Amigurumi

I've recently become re-interested in crocheting. Last year, I got pretty good at knitting, finishing a pair of mittens and finally becoming thwarted by socks. Many years before that, I had spent lunch breaks crocheting a massive blanket and several hats. A woman at work taught me how to crochet a circle, and has opened up this whole new world of crochet projects, particularly amigurumi, the art of crocheting or knitting little creatures. I picked up this awesome book called Crobots, and over Thanksgiving, rocked out some of these creatures. To be stuffed and accessorized asap.

This is a knit project started maybe two years ago. When finished, it will be an awesome pillow with arms, legs, eyes and a warm smile. Intended for my brother. Thought that by posting it here, I would be shamed into finishing it.










And two books that are kicking my ass. I'm determined to learn how to crochet smooth, flat hexagons and join them together into a blanket or even a scarf. I've been practicing at night and then throwing the little circles across the room in frustration. And that is the socks book that made me put down knitting. But I'll be back.





I'm looking forward to a snowy winter. Plus, just got a huge bin of yarn from my mother-in-law. Now let's see if I can finish a project.

CA: Scrapbook Update

My California scrapbook has been another ongoing project that has been really enjoyable to stick with. One weekend, I got inspired and stamped and painted the front page for the scrapbook plus the daily front pages (not pictured). I used a gold paint tinted black and then wrote the location in script, using a sharpie marker. Just having fun laying out pages, trying to tell a story, and pointedly ignoring the critical voice that says "why are you doing this? why are there so many pages? what if you aren't scrapbooking like you're supposed to?" Who cares? It feels good to do after a long day at work, and that's all that matters. Images below.

25 Things: An Update

The 25 Things To Do scrapbook has ended up being one of the best creative ideas I've been able to pursue. Not only has it actually worked in keeping my mood up, we've been able to do some really cool things over the past several months! I've been taking lots of pictures, collecting random stuff, and having fun scrapbooking it all together. It keeps me actively creating, its easy to do, there is always something to work on.

To make the whole collection a bit more cohesive, each task has a long label with the task number stamped and the task handwritten beside it. Each page has a round label with the date stamped on it. I used silver and black sharpies to write all over everything, and used all the random stuff collected to help dress up the photos. If a task only used the front of a page, I used the back to journal about it. Tags and index cards work wonders for this. And who cares if its cheesy. So no laughing.