{scissor variations}

Yarn Thief x 2

“Did you hear what happened to M?” said my mother during our Mother’s Day phone call. M is sister number three.

Friday M picked up a large “box” of yarn from the Post Office that she had ordered on the internet. Box stowed in the back seat of her car, she carried on into town to do a few errands. Stopping at her work place to pick up some papers she returned to her car to find that it had been broken into. The rather large box of yarn had been stolen, as had some loose change from the front seat. She was extremely upset - she hadn’t even opened the box yet and had paid a fair sum for it all. She quickly telephoned the police, but felt that not much could be done at this point. Putting it into “crime solving” perspective--it was just a box of yarn after all.

A few more errands to run and as she is driving she notices the vehicle in front of her has a very large box bobbing around in the back seat. She recognizes the stamped logo of the yarn company on the box.

Determinedly she follows the car. Not sure what she will do, she at least has the license plate number of the vehicle. The car pulls over at a bank. The driver gets out and goes into the bank.

My sister gets out of her vehicle. She walks up to the car… sure enough it is her box in the back seat.

My sister doesn’t know how to break into a vehicle.

No worries-- the yarn thief doesn’t lock his doors.

She swiftly opens the back door, removes her yarn box, carries it back to her vehicle and drives away.

I really think it would have been priceless to see the expression on the thief’s face when he returned to his car to find the box missing!

I am not sure which part of the story I find the most amusing:

1. that a man would steal a box of yarn from someone’s back seat—actually break into the vehicle
2. that my sister happened upon the yarn box bouncing around in the thief’s back seat, while driving through town
3. or that it happened in the Penitentiary parking lot where she works as a nurse!

{Beautiful yarn given to me as a gift from my husband. I do not knit. He has proclaimed he is going to teach himself so that he can knit me a scarf}

origami couture

The premise that a small square of paper can be carefully folded and pleated into a delightful object, I find fascinating.

Two hands and a square of paper. No scissors needed.

I like to use chiyogami, or brown wrapping paper from Ikea, which has a subtle stripe in it. I recommend using a lighter weight paper, so that your piece does not bulk up too much once the folding begins.

Years ago I taught myself how to fold origami from a book so that I in turn could teach my grade one students. I would stand at the front of the classroom with an enormous square of butcher paper so that the children could see how I was folding.

A book I would recommend for beginner's is Steve & Megumi Biddle's "Amazing Origami for Children". Their books for children show the hand positions in their diagrams, which I found extremely helpful when teaching myself how to fold. Children will become enchanted with their "talking crow" origami piece.

Warning: A small taste of origami success may send one off into a folding frenzy.

{recital dress pattern taught to me many years ago, folded by memory-try scouting out your local library for additional source books}

collecting inspiration

".....there is now something in the catalogue which completes his cabinet, and which he was never before able to find. He whose sober reflections inform him, that of adding collection to collection there is no end, and that it is wise to leave early that which must be left imperfect at last, yet cannot withhold himself from coming to see what it is that brings so many together, and when he comes is soon overpowered by his habitual passion; he is attracted by rarity, seduced by example, and inflamed by competition."
Johnson: Idler #56 (May 12, 1759)

Collecting the beauty in contrast.

(1950's floral cabochons made in occupied Japan, shell buttons & vintage 1960's metal findings--nestled in vintage Alka Seltzer bottles)