The Book Collector's Wife

Not Quite Elvis

2011-02-04T23:24:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to practice sewing with my new machine so I decided to try and make some famous silhouettes. I figured that this would give me some experience with very simple toy making while, hopefully, creating some cute little toys that I can give as gifts. My first attempt was the king himself, Elvis Presley. I looked around online for profile shots of him that really emphasized the pompadour. I settled on this one:

I printed it, cut it out and played around with resizing on the copier until I had to a size that I thought was big enough. It ended up covering two sheets of paper that I cut out and taped together.

Once I had the template done I pinned it to a square of good quality felt and cut around it. Repeat. Next I pinned the halves together and had a go around the edges with the sewing machine leaving a space for me to turn it right side out.

Unfortunately, the final result looks nothing like Elvis and had some sewing issues that I'm going to have to try and work out with practice. The curve to the back of the head had a lot of puckering, the hand sewn bottom that I'd left open to turn was all kinds of wonky and the face was way too delicate to translate to the felt form. The features just get lost and the pompadour just looks like a weird bulge. But at least I've gotten some experience and gained a little knowledge. I still like the idea of using silhouettes but I know that the next one is going to need to be much more exaggerated to get the point across. I'm trying to decide between Lincoln, Hitchock and Sherlock Holmes.

Zombie Card

2011-01-22T22:30:00.004-05:00

Chris drew this awesome card to send along with my tiny zombie to our friends. He's drawn these sort of cards for several other toys that I've made and I absolutely love his style.

Pie-eyed

2011-01-20T08:45:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back I made the most delicious apple pie. I'm very new to pie making but I got some pie pans for Christmas and wanted to give them a try. The last apple pie I made was in a cheesecake pan to give you an idea of what I was working with. Just a note that while a cheesecake pan gives lots of room for a super deep dish apple pie don't expect to ever be able to get a slice out of the thing.

I made a simple butter crust, trying my best to keep everything involved as cold as possible. I used granny smith apples tossed in a quick sugar/flour/cinnamon mixture. I did some snowflake cutouts from the top crust and threw on a sanding of sugar to try and class it up a little. It's definitely my best looking pie to date and it was pretty damn tasty, too, if I do say so.

I made a pecan pie for Chris at the same time. Unfortunately, it was not a very photogenic pie so you'll just have to take my word that it existed. It made up for it's generally homeliness by tasting awesome. Everytime I make a pecan pie I'm shocked at the sheer simplicity of it. There's maybe five ingredients tossed in a mixer and sprinkled with crushed pecans (preferred in our household over whole pecans).

Pies may not be the quickest treat to whip up but I'm looking forward to making my next one.

Tiny Braaaainss!!

2011-01-19T10:43:00.000-05:00

I'm no stranger to zombie making as you can see above. I made that guy in January of 2009 from the Corporate Zombie pattern in Creepy Cute Crochet. That was probably my favorite pattern that I've made so far from the book.

Well, two friends of mine recently moved all the way to San Francisco. These friends had really liked my original zombie and we had joked that I would teach them how to crochet so that they could make an army of zombies and leave them randomly around New York City to create a full on zombie invasion and maybe make someones day more interesting. So I never got a chance to teach either of them to crochet but I decided to make them a tiny zombie as a way to say that we missed them and maybe I'll send them a few more zombies throughout the year and they can start their zombie apocalypse on the West Coast.

I'm really happy with how the tiny zombie came out. The Oreo gives you a sense of scale. This was a very tiny zombie. I wasn't sure if the pattern would hold up this small but I was pleasantly surprised. I think that the details are still cute and aren't so small that they get lost. I think the next zombie's going to be a girl just to switch things up.

Swallowtail Shawl

2011-01-18T21:48:00.004-05:00

I just finished knitting The Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn Clark for my Chris' Gram. I am in love with this pattern.

