31 January 2012 · No Comments
I saw this over on Design Sponge and fell instantly in love. It’s awesome all on it’s own, but they even show it filled with yarn. Very thoughtful of them! It’s made from paper, and it seems like the perfect excuse to break out the sewing machine. I have a vague feeling I’d need to get a special super sturdy needle for it (like one of the ones for denim), and I might try out the fancy decorative stitches that my machine makes, but I definitely want to play with the idea. Now…to find the paper…anybody think colored tissue paper might work? Or would that look too much like an easter basket? Or maybe that could be cute if you wanted to make an easter basket? I foresee some experimentation.
(And the obligatory note, this image is from Design Sponge and belongs to them. I’m sharing it because it’s awesome and I want you to know about it. Click on the pic to see their post, complete with instructions. If you’re from Design Sponge and want me to take it down, just let me know!)
20 December 2011 · 3 Comments
So that inexplicable urge I mentioned the other day? It’s run its course and I can now tell you about it. There was a point in my misspent youth and childhood where I had a bit of a paper fetish. I was totally the kid folding her exam paper into some sort of unexpected sculpture while I waited for class to be over.
So the other day I became absolutely convinced that the world would be a better place if it contained a Christmas tree covered in origami figures of fiber animals. And really, it would. Think of it. Sheep. Rabbits. Goats. Even the odd llama (they say it’s a horse…they are wrong) or camel.
This plan fell down on several fronts–1) I don’t do a Christmas tree. 2) I don’t actually like to fold the same thing more than a few times, which makes it hard to fill a tree. 3) I have no time to do this and no longer have a stack of appropriate paper tucked away in the closet. But someone out there reading this likely does. And someone out there reading this likely should make a bunch of these and adorn their tree. I tried to link to fairly easy instructions. All you need is thin paper…even wrapping paper would work. Can you imagine this in a yarn store? Or just on your tree at home? You could even fold some socks or mittens. You know you want to…give in. And then take pictures so I can live through you.
And the socks and mittens are totally getting added to my list of things I can fold without the diagrams so I can make them when the urge strikes. Because they’re so flipping cute I could die. And because I’m easily entertained.
18 December 2011 · 4 Comments
Many moons ago, and mostly on a lark, I filled out a little form on the Maker’s Mark website. It said it would add you to their ambassador’s club. I think I likely found it when looking for address labels or something like that. It’s since been a source of a surprising amount of amusement. The address labels came, but so did other things. For you see, every winter they send out some sort of special little package. One year it was an ice cube tray that made baseball sized ice spheres. One year it was wrapping paper and gift bags with snowflake images made of bottles all over them (used it to wrap a four year old’s birthday present, merriment was felt by all). This year…this year it was a tiny sweater. A tiny sweater with snowflakes and prancing reindeer and the word “Maker’s” emblazoned across the chest. The idea was that you adorn your bottle with suitable holiday cheer.
This was not what happened at our house.
At our house, I first turned it inside out to see how it was put together (kind of funky actually…I may have to ask someone who knows more about colorwork just what’s going on there). Then I danced it around and showed it to the boy and pondered various amusing puppet shows. Then I set it on the counter and walked away. A short while later I heard the sounds of restrained mirth coming from the living room. Sure enough, The Boy had begun the process of introducing Douglas to the sweater. I…I’m apparently more or less resigned to the blog thing because I dashed off to grab the camera. I managed a few quick shots, none stellar. But hopefully this one is enough to convey the sense of utter disdain in which Douglas now holds us. If you hear that I’ve been found dead of mysterious causes, question the kitten. He’s certainly had appropriate provocation.
And please don’t worry, he was out of it within about 30 seconds and seems to have suffered no harm from this affront to his dignity.
16 December 2011 · 1 Comment
I’ve found myself caught in the grip of a totally random and inexplicable urge. It is fiber related, but only ever so slightly so. All things considered, it’s more of a paper-based obsession, with more than a hint of (unexpected) holiday overlay. I’ll report back shortly on the outcome and see if perhaps I can’t spread the sickness to you while there’s still time to act upon it. Apologies in advance for any lost productivity that may result.
22 November 2011 · 2 Comments
I am generally pretty good at spatial reasoning tasks. I can build things. I can tell you if that piece of furniture will fit up the stairs or fit in the living room. And I can fit a whole lot of stuff in a very small suitcase. But I cannot tell you the best way to get from town A to town B. Driving directions just somehow escape me. I can get where I’m going and get back home again, but deviating from the plan leaves me feeling a bit frazzled.
The Boy does not suffer from this difficulty. He builds a map in his head and zips about from one place to another with no difficulty and no pause to consult a map. It’s a handy skill. It also means that I can say things like hey, there’s a chocolate shop in Stow, do we ever go to Stow? And he’ll file it away in the back of his mind. Then the next time he happens to be driving by Stow, he’ll remember…and secure cupcakes. Astonishingly adorable cupcakes. Tasty too. If you’ve got the mental map trick, you should totally add a chocolate shop to it and swing by next time you’re in the area.
13 November 2011 · 6 Comments
The universe hates me and wants me to die young. This is clear, because they have allowed an establishment called Sweetie Fry to open down the street from us. It started out as an ice cream and french fry place, which was quite dangerous enough. But now…now they’ve added a new and even more horrifyingly tempting item to their repertoire.
Have you heard of funnel cake fries? No. I hadn’t either. I knew about funnel cakes. And I knew about french fries. But I never knew about extruding funnel cake batter into french fry shaped pieces, dousing the whole thing in cinnamon and powdered sugar, and selling them to innocent bystanders. But the folks at Sweetie Fry did. Damn their cholesterol-drenched souls. When I drop dead of a heart attack at 34, we’ll know who to blame. But at least I’ll die happy.
And in knitting related news, today marked the ceremonial ‘first full load of socks’ washing machine event. During the summer we don’t go through woolly socks fast enough to fill an entire washer full (so I toss in other things that need special laundering to fill it up) . But now that it’s chilly, we’re accumulating them quick enough to give them their own unaccompanied trip through the washer. Which of course means trying to find spaces to hang several dozen pairs of socks to dry at once. Our basement looks a little funny.
28 October 2011 · 3 Comments
The kitten overlords have decreed that I may not use my desk chair. It has been commandeered for their nefarious purposes. They suggest checking back later to see if they’re done with it, but they make no promises.
Update: Shortly after posting this, the rat fink bastards devious little brats kittens upped the ante in their quest to keep me from being productive. They swarmed me, all three at once, on the tile floor. It was a choice between dropping what I had in my hands and grabbing the sink or going ass over teakettle and landing in the middle of them. In the fraction of a second one has to make those sorts of decisions, I choose to protect the kittens (and my knees). Alas, the thing I had in my hand was my ipad. The glass is now cracked beyond salvage. This is not an auspicious start to the day.
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