Missy and Me

Missy could sew and I could knit. I mean, Missy could knit and I could sew, but it was mostly the other way around. Knitting was always so therapeutic for me, particularly the repetitive nature of simple patterned hats and scarves. I certainly appreciate the intricate details of sophisticated knit work and I love trying out new stitches and techniques, but I always return to the comfort and familiarity of meditative-like basic patterns and simple lines. Some time after my daughter was born I took some time off from knitting and crocheting and, really, crafting in general. It wasn't a purposeful decision, I was just occupied with other matters - like being a new wife and mother. Until one day...

Missy invited me to coffee and knitting one Saturday. We had just recently become blogging friends and we realized that we both liked working with yarn. We had hit it off in the blog world and those first few hours over coffee proved to be the beginning of a lifelong friendship - at least, I hope it will be lifelong. From then on until she moved off island, Missy and I spent a few hours together almost every single Saturday and then some (including sharing a booth at the Flame Tree Festival).

Missy was my muse. She inspired me to try new patterns, to take on new and bigger projects. You can read about how her passion for knitting revealed itself on her blog, it is really quite a touching story. Missy quickly became a skilled knitter and now she totally blows me away. I am sad to say that since she moved off our tiny island I have lost a great deal of knitting inspiration - okay, I'll admit, I've lost nearly all of my knitting inspiration. I have works-in-progress laying all over the place, but I just don't have the will to pick them up and finish them. 

I once had a short-lived dream of dyeing and spinning my own yarn. I wondered what it would be like to experience yarn from it's most organic form all the way through to a finished garment. I still don't know what that's like, but Missy does. And this right here?

That. Above? That might just be the motivation I need. Missy made that! Isn't it gorgeous? I think so. This evening I began the de-stashing process. I will de-stash so I can re-stash. You can re-stash too. Starting with hand painted and hand spun yarns by my dear friend Missy. Visit her etsy shop here. 

Creative Question: Two Foods

I like to eat. I mean, who doesn't, am I right? Wait, don't answer that, I'd rather not go there. I like to eat, but I don't like to eat everything. I'm not one of those people who will try anything once. There are lots of things I won't try. I won't try bungee jumping - did you see AFV the other night? The one where the guy bungee jumped off a bridge over water and the bungee cord broke? How is that funny?! Just because he landed in the water it's funny? No, sorry, not funny.

I won't try the local delicacy that is fruit bat. I will hold and pet a fruit bat, but I will not eat a fruit bat. No, it is not green eggs and ham, it is a fruit bat! I have, however, tried cow tongue and it isn't so bad. Actually, it's fine, just a little chewy is all.

This week's Creative Question: What are two types of food you reluctantly tried and subsequently loved?

1. Mongo Bean Soup, a.k.a Mung Bean Soup. Isn't Mongo a cat on Healthcliff? Nevermind. This dish has been around me for much of my life, but I was always unwilling to try it. Who wants to eat a dish that sometimes rhymes with dung? I resisted for years - it is easy to walk away from a thick green soup. Several years ago, when Katelyn was still a baby, her then-babysitter had a pot of something magical simmering on our stove. The aroma was enticing, I just had to have a bite. Something savory. Something hearty. Something warm. With great anticipation I opened the lid of the stainless steel pot and....and was so bummed to see mongo bean soup. "Try it, it's good", someone said. Ugh, but it's mongo beans. But Veron was such a good cook, I owed it to her to taste it. So I did. And my, oh my it was unbelievable! This is mongo bean soup?! It was heartwarming, it was comforting, it was yummy. It was my green eggs and ham.

2. Burritos. Yes, burritos. You know, beans wrapped in a tortilla. I mean, really, what could be more bland and boring? Perhaps a plain tortilla could be. I have been avoiding burritos my whole life. Growing up on Saipan, Mexican food meant homemade ground beef tacos in stale store bought shells. When I moved to California it seemed that everyone's favorite food was Mexican. "What are we getting?" "Mexican." Ugh! Can't we just get some freaking sashimi?! What's wrong with raw fish, people? After a night out and a year of always ordering boring fajitas, which I never enjoyed, my friends and I went to a little Mexican diner looking place, in Covina, I think. Albertos. Maybe you've heard of it. I didn't know what to order so I followed suit and bought a carne asada burrito. One bite and fireworks went off; the clouds parted and the angels sang. What was this amazing food I just put in my mouth? It was savory, it was chewy without being tough, it was fresh, it had a bite to it from the cilantro, and best of all it did not have beans. This, this right here is why the world loves Mexican. I understand now. I am humbled.

You can play along if you like.


Don't be an avocado hater...

Inspired: Travel Set (Fail)

Some of you are still celebrating the 4th of July! Happy Birthday, USA! 

It is Monday on Saipan. I was planning to post another Creative Question, but I highly doubt anyone is going to play along. So I think it is okay if I skip it today and instead show you something I made that was inspired by my last Creative Question. Want to know what I made?

A MASSIVE FAIL! No, not epic. Just massive.

Check it out:

It's a travel set. A pretty crappy one. If you look closely at the picture, you may need to click on it to view it larger, you can see the terrible workmanship on the eye mask. And here, you can see the terrible hand stitching on the neck pillow. 

The embarrassing workmanship aside, everyone's first comment when they see the neck pillow is that the back is too narrow. I purposely made it narrow because if you're riding in an airplane, or if a kid is sitting in his carseat, the back of the chair comes up above your head and you don't need a pillow to lean back into; you just need a pillow to support your head if it falls to the side. That's what my pillow is designed to do. Unfortunately, it doesn't even do that well. At least not for adults. I suppose it is an okay size for kids:

What a dumb dumb I was thinking I could just whip up a pattern and knock this project out quick style. One, two - I'm done! Yeah, well, I guess I did whip it up quick style. It just turned out like crap.

My Creative Space: Unusable

I bought this humongous spool of elastic thread about a year ago. It's not a cone, is it a spool? Can a spool be this big? It doesn't matter what it is, it sucks. It is stretchy, but it isn't typical elastic thread. I recently learned that it cannot be used for shirring. What am I supposed to do with this?

Head over to Kootoyoo for more creative spaces. And for the visiting Creative Spacers, might I interest you in playing along with a weekly Creative Question? See the post below for the most recent one, I swear I'm not crazy.

Next Monday's question: Two types of food/dishes that I reluctantly tried and subsequently loved.