Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
this is not the way I planned things
I finished the pillow cover from last post.
Mira says afghan schmafghan. The squares are good to go as far as she's concerned.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
hook + cloth
I have some wrist pain; so the type of crochet hook I use makes a difference. I'd been loving the Clover Soft Touch hooks, pricey though they are compared to the old-fashioned all-metal kind, but then I needed a size 7. I hopped around to Hobby Lobby and found a 7 in Susan Bates Bamboo Handle hooks. The next day I went back for an 8 and a 9 because I like the SB Bamboo Handle even more than I like the Clovers (and I've always preferred the throat on SB hooks). The handle is longer, giving my hand a resting place. They're more ergonomic. I don't grip as hard to hold on to the hook, which means I can crochet longer. The SB's are priced well, too. Check out these reviews.
In other making news this week, I did up some curtains. I'd been living with mini-blinds for nearly a year because I didn't want to spend the money on fabric, but the other day I couldn't take it anymore. I remembered some drop-cloth curtains I'd seen somewhere a while back, and decided that would be my most reasonable option.
I wanted tone and texture, and drop cloth delivers for less than 10 bucks a panel. They don't call it the poor man's linen for nothing. I washed the panels, hemmed them, and voila. I also spray painted the Ikea curtain rods because this particular rod only comes in black and gray.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
granny up
October already? 2009 nearly gone? No way.Before 2010 knocks on the door, I want to blow the cobwebs off this here blog. The weather in Houston can finally be described as something other than south hell, and the yarn, the fabric, the painting, the camera -- all the happy pursuits -- are calling, along with a new interest or two.
Dear Ellen wooed me into upping my crochet game. I have to make some version of the amazing white-bordered afghan you see in her post; so I buckled down and learned to make a decent granny square this week. I used this pattern, which is wonderful. I started by making a pillow cover for practice and quick satisfaction.
It took me many days to decide what colors to use. In the end I threw up my hands and made it reversible, because I couldn't decide whether I wanted a warm or a cool palette. Now I can flip the pillow at whim, which is nice.
Ellen has been right all these years: Granny squares are the building blocks of fashion. And they're an absolute blast to make. I'm going to do another pillow cover while I plan my afghan.
My couch is a place holder. I got it from a junkie in Montrose. I've considered what his drug of choice might be, and I decided it's crystal meth, because the guy was pretty scabalicious when I met him. The couch was dirt cheap, though, and it's not in bad shape for its age (probably it was made in the '60s). I've got it covered because I wanted a change of pace (it's green), and I usually have more pillows on it so it doesn't look like an amorphous brown ghost.The painting behind the couch is the first one I did. I wanted an orange wall, but knew I'd never paint it because I'm way too lazy to paint it back when I move. My love of orange resulted in what I call "The Big Orange Machine." Schmin calls it "Saturn"; so technically it's "Saturn: The Big Orange Machine." (Please don't tell us we're not clever.) It's also an ode to Mark Rothko, my current favorite painter.
One of the many things I enjoy about living here is that this house isn't at all precious. There's no crown molding, no hardwood floors, no built-ins -- nothing that could be considered an architectural feature. Not that these things wouldn't be nice (especially the floors), but here I feel free to display the end results of my impetuous (read: half-baked) bouts of creativity.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
fiyah!
Friday, August 14, 2009
what i love
Monday, August 10, 2009
meeting up
The surest way for me not to do something around here is to say I'm going to do it. I'm telling you, time moves so quickly. Now an LA wrap-up seems passe, but I will say it was a great, productive, tiring, and lovely trip, and that I'm looking forward to another visit over the next couple of months. It took a village (My sister Tish, Natalie, Alem, Schmin and his girlfriend, Mister Stevens phoning in the moral support) to get my stuff out of storage and ship it back here, but we did it. I am now officially in possession of more fabric and yarn than I know what to do with when all I want to do is paint. In LA I held a garage sale quickly turned giveaway where I sadly parted with Blanche. I wasn't willing to spend the money to ship a machine in a table, so I kissed her goodbye. I also kissed goodbye a lot of other stuff; still 40 boxes came my way when I got home.