I knit it in Lion Brand Wool-Ease and it took just a tiny bit over two balls of yarn on size 10 needles. I mostly make toys so I'm like the opposite of a yarn snob. I love a good multi-use, work-horse sort of yarn and Lion Brand Wool-Ease (and Vanna's Choice) are my favorite picks for this. It's only about $3 a ball with a great range of colors and great continuity between dye lots. So for under $10 I've got this gorgeous shawl that's big, comfy and super soft and almost an entire ball left over that I'm thinking might become a pig or maybe some baby clothes for my new niece.

I was nervous when I started the section above with the lily of the valley nubbs because it seemed from the comments like other knitters ran into some trouble with this section. It did take a little while to get the hang of but I think it's so pretty. This section really sets the pattern apart from more basic shawls.

I definitely want to make this again although I might have to try a few different ways to wear it. I tried the shawl on for Chris in the typical over the shoulders shawl way and he said, "wow, that's just added 10 years to you." So I need to find a shawl that doesn't scream grandma. Any ideas?

Photo of the day

2011-01-02T23:03:00.003-05:00

I took an art history class one summer in college. One of my fellow students was taking a painting class and asked to draw me in profile. She said I had a very distinctive nose. The professor overheard the discussion after class and told me that I should be proud of my nose. He said that Napoleon would only promote people who had prominant noses because he thought it was a sign of strength of character. It's entirely possible that my professor was making that up. He was pretty weird. Even if he wasn't Napoleon was pretty weird but it did make me look at myself a little differently.

Photo of the Day

2011-01-02T01:14:00.000-05:00

A&N Wedding

2010-10-02T22:39:00.003-04:00

Two of my friends were married recently and I signed up for the momentous task of photographing it. I always find wedding photography to be insanely stressful. A million things are happening at once and if a shot gets missed then it's just gone and that's it. Plus I loathe shooting formals. They are so dull and always insanely rushed since everyone is waiting to get the bride and groom back. Anyway, my rant aside, they had a really beautiful wedding in Staten Island and I've been looking through the photos over the last week and really liking a lot of them. The Bride looked beautiful in this birdcage veil.

The groom and groomsmen rocked some Reservoir Dogs style.

As well as some very cool specially designed ties.

And they had an awesome old-school poloraid setup for all of the guests. Here's the photographer and his assistant setting up. They even brought a chest of costumes like top hats, canes and capes for people to get styled up for the shot. It was awesome to see how creative some people were. The best item was totally aviator goggles and a helmet.

Make Something Every Day in October

2010-10-02T22:17:00.007-04:00

So last year Dabbled led the challenge for bloggers to create something new everyday for a month. I had high hopes to rise to that challenge but I totally sucked. But now it's October and I'm full of Halloween spirit and the weather is turning to that crisp, cool temp that just begs for knitting so this challenge came to mind. This time I hope to embrace it a little more fully. Especially since my mother-in-law just taught me to sew and bought me my very first sewing machine! I've already tasked Chris with sketching a monster for me to plushify.

I definitely have a backlog of crafted items that I've got to catch up on so I'll do the roundup here. First, there's a couple of items for my sister-in-law's new baby. A simple earflap hat

and a flowered headband.
I have plans still for a bunny like the one that I made my sister and maybe a few store bought things to round out the box.

Next, I've just finished a very late bachelorette present for a friend that just got married.
She wanted to avoid the overtly sexual presents that usually surround bachelorette parties so I made her a cute little hat and fingerless gloves. I love the robot motif and I hope that she likes it to. I have plans to line the hat tonight so that it looks a little more polished.

So that covers days one and two. For day three I'm thinking I'll knock out the bunny and then try moving into that scary new realm of sewing.

Greenwood Cemetery: Battle of Brooklyn

2010-08-30T01:48:00.004-04:00

I live just below Greenwood cemetery and decided to take advantage of their yearly re-enactment of the battle of brooklyn. Man, was today hot, though! I walked from the bottom of the cemetery up to the main gate at the very top and stayed for about 30 minutes to photograph and watch the events and then walked back. When I got home I was wasted.

