1. A temari work-basket. I have been searching for "the perfect basket" for ages. I currently have a basket/tote that I am not happy with, and have been exploring other avenues. The basket I have is OK, but if I could find the perfect basket..... It's a really good excuse to use a couple of fat quarters in the most amazing fabric that have been awaiting 'the perfect project' too. Ultimately I wanted a woven basket that was big deep enough to hold my supplies, but not that deep that I would lose things in the bottom, with a dome/bowl shaped removable lid that I could use as a work basket, and preferably a handle to carry it with, but I wasn't sure what sort would suit it. It also had to be roughly the right size. Not too big, not too small. It would be nice if it could be lined with fabric, and sturdy - no flimsy baskets allowed. I was suffering from a near fatal case of Goldilocks syndrome. None of the baskets I found was quite right. So I went from idea to idea and I was just about to start testing a second hand hatbox I had found when I found a set of baskets on Etsy.
I have only just remembered Etsy. It's somewhere I don't tend to go a lot - I'm more of an Ebay girl. But - I remembered Etsy, and I searched for baskets. And now I have these 2 absolutely fabulous baskets. They are the right height and size, the right material, and will look great and hopefully will perform well. I'm a fraction concerned they are not quite strong enough, but will investigate that a bit more. They remind me of hot air balloons. With any luck, the search for the perfect basket can finally be laid to rest, and if not, they look fantastic on the shelf and I'll keep searching - next option is a hatbox - lined with those fat quarters of course!
2. Temari books. Through an online bookshop I have just purchased three more temari books. They are sure hard to find (at the right prices anyway) and even harder to find secondhand (at even better prices). I'm so excited my collection is growing slowly and surely. I have put these back in the box as they are actually a christmas present. These three are English books, two by Diana Vandervoort, and one by M. Ludlow. Nothing puts a smile on my face faster than adding to my bookshelves, and that smile gets bigger if they are temari books.
A big thank you goes to my Grandma in Victoria - who sent up a heap more of her knitting machine wool, and my Grandad - for encouraging her to do so. She has nearly cleaned out her stash, and I was fortunate enough to be the recipient. I have enough wool to see me through ooodles and ooooodles of temari. I cant even begin to figure how many - I'm thinking in the hundreds!!
I have been working on a particular pattern - trying to figure it out, and it has taken me a bit longer than expected. I have to figure it out from photo's and I haven't worked a temari like that before, so I'm doing what I tend to do best - I'm procrastinating. Of course it doesn't help when I work full time, and then I decided to stitch another Kiku pattern at the same time, and then I got the urge to re-arrange the cats bedroom/craft room. On the plus side, "Temari Land" (aka the craft room) now has a mid sized shelving unit to assist with storage, the space is easier to work in, and the cats like having something else to climb on.
So today....hopefully....I will finish the kiku, decide on a pattern for the New Years GITS I am participating in, and begin stitching the pattern I have been procrastinating about. Hopefully.
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