Yep.

I made this womb from a pattern on Knitty!  

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Tagged : )

I've been tagged by Elemental Stitches!  Thanks for the tag and here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you

2. Mention the rules on your blog

3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours

4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them

5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they've been tagged

My 6 quirks:

1. I can't stand long fingernails!  I have to have mine short and cut them when they achieve any level of "longness."

2. I don't like to kill bugs - I capture them and release them outside.

3. I gave up having a car when we moved back to the U.S. and now rely on my bike and my feet.

4. I grow bean sprouts on my kitchen counter.  They look weird.  

5. I'm obsessed with Audrey Tautou movies.

6. Lately I'm really into all things Japan - movies, books, photography... and thinking about traveling there.  

My 6 tags are Blaze Danielle, czukART, Bunny Creates, The Tiny Little Girl, Be-Stitched Artfully, and Inkberryblue.

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Veggie Cowl

My cowl is finished and it's soooo soft!  That's thanks to the Pakucho organic cotton yarn!  It feels great against the skin and would be great for a sweater or hat, too.  

I was inspired by this cowl on The Purl Bee, but I chose a thicker cotton yarn to work with.  It gives the cowl more body so I can fold it over and make it stand up like a turtleneck or leave it unfolded and slouchy.  

I used 100 grams of the Pakucho organic cotton yarn in Green Forest and the pattern is so easy you can work on it while you watch your favorite TV show (Project Runway).  

Cast on 100 stitches using size 8 circular needles.

Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist it!

Work in 1x1 ribbing (knit 1, purl1, repeat) until you've used up all 100 grams of yarn.  

Bind off loosely, cut & knot the yarn, weave in your yarn tails and your cowl is finished!  

So easy!  The yarn really does all the work, so make sure you choose one with a nice texture.  

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Close up...

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Still Life

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There has to be a better way...

... oh yeah, it's called a mat cutter!  I don't have one of those, so I cut everything by hand - and that's what I've been doing today!  Putting more prints in sleeves with backing and labels so they'll be ready for my Etsy shop and a couple of craft fairs coming up in the fall.  Although it's not the most fun thing to do, it is incredibly gratifying to see everything in sleeves and looking nice and professional!

I received this pair of earrings from The Tiny Little Girl's Etsy shop today!  They're so gorgeous and I'm wearing them right now!  : )

And if you've ever wondered what my workspace looks like, I posted a photo here.  

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Still Life

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Book Origami

Here is the piece from the last post, but finished!  The crochet is mounted to the book, which I love.  I decided to do an altered book backing after seeing this photo on Flickr - I was so inspired by it!  When I started fiddling around with some old books (from a box headed for donation - no treasured books were harmed in this experiment!) I realized that the possibilities are endless.  I now have four or five "origami books" waiting to be put to use.  

And here is a doodle I made the other day, just for fun! 

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Field Trip

These will be something eventually...

And this is the yarn I bought this afternoon on my LYS field trip!  The greenish-taupe yarn is going to be knit into this cowl from The Purl Bee - I'm substituting a vegan yarn for the cashmere.  I really can't wait to start it, the Purl Bee photos look so great!

Aaah, knitting is so relaxing!  Especially when you have such awesome yarn to work with!

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2x2 Ribbing...

... a lot of 2x2 ribbing!  But I'm making progress on my brother's sweater and that's the important thing.  It's turning out great so far and should be finished well before it's Christmas due date!  

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Knitting the Lymphatic System...

... well, not the whole thing.  : ) 

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Chain Link Pattern

I've been wanting to crochet a chain-link motif for quite a while - I think I first thought of doing it last winter - and I love it!  I joined this piece into a ring, but it would be so cool to make as a scarf!!!!  I'm definitely going to make another one for that purpose.  

Here's how I did it using worsted weight wool yarn and a 6.0mm crochet hook:

1. Chain 25

    Join into a ring and work rows in double crochet.

   Cut the yarn, knot off, and weave in the ends.

2. Chain 25

    Join into a ring going through the previous link.

   Work two rows in double crochet.

   Cut yarn, knot off, and weave in the ends.

Repeat step two until your chain is the desired length.

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Purpleness

It made me really happy to read the comments on my last post - it's just great to know that there are so many bookworms out there!  I love to hear what other people are reading and interested in reading, it gives me so many ideas for new books to try.  

Above is a photo of some crochet I've been working on - I actually intended on posting a different project, but realized that I had forgotten to upload the photo, so it will just have to wait until next time!  

I also found this totally cute tutorial for making a fabric and crochet mushroom.  Another project to add to my list.  I secretly love having a huge "to make" list, don't let my complaining fool you!   : )

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Close Up

I was cleaning out a box of collected odds and ends over the weekend and took these close-up shots of a few of the items found inside.  I've almost completed some of the knit/crochet elements of a few more arty projects, so I'll be able to post them later this week.  Everything is sort of half-finished right now and I'm having trouble really focusing in on one thing to get it done - I end up doing bits and pieces of each thing without making significant progress on any one project! 

