chair is on my Christmas list. It meets all the Christmas criteria except for the budget - it's somewhat more than we'd normally spend but we'll see. Maybe Santa can swing it. Maybe Santa's helper should look around town for other good deals first - LOL.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - an understanding and accommodating family

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Purse Handles

Going into debt for Christmas is not my idea of a good plan. Neither is stressing yourself out with shopping and crowds. Both seem to me to defeat the whole point of the holiday which is why I put aside money each pay day and organize shopping earlier in the year. I like to be done before most people even get started - as in by the first of October - only this year it'll be the first of December because I've been waiting for my kids to forward their lists - which took forever - even though I threatened to buy socks and underwear if they didn't hurry up. I received the last list last night.




My friends on the other hand were MUCH easier. I have all of those gifts organized and ready to wrap except for Sharon's and since she reads my blog I decided to tell her what she was getting - a purse. That way I could get her feedback on the size and shape and pockets. Red is her favourite color. I've ordered these 24" leather handles from PurseHandles, an Etsy shop in Hong Kong. I'm hoping the order doesn't take too long. I probably should have ordered a lot sooner but luckily I can go ahead with the rest of the bag while waiting.




Since I was already ordering, I also got a set of black handles for myself. It's a case of the shoemaker's shoes. With all the purses I've made over the years and the number of friends who have one, I do not use a purse that I've made on a regular basis, just for special occasions. That's something to rectify unless the red handles aren't a great shade of red and then I'll use these black ones on Sharon's purse.




I liked this leather magnetic closure. The end is not the same shape as the handles and I'm not sure if the leather matches so they may or may not get used on the same bag but the idea is great.  I'll trace out the shape and consider different ways to use this feature from self made tabs in the future.




There are several textile pieces in my Bits & Pieces of Potential box that I'd like to cut up and make into knitting bags. These 12" wooden handles seemed like they'd be perfect for that so I ordered a pair to see. If they work, I'll get more in different shapes and sizes but just one for now, to see.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - sunshine today

Tuesday 6 November 2012

The Washing Machine

When we moved to this house we got a new washing machine with automatic sensing and no agitator, just little nubs on the bottom for smushing clothes against. It is - IMHO - absolutely horrible. And it's not just me. Several of my friends have the same opinion about their own version of this new kind of washing machine. It truly is horrible. Not only does it stretch and pill the clothes, they don't come clean, the soap won't rinse out, you use more rather than less water, and you can't over-ride the sensor and fill the tub completely for dyeing fabric. To saying nothing of the auto-lock, a function worse than any iron's auto-off.

After MUCH discussion with the store where we bought it - and will never shop at again because I'm a huge advocate of good customer service as a marketing tool - we were able to trade more for less and get the only washing machine left on the market that allows you to manually set the level of the washing water. You still can't set the rinse level. That is mandated by law courtesy of the Canadian government to a maximum of one third of a tub and it is illegal to tamper with that feature. Go figure.

I'm sure they - the government - didn't anticipate people washing their clothes several times to get them clean and soap free thereby negating any advances that this apparently important piece of legislation was meant to make although I personally do think the government has far more important things to do than mandate water levels in washing machines. We the people are able to conserve water by choice. But then again, no one asked me.

Either way, the new machine came Saturday and it was an absolute delight to lift the lid and see a full tub of water which is not something the teenage me ever imagined being thrilled about when I "grew up". Too funny - I can dye again!




Just to clarify - because someone asked - the final put down was not a sad moment. It was longed for and happy. I was becoming increasingly afraid that if I couldn't shift my thinking away from making money I would lose the love of creating and that's definitely not something I want to have happen. With the lack of time spent in the studio recently and the fact that there has been a brand new sewing machine sitting in a box in the hallway for over a week and not much interest in opening it, the probability was getting closer. Reading that quote - the thing that we cling to is the thing that controls us - was an ah ha moment. I have no desire to be controlled by the pursuit of money or of recognition or even of the desire to do what I love to do. Without care and attention, good things can turn into bad things.

