Craft*Suki

still no baby...

2010-04-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

I now know that if a doctor tells a pregnant lady "You'll definitely go early," what he's really doing is filling the space between the ultrasound and you writing the check for the co-pay with lies, lies, and more lies.

My sister is due in a week, and although we were warned there'd be an early baby, little Liam is showing no signs of leaving his ever-expanding home.

I decided to crochet the alphabet to pass the time, and because I coudn't find a pattern for lowercase letters in any of the usual haunts, I wrote everything down. That's right- I wrote a pattern!

I'm definitely nervous about having someone test it. Any volunteers?

Yarn Cozy

2010-04-01T14:26:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I get really overwhelmed looking into a bin full of different colored yarns of all different materials. And the idea of putting your hand into that - my goodness - softness overload!

So I like to cover each skein of yarn I acquire with a little yarn cozy. I use acrylic yarn - not just for the squeak factor - but also to ensure that moths won't eat them up. It's bad enough that they could eat all the yarn.

Today I covered this little ball of cotton cheapness.

Oh, boring beige - let's zoosh you up a bit.

To make your own cozy, grab an "I" hook and enough acrylic yarn to snuggly cover every skein in your stash. This coozie is worked in the round.

Ch 2
Row 1: work 10 dc in 2nd chain from hook
Row 2: 2 dc in each dc
Row 3: (dc, 2 dc in next dc) 10 times
Rows 4 - 9: dc in each dc
Row 10. sc2tog all the way around, fasten off.

Gently shove each ball of yarn into its new home.

Now doesn't that look great?

Oh, and one more thing - APRIL FOOLS!

While you're in the mood for jokes, take a moment to check out the Martha's joke reel or check out some cozies with irony from a 2008 craftster.org challenge.

5 'ings: Week of March 28

2010-03-29T13:43:00.000-05:00

Were you wondering what the hat JB made on the plane looks like all finished? Thought so.

Watching

A Serious Man (E)

Funny or Die - so addicted to free HBO (JB)

Listening to
Ohio County Gardener's Series Lecture "Useful Herbs from the World's Medicine Chest" (E)
Slate Culture Gabfest (JB)

Reading
Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods" (E)
Learning how to read a chart from Getting Purly with It (JB)

Drinking
Lucky Duck Shiraz - not too bad for Walmart wine (E)
Mango milkshakes w/ rum - yum (JB)

Eating
Milk's favorite cookie (E)
Morris's pizza - I have never seen a wood-paneled website before. Interesting. (JB)

Making
A compost pile from leaves I borrowed from some rich lady (E)
Crochet alphabet - hopefully more on that soon (JB)

Baby knitting and bad memories

2010-03-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

Is there anything more pointless than knitting clothes for babies? There's no way to anticipate their measurements, and unlike blankets, you can expect to see them using it maybe once or twice.

But knitted baby clothes are so cute!
I knitted up this hoodie a few years ago out of lush alpaca cotton...and I was so proud of myself. I happily delivered my masterpiece and prepared for the accolades. Immediately that baby's momma proclaimed her kiddo "would probably be allergic to it" and the hoodie was never seen again. If you happen to be drinking a 40 right now, please pour a little out for that lost sweater homie.

That still-annoying-to-this-day experience hasn't stopped me knitting for young 'uns, but it has taught me a few lessons.

For one, I don't knit for that kiddo anymore.

Also, I've moved on to pants, made from the easy, almost seamless Aubrey Doodlepants pattern.

And, instead of shilling out for alpaca, I used a cheap ($2.47) self-patterning Impeccable yarn. No one is allergic to acrylic (although some people claim to be) and bonus - it's super washable.

I also got mom's blessing on the pattern and the yarn patterning before I started. I cannot stress the importance of this step!

Hopefully this one will actually make it onto the baby, but even if it doesn't, at least I only spent a couple bucks. Now I have enough left to buy another 40.

5 'ings: Week of March 21

2010-03-21T13:12:00.002-05:00

Happy Spring, kiddos!

If you're small and on a search, I've got a feeder for you to perch on

Watching

Rick Bayless, Guac on the Wild Side (E)

True Blood reruns (JB)

Listening to
House Sparrows singing @ the bird feeder (E)
I Like Birds, the Eels (JB)

Reading
Free, Newly arrived Subscription to TIME (E)
Patty K (JB)

Drinking
Riunitte Lambrusco (E)
Diet Coke - you know, like I do every day (JB)

Eating
Oglebay made Sugar Maple Syrup @ the 2010 Oglebay Maple Sugaring Day (E)
Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Rods - their website has recipes? Has anyone ever cooked with pretzels? (JB)

Making
Finishing touches on seat cover for under the messy baby's car seat (E)
Baby pants (JB)

Dirt Ball

2010-03-19T20:00:00.008-05:00

I must admit, my baby is dirty. He likes to eat dirt. He likes to play in dirt. And most of all, he likes to kick around in dirt. And not only that, he also likes throw all things dirty.

And what is dirtier than toddler milk? Uck, nothing.

So after 14 months of rear-facing car seats. Papa removed said car seat to give the boy a better view.

Oh, the view. The view of 14 months of crackers, pretzels, grilled cheeses & dried milk. I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I went to Target. For $20 we could have purchased an Eddie Bauer seat cover. But, Mama don't buy much for $20.

So we came home, put the baby down for a nap. Pulled out some 5-year-old corduroy that I bought on sale in Johnstown. Beautiful stuff. Brown cord with old cars & trucks. For the backing I used the only bath towel that wasn't in the sleeping baby's closet. Cut them up. Sewed on a pocket. Vacuumed the car. And there we go.

The pictures are horrible, but just know that I am in love.

Did You?

2010-03-19T19:53:00.003-05:00

My craft for this week SHOULD have been to deface this lovely piece of Wild & Wonderful West Virginian "art." But alas, I thought annoying the bright yellow Hummer tailgating behind me by slowing to take this picture was what Judge Marilyn Millian would call "a little rough justice."

Hurry Up and Wait

2010-03-17T11:38:00.000-05:00

Last week my sister, my BIL, and I ran around the house packing hospital bags, folding baby clothes, and making sure everything was ready for the arrival of little Liam.

And now, we wait.

In the interim, I've been trying to keep busy.

I made some shortcake.

I made a new web banner (see above). E and I are fans, but we're very open to your comments.

And I made a Laurel Love Cocoon...unfortunately the intended model has not yet made an appearance, so we used the next best one.

Yep, it's a fit!

Melissa's pattern suggests bulky yarn and size 13 circular needles. But we all know I can't follow a pattern. I used just shy of 2 skeins of Peaches n Creme (in Sea Mist, in case you're wondering) and size 8 circulars. I cast on 70 instead of 40, and it's 8.25 inches wide (measured with my ribbon bracelet). Success!

Now, time for more waiting, and if I'm lucky later, maybe some Guinness.

5 'ings: Week of March 14

2010-03-13T09:06:00.005-06:00

Just FYI: Beware the ides of March.

WATCHING

Year One - just pushed play, I think I'm ready for bed...(E)

Martha Stewart and Amy Sedaris making gift scout badges and sashes for grown-ups (recorded from last Thursday's show). Martie, Amy, and I may be the only three people in the world who would want one. (JB)

LISTENING TO

Truckin' (E)

Real Time (JB)

READING

The National Audubon Wildflower Field Guide: Eastern Edition (E)
What to Expect When You're Expecting - not for me, for my sister (JB)

DRINKING

Gallo Merlot (E)
Yuengling Lager (JB)

screw off, Mrs. T's. I've got real pierogies.

EATING

Sunday Guacamole, yum (E)

Homemade Perogies at St. Barnabas Friday Fish Fry (the article is old, but the info's the same) - despite being in a church basement, the menu offers "Beer, 7&7s, or shots." Love it! (JB)

MAKING

Color Fabric/Quiet Book (E)

Laurel Love Cocoon - if I can find some bulky yarn around here (JB)

Measuring Tape Bracelet

2010-03-12T13:55:00.000-06:00

A while back I saw this ruler tattoo, and thought, as I have with every ruler I've ever seen, "I need that." I mean, how many times have I been at the store and thought "if only I had a ruler with me..." or on the bus wondering if this or that section of my knitting was long enough yet? So I told my loving BF that a forearm tattoo was in my future, and he got that look on his face. He didn't say no (he never does), but his hatred of tattoos, spending money, and the english measuring system were all there in his eyes.

I was still thinking about getting the ink when I saw a spool of ruler-print ribbon on clearance for 49 cents. (Cue angels singing.) A bracelet was born.

If you want one, you'll need a spool of a similar ribbon, some clear quilting thread, a needle, and two D-rings (the size will depend on your ribbon). Cheap, right?

You'll need to cut the ribbon an inch longer than the circumference of your wrist, half an inch on each side. My wrist is freakishly small (about 5.5 inches), but a ruler smaller than 6 inches is ever so useless. Seven inches (clipping at 11.5 inches and 6.5 inches so my bracelet would start at 0 and end at 6) did the trick.

Roll the ribbon down a quarter inch on the wrong side, then roll it over itself another quarter inch. Sandwich your D ring on the wrong side between this little nubby and the ruler and pin it for sewing. Repeat on the other side. You can use regular pins, but when hand sewing, I use safety pins to keep my fingers from looking like pin cushions.

See how the rings line up with the "start" and "end" of the tape to allow for precise measuring? Is this going to be perfect or what?

Then, we sew. You don't have to be a perfect hand sewer because you're using invisible thread, but try to keep things at least close to straight so your ruler is still useable.

After you're repeated the process on both side, you can just slip one D ring into the other and your bracelet is done. Because you don't thread the ribbon through the hooks, your ruler will stay straight and wrinkle free. Happy measuring!

How you like mo(nkey) now?

2010-03-10T20:33:00.003-06:00

I'd like my next sock monkey to have a "Mama" tattoo. According to D, "It's classic."

My Sister's Shower

2010-03-08T11:08:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I wonder if being crafty is a blessing or a curse - especially when I'm up at 3 a.m. poking a needle under my thumbnail for the fifth time in a row.

But say your sister is having her first little (well, maybe not so little) baby boy. And you, maybe under the influence of alcohol, offered to throw her a shower. Well, then you have no choice but to craft away!

Say she likes these sundae centerpieces, which in the dead of winter require $50 of carnations. If you're crafty, you can make some tissue paper flowers and know that when folks eat the candy below, it won't taste like wet leaves.

What if she likes these little hot chocolate cones? I bought all the supplies for 45 (three canisters of hot chocolate, two bags of marshmallows, two bags of mini chocolate chips, two packs of cone-shaped bags, a bag of clear rubber bands, and 45 red m&ms robbed from the bags we bought to fill the cootie catchers we put on each table) for about $25. I just had to find some willing accomplices...

See that smiling face? My BIL and sister actually enjoyed making them with me. And it went a LOT faster than I expected! Maybe because my sister said we couldn't have a beer until they were done.

But then there was the trouble with the cake. My sister's BFF Diana and I were set on a monkey cake to match the monkey themed baby room. But my sister's bakery of choice said all they could do was an edible paper printout of a monkey (ew). What to do? We ordered this Dora the Explorer cake, of course.

Well, without Dora, Diego, and Boots (it is pitiful that I know their names, isn't it?). I also begged them not to put an orange border on it. I took two monkey stickers from the back of the paper pack I bought for the cootie catchers, stuck them to some dark cardstock, cut them out, and taped them to some toothpicks. Add some palm trees and voila! Instant Jungle! Now please don't report me to Cakewrecks.

Now that I see them side by side, I'm not as enthusiastic about the spray job they did. And wouldn't you know that after I asked them not to do an orange border, they still did orange writing.

There were plenty of other crafty things out and about - Diana not only made the yummy cookies in the background, but also this stupendous diaper cake.

It was right in the middle of a little DIY project: we bought a kit at Michaels full of pins and baby clothes cutouts so folks can write thoughts for the baby or parents-to-be and then clip them to the clothesline. They wrote the sweetest things!

