craft n' complain: the online version

I finished something

2009-12-13T17:30:00.001-08:00

I have a reputation for starting projects and not finishing them. I think it's boredom. I need a pattern that's a good mix of straight up knit-purl, sit in front of the tele knitting and complexity. Well, these infinity scarves are all the rage right now and I am not paying $50 or more for one. So, I'd give it a shot with some malabrigo I bought. Well, it's done but it's INFINITY! It's massive compared to the pic in the pattern but whatever....it's DONE. I can wrap it around my wee head four times.

Mission accomplished.

first hat! first pattern!

2009-06-10T08:01:00.001-07:00

with ame's help, i reached a new level in knitting:

i can now read patterns. AND i made my first hat! i made some mistakes, but the lil' ws won't notice, and my next try at it will be more successful. i'm now searching for the next project... (thanks ame!)

Feels good to finish something

2009-02-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

I am known for starting a project and not finishing. I get bored if the project is too easy and or is taking too long. The mustard sweater comes to mind. It was challenging for about the first week and then just got tedious. Knit, purl, knit, purl. Boring. Yawn. Not finishing. It feels good to finish a project and have it come out so darn cute. This was was on the tedious side, pretty basic, but was a small enough project that I finished it in a week. To me, that is knitting instant gratification.

Baby stuff

2009-01-28T22:38:00.001-08:00

It has been a very long while since anyone has posted here! Here are the booties and hat that I made for my Goddaughter! Thanks for the pattern, Aims!

i watched.

2008-05-04T20:08:00.001-07:00

i didn't craft. don't know why, but i didn't. i was likely too chatty and too excited and too happy ame was in town to get down to bidness.

but she found my yarn and needles and set to work.

The Mary Situation

2008-04-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

We knew that last weeks stitch was going to be memorable. Kintea's friend Julie was our special guest star, visiting from North Carolina (and she knits too!) Maux and Mr. Sato were also in the house.

I arrived at Kintea's house around 6pm and a tense conversation was going on about Kulich dough. Kintea...how do spell Kulich? Kulich is an egg bread, slightly sweet with raisins, eaten at Orthodox Easter. Back to the story, the dough wasnt rising. I asked if the kitchen was warm enough, they both thought so. The getting of the Kulich recipe is a story told best by Kintea but it was a struggle.

So what to do..the dough isnt rising?? In Pulp Fiction, my favorite story is The Bonnie Situation where Mr. Wolf arrives to help Jules and Vincent. Well, this is The Mary Situation where Isabelle is called to help Kintea and Julie with their non rising dough issue. I wish we could have had this call on speaker phone. Isabelle is the sweet lady who goes to church with Kintea and gave her the recipe. Turns out Isabelle has had similar issues before and provided some tips for future batches. Note to self...bless the bread before it goes in the over. That blessing may compensate for overmixing!

Even though the dough didnt rise, Kintea and Julie baked it anyways and it must have been an Kulich miracle. The bread rose in the oven and turned out delicious!

We were a full table minus Momma Thea and Karen who was in EWA for work. Hope to see everyone soon!

my first shot at buttons

2008-03-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

i've been wondering what to add to this lil' number ever since i finished it a while back. the shape is a little off, and i'm not certain it really works. to make it a little more interesting, i made some cute buttons and added a row of 'em this morning. i like to wear my things right away so i can determine if it's to my liking, so i wore this one to a family brunch this morning. i've worn it before, and then decided it wasn't satisfactory. i'm still not sure what i think--the buttons are straight until i put it on and it stretches--but the addition of buttons has definitely sparked my imagination. they'll show up on future projects, for sure.

david was nice enough to take a photo.

my craft on display

2008-03-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

i haven't been a knitter for all that long, and the only peep i've seen wear anything i've made is me, so it was pretty special to see my sister in one of my creations. i'm not sure i could replicate the greenie--i learned the stitch after chatting with a woman at the Maker's Faire, and promptly returned home to start it. you basically drop stitches to create a more loose gauge, but i don't remember how to do it any more. i'll have to check out a knitting video online.

it looked great on her, and made me proud. my blue capey-thingie turned out pretty nice, too. the button was from Britex. if any of you from the seattle stitch crew visit the city, i will definitely take you. the button wall is my favorite part of the 4-level store.

stitch sf style, 08

2008-03-04T23:16:00.001-08:00

first stitch of the year was had this weekend, and it was one of the better sf sessions. one person couldn't make it due to a nasty cold, but the rest were healthy, happy, and ready to create. we had an expert hooker (crochet), a newbie knitter who learned that night, and and two knitters (me included in the two).

here we are, deep in craft mode:

chris (knitter), melinda (hooker), and greg (knitter)

rundown of projects: chris was making a loose windy necklace of sorts, melinda was crocheting fingerless bike gloves (in a kickass fuschia!), i finished a blue mini-caplet with some help from melinda's hook skills (photo soon), and greg was just figuring it all out. he started with circular needles, and i ended up loaning some regular ones so he could start knitting without the confusion of the circle.

the cool part was the exchange of teachers and learners... each of us taught someone else how to do something (even greg, the first-timer knitter showed melinda a thing or two), and all of us were inspired by each other's work. everyone brought food, and as you can see, we couldn't leave the table, we were so committed to craft!

revvin' up to finish a project

2008-02-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

finally decided to try my hand at non-assisted yarn winding. worked out pretty well...

I love buttons!

