Knitting for a Cause -- Women's March 2018

In January, I finally picked up my knitting needles for the first time in a year. I decided to try my hand at knitting a "pussy hat" or as little V calls it, a "kitty hat." I managed to make one kid sized and one mama sized one just in time for the Women's March. I was pretty pleased with the result.

These knit up quickly and I just used the pattern from the PussyHat Project.

I knit mine with pink cotton/elastic yarn I happened to have on hand. Yay.

On Pins and Needles...

Knitting, for me, is at a bit of a standstill. I am a one trick pony. Washcloths. Sigh. I really need to branch out but for the "sport" to be relaxing it needs to involve a low level of risk and thought. So, for now, I'm just happily knitting some washcloths with the potential for legwarmers, cowl scarves, and sweaters on the horizon.

In the meantime, I am picking up some needles of a different sort. Embroidery. I started in 2008 and didn't make it past the sampler, but I just got a fresh burst of motivation and so I'll see if I can complete this latest project before I show it off. Let's just say if this proves successful, there may be no stopping me. :)

My Studio.

My new computer area.
Fabric covered bulletin board to my left.
John Cusack on my right.

My yarn stash.
Projects in progress are in baggies lining the bottom shelf.

The decision on these shelves was a tough one. I brought my pal Andrea in for some consultation last Wednesday on our way to have dinner with Greg Williamson. She encouraged me to go with the 8" shelves instead of the 10". So wise. Thanks, Andrea!
I moved my blonde bookshelves into my studio space rather than store them. They are perfect for shelving and storage. I have some writing reference books in here as well as all my knitting, sewing, crocheting books and patterns. The Orla Kiely basket from Target is one of my favorites in this image.
The shoe bag organizer is something I've used in the storage area for some time. It is a lifesaver when it comes to finding things like batteries, tape, glue sticks, post its and so much more. The closed closet doors open to reveal another workspace:

My sewing nook. I have stamping, scrapbook, extra fabric, cotton batting, and mending in progress on the shelf above. I have my wooden crates from my former office space serving as shelving for things like old journals, writing portfolios, colored paper, markers, paints, modeling clay, modge podge, and felt.

Here are some details of the more decorative bits of the room.
Yum. This was the frosting on the cake.

My Studio Takes Shape

I had planned to work on the books all day organizing them all until all four bookish areas in my place (including the new-found book nook) were utterly perfect. However, after a few more errands I brought Sophie, age 11, over to work on the craft room. Thank goodness for that. Without her help I am sure I would have spread the bookshelf project out for a few more days and probably not truly started on the craft room until the following weekend.

Instead, subscribing to the philosophy, "sometimes you have to make things messier to get things in order" we dragged nearly everything out of the craft room/sewing room/computer room which will hereby be known as "my studio." We put all "containers" in the living room and called it "the container store" and we put all the STUFF of my studio into the hallway so we had piles of ribbons and stacks of yarn and fabric, cotton batting, clothes that needed mending, sea shells, baby jars, felt, markers, paints and so forth.

I'd already set up the layout of the room the way I wanted it. That was decided. The three blonde bookshelves previously from the book nook area were moved in. I bought two small tables. My computer and printer were set up. I'd already sorted the shoe bag organizer that hangs on the back of the door.

I'd tentatively chosen some magazine holders for my Real Simple magazines and Sophie helped me make the decision between black and white on that one.

The sewing machine was set up in the closet and I had some dowels to put the ribbons on and so she helped me do that too and even figured out a way to do TWO dowels so I could hang them all. The crates from my previous office space were now stacked one on top of another in the closet to create shelving on either side of the sewing machine. Our job now was to slowly return all the crafty items to the room in an orderly fashion. The following images are after it was completed a few days later.

the closet

the closet -- sewing work space

Of course, I only had Sophie for a few hours and then she went home to bed and I kept on working. The sheer mess was motivating. It wasn't all done by bedtime, but I was much much closer. Thank goodness for Sophie.

Organization --Step Four

Today I made some real progress on the craft room disaster. However, I've discovered that to move one thing necessitates I move another thing. My apartment is like a giant puzzle. I've decided I cannot have the bedding in the hallway anymore so I started making a space in the storage closet behind my kitchen. Much of the space I'm carving out involves crafty stuff like my stamping supplies (haven't done that in a million years), my scrapbook supplies (ditto), my writing portfolio and filled journals, blank journals, a tub of gift bags, tissue paper, and packing materials, gifts I've got at the ready, and everything else from sea shells to jingle bells. All of those things can go into the new craft space when I have a clue where to put it or how it will be arranged. For now I'm just moving those items to the hallway.

I bought a couple rectangular card tables and I'm hoping these will work. I'm still undecided. I've got them in place and I'm trying to figure out the big furniture layout. It just doesn't look right, but I think part of that is the lack of shelves and pictures on the walls. I also need to come up with some better lighting options. There is some real potential here. I'm just trying to find it without breaking the bank.

