Sudden Thought

It just occurred to me that as a truly eclectic — nay, positively wanton crafter/artist/messer-about-with-materials-type-person, that I don’t have any extras. Like say if I was a quilter like the delicioso Mrs. Mel who admits to having a closet bursting with wonderful quilts or my friend Ania who makes a gazillion lovely lampwork beads and other beady creations or dear John who builds so many wonderful looms and other weaving and spinning tools (and he doesn’t weave), what do you do with the extras? The ones you make because you can’t help it, you just have to make them? The multiple things that won’t fit in your house any more because you’ve made so many that they’re oozing out the doors? I don’t have that problem because I am always running behind. Even though I’m always making something, I need more of the things that I make. I need them for me, my family, my home, birthday gifts, you-name-it, but I’m never overwhelmed/satiated/backed-into-a-corner-of-the-living-room by my creations. Maybe I work too slow?

I suppose if you make too much stuff then you have to sell some of it. Then you have to make more because now you have customers who want it. Then you have to put the prices up because you can’t afford to keep making and selling the stuff in the casual way you were before. You have to take inventory and do the books and pay taxes and hire staff and travel to craft fairs. Overhead. Storage. Supplies. Postage stamps. Yikes! And I get bored before weaving the second placemat. I always state that I sell my expertise (or even give it away for free) but I don’t sell my work.

Speaking of my work — now for a couple of Finished Objects!

First we have my mother-in-law’s birthday socks. These were done a couple of days ago, but I finally got them washed and blocked.

Nana Socks

Begun: February 6, 2007
Completed: February 16, 2007
Yarn: Sandnesgarn’s Sisu, 80% wool/20% nylon, 50 g = 160 m, hand-dyed in purples over white.
Needles: new Clover Takumi 5” bamboo dpns
Pattern: Damselfly’s Plain Socks on 64 sts, 6” before heel flap, 6.25” before toe decreases.
Comments: Teensy! She gets them tomorrow and I know she'll love them.

Then we have the fuzzy shawl for my sister. This makes one each for all three of them.

Fuzzy Sister Shawl


Begun: February 16, 2006
Completed: February 19, 2006
Yarn: Sandesgarn Chili, furry/bumpy/sparkly novelty, 100% polyamide, 50 g = 65 m, colour 8857 (greens, white & yellow), 2 balls. Sandesgarn Smart, 100% wool DK, 50 g = 100 m, colour 4658 (purples and a little green), 1.5 balls.
Needles: Denise size 13 circular.
Pattern: Fibermania’s Shawl
Comments: Slightly belated birthday present. Well I couldn’t NOT make a shawl for the last of my sisters, now could I? We now have a complete set. Wouldn’t it be weird if we all wore them at the same time? This one got me thinking of spring!

Spring is kind of hard to contemplate today after it rained buckets and the basement is leaking again. Yesterday was another story however. The sun was out so we decided to go for a walk on Richmond’s South Dyke along the Fraser River and into Steveston, an historic fishing port and Tourist Mecca on such a nice day. We parked the car what turned out to be a leetle too far away, about 5.5 kilometres from town. The walk west was cool and windy with whitecaps on the river. No, I forgot my camera, darn it! You’ll have to use your imagination. Think tug boats, barges, seagulls, fish boats, and ducks in every available puddle. Once in Steveston we went to our favourite fish and chip shop (Dave’s) for late lunch. Then to the yarn shop (of course!) Wool & Wicker where I bought some Trekking XXL sock yarn for him and some Trekking Pro Natura (wool/bamboo) for me.


Ya don’t think I could actually enter a yarn shop and not buy something, do ya? Then the long long walk back to the car. The wind had died down and the air was warmer, but man-o-man that felt like a million kilometers by the time we got back! I’d say it was about maybe 2.5 or 3 km longer than we would have preferred but by the time you’re halfway, you’ve got no choice but to continue on. After all, Velvet the MINI Cooper can’t come and find you by herself! We made it though with no bad after-effects except that I had to take an Advil to sleep last night with my hip hurting. I have a bit of arthritis in it and it lets me know when I’ve overdone it. Today it’s fine.

Have to tell the funniest thing we saw on the way home. A family with a cute little girl holding a pig-shaped balloon and smiling hugely! Nobody could help smiling back, she was so adorable. After all, it was Lunar New Year yesterday and it’s now the auspicious Year of the Pig. Happy New Year! Gung Hei Fat Choi! (Which actually translates from the Cantonese to "Congratulations and be prosperous".) Everybody has been saying that around here, even we Round Eyes. After all, who can resist another holiday to celebrate, eh? Oink!