Abcowls

taco take II

2012-01-19T08:08:00.000-05:00

Well, I made another taco. This one came out much better than the first. I've had many (& I mean many, far too many) requests for more. Made the first taco for my friend Mandee's Taco Art Show, who knew then that it would become my most requested item? So odd. I'm not sure how well taco's fit into what I usually make, I think I'll just stick to making giant ones every few months for close friends & family but might start making/selling a cat toy version in the spring for fun. Currently have a cat toy taco on the field being tested by two cats in New York, hopefully they will report back soon with any pattern adjustments.

favorite things

2012-01-13T07:30:00.000-05:00

Wearing the majority of my favorite items today:

Two "key" necklaces
1. Typewriter Key (gift from friend)
2. Tiffany & Co. Key

3. OhKuol Druzy Ring
4. Sephora by OPI 'Keep Me On My Mistletoe'

5. Forest Bound WWII era Canvas Tote Bag
6. (with a)Black Apple Pretty Girl Pin

7. most comfortable socks (who remembers where they buy socks?)
8. most comfortable boots (or shoes, it seems), repaired at Gagnon's

catching up

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

Last week I deleted twitter & facebook from my phone in an attempt to be more productive & finish some requests I've been collecting from friends. I've completed a pair of silk/bamboo wrist warmers for Jen, 98% done with a taco (another!) I’ve been putting off for months & am finally caught up on a blanket I promised to have ready last week (should be done by the end of this long weekend). Family related items are really on the back burner but maybe this long weekend I'll get to those too. I know I said I’d talk less about crocheting, more about weaving but sadly not a lot to report on that end. Winding down on crocheting has been difficult & still getting super nice emails from Bazaar Bizarre shoppers asking for custom orders. Starting next month I’ll make more of an effort to stick to my only weaving rule.

We've been in Salem for just about 7 months now & it's going well. Last week the city had a Christmas tree bonfire on the beach, it was the biggest fire I’d ever seen. The event was kind of weird & totally awesome; they set up bleachers & little kids started a "let’s go fire" chant, like a sporting event.

Standing on the beach in the middle of winter was almost as fun as the bonfire itself. Salem is pretty great.

yeah, I like love, so sue me.

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Made an Etsy treasury for Valentines day (too soon? Not according to the candy aisle at CVS). Mostly based on egg-a-go-go's adorable print & a favorite song, of course.

2012; year of weaving

2012-01-02T21:42:00.000-05:00

This is the year I learn how to weave! I purchased a Leclerc Bergere, rigid heddle loom in October. Still trying to figure out how to use it correctly. I'm in the 'guess what the instructions mean & hope it looks like the picture' stage.

I'm used to making full items while watching movies, hardly needing to look down. Now if I want to do anything it involves most, if not all, of these steps;
1. read instructions 2. huh? read three times 3. google what that word means 4. find video of someone else doing it 5. is that the same loom I have? watch three times 6. try it out, get it wrong 7. stare at the wall wondering why I thought I could do this 8. organize yarn by brand 9. no, by color & weight 10. more weaving videos.
It feels like I'm getting nowhere, I'm trying really hard to understand it only "feels" that way, I can't expect to be great at it over night (even if I did, kinda, unrealistically believe I would be at first...).

Grow art hoop (christmas gift from SQ) made by pilli pilli.

So I'm not a natural born weaver as I had hoped, it's still fun, in a different than I thought/maddening sort of way. Trying to stay positive, keep at it, all that sort of stuff. Who knows when I'll actually make something but the place has never been so organized, which is a plus. & if you have any upbeat, get me through hours of feeling like a failure playlists you'd like to share I'd greatly appreciate any recommendations.

new favorite

2011-12-30T21:05:00.000-05:00

Finished this week:

1. grey cloud scarf made with this yarn by KnittinK. It's such an amazing yarn I decided to keep for myself.

2. silk/mohair blend cowl to sell when I stop being so lazy.

I loved this song 10 years ago; found its way back into my playlists this year, still dig it.

yule-time

2011-12-27T09:10:00.002-05:00

Some photos of the Christmas gifts I made for my sister & brother-in-law. For Lisa, olive & fig scarf (though we aren't sure if the fig color is staying) & for Jason, midnight tweed wrist warmers in 100% wool.

Recycled map tags from greying ghost etsy, it's possible my brother-in-law seemed more interested in the tag than my warmers at first.

The weekend was spent cleaning. My house finally looks like we live in it instead of just moving in, & it's not covered in yarn, for now.

tree & cookies

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

We finally got a Christmas tree! Late this year. We accidentally got a really fat one. We had to buy more lights & ornaments to fill it & still it seems sparse.

