My Christmas shopping is done (I know, I can’t believe it either), my cards are in the mail, my presents are ready to be wrapped, and I spruced up a gnome. I am not generally a gnome person, but I had to go looking for a gnome game and I came across these little fabric gnomes (14″ high) on Amazon for not-too-much ($15) and one of them had a green hat and I thought, “I could make that my Christmas tree this year” because I am not in a Christmas mood, so I bought him and he was darling, and then I saw the gnome-couple-with attitude and got those because they were so happy-making, and when they came, they looked like Pratchett’s elves in that only they could tell that girl gnome was a girl gnome, she looked like she had a handlebar mustache, so I cut the two swathes of hair into three pieces and braided it that still didn’t look right, so I added red yarn, and then gave her some eyelashes and made her an apron, and now I’m trying to figure out how to give her a basket of something like apples or bread because she’s too big for dollhouse food, but she needs to be carrying something nourishing.

Yes, that’s a run-on. That’s exactly how it happened, one thing after another, and the end I was left staring at Glam Gnome wondering when I’d lost my grip on the whole thing. (I’ll post a picture later when there’s light.)

Then I ordered four more gnomes (it was a set). I am NOT a gnome person, but now the little buggers are everywhere. I’m going to put one out on the front door wreathe. They’re Scandanavian. Cold holds no fear for them.

So what did you work on this week?

I’ve been cleaning (I’ll be cleaning until I die) and finding old, unfinished crochet projects. Some of them I look at with “What was I thinking?” but some of them are great and should be finished, like the shawl I started in Gloss DK and this amazing Schoppel Wolle Edition 3 yarn called “English Garden,” which made me think of Jane. And then there are the new things I’ve started, one of which I managed to finish (a shrug in worsted, but still, I FINISHED it) so I’m feeling very productive.

How’s by you, person who makes things?

I want to start painting again. Actually, I want to start doing mixed media again, but I’ve decided to try to renew my painting skills first–haven’t had a painting course since the 70s–and I got the Fifty Paintings book that somebody on her recommended. I need something that’s a low bar and a 5×5 painting seems to be that.

So what did you start this week? Or finish? Or just work on?

I am now officially invigorated by fall, or at least the approach to it. The weather here has been paradise–seventies all week with balmy breezes–and I survived another birthday, so all is well with the world. And I’m finishing up my two current crochet projects (the monster shawl in Blackstone Tweed and the Suncatcher in Hawthorne) and getting ready to dive into the dozens of projects I started and then lost interest in or just lost. Also have a new idea that might solve my white board problem. And I got two full year calendars, one for house projects and one for writing. And I put up the last of my wall organizers in my living room that is now my office. I am on fire, I tell you. Plus Nita. Argh.

What did you do this week?

Yes, I’m working. Three guesses on what. “Writing is hard,” she whined. Also crocheting for sanity and about to tackle a stack of dishes so high the dogs are afraid to go into the kitchen. But mostly, it’s That Damn Book. Trying not to think about all the commemorative things that will drop tomorrow. Honestly, the hardest thing I’m working on now is optimism. But I can do. WE can do it.

Whatcha working on, Arghers?

I knew I was feeling better when I started to crochet again; I’m almost done with the ginormous Secret Paths I started in July, done in Aran wool because who doesn’t want to work with heavy wool in a heat wave?  Then Krissie told me about the Gypsy Wife Quilt and I want to make that, so now I just have to decide if I want to start quilting again or do it in crochet.  And then she sent me pictures of the Bookcase Quilt, which has titles embroidered on strips of fabric to look like book spines.  She’s going to make one with all her titles–that’s gonna be a task, over 100 books–but mine would go faster because I’ve only written twenty.  And I’d definitely do that as a quilt.  Plus I have to turn her walking thing into a [deleted] caravan.  So I’m good on crafts, even before I get to hanging all the storage stuff in my kitchen.

What are you up to?

I’m working on not getting caught up in the insanity that is the Fourth of July. in the US.  I have food and drink and a quiet place to hunker down in (until. the fireworks start) and a lot to do here including more house cleaning although the place is much, much better  since I hauled a massive amount of trash and recycling to the curb (and thank you Krissie. for coming to visit and spurring me on and for not mentioning the mess) and then,  of course, there’s Nita. And Krissie made me go to JoAnns where I bought. patterns, so there’s that, plus modpodging a bulletin board and hanging racks in the kitchen and reorganizing this blog. BIG plans.

How about. you?

So you may have noticed that most of the blog disappeared.  It’s actually still here, it’s just all in draft form now.  There was so much miscellaneous stuff on here, much of it interesting-in-the-moment and then not so much, and all of it needing organized and tagged and linked.  So I put it all back into draft form with the idea of slowly cleaning it up and putting only some of it back. A cleaner, better organized archive, if you will.   If there’s anything you particularly want. to see reinstated, let me know, but since I highly doubt anybody spends much time reading blog posts from 2005, I’m assuming most of you don’t care. 

So how did you work this week?