tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-135530302011-04-22T05:43:05.909+10:00a girlprinter productiongirlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.comBlogger1211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-80258522917195164702008-12-09T22:44:00.001+11:002008-12-09T22:46:05.708+11:00

I've moved.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-68563509916425412862007-06-06T22:36:00.000+10:002007-06-06T22:37:03.824+10:00

It’s a month old now, but Freakonomics authors Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt pondered some questions of interest in their column Laid-Back Labor in a special New York Times Magazine issue on the Baby Boomer generation. They muse “Isn’t it puzzling that so many middle-aged Americans are spending so much of their time and money performing menial labors when they don’t have to?” Cooking,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-31160699136048787832007-05-28T08:00:00.000+10:002007-05-28T08:00:20.912+10:00

I was in the paper.I was on the radio. (Scroll down to April 1. My interview runs approximately twenty minutes spanning Part 1 and 2 of the archive file.)And I'll be speaking and teaching letterpress at Books.07 in Noosa in September. (No link available as yet.)

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-83194078673903791542007-05-19T07:38:00.000+10:002007-05-19T07:42:18.809+10:00

Originally uploaded by ana ventura. Aren't these lovely? Made by Teresa Cunha, a friend of Ana Ventura's mother. Arrived from Portugal wrapped in bright orange tissue, just in time for cold weather.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-6624574390105979892007-05-10T22:37:00.000+10:002007-05-10T22:37:54.380+10:00

Still can't crochet, dammit. Told myself to pull my socks up a while ago, and stop pretending that somehow it'd come to me overnight. I learned to knit and embroider as a kid, and while I hope I've improved since then, I think it's no coincidence that these are the techniques with which I feel most comfortable. Kind of like learning a second language before the age of six, I think. Some part of

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-19850887247522603552007-05-05T07:47:00.000+10:002007-05-05T07:51:27.941+10:00

I woke with a start at a quarter to six this morning. Thought, as good a time as any to write a blog post. I’ve been walking to work recently, which takes an hour at a fast-ish dawdle. I’m very glad it’s possible, because even ten minutes in a crush of pinstriped commuters begins the day on a slightly sour note. This way, I feel my kinship is with the dog walkers and early-rising groups of

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-772105319399187532007-04-21T07:59:00.001+10:002007-04-21T21:20:46.150+10:00

in London! Blogger doesn't reveal your e-mail address: could you contact me at girlprinter[at]gmail[dot]com? Would love to chat. (BTW, I wear a size 37!)

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-18655888998268584132007-04-03T22:48:00.000+10:002007-04-03T22:48:58.317+10:00

I bought these three lovely bunnies for my nieces last Christmas, and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t thank Fiona when they arrived in the midst of the holiday rush. Her toys are perfect in every way: beautiful materials, tiny, precise stitching, faces infused with personality. You might have received a note today from Fiona that she’ll be listing new toys in her shop tomorrow at 3pm (Australian

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-70023988305777642682007-03-22T18:29:00.000+11:002007-03-22T18:30:43.177+11:00

Yesterday was the first day of autumn in the southern hemisphere. Curiously, Australians tend to mark the beginnings of seasons on the first of the month: March 1, June 1, September 1, December 1. I think this quirk exacerbates fears of climate change (not that we don’t have enough evidence of change already.) The beginning of March was most definitely late summer: brutally hot in parts, the

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-88828970961597958232007-02-26T18:27:00.001+11:002007-02-26T18:27:38.982+11:00

Downloaded from Fox Searchlight's Flickr account.Without doubt, if Best Knits were an Oscar category, Notes on a Scandal would be the runaway victor. At a certain point, I realised I was mentally reciting a list, trying to keep track of an inventory of garments worn by Sheba Hart, the character played by Cate Blanchett. There was a chunky vest not dissimilar to Jo Sharp’s Ultra Vest in Knit 1. A

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-90892369737301629532007-01-19T23:15:00.000+11:002007-01-19T23:16:08.146+11:00

Lovely little Lola and “Jazz Hands” Jones. Wearing Lacy Bonnets from Erika Knight’s Baby Bloom [Knitting for Two in the US.] Knitted in Jo Sharp’s Alpaca Silk Georgette in Ecru. The pattern calls for a DK weight yarn such as Rowan’s Wool Cotton, but I wanted to knit these up considerably smaller, and I love the feel and colour of the Alpaca Silk Georgette. The pattern is a lovely one, but I think

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-83827249563705000532007-01-16T23:22:00.001+11:002007-01-16T23:22:09.595+11:00

Living away from Melbourne all that time allowed me to adopt a certain anthropological role during trips home, based on an observer-participant model. My field, it must be noted, was limited and specific and chosen after the fact. No preliminary research was conducted, no literature review undertaken, and few conclusions were reached. Despite this, I’m confident in staking my reputation on three

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-51104499373480246322007-01-01T22:52:00.000+11:002007-01-01T22:53:00.282+11:00

I’ve been writing a diary the old-fashioned way. I’m constantly behind, of course, which is one of the reasons I’ve never persisted very long in the past. It’s a real tyranny, I think, to try to record anything more than tiny fragments of the whole. Which has been one of blogging’s appeals: it’s a snapshot of a certain attitude toward life, but only one of my many attitudes. It records certain

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1167551909175509452006-12-31T18:55:00.000+11:002006-12-31T18:58:29.193+11:00

I'm moving to Typepad. Maybe. Probably. If I can work it out. More tomorrow, or the day after. I've missed you. We've lots of catching up.....