The re-enactors had some awesome outfits and great equipment. They fired muskets and cannons and made speeches detailing the history of that battle and the war. I love the expression on the kid in the photo above. He had one of the most elaborate outfits.

After the main re-enactment (with musket fire and stuff) everyone marched up a battle hill. I really felt for this poor woman. She was wearing period shoes and having to walk very slowly and, it looked, a little painfully up the hill.

I feel like this guy should really be careful where he points his cannon. I don't think those things have safety switches.

Downtown Rallies

2010-08-30T01:28:00.009-04:00

I photographed a pro and an anti mosque rally in downtown recently. I'm really happy with how the photos came out and gothamist picked them up for an article.

Waffleizer Inspired

2010-08-30T01:18:00.003-04:00

Chris put in a request for the waffled french toast for his birthday breakfast. I'm actually not a huge french toast fan. Especially when we make it at home I just always feel like it's a little too eggy for me. However, I totally loved this receipe. I picked up a fresh loaf of sourdough bread at the store and followed his recipe for the batter. I added in a healthy helping of cinnamon and a dash of sugar and nutmeg as well. I was only able to stretch the batter out to cover four thickly sliced pieces of bread and not the six he says in the recipe but that was the perfect amount for us anyway.

I love how crisp the wafflemaker gets the bread and the little waffle dents are perfect for housing a flood of maple syrup. Add in a sprinkle of powdered sugar and a side of corned beef hash and Chris had his perfect birthday breakfast. I can't wait to try this recipe again with some fresh fruit and bacon. Now that would be my perfect birthday breakfast.

Darla!

2010-07-11T23:33:00.003-04:00

Chris and I got a puppy about a week ago. Her name is Darla, she's about 10 weeks old and she's adorable.

We're spoiling her.

She's literally walking all over us.

And she's got more energy than I do but she's a pretty awesome addition to our family.

A Fat Little Fox

2010-06-28T21:35:00.004-04:00

I recently finished making this chubby little fox toy. It started out as a pig from this pattern but the face just looked too pointy to me. Chris stepped in and suggested that it looked like a fox so I winged an equally fat fox tail and gave it a try. It's probably not my best toy but I'm pretty happy with it.

BP Protest

2010-05-29T01:13:00.007-04:00

I photographed a protest in front of a BP gas station on Houston and Broadway for Gothamist. The demonstration was pretty well-organized and peaceful. Police had blocked the gas station property off entirely so the protest was kept to the sidewalk where people chanted and doused themselves with buckets of oily goo.

I feel like she looks a little more like she fell in the river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I admire the cat whiskers.

Although the protesters that gathered were pretty intense, the turnout was small and it seemed like there were just as many people there to write about or photograph the event for press as there were actual protesters.

Guinness World Record Breaking Dodgeball

2010-05-13T10:21:00.012-04:00

Yesterday I photographed a record breaking dodgeball game at the 69th Regiment Armory.

It ended up drawing over 700 people.

Some people a little weirder than others.

Some stylishly dressed spectators.

Even the host was dressed in his dodgeball best.

Some people took it very seriously and did some pre-game moves to limber up.

And then the game began.

And a new Guinness World Record was made.

Bunny Done!

2010-05-09T12:58:00.002-04:00

The bunny is done. I modified the pattern a little to make the bunny a smaller since I didn't have enough yarn for the full size. I also changed to ears from crochet to knit and knit them in two halves that where then seamed. I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out.

The beginnings of a bunny

2010-05-04T00:44:00.003-04:00

You can't really tell from this photo but this is going to be a bunny, if all goes well. This little toy is a heavily modified version of the Caron One Skein Bunny. The original pattern makes a bunny about twice his size and that was just a little more than I wanted to take on, plus I didn't have enough yarn for that. So I scaled down the head and body from the pattern and then made the legs and arms more like the arms of the teddy bear that I just finished.