Sunday was spent making dozens & dozens of Lebanese cookies with my family. We made several different kinds, mamool is my favorite.

That first photo is of ghraybeh, a Lebanese butter cookie. Since it doesn't require a cookie mold to make, like the others do, I'll post the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups blanched almond halves
1 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
Also optional; my family apparently includes in the recipe a "jigger of scotch"...just us, am I ruining a Hallal family secret?

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat butter in mixing bowl for 5 minutes, or until fluffy. Cream in sugars. (here would be where you add in the orange blossom water/scotch or both) Slowly add in flour.

Chill in the refrigerator for up to one hour(we didn't bother doing that)

Roll into a rope that is 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick. Cut diagonally into diamond shapes (so instructions say, we just rolled into a ball)

Place on ungreased cookie sheets.

Place one almond in the center of each cookie.

Bake for 12 minutes (apparently these cookies are supposed to stay light, not "golden" so make sure you don't over cook!)

Remove and cool on cooling rack.

Holiday Shopping!

2011-12-06T12:16:00.001-05:00

With all the bazaar bizarre madness I didn’t realize just how many custom orders I’ve been collecting! The goal is to complete the urgent ones by Friday, mail them out Saturday & start my holiday season with loads of shopping at Mass Market this Sunday.
I dig a lot of the vendors, some I can highly recommend as I recently bought items for myself from them are; Forest Bound, K.O’brien Jewelry & Toil & Trouble.

Other recent purchases pictured/recommended; META by Marissa Falco & my new favorite headband by Sew Mary Ann, whose items you can purchase at Aviary in Jamaica Plain. You can also find a few of my items at Aviary as well, great place to holiday shop if for some reason you can't make it out to Mass Market this weekend!

Since this post is holiday related, here is my kind of holiday song.

Bazaar Bizarre 2011

2011-12-05T20:15:00.001-05:00

Sunday was Bazaar Bizarre Boston & such an incredible day. In the three years I've been doing shows this event was a personal best, I know a few other vendor friends were saying it was for them also! Had my A+ seller/right-hand man Melanie with me again this year, don't know what I'd do without her help. Had more than a few repeat shoppers, nothing beats seeing my items holding up & people back for more as gifts! Got to meet blog/twitter friends face to face & started a list of Ravelry names. Many, many thank you's to the Small Craft Advisory for the insane amount of thought/care/energy/personal time you all put into this event year after year, you ladies sure know how to throw a party!

Got some photos but sadly didn't have time to take them until after most items were picked over, here are a few:

Oh, that's just me.

Above:
-Margravine (side project which I hope to devote a lot more time to over the next few months!)
-Repeat Press
-Gather Here

Below:
-Sew Mary Ann
-Mimi Kirchner
-Made in Lowell

You can find the rest here on my flickr.

Starting tomorrow; some fun, quirky not scarf related custom orders I've been collecting.

BBB2011

2011-11-29T13:30:00.001-05:00

BAZAAR BIZARRE BOSTON, this weekend already! Stop by & say "HI!" on Sunday? I'll be even more sleep deprived & might sing you a song.

zoning out

2011-11-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

This is when I forget to respond to emails, update twitter, let alone the blog, kind of busy.

Was in Toronto for a few days for my niece's birthday. The fuchsia cowl with the bow was a birthday gift for her, she looked cute in it. Got back Sunday & have been making things like mad. This photo below is pretty much what I'll be looking at from now until the new year.

& what I've been listing to while working; Ahallal Tracks. If you use last.fm you should add me so I can listen to your radio, always looking for new music to zone out to, especially now. Like this band name, Woven Bones:

oh baby this is nowhere

2011-11-07T08:10:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was super busy, filled with art, friends, cats & Eid. I am really looking forward to next weekend, zero plans & catching up on all the things I’m behind on.

Here are some photos I took at the Washington Street Art Center’s Something Sweet - Art Auction.

Megan Mary did a really great job organizing this event; so many people showed up that I had to hide out in the kitchen with Jen most of the night.

I also got to visit catface & the kitten, haven't seen them in awhile, two of my favorite animal buddies. Happiness is a warm cat.

Promise next post will contain photos of my new items, a shop update, finally weaving... & details on a new project, Margravine, which is short notice but will be selling at Bazaar Bizarre Boston!

afghans to cat beds part II

2011-10-26T14:44:00.001-04:00

My friend Megan Mary just posted the most adorable photo of her cat, the Kitten, enjoying one of my afghans! I’ve come to accept that as soon as I make a blanket it will instantly turn into a cat bed, actually I kind of love how much cats love my blankets.