2008-02-04T20:58:00.001-08:00

I finally finished Brenna's poncho! It is a simple two panel pattern in my favorite Brown Sheep wool color, Orchid. However, it needed a little something. I went to Stitches to see what they had in the ribbon department but I found these button kits that use whatever fabric you like to cover a button. Way cool! I first wanted to go green floral (of course). I think the inspiration came via the cutest earrings ever. But I then saw this purple-n-orange floral and that was it! I will take pics of Brenna in her poncho. It looks great on her.

And I'll be putting custom buttons on everything! My next project is a fitted cardigan that calls for three very cute buttons!

a new craft with the ol' crew

2008-01-30T22:45:00.001-08:00

while talking to amy on the phone, i painted this frame red! david and i are crafting quite a wall of family photos down our hallway.

i'll take a photo of that, too!

soon...

Baby hat!

2008-01-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

It has been a long, long time since I lasted posted! Well, I made this cute little hat for a friend at church. She's going to have a little girl in a couple of weeks, and I made this hat. But at about 7 am one morning I thought, I should put a rosette on that little hat. So, I made my first rosette, and read my first crochet pattern (for those of you who know me, you know that I have a hard time reading crocheting patterns!) Anyway, here is the hat. I hope there will be more to come!

kard kraft

2007-12-26T15:39:00.001-08:00

'tis the season to be tardy with everything holiday. but it's never too late to send a card, right? here's a sampling of the latest, to be mailed this year, i hope.

Merry Christmas Brenna

2007-12-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

As they say, better late than never....did Confucius say that??

Many of you know my friend Brenna and that she loves to rock the poncho. So last Christmas (366 days ago!) I proclaimed that I would knit her one. I had the best intentions to finish it in January but here we are, one year later and B. has no hand knit poncho from Amy's Sweatshop to speak of.

Well, good things come to those who wait...I think Confucius really did say that.

Brenna, your poncho isn't complete but gosh darn, it's close! Above is a pic of panel one and panel two is about half way finished. It's mega warm, seriously. I use the finished panel as a lap blanket. The knit rose idea comes from Brenna's boots. She wears these cute brown suede boots with flowers embroidered on the sides. The rose in the pic is rose prototype #2. I like it better than rose prototype #1. Rose prototype #3 is going to be felted...haven't started it yet.

Brenna, I hope you like it and Merry Poncho Christmas!

xo,

Amy

no crafts, just memories

2007-10-14T23:23:00.001-07:00

awwww. miss you guys.

Email is down. What do I do? Knit.

2007-09-02T10:32:00.000-07:00

Of course I can't work when email is down. It didnt hurt that it was the Friday before a long holiday weekend and pretty much everyone was out of town. And when email came back up, I had only received three emails.

This story starts last Sunday.

Last Sunday, I hit an excellent yarn sale. This yarn sale was so excellent because:

1. I proclaimed to Thea an hour before that I didnt need any more yarn and I can't buy anymore. I saw the "Yarn Sale" sign and my Volvo made an abrupt left turn and I parked ilegally to sort thru the big bags of yarn.

2. The yarn sale was the product of two very nice men who live in the bright Pink house off of John. I'd always wondered who lived there. One the men was wearing a neon green and orange striped vest, with a zipper. He knit it, of course.

3. I bought four balls of yarn that retail for $8.25 a ball for $1 a piece. Rowan CashSoft. So good. I bought two balls of Espresso and two balls of Pear.

Two balls is enough to knit small projects. I've been searching for fingerless glove patterns but they all seem to be knit on double-point needles. No thanks. Many of the cool patterns also have cables. So my delimma on Friday when email was down to create an easy fingerless glove pattern and tackle cables.

I've done cables before but my issue is in the row counting, not in reading the cable pattern or working with a cable needle. Lion's Brand yarn sends out a weekly cable pattern and this weeks looked very simple. Based on their cable pattern, I wrote out my pattern for the prototype fingerless glove worked on straight needles. I've become a decent sewer and the thought of sewing straight seams doesnt scare me so much anymore. So I did a few gauge swatches, did a few arm and hand measurements and then got out my Row Counter and started.

Fingerless glove #1 came out pretty darn good and was really easy. It only took me a few hours from start to finish. I increased four stitches around the hand. I think I will skip the increases for my next pair since the yarn is pretty stretchy. I will also make them longer.

earrings from an 8 year old

2007-08-26T14:48:00.001-07:00

at david's nephew's birthday party, the newly minted 8 year old ran up to me, gave me a hurried, yet firm and loving hug, and then announced he had something for me.

he dropped to his knees, grasped at his jeans pocket, and started knocking a metal container on the sidewalk to empty its contents.

a bit about this 8 year old: the two of us talk crafts when we see each other. both of us are usually considering a new project, and this time, he shared his latest with me, as a gift.

he made the fimo beads and crafted them into earrings. they're precious. i love them.

Yes....there was crafting

2007-07-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

So lately, our C-n-C get togethers have been filled with good food, times and conversation. But, they haven't been filled with crafting.

A brief summary:

Ms. Manuel is learning how to do embroidery and showcased her skills via a stitch sampler. All done with Mr. Sato on her lap

I did the finish work on my latest UMA. I will never knit sleeves again on straight needles. No seams!

Kintea made a delicous French feast and made one of my favorite meals...salade nicoise. Delicious!

Maux was the hand model, showcasing Kintea's fab dinner.

i've been knitting...

2007-06-06T22:17:00.001-07:00

i'm just about done with a capelet in a color that would make amy proud: a gregarious green that screams spring!

i'll take photos soon--i'm feeling lazy right now.

and i'll take pics from the farm this weekend. i'm certain there will be crafting. last year it was a veritable crochet/knitting extravanganza. i'll be sure to bring my crochet tools, as those ladies were expert hookers.

aw yeah-uh.

