Finished!

Just thought you might like to see my finished cowl, which is a lot shorter than the inspiration piece. I like this length though, no fuss, no muss, no dripping in my coffee cup. It looks pretty cute, though right now, we are in the midst of a heatwave, so I didn't keep it on for long. I'm really liking loom knitting and I highly recommend it if you enjoy instant gratification, like I do. I got my loom set at Walmart and Googled (when did this become a verb, exactly?) some basic instructions and patterns. This isn't even a pattern, I just used the largest ring
and knit away until I thought, "Meh, this is good." And it is!

So, go, get loom! Knit!

Full Moon, Baby.

I am one of those wavy gravies who believe in the powers of the changing moon cycles. I'm not always exactly sure how or why the moon seems to affect me, I just feel that it does. For instance, yesterday I felt very drained and exhausted and today I feel refreshed and energetic. I did some projects and house cleaning that I have not felt motivated to do, nor felt I had the time to do, for weeks. I feel optimistic and positive about my goals and intentions. I am also slightly more driven and demanding today.

As a health care worker, I have long suspected that the full moon intensifies moods and emotions. Many of my busiest shifts in long term care facilities were on full moon evenings. Ask any nurse or care aid to attest to this phenomenon. It got so that as a casual employee, I would often turn down shifts if I knew they would fall on a full moon, because I knew they would be about five times busier than a regular shift.

I also am feeling a sense of completion today because of the decade anniversary of 9/11 and the returning of the kidnapped boy from Sparwood, B.C, Keinan Hebert. I allowed myself to become emotionally invested in the case, which was a dangerous thing for me to do, knowing that most of these cases do not turn out well for the abducted child. I felt so positive and encouraged by the response of people online and felt that there was a collective power at work to get that child home safely to his parents. Now, I realize that we were all at the mercy of the person who abducted the child, allegedly one Randal Hopley, and his decision to return the boy could only have come from within. Did he hear the pleas of the parents, or the public? Or was it something bigger? All I know is that there are many questions left unanswered and no matter where he hides, at some point, the kidnapper will have to atone for his actions, whether here on earth or somewhere else.

On a lighter note, I pulled out my loom yesterday and I have begun knitting my cowl. I am very pleased with my progress thus far and am enjoying the ease and quick sense of accomplishment it is giving me so far. The weather is unseasonably warm, but I know that could change at any moment, so might as well get a jump on it.

Photo courtesy dreamstudies.org

Projects, hobbies and the like.

I have many ideas for projects and some I even start. I don't always complete them, but I usually start. My latest is stripping the paint off of a wooden bedside table. I got it for free because it was painted Hospital Green (It's remarkable how many free items of furniture are this particular hue.) Well, yesterday was the day and I got most of the paint off. Next is to sand it with the orbital sander, and then varnish. Already, I am happy with my progress. I have begun to take photos but I will reveal them closer to completion. (Since completion isn't my strong point, ahem.)

My next idea is to knit a cowl. I have a great inspiration from somewhere in the blogosphere, it is an amazing herringbone worsted weight merino wool creation. Mine will probably be a multicoloured acrylic, knit on my loom, but whatev. It's a knitted tube. Get over it. Finally, I plan to make more handmade cards. Every time I am in a dollar store or scrapbook aisle, I buy something, so time to get it out and put it all to use. This is the time of year that I tend to enjoy, the harvest, getting back to the home and leisurely pursuits. There has been nothing leisurely about the summer, I can assure you.

Take 5

It's time I got my priorities straight. I have so many creative ideas that flood my brain and I never seem to get to them. So now, I am making a list of the things I enjoy that I would like to pursue or revisit.

Guitar

I am a beginner, I love to play but I don't make enough concerted effort. Discipline is key.

Drawing, I find it so relaxing and all I need is a pencil! Why am I not doing more of it?

Sewing

I adore the idea of upcycling and wardrobe refashion. If only my lack of designated sewing space didn't make me tear my hair out. Here is my last serious project; the matching vests my husband and son wore for our DIY, camp-away weekend wedding.

Don't we look deliriously happy here? That's because we all jumped in the lake five minutes after this photo was taken. Seriously in the next series of photos we were in our bathing suits. No stuffy reception hall for us!

Knitting,

I would love to develop this skill, not only is it frugal and practical but a true art. So far, all I have managed to make is a couple of little funny things, but hey, a start is a start.

Writing.

This is huge. Writing has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. I do a smidgen here and truthfully, one of the reasons I started this blog was to keep my writing muscle from complete and utter atrophy. It's really not the quality and quantity of prose that I would like from myself, but I won't knock it. I will take writing something over writing nothing any day of the week. This type of short and to the point communication suits my present sensibilities quite nicely.

So, that's it.

I'm taking five.

Ugh, winter.

