Concerning Zarina 
What I have been up to on the creativity front:
Sep 29, 2008
Moving to the Main Page
I have decided to use the main page to update all my crafting. It is like keeping two blogs and the most readers are reading from this page.
Kindly update your bookmark to point to this address: http://www.concerningzarina.com/
|Sep 23, 2008
Lost in Blogspace
I have been lost in Blogspace for the past few months - especially this week since most of the rushing at work has subsided before the Eid Fitri festivities. Plus, my master's report is almost there - but still need to go through detailed editing. And shopping (drooling) at online shops from shuttles, threads, fabrics - I really need to update my blog to include all these links too.
This post is nothing much but just a place for me to keep the link and for those who feels that its about time.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if suddenly your blog space is deleted or been down because of any variety technical reasons. Jon has such a happening, albeit small. Well, from SouleMama's blog, I came across this wonderful place call Blurb. I am still short on journals and pictures (of family). But (I think) you can insert pictures which you would not put up in your blog. Anyway, what is even better to hold up your story in your own hands in the traditional paper-binded book?
|Sep 10, 2008
Reflecting on my crafting
I am so happy now. Finally, our (Jon, Angie, and mine) Lacis order for Iris Niebach books has arrived after three months of traveling half way around the world. It was scary because I made several purchases after this order and all have arrived. Even with the tracking number (which Pos Malaysia does not trace) given, it was of no use. I had to send an email to them to help check out at their end. Today, I sent a mail to call off the search (like it was for a murder victim).
Second thing, my master's project is on schedule. The data collected was analyzed and it did proved my theory that BookCrossing is pure, meaning there is no intention for status seeking or building online status. If anyone wants to read the final thesis, I may put it up in my BookCrossing's shelf. So for now, I have been stashing.
Finally, I have made a second batch of my Bouganvillea Garden HDT which is more vibrant than the first. I have tested two colorways that was inspired from a suit of mine and a newspaper advertisement. There is one more colorway to be tested later (all my fabrics that I buy nowadays will have thoughts of will this make a good colorway?).
Yesterday, when I received a surprise package from Jon (which I have yet to journal) my mind was wandering where have all my crafts gone to?
Well, the biggest project so far is the anniversary quilt for my parents. Two cross-stitch are framed and may be heading to my sister's new home. Most of the bookmarks that I have tatted for the 25 motif have gone all over the world. So what I am actually doing is to work with my hands to give for people. I guess that is what crafting is all about - to share with others. But thank god for digital cameras and blogging/Picassa, we get to keep the image in the smallest packaging possible and show off to others.
And a final word before I totally stop blogging until year end, I found two blogs which I love (all because a link of one of my daily blog led to the blogsphere). But this blog I would love to tell the whole world. I am an advocate for rearing children to do crafting. The SouleMama blog by Amanda is ideal for those with young children. She has books published more on this but her blog alone has generated ideas (and more colorways).
Sep 9, 2008
Sight seeing in PutraJaya
Oh my, the last journal is dated two months ago. Everything (and I mean everything) has taken a back seat. I have collected photos to be journaled but once you miss the groove, its difficult to come back.
Happy to say that all the heavy stuff has been done for my master's project. Now I need to write up the findings and conclusions, and the editing. That will take up the rest of the two months remaining in my time frame for completion. In between, I am finishing up a pink stole (need to keep my fingers on their toes). Also, we (read Imran-DNw and Hasnah-DNc) began to do some bookscraping.
And also, some HDTing so that I can open up my Etsy shop by the time I am able to start tatting. In retrospect, that is quite a lot.
Why the sudden need to post? Yesterday, my parents and I went to Jalan Tun Abdul Rahman in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. In the Ramadhan month, it is horrendous with huge crowd of people jostling to get everything for the upcoming Eid Fitri festivities. Dad for ages has been saying that he want to replace our living room carpet. Well, yesterday a bit after noon we traipsed our way to the infamous street. The road as expected was clogged AND they had to changed the entrance (and the exit) of our usual parking lot. But it hit us full force that we should bring our CAMERA wherever we go. That trip could have been a great photography session with many traffic enforcements doing their job (which is quite unusual here), a car being towed away, the crowd itself, and finally the Masjid (Mosque) India which we have finally seen up close.
For the time being, I will leave with a few photos we took while we were touring the PutraJaya precinct at night.
Jun 30, 2008
Weaving instructions
Need to save this for future use - most likely to teach my niece the kinds of needlecraft that is available. This link is from Full Circle which provides more projects for kids.
I was looking for inspirations for another HDT. It came from an Elle sports blouse which I had bought two years back. I really love the color combination on black.
The HDT was done together with the first bouganvillea HDT. I could not come out with pink (actually it was simple), so I had to replace the lighter shade of pink with yellow.
I have *completely* stopped dyeing or tatting to work on my master's project.
As you can see, I am busy collecting answers to my questionnaire. (These bookmarks are for ten who helped me to test out the questionnaires.) I am please to inform that as of Jun 30 at 4 am, I have 113 answers. For those who are BookCrossers and have not done the survey, kindly go to this link to fill up the questionnaire.
|Jun 16, 2008
First Bougainvillea Garden HDT
When I first loaded the first shuttle using the thread, it was at my sister's house. Her daughter (the niece) helped me to unwind the thread from the 'ball'. She asked me, 'When are you going to buy me the small pink shuttle?'
