The Mezzanine

I'm doing a pottery course this evening!

Really looking forward to it. I haven't done pottery since school art classes when I was 10 – but I've been wanting to try it ever since.


This has all come about in the following way:

Mez: "I think I'm going to quit choir for a while. My voice just isn't coping, and it's no fun going every week when I keep on being unable to sing."

Hubbie: "But you need to do some sort of evening activity! It's not good for you to be home with the kids all week long."

Mez: "...could I do some art classes?"


If pottery doesn't hit the spot, I have many other backup options. Including calligraphy, life drawing, book binding, glass blowing, blacksmithing, weaving, spinning, and pencil sketching.

Crafter's Paralysis: the inability to start a new project because, by choosing one to do, you'll be simultaneously not choosing all the others, and they're all so nice!


Just finished my blanket. Am now trying to choose between crocheting three different headwear things, crocheting slippers, sewing a cloak, sewing a quilt cover, or finishing my cross-stitch...

I am making a jumper. It will be seamless.

That is all.

Been rather MIA lately. This is because I've been busy...

...watching Leverage seasons 3 and 4. Which means, for the first time in living memory, I'm up to date with American tv and can read websites without worrying about spoilers. For at least the next week or so.

...cuddling nephews. Gotta say, even though it was annoying having Nathan so upset that I had to sit there and cuddle him for two straight hours, it was also kinda lovely. I've had to deal with wailing, tears, and fretting from each of my nephews - and it's something I treasure even if it's a pain.

...trying to find a job. My current one is almost certainly going to disappear soon (widespread redundancies, and my role's expendable), and despite my limited experience I'm pretty good at this whole editing thing, so there's got to be someone out there who'll hire me. Right?

...making fun things from wool. Crochet is ADDICTIVE. I've finished my beginners book - and am now trying out some of the trickier patterns. (The easy tricky patterns, though. I'm not confident enough to try the truly diabolical ones.)

...missing the boyfriend, who is still in Europe. *pines*

...teaching Sunday School. With lots of seven year olds who can run riot quite effectively. This week, I have to tell the story of Ruth. Which will be difficult.

...reading books I've read before. Murder mysteries are my comfort food.

The Good:

I finished crocheting my blue wrap! Go me!

Here it is:
( photo )


The Bad:

My mother bought me wonderfully lovely earrings from Europe, that were beautiful blue glass and perfect for me. And I got to wear them for a whole half hour before one of them dropped off my ear somewhere between home and work.

That's three railway stations, two trains, and quite a bit of footpath. I'm not getting it back.

And yes, I know it's just an earring, and children starving in Africa etc, but part of me wants to just sit here and burst into tears for a while...

1) I have a cold, which is making me sneezy and disinclined to blog. Hence the lack of updates.

2) My work tends to be either non-existent, or boundless and overflowing. Right now, it's just gone from almost nothing to do, to suddenly having eight really massive and interesting things to get done. Which would be great... if it wasn't right at the end of the week, so I somehow have to cram huge amounts into the next few hours and then hope I still remember everything next Wednesday.

3) Going out to a Croatian restaurant this evening, with some uni friends. Ages since we've been able to catch up, so it'll be nice to see everyone.

4) Alex is about to turn 6. I have been enlisted for his superhero party tomorrow, to take green-screen photos of boys flying through the sky...

5) dr_carrot has now been away for over three weeks, and her cat is missing her dreadfully. He keeps trying to come and snuggle up to me - usually when I'm having a shower, trying to cook something, or on the loo. MOST inconvenient.

6) Scarf number two is finished (except for the tassles) and I'm now trying to crochet a cushion. My life is turning into Nothing But Crochet! right now, but I really have to put in lots of time while I'm still enthusiastic, so that when that dies down I'm skilled enough to still find it all interesting.

7) Winter has taken over (even though it technically isn't here yet), and I am rugging up enormously every morning. It's too cold for me to go outside with wet hair! What on earth is that about?!

Allow me to exercise my bragging rights.

( nephews )

( crochet )

I hate that final day of cross-stitch. Because... well, it kinda goes like this:


Final Day of Cross-Stitch
"It's arrived! Oh happy day! I will finish my cross-stitch today, and it will be glorious!"

*stitches enthusiastically*

*...doesn't quite finish*


Really Final Day of Cross-Stitch
"Hurrah. Today I will finish my cross-stitch. Clearly. There's only a tiny amount to do!"

*stitches enthusiastically*

*...doesn't finish*
*doesn't seem to have made an impression at all, actually*


Definitely The Final Day of Cross-Stitch
"Okay. TODAY will be the final day of cross-stitch. GONNA FINISH."

*stitches enthusiastically*

*...doesn't finish ...again*


Final Day of Cross-Stitch, and I Really Mean It This Time
"There is so little to do that I absolutely will finish today. No question. I MUST finish. This I swear upon the life of my firstborn."

*stitches enthusiastically*

"...DAMMIT."




*sighs*

Tomorrow, I'm going to finish my cross-stitch. Almost definitely this time.

I've often wondered how those extra-competent quilters managed to cut quilting shapes the right size. Now I know: they cheat!

Discovered a set of plastic quilting-shape forms yesterday - some hexagons, some diamonds, and some weird half-hexagon half-diamond hybrids, for joining them all together. It makes the shapes all simple and un-tricky!

Now I can fake being an expert quilter too, along with the rest of you!


*quilts frantically*

Are you checking my tagged entries?

Everything's cross-posted from here to LJ, these days. But my earlier stuff wasn't.

If you're looking for a tagged entry from my LJ-only days, please look here.