*note: most links are to Ravelry, you can't see page: become a member... Where have you been!! Ravelry is a must!
I've had such a good December, also knitting wise. From mom and dad I got One Skein (finaly) and it's great. At the moment of writing I've got the Petal Bib from the book on the needles. So far I'm really enjoying the project. In the Ravelry que you will also find the bath mat from this book. I spotted this version from eudaemonist on Rav and love the colour. Perfect!
Finally on the bookshelf
In the January sales I picked up 3 skeins of Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere, which I made into a lovely soft hat (a post on that project soon!). I also bought the book Debbie Bliss Pure Cashmere (as it was less than £4). And I used the Ribbed Beanie pattern as inspiration for my hat. There are many patterns I like in this book. The Moss Stitch Beanie is high on my list as is the lacy scarf.
If you haven't heard about The Secret they you've either been living in a cave or been in outer space. It was all the buzz in 2007. However if you don't KNOW what The Secret is, then I can't blame you. It's all a bit vague and unless you actually see the DVD or read the book (listen to the audiobook) it must be foggy as to what this 'secret' actually is. So I've decided to shed some light on the subject and take it out of the ridiculous that it has positioned itself into and into the realm of usefullness. Let me explain.
There once was a woman called Ronda Bryne who was well miserable. Then all of a sudden she wasn't anymore. In fact she got everything she could ever wish for. This was because she found an old book that told of the secret. So she decided to make a dvd and write a book about this secret, sharing it with all the world (well if you pay that is) and make lots of money. Her wish became true because lots of people can't resist a secret.
The Secret...
So what is The Secret. Well, the basic concept is that you get what you ask for. From the Universe that is. So if you are a negative thinker then you get negativity and if you are a positive thinker you get whatever you desire. This is a law, some call it The Law of Attraction (more about this below). You attract things all the time and that is the secret. Now all you have to do is think about what you DO want and you get it... get it?
So I just explained the concept to you in a paragraph, so what else is in this book, 90 min DVD you say? Well not that much. You see the concept is explained again and again and again by various people with example etc. I saw the DVD in September at a friends house. And I came to the conclusion that A. it was a lot of bullocks and B. it wasn't! What I mean is that the general concept was good, but the presentation very American. It reminded me of old fashion shop tv where they used to smile their whiter than white smiles and proclaim: "It's an AMAZIN' DISCOVERY". The Secret falls in the same category. The over the top positiveness makes you gag. See the announcement trailer via iTunes and decide for yourself!
If you follow the instructions of Ronda you will basicly end up like a loony. You have to act as if you already have what you are asking for. This can have pretty funny results... And it might work and you might 'have whatever you want', but another matter of huge proportions will pop up: will you be able to live with yourself? Not many intelligent people like to 'pretend' to be a complete idiot. Please read Emily Yoffe's article "I've Got The Secret". She tried it for two months and used this as a subtitle: "Human guinea pig: Humiliating myself for fun and profit". It's quite funny to read about her experience and informs you a bit more about what The Secret is all about. You can also listen to it.
The BIG problem I found with The Secret is that it's a lot of noise and very little information. And this is where we step away from the hype and approach the very usable basic concept to our own advantage. I got my hands on an audiobook of The Law of Attraction by Michael Losier. Which is also available in print. Where Ronda makes a hype, Michael just simply hands you tools to put in practise this Law (aka the secret).
The good stuff...
In the Law of Attraction Losier describes the concept in a more intellectual way than Ronda. He then proceeds with a four step plan. First you write down what you don't want. This is usually far easier then dicovering what you do want. With the 'don't want' list, you can now easily construct a 'do want' list, which is step 2. Then you use the 'do want' list and start formulating sentences in such a way that it's positive for you.
Example: step 2: I want to have a healthy body (see blog post Healthy Living, update 1) step 3a: I have a healthy body step 3b: I am in the process having a healthy body
3a is negative, as I'm not yet healthy, even though I'm eating right and going to the gym... I've got a long way to go and so this feels like a lie to me, which is negative. 3b is a better way to say it. It is true, I'm working hard on it and so it's positive and inspiring. Next, step 4, is allowing. You will be surpised how hard it is to allow yourself to get what you really want. One example he mentioned struck home with me!
I am Dutch and in The Netherlands people are a bit funny when it comes to money. They can be really tight and really generous. Independence from others is a must and therefor I always felt odd if someone gave me something. Lets say someone wants to buy me lunch. Well I can pay for my own and then there is the feeling of being in depth to this person for such a kind gesture, etc etc. Must better and easier to just say no! Right? Well no wrong. You see if I can't even except lunch from a good friend, how am I going to 'attract greater wealth' (in whatever form: monetairy, health, friendships, etc is all wealth). Two days later my colleague bought me lunch and man did I enjoy it :D
A compilation about Losier and his work.
In The Law of Attraction Losier explains each step in detail and takes the whole concept of The Secret from the ridiculous into the realm of usefull tools. You can even download the worksheets from Losier's website. I'm still working on my 'healthy body' desire statement, but it will soon be complete and I will post it on my blog.