(top photo is of the Kitten, the other two photos are of cowboy & edie, meant to post those awhile ago)

With Mama it usually went; what's that, you made me a new blanket? It's perfect!

I still have a few of the small test nest blankets I’d like to unload onto some of my cat parent friends, if you want one, ask me next time I see you?

lying about fires

2011-10-21T09:46:00.000-04:00

Halloween weekend is next weekend & that seems impossible. I’ll be having my first house guests, I’m really looking forward to that & to showing off/using my fireplace for the first time. My pops chopped all this beautiful wood for me burn all winter. The other day a friend asked if I’ve used my fireplace yet & I said no because "it hasn’t been cold enough yet". That answer is kinda a lie but it is the lie I tell myself, so it was funny to realize I’d convinced myself of it. The truth is I’ve tried on several occasions to build a fire, despite the weather, when it doesn't catch on I get pissed off & say, “it’s too warm for a fire anyway”. This won’t happen anymore though because we finally bought those starter log things.

In making things news, my loom arrived in what seems like a million confusing wooden pieces, SQ said he'd help me build it this weekend. I spend most nights crocheting & here are two new styles I’ll be selling; a super chunky wrap made from unbelievably light weight llama (considering how chunky it is) & scalloped warmer in merino. Both styles will be available in a few colors.

My idea of morning music:

almost winter

2011-10-17T14:19:00.002-04:00

Just back from the Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York, which was as awesome as I hoped it would be. Ate a ton of food, including maple syrup cotton candy (bad idea) & purchased yarn from brands I've never heard of before. Decided to buy a rigid heddle loom after realizing a table loom is too advanced for me & my brain is probably going to explode with excitement waiting for it to arrive.

Also saw/fed a bunch of sheep, goats, llamas & alpacas. Turns out feeding animals directly from your hand is gross...

Now to organize all the stuff I've been stockpiling/purchasing, no more spending money until next year & make things until my hands stop working...winter.

confusing yarn

2011-10-12T11:12:00.004-04:00

Made an eternity scarf from Noro Silk Garden, this yarn comes in some of the prettiest/weirdest color combos. I will spend 30 minutes picking, what seems like, a consistent color scheme & the item still comes out different than I expected. Last year I used this yarn often to make wrist warmers but pairs didn't match & people would ask if they got mixed up but I can’t stop myself from buying it whenever I’m at the yarn store. My obsession with this yarn might be becuase I haven’t figured out how to use it.

I think this scarf came out kinda cool looking, though only marginally more cohesive than a pair of warmers. Not sure how well something like this will sell. I'll either make one more & see how they do at BBB or I’ll just end up keeping it for myself like I do with the other multicolor cowls I’ve made, like this one below, mine!

not coming home

2011-10-11T13:06:00.001-04:00

Back from Ottawa, it was hard to leave when Mina kept asking if we would stay for "four more sleeps". The drive through New Hampshire, Vermont & upstate NY was beautiful. Wish I could take Septembers & Octobers off to live in a tipi in the mountains...

We spent most of the time outside, by the river with the babies. I did some shopping at my favorite boutique on Dalhousie but I was banned from buying anymore flannels or Nordic sweaters. This upcoming weekend I'm headed to the Dutchess County Sheep & Wool festival. Strongly considering buying a loom, will decide after this trip!

Amigurumi Taco

2011-10-10T22:39:00.002-04:00

The last week I made/improvised an amigurumi taco for a National Taco Day art show. At first I was disappointed with it but now I think it wasn't so bad. We raffled it off, a bunch of people actually entered to win it & the girl who won seemed way excited.

circles

2011-10-05T10:49:00.004-04:00

Continuing to make several new puffy cowls to sell at Bazaar Bizarre; made from super soft mohair. The lemongrass circle cowl, a top seller the last two seasons, is an item I’m no longer making. I do have five in stock however & will be selling them at a discounted price!

Trying to organize my "work" bookmarks, filled with music & not work led to listening to music & not working...vicious circle.

tweeds & music suggetsions please!

2011-10-03T10:42:00.001-04:00

Here is an eternity scarf made from one of favorite tweed yarns (Peruvian highland wool)! It isn't a new style, I made/sold several last year but the only photo I had was taken in March & posted here:just a station on your way. I don't think that photo does it justice though so I took some new ones of it being worn. There will be a few of these for sale at bazaar bizarre!

I have some road trips coming up over the next few weeks, heading to Canada twice (Ottawa & Toronto) & to New York. Taking music suggestions for the drives, with all the projects I've taken on I haven't had the chance to look into any new music myself so help in this department is truly appreciated. Also, now is the time to put in your Canadian goods requests; Maltesers for all?