My son was reading a novel about the first native hockey player in Canada. He - the hockey player - eventually quit playing due to racism and peer bullying. Without hockey, his life became aimless and he spiralled into abuse. The book concludes with him putting on skates and for the first time in years standing on a hockey pond. He has the realization that only the thing that you are missing can fill the hole created by missing that thing, as in only hockey can fill the hockey hole. I could certainly relate. As with all forms of grief, you must learn to live with the hole.

For me, living with the hole means separating money and creativity. I want to remember the fabulous days that were with gratitude for what I learned and the journey taken and - instead of trying to recreate what was - look forward to what will be. There is a vastly different perspective and a lot more to discover in the world of creativity for personal pleasure and sharing.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - full tubs of water

Monday 5 November 2012

The Final Put Down

The weather has turned damp and grey. It's not cold enough to snow and there's very little sunshine which means it's not the cheeriest of weather but just perfect for reading and knitting and sitting by the fire contemplating life which is something I'm sure many of us have done as a result of Hurricane Sandy. That kind of weather tends to make you think.




After saying I rarely take sewing breaks, it seems I'm in the middle of one. I've spent less than an hour in the studio in the last two weeks. Mostly, I've been knitting.




The little sweaters are not sewn together. After blocking, they were packed into individual bags and now sit... expectantly... with nothing happening... while I've started and finished the brown scarf above and am now working on the blue one. Same needles. Same stitch. Different yarn. Different results. No assembly required. They're gifts for my acupuncturist and her husband for Chinese New Year.

The stitch is six rows of which three are pattern and three are purl. The pattern rows are combinations of eight stitches starting with one then two then three stitches before a yarn over. It's easy to memorize, easy to follow, and makes a lovely scallop.




I often describe my character as endlessly loyal - until I'm done - and when I'm done, I'm done. I can regurgitate some thing for seemingly forever until for whatever reason I manage to put it down and leave it down. How I wish I could identify those final factors. It would save tremendous amounts of time and angst except that enough time and enough angst seem to be the final factors.

At least I recognize the end when it happens. I did pick "it" up again ever so briefly although I put it down so fast my head spun. That's hopeful. If life eventually goes in that direction again, it'll be a total surprise to me because I'm 99.99999 into infinity % positive that I'm at the end - the final put down - of any possibility of creativity as a career and SO done thinking about that. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES !

The thing we cling to is the thing that controls us. It was clear that I needed to detach.

This quote is from Rhoda Janzen's book Does This Church Make Me Look Fat. It's most definitely not a book on career planning and yet that's the direction my thoughts went in when I read that line and the rest of the day confirmed it.

Journalling at Starbucks, I read in Matthew 6 - Give your entire attention to what God is doing now and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. I'd been worrying about that.

At Costco, I ran into a glass artist who lives up the road from me. In our conversation, he mentioned how tough the year has been, that the customers at the various shows he's done have been buying not much and nothing expensive, and that he and numerous other artists are having difficulty just recovering their expenses never mind making a profit. Since I have no desire to be a starving artist or to work long and endless hours for nothing, that was good - confirmational - information.

Back home, there was an email from the gallery owner who has the purses stating that as much as everyone has loved and admired them at the last three exhibits, none sold. She too went on to say that customers were buying not much and nothing expensive - the now familiar refrain. She's sending the purses back. When they arrive, I plan to sort through and make decisions about each one individually and then post the remainder for sale at 50% off PLUS shipping. If you're interested, the purses are in this post and the prices in this one. Just email me at the address in the sidebar.




Significant change always make me want to clean. Perhaps it's some out with the old and in with the new kind of thing. A changing of the guard. Either way, I finally made it down into the laundry room and unpacked the dyeing and painting supplies into the new cupboards and soon - hopefully this week - I'll go through the studio and stash closet and do some more sorting and clearing although this week seems pretty busy already including writing up my study plans for the residency next fall, applying for a job ! ! ! ! ! and deciding what to sew for an interview outfit.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - final put downs and the end of angst

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Anything I Might Say...

When I thought about what to write today, it seemed ...




... anything I might say was not all that important compared to what's going on for so many people dealing with Hurrican Sandy. Perhaps one plus is knowing that in this electronic world we can care about people we only know through reading their blogs and who live many miles away. I know I've been wondering about many.




Care for. Praying for. Hoping all goes well.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - that fatality numbers are not higher than they are.