Haters Gonna Hate (NaMoBloPo #29)

I'd written quite a long. discursive post about the reaction to yesterday's post but that was before one commenter said I risked ending up with a knitting needle between my ribs. A death threat? Over knitting?

Seriously?

So much hate!

If you genuinely believe yarn bombing serves a useful purpose then you go for it.

It's Not Anarchy, It's Awful (NaMoBloPo #28)

I have just begun another Coursera course. The last was on Gamification, run by the University of Pennsylvania, and was brilliant. This one is called "How to Reason & Argue", run by Duke University, and I've already learnt a lot. For instance, explaining and persuading are ways of arguing. When explaining, the conclusion is already agreed to be true and it is the premise that is being discussed. When persuading, the conclusion has not been agreed and the arguer wishes to bring the arguee to agree with their conclusion. Not knowing the readers' feelings on the topic I don't know if I am explaining or persuading but my conclusion is...

Guerrilla knitting and yarn bombing are a waste of resources motivated at best by a wish to bring craft to the attention of a wider audience and at worst by a self-satisfying desire for attention.

Knitting is awesome. And crochet is ok too. Weaving, spinning all good. Felting - if you must. Some people think it is all grannyish. Some can't see the point. Fair enough. Such people probably have interests I would have similarly unenthusiastic opinions about.

The thing with knitting though, is that it makes something actually real and usable. Graffiti changes an existing object from one colour to another. There's not much else you can do with paint other than paint something. But knitting can be used to clothe something - usually a person. It can be used for comfort or warmth. It can give someone a way to keep warm or give a bit of comfort to someone who has nothing else. Knitted toys comfort children who have been orphaned in war zones, "angel blankets" give parents of still born or too premature children something to hold their baby in before they say goodbye. If you've got time and the yarn to think "oh yeah, I could use this to make a tree cozy" then you could change that to "oh yeah, there are charities needing knitted items so I'll knit them something."

To waste your time and resources making some self-serving piece of neon craft vomit which will become bedraggled and hopefully be cut off within a few days is just stupid.

Be smart - create with a real purpose, not with pomposity.


Charities in the UK Looking for Knitted Items
 

• Cancer Recovery
• Loving Hands All sorts of items needed for lots of projects
• Upon Butterfly Wings Angel Blankets
• Knit-A-Square Knit an 8" square for AIDS orphans

There are lots more! Look at charities in your local area and ask what they need.

Fascinating (NaMoBloPo #27)

I've still not started the fascinator for my sister's wedding. I have Milliner's Block.

Nightmare. I think I've made the mistake of acquiring too many materials. I have too many options to choose from.

I feel slightly guilty about the number of feathers I've got. I keep hoping they're the by-product of the food process and there aren't bald birds walking around because of me.

I have found this tutorial on Jezebel now. I knew it was for me when I saw she'd taken a photo of herself with a can of cat food on her head. And then published it online. My kind of lady. There's a lot of people like me out there. Not that the boys at work would agree. But to support my argument I give you this:

This is a man in New York who wanders around with his cat on his head. Yep, that's a real cat. I guess I don't have time to train one. Bummer.

So Much Done, So Little To Show (NaMoBloPo #26)

Usually, right about now, I would be proudly displaying my weekend's output. But most of it is presents. So for instance...what's the big deal with this book?

And why is this deal with the pudding?

I just can't say. But I guess the posts after xmas are going to be heavy laden with FOs.

One thing I can share is a tiny bit of patchwork.

Plus another hexagon made from diamonds.

Actually, when I say a "tiny" bit of patchwork, that's literal.

I put the Chibi in for scale. Each of the tiny hexagons is 1/2" top to bottom. I've never made them that small before (usually mine are more like 2") but I rather like it. It makes you think differently about the fabric you use because so little of the print/pattern is visible on each. I've been toying with the idea of entering the miniature quilt competition at Festival of Quilts next year. It's been my favourite class the last few years so I'd love to be part of it. This is one from the competition this year - about 12" across.

Swap Time! (NaMoBloPo #25)

Roll up! Roll up!

Read all about it and sign up!

Costing Christmas (NaMoBloPo #24)

Like a lot of people my budget for xmas presents is way down this year. I go through phases of making them vs buying them. This year there are a lot of people I'll be giving to who will appreciate the effort so I'm making. But that doesn't really reduce the cost. Materials are definitely one cost but the other is the one that often goes unacknowledged in our calculations - time.

Even the most vanilla of socks requires hours of work, while something more complicated can take that into days. But then when the gift is appreciated it makes it all worthwhile.

Ahead of a little more making I have acquired a few new fat quarters to replenish my stash. I should have waited until the sales but these were v cheap so I gave in.