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1164280777319550412006-11-23T22:11:00.000+11:002006-11-23T22:19:37.346+11:00

I love Thanksgiving. I’d planned another slap-up meal this year for my small circle of American friends, but time ran away from me, and I’m still living out of bags and boxes. I was nervous to tell Jeremy that Thanksgiving chez girlprinter was going to be cancelled this year: he’s been curtailing calories in anticipation ever since a Nigella Lawson trifle I made in July. Instead, I offer a last

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1163127869569938062006-11-10T13:57:00.000+11:002006-11-10T14:04:29.593+11:00

Here is Emily, a few months ago, lacing the back of a cross-stitch sampler under my mother’s tutelage. She brings a joyful tenacity to everything she does: you can see it here, in the concentration with which she’s tackling this task. Emily knows better than most when to hold on, and when to let go. Her apartment is a lesson in edited perfection: her drawers in order, her linens pressed. But she

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1162299890435269512006-10-31T23:57:00.000+11:002006-11-01T00:07:57.926+11:00

I’d better post quickly before October’s over. I’m not the most regular at the best of times, but I don’t like to see a month missing over in the archives. I’ve been contemplating Mrs. Kennedy’s NaBloPoMo challenge, modeled after NaNoWriMo, which I’ve also flirted with in the past, a long-distant past during which I actually believed myself capable of such a feat. Or, at least, believed

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1158567067559114242006-09-18T18:05:00.000+10:002006-09-18T18:11:07.593+10:00

All of a sudden, in the face of losing my house, I’ve become decisive about some of the house-related issues that have plagued me over the past eighteen months. Longtime readers will note the continued presence of Curtains for Living Room over on my To Do list. Other than a burst of indecision in April, no progress was made on this front until last week, when some idle time surfing the web led to

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1157776345645320252006-09-09T14:33:00.000+10:002006-09-09T14:42:49.203+10:00

Inexplicably, I woke up yesterday with a black eye. Could this be from crying? It’s possible that soon my head will start rotating fast on its axis, and I’ll start issuing forth green bile.Until then, Grace Paley.I started Enormous Changes at the Last Minute while in the hospital. It is Paley’s second collection of stories, published in 1960. My love affair with New York started as a literary one

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1157418218486025562006-09-05T11:05:00.000+10:002006-09-09T14:45:41.776+10:00

For Melbourne readers.Does anyone know where I could find some bush lemons? Short of actually tramping through the bush? I'm a registered entrant in the Preserves Competition (Novice Division: Lemon Butter) for the upcoming Royal Melbourne Show. As I keep saying, I have things to do. Not important things, but things nonetheless.[Update: When I was in Queensland weeks ago, and talking about

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1157374349251714972006-09-04T22:46:00.000+10:002006-09-04T22:52:29.300+10:00

I was back in the hospital for a short while yesterday, and felt a strange sort of nostalgia for the place. I was happy to see Mary on duty, who welcomed me warmly: “Room 61, 6 days, couldn’t get on the internet.” A little embarrassing really, but she definitely remembered me. When I woke from the anesthesia after the second operation, there was a cluster of nurses at the window, watching someone

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1157188720289415562006-09-02T19:17:00.000+10:002006-09-04T22:53:07.296+10:00

Novels could be written about my last six weeks, and I just might. That “minor, albeit inconvenient, surgery” I mentioned? Turns out, I have cancer. Or had cancer, I hope. For a long time, I’d joked that the reddish-brown mark on my ankle was an alien probe insertion point, or a birthmark my mother just didn’t happen to remember me having when born. At a routine dermatology appointment a couple

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1153916624158794802006-07-26T22:19:00.000+10:002006-07-26T22:26:14.693+10:00

I’m a bit of a nervous nellie, you might say, so when there was a knock on my studio door yesterday and a suit-clad man announced that he was there to serve notice, the rushing roar in my head drowned out what he was intending to serve notice about. I’d thought that my paranoia was quelling, now that the studio is this far from being set up (you’ll have to imagine that I’m holding my thumb and

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1153142723385692962006-07-17T23:21:00.000+10:002006-07-17T23:25:23.456+10:00

Lots of you are mothers. This is something I’ve been mulling over for a while, planning one of my pseudo-anthropological posts. I’m 35, and one of the ways I torture myself is to try to work out my own feelings about childbearing and parenting, wondering if that really is my biological clock I hear ticking, or just the din of everyone else’s clocks around me. It’s all theoretical really: the

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1153009877732269362006-07-16T10:26:00.000+10:002006-07-16T10:31:17.763+10:00

What keeps the water in the loop? Amaze and mystify your friends with this sensational new “mystery” fish-bowl molded from clear durable plastic with a scientific tube loop. Fill it with approximately ½ gallon of water as per our secret instructions, then insert two or three of your pet goldfish. You’ll watch them for hours and hours as they frisk and frolic through the loop. The perfect

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1152395460545234672006-07-09T06:59:00.000+10:002006-07-09T08:09:13.483+10:00

