2 Things I've been making . . .

Pom Poms!  I've always thought these were pretty and thought about having them for our wedding so I figured I would try to make some myself.  I think they turned out pretty cute.

And . . . t-shirts for our softball team!  I think the design turned out pretty well.  I especially love the little Turducken logo underneath.  We're thinking of getting hats made too.

Okay, those are the two things I've been making.  Here's a cat.  I guess she was hot.  I told her it wasn't ladylike but she just glared at me.

What?! and Seriously?! and Another Contest

Big news, big news people.  This has nothing to do with crafting really but it's such big news I have to share it.  I'm engaged!  Like, getting married engaged.  I've felt all butterfly-y and girl-like since Tim proposed on Friday.  Yep, the old man even got down on one knee.  Who knew my life would become a Rob Reiner movie from the mid- 1980s?  I don't know, but I'm feeling pretty good right now.


And yes, this is definitely the wedding dress I will be wearing.  Definitely.  I do like those Christmas lights.  Plus, I think the lace top really adds to the whole effect.  Plus, I like the idea of the train incorporating either a battery pack or a green power chord trailing off the back.  Classy.


Okay, onto the contest which I'm completely making up as I write this.  I'll start by telling you about the prize to give myself more time to think about it.  My friend Kathleen at Lark Books sent me this awesome volume called Craft Corps by Vickie Howell.  If you're involved in the crafting community, whether you buy or sell crafts online, tour regional craft fairs, or just have a local quilting group that you love, you should definitely check out this book.  It's a really fascinating view into the lives and techniques of other crafters as well as the crafting community as a whole.  And I'm giving you the opportunity to get a copy for FREE.  FREE, I tell you!






Here's the thing I thought up in the last 3 minutes:

Think of the most creative and non-tortuous way we can use our cat (pictured) in our wedding.  Whoever has the best idea will get a FREE, FREE I say, copy of this book.  And by FREE I mean that I will send you this book without you having to pay a dime, even for shipping.  I'm including shipping!  Or, I could just hand it to you when I see you because if you're reading this I probably know you.  I will decide whose is the most creative because as you know, I am an authority on such things.  Okay, go be creative.  Go!

Felt-Up #2

Success! Sort of. Ok, maybe not success per se, but better than last time, right? Right. I knew you'd agree with me. I actually think the gray looks rather sophisticated. And, although the lace pattern didn't show up as visibly as maybe I was planning, I think it adds a nice textural flare. Blah blah blah.



Anyway, I sent it to Detroit so you Detroiters should go to City Bird and buy it. All of you buy it!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the hilarious train of badly felted items is chugging along and some pretty awful things are beginning to accumulate around my house. For example, this "hat" which resembles something like a tea cozy and I didn't even use a pattern for, thank you very much! I think I'd better just toss it, but if growing up during the great depression taught me anything, it was to eat anything I can find and don't throw anything away. So, any suggestions for what I should do with this?



Here's what I've come up with: pillow, cat saddle. Okay, that's it.



I've actually started to enjoy getting ideas from other people and using them as my own, so anything you guys could come up with would be much appreciated.


Cat stare:

Felt-Up #1

So I believe I mentioned in a previous blog that I was planning on experimenting with some felting techniques. Well, the results have started filing in and let me tell you, I'm far more capable of making something truly ugly than I ever thought possible.

I mean, let's be truthful, I've made some ugly things in my life. I have some art school horrors hiding out in a box in my closet, hiding from the light of day. However, I'm not sure if I've ever worked so hard to make something that's trying itself so hard to be cute, but falls short so drastically. This is what an awesome felted scarf is supposed to look like . . .

This is what the turd that I came up with looks like, keeping in mind that I tried to photograph it in as pleasing a light as possible . . .

I know what you're thinking. That doesn't look that bad. I might wear that on a day that I'm not going to see anyone I know. Here are some things to note: it's too short. It shrunk much more than I thought it would so it won't even fit around your neck a few times. Also, the little bobbles aren't really evenly placed so there's a sort of pattern but not really. Plus, it's brown, which I usually like, but in this case increases the turd factor by a degree of at least 17.5.

Don't pity me though. This useless swath of thick wool gives me a glimmer of hope for the future. It's strengthened my resolve to move ahead pig-headedly, despite all signs that I will fail miserably and waste lots of yarn.

If you can think of anything I can do with this please comment and let me know. Possibilities have thus far included; lining for cat bed, firewood carrier, abstract wall art, loin cloth, "fashion sling".

Cat:

The Long Wait Part 2

So, you don't have to tell me that it's been a ridiculously long time since I updated my blog, though some of you already have. The good news is that when I wait this long I usually have more to say and more pictures to show you. I'll start with the more recent . . .

This past Sunday we awoke (in the early afternoon) to find gobs of snow on the ground and still more spilling from the sky. A week earlier we were in Detroit for my lovely sister's birthday and saw snow there, but any snow at all is a rare sight in Georgia and this was a positive blanket. Being from the Midwest (El Kansas, to be precise) I've seen my share of snow, but Tim (the bf) and basically everyone I know down here is from the South. Tim didn't get to see snow until he was 17! He just kept walking around saying, "This is blowing my mind!" To the left you'll see the slightly retarded but endearingly lovable snowman we made.