BBB01

2011-10-01T20:40:00.002-04:00

I've been making several unisex eternity scarves to sell at BazBiz, like this one!

This scarf, made from pure pima cotton, will be available in the following colors:
*Coffee (above)
*Fawn
*Slate
*Onyx

Lots more photos of my new styles to come!

oh-oh-oh, we got nowhere to go

2011-09-30T12:58:00.005-04:00

I've been rather productive these last few weeks! Which is odd as I've also been feeling sort of brain dead & foggy, not in a bad way, just in some sort of dream land I guess. It might be because its almost October, my favorite month. September was bad enough, a real struggle for me to not spend my days outside, laying on the ground, listening to dreamy punk rock & living another life "thinkin' about you and me...and you and me".

I have to stay motivated though because this weekend I need to finish the taco I'm crocheting for a Taco Art Show in Somerville. It's this coming Tuesday, October 4th & there will be $1 mini tacos! Below is a photo of what I've started but you'll have to show up Tuesday to see the finished thing.

Here is the flyer for that event & also for Bazaar Bizarre Boston 2011:

BazBiz isn't until December but it sneaks up so fast, it might as well be next week. This year I'm determined to find the time to design a perfect table display; something I always put off for last minute crocheting.

Anyway, here is me, looking like the zoned out weirdo I am these days.

Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty.

2011-09-19T14:45:00.001-04:00

Last week was long & not so great, mostly becuase mama cat has been very sick (for months) & is only getting sicker. I won't go into it but it's been a bummer & I've been in a sad mood about it.

Making Halloween themed Etsy treasuries has been a fun distraction. This one was even on the front page!

I will probably make 100 more before the season is over.

In yarn news: I wanted to go to the Dutchess County Sheep & Wool Festival but I only decided that last minute & I didn't expect to find a hotel but thankfully Salim found a room at The Belvedere Mansion!! It looks ridiculously silly & fancy, especially since I'll be there for yarn buying & sheep/alpaca petting. I'm sure I'll take tons of photos & maybe if it's as awesome as I hope, it can be a group trip next year!

All Mine! (& mamas)

2011-09-11T20:11:00.000-04:00

Flowers in the snow blanket, by Solveig Grimstad, for myself, finally completed & just in time to enjoy on cool nights!! I'm happy about that but I'll miss having something to come home & work on that I can just pick up & move forward.

The last several weeks I wouldn't even let myself touch a new skein of yarn until it was done, which was difficult as I bought a bunch of beautiful silk blends on sale from webs. The only other thing I let myself make were little bows out of scrap yarn too nice to give to mama, I have so many tiny balls of cashmere mama would love to get her paws on. These bows take about 2 minutes to complete & require such little yarn. I made the mitts below (last year) for my friend Aisha in Michigan, I didn't get the chance to see her in person until this past Eid so I added the bows & gave them to her then!

Now to start on all the fall/winter projects!!!

And what will I miss?

2011-09-01T13:56:00.003-04:00

I made it through my least favorite month, August! The entire month feels like a Sunday night to me. It goes by so fast & I can't even decide if that’s good or bad. It's just the right amount of time for you to truly linger on the fact that you have no time left to do all the things you said you would do. It’s painful & now it's over. To "celebrate"(?) I made an Etsy treasury because in my head I have earned all of these things for just getting past August.

Now to listen to all the songs I own with "September" in the lyrics & work on the millions of projects I said I'd have done by now.

That's her handwriting, that's the way she writes. Like mud in the September rain it comes back to me.

I am yellow skin & bone

2011-08-26T06:08:00.002-04:00

I’m just getting over a summer cold (the worst!) & the last two days were spent on the sofa certain I was dying of west nile reading neo-Victorian novels, something I recently realized I like. This is possibly my first true guilty pleasure. I don’t usually have guilty pleasures, I relish in embarrassing others, mostly my husband & Jen, with my tastes; i.e. jazz fusion, dunkin’ donuts iced coffee & shopping at Ocean State Job Lot. No guilt for any of that, this however is the real deal, full on shame & I will not write the title of these books in my blog.* It turns out, I just cannot resist a plot centered around creepy, decaying mansions in the English countryside, haunted by living women’s pasts, Miss Havisham style.

Partly due to these books (& maybe partly because I live in Salem now) Halloween is on my mind & it isn't even fall yet! We have tickets to see the Pixies on the 30th then our friends are staying over post show to help give out candy on Halloween day! I am planning to dress up as an antique fortune telling machine; something I feel very akin to as it is.

