swirling in the ether...

I've been in dire need of time spent outdoors! Luckily, I squeezed in some pure-pleasure

walking and photo-taking yesterday afternoon. The sunshine was just

what I needed!

Here are some more things I've been loving this week...

a bookshelf quilt

a peaceful bedroom (reminds me my old apartment in Berlin)

this amazing art display (would be great for photos or postcards, too)

I really want a chunky geode ring!

toilet paper roll creatures (this would be a fun kids project!)

happy friday!

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~crochet coffee cozies~

Last night I whipped up two new coffee cozies... and I've named them after clever & interesting college majors : )

This one in cocoa brown is the Art History major

A coffee cup cozy for art lovers, museum-goers, and people who park themselves on the bench in front of that Jackson Pollock for as long as they want!

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And this one in avocado green is the Lit major

A cozy made for readers of Bronte, Joyce and Hemingway. Lovers of the written word and printed page. Perhaps you've been described as bookish, nerdy, or "smart." You know who you are!

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just because...

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bubbles

I made a slightly different type of soft sculpture... it kind of reminds me of bubbles...

This piece hangs on the wall, but without a frame.. just kind of floating on its own! (You can see all the details here.)

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props!

This weekend I spent time crocheting tiny things and finding pretty props to photograph them with! Including props really helps me show just how little these pieces are!

In this photo I used one of my favorite vintage photos... I think this must be a bridal portrait...

Another bowtie pasta-inspired shot (in pink this time!)...

... and this one has a tiny coffee and cake snack going on in the background!

What do you think? Do you have any favorite props you like to pull out for blog photographs (or for your Etsy shop or Flickr or just for fun)? I've started keeping a selection in a designated "prop basket" so I can rummage through and try different things. Etsy has a nice article on using props... it definitely inspired me to try some new things!

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fresh off the hook!

Here is a custom order fresh off the crochet hook!

I love the round shape!

I also recruited my husband into helping me take some shop photos this morning...

I think it helps show the scale of the pieces when I'm holding them - some are

quite large! So I've been editing listings to include the new shots...

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let's go

1. New York City Skyline, View from Top of the Rock, New York City - 006, 2. Tokyo moment,

3. Tokyo City Lights, 4. 5/3/2011 *64/365 - Tokyo, 5. Big Ben at Twilight – London England,

6. Dreamy experiment, 7. dreamy london, 8. Paris Au Printemp, 9. 121, From Paris, with love..,

10. Memories and Reflections - Paris Salon, 11. PARIS. Paris / París., 12. dreamy balcony, 13. Lisbon

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in the a.m.

...corners of my home this morning...

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serendipity (otherwise known as a diy laundry bag)

This morning one of the first things I did was take a load of laundry to the laundry room. I don't particularly enjoy doing laundry and lately it's become more of a bummer because my laundry basket has not one, but two broken handles. I think, "I need to get a new laundry basket," then I sit down with a cup of tea to check emails and browse my new obsession - Pinterest. Did you know that I'm using Pinterest now? I am! Please stop by and see me : ) Anyway, what did I find on Pinterest but a great DIY laundry bag that I could make with stuff I had in my house! Thrifted stuff to boot!

I used a large wood embroidery hoop (thrifted for 50 cents) and a gigantic floral pillowcase- seriously gigantic, I have no idea what kind of pillow is this big! - that I thrifted last year and have been hanging on without actually using it. And an odd length of seam binding in my scrap basket. That's it! It makes an always-open laundry bag that you can hang from a hook... the original idea is from Martha Stewart and you can find it here or see it on my Pinterest board... are any of you on Pinterest? Let me know in the comments and I'll check out your boards, too!

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twitter

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P.S. I'm now on Twitter! Yes, it's true : ) Find me here!

I'll be tweeting links to things I like and other goings-on...

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whatever our souls are made of...

"He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine

are the same. "

-Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights

Here is my little illustration of the Bronte sisters as cats... it's based

on this portrait painted by their brother Bronwell around 1854. Apparently, Bronwell

included his likeness in the portriat, too, then painted it out! Interesting...

You can find this drawing in my shop : )

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hearts and bows and crocheting along...

I've been crocheting along on some tiny projects for the shop and getting photos ready...

...some *tiny* bows (they remind me of bowtie pasta, hence the spoon prop)...

...and more little crimson hearts...

artwork by Tascha

...I thought they looked cute in my mossy terrarium with the little mushrooms!

I have some more cat-as-writer illustrations to show and a custom order to work on! Oh, and I did that thing where you stand up in an odd way and then your back hurts. A lot. And I don't like hobbling around with a strained back! Ack!

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follow up

Here's a follow up post to expound on the drawing from earlier!

I took better photos and included more drawings...

