Sun 21 Dec 2008
Posted by Melinda under Crafts, knitting
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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.
Sun 19 Oct 2008
Posted by Melinda under Crafts, knitting
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I just knit this cowl neck scarfy-thing (by f.pea) and have found that it’s very versatile. See picasa album:
Tue 14 Oct 2008
Posted by Melinda under Photographs
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Mon 6 Oct 2008
Posted by Melinda under Photographs
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I found a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end and sent my photo into the Boston Globe. Here’s what they wrote:
Melinda Swenson of Cambridge said she was walking along Memorial Drive when a rainbow came out over Boston and she took a shot. She noted that if you look at the picture closely, it appears one end of the rainbow comes down near the Federal Reserve Building.
“Perhaps a sign that this economic crisis is turning around?” she mused in an email.
Thu 28 Aug 2008
Posted by Melinda under Photographs
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Day 4 in Boston and we are feeling pretty settled in. Up on the 15th floor of MIT’s Eastgate family housing apartments, we lucked out with front row seats to the whole city. It’s really rough looking out at the river all day!
Thu 28 Aug 2008
Posted by Melinda under Photographs
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Staying at the KOA campground, overlooking the Calgary suburbs, MacGregor and I had fun playing with our headlamps and the long-exposure settings on my camera.
Tue 8 Jul 2008
Posted by Melinda under Photographs
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Apple Pie? Maybe. But not a la mode. I’d like to be considered as “American as Carrot Cake or Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp with a Ginger Walnut crust”. I don’t know what that means, but those are my favorite desserts. Here’s some fireworks shots from the 4th down on the beach at Manzanita. The scattered campfires and smoke-filled air cast a ghoulish, Mordor-ish glow on the scene.
Sun 15 Jun 2008
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.
Tue 3 Jun 2008
Posted by Melinda under Sewing
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Can’t get away from Amy Butler! This is a dress I made for all the various summer weddings on our calendar. I’ll put a better photo up soon. This was taken on top of the California Academy of Sciences, where the rehearsal dinner was held. You can see the cool green roof domes in the background. The dinner’s theme was “casual tropical”, which we didn’t know until the day of, but luckily I never leave the house without a casual tropical outfit on hand.
Sat 10 May 2008
Posted by Melinda under Crafts, Sewing
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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.
