Crafty Rantings

I'm Crafty. I Rant. These are Crafty Rantings!

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Oh Mary Jane... Er, I Mean Brooke!

Well the exchange has happened. Brooke came by the office this afternoon and dropped off her yarn, hook, instructions and the beginnings of her Mary Jane slippers. I'm working on them a bit but I don't know if I'm going to have them done by the 14th although I will try. I am also making MYSELF something for a change!!! But the Mary Jane slippers are a nice break and I can do one round at a time (they're crochet, not knit, in case you didn't remember!). I have to say that the yarn is very, very pretty. So I will take pictures before I give them back to Brooke to felt. Hehehe... I like the arrangment... I do the work and she has to felt. Yeah, I know, usually that's the easy part. But anybody remember a series of posts I made after I started felting my own Mary Jane slippers? Hmm... Anyone? Don't be afraid to raise your hand or speak up.

THEY TOOK ALMOST A WEEK TO DRY AFTER I MANAGED TO FELT THEM TO SIZE!!!

I do wear mine. Once in a while I think, hmmm... maybe another 4 or 8 minutes would make them just a bit tighter. So y'know, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna wear them ALL winter and then in the spring when it's too warm to wear them, I'm going to felt them some more. They'll dry faster because it's warmer and I WON'T CARE HOW LONG IT TAKES THEM TO DRY BECAUSE I WON'T *HAVE* TO WEAR THEM TO KEEP WARM!!!

Oh, I'm sorry. I was screaming there, wasn't I?

I am going to a craft fair, one way or the other, on Saturday. Hopefully it'll be me, Brooke and Susan (who now calls me Myrtle - long story you probably don't want to hear unless you have an interest in psychology). Girls shopping, crafts involved (no, Susan doesn't knit but I think she probably used to... she's too busy with work and grandchildren and a great husband to craft but she's a great fleece blanket maker/teacher and 4H help!) AND there will probably be lunch involved! What more could a girl want?!? Well, except for Kiefer Sutherland.

OK, I'm gonna have some hot cocoa, watch "Medium" which I taped last night and work on either the present for myself or Brooke's Mary Jane slippers.

Thank you Brooke for giving me something to "clean my knitting palate".

Oh yeah... didn't tell you that after I finish the gift for me, I have 3 more of those nasty little similar things I probably should make before Christmas. I think Roger and John will be getting a pair. (For those of you who don't know, I work for 3 attorneys - the main two being Roger and John.) Well, unless I just lose all ambition and that is highly possible. Especially since I just bought myself "One-Skein Wonders"... maybe now I can bring myself to use up some of the stash.

In the meantime, "Medium", cocoa and Mary Janes!

Ah, winter. I can knit without sweating now. :)

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

I'm In A Hurry! No Pictures!

I was in a big hurry last night so there are no pictures. I wanted to sieze the moment while I felt the inclination so I wrapped up all my wonderful homemade Christmas presents and got them ready to ship. What does this mean? Well, it means that the presents for my Mom, my brother Den, my daughter Ally and her husband Sean as well as lots of friends are wrapped (and I am *not* good at wrapping, btw!) and as far as I'm concerned, gone. All that's left is to address the box or envelope, put postage on it and off it goes. I couldn't really be bothered to remember silly things like taking pictures or writing an entry into my blog. Well, not last night. :) I did manage to take a picture of something I made my Secret Pal but, obviously, that won't be posted for a while.

So what am I working on now? Susan's Christmas present. Then after I see her, I am going to work on Brooke's Mary Jane slippers. I am also starting to plan what to make for next year's holiday and birthday gifts and will start on those right away in January. I have something I want to make for me and then one other little thing which all are scheduled for before Christmas. Oh yeah, forgot - one small project I've been working on for a few months but lost ambition and now I have it back again so since I'm only about 6 rows away from done, that is big on the "gotta do" list. It's the project I take to work so instead of playing on the computer at lunchtime, I need to do that. The other things are secrets (yeah, I know, enough of those) and I work on those at home.

I have decided I am going to attempt socks next year. I have to get some basic sock yarn, a basic pattern and lots of help (Kaylee! Roni! Linda! Brooke! Hey Julie... have you tried these yet?). Why on earth do I want to do this to myself?!?

You know, despite the fact I have made a ton of presents for others, I do still (don't faint) buy a few presents. I have people on the list who just aren't fond of homemade stuff. Yeah, why are they on the list? you ask. Well, because they're friends. And I understand that not everyone likes homemade stuff. I, for instance, am not all that fond of things that have been sewn. Why? Because I CANNOT SEW! I have never been able to, never liked it and have no aptitude for it. Doesn't mean I can't appreciate it. Just I don't care for it.

BTW, preparing a good meal should be considered a craft if it isn't. Being able to make a beautiful batch of cookies, no matter how weird looking, is crafty. As long as it tastes good and has your heartfelt good intentions in it, that's crafty.

I try to make up in enthusiasm what I might lack in skill. :)