Just in case you didn't see it last weekend in the NY Times Sunday Magazine: a piece about the DIY/crafting movement.Walker's question as to whether the craft phenomenon is driven by ethics or aesthetics is a good one, I think, and one that many craft bloggers address in their writings. Neither of these intentions explains however the sheer satisfaction many people get from making things,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1151669187422550492006-06-30T22:02:00.000+10:002006-06-30T22:08:49.880+10:00

A few months back, I was the lucky recipient of a July 1951 copy of The Workbasket: Home and Needlecraft for Pleasure and Profit. (Thank you, A!)The Workbasket is most definitely a forerunner of craftster.org, etsy.com and all our crafty blogs: a place where women could share craft ideas and make a little pin money on the side. I’m a sucker for the ads in vintage magazines, and the

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1151449133749239922006-06-28T09:17:00.000+10:002006-06-28T09:20:56.433+10:00

Was how I greeted my press when the movers returned this past Saturday. Quickly, the happy reunion turned somewhat sour when the key securing the flywheel refused to budge. The level of difficulty for The Move Part II was always considerably higher, but my movers aced their first tests, moving the downstairs studio upstairs without incident. They didn’t even need to remove the beading from the

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1151033498306700212006-06-23T13:27:00.000+10:002006-06-23T13:33:45.646+10:00

There is a whooshing sound in my head right now and a gripping pain in my ears, as if a vice is clamped over my head and slowly tightening. My thoughts are slowed down to pace that I can observe and record their muddled meanderings, but not to worry: I won’t bore you with them all. Just to say that I chose this state in which to begin a pair of wristwarmers last night, using the Magic Loop method

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1150464554963785822006-06-16T23:25:00.000+10:002006-06-16T23:29:14.990+10:00

Buttonmania is on the second floor, around the corner from studio #1. Earlier this week, I had a message that Kathy wanted to speak to me about my machinery mover. She ushered me into her cavernous storeroom to show me a series of button-making machines that she plans to display in her future button museum. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven: a button museum, downstairs! I never, ever want to

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1150294358530116712006-06-14T23:59:00.000+10:002006-06-15T00:12:38.750+10:00

I'm days late for Monday's white, but white's all I've been surrounded by this past week. It'll disappoint some to know that the orange wall from last week is a "before" shot: it wasn't nearly so lovely in real life, I promise. Wholly underqualified for the task, we started with ten litres of undercoat. By yesterday, punch-drunk with victory, I idly suggested to Andrew that perhaps we should

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1149598151753165632006-06-06T22:44:00.000+10:002006-06-06T22:49:11.833+10:00

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1148904490442619222006-05-29T22:00:00.000+10:002006-05-29T22:30:08.746+10:00

Cleveland, February 2005.OK. You’re sitting down, right? You might want to sit down. Remember all the strain and stress of the move? The bent-back thumb? The waking at night all a-panic? The sheer tonnage of stuff? I’m moving again.The whole shebang: the trucks, the gantry crane, the $$$. Clearly, I just can’t get enough of it. It’s possible I have some kind of moving Munchausen’s, or perhaps

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1148685932816147502006-05-27T09:22:00.000+10:002006-05-27T09:27:20.873+10:00

I’m tongue-tied this week. There’s something I’d like to tell you, but can’t just yet, pending notification of a certain party. It's not a big thing, really: I’m not pregnant, and I haven’t been signed by a publisher, but the situation’s made me think about this blog and the people who read it. I’m pretty clear about not writing anything that I wouldn’t want a particular person to find, but in

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1148303945562891292006-05-22T23:16:00.000+10:002006-05-23T07:57:51.496+10:00

Too tired to tell you the full story tonight. Just the salient points:1. The move is almost done. Almost because, after two days of moving, the freight elevator died. Emergency phone calls suggested that either A. it was broken or B. it runs on a timer and was done for the day. Unfortunately, this happened with the last load on board, just as it seemed that the buggerisation was over (see below.)

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1148024388309617472006-05-19T18:00:00.000+10:002006-05-19T18:04:36.466+10:00

With the acquisition of a studio has come the realisation that soon, I will have NO TIME. I already fill my days to overflowing, and somehow, starting a business has to be squeezed in. So, rather than opening a business bank account or rejiggering my financials spreadsheet, I’ve turned my attention these past few weeks to a couple of projects that have been hanging over my head for, well, a few

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1147850248136235542006-05-18T17:55:00.000+10:002006-05-18T17:59:51.576+10:00

I don’t know why I haven’t told you about this before now. At first, I was anxious not to jinx it, or, as they say here, put the mozz on. I have a new studio, in this building. I found it the day I told the real estate agent that I wasn’t going to go ahead with the other space. It’s a shared space, but my area (a former gallery) is almost completely separate. The natural light isn’t great, and

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1147676155700323282006-05-15T17:20:00.000+10:002006-05-19T18:06:57.280+10:00

I was in Portland last weekend. When I announced my trip, Isaac asked hopefully, Oregon? Maine? The answer was: No, Portland, Victoria. I have ambivalent feelings about long drives. On the one hand, I love getting away: the anticipation, the newness, the roadside snacks. On the other: I’m convinced I’m going to die in a head-on collision. (See? My very first blog post and I’m writing about this

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1147241025521515382006-05-10T16:00:00.000+10:002006-05-19T18:08:35.040+10:00

My niece, Eden Summer, is one week old today.These are her shoes. (Same trusty pattern, in Rowan 4 Ply Soft.)*****By the way, look at these lovely baby items! Made by Shescrafty in New Zealand. They sell patterns too. (Thanks Sarah!)