I'm sort of winging the ears though so that might take some trial and error. They're going to be big, floppy ears with pink on the inside to add a nice bit of color and cuteness. I'm hoping to have this one finished up this week so that I can start on the third toy this weekend. I haven't decided what to make next. I've got a very cute pig pattern from my page a day calendar so I might give that a try.

Bear is Done!

2010-05-04T00:34:00.002-04:00

The bear is done! How cute is he? Man, I really wish I got to keep some of these. They're just so hard to part with sometimes. I really love how he came out. I had my doubts for a few moments when I was seaming him all together but he really is adorable. And I just love how he will always look like he's reaching out for a hug. One down, two to go!

Bear In Progress

2010-05-01T01:21:00.003-04:00

I'm almost through with this little teddy bear. The pattern is from lionbrand.com and he's the perfect size to use up the ecological wool that I had left over from the Hemlock Blanket. I made him a little scarf in Bernat Satin that was lying around. He does have legs but I haven't attached them yet. I'm hoping to finish him up this weekend and move on to the next project.

Photo of the Day

2010-03-21T01:22:00.002-04:00

I love that Chris is always willing to put up with me taking his photo at odd hours. Personally, I believe that a beard that lovely deserves to be well documented.

Something New

2010-03-14T22:49:00.005-04:00

I loved getting married. If I could recreate my wedding every weekend forever I totally would. I'm not a girly girl and shopping is probably one of my least favorite things to do but I really loved buying these beautiful flower hair pins. I got them from Veka Bridal in Nolita. It's an amazing little bridal boutique with awesome dresses and super nice people. Everytime I tried on my freaking fantastic dress I would eye those pins. Eventually, I just couldn't leave without them. Maybe I'm not a lost cause at being a girly girl.

The Aviator

2010-03-14T21:50:00.003-04:00

About a year after moving to Brooklyn, Chris came home with these gifts for me and our two roommates. They were these adorable little key chains from Kid Robot in SoHo. They all had the same little character but each was a bit different; one had a jet pack while another rode inside the head of a giant robot. I think it took about a year for Chris' to break. Now he just has a little jet pack left on the keyring and the character has long been missing. I'm not sure if our two old roommates still have theirs but mine has defied the odds and kept together. He's definitely taken a bit of a beating but every time I look at his happy, dirty, paint-peeled face it makes me smile, too.

Photos of the Day

2010-03-08T02:38:00.001-05:00

Morning Biscuit Sandwiches

2010-03-08T02:35:00.003-05:00

A great start to a day. Yummy homemade biscuits with sausage patties and scrambled eggs.

Photos of the Day

2010-03-06T00:53:00.000-05:00

Photo of the Day

2010-03-05T00:36:00.000-05:00

Photo of the Day

2010-03-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

Photos of the Day

2010-03-01T18:31:00.005-05:00

I went for a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge today. It was a bright and sunny day, perfect for taking pictures and enjoying what seems like the beginning of Spring.

This was in Chinatown on my way to the Brookyn Bridge footpath.

These were in downtown Manhattan, near the courthouses and right before the bridge.

I loved this little girl's red coat. She was so cute and stood out so prettily.

I love strange stickers and grafitti. It's just so cool.

Snow-athon

2010-02-26T21:16:00.007-05:00

We've had a wicked awesome snowfall here. Chris and I went for a stroll this morning and I took some photos of the neighborhood. I also made my first snow angel! So much fun. We topped off the walk by coming in and sharing some hot cocoa and popcorn.

And now I'm debating making homemade cinnamon rolls AGAIN! This would be the third batch in less than two weeks. I think that I have a sick addiction. Damn you Farm Chicks! I really love this recipe. There's a serious investment of time and effort but it's so worth it. I love kneading the dough, watching it rise, rolling it into beautiful, tasty little rolls and then watching those rise up into fluffy and amazing giant hunks of awesomeness. It's so worth every calorie.

