After a busy fall and 3 weeks of the flu I'm back on the blog. The Friends of the Prince Rupert Library are gearing up for the 6th Annual Novel Idea Auction. It's a fun night where items created/donated by local wonder folk are auctioned in support of the Prince Rupert Library. At it's inception the novel ideal behind the Novel Idea Auction, was to have people create items inspired by novels they had read. A good idea, but a little difficult in practice. The auction has broadened it's base to include items created by anything you've read, anywhere (this includes magazines, the web, advertisements and cereal boxes). We still get a few lovely items donated with no source in mind, but library staff can usually pair the donation up with a nifty book or 2.
In the past I've knit, poetry mittens, lace shawls and scarfs, sheep puppets and a rabbit. One year I boldly went forth and made dog biscuits with my teeny tiny food processor --imagine 3 lbs of raw liver being ground up in a 1.5 cup food processor! It took hours and I'm feeling nauseous just recalling that evening. Clearly, some ideas are more novel than others.
My contributions to this year's auction are the Miss Marple Knitting Bag and a hand knit tea cosy with the song "I'm a little teapot" knit into the fabric. I always have fun with the knitting projects I do and "I'm a little teapot" was enough of a challenge to keep it interesting without being onerous. One problem I encountered was that I ran out of yarn before I could knit the i-cord drawstring for the top of the cosy. I scavenged bits and pieces and crocheted and braided a new cord using sock yarn, tatting thread and a wee length of yarn from the project I had left over. I added a couple of beads and I think it turned out okay. The moral here is - always check your guage!
The teapot that I bought to go with the cosy is indeed a "little teapot short and stout", but selection was limited.
While I really enjoyed knitting the tea cosy, I think I more pleased with the tote bag.
Why is that you wonder? Well the tea cosy is not my design, the pattern and yarn choices came from a kit and someone else's clever brain. Sure I knit the cosy, but I didn't create the cosy, if that makes sense. On the other hand, I messed with an assortment of tote bag patterns to create Miss Marple's Knitting Bag and the idea is more my own.
As you may have guessed I'm trying to inspire the local readers of my blog to make something for the auction. It's a really fun night and the money helps the library, so you get to have a great time and help the library all in one fell swoop. It doesn't get better than that!
The 6th Novel Idea Auction is Friday, November 9, 2012 at the Lester Centre of the Arts.
Viewing starts at 6:30pm with the auction starting at 7:00pm sharp. William, my library co-worker has been diligently photographing submissions and putting them up on the Prince Rupert Library's website. Here's a link if you'd like to see what's there so far.
http://www.princerupertlibrary.ca/picture_gallery/331
Knitting Thursdays at the library is up and running again starting October 25 at 7:00 pm. We are going to be meeting every Thursday until Christmas (with the exception of the first Thursdays of November and December), and you are very welcome to join us.
Keep creating and enjoying the experience, Christmas is just around the corner and if you haven't started yet, now may be the time! Or you can be up late with Santa, Christmas Eve, if that works for you too.
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