Happy New Year!

Christmas is over! I don’t mean to sound all humbuggy, but it was a saga of long car journeys through ice and snow, sick children, over-eating (for once, not over-drinking) and it was a huge relief to get home and have the whole thing done with for another year.

I am excited about New Year though, very excited about 2011. I'm not exactly sure why yet, but it’s a nice feeling, being hopeful of good things. *

*(Mmm, that almost seems a bit Zen or something of me. Anyone who knows me knows I am as far from Zen as well, as far as a chaotic, disorganised, dysfunctional obsessive crafter can be. But there you go; I'm feeling zenish about the New Year. Hand on, Zenish isn't the right word, optimistic is not right either. Anticipative, expectant, sanguine. Sanguine, I think I like sanguine... Did I mention I tend to think/talk/type too much...)

Some Quotes for the optimist..

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. ~Bill Vaughan

In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. ~Daniel L. Reardon

It doesn't hurt to be optimistic. You can always cry later. ~Lucimar Santos de Lima

It's still possible to be a cockeyed optimist these days - you just have to be a little more cockeyed. ~Robert Brault

One too many paper chains, perhaps...

In a previous blog post, I had talked about the fun we had making our Halloween Decorations, and talked about bringing back the paper chain. Well, over the past 2 weeks I have gone a bit mad with the Christmas decorations. It’s my first year in my new house (and hopefully the first of many, many years in the same house...). So, because of a combination my Yarnaholics Programme*, and the appalling weather we’re been having over the past month, I have managed to have nothing to do! I don’t mean nothing to do, but no crazy community projects or deadlines, having to be here there and everywhere. And my god, it’s tough! Its way harder than working hard. I am usually rushing around chasing after projects as time slips away, but now I am humming and hawing about what to next. So, for my first year in my new house, I have managed to make nearly all the Christmas decorations.

Firstly I made these....

Then I made these.

Lots of these. These were my favourites as a kid, and with a few different coloured packs of crepe paper, it’s amazing how many you can make, and get carried away with...

The tiny little synthetic tree was unwrapped, and we made angels

Then a lino-printing session to make all the Christmas Cards

Then, I had to crochet some snowflakes, and well, got carried away with that too, and made a few for the tree, and the window by the front door, and a bunch for token presents to friends and family

Snowflakes blocking

Oh, and we painted the front door...

Inside and Outside

PHEW! To top it off some Christmas tunes from The Rat Pack and Leon Redbone... It’s a festive, very cheap and cheerful Christmas. I'm almost ready to be snowed in...

*Must update the Yarnaholic Programme, it'll be my New Years Resolution...

Happy Christmas

Belated Halloween Post...and Bring back the Paper-Chain this Christmas!

We were the last on our road to put Halloween decorations, and the last to take them down. (finally got it together yesterday). Another point, is we were the only ones to put up only hand-made decorations.

Everyone else had the same plastic/glow-in-the-dark tat from China. I didn't buy any, because I dont believe in buying all that crap. It's not just the money, I'm not being a miser. It's well, the 2nd reason, what better projects to do with the kids on a rainy day!

For me as a kid, that was the whole thing about celebrations. Spending days up your eyeballs in paint, glue and glitter... So, anyway, here's some of the stuff we made, now safely stowed for next year, and now it's time to get going on the Christmas decorations.

Having a chat with a friend, we were talking about the ole days, the days of the paper chain. The days of cutting and stitching, tears and repairs. It's about creating memories for your kids. Kids are so confined these days, because of our fears, safetly from cars, strangers, etc... We dont realise they dont have that sense of being kids that we had. So, I'm saying for the sake of giving kids happy memories, this most memerable of Christmasses (the Christmas the IMF came), don't buy the plastic tat from China, bring back the paper-chain this Christmas.

Not going to the Knit and Stitch Show...?!?!

Every Halloween, apart from trying to organise the obvious (Halloween stuff..), its been a ritual to go to Dublin for a day or two, to the Knitting and Stitching Show in the RDS. It verges on a religious experience that brings out a lot of very deadly sins; gluttony, lust , envy, wrath, lust, (all in a yarnie sense of course). The only things it doesn't bring out is sloth! You'd be lucky to get round to seeing everything in a day...

But it is the biggest celebration of all things textile in Ireland, and apart from the excessive shopping possibilities, I usually just go for the banter. An excuse to talk yarnie stuff all day to folk who actually listen. A great day for bumping into old classmates, old teachers, and new friends (wearing Ravelry badges)...

I have decided not to go this year, because of a few reasons. Mainly, I'm just plain tired. Having been in Dublin once already this month, and the prospect of a trip to Cork in another week or two (more info on that one later!!), and also because of my Yarnaholics Programme. Its one of the steps I have come across, but can't quite get into a one sentance format to add officially onto the programme. It's about being over-awed, over-influenced, over-excited about too many possibilities. It's about settling down and actually getting some work done. I can understand why artists go off to quiet rural spots to work, and although I may be rural, Dingle, can rarely be described as quiet...

So, while I read every ones blogs, FB's, tweets, etc, about what a great time they are having (best show ever, I'm sure), I will be up to my eyes in paint, glue, halloweeny type paper, making decorations for my favourite time of the year!! I might get a bit over the top, Mexican style, but what the hay, I'm having fun...

Have a great time anyone who is going, and well, dont tell me anything about it!! (only joking..)

Poor Neglected Blog...

Been up the walls with visitors, and general life stuff. And it's not over yet, another month of upheaval and crazy deadlines to go... (Why do all my deadlines have to be the beginning of September?)

Here's a few examples:

• Electric Picnic: nothing done, be prepared for a very boring display this year, and practically nothing to sell...But then I did say it would be very chilled out sessions
• Irish Crocheted Coral Reef Exhibition, Wicklow: First outing of the Irish Reef on what we hope will be a mini Irish tour. Have pretty much had to bow out, and have been of very little use. (Especially when I forget to attach things to emails, isn't that right Irene!). Am struggling to even get any new toxic coral made.
• Film work: got asked to make a turn of the century, Navaho style, tapestry loom and to weave half a blanket on it. Except the design they gave me is absolutely crazy, (not even American Indian, it's Canadian Indian, but that's me being well, ethnically correct...), and it would take a winter or two at the very least! Then they decided they would let me design and make the original blanket as well as the half-woven blanket, and would I be able to whip up a few more blankets as well!! Did I mention it's silk? OK, a rough silk, open weave, but silk none the less, oh, and I have to dye it as well...Film people, you live in an un-realistic world
• Another commission: a bit hush, hush at the moment, as I don't want to jinx it..

I will blog about each project, after it is over and successfully completed (very optimistic), and I doubt I'll have much time online over the next well, 2 weeks. So, time to go...

Oh, and did I mention I am moving house? Again...