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I'm participating in the Magic Yarn Ball Swap set up by Larissa of stitch marker and that's the yarn ball I created. So what's a yarn ball, you ask? Well, you take some yarn and some treasures and start winding the ball of yarn, hiding the treasures as you go. More info here. And there's a Flickr group showing a bunch of balls from the swap too!
Larissa is also the brains behind the State Fair Along, which I was sorely tempted to join. What fun!
The agony of crafting defeat. I should have listened. I wanted to save a few dollars. . . .
Learn from my mistake.
So I'm hear to tell you that you *do* need to use Bubble Jet Set when printing onto fabric with an inkjet printer. I took a picture of Maddie's watercolor painting:
I cleaned it up in Photoshop Elements, resized it and everything. Then I prepared my fabric -- Kona Cotton in some shade of white. Snow, maybe? I cut it to about 9" X 11 1/2" and ironed it. Then I cut a piece of Renyolds Freezer Paper (the kind that has one side that is coated in plastic) to size -- 8 1/2" X 11". I did all this cutting with a rotary cutter and a ruler, by the way. Super quick and easy! Then I ironed them together. After that I cut off the extra fabric and made sure there weren't any bubbles in the fabric. The final step was a quick going over of the fabric with a lint roller to remove any stray fuzz that might come between the ink and the fabric.
I ran the paper/fabric sheet through my printer using the "normal" paper setting and it worked great! The fabric looked great! I was so happy! Maddie was excited about the tote I was going to make her. I ironed the heck out of it on *hot*. I figured that might set that ink. Doesn't heat always set a stain? And what is ink on a fabric, if not a stain? Hmmmmm? I ask you?
Well, I left it to set for a few days until I got up the courage to plunge it into a sink of cool water. (I wasn't planning to wash the bag I made for her, but I worried about rain, spills and what not, so test it I must.) You can see the results.
So learn from my lesson. And now I'm off to purchase a bottle of Bubble Jet Set. And probably some Bubble Jet Set Rinse. I've angered the gods and I must pay retribution.
And if you like books and reading, please check out the latest episode of Booga Talk! Pete and I wax nostalgic about our first childhood reading experiences and other such nonsense. It's a hoot!
It seems almost like a miracle to me that these socks are finally finished. I started them way back in December of 2005. They even travelled to Maryland with me this year (where I completely messed up the heel). And here they are, over six months later, finally finished.
I'm a very goal oriented person and I've been thinking a lot about all my wip's. Work has been insane this spring (with the breakdown and re-building of my online store) and I've been busy starting new projects (like the Pincushion Challenge, Stitch-Cast and Booga Talk), but I'm thinking that with summer arriving I should be getting back to normal. I'm hoping this will give me time to work on some crafty things and this has me thinking about how to best tackle the piles and messes that have accumulated.
I'm probably going to start some kind of WIP "goal" for each crafting area I enjoy. And since I'm always online, I'll probably integrate a tracking mechanism on the blog. (We had an awful storm here on Monday night and the power went out. I was up half the night and really had time to think this all through. Just in case you thought I was a bit crazy -- ha ha.)
So, I'll probably be getting that together this week. It will involve photo taking and cleaning and reorganizing. We'll see if I actually find the time to carry out my big plans!
Oh, and if you are curious, the sock yarn I used is Regia Jubilee, colorway 5472 and here's what they look like on:
Michel Cluizel's Noir aux Ecorces d'Orange is a very comforting bar. There isn't anything crazy about it. It isn't too bitter (coming in at only 60% cacao) or too sweet and it's incredibly smooth, mellow chocolate. That Michel really knows how to pair his chocolate and orange. The orange is just intense enough to let you know it's there and it has a pleasing chewiness that I really enjoyed.
While this bar didn't blow me away with any kind of "wow" factor like some of the new wacky bars that are coming out -- it did what it was meant to do and it did it beautifully. I will definitely be buying more Michel Cluizel Bars in the near future. In fact there are several single origin bars I have my eye on. . .
