My Eyes are Bigger than My Hands

I grew up in a house overflowing with spider plants and macramé plant holders. I asked my mom at Christmas whether she still had the skills, but she claimed not to remember a thing, so it looks like the internet will have to guide me.

There seem to be halfway decent tutorials online. I have the highest hopes for this one from Handcrafted by Elaine. It’s detailed and the pictures seem clear. I like that, as I look at them, I can visualize what I should be doing. This might change once I get some fiber in my hands.

And for visual reinforcement (as my brain sometimes leaves my body when I’m trying to learn a new craft . . . , I like some of npatroni’s videos:

The Things We Try to Hide

Out of common courtesy, we’ll all pretend that this is it. We will not talk about the desk next to the WIP’s. We will not talk about the fact that it is covered for a reason. We will not discuss how many more bags are beneath it. We will not contemplate the fact that my cat has a better idea of the mounds and piles of unfinished dreams. It takes some time to face all of this.

But, in fairness, I have pulled out some of my oldest WIP’s so that I can contemplate their unfinished loops. They have my best yarn, my best needles and, quite possibly, some of the best hours of my life.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Covered Banana Donuts

We’re so hot we’re sweating. Mid-summer baking sprees can be perilous.

Truth be told, I’ve not been too excited about food lately, but when I popped into the New York baking supply shop on West 22nd in one last desperate attempt to locally find something for a care package swap, I spied the mini-donut pans.

Sneak Peek

Neck Warmer in Progress

Spontaneous yarn shopping is always dangerous. You’re waiting for someone for brunch. He is dependably late. You’re standing half a block away from a yarn shop. He hasn’t arrived. The yarn shop opens. You can’t hold back. You go in. You come back out in under fifteen minutes, which is probably some sort of yarn shop record and would be a good thing if you hadn’t also emerged with yarn, all poorly planned purchases I should emphasize, all consisting of a little of this or that for, um, well, something . . . four skeins will get you a cap-sleeved cardi, right? Right? I’m sure some size 0 ladies might have managed to squeeze one off the needles, but a size 0 I am not in anyone’s world (and even size 0’s would not also have been able to do any proper finishing).

The Bag and The Fury

Infamous Anya Hindmarch bag

A desire to encourage people to use less plastic bags inspired designer Anya Hindmarch to make this bag. (Hindmarch and Whole Foods joined forces to offer this bag to the US public.) Much like with the Target or H&M designer collaborations, people went wild. Hundreds of women lined up for them in Hong Kong. Some who didn’t get their hands on them there made plans to fly to New York to try again. Rumor has it several women made sure the cashiers at Whole Foods wrapped up their “I’m Not a Plastic Bags” bags in plastic bags . . . all the better to hawk them on eBay for $350 a pop. (Only the women who did not intend to use their canvas shopping bags as purses, of course.)

You can only imagine the horror this inspired in people who are genuinely interested in reducing their environmental impact. Some of this horror got wrapped up in the bag itself. Truth be told, I’m not offended by it. I like the lettering. I like the piping. I’m not quite as fond of the handles. But I love the idea behind the bag’s conception — reducing one’s environmental impact. Certainly, the best thing to do is to avoid plastic bags altogether. Now that I make sure I always have at least one extra bag in my carryall, I rarely end up with bags because I have a tendency towards spontaneous grocery shopping stop offs when it dawns on me that I just can’t bear to eat X one more night. But before I was good, I admit I was awful. Or at least like the average American.