UMA update

2007-05-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

So for this UMA, I am knitting the sleeves in the round. This is such a time saver as I only have to do knit stitch. I was kinda nervous about ending the sleeve and starting the back but it was really easy....don't connect the round and start knit and purl. I will never do sleeves on straight needles again! No bulky seam up the arm and the sleeve to the back looks really clean.

Don't she look cute!

2007-05-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

UMA v2 went to my sister Susan for her birthday. She lives in Chicago so UMA is knit from a thick wool/mohair blend.

Best of all, it fits her perfectly and will keep her very warm next winter.

A new take on UMA

2007-05-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've done two UMAs, both in wool. Wool is probably the easiest fiber to knit with. It has give, moves easily between needles, and holds its shape. I wanted to do a summer weight UMA (and for those uninitiated to the UMA, UMA is a shrug....a long story) in cotton or a cotton blend. I found a hand-dyed cotton at So Much Yarn that I took a liking too. Shades of khaki green, gold and black. Cotton is not my favorite yarn to knit with. It has no give and doesn't hold its shape. To compensate, you have to knit on smaller needles so the project takes longer. I don't like knitting with cotton but I'm going to give it a shot.

Since cotton knits on a smaller needle than the manufacturer usually recommends, a gauge swatch is always in order. The gauge swatch determines the number of stitches per inch. Once you know the number of stitches per inch, you can determine the number of stitches you have to cast on to fit the pattern. Left is my gauge swatch on a size 9 needle and my revised pattern based on the gauge.

I cast on with my smaller needle to do the ribbed cuff and 4-inches in, I began to have doubts. Knowing that cotton will expand, I had concerns I would have huge ribbed cuffs and it wouldn't look so hot. So I ripped it out and went back to the drawing board. I did another gauge swatch with a size 8 needle and recalculated my pattern.

Then I was like, why do I need to have a ribbed cuff? I'd seen a pattern earlier that day for a knit kimono and I liked the long loose sleeve. This UMA is going to have an Asian flair with clean lines, wide sleeves, rolled cuffs and a one-inch knit border versus a 8-inch ribbed collar. I am also knitting the sleeves on circular needles which will speed things up since I will not have to knit and purl. At 20 inches in, I will not connect the round and start knit purl and then at 40 inches, connect the round again.

No crafting!

2007-05-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

But soon, I hope! It seems I've been really busy, but I have a project to work on for Ian again. His mother requested a smaller version of his baby blanket. So I am planning to start working on that this month! More to come...

Work in progress

2007-05-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Many of you know my poncho wearing friend Brenna. I wear scarves, Brenna wears ponchos. Some of her ponchos have seen better days so for Christmas, I offered to knit her one. After months of procrastination, I finally started.

This project is going to be a challenge for me.

I dont like knitting that requires me to pay attention. As you can see from the photo, this pattern requires me to count! So I am using a handy dandy counter (thats the red thingee). It helps me track what row I am on. I also have to read the pattern out loud so I dont lose my place. As Sarah said, you cant watch the Food Network and knit this pattern at the same time.

My goal is to have it done in two weeks. Next on the list, a summer weight UMA for me!

correction: it MAY fit someone in her 30's

2007-04-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

it will certainly be more tight, and i'm not sure how it will wear, but it sure is CUTE!

no one in my house can wear it

2007-04-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

after my successful first attempt at a capelet, i decided to make another smaller one which may turn out to fit a 7 year old. the yarn i used is from spain, and i keep scheming about the color i'll have to add if it runs out. when i bought the yarn, the man at the store stold me i'd need 5 balls to make what was roughly translated by maria, and hand-spanished by me, as a capelet. there were only 2 in stock, and something about his mannerisms told me he's just trying to get the american to buy more of his loot. hence, i may have under-bought, but i'm thinking the collar might look smashing in a chocolate brown.

stitch, no, FOOD night

2007-04-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

(cross posted on http://feedingswash.wordpress.com)

sf style stitch night has been dominated by food and it's all my fault, i admit it.

i can't help it--it's fun to plan menus and share with my friends. since we haven't been meeting regularly, it's been more about catching up, about enjoying each other's company, and it just happens that food is the elixir that inspires our evening.

at least for me.

oh, that doesn't mean that my friends don't appreciate my cooking, it just means that they don't share my enthusiasm for preparing sometimes exuberant meals, and demoting the crafting to a lesser participant in the night's festivities. to be sure, my crafting creativity has suffered, but i admit with glee that my culinary creativity is taking off, and it's lots of fun.

this sunday, david decided he'd participate in stitch night with a craft of his own: tapas. he spent a couple days recently in santa cruz, and returned bearing gifts of lavender lotions, a selection of wines from our favorite winery, and an excellent cookbook with spanish tapas as its subject. i was delighted. this boy knows the pathway to my heart... scenty treats, tasty drinks, and delicious inspiration.

david opted for spanish meatballs in garlic sauce--no small feat! here it is, simmering:

and here's the wine surprise, complete with its own jumbo-sized cigar box:

other bits of goodness making an appearance in our meal included steamed california artichokes--deliciously in season--salami, a special fresh mozzarella with cream and truffle bits inside, crusty bread, and steaming bowls of pasta e fagiole (without the pasta!).

i was SO stuffed.

a dash o' creativity on a saturday morn

2007-04-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

due to scheduling conflicts, stitch hasn't met in a spell, and i just haven't kept the juices flowin' without a weekly meeting.

until yesterday morning, when the need and desire struck. i made these:

finally, the capelet

2007-04-04T23:15:00.000-07:00

here it is. lovely. thanks, ame!

