Some for me, some for you?

Before Christmas I showed you how I went down a crazy path, and made a whole set of coordinating crochet hook handles for myself.  What I never told you was that I tried to use one of the hooks a few hours later, and it was terrible.

I’ve heard people say that they are fiercely loyal to the brand of hook they use, and that some brands just don’t work as well as others for them.  I accepted this, but thought it was kind of silly.  I mean, a hook is a hook, right?  Well, I just could not get that Boye size E to work for me.  I moved up a few sizes, and then down a few sizes, and none of them would obey my command.  I felt like a complete spaz using them – I was so surprised that I couldn’t make them work!

So there I was with a lovingly-made set of hooks that were useless to me. Useless!

Since then, I’ve worked little-by-little, in between holiday preparations and festivities, to make a whole new set for myself.  This time I covered Susan Bates hooks, which I have no problem using whatsoever.  Like the last set, I covered all of the handles in some variation of my Triangle cane pattern, making each of them coordinate with its own metal hook color.  Each hook was given Triangles in a different color scheme, and all of them are different from the ones I used on the original Boye hooks.

What can I say? It helps to have a sizable stash of canes to dip into when I need them!

My honest opinion is that the Boye hooks (on the right) are more attractive than the Bates hooks, when viewed all together like this.  But beauty doesn’t particularly matter when I can’t do so much as make a chain with them, I suppose.

So there it is – sixteen hooks.  And even after all that, I’m still in a hook-making mood.

Shocking, I know.

This coming weekend is the annual Clayathon, and I thought I’d make some more hooks – for you! 

I’ve re-opened the shop for a very short time, and you can place an order for a custom-made hook, just like you did at Christmas time.  I have a selection of nine different patterns to choose from so none of us gets bored with the same-old same-old (and by “none of us” I mean “me”).

Just like before, you can also order pens or shawl pins if you wish.

And if there’s anything else that I’ve ever made that you are dying to have, leave a comment!  My Clayathon time is largely unplanned and I might be able to arrange it.

Ok, so go order a hook if you like! And don’t wait too long… I have to stop taking orders noonish on Wednesday so that I have time to order the hooks I need before I leave for my trip!

Thanks

Changing of the guard

It takes me just about as long to take down Christmas as it does to put it up.  In other words, about a month.  I’m really so slow about the whole thing.  I do a room, and then I live with it a while.  Until I’m ready to do another room.  And then I enjoy that space a while… I’m in no rush about it.

I started switching out the Christmas this week in the kitchen.  I always start with the kitchen – it’s the easiest room in the house.

All I have to do is swap out the linens: napkins, apron, and table mat.

Today, I also had to clean up the mess that had accumulated there, but, oh, it was so worth it.  The room looks 100 times brighter when there’s no clutter on the table top.

It makes me want to have company and serve them cookies.  So I did.

Distractions

A typical winter night finds us all together in the family room, doing our own things.  The boys usually work on their homework, and Neil and I do computer work (or play, as the case may be) on our laptops. Sometimes I knit or crochet instead.  I enjoy this cozy time together tremendously.

Tonight, being a weekend, there is no homework being done.  The fire has been lit, and the boys are playing Kirby together on the Wii.  This is a perfect time for me to get out the blog post I’ve had percolating all day.  Or so I’ve been thinking, until now.

You see, this Kirby game, for some reason, has got my kids all excited.  They are eager to share every little detail with me, and although I haven’t the slightest bit of interest whatsoever in this game, I have looked up every time they’ve said, “hey Mom, look at this” or “Mom, this is the cool part.”  I feel strongly that when we are all together like this, I shouldn’t be so fully engrossed in my own thing that they feel unimportant.  So I do my own thing, but I continue to remain available.

Tonight it’s not really working for me.  All of this Wii action is taking its toll on my ability to string together words into coherent thoughts.  These four simple paragraphs have taken half an hour to write.  I’ll be surprised if it’s not another thirty minutes still by the time I proofread the page and press “publish.”

I can barely remember what I even wanted to say here all day. It couldn’t have been that important, I suppose.  Something about blog housekeeping probably (new header, new avatar, blah blah blah).

Oh! I did want to tell you that I’ve put back an old feature I used to have (I’ve missed it): the list of top commentors and of links to the blog.  I really appreciate you being here, participating, and helping to build a sense of community.  I hope I can return the favor a small amount by sharing your links in my sidebar.

It’s the least I can do, really

Be sure to check it out – it’s at the bottom of the right sidebar.

Kirby is over now, and Eamonn is reading a Bad Kitty book aloud to me. I need to go give him my undivided attention. (Bad Kitty is far more interesting to me than Kirby, luckily.)

Have a lovely weekend!

Bag angst

It was just over a year ago that I got this lovely camera bag.  I loved it (as much as one could love a bag) and I took it with me everywhere.  I loved that I could always have my camera in tow, and that it was well-protected.  I really loved that the tote looked like a big purse and didn’t scream “I am a camera bag.”  We (my Olive Vine Tote bag and I) were happy.