I do love the button one, top right. That is going to be saved for me! The others may pop up in other forms in coming weeks! Speaking of which...what connects letraset, google maps, and cocktails?

I'm leaving you in suspense for now...

I haven't been blogging about it but things between Pooch and I have been a bit up and down the last few months. However, with some external assistance, we've been really good recently, despite his many and varied colds. I've found that the best thing for a germy male is a glass of wine and a crochet blanket.

Touch wood I've avoided everything that is going around to date. I can only think it must be down to my preventative chocolate intake. Nom.

Acquisitions (NaMoBloPo #23)

Were I better organised I would by now have sent a thank you email for this.

Someone emailed me to ask if I'd like some fabric scraps as their Mum was having a clearout. I'm pretty sure it was a direct email and not a blog comment. I said yes and after having a post office red card in my bag for two weeks finally picked this up at the weekend! That's not even all of it - it's just all I could carry home from work. The yellow/blue is particularly lovely and reminds me of my sister's bedroom when we were little. I am thinking diamond patchwork cushion cover for that. Whoever sent it to me please get back in touch because I cannot find your email and I feel awful not being able to thank you!

I've also had a few other things arrive chez byrne. These are the butterflies I bought last weekend with Nickerjac's LB.

I'm still not entirely sure how I am going to use them, but then that is what this weekend is for! It's not like I have a social life so expect to see more of these before my sister's wedding actually takes place. It was physically impossible to go to that shop and just come out with a few butterflies....so....

Don't ask about the polka dot toadstools. I can't think what I'll do with them either, but I had to have them. Those jewelled pins were a bit like that although mildly more practical. Mildly. Then there was the long awaited arrival from China.

The big one is ideally for a bag for the wedding but I don't know if I'll have time now. There are more of the other ones. Aren't those tiny ones sweet? That's the same size I used to make this tiny one for a swap a month or two ago.

You don't get an idea of the scale but they are about 2" across. I'm thinking dpn holders.

Then finally there is a FO to show. On the fourth attempt I got it right!

I will take better photos when I have a moment - November has been SO busy which probably makes it both the best and worst months for taking part in NaMoBloPo. Lots to write about but little time to do it. Hopefully the weekend will give me some time to get caught up and finish a few time dependant projects. I shall spend it wrapped up in the jumper above alternated with this one that Pooch got me.

Meow!

Bashing the Bishops (NaMoBloPo #22)

This makes me angry.

I'm not a believer. I don't care if the christians faff about and continue to put off people from following christianity. What I cannot stand is the idea that it is acceptable, on any grounds, to discriminate against someone on account of their gender. As a woman, am I less able to communicate with people than men? Does their God genuinely not want women in senior positions? Is their God threatened by Women? Perhaps their God fears women might stage a takeover attempt? Might oust them as God? Then there would be a WoGod presumably? And then goodness knows where it would end.

Wheeeeeeeeeee! (NaMoBloPo #21)

21 in a row! And all on time!

I'm starting to think I'll actually make it through a whole month of National Blog Posting Month!

Meanwhile, you and I might not think much of this kind of generic hotel space filler.

Except of course you don't work with the people I do. While I was running an event in Manchester yesterday one of the delegates pointed out that they were bathroom loafers wired to pieces of bamboo.

So now you know.

Manchester, Home of the Mancunian (NaMoBloPo #20)

Remember that scene in Wayne's World when they go "Delaware! We're in....delaware...". That's me.

I'm in Manchester. For work. It wasn't raining when I arrived so it is, QED, about to rain.

But let's not forget - it also has Abakhan Fabrics. This weird fluorescent lit, frankly dirty shop is packed with crafty gubbins, most of which isn't dirty. I was very restrained. The fact I only got there ten minutes before closing has no relevance.

Isn't that yarn a lovely turquoise? I have a pregnant friend who loves that colour so will be crafting a cardi and perhaps a hat for the baby out of it. I also got a couple of wooden embroidery frames - one circle and one oval, to frame WIPs. The thread is viscose which means it is all shiny and therefore great for machine embroidery. Mmmmm, shiny...

Live Music (NaMoBloPo #19)

I hardly ever go to anything live. I don't even watch TV when it's being broadcast most of the time. When my Dad gave me a call asking if I'd go to a gig with him I agreed without knowing anything about the singer. I now definitely do.

Her name was Beth Hart and she had one hell of a voice on her. She sang, played piano and danced about for about 2.5 hours with no break. That takes one amazing pair of lungs.

Her official website is here. There is also a lot on YouTube. I'd start with Chocolate Jesus as an example. It's not one of her songs but her voice is pretty incredible.

