Some of what I've been doing

Poor blog. You are so neglected. The primary reason for this is because I have been out doing things and living life, rather than writing about it. So, what has been filling my days? Hopefully in the next few I can show what I've been up to lately.

First, in the crafting realm. I have been asked to do a very interesting craft project. The story goes something like this: Once upon a time, my friend Ann caught me in a moment of weakness with regards to a central park hoodie (CPH III on ravelry, for those who care about the details). As she was sporting her new sweater atone of her studio homes, co-worker Scott inquired about my ability to develop patterns from scratch. My ability? Just fine, thanks. I was asked then if I would be able to create one of these:



Now, I've done some pattern drafting here in NC, but nothing like what I was doing in Texas. Haven't had the time, the space, the energy, or frankly, the need to develop anything. So this is a very welcome challenge. Spaceman MINI (that's his name) truly is mini--he stands about 3 inches. The mini I'm creating currently stands at 15 inches. That's what...400 times bigger? After discussions about colors and materials, I laid my hands on some fleece, pulled my muslin out of storage,and have set to work making a mock up. The results so far have been..interesting. Something of a disaster, I'm afraid. I actually hesitate to post this on the internet. Then again, maybe it's for the best, as it will dispel some myths from some of you about things springing forth fully formed from my fingers!

At any rate, the biggest challenge is his face. The embroidery part will be interesting enough on its own. I'm going for "Silk and Ivory" needlepoint thread for that. Gorgeous from my perspective, and, in my imagination, fully capturing the character--Scott's requirement! But the edge of his space suit, the fact that it's recessed, is proving to be a very interesting structural challenge. After a lot of thought, I came up with the idea of building a triangle-wedge-donut around his face. See the angle? If that's the hypotenuse of a triangle, then dropping down a piece of scrap fabric vertically around the outermost edge, and extending the plane of the face horizontally would make a triangle inside him, that I could fill independently and keep that shape. So the theory went. Not so much...well, here's the results:


Looking all flat and innocent. I wasn't thrilled with my skill at aligning the face to the grey part to the body..but was willing to let it go for the time.



Frankly, I think the poor guy looks like a giant tooth. The white doesn't help. This, I think, can officially be termed a design fail. The likes of which I haven't done in a long time. Like I said, I feel bad sharing this one with the world, and frankly, I hope the intended recipient doesn't think any less of my skills for this one! Ha! As a matter of fact, this one was the second attempt. The first one went straight into the trash--I must have been tired, or overly arrogant, because the first results were so bad I had to simply throw them away without a second glance.

So what's next for the MINI? Well, I have another design in my head, which I didn't really want to do because it will be more complex and difficult to assemble, but I'm fairly certain I'll get a decent result out of it. I'm going to extend the plane of the face (and the fabric it rests on) out to the side seams, and then build the front half of him outward from that. The challenges include having three pieces of fabric along the side seams (rather than just two), and turning is from wrong-side out to right side out, as well as attaching the grey part of his suit to the face. My ideal situation is to use a zig-zag stitch to get the black lines, but it's also a fairly heavy stitch. And a bitch to rip out. So, on the real thing, if I make the tiniest error, I'm utterly screwed, because I'll have heavy-duty zig zag sitting right next to a hand-embroidered face. I'm terrified of having to rip that seam back--I don't think the face would survive it very well at all, and it'll take hours just on its own. Oh, and I'm going to try to stiffen the grey portion with glue-soaked gauze. Because it's not complicated enough yet.

The glue is finally dry, and I'll attempt the mock-up tonight. Wish me luck!

ETA: for those of you who want to see Scott's other artwork, you can go see his blog here.

Pretties

One of the casualties of the divorce was my creativity. About this time last year, I couldn't make anything for love nor money. I could knit, because, to me, knitting isn't all that creative (blasphemy, I know!)...not in the grand scheme of things. I could follow a pattern fairly easily, and with my only instruction being "make it fit", well, that doesn't require too much thought from me, usually.

The creativity is back, at long last. Yay!

Sewing, on the other hand, took something of a nosedive. Ironic, considering I was still paying for The Cadillac, but there it is. Sewing projects tend not to take as long as knitting projects, though, so if I get a yen to do so, I could potentially blast through the stash pretty quickly. I'll maintain that the reason I haven't posted anything is because I have busy doing things...and without further ado, the evidence!

First, a top. I bought the fabric (paid more money than I care to admit) in Asheville when Kat and I met up in November. The woman in the shop told me it was fiddly, but I had to have it-a sage green linen mesh. It was floaty, and draped like a dream on the sample. I ignored her statements about how difficult it was. I shouldn't have. If satan could inhabit two dimensions, this is what form he would take. This stuff is utterly hateful. It's worse than velvet. Does pretty have its limits?