We also had a DIY sundae table - what could be better? I have never seen anyone turn down a sundae, so luckily I had a lot of help from quick-scooping E to get everyone fed. (It's true - E and I actually hang out every once in a while).

OK, that's enough baby shower talk. Now it's time to go through all the loot!

5 'ings: Week of March 7

2010-03-07T19:06:00.000-06:00

WATCHING
Word World I know, but I love it! (E)
Shows BF recorded for me (so I don't have to watch "the Real World" with my sister) through Orb (JB)

LISTENING TO

Giggling Baby (E)

Carolina Chocolate Drops (JB)

READING

The Johnstown Tribune Democrat (E)

Something's Hiding in Here (JB)

DRINKING

Twist Top Livingston Cellars Chianti (E)

Brooklyn EIPA (JB)

EATING

Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Shells - I made extras for all the new mother's in the neighborhood (E)

Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Shells - she also made some extra for me and brought it to my sister's shower. YUM! (JB)

MAKING
Loopy Ball & Blanket for DB's little baby Liam (E) - as you've seen here, they're already done and sitting in a place of honor in JB's sister's nursery
Composition Book Cover (JB)

DB & the BB

2010-03-05T21:25:00.003-06:00

Let's assume DB isn't spending the evening before her super-awesome baby shower checking JB's blog...

So, as long as she isn't looking, let me show you what I've made her little baby Liam.

You know, the usual: a taggy ball & blanket.

Hopefully, little baby Liam likes 'em!

Hasta manana Brizown.

Happy Crochet Month!

2010-03-01T16:08:00.000-06:00

Crochet Month is finally here! How are you going to celebrate?

A little flashback to front porch crocheting

If you're like E and have some "challenges" with learning to crochet, check out Lion Brand's Learn to Crochet info- and once you get it down, you can check out their cute little patterns (I know I'm not the only one who thinks they've come a long way lately)

If you want to see what other crocheters are making, head over to Pepperberry Crochet's Crochet Blogs List. (And while you're there, you should check out some of Pepperberry's cool projects including a very timely Shamrock tutorial.)

If you're a Ravelry member, you can hook up with the site's bustling crochet community.

And if you want some new books (and who doesn't?), here's a few I have or covet. And I'm always open to suggestions!

The Happy Hooker (and what's this I see? Stitch 'n Bitch Advanced is available for preorder?)
Super Stitches Crochet: Essential Techniques Plus a Dictionary of More Than 180 Stitch Patterns - This book makes me so happy. There is a chance that I bought this book more for colors then the content, but I use it all the time.
Amigurumi Two!: Crocheted Toys for Me and You and Baby Too
Uncommon Crochet: Twenty-Five Projects Made from Natural Yarns and Alternative Fibers (but I would probably crochet with non-alternative fibers...like cotton!)
Beyond-the-Square Crochet Motifs: 144 circles, hexagons, triangles, squares, and other unexpected shapes
Amigurumi!: Super Happy Crochet Cute - he's not on the cover, but there is a little deer in this book that is cuter than cute!

Don't forget to get some hooks this month - I'm thinking about getting a few Addi Turbos so I'll have a full set. OK, right now I only have a G hook, so maybe I need more than a few.

You can even sing along to Salt 'n Peppa while you crochet. All I can say is...wow.

Now you're well-equipped. Go forth and crochet!

5 'ings: Week of February 28

2010-02-28T19:22:00.000-06:00

from marthastewart.com - many thanks, Martie, for an awesome idea!

WATCHING

Cops If it's Saturday night, what else would I be doing? (E)

Temple Grandin - thank goodness for sister's HBO (JB)

LISTENING TO

An old mix tape I made JB entitled "So Long, It's been Good to Know Ya." (E)

If I was at home, I'd be listening to that mix tape, but for now it's Freakonomics Radio: Is America's Obesity Epidemic for Real? (JB)

READING

Martha's Craft of the Day (E)

Indexed (JB)

EATING

Fast food: this blog's baby model has been sick, and there's no time to cook (E)

Boca Burgers - it's what non-vegetarians make for vegetarians (JB)

DRINKING

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA - not available in Oklahoma, totally worth a trip up north (JB)

Carlo Rossi Merlot Jug

MAKING

Cushions for baby's new chairs (E)

Cootie Catcher/Fortune Tellers (pictured above) for my sister's shower. I'm sure there'll be other last-minute projects for it. (JB)

A Seat at the Table

2010-02-26T18:41:00.004-06:00

On the first bright sunny day in Wild & Wintry West Virginia since... well, since... a while, we decided to take full advantage & head to Ikea in Pittsburgh to buy the little man his own little table & chair.

Great success. But, well, it was awfully white.

So, after 3 snow days to consider my options, I decided to save some paint, use up a few fabric scraps & make a seat cushion. You noticed I didn't say cushionS? Yeah, with a $12 price tag, I didn't figure the baby could sit on two chairs at once... so I just bought one. I mean, one chair before I saw the cute little, and even more expensive Rattan chair on the top Ikea rack. So, technically, the kid has 2 chairs, they just don't match...

So, when the baby finally took his first nap of the week, I quickly pulled out the sewing machine & got to work.

I used some full-price white cotton fabric that I bought last summer with JB @ JoAnn Fabrics for the purpose of curtain-making-that-would-never-happen, to make a small pillow stuffed with fiberfill that JB left behind. And I used some wonderful blue dandelion fabric to make the cases. I'm in love.

So, I made a second cushion for the babe's Rattan chair.

And I still have just enough blue dandelion fabric left over to make another cushion, if I ever decide to buy another chair...

Hello, Dolly!

2010-02-26T12:13:00.000-06:00

Hanging out in PA is super fun...if you're a snowman. Last night I went to bed wearing flannel pants, a sweatshirt, and socks. I woke up thinking - this is the end - I'm going to freeze to death on an airmattress.

Why am I so darn cold? Reason 1 is that I didn't follow the BF's suggestion to put a cover on the airmattress before sleeping on it (yes, sleeping on air-filled plastic is as cold as you would imagine). Reason 2 is that this is the view from my bedroom window.

Quaint? Yes. Cozy? No.

When I got to the kitchen, I saw somebody else staring out at the white and drifted snow.

It was Becky! A friend from my college newspaper days.

I of course used a pattern - ha, just kidding. Her legs are full of PVC pellets so she'll stand up on her own, and I used safety eyes as arm joints so the arms will move.

In case you're wondering what Becky looks like for real, here's a little peek.

I know, cuter in person than out of yarn.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2010-02-25T14:59:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I left sunny Oklahoma (which was just on the cusp of spring) for Pennsylvania. I sat in front of a toddler I named "kicky" and behind another I affectionatly deemed "littler bawler." And besides the constant ear popping, it was a perfectly fine flight. Until I saw this out the window.

I haven't seen that much snow since...hmmm...I can't remember. All that frost inspired me to crochet a hat mid-flight with the Amazing yarn and G hook I got past security. Luckily I had pinned this cute little skully to my carry-on - it made for a good improvised stitch marker. I think I might leave it on the final hat.

When I finally landed and unpacked everything, I found one of those friendly "You're neon pink bag looked suspicious so we rifled through it then crushed everything inside so it would close again" tags. I'm sure they got a kick when they saw bags and bags of yarn.

5 'ings: Week of February 21

2010-02-20T20:02:00.005-06:00

This picture has nothing to do with anything in this post. It's just to make JB feel better about the fact that E went to Mardi Gras without her, AGAIN!

WATCHING
60 Minutes, A Peek Inside the Bloom Box (E)
Drunk History - if only the History Channel was like this (JB)

LISTENING TO
It Ain't Gonna Rain No More - Papa said I shouldn't sing so loud on the airplane (E)
Sound of Young America Interview with Biker Fox - brings back some Tulsa memories (JB)

READING
Wired, American Express (E)
Craft Fail (JB)

EATING
Zapp's Jalapeno Chips (E)
Blueberry Buckle (JB)

DRINKING
Red Diamond Merlot I found stashed in my checked baggage (E)
Samuel Adams Noble Pils - not enough hop for me, but since it's what's in the fridge (JB)

MAKING
Wine bottle bank for my newest niece. "Lottie's Loot." Just a little lame... (E)
Some version of Kendra's awesome knob covers - is this the best idea or what? (JB)

* All right, let's talk about the elephant in the virtual room - there are always more than 5 things on this list. I know I'm the only one amused by this, but I didn't want anyone to think we can't count here. Because we can. We just can't multiply.

Shame Spiral

2010-02-18T19:52:00.000-06:00

Shame Spiral n (via Urban Dictionary) A phenomenon that occurs when one is not only ashamed of something, but *ashamed* that one is ashamed, resulting in an endless decrease in self-confidence, and an exponential increase in self-loathing.

I am a total veteran when it comes to the Shame Spiral. Most spirals start with beer or end with candy and the very, very best do both.

The other night I was so very excited for the Make & Meaning liveblog on "free." Around 7 Central I poured myself a cold mug of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale (it is a very delicious "courage") and was ready to participate.

And then I hijacked the topic. I don't remember exactly why, but one of the hosts mentioned something about selling yourself, and I asked a question something like "What if you're insecure?" (keep in mind there is a transcript of the entire event, but I'm too deep in the spiral to look), and he responded "JB, Gather your forces." Totally what I needed to hear.

But then, OH MY GOD, people know I'm insecure. OH MY GOD, I am insecure. OH MY GOD, I hijacked this discussion.

I piped up on other topics, but gosh it's hard to make a valid point when you're trying to be pithy but feeling like a loser in front of the very gods of craft. You know that part in Kill Bill where she's trying to dig herself out of the grave with one little fist? That was me, and it was embarrassing. I felt like the subject of a universal eye roll. Please tell me I'm not the only one who's ever felt that way.

The great thing about a shame spiral is it can start out with something small and eventually manifest into "that's it, no crafts this week." I know I'll be over it soon, but until then, it's back to this bag of Sweetarts. And oh, can someone grab me another beer?

BTW - E just had another bday, and I'm never too ashamed to wish my bestie the very best!

5ings: Week of February 14

2010-02-16T09:32:00.005-06:00

As you'll see, E is off enjoying Mardi Gras eating King Cake and going to fun parades while JB is stuck in Oklahoma drinking Tequila. Someone is getting the better end of this week's stick.

WATCHING

The Spanish Town Parade Roll down North Street (E)

Creative Juice: Bridal Favors in hopes of finding a favor for my sister's baby shower (JB)

LISTENING TO

Red Stick Ramblers (E)
Jordan, Jesse GO! Episode 124 (JB)

READING

The Times-Picayune Parade Guide (E)

Re-Creative, 50 projects for turning found items into contemporary design (JB)

DRINKING

A Hurricane @ Pat O'Briens on Bourbon Street (E)
Margaritas with Tarantula Azul Tequila - they're on special this week (JB)

EATING

Eggplant Parm @ Sammy's (E)

Green Curry @ Thai Cafe (JB)

MAKING

Some amazing first memories for my baby; "Throw me something Mister!" (E)

A Becky Doll (JB)

Seriously?

2010-02-11T16:33:00.000-06:00

Dear Caron:
I know that Simply Soft is a bargain yarn. I realize it's machine spun and wound. I've also seen some annoying yarn blips (like weird knots, tied ends, and chunks of wool) in yarns from many different companies. But this?

This is ridiculous.

Caught banana-handed

2010-02-10T13:29:00.000-06:00

I just finished a little crochet banana using a pattern from Amigurumi Paradise. Its for my soon-to-be-here nephew, Liam (remember when babies were named after they were born?) to match the monkey hat I finished last month.

I put the banana in a plastic bag and snuck it and a camera to the local grocery store for a quick pic among the "real bananas." I tried to be covert because there was a stockman on the other side filling in some bare spots.