The magic number is 13

2007-03-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

My completed capelet has a neck opening of about 13 inches.

no crafty, but oh so crafty

2007-03-04T22:24:00.000-08:00

the boys were away this eve, so i took the opportunity to get crafty solo at dolores park. it didn't hurt that today was a gorgeous 70 degrees and brilliantly sunny--perfect day for knitting in a park!

here's proof:

i'm determined to finish the capelet so it can debut in madrid :)

amy:
i have a question: how small should the neck hole be? mine seems to be pretty big yet, and i've decreased twice now. whatcha think?

I don't want to work today

2007-02-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

So my options are:

a) work on a project plan

b) work on my cute orange capelet

c) do both

I choose C, do both!

oscar + bubbly = not so much crafting

2007-02-25T23:01:00.000-08:00

but lots of fun!

chris and i wove and knit, respectively, but mostly we ate, chat, and watched the oscars. here's proof:

all of my talk about a new project tonight got lost somewhere between champagne #2 and fancy cheese. i'm hoping to start something new soon... the shower curtain with maux's fab fabric is on my mind. craft may be postponed for a few weeks due to 3 successive trips including one or a couple of us. i'm considering lining up a few guest stars to keep me on the true path.

i'm making progress on the capelet. after a conversation today with amy about next steps, i'm confident i can do it:

Craft Production....HIGH

2007-02-20T16:48:00.000-08:00

So for the past couple of Sunday's, craft production and creativity has been low in Seattle. Well things have changed. Last Sunday we met at Karen's house and it was a flurry of activity.

Karen, inspired by her trip to New York, sketched African shields for upcoming prints. Plus she gave me an education in all things Speedball. Speedball is a brand of intaglio tools used for print making. I think I'm going to try my hand at linoleum cuts.

Maureen bought this beautiful gauzy blue print fabric for a peasant top. She was busy cutting out her pattern with Mr. Sato supervising production from his comfortable chair.

Kintea was making wire contraptions for work. The contraptions involved copper wire wrapped around a yard stick. She then cut the wire and created wire loops. To be honest, I haven't a clue what they're to be used for but I know it involves birds.

My orange capelet is coming along. I had to rip it out and start from scratch. Since I was home sick end of last, week I had plenty of time to knit. I am about 4-inches in, only 13 more to go. Friday night I was totally bored and feeling not so hot. I was inspired by Greg and his decoupage. So I grabbed my scissors and started cutting out letters in cool fonts. Chris can probably identify the fonts from his typography class. I see a decoupaged bowl in my near future.

This Sunday, c-n-c takes a break for the Oscars. Productivity will return back to HIGH soon.

knitting and hosting

2007-02-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

i love sunday nights. i especially enjoy hosting craftery. seems like each sunday the crew ups the ante, and this sunday was no exception. as chris' post illuminated, our last gathering was impressive in its creativity.

after a setback in my capelet, my second run at it is proving successful. i'm really enjoying it, although i haven't been knitting quite as much now that i'm a working stiff (that's me on my first morning of work):

and after witnessing the amped of creative juices of chris and greg, i'm feeling like perhaps i need to mix it up a bit. i just uncovered 2 other knitting projects that i orphaned; i may pick them up again or try something new. in the interim, here's a shot chris took of me knitting. and here's a shot of greg's handiwork, tins decoupaged with blossoms and a dude in a troubling outfit receiving a munch on the kneecap from an affable rhino:

The Many Faces of Mr. Sato

2007-02-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

C-N-C met at my house this week and while craft production was low, we had a darn good time. Mr. Sato provided his usual load of canine entertainment. Maux is determined to fix her super cute halter dress started last year and spent the night ripping out some seams. With her new found sewing skills, she will do it! Kintea's project was watching The Grammy's while I started making an orange capelet. Similar to Sarah's capelet experience, I had to rip mine out too! I somehow twisted my rows.

Karen was sorely missed but we did take the opportunity to have C-N-C Special Meat Edition. We started with some proscuitto and then had chicken curry for dinner. Karen, we will take your company and friendship over chicken any day!

weaving!

2007-02-12T23:00:00.001-08:00

weaving!, originally uploaded by Blutopher.

Wow! My first craft n' complain posting. For my innaugural post, here's the weaving I did last night, and the homemade loom I wove it on. I saw the loom in Martha Stewart Living (huge fan of the Martha) and thought I'd take a shot at making one myself. This is based off a product from the early 1900's called a Weavette. I guess they were wildly popular. My version was made from scrap wood from Cliff's Variety and some finishing nails. The placement of the nails was a bit tricky but other than that it was pretty straightforward. The tough part was the needle; all I had was a large sewing needle. Today I got a really long metal needle and it works much much better.

I used a dyed wool yarn that has a varied green color. It made a very nice plaid pattern when woven all together, and so far I've made 3 squares. The magazine gave all sorts of suggestions about what to do with these once you have a few done. What will I make with them? Not sure, but I can tell you what I won't be making with them: a Kleenex box cover (nice try, Martha).

