Fiber Monday

 

< Insert Vague Gibbering Sounds >

Y'all ever have a project that refuses to come together? That's this Mystery Project for me. I've tried about 8 different ways to stabilize the mouth of the purse and I'm beginning to think...

That I'm overthinking it.

I just need to get another white zipper and sew it in.

That's literally all I need to do.

I don't need to make some crazy stabilizing hoop or wire ring.

I just need a zipper.

That'll be good enough.

Then I can focus on stiffening the floor of the cap (which I already planned on doing with probably plastic and another disc of crochet), and finishing the straps.

Oh, you may think, weren't you already working on the straps?

Y

E

S

.

Yes I was.

I've been working on those straps for what, two weeks now?

And I can't figure out what to use!

Originally I wanted a strap of stacked mushrooms in various lace stitches.

Then I thought "well, since that's not working out, why not make 3 lines of leafy vines which would be braided and then use those for straps!"

But then I remembered that 1: I have zero patience and B: I suck at braiding.

So then I was like "oh, but what if I embroider little mushrooms on a 10 stitch wide single crochet strap?!"

Again, not patient. Cannot embroider well enough to do that. The sc strap would take an eternity.

So instead I'm planning on doing a 10dc wide band which will take half as long as the sc band (in theory) and hopefully that will do well. Now I just need to decide if I wanna do red or beige for the straps.

Sorry there's no pics, but man oh man have I been busy (as you'll see tomorrow lol).

Go Enjoy Something, folks.

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

In Which I Am Bad At Making Decisions

Every week, I ask my boyfriend what I should draw/paint next. I give him a choice of 5 categories:

• Animal
• Vegetable
• Mineral
• Geometry/Shapes
• Place

And every week I make my art based off of the choice he makes.

This is because, when left to my own devices, I'm very bad at making choices that make sense.

If I were to pick my own subject matter, I'd change my mind six times and make a random set of blobs. Or I would overextend myself on one single project and then bungle it by saving it in the wrong format...

But this way, I know by, say, Tuesday, that I should sketch up an animal. I don't go beyond the five categories because I also have issues with authority and would just do something different in order to be difficult.

Heck, I'm drinking a can of Coke right now and it's almost 10pm because I guess I didn't really want to sleep tonight? Foolish.

This past week, I made a crack about June Bugs being God's Perfect Idiots. It should be noted that I'm only referring to the large black "Brown June Bug" we have in Maine when I talk about these insects. I cannot verify the intelligence (or lack thereof) of Green June Bugs or Striped June Bugs, since I haven't ever been brained by one while walking at night.

Brown June Bugs, being a North American scarab, are big and hard-shelled and lumbering. They are also phenomenally stupid by human standards. These ponderous little critters will slap into your windows at full speed, which is understandable since most wildlife doesn't perceive glass.

But I will never get over watching them brain themselves on giant freaking trees that have been right there the insects' entire lives. They just buzz at full speed sometimes until they're stopped by a hard surface, and then they'll lay at the base of whatever they hit (or get tangled in it with their bristly legs), stunned, for a few long minutes before struggling on their backs. If they're lucky, they'll get enough momentum or buzz their wings enough and flip back onto their feet, but... they're pretty dumb, so that's not always the case.

I once watched a June Bug flail on its back for 40 minutes while I lugged lawn furniture around. Once I got a break, I helped the poor guy get onto its feet... only to watch it stun itself on the door again and drop back onto the welcome mat. Seriously, bro?

And as a broad, clumsy creature that can barely see and runs into things all the time and sometimes has trouble getting back to my feet, I can somewhat relate.

So here's to America's scarab, God's Perfect Moron, the June Bug.

"Phyllophaga spp." pencil on watercolor paper; 2022

If you want to print that line drawing out or trace it, please feel free to use it to practice coloring, painting, whatever you like (though if you repost it anywhere, please, please remember to credit me!).