I made two mistakes:
1. I left the flash on, which said "hey everyone, look at me! I'm doing something questionable in the store!"
2. I left the memory card at home. The camera was quite angry about this and started beeping. Effect? See above.

So, no picture and the banana man came over to check things out. I grabbed my little fake and a bunch of reals and scurried off. This pic is from my kitchen counter, where weird stunts are expected.

Valentines? I'm still stuck on Christmas.

2010-02-09T14:37:00.000-06:00

I found these naughty little reindeer hanging out in my parking lot. Do they know it's not Christmas time at all?

Rudy, Cocoa, Junior, Eddie, and JoJo

I promise to stop making Christmas stuff now - honest! I just have so much love for this pattern and the resulting little dumplings.

Bite my shiny, metal...

2010-02-08T13:37:00.000-06:00

As Valentine's Day approaches, all I hear is "my guy doesn't like anything I crochet for him" or "my guy doesn't like anything I sew for him" or "my guy doesn't like anything I cook for him."

The last one is easiest to fix, by the way: it's called "take-out."

But the other two aren't that hard either. It all depends on what you make. For example, BF cannot stop squealing (seriously) over the Bender I crocheted for him thanks to this pattern by Soph Viklund (Ravelery members - check out the army of robots here).

BF and I disagreed how the visor should look, so instead of sewing it to the head, I just made the eyballs a little bigger and the visor a little smaller so tension would hold it on. Don't ask me by how much because that all depends on what hook & yarn you're using. Just experiment a little - it's fun.

Bender with anger eyes (BF's favorite)

Bender with other eyes (my favorite)

To welcome Bender to our little home, I crocheted him up a cigar and a beer (guinness-inspired colors) thanks to this pattern from kimberblog!. Well, here's how I found him this morning - with a still lit cigar! Tisk, tisk Bender.

World's cutest Saints fan

2010-02-07T21:18:00.008-06:00

Why so sad, little man? Our Saints just won the Super Bowl, and you look awesome in that hand-stenciled shirt!

5 'ings: Week of February 7

2010-02-07T00:36:00.024-06:00

WATCHING

UP: as a matter of fact, I added all of the Oscar Nominees to the Netflix que (E)
The Sarah Silverman Program (JB)

LISTENING TO
Raffi: Everything Grows (E)
TBTL: Too Beautiful to Live (JB)

READING
Wired, In Praise of Obscurity by Clive Thompson (E)
1960's Fashion Print - freshly checked out from my local library (JB)

DRINKING
Box of Franzia Burgundy - not a big fan, but it was cheaper than our usual jug (E)
Smithwicks (JB)

MAKING
Baby wear his Who Dat shirt for the Super Bowl (E)
Definitely more reindeer (JB)

Who Dat?

2010-02-06T09:18:00.008-06:00

Who Dat? Who Dat? Who Dat say de gonna beat dem Saints?

Superbowl prep has begun. Hastened by some Mardi Gras Mambo & the surprise purchase of plane tickets back home for... that's right, Mardi Gras!

There must be a direct link between Louisiana and my craft thumb. Or maybe it is my need to create a new costume for each last minute adventure.

Do you remember the pre-protest craft fest, JB? That one got us on the front of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette!

Anyway, pulled out the contact paper last night & cut out Zander's new Fleur de lis.

And this morning Iwashed & dried Z's latest hand-me-down grey T-shirt.

Got out the acrylic paint & paint medium. Mixed it up 2-1. Dabbed it on.

And, Who Dat? I couldnt wait for the babes to wake up from his nap to snap his picture in his new Super Bowl get-up... maybe tomorrow!

If only the husband had remembered to print the awesome & free diaper bag pattern on Amber Dusick's blog... I'd have something new for the trip too! Maybe next week...

Movers & Sleepers

2010-02-04T10:03:00.006-06:00

So, does rearranging furniture count as crafting, or just a strenuous past time? Although Baby Zander had the perfect nursery, which he didn't sleep in for the first few months of his life, he needed change.

I mean, he's one. A toddler. And it's winter. In Wild & Wonderful West Virginia. This requires some homemade excitement. Which for Mama, means moving furniture.

I guess the impetus for change was the installation of a new (well, a post-consumer NYC sidewalk) baby gate at the top of the stairs. Now the babe has free reign of the second floor. And his cute little nursery was no longer just going to be a place for early morning pooping and late night pleading.

So we moved JB & Stretch's bed over to Zander's nursery and brought the crib & rocker over to JB's more spacious East Coast Craft Command. Now only our visitors will be wakened by the midnight howlers & greeted by the neighbor's Wild & Wonderful poop piles... Forget that last part. Our new guest room is so inviting & color coordinated, you'll sleep like a baby!

Alexander loves it! He loves his new closet so much, and his cat even more, that he decided to lock the cat in the closet. Technically, Zander just closed the closet door. But since the doorknob is broken and the cat was inside, I had to call for technical support... It's probably a bad idea to have broken door knobs in the baby's room. I'll have to put the engineer to work on that...

Well, I can hear the babe waking up happy from his morning nap, so I guess he likes it too!

So, JB, when ya coming to visit? Can I suggest you come before the spring thaw or bring some insense?

Everywhere a sign

2010-02-03T21:11:00.005-06:00

Look what I saw on my walk today.

How cool - a poem about knitting - men knitting! from isreads.com

I saw a few poems taped up at intersections - right by the walk/don't walk sign so folks have something to read while they're waiting for the light to turn. Nice idea, eh?

Also on my little walk, I saw this sign and thought, as a rule of thumb, if there's snow on the ground, I don't want shaved ice.

Wrong Holiday

2010-02-02T10:55:00.000-06:00

Although there are some awesome groundhog crafts I could make, I don't think Phil, who has doomed us all to more winter, deserves it.

Nope, I'm going back to Christmas.

This 4 inch tall tree was requested by the BF's boss for a friend that collects Christmas trees...even in February? I took the picture just before the storm hit. I've been meaning to take some pictures in the snow, but it's too cold out there, and I'm a wimp. Please don't hold that against me.

The pattern is improvised - It's a thin cone shape (just 2 increases per row), but at random points I did 3 sc in the front loop, and on the next row, I just did one sc in the back loop. It makes for some cute little fluffs, eh? The cranberries are just felted balls. For the popcorn, I rolled 3 felt balls (1 larger than the other 2), stopping just before they were dry. Then I dipped them together into the hot water and rolled them until they were dry. A little tedious, but I can't imagine crocheting something that small.

Next - reindeer?

PS: OK, OK - I have to honor Groundhog Day just a little. And I agree, this groundhog must be stopped.

Baby it's cold outside

2010-02-01T12:12:00.005-06:00

But the back seat couldn't get any cozier!

The fabric was 60% off seasonal clearance @ JoAnn Fabrics. The orange is so snuggly, I wish I would have gotten more!

5 'ings: Week of February 1

2010-02-01T10:16:00.008-06:00

We're also HOPING that groundhog doesn't let us down again this year. Come on, Phil, I'm sick of snow!

Watching
Frontline: The Persuaders (E)
Important Things with Demetri Martin (JB)

Listening to
the cat eating Prozac (E)
CraftyPod #108: A Podcast About Free (JB)

Reading
The Web Way to Learn a Language (E)
The Tortured Artist Myth (JB)

Eating

Vocelli's Pizza - again (E)
Domino's Pizza - they deliver, and although their new pizza isn't as awesome as they proclaim, it is cheaper and more tasty (JB)

Drinking
Crane Lake Merlot, 2007 (E)
Water - all we have until the car starts or it's warm enough to walk to the grocery store (JB)

Making
A fleece carseat blanket for the babe
Maybe Bender? (JB)

Mama Tried

2010-02-01T09:20:00.009-06:00

"My mama tried to raise me better, her pleading I denied..." OK, she wore me down.

Years ago (living in Louisiana, while the hub was away on "business") I made my mama a little pink change purse. Those were the days. Home alone with a box of wine and a portable sewing machine. And my love, the Hobby Lobby just up College Drive. But I digress.

When I was home for Christmas, my mama put on a big smile & told me how every time she opened her purse & saw that bright, happy change purse, she thought of me & smiled. I'm not sure the smile is directly related to the thought of me, or married to the money hidden inside...

She talked about how it was lined with a satiny white material with a delicate, soft feel; she didn't mention the shiny round coins clinking below the zipper though...

I'm pretty sure my mother doesn't need another zipper purse, but she asked for one anyway. No matter the size, she said, whatever size zipper I have in stock will be fine. With such a vague request, I'd bet granny's trying to motivate my craft a little more than house her pennies.

But, I aim to please. I had a 22 inch zipper, but I didn't think my mama had a purse big enough for that much change, so luckily, I found a repurposed 1o inch-ish jean zipper.

And I had a little bit of pretty brown/pink clearance fabric left over from the swaddling blanket I made for Baby Green.
And Voila. Happy Granny.

Helpful Hints: Felting

2010-01-29T23:56:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking for a while - I should felt something. Long ago I tried to felt an eyeball pillow that I crocheted from worsted weight yarn with an F hook. What did I expect to happen? I was practically felted with all that tiny anger stitching (but the resulting pillow was super cute).

I thought I'd give it another try and do some tiny felt beads to use with an amigurumi project. Wanna felt? Here's what you'll need:

Wool roving - This pack, which included red and orange, was $1.99, plus I had a 40% off coupon. There's something about inexpensive crafting that just...oh I don't know...makes it possible for my little family to eat on a daily basis?

Water - This means you can't felt on the moon. Sorry! Here I have one container of hot soapy water and one of cold water (which I never used). Warning - I went back and forth putting the hot water in the microwave to keep it conducive to felting. Toward the end of the day, when the water was running pretty low, I thew it in the microwave, pushed some buttons, and walked away. In just a minute and a half, the microwave door burst open and hot water flew everywhere. Water is dangerous. I don't even drink it anymore (unless there's hops in it).

Alcohol - I find that when I'm bored, alcohol can transform anything into a super fun drinking game. Burned my hand with soap water - drink! Almost exploded an expensive appliance -drink! Said "I think I'm no longer allergic to wool" three seconds before sneezing - drink! Finished 120 tiny felt balls (yep, I made that many)- chug! This pink cup is filled with diet coke and orange vodka. Yum and yum.

The process: It's this easy - take a few wisps of wool (mixing colors if you want, but I didn't want to) dip it in the hot water, and roll it around in your hand until it's dry. Use any technique you learned from playing with playdough in kindergarten. If it's not quite shrunk and round yet, give it another dunk. When it looks perfect (or later in the day - good enough) lay it on a towel to dry. Done! Now all you need is a needle and thread to string these guys up.

What did I use mine for? You'll just have to wait and see.

Lend a Hand

2010-01-27T14:08:00.000-06:00

I sent my hand to The Sick Chick today. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Head over to her website to find out how you can lend a hand. While you're glueing and cutting, you can listen to an interview with Juliann on Craftypod.

Have $10? Then you have chili!

2010-01-26T18:55:00.000-06:00

Isn't it so hard these days to make a proper warm, delicious, and healthy(ish) dinner that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? This is a take on the bean soup I've reciped here earlier, but it needs no spices (other than a little salt and pepper, if you have it) or expensive ingredients. All the heat comes from those inexpensive little chipoltes. Yum and yum.

What, you don't believe me that it's $10? You're right; it was $10.15.

$.78 Can Black Beans

$.82 Can Kidney Beans

$1.24 Large Can Tomatoes

$1.86 2 Green Peppers

$1.59 1/2 lb mushrooms (and yes, it is cheaper to buy loose cremini instead of packaged button)

$.40 2 small onions (from a 3lb bag of 12 - the cheapest way to buy onions)

$1.18 small can chipotles in adobo

$2.28 block of cheddar cheese (or buy less at the deli case)

In a large pot, saute the chopped onions, peppers, and mushrooms in just a touch of whatever fat you have on hand (if you have a nonstick pot, cooking spray is probably enough - otherwise use a few teaspoons of olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter). Dump in the tomatoes and beans when the veggies are cooked through. Chop the chipotles and put in as many as you think you can stand - and don't forget the juice (aka adobo). I put in all but two chiles and probably a teaspoon of adobo (I saved that for veggie burgers). But please, if you haven't used them before, taste as you go. And if you add too many, go buy another can of tomatoes or add a can of beer or stock. Now turn the heat to low and simmer at least 30 minutes or until you are hungry.