All in all, I'd say we got about a foot of snow. In the north this wouldn't be such a great big deal and people would pretty much go about their normal lives. But this is the South, meaning two things: 1) No snow plows or salt trucks, and 2) No one realizes the importance of cutting down dead trees. We were most effected by the latter, as our street became strewn with fallen limbs, and one especially monstrous tree that fell across the entire road and took out the electricity on our block. We survived by candlelight for about 36 hours until about midnight on the second day, when I had just finished a candlelit shower (luckily our hot water heater is gas) and flipped the wall switch out of habit, only to find that our electricity had miraculously been restored. I definitely don't think I could have survived before the late 1800s without complaining a lot.

Though the snow was a bit inconvenient, I think overall it was a nice change from the routine.

In other news, I have been a total bum about my Etsy shop which I guess isn't really news so much as lack of news. I have all these new ideas for really cute pillows with some embroidery, but I can't get myself motivated. So, I've decided that today is the day. I finally posted my first new item in a while. It's a cute lacy little scarf. I love this goldish mustard color a lot. I think because it looks kind of vintage. Also, it makes me want to wear shirts with poofy sleeves. Don't ask me why. This me trying to look all fashion-y and stuff. That's not what I really look like though.

Tomorrow we'll be heading down to Florida for the Harvest of Hope Music Festival. We'll only be spectating, not participating so hopefully it will be a stress-free weekend with some good music. We'll also be camping which is always both fun and irritating. Like I said, I like modern conveniences. I like to think I can be a little rough and tumble when I need to be though.

Thanks to anyone who has been willing to wait for months to read a new blog post. I hope you weren't holding your breath.


This is our cat Rilke, looking positively pissed that we've decided to let here experience snow.

The Trappings of Cold(er) Weather

Back blogging again. It's been a while now and the weather is getting colder. Our new house seems to have drafts in all the appropriate places, inlcuding our bedroom. We've been keeping warm by drinking lots of hot chocolate, playing music, and listening to our friends play music. Not to mention, of course, a whole lot of knitting.
I've become rather addicted to Lion Brand Thick and Quick yarn because it's so big and fluffy, and I love the bright solid colors. I feel like this may be a habit I need to grow out of, as most of my recent knitting projects revolve around this yarn, and I'm afraid the effect will get old. Neverless, I've used it to create some new items for the shop, some which I'll show here . . .

I just posted this hat today. It came out looking a lot more boy-ish than I had anticipated, but that's all right since boyish-ness isn't exactly prevalent in my shop, except of course for the adorable beardie men who are really more for lover's of beards than beards themselves. The ornaments are back, and the pins are always available.


People don't seem to be in much of a buying mood these days (hmm, I wonder why?) and the vibe over at Etsy has been decidedly down-hearted. I'm coping by trying to wear out my knitting needles and use every scrap of yarn and fiber I have in the house before buying new supplies.
Despite somewhat desperate times the changing seasons puts me in the mood to be productive and not to whine too much. Whine a little, just not too much.

We've been enjoying our weekend with our friends from the band "The Accident that Led Me to the World". They have beautiful harmonies and a very melodic acoustic sound. Check them out. They had some unfortunate luck with their van breaking down . . . twice. I'm sure they could use some encouragement, and some CD sales to help them get back home. They played a great show in our living room while we ate caramel apples with our friends. All lovely cold weather activities. Not that it has to be cold outside to do any of things, but it's probably better if it is. There's too much to write about to cover it all in one post so I'll just leave you with a few more pictures.


This is an example of a new kind of neck warmer I've been working on. The lace-up kind. They haven't sold yet, but we'll see how it goes closer to Christmas.



And this is my cat, Rilke.

Cotton and Wool

The weather is getting warmer and that only means one thing for knitters: cotton. Beautiful, soft, reliable, pure cotton. It's almost impossible to make a hat or mittens out of cotton because of it's notorious lack of stretchability. Also, you really wouldn't want to because it's not all that warm. However, it's perfect for spring and summer shawls, cardigans, loose sweater, and especially bags. I'm knitting this one with some beautiful Egyptian cotton hand-dyed by this lovely company in Chile. Only most of one side is done, but hopefully it will be as beautiful as the yarn itself.




Also, in light of the sad but undeniable fact that it is no longer winter, I must put my creative efforts toward something other than knitting. So, I've started making some felted necklaces and stuff. I started out by knitting things out of wool, but then started adding needle felted elements as well. Needle felting is very fun if you remember not to stab yourself too much. The way it works is almost like magic. You don't really fell like you're doing anything, and then, poof, you have a necklace, or a pendant, or a full grown koala bear (this can really happen!). It's pretty great.


In other crafty news, Prairie Dog Inc (www.prairiedog.etsy.com) will be selling her wares (okay, I'LL be selling MY wares) at the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa in Athens, GA on May 10. So, if you're in Athens, or near Athens you should come and check out all of our awesome local crafty people and their oodles of talent.

Oh, and here's a picture of my cat Rilke just because . . .