Getting the ball rolling

My head has been in other places for the last little while and it’s made me realise that I need to be a little more regular in my posts. It clears my head (good thing) and helps me keep track of things I’ve seen, done, want to try (also a good thing).

So, for a small start, here’s a couple of things to look at:

• Colour Lovers: a site for sharing personal palettes, looking at trends and trying your hand at colour combos;
• Purl Bee: for a tutorial on a saw tooth patchwork block – I think this might be the block I use for my lad’s doona cover;
• Origamisan: a Turkish/English site for beautiful and functional origami;
• feeling stitchy: for embroidery eye candy.

I’m going to take photos of my adventures with the overlocker to share with you – the fun! the stuff ups! the loooong list of things I want to do!

Well, yes. I shall take a deep breath and not count the hours until I’m back at home with my love.

 

Another gadget

Almost as life changing as the pressure cooker (used nearly daily since it took up residence). The gardener and I went halves in an overlocker a little while ago and I’ve finally had the time to make use of it.

All those knits and jerseys I’ve stashed – at last, they realised their purpose! Some pj’s for the lass and a fetching velour top; and plans for other tops and jackets. It sews like a dream and it’s so much fun. It’s not at all difficult to get the hang of it and I had a little guide book as a reference. Re-threading is tiresome the first time you do it but it’s not the drama I’d been led to believe.

The only trouble is that I haven’t found any shops in Australia that sell quality children’s knits, terry and jersey. Crafty Mama’s do but their stock clearly flies out quickly and doesn’t have the range I’m after. So I’m waiting for an order of fabric that should produce a hooded jacket for the lad and complementary long sleeve top, a crossover top for the lass, a hooded top and a long sleeve t-shirt. In the meantime, there is a particularly luscious plum jersey to be made up into a 1950s wrap-waisted top, knight’s costumes, and probably pj’s for the neice and nephew.

I have pieces of orange velour and chocolate velour which were intended as a jacket for the lad a year ago. Unsurprisingly, he’s not keen on the colours now. I love them but not entirely sure I can pull off velour – it’s seems to be a kid’s texture. I’m sure my infatuation with the overlocker will help me arrive at a solution.

 

Creativity and freedom

You know, I was looking at the referral letter I have for a specialist because I am losing my hearing in interesting circumstances, and right at the end of the list of ailments that I remembered was “2006 – DEPRESSION’. I wish that was the only time. And it prompted me to think about all the times I’ve had bouts of depression and they all revolved around identity: adolescence, getting married, two lots of post-natal, the struggle to assert my academic identity, and the absolute spin dive, finding out my partner had bipolar (manic depression) and that I was trying to be mother, father, carer, professional full time, and that I no longer knew how to be me. And under the gentle yet insistent prodding of my therapist, quite unsure what ‘me’ really meant.

I realised after some months of painful reflection, anger, sadness, indifference, passion, determination and hurt that I needed to do what I understood about myself. I couldn’t simply say, ‘I am an academic in my bones and any other kind of work is not good for my soul or my health’, I had to be an academic. I’m nearly there; working in an academic position outside of my field. I’m applying for positions in my field and doing the publishing thing and hoping that it’ll all come good soon.

I realised that I couldn’t satisfy whatever creativity was inside me by making very nice utilitarian clothes for myself or my children. I had to think about why I wanted to do these things and then follow that through. So now I still make clothes for me and the kids but it’s about customisation, bringing out each personality for self-expression, making choices about fibre and colour for the joy of texture, hue and value.

I realised that while I might not be really good at drawing, I did some okay stuff at school when I had the time to observe and practice and the freedom to explore. Slowly, I’m coming to that again, giving myself the time and space to make marks on a page and think about what I could do with them. I think that will be the most difficult one because it’s about what I see in my head and how I see things and being sure about what I see and mark. But a start is better than being frozen.

There’s a bit of a conversation going on over at innercitygarden about creativity and motherhood. And I listened to a conversation between Alan Brough and a philosopher, Damon Young, about a type of freedom that is gained by avoiding distraction. Making our choices about who and what we are and how that gives us a personal freedom that cannot be legislated for or voted against. But it can be trampled by what we expect of ourselves and others, by believing that our creative and passionate selves should always be subordinate to social norms. In short, by being distracted from what is true of ourselves.