The smoky, spicy flavor can't be beat, and all you'll need is a few grind of pepper and sprinkles of salt to make it perfecto.

Oh yeah, and some shredded cheese. And probably a cup of iced tea - did I mention it's spicy?

Got one more buck and want to feed more folks?

Serve your chili over cooked macaroni or spaghetti
Stir in some cooked rice after everything has been added
Bake some cornbread - if you have regular baking supplies, just grab a canister of cornmeal is a dollar, or you can buy a Jiffy Cornbread Mix for way less than that.

I think I'll go have some now.

5 'ings: Week of January 24

2010-01-26T13:09:00.000-06:00

This week we're going to do a combined list - and two days late. I guess the most depressing day of the year really got to us!

Watching
Wednesday's Oprah: Food 101 with Michael Pollan

Listening to
Mother Popcorn - James Brown - Not only because it's an awesome song or because "Brown" is a cool last name, but it's also related to an upcoming project.

Reading
Sew Liberated Blog - how can we resist cute sewing and cute babies?
Eating
Gardner's Peanut Brittle -the best ever!

Drinking
Diet Coke and Orange Vodka - better than you would expect

Making
Marvin the Paranoid Robot - movie, not tv, version

Have a great week, all!
(If you have an 'ing you want to suggest, leave us a comment or drop an email to craftsuki-at-gmail.com.)

Momentous Occasion: My First Heel!

2010-01-21T00:20:00.003-06:00

I am currently singing a song I wrote myself (maybe inspired by Pants on the Ground?) to celebrate turning my first heel! Kids, I'm on my way to my first sock. Awesome-O!

Want to sing along? Just FYI, all songs I sing are to the tune of Iron Man.

Ready? : I turned my first heel - do do do do do do do - doo doo doo.

OK, maybe it's time for a little sleep?

5 'ings: Week of January 17

2010-01-17T20:25:00.001-06:00

For a while now, you could find a little snapshot of what we were up to for the coming week in the sidebar. Unfortunately that means every week, we lose what we were into the week before. Hopefully posting it here will keep us from repeating ourselves and also give you an opportunity to see everything we are/were/will be into just by following the "5ings" tag. And maybe it will help serve as an alibi in any upcoming court cases ("No officer, I didn't rob that store of all their International Coffee...as you can see from my blog, I'm not even into that this week.")

Watching
The History of God (E)
Tosh.0 (JB)

Listening to
Playing for Change (E)
Knitpod Episode 23 (JB)

Reading
When Fear Turns Graphic - NYT (E)
Making a Great Blog - on sale this week! (JB)

Eating
Frozen Pizza with broccoli, crumbles & fake chicken (E)
Cheapo Chili and cornbread -recipe on the way (JB)

Drinking
Shiner Hefeweizen (E)
Sierra Nevada Torpedo - again! (JB)

Making
my husband work (E)
Felt cranberries (JB)

(And if you have an 'ing you want to suggest, leave us a comment or drop an email to craftsuki-at-gmail.com.)

Three Little Holes

2010-01-13T11:21:00.000-06:00

Ugh, my favorite hoodie, which I've had for years upon years (E -didn't you try to steal it?), developed three tiny little holes. I thought, I'm crafty, I can fix this. I remembered seeing a tutorial on fixing this very thing, but instead of looking it up...I just started cutting.

My brain kept saying "measure twice, cut once." But three cuts later (two free-hand hearts and one stenciled star) I have this little beauty. And I had the good sense to look up the tutorial by the insanely awesome Sister Diane at the also awesome Craft Stylish. The BF is modeling here - can you tell he's happy from the way his shoulder are hunched (maybe he realized the star is crooked)? But you also get a shot of the awesome Home Sweet Home sign E made for me the first time I moved to Oklahoma.

Also this week, I bought 50 skeins of yarn for $42. My defense - it is my favorite yarn and it was on clearance, and I had a coupon, and...shoot, that's all I can think of. I'm so excited to jump into it!

And last, but not at all least, finished another Calorimetry. Yes, I said the previous one was the last one, but that was before the loving postal service lost it! Ugh! It's probably a soaking wet ball of wool now stuck between late letters to Santa. Tear!

This one is Rowan Wool Cotton (leftovers from gloves for BF and Leanna's sweater) and has little pink vintage buttons. I'm almost glad me mum is getting this one, because I like it so much more than the black one. Maybe I'll keep it a little while, just to prevent the Postal Service from losing it. Yeah, that's a good reason.

Another Man's Baby

2010-01-12T13:10:00.005-06:00

Technically, the baby belongs to a totally different family. I can't take credit for everything, no matter have adorable it turns out!

I bought the fabric for a fleece loopy ball & blanket and a summer swaddling blanket last fall off the JoAnn Fabric's clearance rack. I made a bucket-full of loopies last year while I was prego, and since my babe loves 'em, they all should!

After a last minute dinner invite @ the expecting couple's house last Saturday, I couldn't put the crafting off any longer. So while my Russian busied himself with Netflix, I cut, pinned & sewed the babe's nap away.

I was super-happy with the colorful blanket. So happy I figured I'd iron the loops & the seams. Something I never do. And that I will never do again. Someone should put a label on that fleece, letting sleep-deprived Mamas know that it burns. Easily. Cause it does. Errr.

But, anyway everything was a big hit. Especially the monkey JB stitched up for the baby girl.

If only the motivation will keep rollin'. I dreamt up an awesome glass-etching baby bank idea last night...

Mistakes were made

2010-01-08T16:08:00.000-06:00

I saw a recipe for caramel pudding on Smitten Kitchen and thought "this is a thing I can do." By now I should know that uttering those words almost guarantees failure.

I have made pudding before, many times, from scratch and in various flavors. How much harder could this one be? Unfortunately it includes my nemesis caramel - favorite flavor for the boyfriend, potential fire hazard for me. I pulled the caramel early because I feared burning it, and the result is a slightly thickened product most akin to sweetened condensed milk (which I guess is exactly what this is). Crazy sweet, but I imagine with a little fresh whipped cream, potentially tasty.

Check out what I discovered while I was making it - same color as my favorite International Coffee...I think I might be on to something. (By the way, the pudding did get darker - but nothing like the caramel-colored goodness SK had).

And it looks like my bread's resisting the urge to rise - maybe because it's 18 degrees out?

On to other failures,

BTW - shout out to E's baby boy, who turned 1 today! Wish I was there to say Happy Birthday! Does he like pudding?

It's Amazing!

2010-01-06T13:33:00.000-06:00

I hate to sound like an infomercial for anything that doesn't bare the name "International Coffee" but oh...my...god.

BF and I had to make a run to another town to pick up a monitor (at one point he actually called this a "convenience" - still confused about that), and when we finally got home, I saw the UPS truck near our building. I threw on my shoes and screamed "That's my yarn!" The UPS guy handed it over, and I threw the box at the boyfriend and said "get this open." I think I had a case of hunger anger.

It's Lion Brand Yarn "Amazing" - cute, yeah?  And quite soft for someone like me who finds wool to be the itchiest stuff on earth (it's half acrylic/half wool).  I bought it with the end of the year free shipping, and instead of picking one colorway, I decided on one of each. I have to do some more plotting to decide what exactly it all will be. I am just so squealy happy to get a more Noro look without the itching and the spending.

Also amazing? I finished a blanket already this year!  Just a little ripple action for my friend Alyssa, who has already snuggled with it.  This is one repeat - I couldn't lay it out on the bed last night for a proper pic before I packed it up because somebody in this house thinks night time is for sleeping. Whatever.

CCCP

2010-01-05T13:46:00.005-06:00

The baby Russian is finally official; he's wearing his colors on his sleeve. Thanks JB!

Did I mention how popular Russian citizenship was on Christmas morning? All the kids were wearing it!

Now if JB would only get on to some baby making, I could make a "bible belt" for her little one:)

New year, same old...

2010-01-01T13:24:00.000-06:00

I finished a few things last night but wasn't able to show you because we were running out the door for our New Year's pajama party. Unfortunately, there was tequila.

For our kind host who just had her gallbladder removed, a little reminder of what she lost. I thought this variegation said "I am a putrid organ that needs to be removed," but she said her surgeon let her know it was actually pinkish tan. Eh, better luck next time. The bell is because it's a Christmas ornament, and the hanger is recycled from a pack of socks. Seemed like a good idea at the time. She asked for a knitted organ every year for Christmas, and luckily this pattern provides for just such a tradition: http://www.strangebuttrewe.com/GIpattern.htm.

And this year I get to meet my nephew, Liam, who will be done cooking in April. The first version looked like this - unfortunately, instead of reading the pattern, I was paying attention to Extract. What a boring movie and sad looking monkey hat.

Extract-free (at last!) I read and then modified the directions to get even bigger ears...but I sewed them too close to the top of his head. Oh well, guess it'll be a teddybear hat.

Made my resolution for the year - I'm going to lose 10 pounds. BF said he is going to gain 8. I'm sure you can see where this is going.

Helpful Hints: Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T13:22:00.000-06:00

Yes, your head will feel like it's been beaten by hail, but wasn't it worth it?

New Years comes but once a year, so it's important to plan before you step out the door

1. Get Your Story Straight: Whether you're heading out to a party or a random bar, it's important to have a prepared statement ready. This year has been full of crap, right? I mean, you're unemployed, your kid's been sick all year, you made someone cry with a crafted item (that might have been last year, but moving on). Tonight is the night to be upbeat and spin your story like you're on the O'Reilly Factor. Something good happened this year, right? You didn't kill anybody, right? Right? Oh good. And hey, if you're not going to see your usual crowd, no reason you can't change your name, age, and occupation for the night. E and I used to go by "Mathilda" and "Venetta." I can't remember our occupation - too much drinking. Which brings me to my next point...

2. Start drinking NOW! You've already done all your thinking for the night - time to do all your drinking. The key is to go out in a group or with your SO who has been watching you drink and cares deeply about your well-being. When they're ready to go, they'll realize there is no way you can be the designated driver. And you'll get carried everywhere. Some may see this as selfish, but gosh, you can be selfless next year. (And never drink and drive. The more you know )

3. Do Not Call Your Family: And most importantly, do not hang out with your family. Didn't you just do that for Christmas? Remember how "fun" that was? You want to spend the most reflective day of the year with folks who remind you of your faults with spiteful regularity? Better to hang out with bartenders - people you pay give the best comforting hugs

4. Have a Glass of Water: Oh no, you're that crying lump in the corner, aren't you? Keep an eye on your driver and start downing some water. No need to burden others with your trouble - just wallow a little and rehydrate. Then wipe up that mascara and start planning for next year.

5. Make Resolutions Wisely: If you have loving friends like mine, they will remind you of those well-meaning resolutions you made once you start to fail (around January 3). Don't be like me (for a lot of reasons). Step 1 would have been a good time to get this together, but if not, go with "Lose 10 pounds." Nothing too hard to do, and nothing too hard to lie about. Then, have a little salt. Have a couple cookies. Have a couple pizzas. When you weigh in tomorrow morning, you can mark down that inflated number with pride, knowing full well you're going to keep that resolution. If that fails (or if you suspect seeing that number tomorrow will induce crying, wailing, and lipo) try a resolution you can't help but keep: "This year, I resolve to buy more yarn, drink more beer, and type more long and rambling blog posts." Ah, done and done.

Baby Torture

2009-12-29T07:41:00.004-06:00

JB insisted I publically post my Christmastime Baby Torture. I mean, it is pretty funny!