New hat

2007-02-07T20:26:00.000-08:00

Although I missed stitch for the last week, I did manage to finish a hat. I think I will give it to my friend Vivian for her little boy Ian! That extra yarn I had from the scarf I made for Luca came in handy!

sf stylin'

2007-02-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

last night we convened the sf craft gathering, and i learned that the members of this crew have some special skills. this past week, chris decided to make curtains... not just your average, flowy curtains, but the kind that have small dowels that fold the fabric when a string is pulled. he sketched out the design--which was crucial, because mechanics are involved--used old curtain fabric, re-sewed them, stained dowels a dark color, used eye hooks, and created some really fine curtains. rather than sewing the dowels inside a layer of fabric, he placed them on the outside, which looks quite nice.

chris spent last night making valentines with paper bags and cool pink paper.

the other member, greg, took a metal tin and decoupaged arty images from magazines to the inside, in an effort to make a sweet little spot for his roommates' many remote controls, and also to make room for a small plant.

these dudes are crafty.

what did i do? i ripped out the capelet to fix my twisting issue, and started again. :)

stitch, sf style

2007-01-30T22:48:00.000-08:00

i'm happy to report that amy helped to launch the first gathering of stich in sf!

the energy was high, the food was good, the vibe was crafty. amy worked an intricate knitting pattern while teaching me how to use circular needles to knit a caplet (!). i'm VERY excited about my new skills. our male members both lamented their need to craft web designs on computers (both approached me on their own and apologized profusely), and both promised more tactile, less technology-infused projects at our next meeting. one particular project in the works is a man satch--chris debuted his impressive prototype and amy and i offered our thoughts on design and materials.

as you may note, i'm wearing an uber-cool apron that i love SO MUCH. maux, it's perfect. i wore it almost all day long--i considered wearing it to the deyoung museum earlier in the day. :) thank you.

so it looks like sf stitch will be on sunday nights and will be all male except for me. another guy was added to the group after enthusiastic members learned the power of stitch, so for our second gathering we number four!

the 2nd pair

2007-01-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

these (along with the first ones) are going out in the mail today! like the other pair, these are a departure for me; this design sports a velcro closure with a beaded sequin button. since velcro is pretty tough on felt, i just used one side of the velcro, figuring that the shoes don't have to withstand a lot of movement. my design goals were to make an elegant pair (for nights on the town) and a more understated pair (for just hanging out in the crib).

i hope the little munchkins like 'em!

nene, part deux

2007-01-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

it must also be said that nene returned to ame and indeed sat on her lap AGAIN. these two are two peas in a pod, togethah forevah, like buttah. (ok, the last euph doesn't really work, but...)

warmed my heart it did.

A breakthrough for me and NeNe

2007-01-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

I think it's safe to say me and NeNe have had a somewhat chilly relationship over the years. Even though I have lovingly fed her when Sarah's been gone and spent tons of time around her, I've always gotten the cold kitty shoulder. I've always respected Princess NeNe's need for space and understand her loner persona.

I've seen people brazingly go towards her with an outstretched hand, knowing that the hand is probably going to get bitten. I've always hoped that one day NeNe and I would be pals or at least not have her run away when I walk in. Well my friends, today was the day. She hopped up on the couch, gave me a look as to say, "move your computer, I want to sit on your lap." I very slowly moved my laptop as not to startle her and then she settled in on my lap. I even got in a few strokes to her back.

The scarf...

2007-01-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is a look at the scarf I made for my friend Luca...he is also the model. He seems to really like it!

Dude...we had a dude at stitch!

2007-01-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

Jesse had the honor of being our first guy special guest star at s-n-b. Check out his dedication to the needlepoint. And he designed the canvas himself. I think Mr. Sato enjoyed the dose of testosterone in the room. What else.....Maux took a sewing class at stitches on Capitol Hill and is working on a skirt. She's using for the first time interface and seam tape in her sewing project. Is that right, interface...interfacing?? Keeks on the other hand did some home decor research. Kintea was in San Diego and Thea was also missing in action. Me, worked on a capelet that I have since ripped out. It looked cute on the Lion Brand website but mine wasn't looking so cute. Bummer. More pics from Sunday are on my flickr site.

I'm on a stamp!

2007-01-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm not on a stamp but Owen is. And he is wearing my hat! Kinda cool. MC & Todd did this thru http://www.stamps.com

Introducing Owen Parker

2007-01-15T16:03:00.000-08:00

My good friends Mary & Todd Parker welcomed Owen a few months back. Of course, Owen will never be without a cool knit hat. There is a sweater that matches the hat but I am having some technical difficulties with attaching the sleeves. That's a whole other blog post!

lil twin boy shoes

2007-01-12T09:25:00.000-08:00

i'm working on some shoes for twin boys who will make an appearance soon. since i've only made mary janes for lil' girls, i created a new pattern for the male set. here's the first pair:

another scarf...

2007-01-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

hemp scarf for david's christmas present. he loved it :)

and... jewlee was wearing her beloved scarf in minnesota--my FIRST knitting project!

More and more hats

2007-01-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

I am done with hats for a while. I am wearing the hat I knit for Jen & Renee's Mom. Linda lives in Kansas, a transplant from Phoenix. I figured she could use a cute hat to keep her warm. Only issue, it's a wee bit to small. I have been wearing it to try to stretch it about a bit.

Long time, but still crafting!

2007-01-02T15:35:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a long time, but I have finished 2 projects over the last several months. I made a baby blanket for my friends Vivian and Craig, for their baby Ian. Here are some pictures of it. I still haven't figured out how to knit a blanket, so it is crocheted.

And I made a scarf for my friend Luca for Christmas. I will have to have him model it for me, because I forgot to take a picture of it before giving it to him. I hope to work on some hats in the next couple of months. And I will try to add a blog or two in the near future!

Ryder wears his new hat

2006-12-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

It didn't stay on long but the hat looks darn cute on him. It's a touch big but he will grow into it.

Hats for Ryder & Johnnie

2006-12-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, I decided to knit a series of hats in blue, orange and green.

I have two done and will start a third for Renee and Jen's Mom, Linda. The two completed hats are going to two super cuties, Ryer (9 months) & Johnnie (4 years). I will post pics of the super cuties wearing their hats soon!

designs i want to learn...

