Recently

I was absent here for a while for various reasons - family visiting, work in the Uni starting again after my long summer off, needing time away from the computer after long sessions of teaching myself Adobe InDesign - and came back only to find Blogger stubbornly refusing to cooperate, so I have temporarily lost bits in the sidebar. While I attempt to solve this, here are some glimpses of recent happenings and be-ings:

View from the prom in Salthill. Galway Bay was eerily still for a few days - a mirror-like surface, coupled with thick warm air and people moving slowly; it felt like walking through a dream.

 

Encountered on another walk. I must emphasise I do not approve of people dumping old furniture in the landscape, but this was at least aesthetically pleasing. It also reminds me of that famous Cranberries album cover. 

My sister and I are busy preparing for crafts fairs, Christmas markets and online shops. I am trying to establish whether buttons or hooks and eyes or snap fasteners work best on crochet cuffs.

Baking. There has been a lot of baking, for birthdays, hikes, visitors and visits. I found out that liberally substituting honey for sugar is not always a good idea (banana mash instead of banana bread) and that a cake described as "really moist" in the recipe still can turn out excessively moist (pear mash instead of pear cake), to the delight of my visitors, who thankfully were all family and brave and ate it anyway.

Rab and I presented some of our collaborations at the first ever Cong Arts Festival. My sister and brother-in-law kindly helped out in various ways, from driving to filming our show. Cong is a picturesque village most famous for the film The Quiet Man. We loved this sign plus painted ducks' footprints.

Fading light

The only way I have been working with colour lately is in choosing yarn, since I have been focusing on black-and-white drawing. This weekend I am hoping to get my paints out and use bright colours as an antidote to the short days. I don't suffer from SAD, but like everyone I am happier if I see daylight every day, so whenever I can I go outside - no running this week so far, but walks, errands and forgoing the Ride of the Park-&-Ride and going by foot instead.

The lack of daylight meant I couldn't get better pictures of the crochet bracelets, but I actually like when pictures come out slightly blurry - as a myopic person, it feels so familiar.

Making...

...things for a Christmas stall...

 

...bread (though I want to eat less stodgy food)...

 ... artwork - revisiting/layering in this case (realising just how versatile watersoluble coloured pencils are)...

...time: for people, for running (my new rule is: if I am at home and conditions are acceptable - no horizontal rain! - and I am not expecting anyone, I go for a run, no matter how busy I think I am. The hour it takes up I get back through increased energy and clarity.)

Patterns

Repetitive patterns are calming to an over-anxious mind:

 

|  I chose this Noa Noa dress (a present from my mom) partly because of the print - dots in wobbly squares with rounded corners are very satisfying. I can stare at this print for a disproportionate amount of time - it is a type of meditation.

 

|  I have been making more crochet cuffs and knitting socks.

|  Tempting liquid blue in Ballyvaughan.


On a different note, today I am procrastinating by reading a book about procrastination that a friend lent me. I am only a few pages in, but it is interesting what Fiore has to say about the role anxiety, self-criticism, fear of failure/success and guilt play in the context of procrastination. We need compassion for who and where we are now to overcome the underlying causes of procrastination. I always knew that I procrastinate because I feel I am not good enough, so why even bother starting something, etc. And I can see that while putting things off leads to anxiety, the reverse is also true, so it is important to tackle the anxiety. Fiore is adamant that laziness and disorganisation are not the reasons people procrastinate, which is worth reminding yourself of.

These days

 

detail - work in progress

Painting: I am painting -and drawing- and feeling happy. Reading about Lucian Freud has been both liberating (he was painting when it was extremely unfashionable and didn't care; he always did his own thing) and intimidating (he could be quite critical and damning of other artists' work). I can only paint freely when I don't think about who will see the result and how it will be judged. I need to do it for myself. 

Then, of course, occasionally I exhibit my work (and I show it online all the time), and that makes it and me vulnerable and exposed. But I am just so content that I am creating again and on a regular basis that this feeling of joy is above everything else.