I'll update with pictures as soon as I've committed to a layout. This is exciting.

Is it a sign of nerdish when I am this pumped about an organized home?

Stopping my Overthinking with some Linking

Today was a rotten day. The most rotten of rotten days. Not the "I overslept" or "my car wouldn't start" kind of day. Not even an "I ate half a pan of shortbread and didn't even care" kind of day (even though I DID and don't really care). My day's drama started yesterday afternoon and it seems to be never ending and the sadness it engenders is pooling up like flood waters at my feet. And my heart feels like a it's tight in the grasp of some unseen, unknown cruelty. Yeah, I can't even really talk about it. I will. I think I need to write about this, but not today. Today's only real remedy will be closing the door on it and starting again tomorrow, with the same shadow, sure, but maybe a bit more light. We'll see.

What has been making my evening tolerable...

Candice Stringham's photography blog, Aperture 1.4 is quickly becoming a favorite. This post is what clinched it for me. She speaka my language.

Things like this Red Riding Hood keyhook at the Three Potato Four shop. Actually everything at Three Potato Four. Especially these finger puppets and this typewriter. And they have a blog too.
I've been seduced. It's crazy costly. I have a horrible habit of subscribing to magazines and then not reading them. But this is only FOUR issues a year... it's basically like buying a beautiful book. I would love to just get one issue and see what I think. The Spring 2009, due out in April, is their first issue. Here's a link to a promo video about it. See if it seduces you too....

I love this paper doll tee shirt sweater. I could never make it and I probably don't have the bod for that style anyway.... but it's soooooo cute. Needled is my new knitting blog love. It's written by Kate Davies and her recent "Jubilee Bees" post made me think of my long-lost friend Emma... I wondered if she'd ever indulged in such adorableness in the name of the Queen.

Now, folks who read me more than once have probably figured out that I've been on a cuckoo clock craze this year and I think I'm not the only one. You can buy one here. Wow.


This is a crazy concept and one I hope starts to catch on. It's an anti-social social, specifically in an event in March in Montreal, but still. Holy crap. This is completely what I would love to do. Go somewhere with my knitting, book, sketchbook, laptop, and simply "be" in the presence of others while doing my own thing... you know being social and anti-social all at the same time. I learned about this event via this Drawn post.

I love this sort of thing and this is just the sort of thing I need to quit buying because then I collect things I really ought to just toss. Right now my ticket stubs from beloved concerts and the like are hanging on a little ribbon styled bulletin board that my Gram made me years ago. Maybe it's time to move them into a more permanent storage via Chronicle Books own Ticket Stub Diary. It's on my universal wish list!

I just discovered the Winnipeg Folk Festival (which I love but haven't been to in AGES) artists' line up includes Neko Case... I may have to make it this year... now if they only had First Aid Kit it would be kismet!

Organization--Take Two

Around the beginning of December, my craft room became a dumping ground for everything that didn't have a home. At first it was just some Christmas presents I wanted out of sight and then suddenly I was having company and instead of shoving things in the closet I stashed my mess in there and shut the door. Well, the time has come to open it up and reclaim my creative corner.

In the past few months, there was a stretch where some of the craft sites I read had studio tours and readers could peek into the work spaces of their favorite artisans. I LOVE looking at the beautiful colors and rooms and dream of having a space of my own. The sad part is that I HAVE the space, I'm just not utilizing it.... YET.

Some inspirational images of creative spaces via Whip Up:

love the color and the long table
It's Soulemama's studio

Like the "multiple workstations"
with lots of table space and pegboard.
This is Candy's workspace.

This one is housed in a closet.
Perhaps I can do something similar within my room to make an additional workstation.
This is Michal's closet workspace.

And I love that idea for ribbons.
I've been trying to find a good way to store them.
My only concern is dust.
This is Robin's creative space.

I'm worried about cost, that I'll get carried away and spend a fortune trying to "get organized." That's part of the reason I haven't just jumped in. I am trying to figure out what I want, where and exactly what I might need to create my dream workspace. I know I'll need to hang some shelves. I know I need a big table or two. I know I need to move some of the stuff in that room OUT of there and find it a new home in my apartment.

One example is bedding. I don't have a linen closet. And if I did, it wouldn't be big enough. It would appear that I like to shop for bedding. I have FOUR giant tubs full. I have some vintage linens, flannel sheets sets, extra bedspreads and comforters, lap blankets... and I've truly weeded out the stuff I don't want to keep. And this is just my full size stuff. I have another slightly smaller tub full of sheets for a twin size bed (even though my mom took my twin bed to her house about five years ago). I might need them one day, and I really like some of those sheets. (I know, I know... but I'm just not ready to get rid of them)

The trouble I'm having now, is in order to organize my craft room area I will have to reorganize the storage space behind the kitchen and that is a beast I'm not sure I am ready to tackle. There are crafty things in there that could be moved to make way for the great bedding bins. I'm pretty sure whatever the solution is, it will be a colossal mess for a good while before it takes shape. Maybe if I had a week off from school instead of just one snow day?

