My weekend away

I've just returned from a weekend at the Kotare centre having attended the 'craft for social justice' workshop. Plenty of discussion, the most amazing food, wonderfully supportive atmosphere and two new crafts for me! Behold my quilted hot water bottle cozy with the patch in the centre immortalising the weekend in my memory:


I'm quite intimidated by quilting in general and feel that it seems to draw out the perfectionism in people. Or maybe the perfectionists are drawn to quilting. Either way I was afraid of my latent critic making me feel stupid and generally being my downfall. Fortunately it was being taught by an amazing woman who was generous and practical! So now I have a quilted hot water cozy that I love and fond memories of making it.

Just so my first stencil. Like most things I've never tried, I assumed that it'd be beyond my abilities. Think I did pretty well for my first attempt. And got a lot of appreciation and support for even trying. Oh and believe it or not, the image is from a christian text of hymns. She looks how I often feel. I think I'll embroider and embellish and maybe add text like "let be, cruel world!" or "a brief hiatus from the battle" or something!!


And of course while the hands are busy the mind runs along. We had some great discussions about politics and craft...my favourite being the differences and values of both overtly and subtly political crafting. Being a group of respectful women makes conversations so much freer! And it's good for me to meet older, more experienced women and get a sense of myself now and in the future. If I grow old like them I'll be happy.

Right now I'm just tired and sleepy. Shall go sleep.

Knitters of the world unite

I have been a busy bee today. And the results are making me happy. Oh and happy World wide knit in public day. I knitted in public today. Did you?


Didn't knit for very long... but there were some very good knitters there. One day I am going to work up the courage to knit socks. I like socks.

Am having fun with making things for my swap partners. I think I'm more or less done with what I'm sending Heather, just need to do two small things. And have one very large thing to do for the witchy swap that I'm having a bit of a crafter's block about. More fear of failure than crafter's block actually. Shall endeavour to get over myself and try.

Did some study today. Have much to do still. That is all.

Things to be angry about

Just two, 'cause I could carry on for a good, long while. I've been watching this past week and it's been pissing me off something wonderful. Let's see... first we have a "crime watch" which warns you of people known as TAGGERS who are ruining the world. Not rapists, not homophobic misogynists, not the police: taggers. You know... those horrible kids who run around with spray cans destroying private property?! I say hug one. Then go tag something! Oh and don't even get me started on the ritual humiliation 'treatment' of making them wear pink. Or the fact that all of them are described on TV as "having dark features", "dark haired". Racism and homophobia combined. As my grandfather would say: aho kaliyugam (behold the times of darkness).

The second is the number of programmes devoted to making people feel shit about their bodies. And that the solution to depression is sublimating your grief in starving yourself. I am not exaggerating, that's what it said. I can't understand how anyone is supposed to grow up in this world and not have a seriously damaged relationship with their body. One of pure, unadulterated hatred. And how much hard work it is to undo the insidious messages we hear. I find myself looking at myself funny because I've put on weight. Kilos that I lost because I was flat out depressed and couldn't bring myself to eat. And was complimented on having lost. Weird, weird world. And don't you just love the people who tell you that you should remain indifferent to these messages. Or act like being a feminist somehow inures you to the angst that the world heaps on you. Okay, so this is a rant in the making... for now let me say:

I am proud of and amazed by the women who strive to love themselves.
I am tired of and saddened by the effort it takes.
I am trying to stay sane.
Oh, and I'm staying bloody mad.

bloody joy

So I'm definitely going up to Kotare for a craft for social justice weekend next week. Yahoo! And that is going to be my kick in the butt for getting my crochet zine done. And also to spend some time thinking about where I want my life and craft to be going this year.

I finally feel like I'm in control of my crafting in that I feel like I have some measure of skill and can craft. Which is a good position to be in for me! Over the past year I've made lots of stuff for people I like and have managed to be reasonably sustainable both in terms of money as well as energy. Now I think it's time to push my comfort zone a bit more. Perhaps see if there is much energy for a fiber militia and if there isn't, maybe do some all by me lonesome.