I too want to go back to the craft shop and get some more supplies. As it is, the place is a bit out of my way. Either I go out during working hours or when we are in the vicinity. The jam to that area is horrible. Plus, with the price hike I have to think carefully where and when I drive. Just hold on darling.
Here is the HDT wound the way they are sold over at Etsy. The pink was not the shade that I wanted. And there is no blooming plants with that color. I am planning to make another batch hopefully with a darker shade of all the colors.
Here is the HDT all tatted up using another of my favourite bookmark from Kersti.
Jun 13, 2008
Want to Discuss Privately?
I have registered the email address a long while back, but only now publishing it.
So, want to chat with me privately, click E-mail Me!
|Jun 11, 2008
Let's Start at the Beginning
when we sing, we begin with DO, RE, MI.
when we HDT, we begin with the primer colors.
This jingle has been playing in my head every time I think about my first HDT. I already have the second in mind, which mum's garden gave me the inspiration. To be exact - the bougainvillea I swiped from her.
That is what I did. After collecting my supplies from the craft shop in the morning of Wednesday, and the other supplies from Tesco later that night, I finally took the plunge last night. Since I am new in dyeing, I used the three primary colors. So if the colors tend to bleed too much to the other colors, it does not matter because it will become the secondary colors. Luckily, since I got into that exact trouble.
Here is the HDT in its full show.
I have to give my thanks to three people for making me venture into this: Sherry, Marilee, and Pamela. Especially to Marilee since she has very thoughtfully put up pictures of what I will be doing. I doubt I will be selling the HDTs but I am thinking of selling the bookmarks that I will make. My sister is thinking about it so I may have her do it for me.
Since it took me awhile to post this journal, I have made more bookmarks with the thread. As you can see, I have also started playing with beads. Now, most of my tatting have beads - but only in chains. Not yet ventured further than that.
Here is a hint of the second HDT which is actually drying right now at home.
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Adding a green thumb too
I'm also trying to rub my green thumb onto my niece. Hehehe...
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Jun 6, 2008
Grooming a tatter
Last night I finally showed my sis Sherry's HDT that bears her name. I was right - she LOVED it. And not yet, I have not used the thread at all. I just loosened the thread to see the full colors. That is when she says we should sell the bookmarks - and it will be cheaper since I will be making my own HDTs.
My four-year-old niece was there too. She saw the shuttles which I purchased from Sherry. I was so happy to hear her say the following (the actual language was in Malay but this is the gist):
Mak Long (that is what she calls me meaning the eldest aunty), can you buy for me this that is small and pink (pointing to Sherry's white ceramic shuttle). I want to do like you do (she has seen me tat so she knows what's its for).
Ah, if only you can grow faster. I have many ideas planned for you. There is even a small cross-stitch kit I bought for you to introduce to the world of crafting.
|Jun 5, 2008
A Long Overdue Post
This is my last piece of tatting before the sabbatical break. I did not take the picture in time for the previous post. It is a bookmark of Mary Konior's Tatting with Visual Patterns using the Black Magic insertion.
Most of you have seen this. This is the May Towel Exchange for the Shuttles-and-Needles group I am part of. My partner, Aileen has posted it on her blog. You can view the towel here because mine is at home while I'm at work.
This will complete all my 25 motifs for the 25 Motif Challenge, with one motif to spare (but that is another exchange which will have to be kept hidden at the moment.
Ais did mention about my Favicon and looking at Pamela's apple blossom bonsai, I took out my gardening gloves and did mine as well (excuses excuses!!)
This is the oldest bonsai I had which I just trimmed the leaves and roots.
This is a new one. I took one of my mother's bougainvillea tree and made it into a bonsai. It had lost all its leaves after three weeks (I think) but there are already new shoots.
There was another one I wanted to turn into a bonsai, a palm tree but the pot which I bought eons ago is missing. So that has to wait until I go shopping for pots. Another excuse not to work on my master's project. But then that will make me a dull girl.
|May 21, 2008
Zarina's Craft is Going Sabbatical
Dear Friends,
It saddens me to say that I will have to hang up my shuttles until I have completed my master's project. I have been assigned a supervisor and just waiting for the letter of appointment to come out to formalize.
The research question has been done up in my previous semester, so now its just expanding it to become a mini thesis. For those who are with BookCrossing, then it will be nothing new to you. For those that are not, well, don't wait but join in. Its fun but it does require lots of reading. Here is the abstract of my paper:
There has been many studies on virtual communities that encourage expanding an individual�s social network and status seeking. All these specifically use communication online as the primary channel of communication. BookCrossing is a special virtual community where not only are �gifts� contributed online, but physical objects are being exchanged. Here, the paper argues that both status and altruism drives the members to participate actively.
I will still be reading all the blogs (which is something I do everyday like reading the newspapers) but then I will be drooling all over the place. But it should provide me ideas and build up my stash of HDTs. Oh yes, I should be able to tat in full gear somewhere in September. Actually now I am tempted to try a bit of dyeing myself. Only on a small scale and for my own use. Will do some research and keep you posted on this idea.
Please continue to drop by. I may add a thought or something interesting I have learned from my reading for the project. I foresee that I will work on my knitting for a short burst - meaning one row a day (that's how boring knitting can be).
The last two motifs for the 25 Motif Challenge is done but they are part of an exchange which the recipient has yet to receive. So those will be posted in the next few weeks.
And if you have noticed, I have finally put a favicon. You can see my bonsai beside the name of the website on top. No more a blank sheet.
Your truly,
Zarina
|Copyright © 2008 Zarina ZA