There have been ups and downs since 2006 but being sure of myself is a good foundation.

 

It’s Thursday, I’m in love

Here’s my new best friend:

Isn’t she beautiful? An 8.5l Danish pressure cooker able to produce rich, luscious meals like this in 20 minutes:

I wrote earlier about listening to Suzanne Gibbs describe the joy of pressure cooking.  It’s not the convenience of a meal in 45 minutes or less that’s the real attraction. Let’s face it, a good stir fry will do that for you. It’s the flavour – rich and intense – without 3 hours of simmering.

I rarely have the time and the energy to do beautiful, long, slow cooking on the weekends. I enjoy that kind of cooking and the meals it can produce but it’s just not been happening for the last 12 months or more.

And the demand for food around here has gone up incredibly since a black hole took up residence in the lad’s stomach. We need to have on hand healthy, filling food that’s flavoursome and enjoyable. We already cook for six to take that into account and even that hasn’t been enough. Add to that our good intentions to take leftovers to work for lunch and we’re looking at serious amounts of food.

So now I can produce the volume of food we need in the limited amount of time that I have. And there’s the little extras that have fallen by the wayside – quinces poached in red wine with cinnamon. Well, I just took that off the stove 40 minutes after peeling the quinces.

All my new bestie needs now is a name.

 

Frogging

My knitting’s been a bit all over the place recently. All over the house, over a whole lot of projects but not much in the way of actual results. Mostly it’s been *knit, knit, frog (repeat from * 5 times).

Spurred by the success I had with Reverie by Amy Swenson over at Knitty, I went full on with some hat making. The lass’s got frogged only once; the next one for me got frogged four times. I finally settled for an okay hat, if only to get it off the needles and my mind. Hats and I have a mixed straightforward history. They don’t suit me or I don’t suit them. So when Reverie did suit I got rather keen. It’s not the pattern – it really is me. I thought I could modify a little and it didn’t work. So, feeling chastened, I shall return to the pattern and think a little more closely about how I can make it without holes. Because 7.45am on a winter’s morning at a footy game is not a time for holes in your hat.

I’m also puzzling and frogging over winter jumpers or cardis or wraps for me. I’m making an effort to use stash yarns and that does up the degree of difficulty. I love the colours in my stash and I have plenty of patterns to swoon over, it’s just that stash yarn = limited quantities = difficult decisions. Another complicating factor is the new and fascinating information on colours and wardrobe sloshing around the family (thanks, Mum!). So while I now know why I opt for black as my neutral even though chocolate suits me and my preferred colours better, that doesn’t help turn black stash yarn into chocolate stash yarn. I may need to sit down with patterns, yarn, red wine and chocolate. Damn.

Not all is lost. I’m working on a pair of socks for the Bloke and they’re working out nicely without a frog in sight.

 

Cameras, cookers and craft

I had hoped to include a few photos today but in an aimless kind of way, I can’t quite locate the memory stick with them on it. There will be pictures again, soon.

This week has been quieter and a little easier for those smaller moments of joy to sneak in. I have tried new recipes or ones that we haven’t had in a long time. Some were successful, others less so, and pleasantly surprised by the ones which were eaten by the (slightly) smaller folk without fuss. I may have lied once when I robustly told them that they had eaten this meal before. Prior experience seems to make a difference if they face a plate with some suspicion.

I’ve decided to purchase a pressure cooker after hearing this interview with Suzanne Gibbs. She’s just published a book for pressure cookers – good, contemporary recipes by the sound of it. I was pretty much convinced when the host described the chicken tagine with a 15 minute prep time and 15 cooking time and I was sold when she said it cooked risotto in 6 minutes. I don’t care if that’s blasphemy but I love risotto and if a pressure cooker means I can have homemade risotto with homemade stock in the middle of the week, then a pressure cooker I shall have.

Plus it means its less disheartening when kids get fussy over a meal that took a great deal of preparation; or that it’s easier to put together an extra casserole so we can fill up the black hole that is the lad’s nearly ten year old stomach.

The camera went for a bit of a walk over the weekend – I was trying to figure out where to go and decided just to walk around our backyard. Some good shots, some not so great, but interesting and I learned that our camera has a magnification function. Just have to work it out, is all.

