Little Women

My first encounter with a real wild rabbit

I finished the first "book" of Little Women last night, having waited years to do so since I found out my childhood copy (a gift from my aunt) was actually an abridged version.

Can't say I really want to keep going, though, despite my hatred of leaving books unfinished -- even when they turn out to be lousy. You might be able to guess why. Here's a hint:

"Jo should have remained a literary spinster, but so many enthusiastic young ladies wrote to me clamorously demanding that she marry Laurie or somebody, that I didn't dare refuse, but out of perversity went and made a funny match for her." (Louisa May Alcott)

...

And so Alcott's decision continues to disappoint and enrage young women everywhere, until the end of human existence.

A. and me on the fort walls at Fort Langley

My youngest cousin A., the littest woman I know (haha), is visiting for the summer. Like her brother who visited last spring, she actually goes to class every day, and is expecting to improve her English. I only show her around Vancouver over the weekend.

Of course, that doesn't mean I can't use her as an excuse for slacking off...

Since my last post, I've only made a wrist cuff for my Etsy shop and two toys for my cat. Here is the cuff:


I really like how it turned out, though! An almost-magical array of glittering bits and pieces and lace and ribbons. The scoop of ice cream (made out of sparkly Japanese clay) is my favourite part, of course, even if Raccoon says it makes no sense.

Hand-Mind Co-ordination

Denim flower hair elastic

Spent a lovely day watching The Ricky Gervais Show with Raccoon while sewing a huge strawberry plush for my now two-year-old niece. Just need to pop the leaves on now.

I made the above flower last night after finally getting away from the computer... and sitting down in front of the TV, with a movie on. At least it turned out quite nicely, even if the pale blue tulle petals disappeared into the white background. I'm starting to think I'm one of the few 20-somethings around who are not into photography at all.

The corsage also balances out my Etsy shop a bit, because the offerings were getting too cutesy. For some reason, there's always a gap between what I like and what I produce. I have a pretty distinct style/taste and am fairly good with my hands, so I don't know why my brain likes this stuff and my hands make, for example, this.

In the same way, I'd read Dickens or Gaiman all day, and write, well, possibly the most uneventful short stories ever. And let's not even get into the Mozart and Ravel I love vs. the tuneless wailing that comes out of my mouth...

Birds and Spiders

Newest listing: Chubby Chirpy blueberry bird

The picture shows my latest project -- a fatty plushie bird. I usually only make miniature to palm-sized things (for cuteness), so they don't take much time. This fellow took snippets of free time over two days.

Speaking of free time... I started Anansi Boys (Neil Gaiman) last night and finished it in 4.5 hours. I COULDN'T STOP. My eyes barely left the page even when I was getting snacks or walking over to the laptop to look up "Jaffa Cake".

D, my most literary friend, recommended several of his favourite books when he last visited. I've since purchased and read Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman) and The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón), but Anansi Boys didn't seem that interesting, so I borrowed it from the library.

Maybe I'm just a sucker for brotherly love -- being pretty much stuck as my brother's snooty little sister -- but while I didn't find Anansi Boys quite as funny or sad as Neverwhere, it was somehow more moving. Sure it might've ended more effectively at the last mention of Tiger, but Anansi Boys is immediately captivating, improves as you read on, and is steeped in storytelling magic and family love.

It might have ruined my resolution to start getting to bed by 4 am, but it was worth it. I will have to finagle a copy for myself. And make a spider for my Etsy store.