Confessions of a notebook addict: Noodler’s Ink sampler

 Posted by on May 21, 2013 at 11:38 am
May 212013
 

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I participated in a Reddit gift exchange all about pens and stationery. I was really excited to get my gift yesterday!

ink_and_paper

That’s 11 vials of Noodler’s ink for my fountain pen! My pen accepts both cartridges and bottled ink if I use the converter/plunger thing it came with. Now I just have to find out which box I packed it away in. The other nifty gifty is a pad of Triomphe paper. And since everything was purchased from the Goulet Pen Company, I got a sticker and a book mark. Sadly, Goulet is sold out of their Triomphe envelopes but I have plenty of my own. I can’t wait to start writing letters. I think my first one shall be a thank you letter to my generous partner.

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A peek at my notebook collection

 Posted by on May 13, 2013 at 12:17 pm
May 132013
 

It’s been awfully quiet on my blog this week and for that I apologize. We’re settled into some semblance of a routine here in the Twin Cities while we go house hunting. It’s been a fun and exhausting process but we’re glad to really set down roots somewhere.

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A few weeks ago, I posted about my idea capture journal. That’s where I scribble down my to-do lists, any thoughts for patterns or blog posts before I organize and transfer them into Evernote. Here are all of my notebooks that I currently use:

Notebooks

The owl notebook (gifted last summer by Underground Crafter) is my capture notebook. The big black notebook in the back is where I do my writing exercises. Much like anything else, writing requires lots and lots of practice if you want to get better. I often forget that most novels don’t fall out onto the page fully formed. There’s not just tons of revision involved but an author needs to constantly write in order to improve one’s voice. So a plain spiral notebook works best for me.

Next to my owl notebook with the grey spine is my journal. I don’t write too often in it but it’s where I write about the highs and lows of my life. I also maintain lists of books I’ve read and milestones/cool things that have happened to me each year. On the front flyleaf I also write down my resolutions for that year and how old I was when I started and finished that journal.

The aqua notebook is a page a day diary where I keep my appointments and random doodles sometimes. I also write about what happened each day. It’s more of a log than anything else. So far, it’s been fun seeing how long it’s taken me to finish a book or the last time the Sgt and I went out on a date was. Austin Kleon talks about the importance of keeping a logbook in his book Steal Like an Artist:

[...] keeping a simple list of who/what/where means I write down events that seem mundane at the time, but later on help paint a better portrait of the day, or even become more significant over time. By “sticking to the facts” I don’t pre-judge what was important or what wasn’t, I just write it down.

Even a month later, it’s been really fascinating taking a look at just what happened day-to-day in my life. I’m sure as more time passes, I’ll be able to see more patterns emerging. It’s also been a great way to track when I get sick (from a cold or the flu) and when I start to feel better.

The two gilded notebooks were Christmas gifts. The one in the front row is quite small and stays in my purse. It’s where I doodle while waiting or jot down addresses. We’re currently house hunting so I’ve written down the pros and cons to the different houses we’ve looked at. It’s saved our butts more than once! The bigger one is a far more personal diary. I write in it every night just everything that needs to come out of my mind. Every thought no matter how profound or mundane gets out of my soul and onto the page. I view it as thinking out lout but silently. It’s a form of talking to god, I just use the written word instead.

Lastly, the spiral top notebook is not mine. I purchased it from Phantom Limb this weekend as a gift to the Sgt who started a new job today. He jots down his to do lists and random notes in them for work. Sometimes, it’s easier to put pen to paper than it is to open up a program on the computer.

So that’s my notebook collection. I have a ton more that are all used and a few that are empty waiting to be cracked open. Once my page a day diary is filled up, I think I might switch to a Filofax.

What do you use to organize and track your day? Have you gone paperless?

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Confessions of a notebook addict

 Posted by on April 29, 2013 at 12:11 pm
Apr 292013
 

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This is part one of an ongoing series I’m starting. My name is Vanessa and I have a stationery problem. If you also want to confess about your love of pens and notebooks, drop me a line!

At Stitches South, I explained to Stacey from FreshStitches how much I love notebooks and a good pen. I’ve faithfully kept a diary since the 4th grade. I still remember my first diary. It was from the Disney store and had Simba and Nala from the Lion King on the cover. I later stuck a sticker of a unicorn over it. It locked (very important to a 10-year-old) and came with a crappy pen that died about three entries in. I remember some of the things I wrote in it as well, like who had a crush on who, how I was going to marry Jonathan Taylor Thomas and when I changed my mind and was going to marry Bill Nye the Science Guy instead. And how much cooler he was over Beakman’s World.