Over the next few days I'm going to have to do quite a bit of writing for my thesis. And I'm bleeding. Bloody well wonderful. No doubt I will rant about that another time. For now suffice to say that the hot water bottle is my friend and all the world of people my foes. Not feeling quite in control of either my body or my brain, but working on it.

Voulez vous crochet avec moi?

Wanna hook with me? I'm just starting out. And I saw this on a t-shirt. Wonder if it actually works in french. Seeing as I don't speak any and I don't trust any of the online translations, I don't know. Help?

Anyhoo here are my efforts from last night... a band of single crochet. I think it's pretty and it does seem to get easier once you know what you're doing (you think?!).



I bought a lot of pretty fabric yesterday. There was a sale at Arther Toye and I was feeling miserable and in need to cheering up. Observe.


I have grand plans for this stash.

On a different note, I have collected all the favourites and local items for Heather and made two of the smalls. So one to go. I am queen. Ha!

Cheers and cheerleaders

My counsellor thinks I need more cheerleaders in my life. I have competent people who remind and egg me on, but perhaps not enough of those who just cheer me on. Which of course brings up all my theories of how if I'm not being cheered on I haven't done anything worth being cheered. Which usually means I don't value any accomplishments other than academic progress. So cheerleaders to remind me that I am doing good even if I'm not doing great at study and that there is actually more to me than my thesis is nice. This week I got some work done in grey town and Nick cheered me on and made me work. So that was nice. And then I rewarded myself by buying pink and black ribbons!

Came home today to my final package from Di. It be awesome. See....


I love the Altered Harlequin notebook. I doubt if anyone other than my mother and Teresa will get its genius, but there it is! And I have spiced chocolate, bath melt, stickers and socks.


I knew she was making these from her blog but I had no idea they were for me. Love them! And they're absolutely perfect for winter in nz. Think I'm going to wear them all the time and make all my flatmates jealous.


Oh and another picture to show just how perfectly they fit. Did I mention that the pattern is beautiful. One day, I will learn to knit well enough to make things like this for myself. Until then I shall pester Di!

Dum dum dee dum

So I'm pretty useless at keeping a regular blog. The past month has been a long and tedious one, filled with the mundane and the downright annoying. This has not been helped by my mental state being anything but benign. Feeling thoroughly uninterested in everything and fairly dis-spirited about most. However, life now appears to be on an upswing.

On an interesting note, I'm thinking of going up to Auckland for a 'craft for social justice' workshop. And maybe hang out with Pip if she has time. I know a couple of people who might be going up there I'd quite like to see so it should be fun. And I can collect more patches. Like this one.


I think she looks like a mushroom witch. Other people claim she's just warming her hands. Why would a witch warm her hands when she could be casting spells?!

I signed up for two new swaps. This after I'd promised myself I'd pace myself and craft for myself rather than other people. Is it my fault there are cool people I want to make stuff for and get to know? Clearly not. Anyhoo... I'm not doing the witch/wicca/pagan swap and have the partner of my choice. She's cool! And I also invited one of my favourite crafters to be my friend in the second round of the make a friend swap. So even though I'm not crafting for myself, I count joining both of these swaps as nurturing to me. So there!


On the subject of witchyness... I discovered that wicca was the old English word for witch. Which isn't impressive in itself but it does mean that people who criticised Willow for calling herself a Wicca and complained about Joss Whedon's lack of knowledge were actually wrong. My faith in Joss restored, all's right with the world. I'm also discovering all manner of interesting things about wiccan practice. And the intersect between Hinduism and Ango-saxon roots. Which isn't really surprising but really quite fun!

I finally got around to seeing Serenity. So many aspects that pained me on so many levels. I love firefly and much prefer the TV series to the movie. And it annoyed me no end seeing River and Zoe made more feminine and the unending shots going up their respective legs. Not to mention creating a much more sexy and decisive Simon!

Ah well, the vagaries of the world that must be dealt with.