And now the colored version:

"God's Perfect Idiot"; watercolor on paper; 2022

I hope today's silly blog made you smile, and if you have any other Stupid Animals you'd like to see me paint, feel free to tell me! Or heck, even shoot me a coffee over on Ko-Fi and you, too, may choose what I draw!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

In Which I Am Still Tired, But For A Reason

I have had quite the busy long weekend! On Friday, my boyfriend came over and we had a great time watching videos and snuggling on a pile of blankets. On Saturday I overslept and dozed but still tried to get stuff done (didn't do much productively but hey, sometimes that's life). On Sunday, my sisters came over and we had a big cookout and fire pit and that was fun. And yesterday, my dad surprised me by bringing my boyfriend by again and we got to hang out all day!

Which is why there was no blog yesterday lol.

I was busy watching Unsolved Mysteries and helping treat a really messy blackfly bite.

I put in my window fan yesterday, too!

And honestly, I've just been very busy this weekend. Even Saturday was busy despite me not really doing a heck of a lot, that I can recall.

So today I am a tired bunny.

And yet I still did more! My friend messaged my guy & me and asked if we'd like to come with on errands, so we hung out in various shops around my home town today!

We hit up a couple of clothing places, the ol Wally World, and a grocery store, and I came home with Mirin (which I had not realized would need ID to buy oops) and Stroopwafel and a Cherry Coke, and my boyfriend ended up adding a few things to his wardrobe plus some fun charcuterie stuff including jam, Spanish cheeses, and some tasty meats. Now that we've gone back to our respective homes, I've gotta admit...

I'm way more tired than I should be after such a simple little stroll in the drizzle & cool!

It was a gray morning of around 56℉/13,3℃ that cleared off and still only reached maybe 63℉/17,2℃. It's been gently breezy, but that just means that the bugs that were absent on Sunday are back en force. the blackfly population has boomed.

And of course, the June Bugs are making their appearance.

I have a love-hate relationship with June Bugs. They are God's Perfect Moron. They will concuss themselves on trees, flying with less agility than a drunken bumblebee and they stick to everything. They have always seemed attracted to hair - especially mine.

But they're kind of delightfully stupid, in a way.

They're so completely inept at everything bug-related, but they're also just big clumsy creatures trying their best in a world they literally cannot understand.

And I really, really relate to that.

As for this coming week, I think we all know I'll do my best to stick to the schedule, but life uh... finds a way.

• Thursday should involve a new piece of art out!
• Monday should (hopefully [FINALLY]) have some sort of advancement on the toadstool bag we've been plugging away on. Has anyone else had luck stabilizing the mouth of the bag? I'd love pointers.
• Next Tuesday should see me back again to blather at you!

That'll about do it for me, to be honest. I'm ready for bed and it's not even 8pm!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Thursday Art Walk

 

Guess who forgot about blogging? I DID!

Today was... weird.

I woke up late. Showered late. Got all the bottles and cans in the house together late. Walked with a trash bag filled with returnables all the way uphill both ways to the redemption center.

It was closed.

I had to walk home with the bottles.

Ever walked around carrying 7 dollars worth of returnable cans? It's heavy.

I felt like an idiot, though in my defense, they're usually open til 4pm on Thursdays.

So I headed home, bottles on my back, circulation cut off by the ties on the bag, and luckily my mom was willing to give me a ride to the other bottle place, and even more thankfully they were open. So I dropped off the bottles, got my pocket change, and all was hunky dory as the old beans say.

And then it was time to give the cat Walkies.

And Sky showed up again.

Now, for the uninitiated, my cat goes for walks on her harness and our neighbor has a big gray barn cat named Sky. Sky is shy with people but apparently obsessed with my cat, so he'll continuously approach her making cute little kittenish meows.

And then she punches him.

Every time.