I should take a before picture of the mess, but I can't bring myself to do it. I'll wait until there's something lovely to see.

A Stitch in Time.

I really like the work of Alanna Cavanagh.
Check her out here.

Two knitting events have got me thinking of headin' out of town with my needles and yarns. I haven't tried any new knitting projects since I finished my lengthwise scarf and I'm eager to try either the shrug or a couple others I've picked out. I should really try the top-down sweater pattern I picked up this fall. For some reason knitting has been sidelined lately. I need to remedy that and soon.




On Feb. 14th & 15th, in the Twin Cities, folks are gathering at the Mall of America for a major knitting/crocheting event. Click here for details. It is almost too much for me. Slightly overwhelming. Where does one begin? Classes? Seminars? I'd just like a chance to have some TIME to knit. Man. I could probably just do with a weekend with nothing planned, some tasty coffee, and me and my yarn.

On Saturday March 7th, a little closer to home, Boucle Yarn Studio is hosting a Midnight Madness knitting gathering after hours at their store in downtown Fargo. They supply popcorn and a movie. We show up ready to knit and hang out from 6 pm to midnight. I think that sounds pretty good.

Yeah, I'm a Screamer.

Today Tommy and I decided to go sledding. Apparently I cannot go down a hill without letting out a bloodcurdling scream. It was terrifying. Heck, I am just glad I wasn't swearing!

For about two hours we enjoyed the "balmy" 27 degree January weather trekking up and down the dike at Lincoln Park... Let's just say we were not alone on that hill and there was at least one collision and tongue-biting, bloody incident that involved some quick thinking and emergency knitting to fashion a make shift ice pack using fresh snow and a triangular shaped dish cloth. Relax, no children in my immediate care were injured. (He was a younger brother of a friend of Tom's who happened to also be sledding) Still, it was a little heart-rending to see a sweet little first grader sniffling and patiently taking swigs from my water bottle and swishing and spitting blood from his mouth and then calmly applying my ice pack to his cut tongue. Little David was very brave.

The decision to go sledding came after our matinee showing of Paul Blart Mall Cop. That was not my first choice for a film, but one Tommy really wanted to see. It was exactly what it looked like. No surprises. It was predictable and full of mild humor and low key action. Not my kind of film, but I was pleased to see it wasn't full of innuendo and fart jokes like I thought it might be.

2009 New Year's Resolutions from A-Z

A Act on my good intentions.
B Blog daily.
C Crochet a zig zag stripe blanket.
D Downsize.
E Embroider some floursack dishtowels.
F Find fun, new, soon-to-be favorite recipes.
G Grow a garden.
H Help others.
I Inventory my books.
J Judge less.
K Knit a sweater.
L Learn to play my guitar.
M Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
N Nurture my friendships.
O Organize and print my photos.
P Pray more.
Q Question things.
R Read more classics.
S Sew something.
T Travel.
U Use my superpowers for good and not evil.
V Volunteer.
W Wear makeup.
X eXist in the moment--notice the little things.
Y Yell at my mom less.
Z Zero in on what is important for today. Live one day at a time.


P.S. This is my 666th post. Yikes. Maybe it IS time for prayer!

Peep.

On Christmas Eve I got to play with this pretty kitty--Sylvester a.k.a. Peep. He chased my yarn like mad and attacked my knitting needles with gusto. I ended up knitting a dish cloth full of cat spit. The pure joy of Peep made the knitting even more fun. I thought about tucking him in my bag and taking him home with me. :)

I See the World in Shades of Grey.

Headband pattern here.

Bag with Cable pattern here.

Oh, Baby!

Pretty soon, this blog will just be me pointing you to other blogs. Sigh. I really need to turn OFF the Google Reader and start writing my own. It's just so darn addictive. I'm literally drowning in ideas and creativity. I love so many of the amazing ideas I see, the artwork, the projects. There isn't enough time in the day. Can I just stay home and blog and knit and read please?

Tora Frøseth and her blog knitting a lot, is my latest love. She's a knitter from Norway who has some lovely and amazing children's pieces and a glove pattern that also caught my attention. She sells her patterns, but some are free.

Through some Ravelry linkage I discovered her work. If you are a knitter, you really MUST get an account and start tracking your project progress there, but more importantly browse the amazing work of others. It's a bit like being in a gourmet chocolate shop. I don't even know where to begin.

This is "Little Sister's Dress,"
which looks absolutely adorable on this little munchkin
and is available as a free download here.