This week I had a few requests to talk a little bit more about the stamp carving I did last weekend (from this post) in my podcast -- so I did just that. Episode 7 -- Stamp Carving is now up at Stitch Cast (and iTunes). In it I talk about the tools you need, how to carve stamps, where to look for inspiration, what to do with your stamps and I even touch on letterboxing. Go give it a listen and let me know what you think!
whew! Just got back from the printer and the Dorothy Bag patterns are ready to go! I even have them up in the online shop already. And I'm shipping out my first orders to yarn shops tomorrow.
Now excuse me while I go stick a few hundred photos on the front of those patterns so I can get them packaged up and sent out. . .
Look what arrived in the mail today! Julie from J. Knits sent me some of her gorgeous Felter's Dream - Worsted in the colors Wisconsin and Mesa. Isn't it pretty? I can't wait to try it out! Thanks, Julie!!
What do Pete & I know about? Books. So, that's what we'll be talking about on Booga Talk from now on. Go check it out. I think you'll like it better than our first two show. We read -- a lot -- so we can really talk about books.
Since we spent Tuesday night recording the episode, I spent last night editing the episode and I spent this morning doing all the other stuff (converting the file, uploading it, putting up the show notes and all that good stuff. . .) I have no crafting to talk about.
Any free time I had yesterday was spent on the Knitting Blogs Web Ring -- see what I do for you people?!?!?! (Hand draped dramatically across forehead. . . ) So go check out all the new sites I added to the ring!
This past weekend was designated a work-free weekend and I pretty much didn't work. (This is actually shocking -- ask Pete. He didn't think I could go through with it!) Instead I focused on crafting. I have lots of craft supplies that I have been amassing in the hope that I might actually have time to try them out at some point.
You may remember back-tack II. When the heck was that anyway? Well, I bought all the stuff for my b-t buddy to learn lino printing and bought myself the "stuff" too. I have also been picking up the plastic erasers and different carving medium over the past few months, but until this past weekend I never gave it a try.
Now I did have motivation -- I have to admit. I signed up for moki's recipe card swap and the cards are due the 21st. And you had to stamp them with a hand carved stamp -- yikes!
It turned out to be pretty simple. I used my BSB logo sans swirls. Printed it out, went over it with pencil, turned it over onto the stuff I was carving, rubbed the back of the paper with my bone folder to transfer the design & started carving with the cutting tool.
Here it is after the first test stamp. I liked the rugged look, so I didn't fix the extra lines that showed up. I kind of wanted it to look like a woodcut, so the I figure the roughness helped rather than hurt.
To make the "recipe cards" I printed my "recipe" on back (It's a secret, in case any participants read my blog!), stamped the cards with commercially made stamps for a background and then stamped my sheep stamp in black on top:
Oh, there was other crafting too. I worked on amineko, my poor socks (I still knit, really I do!), and something else that I hint around at at Maddie's homeschooling blog. Stay tuned!
I haven't really mentioned it here on the blog, but over the past year or so I've become a bit of a chocolate snob (or maybe more of one!) And now that I've found a good source for the chocolate bars I love, I thought I should start reviewing them here as I finish them off. First let me say that a 3.5oz chocolate bar might take me 1-2 weeks to finish and I may be eating 2 or three at any one time. So don't expect reviews every day or anything like that. I like to savor my chocolate :)
Although I am a lover of dark chocolate, I'm starting off with a white chocolate bar. White chocolate?!?!?!? Dare I combine those two words? I do if I'm talking about Green & Black's Organic White Chocolate bar. Here's how they describe it on their website:
To make our white chocolate we use cocoa butter, pressed directly from the crushed cocoa beans. The smooth, creamy taste comes predominately from the full cream milk and Bourbon vanilla. Available in 100g and 35g bars.
Let me tell you, using real cocoa butter and bourbon vanilla makes a world of difference. Intense vanilla with a smooth, creamy sweet (but not sickly sweet) flavor. I gobbled up this bar in just over a week and really had to restrain myself. I'll definitely be having this one again in the future!
Partially eaten -- Michel Cluizel's Noir aux Ecorces d'Orange and Green & Black's Organic Hazelnut & Currant. Still un-opened in the drawer -- Cafe Tasse's Extra Noir and Vosges' Calindia Bar. More on those later!
What's your favorite chocolate bar?
If you listen to my podcast, then you'll probably know what this is. Lately I've taken to crochet and decided to try my had at amigurumi (lots of links on amigurumi over at Stitch-Cast episode 6 since I went on and on about it!)