Photo of the Day

2010-02-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

The Sock: Day 2

2010-02-19T22:52:00.002-05:00

I'm just before the point of making the heel flap on the first sock. I love the colors.

The Beginnings of a Sock

2010-02-19T02:23:00.004-05:00

I've just started making a sock using the basic sock recipe from the book Knitting Rules. I got the yarn in my stocking for Christmas (It's so COLORFUL!) and I'm excited to put it to use and to make something for myself. The very basic pattern should prove to be relaxing and I'm hoping that after I get a better understanding of what makes up a basic sock I will be able to try out more intricate and pretty lace socks.

Also, I've been totally into the men's Olympic skating competition and was very excited when Evan Lysacek won the Gold. His performances rocked and reminded why I used to love watching the figure skating competitions so much as a kid.

Giant Octopus

2010-02-16T22:11:00.004-05:00

It's a bird!

It's a plane!

It's a GIANT OCTOPUS!!

I finished this belated Christmas gift for my Mom last month but have been forgetting to post about it. This is the most ambitious toy that I've ever taken on and I have to admit that from about the halfway point to the end I felt like throwing in the towel. It's loosely based on the pattern by Hansigurumi only much, much bigger. I had to improvise most of the head shaping and there were many times during the making of it that I would look at it, realize that the shaping wasn't going where I'd hoped, tear back a couple of rows and start over. Man, does that start to suck after a while. As much of a headache as it may have been to make, I'm super proud of how it turned out. It's very, very cute. And while this will remain the one and only giant octopus I may try to make a few tiny octopi following Hansigurumi's pattern.

Just for scale here's a photo of the giant octopus attacking me upon competion.

Cinnamon Rolls

2010-02-15T12:44:00.005-05:00

Totally delicious.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and a Valentine's Day Walk

2010-02-14T21:50:00.010-05:00

This morning I surprised (not really because he saw me making the dough last night) Chris with some fresh baked, homemade, cinnamon rolls this morning. The recipe was from The Farm Chicks cookbook that I got for Christmas and they were very tasty. They were huge, like double the size of one of the Pillsbury in a can ones. The recipe makes 12 and I have a feeling that it'll take us the rest of the week to get through them all.

After our lovely breakfast we went for a nice afternoon walk around the neighborhood. I took these photos along the way. There's still a decent amount of snow piled around but the weather was nice and crisp and the sun was bright and shiny.

Tonight there will be homemade pizza eating , movie watching, and lots of snuggling in front of the TV. A lovely, low-key Valentine's Day.

Nautilus for Chris

2010-02-12T21:03:00.003-05:00

I finished gluing on the eyes for Chris' nautilus today. It came out so cute. The pattern is from Knitty.com and was quick and easy to follow.

I'm not sure what to take on next. I'd like to make something for my sister-in-law, Amy, who's expecting a baby this year. I'd also like to tackle this sock pattern. It seems challenging but cool and I have a few balls of sock yarn from Christmas. Then there's some fingerless gloves I'd like to make in order to sell on my etsy shop. Plus there's always Christmas knitting to start.

Snowmageddon!!

2010-02-10T22:09:00.003-05:00

Another Adorable Pirate Monkey

2010-02-07T20:46:00.004-05:00

I am totally in love with making these pirate monkeys. They are just SO cute. I swear I have to keep one for myself eventually. I made the one above and sent it to our friends' adorable little man Memphis for his first birthday. Chris drew the card which Memphis won't even notice but we know that his parent's will really like. So I just got the photo below from them saying that he loves his new little pirate monkey. I'm super proud. I love knowing how something that I made was received. It kills me that I can never be there to see them open these presents so whenever I get any kind of feedback and, especially, a photo this freaking cute I just fill up with warm fuzzies.