In craft studio news, I sorted my fabric AND put it away in the dresser cupboard. I’ve gone for two major categories: new, dress fabrics and vintage/remnant fabric. The dress fabrics are sorted by colour because that’s how I choose something for a project. Then I’ll figure out if it’s the right type of fabric and if it isn’t, damn it, I’ll have to buy some. I have large scraps sorted by colour into small boxes. I’ll do the books. patterns and notions this weekend and try and get a start on the decorative stuff. I moved my cutting table from under the house into the studio and it is bliss. It makes layout, cutting and sorting a dream.

All in all, I’m getting into a less hassled pace and enjoying it. Now to settle back for a weekend of Eurovision action.

 

Finding Joy

I read a post a few days ago by six and a half stitches about a group project called ‘finding joy’. After an overful April, I liked the reminder to pause long enough to find what is joyful. I’ve thought of three things to linger over and rediscover the joy and the simple pleasure they give. One was food: mindfully stepping out of the rut at least 2 or 3 times during the week to try something new. The other was photography: remembering to take my camera for a walk around different places and give myself time to stop and look. The last was my studio – a crude little hut, really – that is still ‘going to be’ organised. I was down there last weekend, picking, cutting and arranging fabric and remembered how joyful it is to touch and look and discover again. So, more organising for the delight of rediscovering the possibilities.

And already I’ve found myself pausing to enjoy what was happening right now. I took the lad to a cross country run and drove him back to school. I’d cheered, chatted and knitted while the lad ran, cheered, and chatted. We were sharing a companionable trip back when I pulled in at a wayside milk bar. It surprised the lad and I just smiled and said, you must be starving, how about something to eat? It was just couple of (yummy) hot potato cakes that we munched but it was about us sharing a little time together.

Last night was a quiet no-TV night so we pulled out books or knitting and settled ourselves around the couch and cushion. The lass was very weary after her swimming lesson and just lay on my lap, watching me knit, stroking my arm or belly, following the wool, all like a drowsy little kitten. She fell asleep curled up as she must have been in my belly – all tucked up with her thumb in her mouth (we have the ultrasound to show off at her 21st). It was quiet and still and good.

 

A fair day

This last month has been very head-ful for me. Lots of thoughts about the work I do, which is good, but has a tendency to keep my brain going even when it should be asleep. And quite a bit of preparation for the school fair yesterday. Mostly it was because I decided to take the plunge and have my own stall with my own handmade goods and a little bit of being the volunteer coordinator of the other stalls.

We had the most glorious autumnal weather that just to be outside made you feel good. I love those days. There’s a little warmth in sun but no so much that you want to hide from it, and just a hint of a cooling breeze. The kids have a fine time running around their school out of hours with its familiarity and one off strangeness as parents and family gather to eat, listen, craft and bungy trampoline.

I’ve been thinking for a little while about dipping my toe into the craft market business, mostly as a means of funding my fabric and yarn habit rather than as a serious business proposition. I went with the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ theme of the fair and refashioned garments, made fabric cuffs out of remnant fabric and did up some iron-on transfer sheets. From a trading point of view, it wasn’t successful (I sold two items, but there wasn’t a great deal of buying going on for most of the stalls). I did learn heaps, though.

I got lots of positive comment on the refashioned garments. I can now tell you that one large machine-knit turtle neck jumper can produce a beanie (the turtleneck, with one opening seamed up), leg warmers or toddler’s leggings (the arms, plus some extra fabric from the torso for a rolled waistband), and a size 4 girl’s skirt.  I’d pinned them up on a dividing screen so they were laid out for viewing and it was easy for people to stroll past, pause, get enthusiastic (and then walk on). I had some totes made from vintage fabric or refashioned items – a cotton knit halter neck in an oriental print make a great looking hobo-style bag. Trust me on that because I forgot to take the camera. For the record, a bright orange tote and the leg warmers got sold.

The fabric cuffs and iron-on transfers were directed at the pre-teen demographic. They weren’t things I would plan to do at a craft market since they’re fiddly and pricing needs to stay reasonably low to attract the smaller budgets of the audience. Again, a lot of interest but no sales. My lass, who had invested her own time and energy in making a large sign, and helped out beautifully on the day, wistfully wondered why nobody was buying our things. I was wondering too.