Sadly, as sometimes happens, about six months into this blissful relationship, the seeds of discontent were planted.  Neil gave me an android tablet for my 40th birthday, and I became smitten.  It was such a handy tool, I naturally wanted to take the tablet with me wherever I went.

But the bag. Oh, my lovely Olive Vine bag! There was just no nice way to rearrange the padded dividers so that a 10-inch tablet could slide in there.  I tried all kinds of things, but in the end, I decided the only way to make it work would be to do some surgery on the bag.  I wasn’t willing to risk messing it up, so that was that. I had to live with it.

After that when I left the house, it was either without the camera, without the tablet, carrying two bags, or carrying one bag with the camera and tablet both flopping around loosely inside (oh, the horror!).

I am really not one to take the purchase of a $100 bag lightly, but I was having such difficulty leaving the house some days! Which electronics should I bring with me? How should I get them there? All of this dithering was driving me batty.  And so finally I sat down, spent an hour or two online, argued with myself a good bit, re-checked my blog revenue for the past year, and pressed “Buy Now” on Betsy.

Part of my bargain with myself involved selling Olive.  She really is still a great bag, and I’d still be taking her with me everywhere I went if she could only see fit to accommodate a 10-inch tablet!  I was planning to put Olive on eBay as soon as the new bag gets here, but I thought first that maybe I should give my favorite online community (that would be you, of course) first crack at her.

So, here are the details:

This “Olive Vine Tote” was made by Jo Totes, measures 15″ x 5 3/4″ x 11″, has a removable cross-body strap, six repositionable padded velcro dividers, and metal feet.

It’s roomy interior fits all of this stuff, which includes a DSLR, three lenses, a snap-on lens in a box, an external flash, a large wallet, and a million other small things.  Everything you see pictured on the bottom right was just moments before inside the bag for the top photo.  That’s how I always have carried it, and it doesn’t feel over-stuffed.

There are a few signs of wear, none of them structural.  Most notably, the green faux leather has worn in a few places: a few corners and under the zipper (which is mostly hidden). Also the (non-zippered) inner pocket is coming unraveled.  A little hand sewing should fix that right up, but I haven’t needed that pocket and so I have never bothered.

I originally paid almost $90 for this bag.  I’m not entirely sure what it would fetch now, after a year of use, but I found an even older one on eBay currently bidding at $46 with a day left to go on it.

This tote was well-loved, but still has plenty of life left in it.  My eBay plan was to start the bidding at $30, but have a buy-it-now price of $55.  Would any of you be interested in it for $50 + shipping? Be the first person to comment or email me that you would like it, and it’s yours!

If I haven’t had a nibble here after a couple of days, I’ll go ahead with my original eBay plan and edit this post to provide you with the link.

[Update: Olive is SOLD! I thought you might be a little disappointed, so I did a quick eBay search and found some other Jo Totes and some similar bags by Epiphanie. Have fun!]

Now, if you will pardon me, I am going to go stalk the mailbox.  Betsy should be here today, and I am eager to fill her up with camera gear, and tablet-y goodness!

(Please consider giving Olive a good home – she’s a lot less work than a new puppy, but just as much fun to carry around.)

The year in review(ish)

Another year, another Project 365.  This was my third one, and I so enjoyed it!  These are a few of my favorite images.  You can see the rest on flickr or picasa (your choice – I’m in both places at the moment, waffling between which I prefer more).

This time around I gave myself a theme of “up close and personal” for two reasons:

1. it would force me to pay attention to the little things in life
2. it would give me some practice with close-up photography

I think it was a great success! Why? Because I had fun with it, because I am pleased with so many of the photos I took, because I’ve learned a thing or two, and because I am not ready to stop!

I felt this way when I did “a year of mornings” in 2010, too.

So, what’s on the docket for 2012′s daily photo project? I’ve decided to call it “a year in the life,” which is basically just a cheap way out of making a decision at all… I suspect there will be a lot of close-up shots taken in the morning, though… stick with what you love, right?

Speaking of things I love, would you like to see the 2011 handmades?

This isn’t just a highlights mosaic. This is all of them! I feel like maybe I was less prolific this year than in previous ones. There are still so many unfinished projects living in my brain (and some that have gotten a hold of my credit card to purchase supplies and are living in little bags my house).

You can see these completed projects up close here on the blog, or you can check them out on flickr or picasa.

So. It’s January, 2012. So many pictures to take and creative projects to tackle in the coming year.  The world is brand new with possibilities.  What should we do first?!

Amigurumi Link

It’s been somewhat quiet in Blogland these last several days, but I have to believe there are a few of you out there still checking in, just as I have been reading a few long-time favorites, too – mostly via my tablet, from under my quilt, while next to a crackling fire.  Oh, I have such a rough life the week after Christmas, I know!

So for you who are poking your head in here this week, I thought I’d talk a little about one of the few handmades to make it under the tree this Christmas: Amigurumi Link.

Link, for the uninitiated, is the hero of the Legend of Zelda games, which have had a hold on my boys ever since they discovered Twilight Princess a few summers ago.

