Oh dear reader, I've lost the will to sew. My life has been taken over by that fickle floozy, knitting, and her sister, spinning. I have a coat I promised a friend which I've still not sewn the muslin, a ton of summer clothes and the start of Christmas presents to do. I just can't find the will to start. I love sewing, I really do, but getting going is so hard. It's been ages since I did any and I think that is the problem.
What can I do?
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Obsession
Hello folks. Yeah I know I've been incommunicado again. But you're used to it now right? So what's my excuse this time? Well I blame obsession.
I have an obsessive personality. It's something I've been aware of for quite a while. I fall for things easily and hard. It was brought to my attention when I was backpacking round Italy. In Florence a group of us from our campsite went out one evening and we came across an artist working on canvases with spray cans. He was making the most amazing landscapes I have ever seen. One in particular I fell in love with. But it was an A3 canvas and I was only half way through a 5 week tour. There was no way I could take it with me even if I could afford it. I was devastated. One of the guys in our group told me I fall in love too easily.
He was right.
Obsession with things, people, places, memories is really easy for me. It's closely related to an addictive personality in my opinion. I fall for things and they become obsessions. As a general rule they are unattainable things, or unrequited loves. Things that will be tinged with melancholy because of this. It is this obsession and inability to let go that colours my personality. Fortunately not as much as it used to. It has been a very long time since I have felt obsessive about anything. But what has come along at the moment is so benign as to be hilarious. My current obsession? Buffy. Yup that's right, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Funny right? The thing is it's been 14 years since the show first aired. It ran between 1997 and 2003 which puts me at 15 to 21. So my formative years. I watched it from the beginning but missed most of the last series. I was about the same age as the characters so their journey was mine (minus the apocalypses). Watching it again I am struck by the characters, the psychology behind them. It is fascinating. And it is obsessive. I want to get to the end so I can know what happens but I also want to see where they go. I want to delve into their personalities. The characters I fancied as a young girl are now attractive on multiple levels. I identify with scenarios I'd never noticed before because I am no longer living them but looking at them one step removed. Like I said, it's fascinating.
So this is the reason I'm not around much at the moment. Too much Buffy to watch. Don't worry though, there are only about 11 episodes to go. Then you get to listen to me dissect them hahahaha!
I have an obsessive personality. It's something I've been aware of for quite a while. I fall for things easily and hard. It was brought to my attention when I was backpacking round Italy. In Florence a group of us from our campsite went out one evening and we came across an artist working on canvases with spray cans. He was making the most amazing landscapes I have ever seen. One in particular I fell in love with. But it was an A3 canvas and I was only half way through a 5 week tour. There was no way I could take it with me even if I could afford it. I was devastated. One of the guys in our group told me I fall in love too easily.
He was right.
Obsession with things, people, places, memories is really easy for me. It's closely related to an addictive personality in my opinion. I fall for things and they become obsessions. As a general rule they are unattainable things, or unrequited loves. Things that will be tinged with melancholy because of this. It is this obsession and inability to let go that colours my personality. Fortunately not as much as it used to. It has been a very long time since I have felt obsessive about anything. But what has come along at the moment is so benign as to be hilarious. My current obsession? Buffy. Yup that's right, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Funny right? The thing is it's been 14 years since the show first aired. It ran between 1997 and 2003 which puts me at 15 to 21. So my formative years. I watched it from the beginning but missed most of the last series. I was about the same age as the characters so their journey was mine (minus the apocalypses). Watching it again I am struck by the characters, the psychology behind them. It is fascinating. And it is obsessive. I want to get to the end so I can know what happens but I also want to see where they go. I want to delve into their personalities. The characters I fancied as a young girl are now attractive on multiple levels. I identify with scenarios I'd never noticed before because I am no longer living them but looking at them one step removed. Like I said, it's fascinating.
So this is the reason I'm not around much at the moment. Too much Buffy to watch. Don't worry though, there are only about 11 episodes to go. Then you get to listen to me dissect them hahahaha!
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Nerd Wars - T2
It's that time again. Time for me to do nothing but talk about knitting. But this time I am on a team. That's right, it's Nerd Wars Tournament 2! I'm on Team Hellmouth, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer team and we plan to kick ass. I'm gonna try to actually post as I go along this time so you won't get one huge knitted post :o)
Challenges for June are as follows:
Challenge (Nerd Culture): I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE
Since 2005, one website has been grabbing your (and my) nerdy little eyeballs like few others, making you laugh, making you cry, making you ask “WTF?”: the great time suck of your late-afternoon work/study sessions, YouTube. You’ve seen the cartoons, the cute cats, the mashups, and the webseries. Your challenge now is to make something inspired by your favorite YouTube video.
Challenge (Team Spirit): THERE IS NO EYE IN TEAM
Let’s face it - you’ve been on this team much longer than Nerd Wars has been around. You have read, watched, and pondered all there is to mentally consume on your subject. Sometimes so much that you have weird dreams about it. And while you have team members all around you with similar experiences, your feelings about your geekery are singular.
Your challenge is to demonstrate what you love about your geekery. This challenge will show your teammates a bit about you, and demonstrate to others what your nerdy passion truly means to you.
Challenge (Giving Geeks): NO MORE NAKED NEWBORNS
Around the world, even in the richest countries, babies are born into very poor families, often without anything to cover them, protecting them from the elements and potential illness.
Your challenge is to donate a new baby item to an organization local to you that accepts and distributes such items to the families of these newborns. The item must be new and clean, and does not necessarily need to be crafted by you.
Many areas have such donation programs, and can be found by googling, researching in community newspapers, or posted on bulletin boards at grocery stores or town halls. You may be able to donate directly to local hospitals. If you have difficulty finding a local program, post in this thread to ask for help.
