Borealiso Beautiful: April 2012

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Perspective

"Sometimes I go about pitying myself
And all the while I am being carried across the sky
By beautiful clouds."

-- Ojibway saying

The Hat: Prologue.
Jord lost his hat on the Easterville Highway. The sasquatch is going to be well outfitted come the end of this winter. (RIP Steve's jacket) So off to Mitchell Fabric's we went and bought some tweed and buckram. A deer-stalking we will go, my dear Watson.

The Hat: Take One.
Found a pattern on the Internet for a deer-stalking hat. The reviews said it fit small, though, as in, "It fit my dog." Decided, seeing as the Dunnigan's have mammoth noggins, that I'd have to make my own. Based it off of dad's felt and fur hat.

The pattern was slightly asymmetrical. I thought the seam allowances would hide that. Oh, ignorance. Oh, sloth.

Steve was on fabric-cutting detail as I basted bits together. Metamorphosis from bullet-shaped pieces of fabric to elfish cap to the elementary version of Sherlock's chapeau. Thought I'd finish this in a night, get it to Jord on time for his birthday. Hah.

The Hat: Take Two.
Put the lining, flaps and outside together, turned inside out and sewed around. 2 broken sewing machine needles resulted in what Steve called a mumu (moomoo?) hat. I got rather pissed off at him for that. Dad tried it on and said, "That's a lot of hat." Which made me realize that I had indeed created a mumu hat. Quit for the night.

The Hat: Take Three.
Take Three has involved chopping an inch off the base. Things are fitting much nicer. I am not pissed off at anyone, anymore. Just swearing at the machine. 2 more broken sewing machine needles. And the ear flaps and brims never seem quite straight. Mom is giggling and advising me to stop for the night.

Jord should get this birthday hat in time for the next snow. Then he can skulk around the city in the style he favours once more.

The Hat: Take Four.
Hand-sewed to finish the job. Said screw you to redoing the whole thing. Instead, picked out select seams, used some whip stitch, admired how tweed is such a camouflaging fabric when it comes to hiding stitches. Had a heck of a time deciding what was front and what was back. Consulted husband and father. Sealed the deal with a personalized monogram in orange in the interior.

This photo makes the hat look great. Which it is (up-talk). Hat-making is not easy. But not impossible, either. I was not a hat-maker in a previous life. Maybe, though, I was a young apprentice who got knocked off before I truly began to shine. Because I was having a love affair with the hat-maker's daughter, or wife. But the hat maker was an old and cruel man that mistreated everyone in his life and now no one is happy.

I have lots of tweed left. 2 different fabrics, in fact. Deer-stalker 2 in the future? The thing is, if there's no deadline, it doesn't seem to get done (hello, quilt). Maybe I need a sewing buddy.

Bedtime Stories

October 10: Mr. Fox (Helen Oyeyemi): Why say with a few words what this review says so well with a lot? Took me a while, but I've been busy. I may have told you. It's a book I floated on top of, dipping my toe in, not really sinking into. Maybe it was the violence against women dressed up in fables. But a couple of passages that I loved. Here's one: ""Let this enemy of progress tell you something," I said. "I'm never sad when a friend goes far away, because whichever city or country that friend goes to, they turn the place friendly. They turn a suspicious-looking name on the map into a place where a welcome can be found. Maybe the friend will talk about you sometimes, to other friends that live around him, and then that's almost as good as being there yourself. You're in several places at once! In fact, my daughter, I would even go so far as to say that the farther away your friends are, and the more spread out they are, the better your chances of going safely through the world..." "Ugh," my daughter said."
August 12: Be Different (John Elder Robison): Here's a view of life with Aspergers. An easy, informative and entertaining read. I like how he stresses that Asperger's does not necessarily mean you're disabled, or that there's something wrong with you; you're just different. Your brain is wired differently. A good insight into some of the behaviours linked with Aspergers. Robison stressed that these behaviours are not there to hurt, bother or defy other people; they are entirely self-serving. As the author points out, however, knowledge is power. Both the Aspergian and those who live and work with them benefit from knowing about Aspergers so that true growth can happen.
Early August: Fifty Shades of Grey and Fifty Shades Darker (ELJames): I don't know if I should be admitting to reading these. Annie-Claude called it mommy porn. I am a mommy. I would consider this porn. But the website says erotica. If there's a bandwagon, you should jump on it, right?
Mid-July: On the Outside Looking Indian (Rupinder Gill): This girl could definitely be a stand-up comic. As for a novelist or a "year-in-the-life-of-ist", she's a bit of a lightweight. Superficial goals that only briefly acknowledge their raison d'etre...this is a quest for happiness and self-acceptance, Rupinder, not just for Disney Land and a childhood denied. You'rein charge of your own destiny, rah rah rah.
Early July : The Dovekeepers (Alice Hoffman): She's a witch! Alice Hoffman has a good feel for the customs, speech and social expectations and taboos of these Roman times. Great strong female characters.
May 16: The Continuum Concept (Jean Liedloff): Felt like I was sitting in on my first-year anthropology class, listening to a very passionate teacher who adored her subject but who had to share it with an indifferent audience. What did I take away from this? I like to carry my baby, had her in a sling or carrier most of the time when she was young, let her feed on demand...but she sleeps in her crib (a no-no, according to Jean). I do like her description of the "in-arms phase", where "...the infant is always present but rarely the center of attention. He is simply there, in the midst of the caretaker's life, constantly experiencing things, safely being held." Until he starts exploring on his own, at which point he does so without interference ("protection"), but with mother nearby and available if he needs help. Ready, set, explore Clearwater Lake! Waldkind.
May 8: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs...really?!): Great creepy, black-and-white photos of (real) peculiar children. The story is kind of contrived and spoon-fed, though. It is a beautiful looking book, found in the well-stocked children's lit section of Brighton's tiny bookstore.
May 3: On Writing (Stephen King): I like books on writing. Teaching writing, becoming a better writer. Essentially, it boils down to two things: you need to read a lot and write a lot. That's it. As a side note, did you know that Stephen King was an alcoholic and drug addict? Liked his memoirs and thoughts on his own stories. Am quite happy to steer very clear of said stories. I believe that they're good. Good enough for me.
April 27: I Love You, Beth Cooper (Larry Doyle): Steve's been wanting me to read this for a while. It is hilarious. I was actually grossed out in the first few pages and expected to gag on a description of exploding white puss-filled zits, but was soon flying through an epic grad night. Adventures in Babysitting style. I now want to see the movie.
April 22: I am Number Four (Pittacus Lore): Tee hee hee. Young-adult superhero book at its "best". Favourite line: "That's for my dad!" (as Sam uses a shotgun to blow away the Mogadorian, revenge for the abduction of his father).

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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Perspective

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