Terrible Photo of a Work In Progress

2010-02-07T01:57:00.007-05:00

I'm nearly done with making this little Nautilus toy for Chris but I was super lazy about taking some in progress photos of it last night. It's based on a pattern from knitty.com that I've had on my queue on Ravelry for at least a year. I'm trying to make an effort to use up a lot of my stash yarn before embarking on bigger Christmas projects that will involve yarn buying.

After this I'd like to try my hand at knitting another pair of socks. I got some lovely skeins of sock yarn for Christmas and if I can get the hang of it I might make some cute pairs of socks for Christmas gifts this year. I love the Yarn Harlot's plan on her blog and in the awesome page a day calendar that I got for Christmas to set up 12 Ziploc bags at the beginning of the year, each with a sock pattern and a paired yarn. Grab a bag at random and knit one pair per month and by the end of the year you have 12 nice new socks for Christmas/Birthdays/yourself. But before I can jump into my own sock of the month club I need to, you know, learn how to knit socks well.

I also have a plan for some cute little mittens to make for my little etsy shop. I'm going to do a practice run with some cheap red heart yarn that I have way too much of before I go out and get something nice and soft.

Finally, and really most importantly, tomorrow is Puppy Bowl!! Since I'm totally not into sports and actually couldn't remember who was playing against the Saints in the Super Bowl tomorrow I'm going to turn my attention to the only sports event that I watch all year. And I'm most excited by this little puppy here.

Someone somewhere bred a chihuahua with a pug and I'm not sure if that person is a genius or madman. Sometimes I look at this puppy and think it's freaking adorable and sometimes it looks like some mad scientist glued the head of a pug onto a little chihuahua body and created an appalling abomination. Right now I'm leaning toward totally adorable. Chris voted for abomination. Either way I will be oohing and aahing as this and many other puppies chase around toys for several hours tomorrow. I'm weird, I know, but it'll make good TV for knitting.

Photos of the Day

2010-02-07T01:52:00.004-05:00

I've fallen a bit behind on photos of the day. The blame gets sort of spread around between Christmas knitting, bone-chilling cold, and total laziness but I'm hoping to get back on track. Here are a couple of photos from a little walk around Battery Park the other day.

Quick Crochet Scarf

2010-01-30T14:55:00.007-05:00

Last night I really wanted to make something and that something needed to be quick and it needed to be cute and it needed to be simple enough that I could make it and finish it while watching and still enjoying a movie with Chris. This scarf was a perfect match for that. It resembles a scarf that I was given a couple of years ago by my sister-in-law that has since unraveled from overuse. I'm super happy with how the scarf came out and it's so nice to finally be making something for myself.

The scarf is made with only the treble stitch. It's about 20 stitches wide and made on a size J hook. I alternated four rows of each color. I don't have the ball bands anywhere so I'm not sure of the exact colorways but both yarns of Lion Brand Vanna's Choice.

Now I have something to keep in mind if I'm scrambling for gifts in the middle of December.

On a side note: yes, I still have christmas lights up in the apartment. I refuse to take them down while it's still anything like 17 degrees outside. I need something to cheer me up in the depth of winter and colorful blinking lights always do the trick.

Photo of the Day

2010-01-10T01:31:00.000-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-12-20T01:51:00.000-05:00

Christmas Knitting Pt.2

2009-12-18T14:31:00.002-05:00

I finished blocking the Hemlock Blanket. I think it's totally awesome. I can't believe that i was able to make something that looks so intricate and pretty. I might have to make a few more of these for next Christmas. Maybe I'll even take some time and make one for myself.

Christmas Knitting

2009-12-17T21:41:00.006-05:00

A shawl and a scarf in Lion Brand Wool-Ease. The shawl is in charcoal and the scarf is in more of a slate gray. I'm super happy with these. I've only just begun trying out lace patterns and so far I really like them. They knit up pretty quickly and the lace patterns for both of these were easy to memorize after the first few repeats.