Challenge (Scientific): LIGHTNING
June 15, 1752, Ben Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment, proving lightning is actually electricity.
To honor Franklin’s June discovery, the June challenge is all about electricity!
Electricity (n): any phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons, ions, or other charged particles
Whether it is lightning, the current powering your computer, or the sparks that flash when your cat tries to curl up on a fleece blanket in the winter, electricity is everywhere! Let it inspire your creations this month!
Challenge (Intellectual): AN ADAGE A DAY...
“Nothing defines a culture as distinctly as its language, and the element of language that best encapsulates a society’s values and beliefs is its proverbs.” --www.phrases.org.uk
“A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity.” --Wikipedia
Every culture, tradition, and religion has its proverbs and adages. Some are elegant and poetic. Others are witty and humorous. Many convey much wisdom with just a few words. A quick internet search will yield a wealth of common maxims like, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” and “Honesty is the best policy.”
Your challenge is to craft something that illustrates or is inspired by a proverb/adage. Be sure to quote the proverb in you submission. If the origin of your adage is known, include that information as well.
Challenge (Technical): 3(DIMENSION)
You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of needles and hooks but of yarn; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination — Next stop, NERD WARS!
Your challenge this month is create a project that is three dimensional in some way. This can be though techniques or it can be in construction. Do not feel that you are limited to stuffed toys only. Cables, bobbles or other similar techniques qualify. Sewn on elements (like sewing crochet flowers onto a knitted cardigan) qualify just as long as both pieces are created from a Ravelry sanctioned craft. Spun yarn would have to have some dimension. While I am not a spinner, thick to thin yarn or nubby boucle comes to mind. I am not inclined to accept traditional lace projects for this challenge for while intricate and lacy, most are still rather flat. But if you feel you have a pattern or project in mind that fits, pitch the idea to me. I am open to a persuasive argument. Also, a project does not count as “three dimensional” just because it is worn around your body…no matter how nicely you fill it out!
Next post - My projects for each challenge.
Challenges for June are as follows:
Challenge (Nerd Culture): I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE
Since 2005, one website has been grabbing your (and my) nerdy little eyeballs like few others, making you laugh, making you cry, making you ask “WTF?”: the great time suck of your late-afternoon work/study sessions, YouTube. You’ve seen the cartoons, the cute cats, the mashups, and the webseries. Your challenge now is to make something inspired by your favorite YouTube video.
- No basic instructional videos. I don’t want you to justify a pair of socks because you watched a Judy’s Magic Cast-On How-To.
- No clips of TV shows or movies, unless they’re more popular on YouTube than they ever were on their original medium. Be prepared to defend the increased popularity.
- Music videos are okay with me, as are TV commercials that were clearly designed to be viral sensations.
Challenge (Team Spirit): THERE IS NO EYE IN TEAM
Let’s face it - you’ve been on this team much longer than Nerd Wars has been around. You have read, watched, and pondered all there is to mentally consume on your subject. Sometimes so much that you have weird dreams about it. And while you have team members all around you with similar experiences, your feelings about your geekery are singular.
Your challenge is to demonstrate what you love about your geekery. This challenge will show your teammates a bit about you, and demonstrate to others what your nerdy passion truly means to you.
Challenge (Giving Geeks): NO MORE NAKED NEWBORNS
Around the world, even in the richest countries, babies are born into very poor families, often without anything to cover them, protecting them from the elements and potential illness.
Your challenge is to donate a new baby item to an organization local to you that accepts and distributes such items to the families of these newborns. The item must be new and clean, and does not necessarily need to be crafted by you.
Many areas have such donation programs, and can be found by googling, researching in community newspapers, or posted on bulletin boards at grocery stores or town halls. You may be able to donate directly to local hospitals. If you have difficulty finding a local program, post in this thread to ask for help.
Challenge (Scientific): LIGHTNING
June 15, 1752, Ben Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment, proving lightning is actually electricity.
To honor Franklin’s June discovery, the June challenge is all about electricity!
Electricity (n): any phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons, ions, or other charged particles
Whether it is lightning, the current powering your computer, or the sparks that flash when your cat tries to curl up on a fleece blanket in the winter, electricity is everywhere! Let it inspire your creations this month!
Challenge (Intellectual): AN ADAGE A DAY...
“Nothing defines a culture as distinctly as its language, and the element of language that best encapsulates a society’s values and beliefs is its proverbs.” --www.phrases.org.uk
“A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity.” --Wikipedia
Every culture, tradition, and religion has its proverbs and adages. Some are elegant and poetic. Others are witty and humorous. Many convey much wisdom with just a few words. A quick internet search will yield a wealth of common maxims like, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” and “Honesty is the best policy.”
Your challenge is to craft something that illustrates or is inspired by a proverb/adage. Be sure to quote the proverb in you submission. If the origin of your adage is known, include that information as well.
Challenge (Technical): 3(DIMENSION)
You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of needles and hooks but of yarn; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination — Next stop, NERD WARS!
Your challenge this month is create a project that is three dimensional in some way. This can be though techniques or it can be in construction. Do not feel that you are limited to stuffed toys only. Cables, bobbles or other similar techniques qualify. Sewn on elements (like sewing crochet flowers onto a knitted cardigan) qualify just as long as both pieces are created from a Ravelry sanctioned craft. Spun yarn would have to have some dimension. While I am not a spinner, thick to thin yarn or nubby boucle comes to mind. I am not inclined to accept traditional lace projects for this challenge for while intricate and lacy, most are still rather flat. But if you feel you have a pattern or project in mind that fits, pitch the idea to me. I am open to a persuasive argument. Also, a project does not count as “three dimensional” just because it is worn around your body…no matter how nicely you fill it out!
Next post - My projects for each challenge.
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