My guesses are that a lack of regular foot traffic meant fewer  (no) sales. The stalls were away from the main action and required a special trip – they weren’t on the way  to anything – so that meant fewer opportunities to wander past and reconsider a purchase. I think this was most true for the older kids who are encouraged to have a small budget to manage on fair day. I also think that the fair is seen by the school community as a time to get together and have a bit of fun. So food and drink were popular, obviously, and especially so since that was arranged around our little ampitheatre while students and a parent/teacher band performed. Grown ups and kids alike were happy to have a go at the lucky number spinning wheel and to get into the few carnival games we had. Craft activities seemed to do well and is particularly popular with the under-6s. And as this year’s external stalls coordinator, I’m very happy to argue that we shouldn’t have any. Or only a couple. The more we focus on helping the kids have fun and their parents relax and join in, the better.

But back to the learning curve. For refashioned garments, I got the most comment on articles that were dissimilar to their original form, such as the toddler’s leggings. That might mean people are more interested in those things that go beyond the ‘I could do that myself’ thought. For new or different items, demonstrate their purpose. It would have been easier for my potential customers if they’d seen a hand mannequin wearing the fabric cuffs or a model t-shirt with an iron-on transfer. For totes and bags, variety and volume may be the go. I didn’t really expect to see the bright orange one go because it was such an individual piece. But someone came along and saw that it fitted her style – with more bags there may have been more customers drawn in to browse. And as ever, good signs and display.

I think I will do a real craft market. But I’ll do it just a few times a year with a more focused product line with more of my particular style in the goods.

And I’ll remember a folding chair. Because standing up for seven hours is not fun, even in glorious autumnal weather.

 

Trousers!

After three failed attempts and one barely passable attempt, I have finally made a pair of trousers that fit and can be worn in public. I started off this particular pair with the decision to draft my own pattern – and that was about three or four months ago. I stalled after the muslin was altered but then the second draft/actual trousers didn’t work. I seemed to be going around in circles, getting one bit right, then stuffing up another bit. So I left it and did other stuff.

Until someone on BurdaStyle posted trouser slopers for each size. Checked the sizing, printed out the pattern, checked out the sizing again and it was beautiful – a trouser pattern that required only the most minor of adjustments. I was more conscientous this time and repeated the muslin stage until I knew I had the right fit. As a sloper (a personal measurement draft, really) it didn’t have instructions or full pattern pieces such as facing, waistband or pockets. But it was pretty straightforward to draft some facing and I don’t go for waistbands or pockets anyway.

From muslin to trousers

Preparing the facing: trace pattern, remove darts.

Bring dart edges together and trace out new piece.

Facing and waistband pieces

The final trouser pattern makes a good shell for a skirt pattern.

So now I can knock up some more trousers – a pair in an afternoon – and I know just how much fabric I need for a pair. Quietly triumphant, I was. But I don’t have a photo of the finished piece yet because I’ve been too busy wearing them to work. I’ll entice the lad into some more fashion photography this weekend and have something for you in a few days.

I’ll get round to transferring the pattern pieces onto pattern card eventually but I do enjoy the convenience of fabric pattern pieces. They just stay there, perfectly aligned, and then you can cut without pinning. I did find out that I hadn’t quite enough fabric so the hem pretty minimal. I’m thinking of adding a faux cuff with some tone on tone embroidery, just to glam them up a bit. We’ll see – I do want to do it but there’s that thing about my to do list being possibly being a little bit longer than the time available.

 

Blog giveaway

Cos I love youse all.*

Though really because I was given a subscription to Creative Knitting magazine from my former workplace and it’s not quite my thing. So rather than toss each edition or have it pile and gather dust, I thought somebody might make use of it. It’s an eighteen month subscription and it’s issued quarterly.  I have three issues already that I will send to you and I will arrange a change of address to anywhere in Australia, effective from the next issue. It seems to be targeted at beginner/intermediate knitters and had patterns mostly for women and kids, with a couple of men’s patterns thrown in the last issue.

If you would like it, please leave a comment by 9.00am AEST Saturday and I’ll do a random number draw (um, hopefully I will need to do a random number draw….)

*quote from Jeff Fenech, champion Australian boxer and noted raconteur.