Normally it's not so bad, and I am doing my best to have a positive attitude, but flu season has not been kind to me, and I am just about fed up with being sick! On the plus side, I have had more time and inspiration for frugal ideas. On the minus side, I have not had the energy to carry anything out effectively. Every time I try to complete a project, I end up flopping on the couch in frustration because I don't have enough...oomph..to complete it to any sort of satisfaction. So I have to be satisfied with what I can accomplish, and that will have to be enough for now. I made an attempt at a wardrobe refashion; a shrug which I made out of sweater sleeves. My husband received a cheap acrylic sweater for Christmas a couple of years ago and the colour is just all wrong for him. It was way to big and baggy for me, so finally I asked permission to cut it up. It has a nice argyle pattern on the sleeves which really is the only redeeming quality of the sweater. I paired it up with some of the burgundy trim from my Freecycle stash and got it all pinned together. I have yet to drag out the sewing machine. Somehow, in my mind, the machine weighs 1000 lbs right now. I got the idea from Wardrobe Refashion, a girl did it with a cabled sweater sleeves. Too cool. I'd find the link for you, but meh, I don't feel like it right now. I also knitted my husband an ear warmer headband. Well, it was going to be a tuque but let's just say the tension was off a little and rather than frog the whole project, I bound it off and called it a headband. He dutifully wore it all around the house and didn't once laugh at me, even though he looked ridiculous and we all knew it :) Now, that is a good man. The final thing I have been dinkying around with is Plarn. Yes, Plarn.It is yarn made from recycling plastic carrier bags. When I told my mum, she said, "That's nice, dear," in the tone that says she thinks it's the medication talking. Well maybe it was, come to think of it. Still, I have visions of reclaiming the world's plastic bags one at a time and knitting them into, well, plastic bags. Strong, sturdy bags, which could carry home, say, a watermelon, or your beach toys. Maybe a rug, where you could scrape the mud off your boots. Or a built in scrubbie in your washcloth. No more hideous bags in the landfill. Plarn for everyone!

Oh, Plarn, you give a sick girl hope.

This Panda is Canadian eh.

So I knitted another tuque. Too bad it only fits my son's beloved Panda. I didn't follow a pattern, I just kind of flew by the seat of my knitted pants and this is what I got. Not bad. If I had any babies around I would have had a captive model, but alas, Panda will have to suffice. Try as I might, I just can't squeeze it onto my sleeping son's gargantuan head. Oh well, he will have a surprise in the morning. I'll just tell him I meant to do it all along. He won't know the diff. He wanted a headband anyways. A green one with a blue stripe. My last knitting project, which was supposed to be a cell phone case, is now a sleeping bag for another stuffy we call Bert. I'm sure by the time I am through, all his toys will be very warm this winter. Happy knitting!

Thanksgiving weekend medley

This is a child's tuque and scarf I knitted a couple of years ago. It was my first and last knitting project. I like knitting and I hope to get back into it this fall and winter. Somehow it's one of those things I put to the side in place of other, faster gratifications. This project was entirely knit in garter stitch which was funny because that was the only stitch I knew how to do. It made the knitting quite tedious and the toque a little baggy. I have since learned to purl and can now rib and make things stretchy. Gauge is still a bit of a mystery but I imagine the only thing for that is practice. I was lucky enough to receive a big box of yarn and a bunch of different sized needles from a fellow freecycler, so I have everything I need to pick up and knit again. All I need is the proper motivation. It is my hope that posting my one success will inspire me again. I also have crochet needles. Hmmm. Anyone a knitter? What are you making? Any tips for the novice??

In other news, I am growing out my hair. I used to be addicted to highlights and most of my family thinks that I am a natural blond because I wore it that way for so many years. In the last year and a half or so I have been growing out my natural color for a few reasons: a) I have no idea what it really looks like beyond a few inches of roots, although now I am beginning to see that I am what the french call chatain or a dark reddish blond. It's not nearly as bad as I feared and I do have natural highlights which are quite nice. b) my natural hair is so much softer and touchable than the bleached out hair and my natural curl comes out a lot better and c) highlights are expensive and it's one of those unnecessary expenses that I have been trying to pare down in an effort to be more budget conscious and frugal minded. On another note, my husband has told me he really likes my natural hair a lot better. So, there you go! It is a little dry on the ends from the last remaining bleach, so I gave it a bit of a trim and did a home hot oil treatment. I used olive oil and two steamy towels. You heat up a small damp towel in your microwave until steamy. While that is going, you distribute the oil through your hair until all the ends are well covered. Then you wrap it in the steamy towel. Not too steamy, of course, or you'll burn your head. Use common sense, please! While the second towel is heating, you get a hot oil treatment. Switch out the towels a few times then shampoo your hair and condition. Wow, what a difference!
Do you have any home beauty treatments you'd like to share? Recipes? Please leave a comment.
Happy Thanksgiving, Canada! I will try to post again before I go back to work.