Tuesday, November 21, 2006

The Pressure to Blog


How hard is it to write a few words and post a picture or two?

Sometimes I feel like it's too much of an effort to wait for the computer to boot up (do they still do that?) and to log in. I have excellent intentions and I even make it to the office, then I take one look at the computer armoir and turn the other way. I'd rather be knitting. I'd rather be stamping. But the pressure to blog eventually wears me down. Now here I am, over two weeks since my last post.

It's not like nothing has happened. I went to SLC to help my sis pack up her apartment (she's buying a house) and I got to see my nephew (not pictured above, well, not that one anyway). I finished several knit projects (pictures to come) and I've read a couple of great books (Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is one). I'm hooked on a cancelled sci-fi tv series (Farscape) and I had some great tamales that my aunt made. I think all those are blog worthy, I just let the blogpertunity slip by.

So let me tell you about my trip to Salt Lake. The flight from Sac is short, less than an hour and a half. I did have time to finish a hat I'd started earlier in the week and I wore it a few times while I was there. The weather was perfect for just a warm tee or sweatshirt and a hat to keep the heat in. Of course, wool socks helped a lot too. My sister keeps her apartment pretty warm (something about not wanting the baby to be cold) so I had to go around barefoot inside. She is mostly vegetarian, as a result I got to try some things I normally wouldn't. She also loves to cook and finds new recipes constantly. I learned how to make ratatouie and coconut curry. I taught her how to make apple dumplings and veggie filo triangles. We planned a picnic to Big Cottonwood Canyon, but it started to snow and the picnic areas were closed. The drive was nice. We went to visit Lily, who lives walking distance from the apartment (my sis thinks most things are walking distance so I usually lose 5 lbs when I visit her, she forgets we grew up in car-happy California). Lily is almost a hundred and one but you wouldn't think so to look at her. She has trouble with her eyes and last year developed diabetes. She loves to crochet Mile-a-minute afghans (the only patterns she knows by heart, although she recently retaught herself the granny square). There is absolutely nothing wrong with her mind. She is sharp as a tack. She remembers what the weather was like the year her son went to jr high (he's a grandpa now). What an inspiration! I hope I'm that together when I get to 70 and can only dream of reaching 100.

Next time: My nephew Josiah

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Swap-O-Rama








I've been participating in quite a few swaps the last six months or so. Here is a sampling of some the projects involved. So from the top, left to right.

1. The first one is a tote I made for Megan in the International Tote Exchange II. This is before felting. It's a Noni Pattern modified. I striped the bag instead of leaving it solid.

2. I received TWO cool bags from Katy in the Mid South. The first is like a Sophie bag in a really Impressionistic colorway. It reminds me of Monet.

3.The second one is a tres chic cabled handbag. I love it!

4.To finish off the one skein swap, I received from Nan in Colorado these very warm Wool of the Andes wristwarmers. I'll be using them this week when I go to Salt Lake.

5.My great Funky Scarf pal Beth in Oregon sent me the most beautiful funky scarf. It's a lace neckwarmer in specially dyed (my favorite colors) sock-weight yarn. The pattern is a really cool wave with little bobbles on the edges.

6.I chose to make a "fingers" scarf for my Funky Scarf pal Miriam in New York. Her favorite art piece is Birth of Venus by Botticelli so I picked colors from that painting to make stockinette strips. I then joined them together to get this. (coming soon, due to blogger picture uploading trouble)