Christmas Dinner

2009-12-28T19:40:00.003-06:00

What's a Holiday Dinner without some Holiday music? (This may help you better understand my family...)

	Cheech & Chong - Santa Claus And His Old Lady .mp3

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Some families have a Christmas Ham. Others a Turkey with all the dressings.

For my family, Christmas is more like a short order holiday. The men-folk like steak. The nursing mother likes milk/soy/wheat/gluten/taste-free spaghetti. The kiddos like ice cream cones. The baby peas.

And this year my mama found what looked like a delicious spinach lasagna recipe for the meat-free crowd. Me.

On paper, the recipe couldn't be beat. On the table.... let's just say my otherwise fabulous-cook-of-a-mother has prepared tastier butter toast. Mean? She's the one who said she wanted to throw the whole pan away!

Anyway. I say anyway about as much as I say "Like."

But anyway. I packed the leftovers up & brought them back to my test kitchen in the hills.

And with a chop, chop here, and a bag of mixed vegetables there. And of course enough garlic & red pepper to make the neighbors think I'd been cooking all day, dinner was served. But this time my mama's spinach lasagna resembled something more like a pasta & vegetable bake and tasted like JB had come to town for a visit.

That said, JB, when can we expect you for dinner?

Bye Bye Christmas!

2009-12-27T22:34:00.000-06:00

Despite the awesomeness of our turducken, I thought I would serve the BF a warm meal without a face for Christmas. He wanted ham, but what he got was Morning Star chick'n nuggets. You win some, you lose some. I made a loaf of bread the night before for the stuffing - there are few things worse than taking a perfectly good loaf of bread and cutting it into tiny bits for even more cooking.

Christmas Dinner was followed up with a little drinky drink. A couple years ago, BF's sister and I made some delicious cranberry sauce, and during the cooking phase, skimmed off a little juice and mixed it with vodka. Voila! Jello-free Jello shots! They were so yum that I tried to replicate them this year with BF, and although they looked super cool, I think I waited too long to skim. Just a wee bit too tart and too solid. Eh, but who lets alcohol go to waste?

I never got to the "Ira is the Reason for the Season" cross-stitch (I really like This American Life), but I did finish a dolly - this is BF's sister-in-law, Leanna. She has wavy hair, which I tried to replicate by pulling apart wool yarn into strands (after threading it through the head - I'm not a masochist). It looked like my hair does in the morning, a little fluffy for a gift. But I gave it a little rinse with some soak (had a sample from the Loopy Ewe) and it laid down quite nicely. I even had enough soak left to wash the BF's fingerless mitts, which looked like, well, a boy had been wearing them. Everything is crocheted except the sweater because knit sweaters are cool, and Rowan Wool Cotton + Bamboo Needles is so slippy awesome, I couldn't resist.

Hope you had an awesome holiday and that E will post a pic of her baby boy wearing his homemade gift. Mostly so I can see his cuteness again. I miss the little dumpling!

Making a stressless life even more relaxing

2009-12-23T03:23:00.006-06:00

This year's Christmas preparations are extremely unstressful. I think that people realize we are on the verge of poverty and unable to get into some serious gift exchange. Everything we have sent or made has been...believe it or not...fun! We've sent cookies and personalized coats and bought pounds of candy (BF does not understand that sugar is the reason for the season. Whatever). I do miss seeing everyone, but last year on our Nationwide Christmas Tour (don't be confused - it wasn't sponsored by Nationwide, it was just really far) we spent almost 10 straight hours in traffic. No drinks. No bathrooms. Just sitting in a car trying our best not to start the "I think we should see other people" speech.

Flashback - sitting in traffic this time last year trying not to think of running water, waterfalls, dripping facets, etc.

Ah, that memory doesn't even stress me out. Why? Because like many women of a certain age, I am now enjoying International Coffees. Although I've sworn off corn syrup and partially-hyrogenated soybean death (sorry, that's what we call it when we're label-scanning at the grocery store), I make an exception for sweet coffee drinks. I like to think I'm saving money because I'm not going to Starbucks every day. Not that I ever did that, either. I thought I was really smart because instead of all water, I make it with half milk/half water. But I didn't even know they have recipes. I think they are using the word "recipe" very losely.

Now all I need is some Calgon. And an alcohol infused version of that recipe list.

Eye + Skull = Happy Jenny

2009-12-21T23:38:00.000-06:00

My awesome friend Alli buys things that fit into two categories - strange and handmade. I just received a package from her that included an inflatable fruit cake (seen here in a bread pan we added for authenticity) .

I love the corn plant trying to sneak in: "I'm a Christmas tree too, honest!"

She also sent a rocking knit skeleton. I could not be happier with the little skeleton pin, and it inspired me to make a pin for Alli, who has a thing for eyeballs. I pinned it to one of my new business cards (yippee!) for street cred.

Will we ever get all the lights up? Probably around January.

I have two more crafts I'd like to get done by Christmas, but I'm not putting any pressure on myself. Christmas isn't for worrying - it's for eating.

Jenny's got a gun

2009-12-19T00:36:00.000-06:00

Before you get scared, it's just a cookie gun. I've wanted one ever since the first time I had my first spritz cookie with some very sweet and milky tea. Ah, youth. I feel like my mom told me these were hard to make, or my inner-pessimist did (they sound identical!) Anyway, $10 at Target and I was equipped to make the cookies of my childhood.

There were a few missteps (did you know you're supposed to make a tube of dough and just set it in there, not cram it tight with the back of a spoon? Also, if you don't have the plunger knob facing the right direction, it will shut your cookie factory down?). Amazing how much faster things went after we read the directions. BF was in charge of sprinkles because I had developed quite a trigger finger and refused to surrender my weapon. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

And look, not too shabby eh? They were just now cool enough to package up. One container is for friends who are just lucky enough to see us tomorrow. The others are off to a special someone who has no proper oven for baking. I think she'll be glad it wasn't too hard.

Yep, more Christmas stuff

2009-12-16T23:53:00.000-06:00

I'm following my own advice and eating as many cookies as possible this season, starting with mexican wedding cookies, my absolute favorite.

A normal person would probably put them in air-tight containers to preserve them for as long as possible, right? Yeah, we just plopped them in front of the TV with some tea and watched a little Winter Wonderland.

Hmm...is that a chart for letters? What will that be used for?

Once I finished the secret project that can't be named until after Christmas, I made this little Gingee from a Lion Brand pattern. Unfortunately, he and Ruddy the Reindeer are wrapped up and headed off to BF's boss and division secretary. I miss them already.

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

2009-12-15T16:43:00.000-06:00

A long, long time ago, before Al Gore invented the internet, little kids were forced to watch all their videos on this thing called "television." And if you were lucky enough to live in Western PA, you got to watch three stop-motion videos during commercial breaks at Christmas time. But behold, YouTube was born, and now I can watch them again and pretend I'm just a little dumpling looking forward to an Easy Bake Oven under the Christmas tree.

And one recent memory - this is the Soulja Boy Snowman. I am blessed to know this guy, and now I share the blessing with you.

Black Bean Soup!

2009-12-13T18:38:00.000-06:00

I'm not really a "recipe" person. I'm more a "process" person. I don't make things the same way twice and am known to throw in whatever's heading past its prime in crisper drawer. But my black bean soup, patterned after something I had at Lone Star about 9 years ago, is usually the same quick mix of a few ingredients.

As you can tell by the bowl scraping evidence, this is serving 2.

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped - as in life, color doesn't matter

5 garlic cloves (I also add in 1 tsp garlic powder. I really like garlic)

1 8 oz container of mushrooms, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 jalepeno, chopped (and seeded, if you want)

2 tbsp chili powder (more or less depending on your taste)

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp of steak seasoning (if you have it)

1 can of black beans

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes

about 1/2 cup of liquid (vegetable broth, water, half a beer, whatever)

1/2 cup cooked rice

salt & pepper to taste

cheddar cheese & sour cream to garnish

Process

1. Place oil in your favorite soup pot and saute onions over medium heat until they begin to soften (a few minutes).

2. Add garlic (I know this seems backwards, but it keeps it from burning) and saute about 1 minutes more

3. Add mushrooms and cook a few minutes until they stop looking like the raw toppings on Papa John's pizzas.

4. Add peppers and continue cooking until they just start to soften

5. Add jalepeno and seasonings. Seasonings are just a guide, of course, so use your own good sense. But yes, I use 2 tablespoons, not 2 teaspoons of chili powder. (BTW, this is when I start cooking the rice. Oh, and if you want to do this with a slow cooker, here the point to transfer it there.)

6. Send in the cans: dump in the beans, tomatoes, and liquid of your choice (I usually use the beer, but all we had today was Fruli, which would have been more than disgusting). Stir and stir and turn the heat to low and if you like it, then you better put a lid on it.

7. When your rice is done, or about 45 minutes of simmering later, stir the rice into the soup. You can continue to cook as long as you like, but right now, it's ready. Slather with sour cream and cheese. Yum!

Success and Failure

2009-12-08T04:08:00.001-06:00

I can't say, so far, whether my life is a success or a failure, but I know what my craft life has been so far. Let me illustrate:

This is an example of failure for a number of reasons. 1. It's blurry. 2. It's in my bathroom. 3. I'm falling out of the picture, and not in a cool "Rule of Thirds" sort of way 4. I spent 3 days on that cowl that is now a ball of yarn. Oh, there are tears, and there are a lot of them. It just looked so stupid. Ugh.

OK, and now for some success? I have to say I contribute any crochet success to my new Addi Turbo crochet hook. Did I know that there were Addi's beyond knitting needles? No. Am I overjoyed with my one (!) F hook? Hell yeah! Don't you doubt I'll have a full set soon.

Check out putting that F-er (hee hee) to good use on this little turtle baby I've named Hardrock.

He is blurry, but I love him so and I always will.

Sadly, I had to put down the F hook and use an inferior D (no ergonomic handle? What am I - a barbarian?) and crochet up a little scarflet. This is from a ball of Paton FX, which is just the coolest yarn. And check out those buttons - they're from a $14 bag of "vintage" (read: clearance) buttons I bought at the local craft mall. I couldn't resist because they were all still on the card.

Yes, I used my birthday gift certificate to buy a styrofoam head. How could I not?

That's enough for one night. Now I need to succeed at sleeping.

Christmas Cuteness

2009-12-07T17:57:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry, but there is nothing cute than this little reindeer (http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80971AD.html?noImages=) and this little tree (http://www.marthastewart.com/article/magazine-christmas-trees ). And that's all I'm going to say about that.

BTW - Unlike Martha, I like my magazine trees to look like magazines (This one's Popular Mechanics).

Last one, I swear

2009-12-03T05:45:00.000-06:00

This, children, is my last calorimetry for a while. Even though E said she needs two more with some "slight" tweaks. I guess headbands are the new monkey?

My mom hits the Flickr pool every once in a while and thought E's headband was a "sweater" - a pretty scandalous one, I suppose, but she swears it looked huge because of the crop. Hopefully this one throws her off as well. She wanted black to match her coat. I tried to tell her that if you have a black coat, you should have a crazy headband, but what do I know? I try to wear as many colors as possible on any given day. I did throw in a vintage button, though, because it added a color (ooh! cream!)

E, your Brooklyn trip is cracking me up! You are, as always, the queen of deals and deserve the mantra WWED. Of course you owe me nothing for the monkeys - just seeing that little dumpling cuddled up is all I need. Gosh, how did you make such a super cute baby?

My Favorite Holiday is Garbage Day

2009-12-02T15:03:00.010-06:00

Back in the povertous (pre-bed bug) AmeriCorps days, JB & I inherited a mattress. It had a few previous owners before we had our way with it. We left our mark, by way of our names in black Sharpie, before we passed it on to a Hippie's uncle. I remember thinking how cool it was that one mattress had so many lives before it would ultimately meet it's landfill fate.

Although that wasn't the start of our craft, I think it was the start of our love affair with crafty-repurposing.