Learning: I was working on this programme, and this year there were barely any hiccups. Since my only training in graphic design so far has been a one-day course for Adobe Illustrator (a programme I don't have yet), it can be challenging (for me and for the printers, who have to deal with what I give them), but I am learning a lot (though my favourite parts remain the handmade ones - I enjoyed creating the artwork).

Wearing: Reason number 764 why my sister should open an etsy shop.(This is so beautiful, Anke!) I don't have a photo of the back, but you tie the choker with a ribbon, and it has tiny beads where the ribbon is attached to the lace. I will wear this a lot.

The view from my bed in the evening

Reading: After working on the computer a lot recently, which resulted in an aching body and dry eyes, I am now keeping my evenings computer-free. Since I only have a small not-very-soft couch, I set up a reading/tea-drinking/notebook-and-sketchbook island on my bed and sit there with the last bits of daylight, and it is lovely. I am reading Marion Milner and am getting so much out of her books (am working on a post about her).

Cotton crochet cuff

This year I don't want to have a summer break from knitting and crocheting. I want my beach bag to include needles, hooks and yarn. The combination of wool and heat doesn't seem appealing, though, so cotton, silk and bamboo will be my summer yarns.

I have made a few cotton cuffs/bracelets - they are a quick project, easily made in one go, and once you have figured out the size, you can play around with variations. Patterns including treble stitches (or anything with big enough gaps) mean you don't have to make buttonholes and can adjust the width - the example below can be made tighter for the wrist and wider for wearing further down (or up, depending which way you look at it - closer to the fingers).

 

I have used up all the small spare buttons I had, such as the ones that come with a garment, so I'll have to stock up - I love choosing buttons.

Berry colours

All the knitting and crochet I did over the winter had piled up in a corner of the room, so I spent some time at the weekend sorting, packing and storing it.

Crafting, like baking, presents a "problem" for me: I love the process, but I don't necessarily want the result to stay. With baking I need people to eat the baked goods, as I cannot and would not want to eat them all myself and I don't have a big freezer. With crafts, there are only so many things I want to keep. I don't need 20 pairs of wrist warmers and 15 scarves.

People like cake, so I've never had to throw any away (though some of my healthier versions aren't always appreciated as much!). I also gift crafted things regularly. However, yarn being rather expensive (at least the yarn I go for), I am considering selling some of the pieces I make in order to fund this passion of mine.

The idea has been - for a long time- to sell crafts (and maybe baked goods) in the market. This hasn't happened yet, as I am waiting for my business-partner-to-be, my sister, to move here. I also still haven't applied for a licence. And on recent trips to the market I had second thoughts: Do we really want to spend hours shivering in the cold and wet, with the wind threatening to blow away the stall? I'd rather have a little shop/café/gallery (another dream of ours), but the rent for commercial spaces is way too high.

I haven't taken the plunge into setting up an online shop (researching it at the moment). I do not have a business head at all, and I don't expect to ever make money from it - considering that the wool alone for the cowl in the first picture was over ten euro per 100 grams, it doesn't seem viable. But it might be fun.

In the meantime I am tackling bigger projects - tops, dresses, skirts - and trying to improve my technique.

The cardigan with the flowers was a present from my sister - she is a late-night crafter extraordinaire.

 Sleeve detail of said cardigan and airy infinity scarf I knitted

 The throw I made for myself (I realised I never posted pictures of the finished piece - I stopped at four by four squares, so it is a mini throw covering less than a third of the bottom of my bed) and a dress that needed mending. Purple is said to be the colour of the frustrated woman, but I don't care - I have three purple dresses, and I like the colour - it corresponds to the crown chakra (and, for the record, I am not frustrated!).

Merino wool wrist warmers

Wooden boxes

Last year around this time my flight back to Ireland was cancelled due to snowstorms. While we've been spared the ice of previous years so far, there is a storm raging outside right now - hailstones and snow included -, and I am holed up in a room upstairs in my mother's house burning lavender oil to get rid of the headache I got in response to the changing weather. Running is cancelled today, as is, sadly, a trip to see my older sister and her husband (due to the weather, not my head).

My holidays are coming to an end. I didn't get to read all the books I'd planned to, and I didn't finish the illustrations I am working on (and haven't started the new ones - well, there are still a few days left), but I am content. Spending time with my family is my priority.

