searching for something

No cable yet, but still a persistent pull to change something, anything. I spent last night sitting at my sewing table unhappy with everything I was working on. This simple red bird (and purple buddy below) were all I could come up with, and they are both far too sweet for my tastes. Just as I was walking out the studio door I had one final thought, resulting in the roughly sewn on bit. I've been cutting out fragmented messages from this old book I found in Michigan - this one being "I will not go with you". See? Change would be great right about now.

Which leads me to the paint chips. We have an all-beige house which I completely agree with in theory. It's practical and means your "stuff" can stand out. But I am ready to abandon being practical. We get hardly any natural light in our house and winter is coming so I think a saturated, full-of-passion colour would be a healthy move. Sadie and I debated our options on the porch today, and I've narrowed it down to two: "boston brick" red and "cougar brown" well, brown (though it has an almost plum base). Jay gets home Tuesday and as long as he doesn't shudder at the thought, I hope he can weigh in. He's never been into red, but maybe this year things are different. Sadie can be very persuasive.

On a different note, thanks to Ragdoll's reminder, Sadie and I went to Word on the Street today. We loaded down her stroller with books (a bag of books for $5? Give me 2!) and felt very happy with ourselves. Books and paint, we must be readying our nest for the winter. Throw in a pair of almost-complete-socks and my beloved can of Coke, and I may make it through this need for change after all.

hollywood night

Right now, Jay is heading over to an opening reception for a show called "Just Britney" at a gallery in Hollywood. They managed to pull together work from 47 artists, including Fourteen and Chris Crocker (of YouTube fame). Of course, Jay could have gone down the trashy route for Ms. Spears, but his portrait is beautifully innocent and I think it's one of his best pieces. He just knows her face so well, and I've long since forgotten my husband's predilection for this particular blonde. Well, for the most part.

It would have been great to join him, but I just got home from a lovely break in New York with Ragdoll and couldn't stand being away from Sadie that long. Although I was in NY for a work conference, I was a total girl and shopped like mad (Ragdoll inspires me that way, though she did laugh when I bought a pair of red shoes similar to ones I already have. My response: I like variations on a theme.) But being away from home was good for my soul, truly. These are uncertain times at my workplace, the summer, frankly, was a bummer, and I have a real need for change right now. My mother, bless her, tried to help me move all our furniture around today just to make some change, but with a cumbersome TV, nothing worked. Stupid TV - and to add insult to injury, we don't even have cable.

So while Jay is doing his art thing I just need to sit down and knit, send him happy Hollywood thoughts, and consider this whole cable ridiculousness. Maybe signing up could count as change? At the very least I could finally watch Mad Men.

gramma love

Truth be told, I learned how to crochet way before I ever knit. The women in my family were more of the doily-making variety instead of knitters; perhaps they preferred keeping track of only one needle or they liked the humour of being called a "hooker". I imagine the latter is the case, as crochet reminds me most of my Gramma Vi, who passed away two weeks ago. Sure, this summer has been absolutely crappy for losing loved ones, but at least remembering my Gramma makes me laugh. She was a crazy, one-of-a-kind lady. You could not leave her house without sparkles attaching themselves mysteriously to your body and she was a crochet queen. So finishing a crochet project is not only timely, but also therapeutic.

It turns out that crocheting is also easier to do on the subway when I'm standing behind Sadie's stroller. We only go 4 stops, but I suffer from having to always do something with my hands, so I make use of the time. This scarf is a simple fan pattern I found somewhere online and I like that it feels lacy without the task of having to memorize a lace knitting pattern, plus it looks the same on both sides. I used Rowan cashcotton, which is lovely to work with, and a 4.5mm hook. It's about 9 degrees outside right now, so I'd say I finished the scarf just in time.

See Gramma? I'm a hooker now too.