Christmas Monkeys

2009-12-14T18:17:00.007-05:00

I finished crocheting these adorable monkeys for my nephews. They are based on the Daddy Monkey pattern in Amigurumi World. I'm so into pirates right now and I think that these monkey's look absolutely adorable in pirate garb. I especially like how the little gold earrings look. That was Chris' suggestion.

Since I made a little pirate figure for my nephew Aiden earlier this year I wanted to give him something different. That's how I ended up with the Monkey Man superhero! So cute! Chris sketched out the plan for me to help me visualize what colors would be where and how the mask would look. I hope they like them!

Photos of the Day

2009-12-01T00:48:00.000-05:00

Pie Making!

2009-12-01T00:37:00.004-05:00

I tried my hand for the first time at pie making. This was a pretty big challenge since I don't even own a pie pan. I think that if I tackle this again I might make the investment.

I made a butter crust. There is lots of butter in a butter crust. Kind of a disturbing amount of butter. I cut the butter in using my kitchenaid stand mixer which rocked. It only took a few minutes to cut in the butter then I added some cold water with a beaten egg and PRESTO! butter crust!

I used it to make pecan pie and apple pie. No photos of the pecan pie. It really wasn't very photogenic but it was very tasty. I made 6 mini pies and one large pecan pie. I think that the mini pies won out. The crust to filling ratio was much better for me.

The apple pie was thrown together in a cheesecake pan. I would totally advise against this but it was the only baking dish that I had that was deep enough for all of the apples and filling. The taste is perfect but the filling was a little runny. I think that I just need to let the filling simmer a little longer. Even having to spoon it out it is a mighty tasty pie. The crust is flaky and rich and I think that I will be giving pie making another go again soon.

Photo of the Day

2009-11-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-11-25T01:04:00.000-05:00

Photos of the Day

2009-11-24T02:09:00.002-05:00

Photos of the Day

2009-11-21T17:00:00.004-05:00

Chris and I went for a lovely walk around the neighborhood today. The weather is super nice so it's nice to take advantage before it starts snowing and I don't want to leave the house again until Spring.

Photos of the Day - Part 2!

2009-11-19T02:59:00.004-05:00

How awesomely disgusting is this tree trunk?

Photos of the Day - Part 1!

2009-11-19T02:55:00.003-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-11-18T00:24:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-11-16T23:17:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-11-15T16:48:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-11-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

Stop! Cupcakes!

2009-11-12T23:24:00.005-05:00

I made some yummy yummy cupcakes today mostly because I got bored. As you can see, Chris was pretty reluctant to be photographed with cupcake in hand. They're traditional vanilla cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery cookbook with a cream cheese frosting.

Fingerless Gloves (In Progress)

2009-11-11T21:55:00.003-05:00

I'm nearly finished with a pair of fingerless gloves that I'm knitting up as a Christmas present. The yarn is Lion Brand Wool-Ease and the pattern is called Susie's Reading Mitts and I'm really happy with it. They're very simple and chic which was what I was going for.

I'm debating whether or not to make a full set with a hat and scarf or just to make one or the other to go with it. I've still got a month to finish the Christmas knitting so I've got some time to work it out.

As far as Christmas knitting goes, I've finished the Hemlock Blanket and I just need to block it this weekend. After the gloves and hat and/or scarf I'm hoping to make three Monkeys from the pattern in Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli for my nephew. I think that it's all doable by Christmas but check in with me on 12/20 to see if I bit off more than I can chew.

Photo of the Day

2009-11-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

Photos of the Day

2009-11-10T00:21:00.002-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-11-06T21:37:00.002-05:00

Photos of the Day

2009-11-04T20:56:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin of Today!

2009-11-01T23:17:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin of Yesterday

2009-11-01T23:16:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Day Before Yesterday

2009-11-01T23:15:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-28T21:10:00.002-04:00

Baby Hat and Scarf

2009-10-28T03:18:00.004-04:00

I just finished knitting a hat and scarf for my nephew, Alex. The scarf is probably way too big for his little baby neck but I was so worried that it would be too small that I may have over-compensated a little. The hat is totally adorable and I can't wait until I have some free time to knit myself one. It's made from Bernat Satin with two strands of yarn held together. It came out very lush and thick and I'm sure it will keep his head nice and toasty all winter.