Ravelry

Ravelry is a knitting and crocheting community where you can post your projects--in progress or proudly completed. Users can upload images of their completed work, catalog their yarn, provide details on their projects, post their patterns or they can FIND cool new patterns to try.

I signed up for Ravelry ages ago but just hadn't hit my knitting frenzy until recently. Now, I'm out there, checking things out, hungry for more. If you are a knitter or a crocheter, you might consider checking it out and creating an account. If you do, you can find me under the call sign "superpowerstoo." :)

Fruit Stripes?

I found this pattern in Scarf Style and decided to give it a go. The colors are Hudson Bay Blanket inspired... sort of. I went with a deep blue instead of the black stripe and I wish I had gone with an off white, but I realized my mistake after knitting two rows and I wasn't about to change gears.

Now at the halfway point, I think it's turning out well and I'd consider doing another scarf this way. Instead of casting on the width of the scarf and knitting to the desired length, you cast on the length of the scarf on circular needles and then knit the other way. This way I can knit vertical stripes, which are pretty cool too!

******Update******

I finished the scarf in less time than expected. It turns out the pattern is for a 10" wide scarf and I'm not crazy about wide scarves and so I edited the pattern which was supposed to a repeat of the red, yellow, green, and blue and then red once more with white between each stripe. It started out as a Hudson Bay blanket inspired scarf, but I really do think it is more of a Fruit Stripes bubble gum scarf.... This one was fun and I have lots of yarn leftover. I might have to make another one!

More Google Reader Goodies.

I just love this felt garland.
The colors are lovely and a blanket stitch is something I can do.
Check out the tutorial here.


Here's a new art blog to follow.

This dad creates a new lunch bag every day for his kids.
And this is one superpowered bag
I wholeheartedly approve of! I love it.

For those of you who know and love the
portable little Pass the Pigs game, here's a handcrafted twist.
I am overwhelmed by the cuteness.
It even has an adorable carrying case.
Check out the full post here.

And this amazing R2D2 hat, is right in line
with the Princess Leia hat
I saw on Bleu Arts a few years ago.
Man, I need to try to make BOTH of these.

Google Reader Goodness

I've got my sidebar blogs listed for my own reading pleasure. I have my routine blogs I check daily. There are other crafty ones that I look at less frequently and I'm always pleased when I do and I discover some amazing little gem or a tutorial or a new artist or what-have-you.

Today in my wanderings I discovered a trail that led me back to my Google reader. I tried to use this once upon a time, but I found that I didn't enjoy reading people's blogs in that format and it never occurred to me that there could be more to this whole thing.

Today, I learned that one can add a subscribe button to your internet browser toolbar so anytime I find a blog I like and want to revisit I can simply add it to my Google reader instead of adding it to my sea of unorganized bookmarks.

Also I can add a "next button" to my toolbar so instead of even going to my "Google reader" for updates I can click "next" and it will bring me to any fresh pages from the blogs I subscribe to in my Google reader. I decided to add in only my crafting and art blogs since there are so many of them and it's easy to keep going back to a few key ones and neglecting other good ones. The best part? I can see them in their full blog pages rather than in the limited viewing the Google reader page offers.

I am now totally immersed in crafty goodness and here are a few of the happy things I found today.

Crazy knitting and crocheted items:

Safety cones -- why I'm not sure?
But they are kind of funny.

Apple cozy. I've seen these before, usually for sale.

This site has a tutorial. I would love to try it!

Your classic winged heart tattoo softie
You can download a free pattern here.

Use a recycled glove to make a chipmunk softie.
Tutorial here.

Stuff I'd like to buy:

Available at Velocity

Yep, a gnome finger puppet.
Available here on Etsy.

These recipes I'd like to try:

Pavlova is my favorite dessert at my favorite dessert stop
--Baked Expectations in Winnipeg, MB
Here's a recipe, I found.
The image looks different than the pavlova in Canada,
but it's likely just as tasty.

Here are Emily Martin's macaroons.
She's been on a mission to make her own.
She found what appears to be the best recipe and
has some tips on her blog. My mouth waters just looking at them.
MMmmm...

And then there's nostalgia:

Woo Hoo for The Ginghams: The Backward Picnic

On Wee Wonderfuls' blog I saw a post on paper dolls, in particular a kind of paper dolls called The Ginghams. That reminded me of a Little Golden Book I loved and probably still have somewhere on the shelf. I thought it might be the same series. It doesn't seem to be. Yet, I was filled with a gushy kind of warm feeling anyway.

Funky clothing:

a cardigan I couldn't wear, but admire anyway.
From Anthropologie, though they appear to be sold out.

Why these items? The actually remind me of one another.
And I love the sort of bunchy, not terribly symmetrical button thingy going on.

This super cool skirt, I'd wear this for sure.
I found this skirt and this blog all in the same day.
Be sure to check out Uniform Studio