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How do I remember all of that stuff? I firmly believe it’s because I wrote it down. Thanks to chemotherapy, my short-term memory isn’t what it was, a common but rarely researched side effect called chemo brain. So I continue to write everything down. Not just my thoughts and feelings but my to-do lists, blog ideas, things I need to open my Etsy store.

This notebook is what I call my “capture” notebook. Here I jot down all my ideas, must-dos, things to look into and general memos. Then once a week (usually on Mondays), I open up Evernote   and transfer those ideas into appropriate notebooks (home, blog, Etsy, ideas) and notes. Evernote now has little radio buttons that you can put into your notes to create a list you can check off.

I also use color coordinated post-it notes and flags to make it easy to figure out what page has blog post ideas, knitting/crochet pattern ideas and around the house ideas. That also makes it faster and easier for me to review what needs to be done and what “bucket” it goes to.

Come back next Monday, when I talk about my logbook!

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Miss Marple Knits

 Posted by on December 3, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Dec 032012
 

December 3, 1926 mystery writer (and one of my favorite authors) Agatha Christie disappeared. Both Stuff You Missed in History Class and Doctor Who have done episodes on this interesting period in the author’s life, though Doctor Who got the timing all wrong.

As you may know, one of Ms Christie’s popular characters is Miss Marple, the little old lady who can turn the heel of a sock and solve a mystery at the same time without having to frog said heel. I know she’s fiction, but I’m always impressed.

Joan Hickson as Miss Marple (c) AgathaChristie.com

Miss Marple’s knitting has inspired a few patterns. There are the cool looking Agatha C. socks by Emma Grundy Haigh. She even based it off of Miss Marple’s gauge, 26 stitches and 21 rows.

If color knitting is more of your thing, there’s Star Athena’s Miss Marple socks. These aren’t stranded socks, they’re mosaic meaning you don’t carry the second color. It’s a good introduction to two color knitting.

Finally, if you’re not a sock knitter but love shawls, in 1930 Weldon’s Practical Needlework published a What Would Miss Marple Knit? shawl. It was republished in the September/October 2010 issue of my favorite historical knitting magazine, Piecework.

(c) A2Seamster

It’s practical, simple but not boring. Much like Miss Marple herself! There are a bunch of literary knit anniversaries coming up so stay tuned!

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Lessons Learned from Writing…and Knitting

 Posted by on October 16, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Oct 162012
 
  1. It’s much easier to ignore the difficult than to deal with it. When we finally decide to push aside the lazy part of us and just keep writing,knitting, just frog it already the reward is sweet.
  2. Write now and edit later. The words flow much faster if you set aside your inner critic. The same is true for crafting. Bust out a few rows and look at the bigger picture later.
  3. Good writing and good knitting are the result of daily practice. Neither spring forth from our hands perfectly polished.

    via Books by Henry Bloomfield

  4. Always knit a gauge swatch and always write a terrible first draft. Set both aside and look at it later. You will be surprised at what they tell you.
  5. First drafts and gauge swatches lie. You are better than those clumsy first attempts. 
  6. Your first work will be terrible. Keep on going.
  7. Writing (for me) brings up painful memories. Knitting helps soothe my heart. Both are necessary for living.

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Knitter’s Review: Veronik Avery’s “Knitting 24/7″

 Posted by on October 8, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Oct 082012
 

I received a review copy of several knitting ebooks. This is part of that series of reviews. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are 100% honest. Other than a copy to keep, I get no other compensation for doing this review.

Unlike Knit 2 Together, I am absolutely in love with Veronik Avery’s Knitting 24/7. (N.B.: These links go to my Amazon affiliate account.) I’ve seen some of Ms. Avery’s patterns but I have yet to cast on. I’m so glad I have this book because I know I will. Her lines are simple and clean, which I adore.

I also adore the way the book is broken up. There are three sections: AM, PM, and Weekend. Each section has a different level of how complex (or mindless!) the patterns are. Some are beginner friendly but this is not one geared towards first timers. Ms Avery’s goal for the book was to, “be portable and to make use of our “extra” time — those nooks and crannies in our lives when we are busy, yet our hands are free to practice our craft.” As such, the stitch patterns are easily memorized or easily put down with out puzzling over where we left off. And these are small knits which make them a little faster to do. Personally, I don’t consider knee highs to be a quick knit, but that’s because a pair of socks takes me six months or more to make! ;)

Now, there are a few patterns that I just don’t like. The Fir Cone Shrug is not my thing and I also don’t “get” knitted skirts. I do really like the way her Olive Heather skirt looks; it’s very classy and I can see it easily fitting into my wardrobe. I’m not quite sure that I would want something that will pill and felt around my butt. I question the choice of using Cascade 220 Heathers. I love Cascade yarns– especially their 220 line but it felts so easily and thickly. Which is nice if you want that, but around high friction areas like your butt and thighs? Not a flattering look. If a friend asked what sort of yarn she should use to make this, I would advise using a yarn that has either a bit of acrylic or nylon. Nothing slubby and certainly not a single ply.

