Young Year ramblings

Marianna  has passed two awards to me. (I think its two, but maybe its three?) I feel pretty proud and honoured, and included; its a bit like getting my Brownie badge for knitting a sock. The sock might have been wonky, but getting the badge meant I’d actually made it.

This poppet is to recognise and thank people who have commented on one’s blog. That’s a happy idea.  (She looks happy). I owe a huge thank you to everyone who has taken time to send a comment. Its so encouraging to know I’m not always talking to myself, and your reactions and thoughts have helped my projects along. Please, I’m begging here, continue to drop me a line from time to time.  I’m not sure if this little lady comes with rules about how to pass her along, so I’ve randomly picked a representative three of the generous souls on my comment page , Arielle,  Nehmah and Lena.

Marianna hosted a Pattern Magic Challenge in August last year, which chimed nicely with my own efforts and not infrequent rabbiting on about Tomoko Nakamichi’s drafting ideas.

She made a brilliant Bamboo Shoot tote inspired by this drafting in September 2012 , and consistently turns out winners, lovely, professional looking makes, so if you haven’t discovered Sew2Pro yet, pop over and check it out.

I’m thrilled that she thought of nominating me for this too. Thanks Marianna!

It comes with a set of rules.

1. Thank the person who nominated you.

2. Add The One Lovely Blog Award/The Very Inspiring Blogger Award to your post.

3. Share 7 things about yourself.

4. Pass the award to 10 nominees.

5. Include this set of rules.

6. Inform your nominees by posting a comment on their blogs.

So, nominees.

I recently found sewmanju, she has a terrific blog, and just made up Vogue 8848, from the new collection, working in ponte and pleather. Rush over to see how competently she handled those pesky panel corners, in the notoriously pernickety pleather if you please.

Lynn, take a look at the cute duds for a lost teddy, and read the gripping tale of his travels.

JulieRose  need a recipe for hot peppermint chocolate anyone? Yes, thought you did.

Leila has great style. Melody does too. Check out Clare’s fabulous fabric treasure. STUFF AND JUNK OR WHATEVER had me at the title, and some good pattern master, fitting info too. Mari , Mary, and Adventures with Tigergirl,  unmissable.

And facts.

1. I picked my blogname from the names of female relatives and ancestors because it started with a ‘P’ , like ‘pattern’ and ‘pandemonium’. I like alliteration, its a good memory jogger. Some people find it a little stylistically gauche I hear, but I love it and am so envious of ‘Jungle January’,  (my offering is stitched, coming up next post).  The real Pella below.

2. My oh so helpful pattern consultant answers to several names too. Christened Cobain, he’ll accept unflinchingly Cobbers or Cobbalob, and takes no offense at someone improvising a rhyme like ‘Nobrain’ and ‘Insane in the Brain’  if accompanied by the opening of a tin of something tasty. This is pretty big of him when you consider that

3. Cobs and I pass for the pragmatists of the tribe,  (probably in that order of merit).  Chaos is the norm, chez nous, which is, Marianna, in  a very soggy corner of France.

4. Er.. another fact then. I like strong coffee and dark chocolate, avacado squashed onto brown bread, lightly seasoned with salt and black pepper, salmon grilled with a topping of grainy mustard, pretty much all alcoholic beverages I’ve tried so far, but lets single out Tia Maria or Kahlua or Crème de Menthe poured over ice cream, or Calvados stirred into pears in chocolate, or a nice peach or blackcurrant liqueur Kir served on a warm summer evening, crunchy peanut butter on toast, pistachio nuts, croissants a l’amande from those boulangeries that don’t stint on the almond paste inside and the flaked almonds on top …. is there a factual theme here? Oh yes, I like food.

5. Matisse, Der Blau Reiter group, Marc Chagall, Kurt Schwitters, Sophie Taeuber Arp, cheer me up.  Theme? Colour, I reckon. I like roses too, colour and scent. Blooming marvelous. I knew someone once who grew roses from seed he collected on his travels, just to see how they turned out. Remembering his garden, I found this. People are blooming marvelous too aren’t they?

6. The last book I read was ‘Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us’ by Robert D Hare. About malformed minds missing the capacity to be marvelous, or to marvel.

7. I’m listening to Roland Kirk ‘I Talk with the Spirits’ while trying to extract factlets from a lifetime of trivia, which reminds me that I’ve not posted about my putative project to remember the people I feel connected to with twelve table runners (one for each month).

January’s (grandmother, born that month,  bringer of Mars Bars, knitter of jumpers, teacher of cribbage, and much more) is still in the mind, waiting for fabric.

‘Funky February’, for brother, born February, lost to us in February last year , has got this far, quilting still to do.

March of the Maya, for a grandfather I never met, who sparked an interest in that fascinating ancient people through artefacts stumbled on and photos  taken.It still has a lot of working out ahead of it, but there are bits I like a lot in there.

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