Second: a bit of cuteness I whipped up this weekend for a co-worker who's having a baby. There's lots of other babies in my world right now (LOTS) who need niceness like this...and I intend to give them some! This one just got it first:

Long Story Short

Yes, I know I've been remiss in posting. What can I say? I tend to spend more time living life than writing about it. That and I write all day long--that's my job--so writing at night tends to take a back seat. It shouldn't, though.

Some good news, though. My last check from Robert came today. I've been spending some time in thought recently about what to do for myself to end the separation on a good note. What to do to celebrate my freedom from a rotten personal time. To celebrate the potential I see in myself for the future, even with all the nervous uncertainty in the newspapers today. To celebrate that I am looking forward to the future, I bought myself a fantastic summer vacation: Australia. If you've interacted with me on even a remotely regular basis, you know that I've been talking about this place for...oh, a year or more. There's lots of reasons for this choice...some of which I've shared and some I choose to keep to myself. Needless to say, I'm very excited. And I promise to do my best to not become one of those annoying travellers that updates everyone on every aspect for the sole purpose of making those around them jealous. But, for now, the answers to the basic questions:
1. August. (Yes, it's partially a birthday present to myself)
2. Yes, I can take the time (Yes, I love almost every part of my job, too.)
3. Yes, I'm going by myself.
4. No, I will not die.
5. Yes, I will meet some people there. Locals and fellow travellers alike.
6. It's cold and I will not be getting in water deeper than my ankles (just so I can say I did it), so sharks would have to be pretty desperate to eat me.
7. I'm more afraid of running out of photo cards than I am of any other disaster that might befall me. Brave? Maybe. Stupid? Probably.
8. Yes you can come, if you like. My accommodations will not be ending in "Hilton".

Hope all is well in cyberspace, and I hope also to post more frequently this spring. Hooray for daylight savings time!

Welcome 2009!

Whew....what a year! Though I will expound on this in other places, it seems like 2008's catch phrase should be "the agony and the ecstasy"...often at the same time! At any rate, I'm glad it's done. On to another year, a new plan, and the tools to accomplish it!

Somewhere along the way, I adopted the idea that the way I spent my New Year's Day was indicative of how the year was going to be. Maybe it had came about as an expansion on the idea that eating black eyed peas on NY Day brought good luck for the year, or perhaps I heard it from someone. At any rate, more than just the first opportunity to carry out resolutions, it strikes me as a somewhat auspicous day. To that end, here is how I've spent my day:

1. Crafting. Yes, it was needlepoint, which is not my primary mode of creation, but it's a project that has been languishing for a while and I sat down and just plugged through the part that was slow-going. Now all that's left isn't too fit-inducing. I do want to do more of that this year--get craft work done both for the sheer joy of it and for the reduction of stash.

2. Cooking: As opposed to eating out, which is how I took far too many meals in 2008. I want to cook more, and cook healthier. I know how, it's simply a matter of doing it. Once I finish with the peas, I'll have enough to last me quite a while!

3. Working out: well, this will happen as soon as I finish this post. I need to go. Badly. 'nuff said.

4. Knit night: I'm excited that most everyone decided to go ahead and keep to our schedule. I'll get some knit time AND time with friends, which, in the end, is far more important than the knitting. This rowdy crowd has lent tremendous support in 2008 and I look forward to hanging out with them in 2009. Don't believe knitters can be rowdy? Ask the Panera staff! ha!

Smaller, life maintenance things have been done, too...like laundry, but all in all a pretty good day!

Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

She has left NC....

...and entered The Twilight Zone. Seriously, that was my first thought when I read this. The headline said "Limbaugh thinks Clinton a Brilliant Pick" or some such nonsense...I was going to fall out of my chair to learn that the man might have aquired a bit of decency. Rest assured, he's still a malicious jackass, so all is still (mostly) right with the world.

And this will be the last time I mention his name on this blog.

The best part of winter..

Is fruit stuff. This stuff doesn't have a name. Just "fruit stuff". There's nothing to it, really. Just oranges and grapefruit, cut up into a fruit salad, marinating in its own juice. This is really popular with the family. When we were all at home, we could go through about 80 pounds of fruit in a season between four people--40 lbs. each of grapefruit and oranges. This is a 5 lb. bag of grapefruit and approximately as much of oranges. I had 4 left over out of an 8 lb. bag.





The part that makes this great is Texas grapefruit from the Rio Valley. So sweet, so red, needs no sugar! A little more expensive here than the Florida grapefruit, but it's worth the extra cost to me to have something that truly tastes like home.

Yum!

It's Christmas already!?

This one comes from F, and I haven't seen it before, so what the heck. Besides, according to the people who do marketing, Xmas started 3 weeks ago, and I'm officially late! ha!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Yes. Usually gift bags come out if the gift is unusually shaped. Or if I'm feeling lazy. Or if I run out of a certain kind of paper. Or if I know I won't get the bag back in the end. I tend to recycle gift bags. I'm also one of those strange people who really likes to wrap presents, so I tend to try to make either as elaborate as I can.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
REAL. Smells better, looks better, feels better. I could go on a long rant about how they are actually better for the environment than the fake ones (and I can prove it), but I'll skip that here. And for God's sake don't buy the fake tree scent stuff!