While I used up all the yarn I'd brought with me, I haven't tackled any of the more complicated patterns and ideas that are gathering in my notebook. Instead I got distracted by storage for craft supplies.

At home I have a perfectly sized box to store long knitting needles, but my mum has this cute wooden box for circular needles (the cover slides off), and another one for crochet hooks, and I am inspired to make something similar:

 

They must be from the 1970s. I love how they are decorated. They are functional and pretty - I always aim for both with practical things. I don't think I own a single item of plastic storage. 

While most of the stuff in my house doesn't require elaborate storage solutions because I keep it to a minimum, my art and craft supplies are growing and therefore I frequently reorganise my space. If I keep things in containers that are nice to look at, they can be displayed - I store a lot of food in kilner jars on the kitchen counter, for example, and they are decorative as well as practical. I also like having things within easy reach and view, especially when it comes to art and crafts materials - that way I will use them more, and the added benefit is that I feel more creative in a home that displays the tools needed for creating.

Organising craft supplies

Just as I was beginning to feel smug about my almost super-organised home and the lack of need for storage solutions, I realised that my craft supplies had become one big tangled mess, literally - I spent an hour detangling wool.

My inner minimalist has to accept that being creative means having stuff in the house that's needed for making things. I struggle with this. I guess if I had a big studio I wouldn't worry about it, but with limited space even the amount of paintings I have sitting around tends to stress me out (that's one reason I like to give them away). Now that I am also knitting and crocheting like mad, i.e. on a bigger scale, there is more stuff that needs a home.

As long as there is a place for everything, I can relax. Though I do think that I might benefit from being more the creative-chaos type - perhaps my neat-freak tendencies make me produce less. I am lucky to have one room in the house that I use as a studio, and it has helped tremendously to have my paints, etc. within reach - and sight- instead of stored away. And paints and coloured pencils actually look nice, too.

I need to be able to see things in order to use them, otherwise I kind of "forget" about them. For example, if I keep certain spices at the back of a cupboard, they will rarely make an appearance in the meals I cook. But since I don't want them to clutter up the counters and haven't got a spice rack (I love beautiful glass jars on display), the solution for now is to have them in a drawer with labelled lids. I also store my essential oils like that:

...and some silicea sneaked in there, too...(Click to enlarge images)

So when I realised that my knitting and crochet supplies situation had gone out of hand, I decided to put some of them in a drawer, too. I would love to have them on a shelf, colour-coordinated, but I need to make space first. I am looking at you, CD shelf, in case I ever digitise my music collection...

Bigger balls of yarn and the piece I am currently knitting are still in the canvas bag that was housing the whole mess, but I put smaller balls and works-in-progress, as well as yarn ball bands and notes, in the drawer. When I open it I can see everything. I guess I just have to remember to open it.

Speaking of yarn ball bands, I now also write down everything I make and how I made it in a notebook and stick the bands on the opposite page:

That way I have all the information in one place. I know this may not be the genius idea I feel it is, and most people probably do this by default, but I used to be pretty sloppy about these things and throw out the bands. Keeping the bands is important, as they contain lots of information you might need - name and colour, in case you need to buy more, care instructions, material, weight, gauge, etc.

My knitting needles and crochet hooks live in this nice box, which is displayed in an open shelf:

 All this seems to work for now. The next area I need to tackle is my paper collection. It's in a pile in a drawer. The problem with a pile is that you only see the top. I am thinking some sort of overlapping system. Or a folder. I will do a post on it once I have figured it out.

Big and small

I don't know whether it's because of my new energising Green Monster habit, but this week I have been able to stay up until 10.30 or even 11pm. That's huge for me (I often succumb to tiredness at 8.30/9pm). It could also be my addiction to knitting and crochet - I think they are perfect evening activities, as they don't require much thinking, but instead let your mind wander.
I tend to have several books on the go (hence the long-lasting occupancy of the sidebar by The History of Love - it's really good, it's just that I am reading other stuff, too), and my approach to knitting and crochet seems to be the same. Right now I have six unfinished projects lingering on the couch and in my crafts bag.
I am playing with extreme sizes - chunky wool with thick needles, thread-like wool with thick needles, thin bamboo needles, tiny crochet lace cuffs. I quite like alternating them; it feels weird at first picking up something delicate after knitting something gigantic with 10mm needles, but it shakes things up nicely.
Side note: I have a knack for purchasing the most expensive yarn - luxurious natural materials and beautiful colours tend to be more pricey. That is bad news if I want to sell them at some stage.

