Strange Days

I am not certain how it happens but one day you look up and you realize that you have lost track of the days.

Much has changed since I last posted to the blog. I gathered up my rabble of knit toys and purses for a December craft show. I was not really certain what would sell.
The last craft show was a harrowing experience. I do not wish that on any crafter.

So I was prepared to keep my guard up. I was not going to let this new crowd get to me. HA! All those worries for nothing. The show was amazing. The vendors were great. We spent a lot of time at the beginning of each day and the end of each day visiting each other’s booths and I am not ashamed to admit I spent a little bit of my hard earned money at their booths.

I had a great response to my toys/dolls. My purses had three different pulls, those interested in the large handbags (the price was a bit of an issue), there was interest in the medium sized bags and all of my tiny bags with zipper pulls sold out!
I was really thrilled. I think the big thing about this show was how sincerely awed the people were over the booth.
I was sharing the booth with a friend and people would crowd around and stop by our booth not once but twice.

It was an empowering experience. I learned a lot at this show.

Since that time I have been working on new techniques, acquiring new yarn, and starting new projects.

I have a lot to show for the time that has passed. I will add some photos of my current works in progress and show some of my finished objects.
I haven’t had the time to update the store but it is hard to rely on the weather for a clear day. Even in AZ.

Shop Update!

I have been working hard to fill up the shop with some new products.

Its been weeks in the making.

Everything in the shop is on sale. I also lowered my shipping for Cyber Monday.

Since I still have a few more items to list later today I will keep my sale going until Tuesday night.

To see more from my shop just click on this link.

Its a Good Thing

I have been waiting for two weeks for this day! One of my favorite artitsts released his new album.

I love the genuine story behind his album, which he talks about here on his blog.

I love his first single, The Leave Behind. If you go to the album page you can get a preview.

I have been working a frenzy on several projects. I will take some time to get some new photos. For now I am going to enjoy the new music and get to work.

Snapshots

As promised I have few snapshots of my work space.

The photos don’t really capture the craft anarchy.

I didn’t want to broadcast my mess.

I have been having fun the last three weeks discovering new techniques and playing with new yarn. This week I complete a few dolls to post online and start sewing linings and totes (more on that later).

Classy Horror

Sometimes children are creepy. Especially if the children drive their nannies to suicide and cause baboons to attack.

Which brings me to The Omen.

The first time I saw this film I was sure that it would be cheesy and unmemorable.

Boy was I wrong.

The film reminded me of my days of babysitting. I remember the tantrums. The cacophony of screams and babbles. I remember how my body ached to be free from the children.

I remember all of these things because the most significant element of this film is how neither parent is able to bond with their child. He becomes alien to them.

I could sympathize. I didn’t always have a bond to the children.

The horrific things that happen in the film feel plausible. What I mean to suggest is that you could easily watch this film from the view point that both parents are loosing their minds.

What if the child is a healthy normal child of no dark origins. In that instance this film would represent the story of a crumbling family.

It is that doubt that eats away at Gregory Peck’s character. His struggle is what really gives weight to this story. He loves his son.

There are some utterly frightening moments that give this film immediacy.

Take for instance Mrs. Baylock. Her performance was amazing. Somewhere between her clipped responses and her deep voice lurks pure evil.

This is a fantastic movie.

If you want to really question your faith you can look up the story of the making of the movie.

Or watch the documentary on the collector’s disc. There were a lot of ‘fatalities’ and accidents that befell the creators of this film.

Horror-filled Weekend

I am pressed for time. I have a lot of work, a lot of prep, and a lot of deadlines coming up.

Which is to say I will be watching a lot of movies. I will make time for a few TV shows like say: Project Runway, The Rachel Zoe Project, South Park, Pushing Daisies and Hell’s Kitchen.

But the thing I am most excited about are the horror movies. I have a lot of movies lined up on my Netflix queue.

Gotta admit I’m kind of scared.

I like horror movies. I prefer to rewatch the classics for Halloween but…I am a little terrified of foreign films.

American horror movies are predictable. For me I can glean very little enjoyment out of American films. Its the foreign films that scare the crap out of me.