2006-12-22T15:41:00.000-08:00

a few days ago i saw an infant wearing leg warmers that extended over his feet, with cutouts on his heels. they were pretty sweet... i'm hoping i can learn how to make some for the lil' twins who show up in early 07. i'd also like to make some fingerless gloves. they may be more like arm warmers at first with a thumb hole, and then i can work up to the fingers. we'll see.

today i visited a precious store in the mission. it appeared that most everything was handmade, and all of it was beautiful. i can't wait to share it with amy!

Cowl for Kintea

2006-12-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

Last year I knit a cowl from one of my fav books, Last Minute Gifts. It's a really easy pattern knit on circular needles. I used a Rowan blend yarn that has a feel similar to cashmere. A certain member of c-n-c commented on how much she liked it and wanted to knit one for herself. Of course, I bookmarked that comment in the back of my brain and then pulled it out around Kintea's birthday. I knew I wanted a vibrant blue for Kintea but wasn't sure on the yarn. I was thinking a wool blend but what I wound up with really surprised me. The yarn used was bamboo and cotton and it came out just beautiful. Drapes really nicely and the color is vibrant without being too bright. I will take a pic of KB in her cowl and update this post!

Original cowl

Kintea's cowl

UMA!

2006-12-22T14:11:00.000-08:00

Well...better late than never. One of my fav knitting stores, So Much Yarn, offered a shrug class in September. UMA v.1 came out ok but I knew with a little professional assistance, UMA v.2 could be awesome.

The first big decision was what yarn to use?? I love Noro yarns and for UMA, only the best. Well, almost the best. The original Noro yarn I wanted to use was about $21 per skein and my UMA needed 5 skeins. For UMA v. 2, that was a bit too spendy. But I did find another beautiful Noro yarn that was more affordable. Noro is a Japanese yarn company that specializes in vibrant hand dyed yarns that stripe beautifully.

The class was great...I learned some new techniques like M1 and how to pick up stitches along edges. M1 is a way to do a increase, add a stitch, without a bar or marking showing up in your garment. The pic to the left is an example of picking up stitches along the edge.

On the Noro front, So Much Yarn is having a mega sale early January where yarn is discounted so UMA v.3 with a wool/alpaca Noro blend yarn will be purchased. UMA v.3 will arrive Janauary 07!

Kintea's Sexy Apron Made By Maux

2006-12-18T22:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Kintea! A sexy new apron made by Maux. Check out the red underlined words!

latest booties

2006-11-29T22:18:00.000-08:00

just sent these off to houston for a certain new texan who has relatives from more civilized states.

the answer to my knitting dreams.

2006-08-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

i just bought this book.

i'm hoping it will answer all of my questions. i have lots. i'm excited to make fingerless gloves (last post) and this for david... and NOT because he's anywhere near to being bald, but b/c this dude is from sf and this hat he designed changed his world.

only in kintea's dreams

2006-08-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

check it out and kintea, don't worry:

with enough practice, some day you too will be able to do this without needing band-aids afterwards. :)

miss you all!
s

love these!

2006-08-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

i want to make this, but i'm not sure if i should make it with the yarn i have. do i need to use the yarn they suggest?

amy?
kintea?

is anyone out there?

Uma V1

2006-07-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

Uma V1 is close to completion! About 4 more inches before I start to decrease and then add the cuff. The Uma is technically a shrug...but way cooler. A shawl with cuffs is more like it. It doesn't have a full sleeve. I am totally winging it, no pattern. V2 and V3 will use patterns. Oh yes, there will be a series. Stay tuned. It is taking forever to load photos but will do so later.

waiting for uma...

2006-07-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

feeling crafty, received some inspiration for shoes while strolling in the mission... sweet baby shoes. perhaps i'll start a pair.

then we spied a super cool shoe store for adults. COOL adults. i think a pair of sneaks are in david's near future. (!)

then i bought some sassy orange shoes for myself at a lovely used clothes store. ---------->

alas, i still dream of uma, and can't wait to hear tales of her debut, knowing she'll have a twin in san francisco.

boxed in.

2006-07-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

no crafting going on for me right now, but i gotta say: i've gotten pretty crafty with tape, boxes, and packing material. over the years i've honed my spacial relations skills to the degree that would stun those teachers back in junior high who were flummoxed by my rating in the 12th percentile.

i've been working hard.

and i hope our arrival in sf proves that point. :)

finished: first project

2006-06-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

i was feeling crafty tonight, but couldn't quite figure out what to do with the stuff i have around. i grabbed my very first knitting project--the yarn i used when learning how to knit--and decided it was high time i finished it. (some of you may remember my perfectionist rounds of starting over and over and over in order to make sure i knew how to knit.) :)

so i did.

AND, i managed to comprehend and successfully execute online knitting instructions. it pained me to not go knocking on amy's door, but i really wanted to see if i could (sigh) figure out knitting by myself for future projects.

and i did.

norway stitch!

2006-06-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

there's much to say about our stitch last night, but i'll boil it down to the basics:

1. norwegian boys
2. american food (rice crispy treats for dessert!)
3. drink
4. stories
5. no crafts

here's the proof of our fun:
in pictures
in video

first a lull, then...

2006-06-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

POW!

CRAFTALICIOUS.

it's true, the creative juices weren't flowing, and karen even left early (horrors! that never happens!)

and then, i pulled out my old standby project: making cards. this activity sparked amy and maux's interest, and when i asked if they wanted to join in, they did!

we had so much fun. cutting and pasting are totally underrated skills. here's the results of their labors (aren't they CUUUUTE?)

maux's 6 month anniversary card on the left (check out the matchbook from her first date with trevor!), amy's super cute fishies on the right (that fish looks so yummy, i wanna eat it right up!).