Having things in storage in Los Angeles was keeping me stuck, in a way. Now that I've closed that chapter (thank God and my loved ones), I feel like it's time to get to living, as V would say. I don't know if anyone reading this is familiar with Meetup.com, but it's great here in Houston. Folks down here are very active. I've joined a couple of groups for women of color, a couple of writing groups, a group that frequents plays and performances, and a group called Houston Single Friends. Houston Single Friends (the name is kind of sweet and corny, isn't it?) has 3,000+ members, some combination of whom are busy doing something every night of the week. Saturday night I joined a gathering of women from the group for dinner and Julie & Julia (long, but enjoyable, especially Meryl Streep). I was the only colored girl interested in seeing it that night, lol, but it didn't matter. The "sisters" who attended were warm and engaging. I look forward to seeing them again. (I would join a knitting/crafty group, but after a couple bad spins with a group that meets at a particular yarn shop, I'm thinking I'll start my own.)
I'm surprised I dragged myself out on Saturday night, because on Saturday morning I'd gone with another group, for women of color over 30, on a hike. What's really cool is that groups have cross meetups, so there was a wonderful set of about 25 people on the hike. Here are some of us.
And cell phone shots of the gorgeous path we hiked.












After we hiked, we ate at a place called CoCo's, located in Midtown. They feature paninis and crepes and smoothies.... Relatively healthy deliciousness.
I met some truly nice people. From the moment we gathered, I felt at home. The thing about Meetup groups, and I'm sure this is the case all over, is that they attract people who genuinely enjoy company, are friendly, and want to have a good time. Plus they sure as hell beat sitting in your house waiting for life to come knocking on your door. :)
I'm going rock-climbing (so excited!) with Houston Single Friends and wine tasting with one of the women's groups later this month. And I met some women who want to get serious about biking, something I'm itching to do. As soon as I get a bike, they're ready.
In the meantime, Schmin is coming to visit on Friday, and I'm beside myself with glee.
Having things in storage in Los Angeles was keeping me stuck, in a way. Now that I've closed that chapter (thank God and my loved ones), I feel like it's time to get to living, as V would say. I don't know if anyone reading this is familiar with Meetup.com, but it's great here in Houston. Folks down here are very active. I've joined a couple of groups for women of color, a couple of writing groups, a group that frequents plays and performances, and a group called Houston Single Friends. Houston Single Friends (the name is kind of sweet and corny, isn't it?) has 3,000+ members, some combination of whom are busy doing something every night of the week. Saturday night I joined a gathering of women from the group for dinner and Julie & Julia (long, but enjoyable, especially Meryl Streep). I was the only colored girl interested in seeing it that night, lol, but it didn't matter. The "sisters" who attended were warm and engaging. I look forward to seeing them again. (I would join a knitting/crafty group, but after a couple bad spins with a group that meets at a particular yarn shop, I'm thinking I'll start my own.)
I'm surprised I dragged myself out on Saturday night, because on Saturday morning I'd gone with another group, for women of color over 30, on a hike. What's really cool is that groups have cross meetups, so there was a wonderful set of about 25 people on the hike. Here are some of us.
And cell phone shots of the gorgeous path we hiked.












After we hiked, we ate at a place called CoCo's, located in Midtown. They feature paninis and crepes and smoothies.... Relatively healthy deliciousness.I met some truly nice people. From the moment we gathered, I felt at home. The thing about Meetup groups, and I'm sure this is the case all over, is that they attract people who genuinely enjoy company, are friendly, and want to have a good time. Plus they sure as hell beat sitting in your house waiting for life to come knocking on your door. :)
I'm going rock-climbing (so excited!) with Houston Single Friends and wine tasting with one of the women's groups later this month. And I met some women who want to get serious about biking, something I'm itching to do. As soon as I get a bike, they're ready.
In the meantime, Schmin is coming to visit on Friday, and I'm beside myself with glee.
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