Category: Uncategorized
-
I Sewed My Own Clothes For A Year. Here’s What I Learned…
“But to use the knowledge of the threading, you must learn the making of the shades. When to sadden with the iron pot. How to bloom the colors. How to bleed.” ― Lois Lowry, Gathering Blue I remember that fateful day when I was still a full time baker trudging away during the COVID-19 pandemic as an…
-
Big Girl Needles
“I don’t think you turn thirty and become immune to mistake-making or lesson learning. You grow wiser (supposedly) but never omniscient. There’s always something you need to be taught, and so you keep learning and you keep growing up- until you’re dead.”― Jessica George, Maame I just finished cleaning my Velvet Room―the name of my little arts…
-
Feverishly Knitting Socks: A Feverish Ramble
I am not a sock knitter. I am happiest cuddling between my husband and kitty on the couch, knitting away at cardigans―my preferred project. But, something inspired me to try something different. I am losing my mind while trying to complete a simple black cardigan that has been in the works for three…
-
My Complicated Relationship with Fashion… because, I’m Probably Overthinking It
Not sure if this is quite a “skill,” but… I find that discovering our personal style can be deeper than we could ever imagine. “The worst fashion faux pas is looking in the mirror and seeing somebody else.” — Iris Apfel Conforming for the sake of conformity… My style is still pretty chaotic. It certainly does…
-
Oaks Should Stand Taller Than Skyscrapers
“Many a genius has been slow of growth. Oaks that flourish for a thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed.” —George Henry Lewes After leaving a huge city, it is incredible to see how much taller the trees are. It is a detail worth paying attention to. I felt trapped by…
-
Consummating the Knitting Marriage
“I made this for you. I thought of you while I made it. I guess I kind of love you.” ― Elizabeth Berg My number 1 priority tomorrow is… to keep showing my unfinished knitting projects some love by actually knitting them. Sometime in 2009 or so on a fateful spring afternoon, there was…
-
The Beginning
“Where should I start? I texted my old Jiko this question, and she wrote back this: 現在地で始まるべき. You should start where you are.” ― Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being I am shaking with overstimulation. After an eclectic and chaotic month of teaching, emotional professional clashes, mass shootings, political assassinations, and an inconvenient…
-
AI-Free Childhood
“Distracted from distraction by distraction” — T.S. Eliot It was the first time in perhaps ten years that I opened a half-filled scrap book I started in elementary school. The book has thick pages dyed cream, much like the exquisite resume paper that once was the expectation at job interviews. Between the pages are scraps of…
-
Simple Crochet Terminology
Back Loop Only (blo): Refers to working into the back loop of a stitch, creating a ribbed or textured effect. Bobble Stitch (bo or bs): A cluster of stitches worked together to create a raised, textured bump in the fabric. Chain (ch): The foundation of most crochet projects, formed by making loops with the yarn and pulling them…
-
Simple Knitting Terminology
Bind Off (bo): The process of finishing a knitted piece by securing the stitches and creating a final edge. Blocking: The process of shaping and setting the final dimensions of a knitted piece by wetting and drying or steaming it. Bobble (mb): A small, raised decorative ball of stitches often used for texture. Cable Stitch: A technique where stitches…
The Alchemist Diaries 