At any rate, I started this amineko (crochet cat -- pattern here) using dk weight yarn and a little crochet hook and it was just too small. Lots of people say they have been using good ol' Red Heart and having fab result, but I didn't have any of that in the stash. I did however have some Encore worsted weight, so that's what I'm using. It's working out much better and I actually got halfway through the noggin' while sitting down for a wee bit of crafting time last night.
In unrelated news, it's climbing up to 90 degrees here and my air conditioning is on the fritz. The repairman says he *may* get here today -- he may get here Monday. (I'm one of those people who has been know to faint -- yes, actually lose consciousness -- in the heat. Wish me luck!)
Well, we had so much fun making episode 1 that we decided to do another! This week's episode of Booga Talk is uploaded and ready for listening. I hope you like it. We sure do seem to have fun making them :)
I'm not getting much crafting done, but Maddie is. Can you tell what she's doing in that picture? Read all about it at her homeschooling blog!
Well, I scored a beautiful button on Saturday when Theresa & Bonne Marie took me to this great trim shop called Soutache (no website I'm sad to say, but here's the location). So I finally found a bit of time to sew on the handles and the button and snap a photo of the entrelac bag which will be named the Dorothy Bag (after my mother-in-law). I still need to take nice pictures out in the garden in hopes of getting something that will be good enough for the cover of the pattern. And speaking of the pattern, I need to do the final edit and get that off to the printer.
I had hoped that this all would have been done by now but my other business fell apart -- or the website did. My current web host has been having major server issues and their customer servie has been awful. They were purchased and the new parent company basically wanted me to purchase *their* product. I didn't want to. They are letting the old platform go to wrack and ruin, as they say. So the only option was to find a completely new ecommerce solution and completely rebuild my store. This has been taking up every free moment of my time for the last few weeks -- I'm wearing myself out with the whole thing. It's a bit stressful.
But the end is in siight. My new store should go live sometime this week if all goes well and I can get the evil company to release my domain name so that I can attach it to my new store. I have more data entry ahead of me, but I have a massive amount done and I'm feeling good about the new company I went with. I can't wait to put this behind me so I have energy for crafting and Black Sheep Bags things (like getting the Dorothy Bag out!) and time to enjoy the weather which has taken a turn back for the better again!
(Insert big sigh of relief here.)
Episode 6 is up over at Stitch-Cast and this week's theme is crochet. Let me know what you think!
I'm a little late with this episode because yesterday I actually made it to WWKIP Day at Millennium Park in Chicago. Theresa and Bonne Marie introduced me to the good ol' #66 bus as we made our way to the festivities. The sun actually came out for a while, so it turned out to be a lovely afternoon. Even though I'm a former resident of the city of Chicago I got to be a bit of a tourist. Gazing up at the shiny surface of the "Bean" I was mesmerized! We even managed a chocolate fix. What more could a girl ask for?
So, I open TypePad this morning to write a post and there are 10 -- 10! -- blogs listed (make that 11 - since I write for whip up too, no 12 - there's two friends collect books which I've been neglecting lately). Yep, and I'm doing two podcasts now. I'm out of control.
I am feeling pretty good about my ability to set up a podcast though. I got Booga Talk into iTunes in a day. That was a huge challenge when I started my first podcast. So I guess I'm learning something as I go and I'm nothing if not a compulsive learner. It's all good, as they say.
In crafting news. . . well, there isn't any because Maddie and I hit Oak Brook Shopping Center yesterday. It's this huge outdoor mall basically that has all the shops -- everything from the Gap to Tiffany & Co. Their Nordstrom has an *incredible* shoe department! So we shopped and got cute outfits. We are girly girls. Maddie helped me look for brassiers at VS and she searched the manequins, looking for Victoria. I think she declared that she found Victoria and Victoria's mom too (her mom is the one with the huge wings at one of the entrances according to Maddie -- this Victoria's secret is gigantic and maze-like). We ate pasta salad and drank lemonade together by one of the many fountains outside. It was a really nice day! A mother-daughter girly shopping day.