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1147089917980738202006-05-08T22:02:00.000+10:002006-05-08T22:05:17.996+10:00

In my usual fashion, I was one of the crush of procrastinators at the State Library of Victoria yesterday for the last day of the National Treasures from Australia’s Great Libraries exhibition. There were a number of craft items of note, including a hooked hall runner commemorating the 1956 Olympics and Ned Kelly’s helmet, fashioned from a iron plough. But the item that really caught my eye was a

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1146485210029133922006-05-01T22:19:00.000+10:002006-05-19T18:09:08.116+10:00

I’d like your opinion.A while back, I discovered that Pure Baby have a wholesale showroom in a lane behind my house. I’m the type of person who enjoys prowling about semi-industrial neighbourhoods, peering into partially-open doorways and through security door slats. I’m a Class-A stickybeak. So when I saw the door open at Pure Baby, I stuck my nose in. Rather than shooing me away, they

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1146131734367716372006-04-27T20:06:00.000+10:002006-04-27T20:11:03.873+10:00

Havoc continues to reign at girlprinter.com, hence, no banner and few images. It seems I’ve done the digital version of skipping out of a rental apartment leaving all my furniture behind. Except that I continue to pay rent, but the locks have been changed behind me, and I want my furniture back. (There’s been much gnashing of teeth in the technical services department, I can assure you.)Today was

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1145666504965651952006-04-22T10:39:00.000+10:002006-04-22T10:41:45.003+10:00

Apologies for the lack of images: I've exceeded my bandwidth, and am trying to work out how best to manage my hosting plan. Perhaps now's the time to move to Typepad?

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1145531591737858692006-04-20T22:25:00.000+10:002006-04-20T22:27:20.160+10:00

Left: Woven fabric Right: Agnes Martin, 'White Flower' (1962) During the 1950’s, my mother-in-law lived in New York City, in a loft on West Broadway. As a fan of Dawn Powell and Mary McCarthy, there is almost nothing cooler in my imagination than life as a single woman in post-war New York. The clothes, the optimism, the real estate: this was my time, only I wasn’t in it. You can be sure,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1145361158466968562006-04-18T21:50:00.000+10:002006-04-18T21:56:46.880+10:00

Astute readers will have noted little to no progress over on my To Do List. Other projects have gotten in the way, like pushy shoppers who yell out their orders at the deli counter without taking a number first. At least one project has been subcontracted out: courtesy of my generous mother I should have new pyjamas before the onset of winter. But as summer winds to a close and the sun is too

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1144922124989003822006-04-13T23:08:00.000+10:002006-04-13T23:10:35.326+10:00

I hope you didn't rush out already and order Happy Sunday? Because Journey, Ui Nakabayashi's 2003 book (ISBN 4-579-10969-4), is equally lovely, if not more so. I had such a hard time selecting images to post: I love them all. The styling is absolutely masterful, even by Japanese standards.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1144758331966767732006-04-11T22:44:00.000+10:002006-04-11T22:45:52.203+10:00

I'd tell you about Ui Nakabayashi, if I could read Japanese. Unfortunately, all I can tell you is that she designs the most lovely bags I've ever seen: simple shapes embellished with embroidery, applique and ink stamps. Her bags tell stories as rich as any spun out of mere words.The following are from Happy Sunday, ISBN4-579-10914-7, purchased from yesasia.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1144549554352960922006-04-09T12:24:00.000+10:002006-05-19T18:09:45.116+10:00

I’m fussy with socks. I like stripes, preferably including red. Only certain proportional relationships between the stripes please me. I don’t like bunching in the leg, or looseness about the heel. I like a bit of stretch with my cotton and wool, so a little bit of lycra in the mix helps. But even the perfect stripe won’t convince me to buy a nylon pair: I like my feet to breathe. So you can see

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1144327920274797802006-04-06T22:59:00.002+10:002008-06-16T10:47:01.210+10:00

Corduroy is a divisive issue. I’m always surprised at how often it’s referred to perjoratively. But perhaps it’s not the fabric itself (which, after all, is just a fabric) but the kind of people who wear corduroy? Stereotypically cranky, old professors and snotty-nosed little boys come to mind. But blaming corduroy itself? This seems grossly unfair. Miles Rohan, founder of the Corduroy

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1144142786344656062006-04-04T20:19:00.000+10:002006-04-04T20:20:43.060+10:00

Leavening the dominant sports-centricity of the Commonwealth Games, the accompanying cultural festival held in Melbourne last month was brilliant. And the best part for laggards and procrastinators like me is that many of the cultural events have extended beyond the official ten days of the Games. Thanks to the Commonwealth Games, I have made a start on my bid to learn crochet. The Buddy System,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1143944014265788852006-04-02T12:11:00.000+10:002006-04-02T12:13:35.756+10:00

The electronic side of my life (blog writing/reading, e-mail) has ground to a halt over the past week or two. I’ve been pushing, pushing, pushing on the studio front, trying to make things happen. I allowed myself to get excited. The equipment mover was booked. I have a small job lined up, on exquisite Japanese paper. I made enquiries about signing up for this year’s ReadyMade market. I signed