Lately I've put a little more emphasis on the reusing/repurposing than the crafting. Someday the babe will find the sewing machine pedal less intriguing & I'll switch back, but until then, WWED.

We spent Thanksgiving eating beans, caviar & cutletta and chugging wine in Brooklyn'd with the fam. (And dreaming about JB's Turduckin.)

Of course, the babe didn't want to take part in the late-night (9pm) debauchery, but he was all too willing to wake the whole building pre-dawn. In an attempt to let the world sleep, we spent a lot of time strolling the ethnically fresh-off-the-boat Russian neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay.

The first day I spotted a pile of desirables in a fenced "yard," down the block. The second day I mentioned to my MIL what a great pile of trash that was. And on the third day, while my Russian was driving us to the grocery store I shrieked with delight, which my Russian interpreted as "we're about to die." It was a JB, bridge, highway, hat-over-eyes kind of moment.

Anyway, the pile had been moved out onto Whitehall street. It would be mine. I stole the keys from the man & left him @ the grocery & drove back to the "scene of the crime" (thanks Arlo). Made a right on red and threw the flashers on in front of a hydrant. Then proceeded to drag my Black Friday treasures toward my little Toyota Prius "Micro Bus." Not even close.

So I called my MIL in hopes that she would send papa up the block to carry it back to the apartment. No luck. So I headed back to the grocery for the help of the hubby; well, for the hubby. The man loves the booty, but is embarrassed by the mission. Anyway, he dropped me off at the pile, and pointed out (hiding in the drivers seat) some additional treasures that I had missed.

Did I mention that the NYC Sanitation truck turned down the street while we were scoping out our prize? Well, they did.

So I took the Little Tikes Castle under one arm and my new Graco Baby Swing under the other & walked back to the apartment.

(Notice the silver spray paint on the "just off the street" picture? Well, D scrubbed all the paint, washed the potting soil off & drilled some drainage holes. I'd say he made up for sending me to carry it home:).

We did manage to fit a First Years Double Easel in the trunk.

Oh, happy day!

And did I tell you how I spent Cyper Monday? Pulling two The First Years Gates out of another garbage pile! D & I ordered 2 of these gates last month from Walmart (Ugh) for a total of $112; unfortunately, we threw the boxes away last week:(.

Moral of the story? "You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant. 'Cepting Alice."What kind of Thanksgiving would it be without a little Trash Talk.

Who counts calories when there's a monkey on your back?

2009-12-02T14:10:00.003-06:00

Well Brownie, since you asked... I absolutely LOVE my new calorimeter ear muffs. They've added to my homeless hippie look, so I'm pretty sure the Wheeling Junior League won't be calling anytime soon. Of course, that's not entirely due to my spiffy new do-rag.

The cranky babe loves it too; which is great, cause it's taken some of his attention off of my oh-so-vulnerable glasses.

Baby Boris is also in love with his new, improved & poop-free sock monkey.

I was thinking of cutting the head off of the original, dryer-deformed monkey & sending it back to you. But I guess that would be mean:).

Don't worry, I'll pay you for all these lovelies, and the present monkey. The check is in the mail...

Covet thy neighbor's book tours

2009-12-02T03:27:00.000-06:00

This is link heavy, picture light. My camera still thinks that turning on, opening the shutter, and flashing are optional activities, and since no awesome camera deals were found on Black Friday, I'm learning to live without.

Right now there is so much covetous, I don't know what to do with myself. First, I found out that Susan B. Anderson will be doing a book signing at Tulsa's best LYS. It's where I took my only knitting class - felt like a total loser the entire time. The teacher was great, but we were supposed to bring scrap yarn, and I brought - perish the thought - sugar 'n cream. And I brought all my knitting needles - secured with a rubberband - and they were all metal! (E, I know this means nothing to you, but go with me). Knitters seem to be big into the spendy, but I like my grandma's hand-me-downs just fine, thanks. Unfortunately, my grandma didn't have double-pointed needles, so my super awesome Crystal Palace dpns are necessary, right? (Looking for this link, I saw that Crystal Palace has crochet hooks? Damn it. Now I have to go hide my wallet.)

I'm so sad, because SBA's new book looks deluxe, but I'm ever so broke and don't think I can afford a) gas b) buying the book c) the yarn binge that will surely follow. Ugh. I am learning the hard way that making things and saying "just pay me when you get a chance" is sort of like saying "No worries - I love ramen!" Suck.

But - in happy free news - I learned about this event from craftsanity.com. I'd like to say, for legal and personal reasons, that Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood has never given me any kickbacks to talk about her podcast. But how can I not be attracted to a show run by a former journalist named Jennifer who quit her job to do craft full time. Do you think there's any chance she would hire me to do some Oklahoma investigative reporting? She is such a sweet mix of reporter and craft lover - I just can't help loving her podcast.

Other coveting - LBY's new Amazing yarn. I keep calling it Awesome in my mind, which I think they probably considered. The colors are so great for the price. Please, yarn gods, hear my prayer - carry this stuff at Hobby Lobby so I can get a 40% discount!

Oy, it's babble city here. Hey E, why don't you chime in about why you don't like your calorimetry?

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-11-28T19:02:00.000-06:00

Today is my 25th birthday. What? You've done the math and realize I'm a lot older? No, you must be mistaken. I am 25 again, I mean, for the first time. Oh darn, I absolutely suck at lying.

I have two birthday traditions:

1. I always give at least one other person a present. This year it was another Starling bag for Alyssa. It was black/purple/and lilac with an awesome flowered lining. You'd like to see a picture? Sorry, even though I should have documented my first lining experience, I completely forgot until it was out the door. A was so happy with it, she bought us beer and pizza. Yippee!

2. I always buy myself a present. Having a birthday around Thanksgiving means you'll often get lost in the shuffle, so I make sure I get at least one gift a year by buying it myself. I got this awesome spoon ring for $10 (?!?!) at the local craft mall (more on that later), and of course I needed Craft, Inc., at least to get the dreaming under control. The picture sucks, but forgive me, tis my birthday.

Now, time to celebrate with some Frulis!

Happy Thanksgiving (with vegetarian turducken)

2009-11-26T17:18:00.000-06:00

For more people, Thankgiving is an opportunity to share a meal with family and friends. For me, it is a chance to be very, very weird.

I don't know how I got it in my head, but on the way back from the BF's family's early Thanksgiving celebration on Sunday, I dreamt of a vegetarian turducken (you know, a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey with stuffing and guilt baked in). So, stuffing was a given. And tofu seemed only fit. But I think it really started taking shape in my mind when I thought of butternut - in season, turkey shaped, ready to be scooped out...

So I roasted the butternut and filled it's seed hole with tofu (marinated w/ soy sauce and orange juice). Here's the unused. loney half.

I cooked the stuffing in a round pan (can you tell I have an entire set of blue pyrex?) and pushed down the center so there'd be a perfect place to shove in some mashed potatoes. Time to invert...

STUCK!

Yep, buttering the dish and/or loosening the stuffing before this advanced maneuver would have been awesome.

The potatoes stuck but the stuffing needed to be assauled. (BTW, see the green beans cooling in the corner? Was it really smart to get them out before all this?)

SUCCESS! Oh, except the back part that crumbled a bit.

But you can't even see it in this shot (check out the green pepper eyes and seed tongue)

Yep, the gravy cooled into a nice blob, but check out those strata.

And hey, Madden, bet your turducken doesn't look this good inside!

OK, that was too many pictures, but thanks for sticking in there. And HAPPY THANKSGIVING! What am I thankful for? BFs who don't mind a little playing on Thanksgiving, crafts, and awesome friends like E. Oh, and candy.

Helpful Hints: How to Gain More Weight During the Holidays

2009-11-24T02:44:00.000-06:00

Scanning for internet patterns, as long as the example photo includes the colors red, green, blue, or white, counts as a holiday activity, and thus, deserves a holiday snack.

Today I got an email from a dear friend that included lower-calorie versions of my Thanksgiving favorites. I think this email misses an important point: calories are what make things delicious. There is no time like the winter holidays to eat the most delicious food our country has to offer. Ten months of the year we're eating slop, and in Tulsa, anything that does not involve an oven because humans were not meant to endure that much heat. We're left with two measley months to fit in all the cookies and candies and baked deliciousness passed down for generations, and you want me to eat low calorie? Sorry, but momma's gonna pack on some fat for the winter.

Below, some helpful hints to ensure you get enough holiday calories into your system before it's back to Snackwells and Hamburger Helper.

1. Shop early for prepackaged treats - not my proudest moment, but the other night I begged the BF to shuffle me from store to store searching for Almond Crescents, the Christmas-only Keebler cookie. Damn you, elves. I ended up having to substitute Wedding Cake cookies, which taste a lot like the discontinued Archway Cashew Nougats (RIP). But there is more than just cookies - go to Starbucks and get some overpriced peppermint latte with whole milk in one of those festive red cups. Buy some Peanut Butter M&Ms with those little tree pictures on them - they're already out. I mean, why wait to get chunky? If you were hit by a sleigh tomorrow, would you be big enough to be burried in your holiday-themed fat pants?

2. Eat holiday foods any time you're engaging in a holiday activity - Everyone has eggnog and cookies while trimming the tree, and even your point-counting friends won't bat an eye. The key here is to take on more holiday activites, providing more noshing opportunities. Shopping of all kinds: online, in person, and window are all good reasons to have another fudge-covered Oreo. But also include: time spent researching holiday crafts, holiday crafting, and talking on the phone to family and friends. If commericals want me to think that talking to my mom on the phone is more special because it's the holidays, then damn it, it's a holiday activity. Please also note that all above activites should include coffee or eggnog, and that those drinks should be spiked depending on the number of family members present.

3. Add treats to everyday foods - the other night I put chocolate chips in my coffee. Why? Probably because we had them (a bonus lesson here - stock up on everything and open all those packages so you're not stopped by the guilt of thinking someone will know you were in the so-and-so). It was yummy, and next time, I might add some whipped cream. A month from now, each cup of coffee will look less like a drink and more like a sundae.

4. Make crafts with food - Why do you think your goofy coworkers give you cookie trays? Because they want you to be happy, or because they know you won't count to be sure they are 12, not 11, cookies on the tray? Last year bf and I crafted 25 chocolate-filled advent calendars, and we made sure the kids got all our favorites. We had to go back to the store a few times because no matter how many times I multiplied 25 x 25, we kept running out of candy. Hmmm...

5. Hit clearance sales to extend your heft into next year - Sure, you'll feel bad January 1 and vow to lose all the weight, but come January 8, you'll be off the wagon and needing some candy. Clearance candy makes you feel good on two levels - you're so thrifty and you're so diabetic. Wait, that first one only makes you feel good on the way to a coma. Curses.

That's all for now. May your holidays be filled with fat and guilt for you and yours!

REDRUM YEKNOM

2009-11-20T22:02:00.000-06:00

This is my second monkey for E. But there was something wrong - I just couldn't stand the head. Too small, too wobbly, too much pink. Since the body was knit top down and the head was sewed on, there was no way to save the body without severing the head. And so, I considered the unthinkable.

But don't worry - I had already added Ms. Monkey to the transplant list. Right quick a new, disproportional head was knitted up and attached. The patient is resting comfortably on a ball of yarn. You can see the color is already returning to her lips.

However, I have more bad news. Maybe Ms. Monkey was feeling a little too cocky, what with that new big head and all. Maybe in her weakened state was was easily convinced by Mr. Monkey and Little Monkey (our house mascot) to take on the Munny. All I know is whoever instigated, someone forgot Munny has a (matching!) bat. Oy vey!

And that, children, is Friday night at my house.

Calorimetry: headband and homicide prevention device

2009-11-19T21:23:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know it is wrong, but I am really considering some knitwear homicide. To keep myself from committing a murder I may later regret, I thought I'd knit up another calorimetry for one of my favorite crafters (you'll never guess who!). That did get my mind off things for a little while...