The "Michigan" Stitch

2006-06-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

When I travel for work, I don't mind the flying. I DO mind the sitting around in airports. I can only sit in an airport bar for so long. If the bar had on cooking shows versus ESPN, that would be a different story. Last week, I spent 6 hours sitting in the Lansing and Detroit airports. I happily brought some knitting along and started this scarf. I think the stitch is called Knotted Openwork but it has been re-named the Michigan stitch.

activity at stitch

2006-06-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

while s n' b has been more about chilling, hanging, and a bit of complaining, there is always activity. this shot captures pre-bbq preparations. i liked the blurriness of it all, because it illuminates the flurry of activity. you can barely tell, but there are 3 peeps in this shot.

how can something so desolate produce something so good?

2006-05-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

the terrain of the yakima valley was more midwestern-ish than i had expected. dusty and windy and hot. just like nebraska :)

'cept nebraska produces corn.
not delicious wine.

more craft updates soon!

C&C goes wine tasting...continued

2006-05-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

So, we are back to work after a fabulous weekend in Eastern Washington. The Yakima Valley Barrel tasting was filled with laughs, great wine, and thanks to me, forced game playing! ( I just wanted everyone to get to know one another better!) We visited about 8 wineries: Horizon's Edge, Portteus, Paradiso Del Sol, Apex, Thurston Wolfe, Hogue, Bonair, and Hyatt! I think we will be set for wine drinking at C&C for a while! Can't wait to open a bottle and enjoy it with friends.

Here are some moments caught on film (or digitally)! Thanks for a great weekend, ladies...oh, and Trevor!

working + playing + eating = no stitching

2006-04-27T16:03:00.000-07:00

last weekend we had the pleasure of experiencing a marathon stitch sesh. we started the day with a lovely brunch by kintea, took a couple hour break (some napped, some strolled, others prepped for what was to come), and then covered karen's basement with paint (of course, mr. sato helped, too).

to rid us of the paint fumes and to take advantage of what remained of the glorious day, we took a long walk on the beach, which included mr. sato, running, educational moments, and a near-pick up when a couple boys asked for a couple girls' names.

to top off the wondrous day, there was much eating, drinking, and tv, yet not much stitching--WAIT--i forgot: maux's impressive stitchery was put on display as she is nearly finished with an adorable dress that has wowed all of us. 3 cheers for maux!

C&C goes wine tasting!

2006-04-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about our upcoming trip to Yakima Valley, the Napa of Washington, that I had to post before we go tasting this weekend. It's likely there won't be much crafting this weekend, but the wine will flow and fun will be had. I can't imagine we will have anything to complain about, either!

Of course there will be pictures and an update of the weekend to come!

Cheers!

new craftalicious mag!

2006-04-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

the craftie vibe was strong at my house today. 2 coworkers (who lean far into the tech zone) contacted me about craft blogs and mags.

the mag may out-stitch and out-glue gun the heavyweight in handy dandies--Ready Made--although IMO, RM is a little too "i can fix this" for me.

check out CRAFT: Make Cool Stuff
cool, huh?

AND, it has a blog and a newsletter. i'll be posting about the blog once it debuts!

AND AND AND: my good buddy Bre Pettis is a part of the MAKE blog! rock on, bre!

cute card!

2006-04-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

i love making cards. i haven't bought any type of card in a long time. this one was particularly cute--for my dear friend hollis with whom i've been friends for 18 years now!

wow.

the card is made of paper, felt, sequins, and a bead.

New books!

2006-04-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I broke down and bought 2 Debbie Bliss knitting books. They are both supposedly for beginners, but I'm not so sure about that. My current project, a baby hat, is not as easy as I would have hoped, and I think that my baby cousin will be 3 years old before I actually finish! Anyway, I will keep working, with hopes that one day I will be able to make a sweater!

martha made me do it

2006-04-12T23:10:00.000-07:00

back when martha busted outta the slammuh, karen and i decided to celebrate by buying a subscription to her fine magazine. i pick up tidbits here and there, and when she offers some particularly sage advice, such as not wearing socks on the day of the gala event--holy sock lines--i pass the good word to my s n' b friends.

this is one of those times. it seems that if you rub a salt-soaked sliced lemon on tarnished copper--voila--the shine is rejuvenated, and your item is a shiny, coppery marvel.

martha is pretty consistent about one thing: she always leaves something out. whether an ingredient, how long dough rises, or in this case: how much elbow grease it'll take to complete a task (she's elusive with her staff's time on a project), readers must tread carefully and recognize they're on their own at some point in the process. in this case, it'll take a lot of time and more than one lemon to shine up my poor tea kettle. check out the color on the lid for the pre-lemon look.

newsflash: s n' b groups mark the demise of civilization

2006-04-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

my buddy jay just let me in on an emerging suit affecting s n' b groups: freetostitchfreetobitch.org

he sent me this link about the story. thanks, rebecca!

my thoughts can pretty much be summed up as follows:

spend your money on more important pursuits like stopping human suffering.

or at least toss some of the change you're saving up for lawsuits toward some nyc orgs that could use some help... like hand-sewn clothes and blankets!

geez.

using stuff i have around...

2006-04-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

i've been thinking about design lately, and decided to spruce up some free marketing magnets and some plain boring ones i have, too.

i cut out interesting designs from magazines and a postcard of a painting i liked, and super glued 'em to the magnet. you'd never know that the rectangular one was originally advertising some insurance dude.

more complaining, less crafting

2006-04-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

it's true, we've been experiencing a lull in craftland, but we've definitely made up for it in true friendship, so there's no complaints here. seems like we've all had exploits to share, from coffee dates and salacious dinner conversations, to family visits that invited new perspectives on how we show up when we're stressed.

this last s n' b meeting finally got me going again on my cozy. i've still maintained my no measurement, all by hand approach, and i can't believe it's actually starting to look like what i imagined.