I DID finish reading Anthem over the weekend and loved it.  Loved it.  It's a quick read, which makes it a great introduction to Ayn Rand before getting into Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead.  Next I'm starting Swann's Way, which has been on my to-read list since college.  It's kind of intimidating, but after reading Ulysses I think I'm up for anything! 

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A Good Week for Mail

This week has been very good for my mailbox!  I received a couple of Etsy purchases, a few gifts, and the new issue of MSL.  

I love the Metro Necklace I ordered from Le Photique and my cats love their new Damask Print Pet Tags from Pure Panache.  

I was so excited to open this package of Kentucky yarn from my sister-in-law!  

I've already started a project (one of three WIP's going on right now) with the blue yarn.  It will be one of several I'll be showing at The Planet coffeehouse next year.   I've booked two shows with them, Photography in March and Fiber in April.  It's really gratifying to get your work "out there" in the real world.

On that note, I'd like to share a great book I picked up earlier this week.  It's great for anyone interested in designing things for your own website, business, hobby, everything - it's called DIY: Design It Yourself and it's full of ideas for business cards, bookbinding, press kits, flyers, CD packaging, logos, t- shirts, etc.  It was put together by the MFA Graphic Design Program at MICA and the designs are really modern, edgy, and creative.  This is a great resource for anyone who likes to handle their own design!

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Experiment

I've been experimenting with making small prints of some line drawings - mostly because I wanted some for my wall - but now that I've started I'm getting addicted!  This is a very low-tech operation, I just scanned the drawing, printed it on various colors of card stock, cut it to size, and did some title stamping over part of the image.  I'm thinking of making a small run of prints and then framing the original drawings with a watercolor paper backing.  Not sure yet, still thinking.  

I have a couple of new free form fiber pieces in their final stages, so I've been maniacally focused/unfocused/focused on them.  Right now I'm waiting for some glue to dry and contemplating a run to the art store for some gesso...

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I heart Angry Chicken

Ack!  The author of Bend the Rules Sewing used one of the pieces I made from the book on her blog!  It's here in the Flickr mosaic, the second image in the bottom row.  I am so happy to have her stamp of approval, especially since I've been mentioning the book approximately every other day lately.  : )  I just like it so much.  

Thanks to my lovely mother for alerting me to this exciting development.  She's always watching out for me.  

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Tea Cozy

This is the tea cozy I made from Bend the Rules Sewing.  I used flannel fabric and made a stamped label for the corner.  Stamping on fabric is one of my new favorite things!  Everything I've sewn from this book has turned out great - and there are still so many projects to try.  I love this book!

I'm starting to think about my booth for the Masterpiece Festival in October.  It's my first arts & crafts fair so I'm making lists and trying to make sure I don't forget anything.  I definitely don't want to show up and realize that I don't have a tablecloth or that I forgot to get change!  I've been designing some flyers and bookmarks with my shop info to give away, making some bags, and looking for great booth photos on Flickr.  So much to do, but I'm excited to get out there with my stuff!  With pieces in galleries, I really have no idea how many people are looking at it, what their expressions are, etc.  It's going to be interesting to see things first hand!

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Still Life

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Still Life

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And so it begins...

I'm finally starting the sweater I promised my brother a few months ago!  I'm using the ribbed pullover pattern from Amy Singer's Knit Wit book.  It should be fairly simple, although I always have trouble picking up stitches at the neck without making it look... messed up.  I'm substituting a really soft cotton blend yarn for the wool that the pattern calls for and I love the color - a cool, ashy, brown.  

It's been a while since I've started an ambitious knitting project, so I warmed up (and used up some leftover yarn) with this ice cream cozy.  The pattern is also from Knit Wit and I've intended to make it every time I had leftover yarn for, oh, about two years!  It turned out great, just the right size for a container of coconut sorbet!

And thanks to everyone for your nice comments about my fused-plastic bib!  I really appreciate your feedback.  I love visiting all of your blogs, too, and I'm glad we can share ideas and encouragment! 

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I did it!

I fused plastic bags!  And it was easy.  I used this tutorial for the fusing instructions, then I traced and cut out a bib shape and stitched some seam binding around the edges.  I attached a set of snaps to my bib, but you could easily modify the shape to add ties instead.  

I bring my own bag to the store, so I didn't have a bunch of plastic grocery bags to use.  Instead, I saved the plastic from loaves of bread and centered the designs in the middle of the bib.  

There are a lot of great ideas out there for using fused plastic!  One of them is here on the 

In a Nutshell blog!

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