I think the loss in translation has little to do with it. Truly successful horror movies…could scare you without dialogue…so I would say that foreign filmmakers are fearless when it comes to what is put on screen.

For now I want to focus on one of my few favorite American thrillers:

Blood Simple

The movie was not what I thought. The director’s, Coen brothers, have a special place in my heart. They carve out humor in the most surprising places and they can build terror into the mundane of settings.

This film was for me reminiscent of Hitchcock. What startled me is how realistic it felt.

The characters in this movie are ordinary and without charm. Initially I could not relate to them. There is a catalyst. And one character has to make a difficult choice.

What happens in the aftermath is pure chaos.

It is a truly bittersweet journey to the end of the movie.

I could not help but think that this film was most disturbing because it feels as though it could happen now. It is as though you read about this same incident in a newspaper.

Break Some Rules

Netflix makes some good movies suggestions from time to time the best suggestions by far have been the high rating for both Dexter and Lost. I could not have agreed more with those reviews.

Their choice in horror movies have not been as helpful.

Either way each new selection is a bit of a hit or a miss. Which brings me to this movie, Carriers.

The basic structure of this movie is that people get infected, bleed out slowly and die in a feverish state. The film was hard for me to negotiate because the basic situations are too similar to 28 Days Later (awesome Danny Boyle movie).

The problem I have is two fold. One I don’t care about any of the people. Even the sick child, that later gets abandoned, the story makes time for no one so it is impossible to identify or feel sympathetic to anyone.

Second I love some apocalyptic films because by the end of the movie I appreciate my own life a little bit more.

This movie was dreary and it felt awkward to watch this band of survivors knowing that I would not have chosen these people to be the future (that is to say if they survive at all).

I didn’t find the film horrific. True there is gore. There is a creepy factor due to seeing bloody people lunge at the camera but all of this is amounts to cheap tricks.

I need to feel the fear in the dark of the night. I need to know that I won’t sleep soundly for a few days.

For now I have work to attend.

Morning Horror

I know I said I would start out with Blood Simple but it was not meant to be, Netflix took it off-line on Oct. 1, I will have to postpone until next week.

I must stress that some films do not age well.

Take for instance, The Lost Boys.

As a kid this movie gave me nightmares. Okay maybe that is an exaggeration. I was afraid of my window. Weird? Vampires linger outside of windows…ever close to gaining entrance to your home.

That is a trip for any kid afraid of her own shadow.

I had held this movie up as a cult icon. Boy was I wrong.

The vampire phenomenom is not my thing. I like a good zombie flick. The vampires are all touchy feely. I don’t need the drama. I want to see a horror movie for the action not for the melodramatic close ups.

An enjoyable turn of events is how all the male vampires seem to be really into non-vampire guys.
The guys had some pretty steamy chemistry.

***The title is a misnomer…no horror today, just vampires vamping it up.l***

Hooray!

I have a lot of work to do before this day is over. I just thought I should mention that after a very long night I have a new ad for my shop!

The picture is from my new shop mascot! She is about 2 inches tall and an inch wide. She also happens to be a finger puppet.

I have a few coming into the shop this weekend. For now they need some finishing.

Oh my ad can be seen online on one of my favorite blogs, The Dainty Squid. I love visiting her blog. In my younger more rebellious youth I used to browse through antique shops and hunt for awesome vintage wares.

Seeing her thrift finds remind me of those moments.

Truth Be Told

There is a story behind every item that I create. The story however is not what you may think.

Knitting is a solitary pursuit. In order to complete items of large size or complexity you must submit to a lot of work. That work however is horribly monotonous.
My hands do all the hard work. Sure I have a vivid imagination but I’ve caught myself dozing while I knit. My hands just keep on knitting…I’ve woken up to realize that I ruined a pattern I have even pulled stitches off the needle.

In my effort to combat mid-day sleepiness as well as to make these hours bearable I watch a lot of movies, listen to the radio, watch football, and more than anything else I watch reality shows.

If you have purchased something from me you should know that whatever it is it is a product of pure pop culture.

With Tyra Banks and Tim Gunn as a mentor how could I not be inspired?