Long time, no stitch!

2006-03-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been on a break it seems, but here is a scarf and hat I finished in February. I think that the stitching will begin again in the very near future...

sweetest cozy EVAH.

2006-02-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

ok, so maybe i'm biased, but i'm pretty excited about this attempt at a tea cozy. i'm a little unsure how i'll insulate it--i'm a complete hack at this, not measuring, not planning, just letting it evolve. i like to think i'm following in my mom's footsteps; she's said that she doesn't know exactly what she's doing until she's done. i've admired my mom's creativity since i was a little kid, trying to make a giant "S" out of wax, while she created wax models that magically became silver and gold treasures, appearing from the dregs of our basement.

here's my attempt :)

G-rated S-n-B

2006-02-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

There was no wine or gossip but there was some much needed creative inspiration from my 9 year old nephew, Matthew. Matthew learned how to knit in school and is totally hooked. Whenever I see him, he pulls out whatever project he's working on with such pride. Right now, he's working on socks. It was so cool. He was going to make a scarf but dropped some stitches and thought it looked like a sock. So, he knit two of them, sewed them together and voila! He had a sock.

lull in craftland

2006-02-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

there's been a post-holiday lull at stitch so far in 2006. we've continued to meet each week (almost), but the creative juices aren't flowing. i imagine this is due to the rush to complete x-mas and hanukkah gifts, plus the build-up to the end of the robe saga. my hope is that february will see a surge in crafts, so that we can start posting our results soon.

C&C's Mascot...Mr. Sato

2006-01-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Mr. Sato officially belongs to Maureen, but we all love him so much! Mr. Sato comes to every C&C session and he is the cutest little dog you ever did see! We decided last night that it is time to post his picture on the blog...Hey Maux, you can put a different photo up if you like!

lag in production

2006-01-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

the shower curtain is still in a primitive state. i will admit to a bit of laziness, but mostly it's a case of not having all the supplies. it seems i don't own an iron (and feel pretty good i've lasted this long without one!), and to make anything proper using the sewing machine, one must be dilligent about pressing.

i've also filled my head with the urgent need for TWO projects, since i don't want to lug around the sewing machine each week (the shower curtain project stays at home, i'm afraid). i've been scheming about this new one for a while, and will divulge it soon in its very own post.

two clues: it's portable and functional.

Cool Knitting Links - free patterns

2006-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

Hey ladies,

I keep a folder of knitting sites that offer free patterns. Below are two of my fav sites.

http://www.straw.com/
http://www.lionbrand.com/

See you,
Amy

More hats...the one that didn't get made!

2006-01-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

So, for those of us who are football fans, my team lost yesterday. So, alas, I didn't have the opportunity to knit myself a nice Orange and Blue hat as I had hoped! But, the good news is, I can make my Blue, green, and gray hat for the other team, with hopes that next year my team will do better!

I did manage to finish one other hat this weekend, and began a beautiful scarf for a friend. After all the hats and scarves are made (hopefully by February), I will begin the very courageous task of knitting two Christening gowns for my little Godbabies! There will be updates on the progress of that project!

the robe LIVES

2006-01-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

not realizing it would become the bane of her existence, my dear friend karen spent a year of her young life sewing a bathrobe for me. this snuggly robe has become a big part of my life, replacing my santa cruz sweatshirt as my new work uniform.

check out me at work.

fabric store ladies go ga-ga

2006-01-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

i went to the fabric store today and found what i needed: black fabric to frame the shower curtain and the perfect classic fringe in black and a rich coral to add a bit of color.

when i laid the pieces on the cutting table, the woman wielding the scissors ooohed and aaaahed, which set off a chain reaction of crafty ladies all a flutter. a flurry of questions as to where i bought the fabric surrounded me. not to be discouraged, an intrepid fluttee broke from the pack and jot down the brand name and maker. they all agreed heartily that it indeed would make a fabulous shower curtain, and that perhaps people would dawdle in the privy to get a good long look at it. they encouraged me to take a picture of the finished product for their wall of fame.

we'll see how it turns out.

insane in the membrane

2006-01-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

dude. someone knit the white stripes!

my new project

2006-01-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

thanks to maux, i have a lovely piece of fabric that is PERFECT for a shower curtain. i've been thinking about how to use it for a while, and have now committed to starting the project this weekend at s n' b. my first thought was that i'd create a border around it in a rich orange/red color, since my bathroom is all black/white and in need of a burst of color. to figure out what to do, i fastened the fabric to my existing yucky plastic curtain (which upon first sighting, kintea informed me that i needed to get a new shower curtain--it's a liner, waiting for a smashing buddy!). i placed different swatches of orange fabric near to it, and liked the effect. but when i showed it to my pal from south africa who is quite stylish, he felt i should use black, because any other color will detract from the lovely pattern. what to do?

i'm going to visit pacific fabrics and see what epiphanies appear. more soon!

cnc online?

2006-01-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure about this whole blog thing, but I'm willing to try. I spent all of MLK day knitting, which was not the plan. But with the gray, rainy weather, that was all I could do. I'll post my creations for all to see! Thanks for putting this together, Sarah!

s n' b 2006: The Blog.

2006-01-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

welcome to the spot where the ladies record their craftalicious exploits. jot down inspirations, links to cool stuff, pictures of creations, and of course --> COMPLAINTS.