Mookie Moo

Paper Platypus is having a giveaway until midnight tonight on her beautiful paper flowers. I hope I win! These mums would just brighten up the place settings so nicely, don’t ya think? Otherwise, I might send a few kits to various friends and have them make 25 flowers each, since somehow I have to get up to 150!

Paper Platypus Esty Store

Die Cut Flowers website

My friend and fellow crafter just bought me the book ‘Printing by Hand’ by Lena Corwin. Her timing with this gift was perfect as I’m trying to find more activities that don’t involve sitting hunched over a glowing computer screen. So, here’s my first print, which was inspired by the yellow bobble flowers that I have near my desk. If anyone knows what these flowers are actually called, I’m very curious.

Gauyabera Apron

A couple of months ago I woke up one Sunday and decided I had to spend the day rummaging through bins of vintage mens’ shirts and then make aprons out of them. I have no idea where I got the idea – maybe I was having a very bizarre dream (we have been watching a lot of Dexter lately – Florida, Cuban-culture, Guayaberas…maybe?) But unlike most creative impulses I get, I actually followed through with this one and made 3 aprons that I’m pretty psyched about.  I got really inspired by the Guayaberas with their pin tucks and cool pockets, which could be mixed and matched on the aprons.

Wrangler/Guayabera reversible apron

Upcycled aprons

I’m about halfway through my first sweater. This is a pattern by Zephyr Style. It’s a great pattern for a first sweater, because it’s fast and not too monotonous. The woman who sold it to me at Twisted in Portland, OR, told me that the sizes ran big, so I knit a size small. The measurements matched up, I even knit a swatch this time to make sure my gauge was right – all this and it looks like it will barely fit a petit 5-year-old. My other disappointment is with the change in yarn colors – I guess that’s a risk of working with hand-dyed yarn, but now there’s a big line running through the middle of my chest. I’m not giving up. Going to see it through to the end, maybe it’ll all work out. But I’m starting to worry that this will another one for the bottom of the knitting basket. Pillow filling?

One $2 box of fudge brownies + 1/2 an apple from the bottom of the fridge = LOVE!

I love this yarn – so many shades of brown. This is from Blue Moon, hand-dyed 100% merino. I tried to get away with not having double-pointed needles in the size I needed and knit it flat on straight needles, which led to a messy seam up the outer edge. Need to learn how to do nicer seams.

Wouldn’t it be cool if hyper-color yarn existed? Maybe it does. But this is not it. This yarn is from Koigu Wool Designs, 100% merino in Painter’s Palette Premium, a gift from MacGregor’s mom. She gave me this yarn last Christmas (2007) and I finally managed to whip up some socks (maybe ‘whip up’ is not quite the right expression there) in time for her visit to the Northeast this November. I think they’re very fun to look at, but I still haven’t figured out how to make wearable socks. So far ALL the socks I’ve knitted (2 pair) have had the elasticity of a tired rubber band.

I just knit this cowl neck scarfy-thing (by f.pea) and have found that it’s very versatile. See picasa album:

Versatile Turtleneck 10/17/08 3:28 PM

Oh Portland. How you will be missed! All the bike freaks and geeks of Portland came out in full force for the first annual Cirque du Cycling on Mississippi Ave. This is what happens when the sun finally comes out after 9 months of pissing rain. There are no rules, just show up with whatever wheeled contraption you have, whether it be a complete reinvention of the bicycle or a Clear Creek Comfort bike from Target. Throw your kids on the back. March up and down the street a few times. Grab a beer at Amnesia or Mississippi Pizza. Perfect Portland afternoon. Below are some of my favs. You can see more crazy bikes (and the race!) here.

This is a quick pattern from the Amy Butler book In Stitches. Sewing the leather straps together was a bit of a task. I wrestled with them for a few hours, attacking it with every sharp, pointy object I could find in the house – screwdrivers, scissors, knives, my nose, pens, needles. I managed to get some holes in the ends, but they’re not the strongest straps.