Too soon to discuss Halloween?
What are you planning to be?
Are we supposed to keep our costumes "surprises"?
Will I ever convince Salim to go as Jambi from Pee-wee's Playhouse?

*If you also have an interest in these types of book, I am willing to discuss in private.

Misfit afghans to cat beds!

2011-08-05T23:21:00.003-04:00

Still working on the flowers in the snow blanket by Solveig Grimstad. For some reason I decided to fully make the squares then sew them together instead of crocheting (as suggested) & it's really slowed me down. It's fine, I need the practice anyway.

Only half are pictured, I made 80! I used left over yarns & had no color scheme or real plan. I wish I had a little more bright/bold colors in there. It's just for me/practice anyway & it's coming out as nice as I hoped.

I usually make a smaller "practice afghan" first so we have many around the house. Some homeless & stored with my yarn, some we use as beds for mama cat in her favorite spots. Mama cat loves my blankets but mostly only the bright colored ones, like this one.

This past weekend my brother & Solomon came to visit & mama was laying on her current favorite. They thought it was cute & I told them how I make lots of practice items that when folded up make great cat beds & suggested they take one home for their cats! They took this one home to Nora & sent me photos of her enjoying it!

It made me really happy to see & had me thinking about actually making/giving mini-cat bed afghans as gifts! Part of me still feels like giving afghans is such a spinster aunt thing to do though & maybe you already have a aunt who has monopoly over "that type of gift"? But now that I think about it, at the core of things, I really do see myself as a kind of spinster-ly aunt type to most of my family/friends animals, so maybe you're all about to get a gift you don't want!

Heatwave Crocheting

2011-07-22T08:04:00.001-04:00

I promised myself that this summer I would continue to crochet & learn new patterns no matter how hot it got! I am happy to say that I have kept that promise. Here is a new cowl I made that I actually like.

I've made others that need improvement but this one came out exactly as I wanted on the first try! Its extremely soft & light as a feather, I think it will be great for fall.

That's really all I have to share, other than these cat photos. Lucy is the neighborhood cat & he's been laying around outside like that, trying to stay cool, poor fluffy dude. The other is of mama cat, she was that close to my face when I woke up -- then she licked my nose.

Meet me anyplace, or anywhere, or anytime.

2011-07-17T02:23:00.001-04:00

On Saturday I met up with Argle Whale & her friend to attend Art Beat, it was pretty much a perfect summer day. There I bought three new hair clips from Sew Mary Ann, one red bow, one yellow bow, one grey flower, now my collection is huge!

We spent the afternoon wandering around Art Beat chatting with friends we spotted. Then we lazed at Diesel Cafe for a long while before getting street vendor waffles (soooo goood) & running to catch the 4:30 train home. Back in Salem we decided we didn't want the fun to stop so we headed to CinemaSalem, hung around the cafe sharing sugary, summer drinks & discussing the hot topic of the day, match making.

Elise, it turns out, is filled with instant witty, at times philosophical, advice for just about any "love-life" scenario that may arise. From tips for your online dating profile, maintaining long term relationships, how to properly end a relationship before it gets to cheating (including the view point of the other woman), to dating men in their 70s -- sometimes these scenarios came complete with outfits. As an awkward person myself I was in a mixture of awe/amusement/bemusement with just about everything that came out of her mouth.

From there we headed to Marblehead for dinner, we wanted to get sandwiches & sit on the shore but lots of places close early there, even on a Saturday night. So we meandered down side streets looking in shops & peoples gardens trying to find ice cream & dissect who exactly is the type of person that lives in Marblehead?

Actually isn't too unlike where I grew up (other than being wealthier) which gave me this complete eerie feeling, like I spent the day reliving high school summer vacation. Walking around seaside New England with friends, nowhere in particular to be, indecisiveness of what to do next other than not go home... basically nostalgic perfection.

Recommend please!

2011-07-13T11:33:00.002-04:00

Finally had the chance to work on the flowers in the snow blanket last weekend. I started 3-4 months ago. Sixty circles down, 20 circles & white border more to go! I feel like a jerk for slacking & plan to complete by the end of this week. Also last weekend I made a yarn inventory, bought more yarn from Seed Stitch & started on some new wrap styles, none nice enough to post photos of yet though.

When crocheting I like to zone out & watch hours & hours of music documentaries & wear my 'indoor glasses', not glamorous. This makes my husband grump about the house complaining about how he married a giant, nerdy weirdo. It's true, he did, not my problem (yet?). He is going on a camping/fly fishing trip this weekend leaving me alone, in the new house for the first time, which means ...I regret watching as much Twin Peaks as I have recently... I can crochet without break & watch as many documentaries as I like! I plan to get a lot done so please send documentary recommendations my way!, music related preferred but NOT required.