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1142908160101922512006-03-21T19:21:00.000+11:002006-03-21T19:23:08.526+11:00

During the years in which I was eight through ten, my weekends were spent traipsing through model display homes with my parents and siblings, searching for our new house. Or rather, my parents were looking for a suitable design and a builder to trust, and the four of us were dragged along for lack of any other option. It can’t be true that the full weekend’s 48 hours was spent on this quest every

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1142769326949920132006-03-19T22:54:00.000+11:002006-03-19T22:55:26.973+11:00

I keep a list of things I plan to write about someday. On the list is “Victorian Button Collectors Club Inc.”, except that now, after Alicia’s wonderful post, I feel I can cross it off. Like Alicia, I was charmed during the short time I spent in this parallel universe, a universe ordered by buttons in all their multitudinous glory. Alicia headed out to a non-descript suburban hotel; we drove far

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1142245199701461502006-03-13T21:19:00.000+11:002006-03-13T21:20:00.380+11:00

I’m a cat lady.I wasn’t always. I had dogs growing up, the kind that rode unrestrained in cars, heads out the side window, ears flattened back in the breeze. I like the routine of walks, and the sociability of dog people chatting in the park. I like the way dogs demand an engagement with the urban environment: the slow, ponderous walks around the neighbourhood visiting this, this and that light

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1141595801305228862006-03-06T08:52:00.000+11:002006-03-06T08:56:41.456+11:00

"You won't hear any squawks out of José," she said complacently, her needles flashing in the sunlight. "What's more, I am in love with him. Do you realize I've knitted ten pairs of Argyles in less than three months? And this is the second sweater." She stretched the sweater and tossed it aside. "What's the point, though? Sweaters in Brazil. I ought to be making s-s-sun helmets."- Mag Wildwood,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1141336610769256762006-03-03T21:09:00.000+11:002006-03-03T21:13:02.326+11:00

She may knit you something. Like a scarf, say. Wear it. Even if you hate scarves, or anything around your neck, and it makes you itch and claustrophobic: wear it. It took her a long, long time to make you this scarf, and with every stitch, she thought of you and the wonderful future you’d share together. You’ll need a scarf in this future perfect. It will get cold. Some days, she will wonder if

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1140998671051873392006-02-27T11:08:00.000+11:002006-02-27T11:10:20.156+11:00

Remember the studio space I waxed lyrical about last December? I’m still in negotiations, if by negotiation you include bullying, deception, accusation, strong-arm tactics and condescension. I’ll spare you the blow-by-blow, but the lowest point thus far came during the week with an irate phone call from the real estate agent demanding to know why I was harassing the owner. I’d called his business

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1140345925854730782006-02-20T17:00:00.000+11:002006-02-20T17:02:43.173+11:00

Crochet Motif Appliqué: Flowers, Leaves and Snowflakes(ISBN 4-579-1019-6)

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1140339131818837562006-02-19T19:58:00.000+11:002006-02-19T20:00:23.596+11:00

I cannot crochet to save my life. My paternal grandmother, however, was an expert, and never without hook in hand. I was a crafty kid, into knitting and cross-stitch and macramé, but I failed at crochet. Something about regulating tension with my left hand had me in a mess, and I was always dropping the little loop, or not knowing which other loop to draw it through. My grandmother tried to

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1140005042441136652006-02-15T23:01:00.000+11:002006-02-15T23:06:02.973+11:00

Four jobs:1. dishwasher for reputed Scientologists2. receptionist/profile writer for gay men’s dating service3. TV watcher at press clipping agency4. letterpress printing instructorFour movies:1. Rushmore (We saw this on our wedding day, and have watched it every anniversary since.)2. Caro Diario3. Amélie 4. The Last Days of Chez Nous Four home cities:1. San Francisco, CA (Mission District,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1139566783240388352006-02-10T21:17:00.000+11:002006-02-10T21:19:43.413+11:00

For Melbourne sewers: Cutting Edge Fabric in Glenferrie Road, Malvern is having a 50% sale. I love this shop: their stock is all ex-designer remaindered bolts, and even during non-sale periods there are great bargains to be had. Not everything is reduced (the wools and waffle-weave remain full price) but there are some lovely cottons and linens available for mere spare change. I may see myself in

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1139292354577224572006-02-07T18:00:00.000+11:002006-02-07T18:04:54.926+11:00

Ahem. For some reason, my Saturday post disappeared. In the interest of historical accuracy (and in the hope of further suggestions) I’ve re-posted, with apologies to those of you who’ve had the same post appear twice in your Bloglines or what have you. Let’s just move on, shall we? This lifestyle of mine: disorganised desktop, disorganised laptop, no way to accurate predict location of keys,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1139224060244521992006-02-04T18:30:00.000+11:002006-02-06T22:15:39.740+11:00

Dear friends,For ten years, I've failed to keep on top of e-mail, letting your mail languish in my inbox, convinced I'll find the time to respond with a "real" letter. It's finally dawned on me that e-mail is a completely separate beast, suited only to a paragraph or two, sent off in a timely fashion. Letters deserve to be written on actual paper, with a pen, and stuffed into an envelope with a