As an ebook, I have some words of warning and a suggestion to publishers out there. First, the warning. I read this first (and Knit 2 Together) on my Kindle Touch and it was awful. The Touch display, unlike the Kindle Fire or the iPad, is in black and white using their e-ink technology. I love it when I’m reading novels but not so much in a picture heavy book like this. Here’s an example:

See the difference? The iPad display on the left is much easier to read and get a feel for the patterns than the Kindle Touch display on the right.
The lace charts come out squashed and hard to read and the color work charts? Impossible to distinguish between the two different shades of grey. Luckily, I have a first gen iPad (as an aside, it was great to have while in hospital) and it was so much easier and better to read the charts and directions in. Since the iPad display is in color, I was able to really appreciate the crisp photography of each project. I love how the photos are clear shots of the designs but also gives me a better sense of how to work them into my clothing. So if you don’t have a tablet of some sort, I would avoid buying pattern ebooks. I do love reading The Principles of Knitting on my Touch, however.

What I would have liked to see is a hyperlinked table of contents and one that has links to each pattern. It was annoying having to “flip” between pages to find the pattern I wanted to see. Unlike a paper copy where it’s easier to go between pages, I had to wait for the pages to load before seeing if it was the page I was looking for. If publishers want to make either knitting or crochet ebooks a big hit, they need to include more hyperlinked texts. In the back there’s the usual section that explains the techniques and terms used. That also should be linked! If I want to remember how to do a M1R, I should be able to just touch that word and then be taken to the corresponding “how to” part. The book mark ability can do that, but it can be fussy and it’s not as intuitive. If I’m using my tablet, I really don’t want to have to work or think to hard about where I left off. In the hard copy version, I can easily slip a book mark (like the one that Ms Avery shows you how to make!) and go back and forth.

On the whole, if you’re looking for some simple, clean, and feminine knits this is a great book. I can’t wait to cast on for one of these.

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Knitter’s Review: Knit 2 Together by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark

 Posted by on October 1, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Oct 012012
 

Happy October everyone! For me, today kicks off the holiday season with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas (and Hanukkah) and then New Year’s all right around the corner. In preparation for that, I’ve been kindly asked to review some knitting ebooks. I’m going to spread out these reviews since the individual books are geared towards different types of knitters.

Knit 2 Together by Tracey Ullman and Mel Clark is aimed towards new knitters. Tracey Ullman starts off the book with how she learned to knit garter stitch scarves and nothing else. Fear kept her from asking for more help and eventually she stopped knitting. Cue the knitting revolution of the 2000s and she plucks up the courage to learn how to purl and go beyond the garter square.

Mel Clark was a knitting designer and eventually opened up her own shop in Los Angeles. Tracey comes in to her shop, they hit it off and after some time decided to write a book featuring Tracey’s unique take on life and Mel’s beginner friendly designs.

The designs are okay. Honestly, I didn’t quite find them to be my cup of tea in general but perhaps it’s because I’ve gone beyond the basics? I also don’t understand the appeal of knitted skirts. And really? Knitted sweat pants? That being said, some of my favorites come into the later half of the book. Like the mouse family (too cute!), the house slippers and the lace hug me tight. I’m most likely to make the felted house slippers. They look so cozy! The instructions are clear and there are useful “purls of wisdom” peppered through out. For example, one bit of advice is to put live stitches on waste yarn so you can try things on.

I was really looking forward to reading more from Tracey Ullman. I enjoyed “Tracey Takes On” as a kid even though most of the jokes went over my 10-year-old head. Her humor is just my style even if she can be a bit obnoxious at times. At the end of her essays, I was left wanting more and feeling rather disappointed. I think I would have preferred a book from Tracey’s perspective about life and knitting rather than a “how to” book with some funny bits thrown in there.

Perhaps I’m no longer the “Right Person” for this type of book? I know how to ssk, yo, k2tog. The terminology has been demystified so I don’t need someone to hold my hand any more. And I don’t think I would recommend this book to a new knitter. It’s more of a pattern book than a reference book and quite frankly, it isn’t full of patterns that excite me. Bottom line: if you’re thinking of picking this up for a friend that wants to learn how to knit, skip it.

