comfort zone (and an announcement)

Posted on January 31, 2012 by imadeitso

i’ve been playing around with different motifs from my stitch guide book. i got the book as a gift soon after i got married [insert echo-y "one meeellion years ago" here].  it shows different stitches and patterns for all different weights of yarn. i wanted to make something comfy cozy out of that baby alpaca yarn, and i think i’ve finally settled on the motif i want to use. it’s called “cascading leaves”…

i get a little commitment-phobic when it comes to new projects that i’m making up. it’s not like following a pattern where you have a pretty photo of the finished product so you know what you’re getting into. but i like the idea of trying out something new, making it up as i go along. i guess knowing what it will look like before knitting it comes with experience. i still think of myself as a beginner but maybe it’s time i pushed myself a little, you know?

the good thing about favourite yarns is that if what you knit doesn’t turn out to be quite what you wanted, you can always unravel and try something else (after the obligatory cursing for time wasted, and the obligatory thankfulness that no one was around to see you tantrum and throw your project to the corner of the room, declaring “knitting is for jerks!*” — what? and you thought knitting was all zen and good times?).

* true words, thanks to C. you know who you are.
 

we’ll see how this turns out. it’s going to be a cowl.  here’s another cowl i’ve knit (you have to be on ravelry to view the pattern in that link)…

if you are on ravelry, let me know and i’ll come by and see what you’ve been making.

and, because i’m curious… how have you stepped out of your own creative comfort zone lately?

p.s. last april, i announced i was going to put myself out of another comfort zone when i asked for nominations for the canadian weblog awards. thanks to everyone here who nominated me and helped get that ball rolling.  this morning, the winners were announced.  i didn’t win, i came in 2nd place. of course i’m a little disappointed, but i’m also reminded of that bit by seinfeld…out of all the losers, i came in first! i’m the #1 loser ;-) carrying on…

Posted in knitting, crochet & yarn crafts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

more tiny sketches

Posted on January 26, 2012 by imadeitso

my subject matter tends to focus on people. mostly of people waiting. it’s not surprising, because i tend to pull out my sketchbook when i’m doing the same thing… waiting for an appointment, waiting for a lesson to end. when i am waiting, i sometimes pull out my knitting or a book. sometimes i just people watch.  sometimes i sketch them. i hope they don’t mind…

sketching people

the sketches are tiny. smaller than a penny each usually. my favourites are of people reading. i have a lot of tiny readers in my moleskine.

tiny sketch reading

you can see more sketches of people waiting, here.

Posted in 2D art, paper | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

when others hunt down pyrex for me

Posted on January 23, 2012 by imadeitso

this weekend, i was given two pieces of vintage pyrex. first (excuse the upside bowl, it shows the pattern better)…

pyrex promotional embroidery blue and white cinderella bowl

{ “embroidery” promotional pattern, size 443 (2.5 qt) cinderella bowl } 

“cinderella” is the name given to the nesting bowls with a lip/handle on each side, to differentiate them from the usual circular nesting bowls. i like the lip on them, it makes the bowls easier to hold onto when mixing or carrying, and they serve as a spout for pouring out batter and such.

embroidery pyrex cinderella bowl detail

{ white on blue detail, in beautiful condition. eat your heart out, snobby wedgwood! }

and second…

vintage pyrex tea pot glass

{ glass pyrex tea pot 8446b, made in usa, 6 cup capacity } 

i’ve been looking for the thick glass pyrex coffee pot to use for tea and haven’t had much luck. i didn’t realize there was a tea pot. this one is perfect.

if you’re fairly new to this blog, you might want to check out my 14 reasons i love vintage pyrex to understand my obsession devotion collection a little better. and also, i wrote a guest post all about making the perfect pot of tea, on my girl thursday’s blog, here. (the cute little yellow teapot you see in that post has since broken, sadly. hence my search for the replacement teapot, above.)

p.s. thanks mom!

Posted in in the kitchen, thrifting & vintage | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

a bowl with a hole

Posted on January 19, 2012 by imadeitso

i got this as a gift from mr.madeItSo…

knitting bowl

i know. it looks like a bowl with a crack…

and a hole.

and it’s something i’d probably never buy myself, even if i had known that there existed such a thing, with a crack and a hole intentionally placed just so.

well what is it?

it’s a yarn bowl. better than that, it’s handcrafted pottery made right here in canada by jack dunning of echo river. it’s gorgeous. apparently, he visits our local yarn store once a year and they stock up on his handmade creations.

basically, it’s a decorative weighted bowl to hold your skein or ball of yarn while you knit. there are soft pads underneath to keep it from scratching and slipping. you thread your yarn through the slot, and if you’re working with two different yarns at a time you can thread through the other hole to keep them from tangling.

it looks gorgeous on its own, i love the colours. i’ve said it before…handmade things exude a certain energy. i feel lucky to have this unique piece of pottery in my home.

and the gift was made even nicer because it came filled to the brim with this:

knitting yarn bowl

{ no photo editing done, the baby alpaca yarn is as soft and fluffy as it looks. }

does mr. know me or what? now, what to make what to make…

Posted in canadiana, knitting, crochet & yarn crafts | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

a new year, a few thoughts, plus an announcement…

Posted on January 15, 2012 by imadeitso

a new year:

happy new year. what? it’s still january, don’t look at me like that. and i do want to wish each of you a wonderful year ahead.  ok, so maybe my greeting is a bit belated, which brings me to my next point.

a few thoughts:

when i started this blog, i promised myself i would never write here unless i felt inspired. and even then it can be tricky, with the little ones being my priority. they could not care less if i’m inspired. my point is, i enjoy this space and i don’t want it to be filled with posts because i feel i have to fill some quota. that said, i do realize that this isn’t a private journal that exists within a vacuum. i have wonderful readers who come by for a visit, some stay awhile and chat. that’s nice. really nice*. and so i do know there’s some expectation for my, um, presence? hi :-)

* nice. my personal solution to the overuse of the word “awesome.”  nice. it’s tidy. elegant. efficient. to the point. awesome is so 2011. nice is now. 

but i will say that i’ve worked hard to maintain this space as an ad-free one (except when i’m gloating about my own little creations, i mean, tooting my own horn surely doesn’t count does it?) and i will continue to do so. i think that it makes it less cluttered and less annoying for you. but also, it allows me the freedom to not be concerned about # of hits and # of visits per day, and to truly focus on what i love doing… creating. and sharing. and having a good giggle about what you lot have to say about it. thanks for being here and continuing to do so.

an announcement: 

remember last year, i asked you all a little favour? thanks to you, i was nominated for the canadian weblog awards.

2011 Canadian Weblog Awards

well, once i posted that, i put the whole thing out of my mind.

(truly i did — you know i did, because there was that time i went missing for days and days, but really, how many times must i explain this? slow-blogging isn’t an accident on my part! it is intentional. and i recently read an article all about mastering the art of slow blogging. it’s an art form now! i can’t help it if i was well ahead of this current trend, i can’t help it if i’m hopelessly avant garde.)

but seriously. and humbly… this morning i learned that i am in the short-list for the top 5 canadian weblog awards in the crafting category (i’m trying not to take the term “short-list” personally, you all know about my height). i’m in the company of these fellow bloggers, some of whom i already know, and others who i am looking forward to learning more about.

Ali Does It Herself
The English Muffin Blog
Lifeologia
Poppytalk

the winner will be announced in two weeks.

so again, i find myself in that place, trying to forget about it and going about what i do. but i’ll be honest. i’ve got a little smile. it’s nice.

so thank you.

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Posted in canadiana, thinking out loud | Tagged , , , , | 31 Comments