 So that's what's been keeping me awake and alert -green liquid and knitting. I've been wondering whether I simply need nine plus hours of sleep every night to function, but this week I have managed to survive on eight (it remains to be seen whether I'll have to catch up at the weekend). It's nice to gain an extra hour.

Yesterday I was in work from 7.30am until 7.30pm (ok, the first hour-and-a-half was in the pool...) and I felt fine. I usually take two hours off between my classes on a Wednesday, but yesterday I spent them running around doing work errands. Last week I made the mistake of working on the computer before teaching that evening, and that did not feel so good. So the trick is to get some fresh air and away from the computer if possible, as well as eating enough protein for lunch.

P.S.: Speaking of tiredness, this post by Zen Habits has some good advice.

16 squares

This throw-in-the-making has been put aside while I am knitting - well, I also have run out of yarn again.

Making these squares is addictive. I usually crochet each in one go, because I can't stop. I am already planning future colour combinations. Incidentally, I posted the above photo on my website's blog and realised that I had used the same colours as in all the paintings in the header! I obviously love berry colours, but for the next painting and crafts projects I am going to use a different palette.

Squares

This is going to be an expensive throw, since each square costs about 2 euro in yarn (it's a gorgeous soft bamboo and wool blend intended for baby things) and I need about 5469 squares to make a throw. It's my new crochet obsession and summer holiday project, after I saw the blanket my sister is working on and another finished piece, whose creator lent me a book with lots of patterns. I have run out of yarn now and am experiencing withdrawal symptoms...

Pink crochet

Did I say I was trying very hard not to get sick again? It didn't work. Maybe I was trying too hard. I have a kidney infection, which meant I was in pain for two days, then very sleepy the next day, and now I am fine, but weak (which I have been for the best part of the year).
At least the sun came out for 25 min (I know..), and I lay in the garden with blankets and a hot water bottle to get some vitamin D.
When I felt well enough to get out of bed, I decided to finish two crochet thingies that had been lying around for ages, a reminder of my lack of discipline. Since unfinished projects equal clutter and I hate clutter, I had to deal with this!

Estaba haciendo todo para no ponerme enferma otra vez, pero no funcionó. Quizás me estaba esforzando demasiado. Tengo una infección de los riñones; mucho dolor por dos días, y después estaba muy cansada. Ahora me siento mejor, pero débil (mi estado estándar este año...).
Por lo menos el sol salió durante 25 minutos (lo sé...), y me eché en el jardín con mantas y una bolsa de agua caliente para tomar un poco de vitamina D.
Cuando me sentía bastante bien para dejar la cama, decidí de terminar algunas cosas en crochet que había abandonado y que me salutaban todos los días, un recuerdo de mi falta de disciplina...

So here's the little lavender bag made of bamboo yarn I posted about before (my new favourite yarn; it's so soft):
Esto es el bolsillo de lavanda hecho de hilo de bambú de que he hablado antes (mi nuevo favorito, es tan suave):
It now hangs from my bed post, directly beside my head.
Ahora está al lado de mi cama, para un sueño tranquilo.

And this is a necklace that I finished despite the fact that I knew from the beginning it wouldn't work out...:
Y este collar que terminé aunque sabía desde el principio que no saliría bien:

Because the doilies aren't flat, as they're supposed to be. I followed the instructions from a book, so it must be a mistake. The next time I'll just improvise.
Los pañitos no están planos. Seguí las instrucciones de un libro, así que debe ser un error. La próxima vez voy a improvisar.

(Ahhhh....I don't think I'll ever wear this... But maybe I can flatten it with the iron.)
(No creo que lo vaya a llevar ;-)... Pero a lo mejor pueda aplanarlo con la plancha.)