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1138532458888572252006-01-29T22:20:00.000+11:002006-01-29T22:19:57.556+11:00

During WWII, my grandmother was an enthusiastic supporter of troops conducting night-time flight training outside her town. At first, the local townswomen handed hot drinks and baked goods through the barbed-wire fence to the famished airmen, most no more than boys. Before long however, the women had browbeaten the military higher-ups into allowing them to commander a shed on site, and a borrowed

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1138241947574567492006-01-26T13:18:00.000+11:002006-01-26T13:19:10.073+11:00

Cupcakes are the craft fad of the baking world.Kath posted an exhaustive list of cupcake inspiration last year, and Alicia recently posted about this lovely new Chronicle book. Regular visitors to my flickr page might be mistaken in imagining my life to be one big round of parties, cute babies and cupcakes (with some knitting on the side.) Right now, when everything seems so hard, it’s good to

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1137583965571604102006-01-18T22:30:00.000+11:002006-01-18T22:32:45.590+11:00

Found last Sunday morning at Camberwell Market. I was looking for a desk, outdoor chairs and flower pots. I came home with hat elastic, buttons, a buckle and super-mercerised lisle hosiery mending thread.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1137287175807060942006-01-15T13:00:00.000+11:002006-01-15T13:01:39.426+11:00

I came this close to buying a Print Gocco system a few months back. I drove to a residential address in an unfamiliar suburb and patted the RISO representative’s large dog as she demonstrated the system on top of her ping-pong table. I was hopeful, but I guess I already knew that letterpress had ruined Gocco for me. But I was desperate! My letterpress equipment was (and is) in storage, and a

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1136932431495137532006-01-11T09:33:00.000+11:002006-01-11T09:33:51.630+11:00

You’ve already heard how hot it was on the Australian eastern seaboard this past New Year’s Day: 44º C (111.2ºF!) where we were on the New South Wales Central Coast. But while the rest of our trip was spent sweating, sticking to automobile upholstery and praying for a cool change, my New Year’s Day was spent inside my brother’s house, blinds drawn, central air-conditioning ON. The beach? they ask

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1135494416079388082005-12-25T18:06:00.000+11:002005-12-25T18:25:59.890+11:00

From our yule house to yours: Happy Holidays!Regular programming will resume January 9 or so, after we return from an as-yet unplanned roadtrip to Sydney. I'm looking forward to visiting Kinokuniya, Paper Couture and Cloth. Please let me know if you have any must-do suggestions of a typographic, knitterly or flea-marketing nature north of the border. Thank you for visiting girlprinter (Show &

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1135323848776349802005-12-23T18:43:00.000+11:002005-12-23T18:44:08.926+11:00

Christmastime may be humid. Gingerbread ornaments may soften and fall off the tree. In doing so, said falling ornaments may activate house sensor alarms, necessitating expensive, unnecessary visits from the local constabulary.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1135061326010723252005-12-20T17:48:00.000+11:002005-12-20T17:48:46.063+11:00

For Zoë, aged one and a bit.More than once, I've had to explain why the mittens are joined together. (The cord can be threaded through the sleeves of a child's coat, thus preventing the loss of a single mitten, or both.) It's funny how such a concept is so foreign here in Melbourne, where it gets quite cold in winter, and people complain (oh, how they complain) but no one thinks to buy a

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1134646403473512692005-12-17T12:01:00.000+11:002005-12-17T16:22:13.440+11:00

Another year passes without sending letterpressed Christmas or New Year’s cards. Before returning to Australia earlier this year, I ran a small letterpress printing business in Cleveland, Ohio. Visitors to my flickr page will have seen images of the wonderful studio I had there, all light and wood and crumbling brick, the large, paned windows looking out toward a sliver of Lake Erie. I knew the

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1134648546064921802005-12-15T23:10:00.000+11:002005-12-15T23:10:05.846+11:00

Oh, for a proofreader with autistic savant tendencies. (Only one friend caught this mistake, and called from England to tell me. Could it be possible that everyone else observed a superfluous Leap Day?)

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1134162440238160092005-12-10T08:23:00.000+11:002005-12-12T17:04:34.796+11:00

I’m unclear if this word existed in the Danish language before Christian Flensted, mobile-maker extraordinaire, or came about as a title for Flensted himself. You might not think you know about Flensted mobiles, but you do. I’ll explain why later.Last weekend, I went to the Scandinavian Christmas Bazaar at Melbourne’s Swedish Church. I’m not sure how large the Swedish community is in Melbourne,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1134017826645815622005-12-08T15:56:00.000+11:002005-12-08T23:17:43.386+11:00

"...that's why they look so groovy. Because he doesn't try to represent a REAL cow, but a papier mâché cow..."

