The Crumpler Bags

The Crumpler Bags, originally uploaded by Kieron.

I'm completely obsessed with Crumpler Bags at the moment. I decided I needed a satchel bag for my trip to Japan. I asked a friend where she got hers, and she recommended this brand. I spent ages surfing their site - aside from the fact there are so many to choose from, the site is really fun to play around with.

And now I understand what the little symbol is I've been seeing on bags everywhere throughout the city. It's a brand, it's a cult and it's a Melbourne design success story!

I must have one! If I had a money tree, I'd buy 20 for all my knitting projects! In reality, it will be really handy for trips to the zoo, and the park and anywhere I'm going to be walking around a lot, basically. I'd like to do a lot more of that when the weather gets warmer.

I want Crumpler!

Sox

After a long time spent ummming and ahhhing, I've finally decided to spend my money on upgrading to a Flickr Pro account. [Link is to my photos.] It was a toss up between that and the bookbinding kit I was drooling at on Etsy last week. It was the promise of three free months that swayed me.

As far as I can tell, you don't actually get much with the Flickr Pro account. Much that I would find useful, anyway. I get access to all of my photos, not just the last 200 (there's currently 262 on there). I can have as many sets as I like, not just 3. This appeals to the organisational side of my personality. Though at the moment it looks like I'll only have about 5, until I start putting photos from trips, etc on there. The other features - like increased upload limit and ability to upload videos - I'll probably never need.

So it was kind of a waste of money.

Oh well.

My week

I saved up everything until today, basically. I had a pretty stressful week at work and I just came home and crashed out in front of the Olympics every night. Today though, I unpacked my goodies from my trip to Daylesford last weekend. I went on a disgustingly decadent shopping spree amongst all the op shops, antique shops and bookshops I could possibly find. There was yarn, there was fabric, there were dress patterns, there were books and even vintage embroidery transfers that I got in a grab bag. There was so much that I couldn't possibly take photos of it all, so here's a limited selection:

A hand-carved Indian fabric stamp with wool and braid

Yarn, Japanese fabric, dish and odd pencil-holder thingy

These photos were taken by Boy with his whizzy new amazing camera. I think he had fun. He also took lots of photos for me today of my knitted and crocheted accessories I already had on Etsy. I had taken photos of them with my much beloved but frankly fairly old and clunky camera when I first listed them, but I never liked the photos and thought they were preventing me from getting more sales. I gave some of them interesting effects in Piknik as well. Here is one:

Finally, I am introducing my head model, Hedda to my shop. I got her about 2 months ago and I only just got around to using her for anything! Actually, I've been displaying an almost finished scarf around her neck for a while, so she doesn't feel too useless.

I spent a lot of time today tidying the hobby room and putting away all of the stuff I bought on my trip, and also at Lincraft the week before. I wouldn't say I'm back to square one, but things are looking a bit more tidy.

During the week, I did manage to design faces for Monstrous Muriel (final title) and Scary Selby. I stuck them into my art journal, cause I haven't really been using it for anything else, and it's for journalling as well as art, right? So even if it seems too scary to put art in it, I can put journally stuff in it without fear!
Anyway, here is a pic of the pages and the current progess of my scary pair:

Left: Monstrous Muriel; right: Scary Selby.

The legs and body were made in one piece with both toys. With Scary Selby however, I experimented with making a gusset between the legs so I could place them some distance apart. I'm very happy with how it looks. I'm a bit concerned about their heads though. The closing-up part of crochet always looks really hinky, well for me, anyway. I don't know if I should put some hair on them to disguise this, or find some other solution.

I've had 1 1/2 glasses of champagne so far, so I don't really care right now!

Not Dead! Plus Cute Picture

Alpaca, originally uploaded by feathermar.

I returned from my trip to Daylesford on Sunday night, all pooped out from retail therapy! The alpacas at the Bed & Breakfast we stayed at looked much like this, but a lot more grumpy.

When I've settled back in again, I'll unpack my haul of goodies and share them with you!

Monstrous Mirabel is coming along nicely, and I've also started Scary Selby. I don't know why soft toys always have alliterative names, but it's fun making them up.