I made quite a few changes from the original pattern, not because I am some kind of crochet expert who thinks she knows better, but rather the opposite.  This was a really ambitious undertaking for me.  I’d never attempted amigurumi before, and there were just so many parts to construct! I started with less than a week to go before Christmas, and as I got closer to my deadline, I skimped in some places.

Most notably, I gave him looped yarn hair instead of crocheting his hair, and I skipped all of his accessories.

Somewhere around here is a medallion that I forgot to attach to his belt, along with a half-finished sword and shield.  I’ll finish them sometime, I hope.  (But first I really need to finish Aidan’s sweater. The poor boy has been waiting so patiently for that.)  In the meantime, the boys are happy with this Link doll as he is, and they were duly impressed that I made him.  It’s always fun when I can wow them a little!

This may very well be my last post of the year… I have all kinds of thoughts about how to re-organize my digital life for the coming year, and maybe I’ll be back to chat about that. Or maybe I’ll just keep it to myself. Sometimes those thoughts are really just too boring to write down, no matter how much fun I may have implementing them.

So on the chance that I am not back here until 2012, allow me to wish you a happy and healthy New Year!  Thanks for hanging out with me here for the last 365 days!

Play

They’ve been spending the last few days staring deep into screens.  These particular screens are from their grandparents.  There have been other screens too, these few days since Christmas.  And while I would normally feel the urge to limit the time spent  playing with such devices, I’m letting it go.

After all, it’s Christmas. What is the week before New Years for, if not to spend it in your pj’s playing with your new toys?

That, and I can hardly fault them.  I’ve been playing with a few of my own new toys this week, too.  Santa was so good to us this year… you too, I hope?

Magical

We’re not really one of those families who has the tree up the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, we’re often lucky to have our act together in that department by Christmas Eve. True to form, this year I’ve been slow to get the house cleaned up, preferring to focus instead on closing up the shops for the season, and on gift-making + gift-buying.

This week Neil has had the week off, and he cleaned up the spot downstairs where the tree goes. He also put up the lights, and sometime soon the kids will put on the ornaments. They’ve asked to put the ornaments up themselves, but their leisure time has been mainly focused on beating the latest Legend of Zelda adventure. They’re nearly there, so I suspect our tree will be well-adorned very soon.

In the meantime, I’m working on secret projects and trying to capture a little taste of this week’s inherent magic through my lens. So far, this magic exists only in little carefully-cropped pockets of space – pockets that have been cleared of the clutter that plagues the rest of this house.

Oh, I have so much work to do to get this space cleaned-up and pretty! But I do so want to. I want to string twinkling lights in the kitchen, and burn candles in the living room. I want to exist these next several days in cozy, happy spaces, alive with joyful preparations, warm scents, and familiar music.

Essentially, my goal for this week is to make some family memories that don’t involve me freaking out in the middle of a huge mess.

As I write, the Wii has been turned off for the night, and the tree decorating has begun.  I think I’ll join them.

Be Merry!
-Lisa

Overboard

I look forward to this day every year: the day after I close down the shop(s) for the season.  It’s a day to take a deep breath, relax, and then jump headlong into the Christmas preparations I’ve been neglecting all month!

I’ll be making my gift-giving list later today, and getting myself all organized – I can hardly wait! I love this part: the planning and the scheming.  I’m not too big on the shopping and the wrapping, but I perk up again when it’s time for the giving.  Such fun to play Santa, I think.

So, I’m not really doing the handmade Christmas thing this year.  Not on the grand scale I usually do.  But there was one project that really caught my eye last week, and I just had to add it to my list.  I’m not going to say what it is, just in case one of my sons happens to read this post, but I will give you the link (click here!) and trust that those boys will be good enough not to sneak a peek…

So, did you look? There could hardly be a more perfect crochet project for me to undertake for my boys than that one!

So I ordered a bunch of cotton yarn, and I saw that I needed an E hook. Perhaps you can guess what happened next?

Well, with all of the hook-handle-making I’ve been doing around here lately, I just couldn’t bring myself to start a crochet project with a plain, boring, unembellished hook.  (Really, can you blame me?)  So I decided to cover an E hook. But, the thing is, I have had it in my mind for some time that I would like a nice coordinating set of hooks for myself, and it seemed that stopping with just an E would be wrong somehow.  Now I know you know where this is going…

Allow me to present my new hooks:

This was originally a set of Boye hooks (I really hope I like working with them – I didn’t have the sense to try one out before I covered the whole crazy set) and each hook is covered with a different color variation of my Triangles cane design.  They all match, but they are still different enough to tell them apart at a glance.

I love them!  I sanded and buffed them all, just like the ones I made for the shop recently, and I just love to pet them and feel how smoooooooth they are.  (I know, I have a problem…)

Later tonight, I will curl up on the couch with my project instructions, my colorful box of yarn and my new E hook, and try my hand at this amigurumi thing.  I don’t know if I can manage to finish the entire project – it’s a little ambitious for me, particularly with just a week before Christmas – but even if I only complete part of it, that part should still be gift-able.

Let the merrymaking commence!

Weirdos from another planet

I may be raising future bank robbers.

Or weirdos. They might just be weirdos.

(P.S. Thanks for the moral support on my last post. You’re the best. *hugs*)