Summer Babe

2011-07-05T15:19:00.001-04:00

My weekend pretty much summed up here:

1. I had a birthday! I'm not 30 yet but I'll probably start telling people I'm 30 at this point anyway.

2. Visit from Mina & Nyla; shrills of "CHA-CHIIIII!!" still ringing in my ears. Mina informed me; "It's not that I don't like your glasses, I just like you better without them" -- she does have good taste, maybe I should get contacts?

3. Nyla is the happiest baby I've ever known!

4. Children don't actually like fireworks & will cover their ears hours before they even start.

5. Salim's hat collection is officially out of control but how can I say no to yet another hat when his face lights up like that when he gets a new one?

6. Acting like I'm on "summer vacation" when I'm actually not is making my head hurt.

Gift Reference for Fancy Husbands

2011-06-24T15:20:00.010-04:00

The other weekend marked the one year occasion of being legally bound to this fancy husband of mine:

For his anniversary gift I got him Marblehead Reds by D.S. & Durga. The salesman who recommended the cologne was from Marblehead & I told him how we recently moved to the North Shore ourselves so it was, in fact, a fitting gift. We spent awhile chatting about the area & apparently how it's Marblehead Greens/Nantucket Reds but he said it didn't matter, that it was still the best scent.

Salim is a pretty difficult man to buy things for, gift shopping for him is not something that can be put off until the last minute. So instead of running around the city trying to pick the perfect gift with an impending "present giving deadline" I made this Etsy treasury with him in mind.

I plan to use it as a guide in future: Gift Reference for Fancy Husbands. If you've invested in one of those also, feel free to use.

I only wanted to see what the garden was like.

2011-06-10T08:29:00.010-04:00

Most mornings it takes me 5 minutes to walk the half mile from my house to the commuter rail, other mornings it takes 20 minutes. Today was a 20 minute morning, I just didn't have the energy (or desire) to walk quick enough to catch the earlier train. On my walk I pass several adorable houses, open gardens & shaded hideouts.

The bottom right photo (sorry, all taken with my iphone) is of the entrance to the Ropes Mansion Gardens. I have a particularly hard time passing that, I wish I could scoot in there & spend the day sipping ice tea, pretending like I have nothing to do with my time but wait for my Captain husband to come home from sea. Below is a vintage postcard of what is past the entrance, waiting for me.

Once I make it past the garden I have to walk by two houses I'd very much like to live in. The first is the house I'd buy if I had 10 children & all the money in the world.

The second is the house Salim & I will buy when we retire. We'll have matching chairs by the fire, Salim will smoke a pipe & read the New Yorker to me while I knit.

From here I turn the corner & take the path to the commuter rail...

Why do I own so much crap?

2011-06-01T22:11:00.011-04:00

We've been at our new home a full week now. We moved from a small apartment & everyone kept saying; "you're going to have to buy a lot of things to fill that space!". Not so! Turns out we acquired a lot of crap over the last three years. We had so much in fact that I got the thrill of throwing a bunch of things away & (with great debate) convinced Salim to do the same.

I've never had a problem with tossing, at one point Salim told my mother "Amy is an emotional minimalist". That makes me sound soulless, which is not true, I cry over commercials. I'm willing to admit that I'm a minimalist, that's it. I think his saying that was just a ploy to make me feel bad & let him keep items like a falling apart/rusting "cheese knife" he kept from the "made in china" gift basket a data entry company mailed to our work two Christmases ago (he's never used it & threw it away once at the new place). In Salim's defense, you can argue that he is simply not a wasteful person, I respect that.

The biggest purge was our many, many, books, most of which had already been dragged between several apartments. I spent a few hours leafing through making sure nothing embarrassing was left between pages. Nothing too exciting found, though I did find an old T-pass & they were just on my mind the week before (describing them to S).

Now all our items are with us here in Salem but we are living out of boxes & it feels like things won't be back to normal for a hundred years. It's kind of daunting but I'm not that stressed about it.

Mama cat on the other hand was bummed about life for a solid 3 days. She walked around crying & trying to escape by any means possible, including the fireplace where she got very dirty & we had to give her a bath. Now that she's learned how to balance her fat body on much smaller window sills than she is used to she seems happier.

