CURE FOR CONSUMERISM

Spend one year working fashion retail in NYC. You’ll never want to spend any time in a store ever again. Seriously.

SERPENT SYMBOLS

I've been bombarded with animal imagery lately, specifically snakes. When I house-sat for Kathy and Craig last month, I had to look after Sequoia's corn snake. I actually walked into the room as it was shedding it's skin. As much as snakes creep me out, it was a cool thing to witness.

Then a couple weeks later, while gathering stones along Lake Michigan, a garter snake slithered out of the brush, we acknowledged each other, and then it disappeared.

As I was thinking about these snakes, it occurred to me that my latest knitting project, a scarf out the book Twinkle's Town and Country Knits, is called, "The Serpentine Scarf."

So I've been busy gathering as much info on animal symbolism as I can. In general, snakes symbolize entering a new phase in life, "shedding one's old skin." Garter snakes in particular encourage us to give birth to lots of new ideas and to see them through, as garter snakes give live birth to lots of little baby snakes. And the corn snake, a climbing snake, urges us to reach to the top of our potential, to set our sights a little higher.

FENDER BLENDER

The bicycle-powered blender was a big hit at Sheboygan's EARTHFEST this past weekend. (I got to peddle a couple slushies myself. Much harder than it looks).

OUTRAGEOUSLY HAPPY

THE POST OF REVELATIONS

I’ve been at a loss for posts recently. Instead of feeling guilty about it or forcing anything that doesn’t feel authentic, I’ve been rethinking the concept of this blog, redefining what it’s truly about. {almost} nothing new is no longer about devising cute and clever creative reuse techniques. That focus is too narrow, (although the documentation of the things I make will certainly continue to be an important component). I’ve had too many enchanting encounters these past couple weeks with no outlet to ruminate on them. It’s time to loosen the belt on “nothing new” and dwell on the spiritual side of things a bit.

I guess I haven’t posted in a while because it has felt so silly to document external things when so much has been going on internally. My blogging has always been about things/objects/matter/stuff and since the internal defines the external, it seems necessary to include the internal workings.

I’ve been thinking about “nothing new” in regards to my spiritual journey. Ideas that I have heard over and over again are finally sinking in. I used to think I needed this thing or that to make me happy, I used to think I NEEDED some THING outside myself. I’ve been moving from place to place, changing my address, my job, my love interests, even my NAME, all in hopes of finding the right combination of external circumstances that could finally make me happy. And although I had heard the truth over and over again, that "happiness begins within," I didn’t truly understand it until just recently. Everything I needed was there all along. The fact that I need nothing new to be happy is not a new concept.

So everything that I've been learning recently is nothing new. Anything I have to say/see/do has already been said/seen/done. So, if there is "nothing new under the sun," why bother doing anything at all? Why speak words that have already been spoken? Why make work that has already been made?

Because no one has said it exactly like me. Or you. Or you or you or you. We each have our own perspective to share, our own "remix" to produce. Although the content of this blog is nothing new, the specific combination and arrangement of content that I create is unique. It's {almost} nothing new.

Oh, and happy birthday Amy. Thanks for everything.

PLASTIC BAGS IN THE PRESS

A couple recent news stories from NPR featuring my favorite medium-the plastic bag.

Seattle's Plastic Bag Debate
How Green Are Reusable Bags?

It may seem odd that as a collector and crocheter of plastic bags, I am totally 110% in favor of a fee that would help motivate buyers to bring their own bags. My relationship to plastic bags is one of divine dichotomy; I am drawn to them, inspired to experiment and play, while simultaneously I curse their existence. The Seattle article mentions the 'Great Garbage Patch' of plastic circulating in the Pacific Ocean. I first learned of the GGP from the book The World Without Us, and the idea of an island of plastic in the ocean is what keeps me coming back to the plastic bag as a medium. This stuff isn't going anywhere! We've got to figure out something to do with the bags (and other discarded plastics as well). And so I crochet...

MICHELLE ANN MILLER

It just occurred to me that the initials for this project, ANN, spell out my middle name. 'Almost Nothing New' is literally my middle name.

On a side note, I'm transitioning away from Elle and back to Michelle. Elle had a good run, but after 3 years of frequent use, I still feel like deep down I'm a Michelle. Sorry for all of you that knew me originally as Michelle and finally got used to calling me Elle. I change my mind a lot.

GETTING WARMER...

I'm getting SO CLOSE to a great bag design. These are good, but each time I finish one, I start a new one because I know how I can make it better. Off to the studio...

KNITTING UP A STORM

My apologies for the inconsistency in posts, but my fingers have been busy knitting. Every chance I get, I seem to have a pair of needles in my hands. I've been exceptionally broke lately, so I'm using up my yarn reserves on a variety of small projects. It's extremely satisfying to finish a project AND clear out some of the mess in my yarn basket.

The meditative mindset that knitting puts me in has also been the ideal place to mentally prepare for my upcoming show at EBCO Artworks (more details on that later). With my sketchbook open beside me, I find that working leads my brain to ideas which leads to more ideas which leads to more ideas. It's an exciting time.

So with approximately 5 projects in process, look for pictures of finished products coming soon...

...In the meantime, you should check out brooklyn tweed.

FLASHDANCE TRIBUTE

I'd like to take this post to pay tribute to Jennifer Beals, the Flashdance star who inspired the off-the-shoulder t-shirt alteration, henceforth making t-shirts and sweatshirts just a little sexier. My closet is still full of JB tees and I'd just like to say thanks. I would not be able to successfully sport so many second-hand tees without your contribution to fashion.