But now, calorimetry is finished (in some grey, clearance sockease) and I'm still plotting. Be prepared for pics of the heinous crime coming soon!

How many pizza's can one family eat?

2009-11-16T20:15:00.001-06:00

So, although there are only two of us, I refuse to halve Mark Bittman's pizza dough recipe despite knowing it makes tons and tons of dough. I mean, enough for four freaking pizzas.

And although I have rolled a million pizzas before, they still look like they were made with a Salvador Dali brand cookie cutter set. I know Martha says to turn the dough after each roll, but once you get to pizza size, that is so annoying. Plus, I still don't have a pizza peel or any non-flammable pizza transportation unit, so usely drape it over my arms and mishape it even more.

There's another pizza that has two ears like a puppy, but I am entirely too embarrassed to post it. I mean, what if Martha is watching?

OK, time to watch Lie to Me and drift into a cheese-induced coma. The BF suggested we have milkshakes later - where are we going to put them?

What, Me Knit?

2009-11-16T15:00:00.000-06:00

This little monkey is 100% knitted. Yep, E said she wanted a toy that wouldn't leak stuffing the way crocheted ones sometimes do, and I said, OK. I just converted my usual crochet monkey into a knit version, although this one doesn't have the same round bottom, so he can't sit up. Don't worry monkey, having a rounded bottom isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Oh, and I tried Cluster Stuff instead of the regular, and it really is better and not just more expensive. (here's a link to some http://www.susaglenndesigns.com/Cluster_Stuff_p/83.htm but I bought mine at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon.)

So, bet you can't find a single bit of crochet on him...wait, nevermind. Stop looking!

How to Use Patterns Ineffectively

2009-11-15T04:55:00.000-06:00

one of many pattern-free seat-of-my-pants projects. This set fit for about two days before he grew out of it.

As many of you know, the interwebs are full of interesting patterns that you can use free of charge for any project you might have in mind. Some of these things would never have been in my mind if it wasn't for the internet, and for that, my therapist is thankful.

So, say you want to start a new project. Maybe your BFF asked you to make some monkey toys, and even though you've made many, many monkeys, you feel like it's time to find a proper, cuter pattern that better fits her expectations. Ready? Let's go!

1. Spend as many hours as possible looking up patterns: spending hours on ravelry.com is a given. If you are not already a member, you're probably wondering what to do with all that abundant free time. The hours you are using finishing projects, tending to family members, working, and eating could be better spent reading about the knit and crochet items spotted in the most recent episode of "True Blood." Children, this is why Al Gore invented the internet. Oh yeah, and when you're done with that, look for a pattern. I actually found one on oneprettything.com, an awesome site that features so many DIY projects, patterns, and articles that you will wish you'd refilled that high school scrip for Ritalin.

2. Shop for supplies: There's no point in looking - there is nothing in your house that will work for this project. Whether you're shopping online or at your local craft store, spend as much time as possible agonizing over what would be best. Then pick the worst possible match of all present choices. And don't even consider the recommended yarn, yarn weight, or notions. They stifle your creativity.

3. Read some of the pattern: The key is not to read all of it - another creativity stifler. Today I spent hours trying to do just one repeat of a simple mouth section before I realized a) I was trying to make 1 in the English method, but I'm a Continental knitter, and these things are not compatible and b) I didn't notice that there was only three m1 in the entire round, not a m1 every other stitch. After throwing the ball of yarn (accidentally) into a potted plant, I saw that much of it could not be saved. Repeat step 2.

4. Say (Expletive of your choice): Why did you even try to follow a pattern? You can't even follow a recipe. Or the instructions to Monopoly (admit that you never knew how to get hotels). Just go freeform and do whatever you want. The end result will suck, but if anyone makes fun of it, say you were "fighting the man" or "fighting for democracy" or whatever your tshirt says.

That's the end of today's helpful hints. I think I need more coffee!

Eddie Munny

2009-11-11T04:56:00.001-06:00

Is Eddie a horrible name? I'm taking other suggestions...

This is my first mini-munny. The BF brought him back from his trip to Phoenix, and I was just in love. How did he know that a pink dolly I could dress up would be a perfect gift? I'm sure it's not the years of living together.

I really wanted to paint him up like the crazy talented munny artist, but I have committment issues. Instead, I used a little glitter and glue in case I wanted to scrub him clean and start again, but mostly, because I like glitter.

And of course he needed a crochet hat (from Lion Brand Sockease scraps) and a little sweater (from leftover Paton Silk Bamboo). I'm still working on making him a small crochet hook. I forsee some chopstick refashioning in my future.

Glitter and Regret

2009-11-10T04:54:00.000-06:00

So, me, my living room, and everything I own has at least one tiny speck of glitter on it. I don't know why I think this time things will be different - this time I will keep the glitter contained on this too-small mailer that fell from O magazine. At least it's black? That should blend well with general dirt.

What's the final product of all this glitter? Well, you'll have to wait until it dries. While you're waiting, why not head over to the completely inappropriate regretsy.com and see some crafts that should never have been made? I'm searching now to see if any of my stuff made it.

Now, on to more monkey making!

Second Butterfly Hat for Sarah

2009-11-03T20:44:00.001-06:00

Second Butterfly Hat for Sarah
Originally uploaded by craft*suki

E said I have an unrealistic idea of how big people's heads are...this may be true. But this is my second go for Sarah's hat. It fits me, so let's hope it fits her.

Ouch!

2009-11-01T13:50:00.000-06:00

Full disclosure: I knew that foam at Jo-ann's was expensive. I did not know E was trying to make so very many blocks. I think E's next baby will be named "Ed" or "Joe." Ha! But they are the absolute cutest - and yes - the stray string was the first thing I noticed ...that's the editor in me! See if you can pick out some mistakes in the orange/black/red mess below.

I've been working like a mad woman on OSU stuff for the games in town. Luckily I sell these goodies to someone who tries to sell them at the game. Adding a middleman means I don't have to sit outside the stadium for hours on end with increasingly intoxicated children. Last night these little dumplings drank in my apartment parking lot and chanted "Halloween" at an early a.m. hour. What, exactly, is the point of chanting Halloween? Can I expect "Veterans Day! Veterans Day!" in a few weeks?

But onto the ouch - there is a good chance I will have a claw by the time I'm 31. OK, maybe that is an exaggeration, but I think the fear of not finishing things added some stress to my fast-moving fingers. I've given them a rest (except for this super therapeutic typing) yesterday and today, but I'm back on the wagon tomorrow - maybe making something for Ms. E and friends?

Block Heads

2009-10-28T14:53:00.000-05:00

Magazines are the best medicine for my sleep-deprived creative slump. They tell me everything the little munchkin has to have to fit in... in... in to his swine flu induced solitude. I rip out the page. Fold it up on the high shelf where the little monkey won't eat it. And whenever there is an un-characteristically long nap... snap, craftin' with no brain power required.

I want my baby to be super-smart, and since JB left town, I figured I'd have to help shape his little mind. So, I figured I'd make some puzzle-type animal blocks that spelled out the babe's name...

Do you know how long that nap would have been to make enough 6" x 6" blocks to spell out that oh, so long Russian name? I fear the worst when kindergarten rolls around...

Anyway, so I skipped the letters & just made some puzzle blocks. I used some of the left over flannel that JB left for just such a project, and made up my own little safari animal patterns.

And, yes, my darling, that is a string hanging from the corner. How would anyone know I made it if it didn't have thread hanging all over the place?

I was going to stuff the little creatures with fiber fill... but the lumps, oh the lumps. I almost just threw them down to the basement for JB to finish next time (if ever) she comes back. And then I headed to JoAnn's to check out the foam... And at $57/yard, I again figured they were headed to OK.

But after a 50% off coupon & some remnant haggling, and I got enough foam to make at least a dozen blocks...

If only nap season begins... Gotta go, I think he just woke up...

Where has all the sunshine gone?

2009-10-20T20:44:00.001-05:00

Little Hats and Scarves
Originally uploaded by craft*suki

To start - E, you are a stupendous cook! I love, love, LOVE apple crisp, and yours looked delicious. And I miss your jam ever so - do you think that stuff will ship? I'm probably going to whip up some applesauce tomorrow. Do you think it goes with halushki?

It's been so darn cold here...I already turned on the heat. Of course, I do this only when Stretch is asleep because there is some unspoken man code that icicles must be forming somewhere in the house before the official start of heating season. Thank goodness I crocheted blankets this summer! E's sister, knowing that snow was just around the corner, asked me to make scarves for her two little dumplings and in utero dumpling. I found the "Olivia's Butterfly" pattern using Ravelry, my lord and savior, and used different hook sizes in hopes they'd fit three very different sized noggins. I fully expect to get them back, ready for alternations, but no worries.

Bake, baby, bake!

2009-10-19T15:22:00.000-05:00

I couldn't pass up the opportunity yesterday to skip church, pawn the munch off on his daddy & bake my day away.

The German girl gave me her bread machine a few years back, when she moved on to the Netherlands. She brought her adorable baby daughter to visit last weekend, and mentioned that, "By the way," when she sets up house here in the USA again, she'll want the old crust-cooker back... So, I figured you never know which loaf will be your last and I mixed up an egg bread to go with our morning beverages.

After a slice or two with peanut butter & homemade Peach Preserves (locally picked), I moved onto the baby sauce.

By the time the baby sauce had the house smelling sweet, I had already pulled out the crusty Betty Crocker & sliced up some apples for Apple Crisp (www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/apple-crisp).

It was at this point that I realized that my trusty red Betty has seen better days. If you want to cook something spectacular, you have to consult with Maid Martha. So I ran Betty's apple crisp over to the neighbors & started fresh under Martha's direction (www.marthastewart.com/recipe/apple-crisp).

Great Success. Papa said that it was so much better than Bettys. This makes mama happy!

After one Martha-induced complement, who wouldn't go for a second? Pumpkin Pie it is.

Again I turned to Martha, who suggested I make Pate Brisee; the french version of the classic American pie dough (www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pate-brisee-pie-dough?). This dough is super-easy to make. However, I do not suggest using a hand mixer, in lieu of the suggested food processor. This substitution may increase your cleanup time...

Although Martha suggested sweet local pumpkins, I had a can of pumpkin pie mix that I substituted, and Papa thought this turned out scrumdiddilyumpcious. Martha's pie filling recipe was also a cinch! (http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=6ea8759a3ac0f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true)

My baby needs sauce.

2009-10-19T14:10:00.000-05:00

It's Harvest time in the North East! While Baby A & I were in Carlisle a few weeks ago our friends from the East Dennis Oyster Farm (www.dennisoysters.com) picked a bag of the biggest apples I've ever seen from the Hollabaugh Brothers Orchard (www.hollabaughbros.com) in Central PA. I was originally going to make Papa some apple pie, but I thought our little vegetarian might need some apple sauce more!

The Applesauce recipe came from an old Betty Crocker Cookbook that my mama gave to me when I was in college. It's given us many delicious meals over the years... and now some sauce!

The Recipe:

4 Medium Cooking Apples 1/4tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 C Water 1/8tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 C Packed Brown Sugar

Peel, core & cut each apple into fourths.

Heat apples & water to boiling in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low.

Simmer uncovered 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up apples, until tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Unfortunately, our little monkey doesn't take after anyone on my side of the family; He doesn't seem to like sweets! I know, shocking!

So I had to mix the applesauce with some jazz-less vegetables & farina, and we had great success!

Baby Brown

2009-10-05T14:23:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry, but just plain pink hats for baby girls is so overdone, wouldn't you say? And then you want them to wear pink clothes with their pink hats? You're teaching them fashion faux pas, ladies.

Last week, someone answered my sister's craig's list ad and bought her changing table. They said it was for a single mommy-to-be down the street who was having some trouble affording everything baby needed. My sister asked me to make a few things for the little lady in need, and I thought this was a cute trio. What do you think?