I can't think of a way to end this post, so.....

At Last! -- My Zine!

The big reveal...

The Thrifty Crafter is finally here! It has 6 projects, a guide to yarn types, list of resources, and even a recipe. The main emphasis though, is on sharing all the little ideas and tips I've had over the years. With the projects, I've tried to make them into a gateway for expansion into new ideas and variations. Two projects are knitted - all the others need no technical knowledge of knitting or crocheting.
I am pretty happy with this zine, though of course there's alway things I think of to add when it's too late! But you just have to take a deep breath and let your baby go out into the world.

One of the projects from the zine was actually this...

Farmyard Pencil Cups
...which I finished about 3 weeks ago and didn't get around to taking a photo of. When I was scouting around for projects to put in the zine I thought, heck, why not? Yes, I have actually made most of the projects in the zine myself! One I'm still only half way through...
I'm sure you'll find a lot more projects appearing in the Works In Progress section my sidebar as I find them in the back of the cupboard!

When I got sick of working on the zine, I started experimenting with making some knitted and crocheted flowers:

I quite like how some of them are turning out. They're a good zombie craft that I don't have to concentrate on while I'm watching the Olympics (more on that later!). Most of them involve knitting a piece only 4 to 8 stitches wide. So I taught myself to knit backwards so I don't have to turn the knitting every five seconds. That sounds really wanky, doesn't it? But actually it was quite hard and I still feel like I'm 5 years old and learning to knit all over again. My tension is all hinky and the first one turned out more like a parallelogram than a rectangle. I don't know if it's actually faster than turning on each row, but it's less annoying - and that's important! It's fun working with different colours and combinations of crochet and knitting. I'm sure I'll fill the whole tin soon.

I've also been regularly stopping by the Softies for Mirabel Auction for a good drool. After umming and aahing and agonising, I decided to abandon the sewn option for now and just go ahead with a softie in a format I know better and can find the supplies for more easily. Plus you can't really sit on the couch in front of the Olympics with a sewing machine on your lap!
(Actually..... no?)
So I started Monstrous Mirabel (working title) earlier tonight:

I'm going to make her a little more symmetrical and socially normalised than my earlier monsters, and hopefully even 'cute'. I have even committed to getting out the sewing needle and sewing some arms on, and perhaps even some ears! I do have a curved needle that I haven't used yet, and hopefully that'll make it easier.

Oh, and by the way, the Olympics: I've decided that, screw it, I still love it! I had a little cry when Liesel got her gold, and I don't care if they show nothing but Australians - I want to see 'em!

I'm off tomorrow to go to Daylesford for 2 days, where I shall variously be enjoying massaging, a facial, spa soaking, thrift-shopping, gallery-looking and hopefully cocktail drinking! My shoulders are all tensed up in anticipation! I hope everyone has a good weekend. See you!

Craft Magazine: 08...

... arrived in my letterbox last night! I was up late last night reading it. This issue's feature is weaving. Something I'd never thought of before, but you never know! Considering it came with a free cardboard loom. How cool is that?
(I couldn 't find a picture of the exact issue on Flickr so this stack of crafty goodness will have to do.)

Craft Con '08, originally uploaded by Peptogirl Industries.

I finished my craft zine last night. Finally! I've also been making some knitted and crocheted flowers for no particular reason.

Full report tonight.

P.S. Brrrrr! How about that cold?

Dreaming

This morning I was so inspired by the pale sunshine on the trees as I was walking to work that I wrote a haiku. My first one in about 4 years. I want to write more as I find it a very relaxing and spiritual experience.

Then when I was (illicitly) browsing Etsy a little while later, I came across this Mini Book of Haiku. This got me all fired up for bookbinding as well as haiku! The method of folding the binding papers and enclosing the printed pages within them is absolutely gorgeous. How special the poems must be to be enfolded within such beautiful patterned Japanese paper.

Then I saw that the same seller is offering kits on making your own! Well, that was just too much for me. I haven't clicked the "Add To Cart' button - yet - but my head is swimming with beautiful papers and smooth waxed twine and ribbon and words.

And I have 5 hours to go until I finish work! *sighs*