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1133855628809591272005-12-06T19:14:00.000+11:002005-12-06T19:19:56.373+11:00

I’ve always loved Christmastime. As kids, we spent hours below the tree, investigating boxes, weighing them, guessing at their fantastic contents. Occasionally, this led to disappointments (the year our imagined canoe turned out to be a set of children’s encyclopedias, for example) but our parents spent a great deal of time and effort choosing gifts, and Christmas Day was always joyous in my

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1133523466683607192005-12-02T22:56:00.000+11:002005-12-02T23:19:20.016+11:00

(Roll your mouse over image to see inside [thanks little birds.])The insides of fridges and closets. Now: bathroom cabinets.I bought this tallboy last week at Haley’s, an auction house near work. I didn’t bid, but instead paid what the man asked for, which may or may not have been too much. I’m an easy mark: “Here’s our favourite customer today!” Mr. Haley calls out from behind the high desk

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1133145327275582042005-11-28T13:35:00.000+11:002005-11-28T18:58:10.456+11:00

Love the rivets. Hey: I've used the coathanger-styling trick. Love the shoes, love the lollipop. Camilla would like this, I think. Except there's nothing in this fridge. Something for the Modern Quilt-Along crowd.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1132524305183237712005-11-21T09:30:00.000+11:002005-11-21T09:33:34.230+11:00

(From Mariko Hirasawa's Simple Smile ISBN 4-87303-338-1)Claire is right: visiting Zakkaya is like stepping into a page spread of a Japanese craft book. I wandered about for ages, unable to focus properly. Everything is lovely, and I wanted it all. Even the Uniball pen I borrowed was the best pen I’ve ever used, but alas, unavailable in Australia. It was a Uniball Signo 0.28mm, and, in my brief

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1132138302772473872005-11-16T22:14:00.000+11:002005-11-16T22:16:30.543+11:00

As a child, I believed that my inability to love enough prevented my toys from becoming real. I was not an unimaginative child (I believed I could fly, for instance) but in the case of The Velveteen Rabbit, I held fast to a highly literalist reading of the story. It was the use of the capital letter, I think, and William Nicholson’s lovely, melancholic illustrations. “When a child loves you for a

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1131613809620430802005-11-10T20:12:00.000+11:002005-11-10T20:13:13.333+11:00

Not all that competitive by nature, I’d nonetheless like to see a Craft Olympics. Alternatively, an Oscar-like ceremony, honouring skill, fortitude and imagination. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a fan of the craft displays at State Fairs and Royal Agricultural Shows, but I’m thinking of something bigger. Bolder. Let’s face it, none of us is half the knitter our grandmother was, let alone our

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1131150324441538802005-11-05T11:51:00.000+11:002005-11-05T11:54:30.843+11:00

This book was the source of much inspiration for my back-tack project. Perhaps Kat or Camilla could let us know what is going on here? A Japanese designer’s take on the Swedish aesthetic? Or a Swedish designer’s interpretation of the Japanese?My main question: where does the bagel fit into all this?

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1130674911524564332005-10-30T23:59:00.000+11:002005-10-31T00:23:35.106+11:00

Have you seen Alison’s gorgeous back-tack ensemble? Or Diana’s? Or Stephanie’s? When I started seeing posts about finished back-tack projects, I was motivated to stop thinking about mine and actually get started. I’ve been admiring the bags in this book. [I’ll post images tomorrow.] I’m always on the lookout for the perfect bag, which in my mind has Tardis-like qualities. Small or svelte, but

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1130454458058451052005-10-28T09:12:00.000+10:002005-10-28T09:12:44.156+10:00

For a long time I was dissuaded from starting a blog because I knew I wanted it to look good, but my eyes kept shutting every time I opened the CSS manual. After a brief foray on Squarespace, I settled on Blogger because I like the simplicity of Douglas Bowman's Minima template, and I saw how it was possible to customise it quite nicely. (Here & here, for example.) It’s not what I have in mind

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1130279789218371202005-10-26T08:34:00.000+10:002005-10-26T08:37:14.316+10:00

Me and my best friend, circa 1980. I still make this face when I’m concentrating (or so I’m told.) We were making peg dolls. [Knitters: If you look closely, you’ll see that I’m wearing a brooch. I made hundreds of these, knitting with toothpicks. I wonder if any still exist?]Fiona and I did everything together for years. We had matching overalls (hers red, mine yellow) that we wore with striped,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1130241874235216642005-10-25T22:10:00.000+10:002005-10-25T22:12:38.063+10:00

My first mistake was to work on Kate’s Backyard Leaves at Vicroads, waiting to exchange my Ohio driving license for a Victorian one. I was halfway through the last repeat when I realised I’d messed up, most likely around the time when The Bold & The Beautiful started playing on the overhead TV, and I was concentrating on not missing my number on the digital display.Later, in the emergency room,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1129801448263181462005-10-20T20:32:00.000+10:002005-10-20T20:32:25.896+10:00

I mailed my back-tack parcel today. I am very happy with it, and hope my person will be too. I'll post more about it and it's making after it's arrived, but I won't be giving anything away to tell you that it took me quite a bit longer than I'd originally anticipated. For the past couple of weeks, I've had to answer friends' queries about my weekend plans with a terse "I'll Be Working On My Bag."

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1129678264360957092005-10-19T09:30:00.000+10:002005-10-19T09:32:37.556+10:00

For Imogen.I love this pattern. (Debbie Bliss' Two-Color Shoes from The Baby Knits Book.)