3. When do you put up the tree?
I haven't put up a tree where I live in a while. When I was in MD 2 years ago, it was two days before because that's when I got there and I was the only one putting out effort on that front (notice a trend, anyone???). If I travel back to Texas, I tend not to bother with a tree, but I'll put up other things.

4. When do you take the tree down?
See above. The rest of the decorations usually come down the weekend/week after New Years.

5. Do you like Egg Nog?
Actually, no. And I even had the opportunity to try it with real unpasteurized eggs and enough rum to kill any germs that might be in those eggs. And I still didn't like it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
hmmm...you know, I don't really remember one or another being a favorite. My parents could definitely go in for odd, though. When I was about 8 or so, I got a HUGE roll of scotch tape in my stocking. I must have had a confused look on my face, because my mom told me that Santa must know that I like to make stuff, and that I might be easier to be good if I had my own instead of taking hers all the time (I became the Thief/Keeper of All Scissors and Tape at about 4 years old). I used every inch of that tape.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Dad's hard now, because if he wants it, he gets it. And if he wants it and doesn't have it, it costs $1,500 (taking the form of a new camera lens)

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Molly is a lot of fun to buy for, though it usually takes a while. Often if I get gifts for friends, they're the easiest. In fact, usually the friends that get gifts are the ones for whom inspiration struck while I was shopping!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We did when I was little. I can't remember if I have one in my Xmas box from MD. I make it to church, though. :) And in TX, it's often several times.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Who in the hell eMails Christmas cards?

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I'm allowed to say it now: Anything that came from Robert's mom. *evil grin*

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
The (otherwise unranked) top 3 are: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Charlie Brown's Christmas, and George C. Scott's A Christmas Carol. Watching the last one is a Christmas Eve tradition--put it in after we get back from church with some wine. Mom HATED that that became a tradition..

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Sometime about the first week of December, though I try to start in November, if possible. Mom would grab deals in the summer and save them.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No. I have returned them for things that I'll actually use, though.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Hmm..my first thought was "cookies". But now that Christmas is in TX and I'm usually not, I think I'll answer "Mexican Food"

16. Lights on the tree?
"Twice as many as you think you need" is about right.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"O come O come Emmanuel". In Latin. And "In the Bleak Midwinter". That one needs a choir though, for the cool "Snow on Snow" harmony/echo.
For a reasonable (normal) answer, I really like the Chipmunks Christmas Song, too.
I feel like I got spoiled on the Christmas songs after singing them in HS choir for four years. Somewhere I permanently learned the words to A LOT of the more obscure ones, and a fair number of them in foreign languages..so my favorites are NEVER played on the radio nor are they sung in church, usually.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I think it's been fairly well established by now. Xmas=Travel (usually to TX) for me. When I was a kid it almost never involved travel. I'm not sure which I prefer.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Hmm..Rudolph. Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen...down by two.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Stars usually look less tacky.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When we were little, mom would let us open 2 the night before. Now we do all of them the morning of.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The radio stations that started playing 24/7 Xmas music on November 1st. And the fact that Thankgiving isn't even allowed to be it's own holiday. And that all the stores started putting up their merch. on October 1st. I'm already sick of looking at it.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Ornaments have themes? Is "I made it when I was 6 and it's been going on the tree ever since" a theme?

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Gumbo. Actually, we don't DO much for Christmas dinner. None of the ceremony, "everyone dress up and gather together" sort of thing. We're all wrapped up in our comfy clothes (or shorts and t-shirts, depending on the weather), and we all kinda migrate in and out all day.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I've given out a list of things--Bellydance sword, melodia pants, and the Wall-E movie, but it's hard to think of things because I've already gotten what I really wanted-a job and the ability to stay in a living situation that I like. The only other thing I really want is my name back, and I get that in February/March.

I'm feeling pretty lucky/grateful as I head into 2009....


26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
uh...no one because responses don't usually abound around here!

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?
The list is long, here.

Step One...

This is a post I've been meaning to do for a while. Now that I don't have the thesis looming over my shoulders all the time I've been able to start taking whacks at the list of things I said I was going to do when I was done. Properly speaking, Step One was to find a job. Step Two is to get out of the debt I accrued when living on next to nothing. To that end, I did this:

I've left one behind for emergencies...but other than that, that's all of them. They are going away so I am in no way tempted to use them! A little bit of debt built up when I was married, as my credit rating was better than Robert's. So, to that end, any debt we accrued was in my name, and then we aggressively paid down his (what little was left). Naturally, when we split, I got to take the debt with me. I'm grateful now that I can afford to get rid of it!

Step Three: build up some emergency cash...


On a related note, I do intend to keep this blog better updated now that the thesis is done. Keep checking for more updates!