Work in Progress: Heather Heirloom Bag

Currently working on a new bag. I love big bags that hold all my crap, library books, plus any groceries I need to pick up on the way home. Sadly, I think I stopped these too early, and the bag might end up being rather smaller than desired. Still, I'm pleased with how it's going so far. I'm using my pretty blue-gray-green wool from the Handweavers and Spinners Guild. The finished product is means to have some crochet details, and here are some of my practice pieces.

Pattern: Heirloom bag by Martin Storey
Craft: knitting and crochet

I think I'll be working on this one for a while. It requires a fabric lining and a ribbon strap. This means sewing, and as I haven't yet learned to sew, the future of this bag remains unclear.

E for Ethel

Because I'm sad and lonely and don't know anyone in Adelaide, I joined some local groups on Meetup.com. One of them is a crafters group (yay!) and they were advertising a crocheting event at a place called E for Ethel in North Adelaide.

I thought maybe, just maybe, this place would sell yarn, because they have regular crochet classes and events. I went to check it out a couple weeks ago, and then I attended the crochet event on Thursday night.

Sadly, they do not sell yarn. But I'm still in love with E for Ethel. It's a cafe and shop mix, and they sell original artwork, graphic prints, and handmade knickknacks of all sorts, all made in Australia. It's wonderful!! I know where I'll be getting any gifts for the next year. Ethel celebrated her 1st birthday last week, so she's relatively new to the Adelaide cafe scene.

 
Sorry, that photo's a bit fuzzy, but I was trying to be slightly stealthy about photographing my work in public. (I don't know why I bother owning a camera if I'm gonna be frightened of taking pictures in public, but whatever.) There is a large basket of de-stashed yarn, and I was able to snag a ball that matched the project I'm currently working on.

On my previous visit, I had spotted these crochet hook sets by UrbanSiesta, and since I got paid on Thursday, I couldn't possibly resist buying one!

Graphic Novels

Having read manga "A Midsummer Night's Dream," I have decided that graphic novels are THE way to absorb Shakespeare. At least for me. I can't follow the language when I read his plays, even if the "modern" translation is supplied on the left page. I generally have no idea what's going on. And watching one of his plays acted live or in movie form, I can totally figure out what's going on, but can hardly catch a word anyone says. In a graphic novel, you get the sort of "video" reel, but you can read the Shakespearean English at your own speed. I love it!

My success with "Midsummer" gave me the courage to give this a chance. Maybe it could be improved??

I've seen the first film, but haven't read the books. After spending May joking with Sara, Emily, and Rania about writing a Twilight-like book, I decided I couldn't put it off any longer. I need to know what I'm dealing with. I need to read it. So when I saw this, I thought it would ease the whole process.

I was wrong. I mean, it's fun. And the pictures are very accurately manga; they're beautiful. But it's all dialogue and meaningful looks, and the dialogue is...well, you know what the dialogue is. Volume One went pretty quickly, but it doesn't look like the library has the other volumes, so now I'm reading this.

It's by a French guy who moved to Myanmar/Burma with small son and wife, who works for MSF (Doctors Without Borders). It's basically short comics about his daily experiences there. This was in 2005, prior to the Burmese dictatorship shutting its borders to all foreign aid organizations.

Here is my crochet bow-tie necklace. It's a bit floppy, but I love this yarn and I really love the "puff stitch," which made the balls on the necklace bit. I'm totally gonna make more necklaces for myself.

And here is today's snack: I decided to try Becky's suggestion of baking brie in filo pastry. But as I'm poor, I bought cheap brie. Bad idea. It's gone all lumpy and greasy in the oven. The chips are really good though! I cut up some pita flatbread, brushed them with olive oil, and sprinkled on a generous helping of sea salt. Mmmm...