On the Fun Bus (NoMoBloPo #18)

I had the honour of spending a chunk of Saturday with Nickerjac's little boy. He showed me how to get to a shop I needed to visit and I then joined him on his favourite activity - bus hopping. I'd never tried this before but having definitely been on more than 12 buses today I now feel I am an expert. The first stop was S&A in Upminster where I got all the feather butterflies I could possibly need to make a hat to wear to my sister's wedding next month. LB was so good and expressed his artistic side with my camera while he waited for me to choose my colours.

The shop is a warehouse crammed from floor to rafters with stuff. Mainly party stuff (see the 6 foot inflatable champagne bottle in the background above - a mere £14.99) but most of it could be put to a crafty purpose. If I hadn't been accompanied I think I'd still be there now.

The upstairs is all fake flowers, bushes, trees, topiary and more. There's also an extra christmas warehouse.

Hide and seek among the flowers. Awesome.

We sat upstairs on all the buses (obviously) which gave the LB full reign with his playground radar. The slightest hint of a ball pond or swing and we were off.

These things really amaze me. There was no such thing when I was his age. It was literally swings and roundabouts. And a see-saw. See-saws have definitely vanished from the modern playground. Although there is a one person version.

Now would you say that was a camel or a sheep?

Getting Up To Speed (NoMoBloPo #17)

A little while ago I got excited about this pin on pinterest.

Source: lolalina.com via Alex on Pinterest

I've had it in the back on my mind since and so I used one of my work lunchtimes to do a little work on it. I don't know about you - but at my work Avery L7163 is our label of choice. 14 to a page and the right size for addresses.

Now I just need to cut them out with suitably crazy bladed scissors. Now I 'just' need to decide on the string. Do I faff about with baker's twine or shall I just use proper string? Certainly not buying it.

Cunning. 

6 weekends til Christmas people...

A is for... (NaMoBloPo #16)

A is for awesome friend who got me a chocolate letter A.

Nom nom nom.

Keeping Track Tutorial (NaMoBloPo #15)

Sister Diane of CraftyPod has been looking at keeping up to date with what your favourite bloggers are doing. I'm going to share what I do.

She mentions an aggregator called FlipBoard and this is what I use. It's a free app I've got installed on my phone. You can use it to keep track of multiple media sites, or not, as you desire. For me the main use is for keeping track of blogs. This is my first screen when I open the app.

The top section is what the app decides are the top stories from all the other boxes you have. Then below that I've chosen to have UK news and Technology news. I can touch any of these to go into them in more detail. Then this is my second page of the app (I only have 2).

From the top I've got Science news, Flickr uploads by me and my Flickr friends, Google reader (this is the one I use most), Craftzine, Twitter and Facebook. It's Google reader I'm going to concentrate on as it makes keeping track of blogs so amazingly simple.

First up you need a Google account. I defy you not to have one already. If you use Google+, blogger or gmail account you've already got one. If by some chance you don't just click here and create one. If you do have one go to http://www.google.com/reader, click on the red 'subscribe' button and think of a blog you enjoy reading. Type or copy and paste the blog address into the box and click 'add'.

Simple!

Now the clever part. Open your Flipboard app and one of the grey squares will say 'More'. Tap it then select 'Accounts' and 'Add an Account'. This is where you add your Google Reader account details.

And that's it. Now, whenever you want to see what's new with the blogs you follow you open Flipbook and tap your Google Reader square. It will bring up the most recent updates. So for example...here we have something from the book guru Knitting on the Green.

It gives me the main pic and a few lines of text. To read the whole post I tap and it opens up. I can comment on and read other posts if I want to. If I don't want to read the whole post I just stroke the screen to flip it upwards and move onto the next most recent post.

And that's it!

Pay it Forward Attempt Two (NaPoMoBlo #14)

Someone on the U'R Priceless bloghop mentioned 'pay it forward' which reminded me...

I did a Pay it Forward post a month ago and no one took me up on the offer.

A bit of googling gave me this TED event last December where they talk about pay it forward as "the values and proactive attitudes that need to make their way from generation to generation, in order to boost commitment towards a better world". I kinda like that.

Now get to that old post and sign up before I slaps ya.

We're All Mad Here (NaMoBloPo #13)

The best definition of patchwork I've seen was "cutting up bits of fabric and sewing them back together". It captures exactly what happens from both the crafter's point of view and from that of the bemused looker-on. It is something that *had* to have evolved out of necessity - making things out of other things which had part worn out - because you'd not deliberately start out with that intention in mind when you could just get a piece of fabric printed with any patchwork pattern. Plenty of examples can be seen on Spoonflower.

Source: spoonflower.com via Alex on Pinterest

Source: spoonflower.com via Alex on Pinterest

And yet...there is this compulsion to do exactly that. There can be only one explanation. Quilters are obsessive compulsive. Which in itself reminds me...

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