P.S.: Oh, and I made this little guy a while ago (obviously not crochet). The fabric and pattern were a gift. I love him. He's the first thing I see when I open the door.
P.S.: Hice esto hace unas semanas (no es crochet, obviamente). La tela y al patrón fueron un regalo. Le quiero mucho. Es la primera cosa que veo al abrir la puerta.

After the Rain

It was raining buckets yesterday, and I spent the day at home and went to bed early; it was really cosy to be indoors. The photo above is what I woke to this morning -the typical sunny morning after LOTS of rain; I love it. Everything is greener and healthier.
Llovía mucho ayer. Pasaba todo el día en casa y me acosté temprano; fue muy acogedor estar dentro. La foto de arriba es la vista desde mi casa esta mañana -lo típico después de la lluvia, sol y todo mojado; me encanta. Todo está más verde y sano.
Incidentally, I have two seascapes called After the Rain (I & II):
A propósito, tengo dos cuadros llamados Después de la lluvia (I & II):

I like quiet weekends that give me space to recharge, think about what my priorities should be, pamper myself and clean the house and stock up on food. I made a very loose plan for the next few weeks that involves lots of creating, exercise and getting my energy back.
My new obsession is bamboo textiles, at present in the form of yarn:
Me gustan los fines de semana tranquilos que me dan el espacio para recargar mis baterías, decidir qué deben ser mis prioridades, mimarme, limpiar la casa y hacer la compra. Hice un plan bastante suelto para las semanas que vienen que involucra mucho crear, ejercicio y recuperar mi energía.
Mi nueva obsesión son los textiles de bambú, actualmente en forma de hilo:

current crochet project -a lavender bag
proyecto de crochet -un bolsito de lavanda

Bamboo is soft, organic, sustainable, eco-friendly and lots of other things that make it a great choice for use in clothing over other textiles.
El bambú es suave, ecológico, sostenible y muchas otras cosas que le hacen una mejor alternativa a otros textiles.
I'm off to babysit! Hope you are all having a great weekend!
Ahora voy a cuidar a los niños de mi amiga. Espero que tengáis un buen fin de semana!

Pink!

I just uploaded these pictures and only noticed now that they all contain pink. There is a lot of pink in my life; I find it very uplifting (mmh, that's a topic for another post, on colours, which is long overdue).
It has been a good Monday. I went swimming, running and did yoga, and I found I actually craved exercise, instead of making myself do it.
I am trying to just enjoy every day and not "think in weeks" (i.e. wait for the weekend to come). And it's actually working (and so it should, considering my type of work and mostly flexible hours).
Acabo de cargar estas imágenes, y sólo noto ahora que las tres contienen el color rosa. Hay mucho rosa en mi vida; eleva el espíritu (será un tema para otra entrada, sobre colores).
Ha sido un buen lunes. Fui a nadar, hice footing y yoga, y de hecho lo quería hacer, no hacía falta motivarme.
Trato de disfrutar de cada día y no pensar "en semanas" (esperar el fin de semana). Y funciona.

On the weekend I did a little bit of painting:
El fin de semana pinté un poco:

(detail) I painted over a painting I wasn't happy with, creating layers and texture

(detalle) Cobré un cuadro que no me gustaba más, creando capas y textura

I also started a new crochet project:
Empecé un nuevo proyecto de crochet:

I had friends over for dinner, and they brought this bunch of tulips. Springtime is here!
Vinieron amigos a cenar, y me trajeron estas flores. La primavera ha llegado!
I feel much more content these days. Which reminds me, it's high time to do another things-to-be-grateful-for list:

-receiving a beautiful Thank You card for something I had given the person as a Thank You for something she had given me!
-reconnecting with old friends
-spending time with a friend and her kids, who made beautiful drawings and brought such joy into my house.
-buying jasmine oil and natural scented soy candles - aromatherapy is great!
-living in a corner of the world that can be truly magical
-and much more...

