Month: February 2022
Reading a book with a place you know inside it
Just a ‘wondering’ really, not a crafty post this time.
Who else loves discovering that the book you are reading describes a place you know? At our book club last night a friend was delighted to tell us the book we’d just finished, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, set partly in Sausilito, California, wasn’t far away from where she grew up. It made me think of Girl On A Train by Paula Hawkins. The book covered commuting into London and the girl sees the backs of Victorian semis, pretty much reminding me of my commuting in my early twenties. Reading it felt so familiar, however, when it was made into a film it was set in the US – which ruined it for me. Then there’s Dorothy Koomson, fantastic author. She lives and writes about Brighton. I used to live in Hastings so Brighton was THE place to go as you became a teenager – oh the excitement of the boutique shops and bands that played at The Brighton Centre! Just a snippet of my easy reading tastes here. Sometimes you just have to pick a book for escapism or easy reading. Lucky for me, my lovely book club friends enjoy similar tastes.
Granny to be…
Granny to be… finished! That is, my granny square blanket is on the home stretch. I am not going to actually be a ‘granny’ (that was a sneaky heading eh?). Two weeks ago I was rediscovering wool and fabric WIPs and deciding whether WIPS would stay as UFOs or be completed or trashed. I started this particular project about 10 years ago when I worked in a yarn store which sold beautiful Italian Adriafil yarn and it wasn’t cheap even with a discount. Over the years it has been added to off and on but just never finished. It was one of my first forays into crochet – and yes it is slightly wonky and the tension could be more standard. It started as a cushion cover, then I wanted to make it bigger into a throw for a sofa. It was to go in our holiday home. We no longer have that holiday home. Luckily I still love the yarn and the randomness of the whole thing! I wish I had more black but the yarn was discontinued years ago and I can’t source it from anywhere. I need to make it bigger, perhaps add a large border. It’s still a WIP but at least all the squares are joined and all the ends are sewn in – for now I call that a ‘win’ on the WIP front.
I rediscovered a three quarters finished toddler jumper too and a WIP became A FINISHED ITEM – hurrah! Front, back and sleeves were complete. Sewing up was half done. It was supposed to be a hoodie but I decided on a round neck for quick finishing. I have to admit the toddler it was for is no longer a toddler – but funny enough it’s come up huge – so may still fit her. You may giggle as it so obviously needs pressing. I just wanted to share a finished ‘win’ briefly, don’t judge me on my photos please – I like words, I am not a photographer and my ironing plans start tomorrow!
On a woolly home stretch
It’s been another while since my last post and a while since I got back into serious crafting. Not that I haven’t been thinking about it, just that there have been other things filling my head most days. I have been admiring others’ hobbies and work from afar.
So, last week I dug out a few WIPs. Two I ripped back and it felt so satisfying, which is kind of weird that I wasn’t just cross with myself for rediscovering projects half done. I am having a major sort out pending a house move. I have been donating unwanted items to charities for second chance homes, including craft things to thrift stores and even selling the odd lot. A good friend gave me great advice re my guilty yarn stash. She said:
a} if the yarn isn’t a good yarn then rip it back/get rid of it – offer it to a friend (not necessarily her) or give it to someone or a group that will use yarn that’s been used before, or
b) if the yarn is good but the item isn’t to your taste then rip it back and keep it to make something else. I wasn’t to feel guilty about transporting it from one house to another.
It sounds so simple putting that down on paper. I was of the opinion that if I rediscovered a project I felt sheepish or annoyed that I’d not finished it. Many things were finding their way back into storage. I think it’s the way I was brought up, not to waste things. I remember my Mum reknitting jumpers from ripped back jumpers and adding a bit of something different to extend it’s length. She also extended the lives of various fabric items, eg. sheets into sleeping bag inners for holidays and I lost count of the number of items passed down to me from various family members.
So, what did I do first? Anyone guess correctly? Let’s just say ‘ends’ … More photos to follow in the next few days!
handmadehomemadeknitstitchdesign 