Am I still talking about books on Thursdays?

I’ve long said that there’s always something off about me. Typically I mean my appearance, whether my cardigan is buttoned wrong or my hair is crazy, I just can’t seem to get it together all the way. Now my not-quite-right essence is seeping into other aspects of my life, such as books.
I made a commitment to go through my craft books, and what do I do? I read fiction instead. And i listen to audiobooks — both fiction and nonfiction.

  
I’ll come clean, the two books I actually read were YA books: Calvin, by Martine Leavitt and This is Where it Ends, by Marieke Nijkamp. Both of the made me cry. For different reasons. I’m not trying to say that YA books are easy reads. They are, however, sometimes shorter than books for adults.
I really liked Calvin. I don’t know what teens will have to say about it. It feels like it was meant for people my age, who spent more formative time with the comic strip. Of course, I have no claim on Bill Watterson or his work. I’m sure that kids find the compilations and fall in love with Calvin and Hobbes just like I did.

I also caught up to the rest of the world and listened to The Girl on the Train. An audiobook can’t be a page turner, can it? It has to be more like a driveway book, sorry NPR. I did find myself sitting my car and listening, no wanting to hit pause.

Now I’m finishing up Meet Me in Atlantis, by Mark Adams. I’ve been fascinated by the idea of Atlantis for as long as I can remember. A personal highlight for me is the fact that the author introduced me to the word geo-mythology. It’s the study of alleged references to geological events in mythology. The word was coined by someone at Indiana University in the late ’60s. (Yay for Hoosiers!). In the book he mentions someone at the UW (three cheers for the Pac NW) who studies it now.
Why didn’t I study geo-mythology or cryptozoology? (big sigh …)

  
That’s my book talk for the day. All of those books are good listens while crafting. Honest. Do you listen to audiobooks? If so, is it while you do something else? If so, what? I’d love to hear! You can also find me on Goodreads; my profile name is Spawnder.

As Annie Lennox said, “These are the contents of my head.”

I might finally be able to get my head around the fact that I need to do market stuff. Maybe I can chalk it up to the fact that I took a jewelry class at Beadworld alittle more than a week ago. We cut up metal tins and turned pieces into earrings and pendants. Since then I’ve scoured a handful of thrift stores looking for tins with interesting prints. My local Goodwill is by far the best source. That place never fails to amaze me! And, I love having real reasons to pop in.
This lovely Klimt coffee tin many have to stay intact, even though these prints will make for lovely pieces.

    
Saturday I cut up almost all of the ones I had. Why I didn’t take a “before” photo, I do not know. However, here’s a sample of some of the cut up pieces. (Now to find a proper storage box before I hurt myself.

  
Here’s the pair of class-made earrings that started all of this.

  
Because Morgan was “Super Hero Homework Man” this weekend, I found myself with extra time for a few other projects, too.

I finished the “Meatopia” puzzle that he and I started.

  
I prepped my glittery signs so that they’re ready to be displayed at the market.

I finished another windowpane scarf.

  
I started another poncho. This new one has a very granny square/crochet vibe, and I’m OK with that.

Oh, and I finally started painting the five papier mache critters that have been parked on my kitchen counter for far too long.  

 These are another great example of when I need to take breathers from the process and do some photo documentation. It’s good to have goals.

The saddest craft book ever

  
Has it really been only four years since the book Knit Your Own Cat came out? I got my hands on a copy as soon as I could. After all, I had Slinky, the world’s most wonderful Devon Rex. And, the book has a pattern for a Devon Rex, made with boucle yarn to capture that lamby look.

  
(For the record, other breeds include Abyssinian, Bengal, Black Cat, Black & White, British Shorthair, Burmese, Kitten, Maine Coon, Orange, Persian, Ragdoll, Siamese, Tabby, Tortoiseshell and Turkish Van.)

I won’t lie, all of the cats are adorable. And, while the knitted Devon pattern is particularly totes adorbs, it’s no real life Slinky. Despite the best of intentions. I never made a black-and-white Devon.

  
Cut to February of 2014. My Slinkalina — other nicknames included Slinkster, Schmoozalina and Furry McPurry — started out on the path to renal failure. (She’d already been prone to mammary tumors having spent her early years as a breeding animal.) She spent a spendy five days with the vet, but I got another nearly four months with her. That spring I was as lazy as a girl could be, doing little else in my free time than just sitting with my curly girl. I have no regrets about that time with her!

 

Slinky after one of her surgeries
 
In May of that year, Slinky took seriously ill again. By mid June she was gone. Just few weeks before I had to say goodbye to her, I met Morgan. More than once I’ve said that I lost my cat, but found a unicorn.