Lately, he's taken to baiting her into attacking by plopping his ample bottom onto her deck or her hollow underneath the birdfeeder. Basically, he's trying power moves on an 8lb cat who has no idea that her hot pink harness makes her look like a dingus. She is immune to his bulk, but not his sass, and he is not immune to her front paws.

Today he climbed her favorite tree.

Right in front of her.

Evie, predictably, said ABSOLUTELY NOT and chased him, causing a standoff where there were two chubby cats gripping onto the tree's trunks while my mother tried to calm them down.

"Standoff"; Watercolor on paper; 2022

Above is an artist's rendition (my own) of what I saw from my bedroom window. Evie was further up the tree, tail fat as a bottlebrush, and Sky was lower, growling with his frankly adorable kittenish voice. My mother was baby-talking them from three feet away, which is the closest any of us have really been to Sky, who is shy.

Evie has not yet attempted to throw hands with the orange boy kitty who flounces around the house at night and sings us the song of his people.

It's weird how quiet these cats are when they're calling to each other.

The dogs in this neighborhood go for it, all bellows and bays at the top of their lungs. The ducks cackles can be heard through shut windows and music. The chickens are unmatched. Even the recent addition of the sheep can be heard baaing from the end of the road.

But the cats are fairly quiet. If the window is open and I'm being quiet at midnight, I can sometimes hear Sky or the Orange Boy marrrooowwwwing their way around, but it's half-volume. I find it weirdly respectful.

Anyway, I'm pretty tired and had completely forgotten to post this blog until right before going to bed, so here ya go :)

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

So Uh... It's been a while...

Not gonna spin you the whole nine yards about the last week or so. I'll just come right out and say it.

I have felt incredibly bleh for the last week or so. Haven't had any motivation, haven't been able to sleep well, haven't been myself.

It's not COVID, I'm pretty sure. I think I'm just hitting a Seasonal Transition Depression. Happens between every single season - the weather shifts and I feel like... poo.

It's usually worse right before winter and right before summer, too, so this makes sense.

And for those who insist that Summer starts halfway through June, reality begs to disagree. The seasons are shifting. summer starts in the last half of May, Spring starts on Apr 1, Fall starts on Sept 30, and Winter starts November 27. They're jagged, uneven things, and none of them are as enjoyable in my 30s as they were in my childhood.

The nicest things I did since last Tuesday were writing 250 words in one of my books, hanging out with my guy, and watching a lot of wombat videos.

I also made some really nice yakisoba for him & me. Complete with ramen eggs that were pretty tasty!

Probably the worst things that happened this week were: 

Mice made their home in the mower's engine and we found out the hard way. No survivors. Mass nausea.

My cat stepped in another cat's poop outside and I had to help my mom wash her paws. The cat was unamused and hooked her poopy claws into the inside of my arm. There's bruising. FYI, rubbing alcohol and antibiotic ointment don't feel great.

I haven't slept more than 5 hours a night for the last 7 days. It's... bad.

I wanted those ramen eggs to be soft boiled but I still don't know at what point a 6 minute egg is actually a 6 minute egg (do you measure from boil or from the moment the egg is introduced to the stovetop?!) and also we don't have any ice to make ice water with. I also left them in the marinade for about 3 hours too long. Still good, but not exactly what I wanted.

Hopefully, though, I'll be able to get my silly butt to sleep for a full 8 hours and actually do the things I want to do!

This week's tentative plans:

Thursday: Art! Hopefully I can get my act together and actually draw something!

Monday: Figure out what I'm going to do with that Mushroom... can't quite figure it out yet.

Tuesday: Show up with hopefully less excuses and more excitement!

I am really sorry that I didn't have any good progress or fun stories for you this week. I've been bleh, and I'm looking forward to not being bleh!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Talk About Tuesday

 

I'm Older :)

It was my birthday on Friday! I'm 33. And I had half my head buzzed because I guess I had a 1/3 life crisis lol.

Not really.