Here is the last photo I took of our apartment (with my iphone). Emptied out it seemed even smaller, if that is possible. I think this might be the only apartment I'll miss living in which is odd because the majority of the time I lived there I was actively looking for another place to live. Also, every year I tried to talk the landlords into a shorter lease period. In the end this apartment was the longest I’ve stayed at any one place (3 full years) & ended with me trying to figure out if we could possibly talk the landlords into letting us stay longer! Then I went on for the last week about how "if this place was a condo I’d buy it", so odd.

some old rainy rainy day

2011-05-20T16:26:00.006-04:00

My tea addiction is at an all time high due to the not-so-great weather & discovery of Mariage Freres (thanks to my friend Melanie). I even made a Mariage Freres themed pinterest:

I especially love their green tea, The À L'Opera, which I ordered a tin of. I also purchased the muslin tea-sachets of Eros to keep at work.

Both are unbelievably delicious & I highly recommend buying some-- better still, come over to my new place in Salem & have a cup with me! I'll bake some ginger/honey bread & we can listen to music, drink pots of tea & chat. Basically all I ever want to do with my spare time. This could be your view (*background subject to change):

If you help me finish all my tea (I have loads of other brands/flavors) then I can order some new tins of Mariage Freres to try! Next to order:

*Marco Polo
*Russian Star
*Lune Rouge
*Noel

Because planning your tea purchases for the year is completely rational, right? I really just need to own my own Cottage Tea House on the coast already...

& rainy day music getting me through the weather this last week:

Sunny Sundays

2011-05-05T00:46:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I helped my friend Mandee with a project for her upcoming wedding. Mandee's place is perfect for crafting on a sunny spring Sunday.

The project we worked on involved drilling holes in pennies which sounded like an easy enough 'step one'. As it turns out, however, you need the correct drill bit. I just thought a drill had a generic "bit" that would just put a hole in anything -- not so.
Thankfully Mandee's "nicest dude ever" fiancé & roommate (who just so happens to be a producer of "Must Love Cats". I don't know why Mandee was keeping that secret from me for so long. I didn't freak out about it or ask her to sign my cat or anything like that!) were willing to help us figure this situation out.

Actually, I'm not going to lie, the whole project turned out to be more difficult than the how-to guide with Girl Scouts made it look. But after a couple of hours of trial & error we did manage to figure out a method that didn't involve melting the objective.

This new process did involved a lot of cutting paper until my fingers were numb & making a giant mess but I was pretty pleased with the outcome!

Hopefully Mandee will be updating her blog, post wedding, with the details & finished product.

In other news; we close on our place in Salem in one week from tomorrow! I am still avoiding packing...la di da la di da la la.

April, Come She Will

2011-04-17T20:46:00.001-04:00

This weekend was our first free weekend in a month. It was great to relax & get back into crocheting. I finished some eternity scarves & finally got to start on some spring/summer items. I made the headbands below this afternoon, it's basically the granny square pattern in one color. I don't plan on selling them, just wanted to make a gift for a friend. They came out fairly good though & I'll probably make smaller, more flowery ones for Mina & Nyla. The brown one is made with cotton & held really well. The bottom two (white & green) are wool blends that seemed to stretch into more of a leaf shape which I don't like.

The other week I ordered perfume for me & Jen from CB I Hate Perfume. Jen got "A room with a view" & I got "In the Library", which is described as; "The main note in this scent was copied from one of my favorite novels originally published in 1927. I happened to find a signed first edition in pristine condition many years ago in London. I was more than a little excited because there were only ever a hundred of these in the first place. It had a marvelous warm woody slightly sweet smell and I set about immediately to bottle it." Dream scent, it's so amazing I only ever want to smell like this.

Walking to & from work is enjoyable again, my ipod is always filled with songs based on what month it is:

I have the simplest taste...

2011-04-08T15:47:00.004-04:00

So it turns out buying a house isn’t fun, not only is "not fun" it is panic attack inducing stressful. Not that I thought it would be a walk in the park, I guess I just didn’t realize how picky I actually am or could be when this much money is involved. I’ve lived in some shitty apartments & have never thought twice about it. Do to my ability to easily live in just about any shitty apartment in this city I honestly thought, "I’m easy to please, finding a house shouldn’t be that hard, I’m not some kind of demanding princess, I can see potential in things & I can make them better, *I have vision".
Turns out "having vision" can get pretty expensive when you look at so many houses with ill-fitted ikea fixtures or shoddy DIY work & those houses are still on the market for that reason. Basically, outlooks change. I have quirky tastes but now I find myself looking at more traditional places that would appeal to a wider variety of people -- I haven’t even bought a place & I’m already worried about reselling it. A lot of times I hear people relate home buying to dating & relationships (google 'buying a house like dating' & see what I mean) & it drives me nuts. I get it on the surface but this is so much more difficult, in the end getting out of a bad date is far easier than getting out of a bad house. I can’t even imagine the burden of reselling any of my failed relationships.