Me siento mucho más contenta estos días. Lo que me recuerda, aquí está mi lista de cosas-por-las-que-estoy-agradecida:

-recibí una tarjeta de agradecimiento muy bonita, y era para algo que yo había dado a esa persona para decir gracias por algo que ella me había dado a mi!
-reconecté con amigos
-mi amiga y sus hijos, quienes hicieron dibujos muy bonitos y trajeron tanta alegría a mi casa
-compré aceite de jazmín y velas de soya con perfume natural -no podría vivir sin la aromaterapia!
-vivo en un rincón del mundo que puede ser mágico
-y mucho más...

Hello from my bed

Ok, so it took me a bit longer than I thought. I'm sorry. Not sure whether there is anybody out there reading this after my long absence...
I can't believe almost two months of 2010 have passed already. Needless to say, I didn't manage to stick to any of my New Year's Resolutions (actually, I didn't really make any), and I continue to marvel at the speed of time flying by while I do nothing.
But, in my defense, I have been very busy at work, for a change, and of course the fact that I came back to a flooded house hasn't exactly helped. I got over the damage it caused rather quickly - it does feel like a new start (not that I have started anything so far...), and the house has received a bit of a makeover. I also decluttered some more (one of my favourite activities -I know, it's sad). I love the feeling of unburdening it creates, though I'm still waiting for the ultimate aim, the burst of energy it is supposed to trigger....
I am also still hibernating. Obviously.
Bueno, tardé más que pensaba. Lo siento. No sé si todavía hay gente que esté leyendo esto después de mi ausencia...
No me puedo creer que ya han pasado casi dos meses del 2010. Por supuesto no logré atenerme a mis buenos propósitos de Año Nuevo (de hecho, no los hice), y sigo maravillarme de la velocidad del tiempo volando mientras yo no hago nada.
Pero, en mi defensa, he estado muy ocupada en el trabajo, para variar, y desde luego el hecho de que volví a la casa inundada no ha ayudado. Ya no lamento el daño - es como un nuevo empiezo (sólo que aún no he empezado nada), y la casa ha recibido un maquillaje. Además, me he deshecho de cosas (una de mis actividades favoritas -lo sé, es triste). Me gusta la sensación de calma que crea, aunque todavía estoy esperando el arrebato de energía que debería conllevar..
Y sigo hibernar.

my bed, new pink walls, a great book given to me by a dear friend
mi cama, paredes en rosa, un libro maravilloso que me regaló una querida amiga

But the days are getting longer. While all my big plans have been put on hold, I am trying to make little changes to get out of the rut. One is to try something new every day. Not necessarily crazy, adventurous stuff. Just small things. Like making chai tea from scratch (takes more time than pouring hot water over a teabag, but it's infinitely more satisfying).
Pero los días son más largos ahora. Mientras mis planes grandes tienen que esperar, estoy intentando hacer cambios pequeños para salir de la rutina. Una es tratar algo nuevo cada día. Nada loco o aventurero, sino cosas simples. Como hacer té de chai desde cero (tarda más que poner la bolsita de té en la taza, pero es mucho más satisfactorio).

ok, this photo isn't selling it very well...
aunque esta foto no lo vende bien...

And meeting people in the evenings instead of going home and to bed at 7.30pm.
Y ver a los amigos por las tardes en vez de acostarme a las siete y media.

While at home for Christmas, I stocked up on yarn for projects that, ahem, haven't really materialised yet (that was when 2010 seemed like a blank canvas for endless possibilities).
Cuando estaba en Alemania durante las navidades compré hilo para varios proyectos que no se han hecho realidad.. (fue cuando 2010 parecía un lienzo blanco de posibilidades sin límite).

Yes, I like pink. And yes, two pictures of my bed. It's my favourite place.
I hope this blog will return to life and that I will have more to say than just moaning about how I get nothing done. I am very grateful that there are people out there who have visited here, and I hope you'll be back! I am catching up with reading and commenting on your blogs. Thanks for your comments on my last posts.
Sí, me gusta el color rosa. Y sí, hay dos fotos de mi cama. Es mi lugar favorito.
Espero que este blog vaya a recuperar y que yo vaya a tener más que contar que lamentar que no hago nada. Os agradezco mucho por haber venido a este sitio en el pasado, y espero que volváis. Voy a volver a leer vuestros blogs y a comentar. Gracias por vuestros comentarios en mis últimas entradas.