I am in the midst of ORGANIZING, with all caps, yes. does that strike you too? it seems the new year brings a fit of organizing tendencies – although i find that this year i have less to do as i had been much more careful in the last year (and since moving here) to “have a place for everything” which makes it much easier to put things away and keep them there. probably cause i am working from home these days – when you live in the mess you can’t stand it, or at least I CAN’T. so one good effect of that.
I have used Filofax for many many years (uh, since I moved to NY) and love their products – so much so that I have collected several organisers thru the years. (I love love love pretty notebooks and journals and pens). My first one was a pretty red one with a nice textured grain to the leather (no zip) and its still in use – as a permanent address book in my secretary desk. (I like the zip ones for using daily as things don’t fall out including my pretty pens!)
The latest, and the one I have used the longest, is the pretty green zippered Windsor Lock (not available anymore – uh unless you want to order it from EBAY in Germany! ).
See how pretty it is? Mine is in sad shape now – it has a lot of rubbed edges and …well its well loved and used. When I was buying this one, I had been using a zip black one (plain leather) but wanted something a little more sophisticated and different and fell for this one! (I guess I could replace it but imagine the shipping from Germany would be pretty high!)
I also have the A5 size – a gorgeous red Italian Leather (Crocodile!) – the photo below is of the Personal size – the A5 is about 5 x 8.
That was purchased during my “career” in corporate america – its too large and wieldy to carry in a purse or a tote bag so it works best as a desk journal. love it but not really useful in my life – its in its storage box for now, sure to see the light one day.
I have had some birthday money burning a hole (since November!) and decided finally to upgrade my Organiser and really wanted a zip red Personal size to replace the worn green Personal Windsor – so after a bit of browsing on the Filofax USA website I found the ONE!
(Personal is the size – about 4 by 6 and is the most popular one – like a small paperback).
Its perfect! See all the details here After considering this for a few days (you know spending gift money is a big decision), I decided to order today and called Filofax cause their shipping offers are a bit lame (Fed Ex overnight for $30! and two day for $20 but no other option – like UPS?)
Anyway, it turns out it could be 5–10 business days unless I fork over the extra money.
BUT I am such an impatient person … so I went a Googling and about 40 mins later found a site with this exact one AND on SALE! and they are in Manhattan (on Grand Street!) and so with the extra money I saved, I was able to buy a pretty new red pen to match!
(I told you I love pretty pens and journals).
See the new pen over there – now isn’t that a pretty pen (AND ON SALE too!) Its a Waterman Expert II Oriental Red Roller-ball Pen.
Pens, sigh! My other obsession (odd that with all the computer face time these days – but there is nothing like writing with a good pen)
My first love was and still is, fountain pens. I have a Mont Blanc Classic fountain pen I bought to celebrate my first professional job (in DC at Fahrney’s Pens) more years than I want to remember – and I still use it – but only at home. Travelling with fountain pens is messy and its too precious to lose; so when Roller-balls became more prevalent I tried them and now have a nice little collection of Caran D’Ache and Waterman roller-balls.
In fact, I had a lovely red pen (it was a Caran D'Ache) very similar to this one that was stolen at my last job – and never replaced it; so now I am excited to get this one. And it will fit in the pen loop (Filofax has notoriously small pen loops) and of course its red and so will match.
Finding refills for these pens is more challenging now that I am not in NYC frequently – there was a great stationery store near my old job. So I went traweling on the net – actually that is how I found the place to order these items – its Montgomery Pens. And there will be some refills coming with the order too.
So now I wait for the package – I opted for Priority Mail hoping that I will get these by Saturday! (I am so impatient… please please come quickly!)
So what about knitting?
Well….currently working on two projects – the Aran Blanket for nephew Walter and the Tomtem Jacket for nephew Sebastian. I love my sisters – but they each had their first child-s ONE DAY APART – NO FAIR I say! This makes for TIGHT knitting.
The Aran blanket is 95% done – Its almost 5 feet long and as W is not and won’t be for awhile – I just need to finish off the cables – a heart cable and the saxon braid are the two main motifs along with XOXOs. and then bind off, block and decide on Fringe?
TO fringe or not? hmm, let me know what you think.
oh and RED is Walter’s favorite color too!
The Tomtem Jacket needs ONE sleeve and then the border and sewing up – its all Garter Stitch – don’t think I am going to block it – maybe spritz and let it hang overnight.
DEADLINE is SATURDAY – or Friday night dinner if I get finished.
So off to knit and catch up on Law and Order (last week’s ep and then tonight’s) and GH (have all of last week and this..) Good for knitting.
Oh and the Winter Vogue came – not sure about much of the patterns – but some REALLY good articles. Some highlights:
MEG SWANSEN: EZ AS PI
Years before the shawl craze hit the knitting public, Elizabeth Zimmerman "unvented" her own technique, showing us again how far ahead of her time she was. Meg shares with us the story behind this shawl's inception.
SHIRLEY PADEN:
THE SHAPE OF LACE
In Part 1 of a two-part article, designer extraordinaire Shirley Paden demystifies the finer points of lace knitting.
Check it out!
It’s the birthday of philosopher Simone Weil, (books by this author) born in Paris (1909). T.S. Eliot called her "a woman of genius, of a kind of genius akin to that of the saints." After getting a degree in philosophy, she worked in fields and factories, so she could write about what it was like for manual laborers. She gave most of her money to the unemployed, living on as little as possible. She wrote essays on political, social, and religious issues, but not many of them were published during her lifetime. During World War II, she fled to the United States and then to England. There, she was hospitalized with tuberculosis, and she refused to eat more than she thought an average French person was getting on wartime rations. When she died soon afterward, it was ruled a suicide. After her death, her essays were published in Gravity and Grace (1947) and Waiting for God (1950).
It’s the birthday of writer Gertrude Stein, (books by this author) born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (1874). When she was 30 years old she moved to Paris, and lived there for almost the rest of her life. She once said, "America is my country and Paris is my hometown." She covered the walls of her house in Paris with paintings by Cézanne, Picasso, Renoir, Gauguin, and others. Her house became known as "The Salon," and writers and artists came from all over to get advice and encouragement from her. Ernest Hemingway once said, "Gertrude was always right."
I have used 
a southern gal in the north 
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