“Oh life, I love you to my bones!”

I have a few highlights of my week to share. They’re not very crafty as I have had an injured wrist for about a week and a half (today it is finally feeling good enough to type and cook), but they involve life. Halloween weekend was a fantastic, extended exciting and yet relaxing time with friends. I’m again staying with a friend this weekend- this time for three nights- so I am glad that my wrist is up to food-prep. In order to be a good guest, I’m trying to bring some snacks and food along. Tonight after sending off a job application, I started a loaf of bread and began making hummus to discover that I didn’t have any lemon juice.

At the supermarket, I saw bananas greatly reduced in price. Usually, I refuse to buy any bananas that are not fair trade, but when the choice is between purchase and the dumpster I’ll pick them up. I got 3.34 Lbs of bananas for 23p! They’re not rotting! They’re about two days away from being ripe! The wastefulness of supermarkets astounds me sometimes.

So, the bananas were a little joy today. Another joy of the night was using my new (to me!- I’ll be blogging about it next week) food processor for the hummus. And, the song I’m about to share. I discovered the song today, listened to it twice and then went to amazon to buy it! It is the perfect tune for me right now! I am full of life again, connecting with old and new friends (including myself), and am reaching former and higher heights of confidence and serenity. On that note, listen to these notes:

Healing Necklace « Young Wifey’s Blog

Healing Necklace « Young Wifey’s Blog.

I wanted to show off the beautiful necklace I just received from my little sister. It is two of the colours I wear very frequently.  Click over to see it in all it’s loveliness. I have worn it as shown and will also be wearing it with the sides twisted around to resemble a ‘rope’, or ancient vine!

Happy Halloween!

My costume is simple and subtle this year since I will be dancing the night away in Edinburgh.

What better costume than the one already in my closet? I am wearing black trousers and a cranberry-ish coloured sleeveless top. Ideally, the whole body would be black, but I don’t have a black singlet and the point was to not have to buy or make anything new. My hair will be in pig-tail buns to evoke antennae and the wings will double as my face mask. Add a butterfly necklace and the the deal is sealed!

The photo shows my first attempt at painting the mask. I will use eyeliner this time for a cleaner edge than a q-tip could give.

Happy Halloween!

Knitted hat for chemo comfort

I used the Cheeky hat pattern on Ravelry to make this hat for someone undergoing chemotherapy.  She had been wearing a buff on her head while at home so I figured this was a similarly loose shape.  I used Rowan Cashsoft DK to make sure the fabric was soft and cosy and made my first i-cord at the top!

Two Lovely “C”s

Crochet washcloths and a Cardigan!

I have been feeling a bit wordless recently but am enjoying the words of others in beautiful lyrics and engaging books. As I let the words wash over me or replay them in my mind I am also reveling in textures; the soft hat I am knitting, this cosy cardigan and drapey-yet-just-textured-enough-to-tickle-while-gliding-over-my-face washcloths.

The washcloths are the same as the ones I made in the spring, using 4-ply cotton and a half-double stitch. The cardigan was scored a few weekends ago at the charity shop for 3.49 and contains angora and lambswool.

Indigo Girls UK Tour!

I’ve been chosen as part of the UK street team to get the word out about this fantastic group’s concert tour. If you’re in the UK, check them out! The Glasgow concert (at the ABC) is on Thursday the 22nd of October 2009!

How do I spell healing?

1. Spending an entire weekend with my best friend from high school. I’m very lucky to have her living on this same island. It’s one of the gifts in my life.

2. Eating her yummy food- her crumble, pastas and enjoying hours and hours of wandering, talking, and sharing. Her blackcurrant jam was delicious!

3. Bringing her treasured American treats that I had stashed away. Root beer barrel candy and the autumnal treat of Philadelphia, spiced wafers.

4. Finding this beautiful, beautiful sweater that feels luxurious and makes me do a little internal leap of excitement when I look down to see it!

A Comforting Scarf

I wanted to make something for the friend who has done so much to comfort me in the last month.  She fed me during the last week of my thesis- literally walking across the street with a hot plate of pancakes or grilled cheese-toast. She was also the one who reached through her contacts and found me the place to stay.

It was during my move last week that the weather and seasons really changed- just when this friend was in France soaking up the last of the summer sun, so I knew a scarf would be perfect for her return!

I had planned on using a ball of greeny-bluey yarn but it turned out to be packed somewhere (I still haven’t come across it).  Instead, I used two balls of Rowan Big Wool that someone from work gave me!  Knit on 15mm needles, it is very cushy- almost like a warm fluffy cloud.

New month, new life

“Once my heart was filled with the love of a girl.

I held her close, but she faded in the night.

Like a poem I meant to write.

And the leaves that are green turn to brown.

And they wither with the wind, and they crumble in your hand…”

(~Simon and Garfunkel)

Yesterday I moved to a new place just a few blocks away but said goodbye to a life I had loved so dearly.  My life is changing with the seasons and some things have died away, so I am searching to see the life that’s still around me.

Some of my projects will be on hold indefinitely as I no longer have access to a sewing machine.  Now that my thesis is in, however, I have more time to crochet and knit so stay tuned for some projects!

Below is a picture of my first meal in my new place, the morning after my (beyond) amazing friends helped me move. There are things I am still adjusting to.  Since I have always loved the potential-and orangeness!-of October, I know that this new month is the perfect time to start my new life! Here we go!

Necklace and blouse from the charity shop

I found these two beauties on the same day as the housewares shop I did the other week.

My life has been chaotic this month as I unexpectedly became single and have been packing to move (which I will be doing in two days), so the green finds were perfect.

I now wear green as much as possible (which is quite a lot considering it was already my favourite colour!) in hopes of healing.