I've been meaning to experiment with shorter and shorter hair over the last few years and this time was the first shot I've had at really going for it! I love it! My hair is mostly out of my face and I love the way the short prickles feel under my fingertips. It would also be easier to dye like this, I'd imagine, if I tried that. I'm a bit worried about what bleach would do, but I'd be going for colors where Platinum isn't the goal and yellow would be fine. Frankly, I just want it a shade or two lighter so that dye would appear.

But that's not a big goal right now. I'm satisfied with my cool half-shaved haircut!

I went for a trip out of town with some friends and my guy and we had a blast at a new Poke place we'd never tried in the Old Port (Crunchy Poke!!!), went shopping at some of our favorite Asian markets, and just enjoyed ourselves in general. Kind of weird that none of the gas stations we stopped at had any of the new purple Mtn Dew, but hey, that's life during the Supply Chain Crisis!

I worked on a bunch of crochet projects over the last few days, too! And during all of this we ended up getting Fiber Optic Internet, ditching cable, and dropping our landline (so if you have my old landline number, I regret to inform you it no longer works!)

Mostly, though, I've been tired. And not the usual "oh I'm sleepy lol" kind of way.

I've felt exhausted.

Pretty sure it's because I keep making bad caffeine choices, to be fair.

I shouldn't be drinking 4 massive cups of mocha before bed. I shouldn't even have 3 of the small cups. I was doing so well! I was drinking 2 cups a day!

But lately I'm just drowning myself in mocha.

I need to start replacing half those cups with tea again.

Don't worry about supply on that one, I've probably got 300 teabags, all told, of various brews, 90% of which I haven't even tried yet!

I think tomorrow will be a peppermint day. Unless it's super hot, then I might make some fridge iced tea...

Nice tomorrow will be around 66℉/18,9℃! And it shouldn't be rainy or too sunny. I'll throw some pants on, go for a walk, get some cheddar popcorn and peanut m&ms, maybe drop by the food service for a Jarritos for myself. Maybe I'll even sketch out there.

It'd be nice to feel motivated. And get out of the house for a bit lol.

I should also make myself another bowl of Mi Goreng tomorrow - the package I bought is the first one where the oil has been liquid instead of a white, squishy mess! And it's so spicy! 10/10 do recommend.

The plan for this week is:

Thursday: Art

Monday: More fiddling with the Secret Project

Tuesday: Blather

But for now, I'm going to settle into my pillows and try to fight off the likely toxic quantities of caffeine in my stupid stupid veins lol.

(I'm fine, I actually feel quite nice right now!)

But that'll be all for now!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC

Fiber Monday

 

In Which Attempts Were Made

Last week, we finished the cap on our Secret Project/Mystery Project, aka the Mushroom Bag, and this week, we're left to experiment. First, I wanted to experiment with ways to hold open the bottom opening.

I decided to use some very low grade jewelry wire I have had laying around, but I'm very unhappy with the way it's turning out. I'll have to undo it and start over.

Specifically, I'm unhappy with how the wire bunches and twists

I am quite disappointed in the stiff-yet-wobbly nature of that wire, though I can see myself making a couple of rings, covering them in ribbon, and sewing them in place to hold the gill portion stiffer.

Now, it's unfortunate, but I only found two different "mushroom" stitches. One was from a YouTuber called Crochet With Samra, and the other was from Fiber Spider. I have my concerns with using the very lovely but delicate stitch from Samra as straps, but as you can see below, even a single repeat of the Mushroom stitch from Fiber Spider is a bit... broad and loud for a strap for such an oddly-shaped bag? I have dilemmas. 

She a thicc band

If anyone out there has better suggestions on a mushroom-themed strap I could whip up out of natural-colored, red, and/or white thread, please let me know!

Also I still need to wash the bag because she is a dirty dirty bag.

For now, though, I'm going to relax and try to figure out some ways to fix what I've borked, test out new designs, etc!

Go Enjoy Something!

FC