An inspiring week

Yes its been an inspiring and creative week. I have been maintaining my creative goal quite well: so far this week I have done some sewing, painting and cooking, as well as continuing with my knitting. The slightly cooler weather has helped as its less tiring.

I started looking in op shops for knitting needles as I thought that would be a good source, now I already have a pair of almost all the usual sizes. I was excited about the wool shop opening again after the holidays so I could buy some new wool. Its hard to show some restraint and not buy far too much wool, its so gorgeous especially the hand spun/dyed looking ones. I have made a few attempts to make one of the Wild Tea Cosies from Loanie Prior's book, Beauty and the Beast. The size seems wrong but I am continuing all the same as the effect is still good. It is helping me learn as I go, I did have to unravel it and start again at one point, but its taught me something (take it slowly).

The sewing emerged fairly spontaneously from looking at various bits and pieces of haberdashery including an old length of elastic, which I have machine appliqued into a spiral shape with various embellishments including rick rack braid, which I remember from school needlework classes. The centre of the spiral is a clothes label from an old pair of stripey pants that the elastic came out of.

I also started painting again yesterday, I had been meaning to do this for a while, but what helped I think was going to an exhibition opening on Friday night, it was amazing to see how much painting the artist had done in one year. Gave me a bit of a kick start. I am still learning about oil paint I haven't used it that much before and the fact that it stays workable for so long, its so fluid, I find challenging but also full of potential. I worked on an old painting I had started last year, easier than starting from scratch. I think it looked better by the end of it. Time went very fast while I was painting, I noticed.

Have also planned extending the raised bed in the garden with some old railway sleepers and am planning to plant roses and hibiscus in this space when it is ready. There are some old roots from the lillipilli we removed last year which makes it difficult to dig.

My assistant has a sore shoulder so that project is on hold for the time being.

The first page!

Hi there

I have been thinking about doing this for a while, but obviously these things take time to set up, especially when you are only semi-computer literate. I have just finished another writing project, writing a chapter for publication in an edited art therapy book, so it seemed like a good time to get started on the blog. Funnily enough I have not really read many blogs but perhaps that is a good thing. I remembered whilst writing the chapter how much I enjoy writing. And this is probably just another excuse to write.

The beginning of the year does seem like a good time to start, not only because it is 'a new beginning', but also because it is the summer holiday and I feel a bit freer than usual to be doing interesting things that I normally don't have time for. And not such interesting things like cleaning out the fridge. Yesterday for example I made plum jam, and chucked out all the old jam I had made that did not get eaten, so I would have enough jam jars for the new jam. Something in this process seems rather absurd but anyway...it was satisfying.

I am not a great one for new year's resolutions, but I did set a goal of doing something creative everyday. This can include making jam or writing in here, gardening or even cooking a meal, as long as its involved more than opening tins or defrosting. I have been knitting (made a 'wild tea cosy') and learning to crochet (made nothing recognisable) but I have not done any painting or drawing recently, although I keep thinking about what I would do if I did paint. Its a start.

I have been reading a lot recently too. Most recent: Denise Scott's All that Happened at No. 26. Also the Gods of Freud, about his collection of antiquities. Quite different obviously but both entertaining.

I am going to stop now, just so I can find out what to do next.

Cheers and Happy New Year!