Saturday Theresa and I plan to head out to Millennium Park for a little WWKIPing. If you are in the Chicago area, I hope that we'll see you there! (Bring a sweater, it's supposed to be chilly!!)
Wow! Looks like many of you are interested in Japanese craft books. I've already had almost 600 downloads of my Stitch-Cast show on the subject. How fun! So I thought I would start posting a few photos from my library. First up is "Natural Taste" (ISBN 4-8347-2416-6). It's a crochet book and comes complete with losts of diagrams so that you can complete all 49 projects. I loved the "granny square" bag and kitty on the cover, which prompted me to pick it up while at Mistsuwa a couple weeks ago. Inside there are a wide range of projects. . .
I particulalry liked the many basket type things and these cute little pincushions! There were also some really cute baby booties and baby toys (rings with little bunny and bear heads!) and a gorgeous blanket.
This week I'm actually doing a podcast on crochet, so please stop by this weekend and check it out!
Okay, Pete and I have been thinking about doing a podcast for awhile now and we finally got our acts together and did it. It has nothing to do with crafting. Basically we sit in bed and chat about. . . stuff. . . current events (we are liberals -- you have been warned!), our local weathermen and their hijinks, and this week we talk about Quizno's -- stuff, I tell ya! I created a website so that iTunes will eventually pick up our feed. The podcast and blog are called Booga Talk. And here's the first episode -- "Lions and Lightning and Sandwiches, Oh My!"
What do you think?
I finished up the Brooks Farm scarf that I started while at MS&W. It's a shame that I won't have any need for it until October or thereabouts. Here's a closeup so that you can see the lovely colors in this yarn:
I finished something else in the last couple weeks, but I'm saving that for when I have time for a decent post. (hint -- remember this?)
I finished editing the first episode of Booga Talk too, but it's not up yet. Pete still has to have a listen first. I warn you, we are liberals and it shows.
Here's my start on the Trekking 107 socks. Having a little time in the car is always good for sock knitting. In person this colorway is more pastel, but the light wasn't quite right on my usual windowsill spot this afternoon.
In other news, I was going to do the "Senior Year of HS meme" that's going around and I started to answer the questions and realized that my best friend tried to kill herself the year before and was sent away. I had been taking classes with people a year older than me and they all graduated, so I was left with some really small classes and with other classes that were really boring (the teachers used to let me sleep in class), and on the weekends I used to go out and drink way too much (heck I used to drink during the week sometimes too). Meanwhile my sister was still recovering from brain cancer surgery and going through radiation treatments. In two words -- it sucked. So I decided not to do the meme. I *so* love my 30's!! Love love love love love my 30's!!!!
This weekend started out with a lovely day spent at the Printer's Row Book Fair which you can read more about over at Pete's blog. (Sometimes it's so nice to have a husband who blogs too!) I recorded *many* hours with my (our) new iRiver and if I ever get around to editing it, it will probably become our first episode of "Booga Talk" -- a joint podcast where Pete and I will blather on about the stuff we often blather on about. (We think we are funny, but probably aren't. I'm sure you'll let us know!)
Today was spent doing yardwork. Not the "pick a few weeds, water a few plants" kind, but rather the trim a 50 ft. hedge (I don't really know if it's 50 ft, but our house sits across three lots and it runs along all three lots and up around one end. . . ) and chop down a tree type. I trimmed the hedge, along with several other bushes and shrubs around the yard and started on the tree thing. (I say tree "thing" because it appeared to have grown out of an old stump and had about 20 trunks. It was more like a tree/bush hybrid.) Pete finished it up and is now out trying to dig up the trunk so that it doesn't start sprouting again.
So I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.
Meanwhile, on the fibery front. . . I did get a good start on my Trekking socks. I just forgot to snap a photo. I did remember to take a picture of the wonderful package I got from Abigail for the May colorswap:
She included tons of goodies! Maddie was especially excited to be included and has been writing stories in the notebook that Abigail included and eating many Tootsie Rolls! Meanwhile, I've been looking through One Skein
Despite the fact that I've been working on my last pair of socks for over six months, I went and joined the Trek Along with Me knit-along. Why? Because I really want to have an excuse to start another pair of Trekking XXL socks. So tonight I cast on.
In other news, the Pincushion Challenge gallery and new theme are up! Go check them out!