I hope that you now will be able to use 'The Secret' for your own benefit and not miss Bryne's bank account. Don't misunderstand I think The Secret is not bad, just a bit useless... If you want to spend some money invest in the book by Losier. Far more useful. And if you are broke, visit thepiratebay.org for a torrent (only plays in itunes, use searchterm: losier), but buy his book or additional material when you got money from using his advice. It's only fair.
It's my best friends birthday soon and I'm sending her some hand made goodies for her unborn child. This means that I can finaly reveal what I've been working on these last few months. So without futher ado here is the line up:
Jelly Beanie with crocheted flower.
The first thing I made is this cute hat for her baby. As no one knows what sex the baby will be picking a colour was hard. I choose this lilac as it will go with blue's and gray's if it's a boy and it will go great with pinks and yellows if it's a girl. The pattern is from Rowan's Bambino Classic and I made it with RYC Cashsoft Baby DK in the colour borage 806.
Reverable bib
Next up I made this reverable bib. As I've said with no idea if the baby will be a boy or a girl I thought this a nice present. I made it a while back but didn't have a soft fabric for the bias trim. Then I found this super soft cotton canvas and I used that to make the bias trim and the ties.
Elizabeth Zimmermann's February Baby Sweater
I also made this cute little February Baby Jacket from Elizabeth Zimmermann's book Knitter's Almanac: Projects for Each Month of the Year. Again I went for a colour that can go with both boys or girls. The green is very nice with soft pinks for girls. And it will also go very well with light blue and aqua for boys. The yarn is Rowan's Cashsoft DK in the colour Lime, 509.
So I put all of them together with some goodies in a big box and this is what she got:
Remember those nice fabrics I bought in the sale a while back. Well I had to go and make stuff this weekend.
First I made the apron from the book In Stitches by Amy Butler. It's my first project form this book and I like it a lot. The instructions are good and I found it easy enough. Although next time I'm sure it will be easier. I did make one adjustment to the pattern. I like the apron to look nice on both the outside and the inside. So I doubled the with of the bottom trim then folded that over and stitched it 'double' so you don't see raw edges or seems on the inside.
Short Pleated Apron from In Stitches by Amy Butler
Then I made two hairbands. One for Louisa who had bought the fabric for a different project and one for me. They are reversible. So should we both happen to wear the hairband to work, we can at least wear different patters/colours.
Side one
Side two
And then I made two new covers for the pillows on the sofa. They where lime green which matched my previous sofa very well, but it looked horrible on this one. So for almost a year I meant to change them, but I didn't have a place to sew in the old house. Now that I've moved however I do and so I bought this nice fabric especially for the horrible lime green pillows. And look at them now.
New pillow
In short it was a very crafty weekend indeed. Quite pleased.
At the beginning of this month I received two books I ordered from Amazon.co.uk. Bend-The-Rules-Sewing from Amy Karol and In Stitches from Amy Butler. After I made something from these books I shall write a review.
My two new books :)
Ofcourse to make something I needed material. And it’s sale at John Lewis and Liberty so I went down town for a nose. At Liberty the usual weird staff was on hand. I don’t much like Liberty’s staff I must say. Some are hard to get a hold of. Standing chatting to eachother seems more important than helping customers. There is one very knowledgeble and nice woman on the yarn/fabric department, but she was not in Saturday. I was helped by a very odd woman that took forever. Everything with numbers seemed difficult. Wanting a meter of this and half of that was a problem. Paying cash too. Giving change wasn’t much easier. I found it quite funny. She was alright, but just strange. Anyway enough about all that, back to the good stuff my purchases. I bought this lovely Amy Butler fabric of which I want to make an apron out of her book. I also bought a solid colour for the hem and ties. And a bit of stripe I might use for blinds, but I wanted to see if it matches the bathroom.
Fabric from Amy Butler for the Apron
Another bit of fabric from Amy
Then off I went to John Lewis where I didn’t come out for several hours I dare say. I didn’t find any nice yarns on sale. All the good stuff was gone. So I splurged on fabric. I bought a nice green fabric with a cute little leaf pattern in white. Might make a top from that. Then I bought this cotton flannel I need for strings for a bib I’m making. Can’t tell more as my friend who will receive the item reads this too. Will post pics after she’s received it. Got some heavy interfacing for some projects and a bit of plain white cotton for a bag like that on the cover of Amy Karol’s book. Hope that will work. Need some fabric paints for that.
Fabric for the pillows
I also got some standard supplies like elastic to make hairbands and stuff like that. And when I went to pay for it all I saw this big book on the counter. I asked about it and it appeared to be a pattern book. She directed me to a counter on the same floor where I could look into these books and then order any pattern out of it for 5 – 10 pounds. I did this and found a great dress I’d like to make. On my way out I passed the yarn section again and noticed a few Jaeger pattern books that where on sale. So I bought two: The extra fine merino collection and the matchmaker collection. I’d like to make a few jumpers and a beret.
And the pattern for the dress
In short the shopping was good, can’t wait to start making stuff.
