September 26, 2009

• I got up at 4:11 today, since my husband had to go in to work early, but I went back to sleep and didn't get up again till 7:24. This means that I feel groggy, but I hope that I'll end up more rested than if I had stayed up and worked.

  I do have to work today -- I have a website to write and an article to interview people for -- but that's not what I'm going to write about.

  Actually, I will say that I interviewed for a couple of long-term jobs at oDesk and both felt I was too expensive, but the agency I have the website for today had increased the fee from what I quoted, "just to be sure you're covered," so it was easy for me to refuse to negotiate on price. One of them is giving me a two-hour assignment as a test, and the other is thinking about it. In any case, I have plenty of work.

  Today I have a crafts report.

  My Christmas present yarn order arrived. It's so nice to get a box of wool. And I did set right in last night working on one of the presents, but that doesn't mean that I'm well into getting my holiday prezzies made, because the largest needles I had were 8s. 8s make a nice normal-sized object when used with worsted, but I was going for the giant Sasquatch-type object to be felted down to normal. For some reason, I can't find my giant needles. Since I only use them for felting and I hadn't made any felted things in a while, I might have loaned them out or left them in a forgotten knitting bag somewhere, Anyway, I had to frog everything I knitted during Monk last night, and today will go buy a pair of 11s. 

  I have the special Crazy Aunt Purl Christmas Present Filter installed on this machine, so if you're a family member, you won't be able to see your own present, only those intended for other people.

  This year, I will probably only be making things for family members. I'm trying to be realistic.

  However, I am not overdoing it with the old realism.

  I am also considering adding some applique to the Dutchman's puzzle quilt.

  I like pieced things with applique.

  The Dutchman's Puzzle quilt has this border of plain pink, and I have a bunch of little 6" x 2.5" bits of the fabrics from the Jelly Roll I used for the quilt.

  So I'm thinking that I could do a twisty vine in the green (sort of a pear green shade) of the quilt, and add leaves or flowers or something in the various other fabrics.

  I actually have several books containing patterns for this sort of thing -- I like it, so I'm inclined to buy books that feature it.

     My William Morris applique book has this nice sinuous leaf, and the little stack of fabrics you see near said leaf is almost -- like within a 16th of an inch -- big enough for it. I could copy it off at 98% and have nice little leaves.
  
  However, for some reason I'm thinking that leaves wouldn't really go with the windmills design.

  I have no idea why  I think this.

  The whole reason that I like the applique plus piecing thing is for the contrast of the angular piecing with the curvy applique.

  And leaves just go with everything, don't they?

  Maybe not. Maybe I need a bunch of yo-yos or polka dot kinds of flowers instead. or teacups or something. it does seem as though it needs round rather than ovoid shapes. Or something.

  I'm contemplating. I do have to work today, and I'm also planning to do a bit of Power Cooking to get both this week's and next week's freezer meals into the freezer so as not to be behind on the HGP. I also hope to finish getting my bedroom organized, since that's the room of the week. I can't contemplate quilts while I write stuff, but I can certainly do so while I do manual labor.

  It's a gorgeous day today, and I may go on and get out to do my errands before they close the streets for the bikers. The closed them last night, but I'm assuming that they open them back up in the mornings. I'll wear sneakers in case I have to park and walk.

  • 9:11 am
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