The scarf was knit in stockinette so it was curling like mad! I crocheted a border all around but it was still curling some so I'm hoping that a little blocking will straighten out some.

Photo of the Day

2009-10-27T01:22:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-26T03:01:00.002-04:00

Yummy Pink Cupcakes

2009-10-25T01:53:00.002-04:00

Our former roomies came over for a movie night so I whipped up these tasty vanilla cupcakes. They're topped with a cream cheese frosting tinted a very soft pink. Everyone swears that the frosting tastes strawberry even though there's nothing even close to a strawberry in it. I guess the brain automatically assumes strawberry flavoring when it sees something tinted pink. Either way, they were very tasty.

More Homemade Pizza

2009-10-25T01:51:00.001-04:00

I made another homemade pizza dough. I think that they're so much tastier than the store bought crusts.

Bat Candy Bar Cover

2009-10-22T18:18:00.004-04:00

I saw this adorable template on Skip To My Lou and made one to send to my nephew for Halloween. I think it's super, super cute and it only took about 30 minutes to make and then the time it took to for the glue on his googly eyes and wings to dry.

Photo of the Day

2009-10-21T22:14:00.002-04:00

Photos of Today

2009-10-20T03:26:00.008-04:00

I couldn't choose between the black and white and the color versions of this photo so I'm just putting up both.

Photo of Yesterday

2009-10-20T03:25:00.000-04:00

Gingerbread Cookies: The Sequel

2009-10-18T05:05:00.003-04:00

I made another batch of gingerbread cookies today and this time I got some photos in before they were pounced on.

Photo of the Day

2009-10-17T02:50:00.000-04:00

Photo of Yesterday

2009-10-17T02:49:00.000-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-15T05:11:00.001-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-14T00:49:00.001-04:00

Gingerbread Cookies

2009-10-12T22:31:00.003-04:00

I baked gingerbread cookies yesterday and they were so delicious that in just a day they're almost all gone! Now there's just these two sad little un-iced ones left. I'll just take it as a sign that I need to bake more next time.

Pumpkin of the Day

2009-10-12T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hemlock Ring Blanket (In Progress)

2009-10-12T20:55:00.006-04:00

I'm about a quarter of the way through the Hemlock Ring Blanket by Brooklyn Tweed and I'm so happy with it so far. It's the first project I've ever done with a lace pattern and although I've had to redo a few rows here and there when I've made mistakes I think that I'm getting the hang of it. It looks like a big mess right now but I know that it'll look all kinds of awesome once it's finished and blocked.

The Cascade wool is super soft and now that the weather's getting chilly it's great to have a big project like this to keep my lap warm while I knit.

Pumpkin of the Day!

2009-10-11T21:31:00.001-04:00

Homemade Pizza

2009-10-11T03:38:00.003-04:00

I made my first homemade pizza crust today. It tasted delicious and was easier than I thought it would be. Once I patted it out into a pizza shape, Chris took over and made it a pepperoni pizza. So yummy. I'll be making this again soon.

Photo of the Day

2009-10-09T23:28:00.001-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-09T02:00:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-07T19:32:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-07T02:11:00.001-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-05T22:19:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-05T02:11:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-03T22:16:00.001-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-03T00:12:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-10-01T23:58:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-09-30T23:58:00.002-04:00

Photo of the Day

2009-09-29T23:36:00.004-04:00

Monkey Madness!

2009-09-29T02:51:00.005-04:00

I made these adorable little monkeys from the pattern in Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli for a baby shower that my sister-in-law was planning. They are totally adorable and were pretty quick to crochet. I loved the daddy monkey so much that it was hard to actually mail him away. I may have to make myself one soon.