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The ‘article’ ran today in the Stirling Observer with the amusing photo I talked about in the previous post.
Unfortunately, the reporting is very wrong and does not give credit to any of the other members who are not in the photo. An entire knitting and crochet group made the items and the paper credited two people. I felt horrible when I read that bit.
But, it is just a local paper and the event information was at least correct. My name? Certainly not “Brendi-Lee”…haha…
This is the second foreign country where I’ve ended up in the local paper for a national holiday-related article…I think I’ll start a collection!
In between marking a stack of student essays over the past two weeks, I crocheted 20cm squares for our town’s Knitting and Crochet Bee. The group’s organizer secured a grant for several art-based projects for St. Andrews day in Stirling and “Accessorising the City” was one of them. We all knit or crocheted squares, legwarmers, scarves, etc…
The squares became this massive scarf which will be displayed at the ceilidh, concerts and such throughout the holiday weekend. Today, a few of us (it was during the regular work day) took the items around town to photograph them in various places and for the local paper publicity shot. It would’ve been great to have the whole group available, but the days are so short it is dark when most return from work…not such a photogenic time of day.
One of the photos that the newspaper reporter took involved us standing with very large (20mm) knitting needles and miming knitting the scarf. It tickled me that the squares I could reach were my crocheted ones. I would find it endlessly amusing if the photo of me pretending to knit my crocheted square showed up in the local paper!
If you’re local, some of the events are listed on the council website.
Over the past few months, I’ve found a few exciting things in the charity shops.
The colour of the fabric caught my eye (this was around September, shortly after a summer in dresses, shirts and shoes with this colour) and I knew it was mine when I saw the £1 price tag.
Partner and I were doing the “charity shop hop” – going to each of the 7 or so in town- and I browsed the books in the next shop. I found A little book of Scottish verse in fantastic condition (looking inside, I don’t think it has even been skim read) for 70p. It’s not very easy to find second hand Scottish books around here. WIth pictures from the National Gallery and decent poems, I know my little sister will enjoy using it with her “Language Arts” classes.
Today, on the way back from the library, I popped into two of the shops in town looking for candle sticks. I wanted fairly short ones for the Thanksgiving table and after asking the woman working if they had any others in the back, she brought three sets out. “One was too big, one was too small, and one was just right.” The set you see here isn’t exactly autumnal colours as one would expect for Thanksgiving, but I like the leafy (and there’s a fish on the base) design, they’re the perfect size and cost me £3. When she rung me up, the woman looked at the bottom and remarked that they were handmade in Kenya. Pretty cool.
So I guess I’ve adopted tourist souvenirs from two people- the Scottish book from Scotland In Scotland, and a neat Kenyan craft that has travelled to Scotland. And who knows where the fabric will travel with me in the future?
Sudoku game
Originally uploaded by Riotflower
When we were on holiday in the spring, our guest house had some great boardgames. Sudoku was one of them and my partner played it intensely.
Walking back from the library today, I felt as though I needed to enter the two charity shops on my route home. I found this game- brand new- for £4 and quickly grabbed it! Our deal was to make each other presents and only use supplies already at home (unless re-stocking a certain colour thread etc), but I’m sure I can get away with adding a charity shop boardgame!
It is now tucked away (in a pillowcase) awaiting my partner on Christmas day!
Here’s a picture of a cardigan I’m slowly working on using pure wool from New Lanark. It’s from More Crocheted Aran Sweaters. Here’s the Ravelry project link. I’m doing my main cables a bit differently than the ones in the pattern simply because my left-handed, slightly dyslexic self just couldn’t get how do the original ones in the other direction as required for the second side of the cardigan! I also like how these cables seem more secure- the ones in the pattern just seemed to be slithering up the outside of the fabric rather than being part of it.
This book has a ton of beautiful cabled patterns that I look forward to making.
This cardigan is going to take me a very long time to make, which is fine because I see it as an ‘investment piece’ – one that will work really well in my wardrobe and that I’ll hopefully love.
During this past week or so, I’ve pretty much hit a stand-still with my thesis and therefore with my crafting as well. I am just not my usual creative, lively, balanced self and I finally bought a sunlamp today. I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival while huddled over my aquarium lamp.
I know that fighting the winter darkness is a slow process- it only works with a lot of effort and small steps, just like a thesis, and a cabled cardigan.
So in retrospect, there’s the balance!
