Week 11 – Incognito Art Show

Another week, and we’re still stuck in this Orwellian hell. 

All the stress of the past week (including some personal drama) has triggered a Mast Cell flare. So, I’ve been trying to take things slow, and I’ve focused on finishing my entries for the Incognito Art Show. 

‘What is the Incognito Art Show?’, I hear you ask. 

The Incognito Art Show is a not-for-profit organisation supporting Australian artists. We run Australia’s biggest and most inclusive art show. 

The Incognito Art Show isn’t an ordinary art sale. Every A5 artwork, regardless of artist, is sold for just $100.

I bought a piece from the show last year (a funny little pigeon drawing), and I love the idea! You choose art you love without knowing the artist – all while supporting a great cause. 

This year, I am entering 3 crochet pieces. They can’t be bigger than a fist, so it’s been a real challenge working with tiny hooks and cotton yarn. I, obviously, can’t share any pics, but I have 2 finished and the last one I will be finishing today. I have a tapestry piece and 2 amigurumi, so make sure to support the show if you can! 

Trump’s idiotic war in Iran continues on. Thousands have been killed now (including unknown numbers of US soldiers). Children are being murdered, and we have no power to stop it. 

The US is causing the collapse of Cuba, which is hardly being reported due to everything else going on.

Oil is tipped to reach $200 a barrel. Due to how this is already affecting inflation, Australia is likely to have another 2+ interest rate rises this year. Life is about to get even more expensive because of right-wing idiots in charge. 

Other shit from this week:

• The Australian government are not allowing Iranian or Lebanese nationals to enter the country (even though they offered some Iranian soccer players asylum days prior)
• A million people have been displaced in Lebanon due to Israel’s invasion and nearly 1000 killed (where do the right-wing anti-immigrant supporters think these people will go, by the way? The inabilty to understand the consequences of their actions – yet again)
• Trump is sending 2500 troops into Iran
• The Strait of Hormuz is still closed, and it’s suspected that Iran is using mines
• Trump is asking for help from the countries that he’s been bullying with tariffs for the last year
• The FCC are threatening news outlets reporting on the Iran War because Trump isn’t happy with the truth getting out

Of course, this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. 

When I have a Mast Cell flare, my body thinks acrylic yarn is the enemy (it causes allergic reactions to all kinds of weird things). Because of this, I had to change one of my Incognito Art Show entries. I was cross-stitching onto a crocheted panel, but I’ve had to adjust to using tapestry techniques and cotton. 

I am still working on the goth poncho pattern, but I’m going to run out of yarn! If anyone in Australia has Source of Fibre Drape in Black, please contact me. I’d love to buy it!

I’m intending to have a break from pattern writing, and I want to focus on learning how to read vintage patterns. My husband picked me up a few old books that I can’t wait to try. My Mom taught herself to crochet from a book like this, which is one of the reasons that she, my sister, and I all crocheted like knitters. 

We are still on season 4 of Breaking Bad… It’s been such a nice evening routine to watch an episode with my husband. We both work from home, but we spend most of our time focusing on different projects in different living rooms. We eat all of our meals together and spend as much time outside in the egg chairs as we can, but it’s nice to just hang out with an old show we both love/d.

As I said last week, we’ve been building up our physical media library. I’m so tired of everything being a subscription service. I only have Stan and Binge at the moment because I watch quite a few of the Drag Race franchises. I started rewatching House, and I’m in love with Taskmaster (and Greg Davies).

I finished reading Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. It was a bit long, but I enjoyed it. 4/5 stars. I’m onto the next book now – Grey Sister. I think there are 3 books in the series.

Another week, and my sister is still working on the custom order for the Agemon Doll. This has been far more complicated than expected! Also, there have been problems with the pattern, so she has had to adjust some aspects to make them work. 

Sales have picked up a little, but it’s still slow. Honestly, I’m not surprised. Petrol prices are already going up, the world is a scary place, and I don’t blame people for having less time and money to spend on hobbies. I have decreased the prices on some of our old patterns, and I’m thinking of ways to make some freebies. 

The Fidget Bead Key Fobs have been regularly popular for a few months now. I love them, too! I haven’t used beads in a while, but I still have a lot of them, so maybe I’ll get back to them soon. 

It’s starting to get cool in Adelaide at night, so I’ve been thinking about making beanies to donate. If you’re new to crocheting beanies, I highly recommend The Easiest Beanie pattern (there is also a ribbed version). This pattern will teach you how to make beanies that actually fit for sizes preemie to Adult XL. 

Don’t forget to do something just for yourself this week. Take a bath, read a book, do some gardening, watch a show that makes you laugh – don’t let the horrors overwhelm you because that’s what they want.