I see I still have some fuzz picking to do on the toy. God, I hate fiberfill!

My first pumpkin pie!

2009-10-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

OK, OK, so I've made pumpkin pies before - but they were always just eh. Sometimes they didn't set. Sometimes they tasted like mush. But they always started w/ a can of pumpkin. But today at the farmer's market they had the cutest little pumpkins, and that's when I began plotting their murder, roasting, and pieing.

I chopped the little bugger open to find about 30 odd seeds. Are you kidding me? I roasted them up anyway as the pumpkin was cooking - BF had never had them before because his family is not Halloweeny. I thought they were delicious, but he was not as enthused. The pie was a different story - he gobbled down the first piece and went back for another (with ice cream. Ah, to be a boy...).

And yes, I realize this is the ugliest pie every made. My crust was a little warmer then I would have liked when I rolled it out, but it was getting late and I was ready to be done with it all. And in the goopy rush, I didn't get it pushed all the way to the top, and I thoroughly underestimated the amount of room needed for all that filling. But eh, who cares? I call this one a delicious success regardless.

Calorimetry!

2009-10-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

I like to wait about 3 years from the time a knitty pattern comes out until I knit it up. That way i can be sure it's out of style!

In case you're curious - yep, that's a poster of house surrounded by pill bottles behind me. Duh, that's how you decorate a bathroom.

Orange you glad there are so many oranges?

2009-10-01T19:09:00.000-05:00

Oy vey - I've been tasked with doing a little OSU crocheting. Seems easy, right? Orange and black - how hard can that be? Well, if you'd ever been in Stillwater, you would see a see of orange, and each shirt, building, bench, glass, et al is a different shade of orange. Even the OSU website is fifty shades of pumpkin, tangerine, or orange cream.

What's a girl to do? After hours of research, I randomly clicked on an orange swatch, put in my credit card info, and decided to never think of it again. Well, at least not until the yarn gets here. Make it soon, please make it soon!

The Facebook Charity Project returns with a "steering wheel cover kit"

2009-09-30T15:33:00.000-05:00

Another facebook request from my cousin who needed a pink steering wheel cover and thought the best way to communicate that to me was commenting on my facebook status. Thanks social media!

I found a pattern at http://raesofsunshine.blogspot.com/2009/03/steering-wheel-covers.html using my best friend, Ravelry. Because we live in seperate states, I researched her wheel width, realized it was similar to that of the BF's car, and knitted a strip that, if worse came to worse, would fit BF's wheel (I can just see him cruising around in his mid-life-crisis-mobile with a pretty pink cover). I mailed it off with enough yarn to sew it to the wheel (I almost sent a needle, but imagined a variety of injuries that could result from that). And look what she did - see, I'm inspiring others to craft!

Cake Excuses

2009-09-30T02:56:00.000-05:00

Oy vey - as is usual w/ a J&E project, this blog is being sorely neglected. But I have excuses, like, hold on, I'll think of one. Oh yeah - I'm crocheting samples for a local company that sells to sorority girls. I didn't even know companies like that existed, but I am ever so thankful for the opportunity. What are these samples of? Sorry - who takes pictures of things before they sell them and turn them over? Huh? Everyone? Oh well, I forgot.
In between stitches, I'm making many, many soups. Even though it's still in the 70s here, there's something in my Northerner DNA that says October is for soup. I'm also watching way too much TV and saw that the Office wedding will be next Thursday. BF said I could make a wedding cake and we could eat it during the show. Really, I will look for any excuse to eat cake.

Speaking of, this weekend is the Sugar Arts Show in Tulsa, OK. When I was younger, I would watch the specials on TV and dream of the day I could go. It has so been worth a few close-up sightings of Kerry Vincent and her magnificent headband. Maybe I'll get some ideas for next week's cake.

Grape Ape

2009-09-15T22:37:00.000-05:00

I wish I could stop making monkeys, but there's something about them. Maybe the fact that people keep asking me to make them? Do you think when I do my taxes this year, I can write "Monkey Maker" in the occupation blank instead of "Unemployed"?

This one is for E - to give away to a friend's baby. That is, if you like him, E, even though he's your least favorite color. But purple is good for boy or girl babies, right?

It's official - I'm starting a Facebook Charity Project

2009-09-07T01:11:00.000-05:00

Poor Amanda had all her towels stolen from her apartment's laundry. I felt bad and made her a towel with her name on it - OK, I didn't make the towel, I just added the name. But won't that be embarassing for the little robber next time? Can't you just see him with a stocking over his head, toweling off with this girlie "Amanda" towel? Hopefully he doesn't look too closely at the stitching - this was my first try at such a thing, and it was so-so.

So who is Amanda? Another facebook friend. And so it's on: The official: the "Facebook Charity Project" begings. I learned about Amanda's predicament through her facebook status, same way I found out about another friend's separation from her husband (look below for the resulting monkey present). It just seems like the perfect way to determine who gets presents.

Wanna join in? Feel free to tag your Flickr photos "facebookcharity" so we can see what you're doing. But don't feel pressured or anything - I'll still do it regardless.

Friends in Need

2009-09-06T19:33:00.000-05:00

Facebook is evil - I'm not going to dispute that. But don't all of us appreciate the opportunity to reconnect with some of the people from our childhood - you know, the ones that didn't call you "Duck Girl" or .

Well, I found one friend from my hometown who is currently going through a seperation with two little kiddos in tow. Poor thing. I thought, she needs something handmade. Is a monkey the most appropriate gift? No. Is it what I sent? Yes.

Here's the ugly little thing. I'm holding out hope that she likes it!

BTW, E - what an absolutely beautiful liner! This is a remnant from my kitchen curtain - yes, I like bold curtains. For anyone crushing on that fabric, it's Amy Butler that I bought in a quilt shop in Sand Springs, OK. What a find, eh?

Sack Suki

2009-09-06T17:06:00.001-05:00

Although JB had a crafty West Virginian summer, I got very little crafting accomplished. Actually, I did a bit of de-crafting.

After a nasty baby-related incident, I had to put Zander's Monkey through the wash. Unfortunately, he jumped from the sanitize cycle much worse for wear. Of course, Zander still loves him!

But today, after a lovely hike around a moss-green lake, the babe took a 2 hour nap, the hub was out building a garage and I pulled out my sewing machine. JB sacrificed her sleep the night before she left WV & stitched up a stupendous sack for herself. I loved it so much, she left it behind. The best purse ever has been pathetically hanging on the basement door ever since she left, waiting for a liner. Because Queen Brown forbid me from carrying it until it had a liner.

Today, it got a liner.

I believe JB found the crochet pattern @ the Future Girl Craft Blog, http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2008/8/no-time-for-love-dr-jones.aspx.

And I definitely found the liner pattern there. I used to hate pattern sewing, and to a certain extend I like to think I still do. But with time limits & baby-induced insomnia, patterns are the best thing that ever happened to me! http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2008/1/tutorial-sew-lining-for-crocheted-bag.aspx.

The fabric came from JB's private stash. I can only dream of finding fabric this fine on the clearance rack!

Craft Glut

2009-09-02T02:00:00.000-05:00

I just bought the fabric yesterday and posted pics of it today, but it's already pillows.

Today the boyfriend asked me to hover while he worked on a project, just in case my Adobe skills would come in handy. He doesn't realize he knows more than I do - I just am willing to keep trying until something works. Hopefully this is enough for him to keep me around for a while.

Anyway, hovering is way boring, so to keep myself occupied, I cut up the fabric and sewed up some pillows using forms I bought on clearance long ago when a local craft store was going out of business. They are so soft and cute.

As of five minutes ago, I also finished up a couple christmas presents for my sister. OK, they're not for her, they're for her to give away. But she asked, and so, she shall receive. (In case you're curious, the purple scarf for her mother-in-law is one of my favorite stitch patterns worked in Patons Silk Bamboo, the heart scarf for a 1-year-old friend of the family is made from this Bella Dia pattern and sewn together with invisible thread, and the matching toddler hat is this pattern I found on Ravelry and have no been able to find since.)

It's like a little family portrait, isn't it? So cute, and more importantly, so done!

Craft Walk

2009-09-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

With an FO under my belt, it was time for more acquisition. I decided to do some wondering around my new hometown yesterday, and despite getting lost and the offer of a ride from some super creepy dude, it was fun. Especially because I found a funky quilt shop with some deluxe fabric. Quilt shops are a weird destination for me because...I don't quilt. But for $8.95, I had to have a yard of this happiness. I'm thinking pillows, or maybe just carrying it around at all times like a security blanket.

Tired and regretting the choice of flip flops for this multi-mile walking adventure, I found a resale shop whose sales benefitted the local Habitat for Humanity. I generously donated $.27 (I forgot thrift stores had tax) for a record titled "Pistol Packin Mama" - indeed. I ran home to tear apart the ugly, plain, hand-me-down plastic clock that once resided above my stove. Stretch did a little destruction and reconstruction and viola: it's time to rock!

Who Stole My Monkey?

2009-08-27T22:48:00.000-05:00

This is actually the second crochet sock monkey I've done. The first was literally shat upon this week by it's otherwise loving recipient, E's baby boy Zaney. It's not his fault - he's had a bad reaction to some meds.

Because the BF suggested it, I wrote up a rough pattern to follow next time. During a call to me mum today, I told her I was working on a surprise pattern, and I wanted her to crochet it up as a test. I wanted to keep it a surprise, though, so she wouldn't just work through any gaps in the pattern because she knew what the final product should be. So I called it "that thing" during the whole conversation... until it was time to hang up and I said: "Well, gotta finish that monkey so I can send you the pattern. Talk to you later." Oops!

Modern Baking

2009-08-26T05:50:00.000-05:00

I've been replaying the following incident in my mind over the past week, and each time, I think about watching my mom or my grandma cook from recipe cards, or more often, from memory. If they wanted to try something new, they were limited to the recipes on the backs of packages or those begged from relatives at family picnics. In contrast, I own a shelf full of cookbooks, a pretty small collection for someone these days, and I find most of my new recipes in my email inbox, on a food-devoted television network, or on one of my favorite websites.

The boyfriend and I, to best deal with our newfound poverty and hatred of processed foods, are now devoted to making things from scratch. And although I am unable to make chocolate chips by hand, I figured the supporting wholesome ingredients (if brown rice is good for you, than so is brown sugar!) made chocolate chip cookies as close to "from scratch" as sweets were going to get. So I headed to bakerella.com, where I remembered seeing some yummy cookies and an accompanying recipe. Can you imagine telling your mom that although you had her time-tested recipe, you were using one from a website instead?

To make things worse, I've been known to take my laptop into the kitchen and cook from it. In my defense, it does save paper, and I have used it to view hand-me-down recipes that my mom had typed up for her own convenience. But on this day, the laptop was with the bf in an architecture class of some sort, so I scribbled the recipe down and set off to bake. I made it all the way to the end of the recipe when I realized - I don't have baking powder. I parked the batter bowl in the fridge and, I can see grandma cringing now, changed my facebook status to reflect my recent disappointment. Immediately folks started replying - why did I need baking powder? Usually cookies have baking soda. A trip back to Bakerella confirmed I had copied it down wrong.

Thanks for the rollercoaster, technology. I wish I could say that in the future I'll stick to what I know, but those cookies were so darn delicious. And come to think of it, my mom always used whatever recipe was on the back of the chocolate chips. How's that for modern baking?

Getting our Suki on

2009-08-05T09:13:00.000-05:00

E and I have always been a quirky pair of crafters. We both came from crafty cooking mamas who took the time to pass their skills along (Like the time my left-handed mom learned to crochet right-handed so she could show me some new stitches. Thanks mom!)

Although our moms were polycraftual, we have our favorites. E is a great sewer, and I'm more the crochet/knit type. E cans her own jelly and grows her own veggies, and I'd rather cook a one-pot meal. E made a baby and I make him presents. For the past 10 years this dichotomy has worked for us, and hopefully, it will work for you.

Here we go!