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New Year’s Book Resolution Finished!

 Posted by on July 6, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Jul 062012
 

I usually make a few goals for the new year and I am very happy to announce that I can check off the (second) most important goal. I have read 30 books this year! Wahoo! My list is below with links to Amazon. I’ve marked the ones I particularly enjoyed with an asterisk. Last year’s book list can be read here.

As you can see, I tend to read a lot of “classic” books and non fiction. While I can’t say I dislike modern novels, I just find that most of the adult fiction published recently (as in the last ten years) is repetitive and dull. Ditto with fantasy, it seems like the Harry Potter rip offs have died down but now the Twilight rip offs are popular. I don’t mind werewolves and vampires (the evil kind) but I don’t want to read about how they’re so tortured and only the love of a human woman can save them blah blah blah. And most “beach reads” that are aimed at women my age, I find rather insulting. I really don’t want to read about a woman who has a spending problem, wants OMG! SO BAD! Like to lose 5 lbs and then she’ll be PERFECT and keeps falling for Mr Wrong until Mr Right finally puts up with her mind games.

I realize that I am harshly critical about what I read but I feel like my English degree has granted me that right. However, I understand that other people like the types of books that I can’t get into and that’s fine. Just leave me with my molding classics and I’ll be happy.

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WIP Wednesday: Birdie

 Posted by on June 27, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Jun 272012
 

It’s been so hard to put this project down! Husband’s socks and my Sketchbook cardigan have been set aside and ignored in favor of “just one more stitch”.

The satin stitch parts are done as are the mosaic stitch parts on the bottom. Now it’s just filling in the background with continental stitch. Which…hooray? This is the boring fill work part but that means I can zone out to CraftLit. Which, you *really* should be listening.

Part 2/ chapter 4 of Gulliver’s Travels is amazing. Gulliver has left the Lilliputians and is now in the kingdom of Brobdingnag, land of the giants. Swift has shifted from contemporary political satire to now skewering human nature. The Brobdingnagians aren’t these gentle giants but are treating Gulliver as “other”. The king even comments at one point after Gulliver talks of his life in England that they think themselves so important when they are nothing compared to his people. Which, in Western history, is something that we have done and thought of the natives of whatever land we’ve “discovered.”

Stephen Hawking has said that this is exactly how alien life will treat us, if we ever make contact. However, I humbly disagree. When Gulliver lands on Lilliput, he is the giant. And yet, while he could have treated the Lilliputians like “cute” toys, he didn’t. There have been reports recently in the news of isolated tribes in the Amazon being spotted by us. (And by us, I mean the rest of the world). We now have the wisdom to leave well enough alone. I posit that any extraterrestrial life (if it indeed exists), equally has the potential to do the same.

For more WIPs sans a literature lecture, check out Tami’s blog.

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GIVEAWAY!

 Posted by on January 23, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Jan 232012
 

EDIT: Winner has been announced! Keep reading for future giveaways.

That’s right, folks. I’m giving away some pretty cool stuff! Before I show you the goods, I’d like to bore you with why I’m doing this. You see, Friday January 27 marks one year that I left the hospital and all treatments behind. Chemo was done and I weathered the worst nutropenic fever. I was home free and didn’t need to see my oncologist for another two months.

So to celebrate the end of all cancer related treatments, I’m having a giveaway! Here are the goods that could be going home to you:

Candy Skein Yarn

Candy Skein Yarn!

A skein of Tempting Sock from the wonderful Candy Skein yarns. The colorway is lemon-lime since lime green is the awareness color for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. (Note: Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is violet. They are two different cancers.) It’s a fingering weight yarn and it’s made of 80% wool, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon.

Also! You’ll receive a set of cute candy beads also from Tami:

Beads

Candy beads

There are 7 beads in all, not just the four pictured above. I think they’re super cute. But wait, there’s more. You’ll also win a copy of Lion Brand Yarn: Just Hats: Favorite Patterns to Knit and Crochet.

EDIT: Here’s a photo of the book. Photo courtesy of Amazon
Just Hats

To enter, you simply just have to leave a comment to this post. If you want to follow me on Twitter, or subscribe via RSS or become a fan on Facebook, that’s great but no need. This giveaway is open to everyone around the world as well. So please, help spread the word. EDIT: Limit one comment per person. Oh the details, they escape me sometimes.

The winner will be chosen via random number generator on Friday January 27th in celebration at 10am Central time. Good luck to everyone and thanks for being a reader.

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