There are no cats on the horizon. Unicorns, I’ve learned, are allergic and even I’ve been able to back off from so much allergy and asthma medicine. And, I don’t know that I’ll ever knit a Devon Rex. Or Maine Coon or Persian or any other kind of cat. I will, however, continue to miss Slinky every single day and continue to lover her and wish I could smell that soft, little head just one more time.

I think Knit your Own Cat is a great book. And, I hope that it will find it’s way into the hands of a Devon Rex owner. That would be great. But, animal lovers tend to be good people, so I’ll not get hung up on details. However, the title is also tied to one particular cat, not a love of cats in general.

 

Yes, she was that spoiled.
 
I also unearthed Kitty Knits. I have to admit, there are some really cute patterns in there for hats and scarves and cat toys and fuzzy slippers. I don’t know if I’m ready to part with that one just yet. I meant, the felted cat door stop would be great in a lime green or orange yarn. Because that title, while purchased when I had a cat, still isn’t tied to Slinky. This one just might stay.

So, this was less about a book and more about Slinky. But I think it kind of had to be. I sure do miss my kitten-kitten.

  

Project ‘ Why am I obsessed?’

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been watching a lot of Project Runway. Some shows really lend themselves to binge watching, others not so much. Project Runway is somewhere in between. Once the show is down to less than 10 contestants, the competition heats up, and the designs, imho, really start to deserve attention.
Also, let me say that I could wear t-shirts with jeans or cords every day and be quite happy. I’m no fashion icon or expert. I don’t “get” a lot of fashion, either. Really, I am all about comfort and ease.

This way-behind-the-times musing all came about one night after Morgan and I watched four back-to-back episodes of Making a Murderer. Morgan needed something, as he said, that wouldn’t frustrate him, so we found the earliest season of Project Runway on Hulu, which was season 6. For nearly 18 months, he’s been telling me that I would love the show because it’s about crafting. It’s not really about crafting, but I do love the glimpses viewers get into the creative process. In fact, I wish we got way more of that. (I’m hoping that the DVDs will have more talking through the process and less background sniping.)

From the beginning, I found Tim Gunn to be the highlight of the show. I’m sure that puts me in a agreement with every other fan of the show. He is a class act, and offers up a master class in manners. Seriously, I may have to track down Project Runway: Under the Gunn. Maybe. The judging wears me out and breaks my brain sometimes. I need more about the creative process and more words of wisdom from Mr. Gunn. I think what he says to the designers is good advice for any crafters/makers: Use an editing eye. Be willing to take risks. Always listen to your gut.
While the judging is my least favorite part of the show, I do like hearing the judges say how they want to see “who the designer is” in the creation. That’s another good lesson for me and my fellow makers/crafters to keep in mind.

One more good thing about it? It’s a great thing to have on while I work on other things. It really only requires a little looking with a lot of listening. And, I’ve used that time to finish some things and start some others. I could use of month of that. (Don’t get me started on how I love to dream about being on a four- to six-week house arrest.)

Even though I woke up this morning and realized that I only have three months until the market starts up again, I’m still very much in a knitting and crocheting frame of mind. Maybe the jewelry class I’m taking on Saturday will get me back into jewelry-making mode. Fingers crossed. Wait, that’s a lie. My fingers will be busy with knitting needles and crochet hooks until I’m ready to tuck them away for the season.

First book of the year

First, a cold knocked me on my arse for the last 10 days. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been so tired. My taste buds are finally returning, I sound a lot less like Brenda Vaccaro and my cough has mostly subsided. The only good thing about having to rest is that I got a lot of crocheting done. One project was the Windowpane scarf from Ravelry. Another was a simple cowl made with the second ball of yummy alpaca yarn I received for Christmas. I just grabbed a big crochet hook and whipped something up.
The first scarf I made from the alpaca yarn I gave to my mom. The pattern came from the book One-Skein Wonders By Judith Durant. When I first started knitting, I made many, many scarves. It was a great way to try out various yarns, stitches and needles. Plus, t seemed like a good way to justify buying just one or two balls of a yarn I liked for those scarves. In hindsight, it wasn’t the best method of acquiring yarn, but it was my approach.
So, When I saw the book One-Skein Wonders, I thought for sure it was for me–and a great way to use up my stash. It features 101 patterns for everything from hats to tea cozies and scarves to baby clothing and accessories to mitten. While it still seems like a good idea, I have to admit that I’ve only made two of the patterns. I think it might be time to de-accession this title. There might be one or two more projects to try, but then goodbye. So, maybe I’ll be back to knitting scarves. Or maybe I’ll make more of my crazy, giant granny square afghans with random balls of yarn. Either way, it’s silly, for me, to keep a book for just two or three patterns. And, it pleases me to think that someone else will pick up my copy and get a lot of use out of it.
Now, back to convalescing.
Coming up …. My thoughts on all of the Project Runway I’ve been watching. I know, I’m more than a little late to that party.