Crafty

I'm feeling very crafty indeed. There are so many things I want to get making. But there are so many other rather important things I should get done first. Oh the inner turmoil!

Pokemon sampler
















Snowflake crown

Lacey scarf

Soot sprites

Pinboard houses

Smart foxy

This weekend will be filled with much making and doing :o)

Roller Derby; Looking Back

Whilst I should be doing admin at work, I've actually been looking through old roller derby pictures in my photos file. I've decided to share a few. So here you go...

A few from various practices, bouts and promo shots over the past three or so years. Enjoy!

Want to know more???? Visit www.sheffieldsteelrollergirls.co.uk

Knitting, Real Life & Roller Derby

Who knew that roller girls had real lives? Lives outside of roller derby! The lovely Cindy Slaughter knits and sells a fabulous assortment of cute and kitsch accessories. I would strongly advise anyone and everyone to view her website Knit & Destroy and follow her smashing blog too!

Cross Stitch Kistch

Fellow team mate and good friend, Rabid Kitten, posted this here photo on FB today. My partner became very excited at the prospect of me sewing one for my home, so Kitten is forwarding the pattern on to me.

I used to do a little cross stitch at school and have more recently got in to modern embroidery (I've sewn some fetching swallows and roses on to a tea towel). But I've never really considered taking on a major cross stitch project and displaying the finished project. After seeing Kitten's photo, it is now all I can think about.

I've found some amazing Pokemon and Hello Kitty patterns across the web and can't wait to get started! I'll certainly be framing the end results and hanging them on our incredibly bare walls.

Inspired By Animals

I realise I should currently be concentrating on my pepper project, but I've been distracted by the next big art project in the pipeline.

This year's GCSE paper has been released, though the class won't be given it until after Feb half term. I've been having a look through the paper and there are a few questions that instantly spark my inspiration. I'm considering going for the "Animals" themed one. But is that just the obvious and easiest choice to go for? Should I expand my mind a little more and go with "Here and now", or "Sense of place"? Both choices also caught my eye. They'd definitely take more thought as they're such abstract concepts. But then why not just go for "Animals" if it instantly inspires hundreds of creative thoughts? There's still plenty of time until I make the final decision though, so I can think on it some more.

I believe that the class teacher is opting for the "Buildings" themed question to give his class. I'd be devastated if that one was forced upon me. Especially considering the six other choices. So it's likely to be a completely independent project for me. That suits me fine. At least I won't be unconsciously affected by other student's work.

Auto Fiction

I've just finished reading Hitomi Kanehara's Auto Fiction. The story follows the ramblings of a young Japanese woman, starting in her early 20s and tracing her life back into her teens.

It's an enjoyable and easy read, even though nothing in particular happens throughout.

It struck me like lightening how incredibly similar my un-medicated mind and the disturbed, paranoid mind of Rin are. Is Kanehara stealing delusions directly from my obsessive, neurotic mind, using them to create "22nd Winter"? (Read my previous entry Mentally Ill? for a little background.)

Reading on there are similarities still. Does Kanehara draw upon her own experiences to create the book? Or has she done her research on the subject? Or perhaps it's just simple to create a neurotic character?

Quite scary really to look back and think about how I used to perceive the world. And how far that self seems from who I am now.