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1129364890611586202005-10-15T22:40:00.000+10:002005-10-15T22:49:03.566+10:00

Not my back-tack project. Or my SYNO scarf, either. (Phew.) But in the absence of finished objects, or photographs of such (note some cross-offs on the To Do list) I’ll continue to write about my failures (with a hard-won success thrown in.) This pear must have been abandoned sometime in the late seventies. Tapestry never really did it for me (however, I was a cross-stitch prodigy) which is why

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1129032257714628932005-10-11T22:30:00.000+10:002006-05-19T18:16:17.400+10:00

Saturday morning: Hoping I can pull this off.Wednesday night: Still going, not quite so strong. More soon, with actual product. (I hope.)[BTW: On Sunday evening, punch-drunk after the weekend's wrastling with my project (and er, just plain drunk), I find myself explaining the Back-Tack philosophy to Isaac. "You see, your person could be anywhere on the planet!" I exclaim. He asks, "So just how

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1128601013831433422005-10-06T22:36:00.000+10:002005-10-06T22:36:37.866+10:00

If you are anything like me, you have bird flu pandemic on the brain. Naomi Ito, designer of the lovely nani IRO range of fabrics, sees no reason not to be both crafty and stylish in the face of medical emergency. This strange spread is from this lovely book (ISBN 4141878871) of nani IRO projects: dresses, aprons, bags, toys and more (does your dog need a quilted coat?) I bought this book at

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1128339643784053152005-10-03T21:41:00.000+10:002005-10-04T09:47:53.180+10:00

Of all the certificates, diplomas and degrees I’ve earned, none is more meaningful to me than my Pen License, issued in 1980, when I was in Grade 4. My memory (and it’s an unreliable one) is that I was one of the first presented with a License, which permitted me to write with an ink pen, leaving lead pencils behind to messier and more uneven hands. Even at nine years old, I was aware that this

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1128069057152138692005-09-30T18:34:00.000+10:002005-09-30T18:34:30.693+10:00

I’ve been knitting like a crazy person, calculating and re-calculating how many repeats I must knit per day to finish Kate’s Backyard Leaves by the end of September. I’ve been falling short over and over, and now it’s the end of the month and I’m only half-way done. However, it turns out the deadline is the end of October, and the end of September was only my personal deadline, the kind of

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1127643730919337252005-09-25T20:49:00.000+10:002005-09-26T12:04:04.363+10:00

Last September, I found myself at Brimfield, arguably the pre-eminent antique/flea market in the United States. I say I found myself there, but a lot more calculation was involved than this suggests. I’d always wanted to go, preferably with a U-Haul and a whole lotta cash. Instead, I was driving through on my way back to Cleveland, and circumstances required that I restrict my purchases to items

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1127300213789237052005-09-21T21:26:00.000+10:002005-09-21T21:26:17.696+10:00

For Melbourne crafters, a chance to step back in time:The Button Shop181 Glenferrie Rd Malvern VIC 3144ph: (03) 9509 7077 The yarns are somewhat uninspiring, but there's a wall of 1980's patterns (if that's your thing.) My favourite, however, is the rack of zippers in almost any shade you can imagine, in their original 1960's packaging. And, of course, as the name suggests, there's a wall of

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1126914399866887912005-09-17T09:45:00.001+10:002005-09-17T09:57:19.806+10:00

Do Buddhists keep To Do lists? The wicked pleasure in crossing something off a list suggests to me that this isn’t exactly what’s meant by “living in the present.” Sometimes it’s more a thank-God-that’s-in-the-past kind of moment, before girding oneself for tasks looming ahead. Nichola loves the cross-off. Caterina wrote once about her father-in-law, who at some point crossed everything off his

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1126566249832011882005-09-14T07:08:00.000+10:002005-09-14T07:11:05.506+10:00

Like Erin, I wasn’t able to quite keep to the letter of this assignment, hence 101 things I like (in no particular order.) 1. Turtleneck sweaters 2. The sparkle of mica in a footpath 3. Painted toenails 4. Red shoes 5. Fragrant trees 6. Mechanical pencils 7. Wooden toys 8. Typewriters 9. A well-made bed 10. Receiving a handwritten letter 11. Photobooth strips 12. Notebooks with elastic closures

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1126509963360900482005-09-12T18:38:00.000+10:002005-09-12T18:51:30.380+10:00

Kinokuniya, San Francisco, 1999.Back then, I erroneously believed I was the only non-Japanese crafter interested in such books. This was my first. To this day, I haven’t made a single thing out of it, however, I regularly imagine myself doing so. I’ve conducted some preliminary research. In 2000, I tried to convince a professor of Japanese at the prestigious liberal arts college in my town that

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1126391791039192512005-09-11T08:36:00.000+10:002005-09-11T08:40:45.486+10:00

One of my motivations in setting up a blog was to develop a readership who might help me remember where I heard/read/saw things that I’ve forgotten/lost/misattributed. So far, I imagine my readership could easily sit down together for Sunday Yum Cha [Dim Sum, for the American contingent] but I’m going to reach out and ask anyway. If you notice in a week or so that there’s still zero comments,

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13553030.post-1126136952634667012005-09-08T09:49:00.000+10:002005-09-08T09:56:57.870+10:00

I bribed myself last Friday. If I finished the “financials.xls” worksheets for my small business course, I could head down to the Stitches & Craft Show at the Caufield Racetrack. At the March show, I saw some lovely Japanese bag handles and I was hoping to find them again. (Advance planning for Back-Tack II.) This show however was a shadow of the March one, and there were no handles to be found.

girlprinterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15748150500654726157noreply@blogger.com2