Here is Edgar Allan Poe as a cat...

Sylvia Plath as a cat...

Charlotte Bronte as a cat...

Mary & Percy Shelley...

and, of course, Emily Dickinson!

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

This much let me avow -

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

-Edgar Allan Poe

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s y l v i a

i drew sylvia plath as a cat... : )

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swirling in the ether...

I found Chloe sitting in my yarn basket on a shelf!

Other things I'm loving this week...

a birdcage chandelier

snapdragons in general

a coffee stencil tutorial

fabric printing how-to

happy friday!

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bright star

...a mini quilt...

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art -

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite,

The moving waters at their priestlike task

Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,

Or gazing on the soft-fallen mask

Of snow upon the mountains and the moors -

No - yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,

Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,

To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

Stilll, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever - or else swoon to death.

- John Keats

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quietly sewing

I had a very busy day yesterday with lots of errands to do, but I managed to end the day with some quiet sewing and embroidery...

... I need to edit a few photographs and then I will show the finished project!

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knitting pattern :: fernleaf socks

It's finished! A new knitting pattern!

...Fernleaf Socks...

A quick knit in chunky yarn with a leafy lace pattern

knit to fit the size of your foot!

...the pattern is for sale in my shop...

You will be knitting in the round on double pointed needles and using these types of stitches: knitting, purling, yarn over, slip slip knit, knit 2 together, and slipped stitches.

Knit a few pairs now and you'll be ready when fall rolls around : )

You can never have too many comfy socks!

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f a m i l y

I had a very busy weekend, but I have a lot to show for it! One excellent thing I accomplished was this custom order from my shop... it's an 8 x 10 inch mini quilt with little drawings of the buyer's family! I've never made a piece like this so I took my time creating a balanced layout and designing each of the figures...

I used my best tiny stitches to outline each of the drawings and add the names, plus a small red heart at the bottom of the inverted triangle composition. I even thought to make each figure look toward the center of the design, making eye contact with another family member! I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

I've decided to add this option to my line of notebook paper-themed embroideries in my shop! You can check out the listing for all the details!

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swirling in the ether...

I just finished this design for a custom order... it's a little brooch!

Here are some more things I'm loving this week...

I'm back to running in my "barefoot" shoes after injuring my ankle a 3 weeks ago - it's so good to be back in the routine (albeit at a slower pace)!

This awesome quilt - I love the modern design and the colors

These gorgeous crochet squares & hexagons in a rainbow of colors

This old building... I'd love to move in!

Mollie Makes magazine from the UK... I got my copy at B&N earlier this week

Polenta Fries? Yes, please! I am definitely trying this recipe this week!

Happy Friday!

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kniknitknit

Knitting in progress...

...a new pattern coming soon!

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flickr finds!

I'm working on my new knitting pattern today... so I'm in the mood for yarn!

1. Yarn Love, 2. yarn bowl, 3. Yarn stash, 4. Yarn in snow, 5. 'Forest Floor' hand dyed yarn, 6. Dudley Yarn, 7. Yarn, 8. Yarn Abuelita Merino Worsted, 9. yarn!, 10. yarn pirate :: philistine, 11. Yarn and Candles, 12. Yarn, 13. yarn 2

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spring green

One more crochet sculpture and now I'm working on writing up a knitting pattern!

This one is on an amazing wood base - it's quite thick and has an incredible shape.

And I love the spring green color

...

I just listed this piece in the shop and I'm excited to see who ends up purchasing it... I like each piece to find a good home. It's fun to think of my work hanging in homes around the world : )

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a weekend of food posts :: vegan pesto recipe

Homemade vegan pesto is a great way to prepare a simple dinner that is just full of fresh goodness! I'm finicky about my pesto (my husband is, too) and this is a recipe that we both enjoy. If you grow basil in your garden or in pots on your windowsill this is a great way to use it up - especially if you make several batches at once and freeze them in portions to use later. Just put each serving in a small plastic freezer bag and place it in a bowl of hot water to thaw the night you want to use it! Fresh pesto from your garden all winter!

I like to make one recipe of pesto and toss it with a 12 oz. box of cooked whole wheat or tricolor pasta. Then I add some steamed veg (last night it was squash and green beans) and toss again until everything is coated. If you've never made pesto before, you may think that finished amount doesn't seem like much - don't worry! It's very concentrated and will coat and flavor your entire dish nicely.

I've eliminated the nuts usually found in pesto recipes, so no worries for those with allergies!

You will need these ingredients:

1 1/2 - 2 cups of fresh basil

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup nutritional yeast (found in most health food stores)

1/2 tsp salt

a generous sprinkling of black pepper

Combine all of these ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides so everything gets mixed up.

Toss with pasta and veg and enjoy!

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