Can’t I just have one of THESE houses to stay in forever? See, I’m not that picky, any one of these would do! As Wilde said; "I have the simplest taste. I am always satisfied with the best"

Anyway, hope isn't all lost, there is one potential condo. It has a near unusable bathroom that would need to be fixed ASAP along with some kitchen updating down the road but we love it otherwise. Here is where my expensive bathroom vision is taking me:

Also, I will never understand mortgages.

*I think I picked up the "I have vision" from one of the HGTV house hunting shows I watch were the people look at nice places but write them off because they don't like the paint, carpet or becuase they don't have granite counter tops & the voice over comes in & says: "these people just don't have vision & can't see the potential".

I don't mean to suggest...

2011-03-23T14:51:00.021-04:00

Spring is here! Though it doesn’t quiet feel like spring temperature wise at the moment, there is still the sentiment of spring; Jen & I were just saying how it’s a mixture of anticipation & nostalgia.

My etsy shop is on vacation until the Fall but I am selling spring cowls at Aviary in Jamaica Plain (photos below). I’m actually selling there exclusively at the moment so be sure to check it out!

Photos courtesy of Lindsay Metivier

Spring has turned into a difficult season for me. Last spring I was avoiding the chaos of my wedding & this year I’m stressed about buying a house. Unlike the last post, there are now two front runners but true to form, I like two places that are so polar opposite that it’s almost impossible to compare them.

One is a cute, tiny, weird, you could say cramped but I say "cozy" cottage in downtown Marblehead, very much my style. The second is a huge downtown Salem loft, very new, clean, structured, practical, very Salim.

Right now I prefer the loft. I don't think it is because I don’t want to be faced with the challenges involved with living the life one says they want. What if in 5-10 years, I realize the life I think I want isn’t really what I want at all? Not only am I literally stuck paying for that decision, the dream is crushed. If I buy a cottage right on the coast than I could no longer walk around saying, "when I’m older, I’m going to buy an adorable cottage right on the coast & open my own tea house/yarn shop". I’d have to say "I bought an adorable cottage right on the coast; hated it & the crappy commute to my desk job in the city. I could never in a million years afford to own a tea house/yarn shop & now I’m trying to figure what it is I actually DO want".

Salim’s prefers the Marblehead house even though it's less his style, reason? It faces south & owning a house in Marblehead is a good investment.

I’m probably making this all more stressful than it needs to be, wouldn’t be the first time.

Still only listening to Leonard Cohen;

I don't mean to suggest that I loved you the best, I can't keep track of each fallen robin. I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel that's all, I don't even think of you that often.

-- It's weird that this song is about Janis Joplin.

Just a station on your way

2011-03-16T06:29:00.002-04:00

These days the majority of my time is spent house hunting which is going ehn at the moment. It's been a stressful in-between period but hopefully the next post will involve more/better news on that topic.

Due to all the life happenings I haven't had much time to post about Abcowls but lots of things are in the works. For starters I plan to meet with Lindsay the owner of Aviary, a new gallery & boutique in JP, to discuss selling my cowls there! I went to the opening the other week & it is truly a great space. I'd be thrilled to sell some of my items there.
I'm also discussing a new project/design with my friend Jen. It's a new development so not much to post about yet but we plan to spend a lot of time this spring/summer working on that.

Here are some photos of items left over from the Cabin Fever show:

After a project I always end up with small bits of yarn left over that I can't bring myself to throw away. Salim usually balls the bits up for cat toys but now mama cat has too many so I just staring making granny squares with whatever is left over. The yarn is a strange variety of acrylic, alpaca to cashmere but I'm sure it will come out cute.

Today is sort of gloomy...

Well, I've been waiting, I was sure
we'd meet between the trains we're waiting for
I think it's time to board another

Why is everyone crazy?

2011-02-22T20:17:00.002-05:00

Just back from spending the long weekend in Ottawa visiting my nieces Mina & Nyla. I made Mina a scarf on the way up. Whenever I visit she likes to play with my hooks & yarn. She's pretty good at following the steps I show her which I'm always amazed by considering she is only three!

I also finally remembered to bring Mina the adorable monkey painting I had for her which was a gift from Mandee Paints. Mina loved it so much she wanted her fish Ella to see it as well.

Mina helped pick out a red hair clip to match hers before we took her to visit the dinosaurs at the natural history museum, her choice for how to spend the day.

After dropping Mina back home for a nap we headed to the Elgin Street Diner for a poutine lunch. My third favorite part about visiting Canada.

One of the highlights of the weekend was the hilarious things Mina would say & do. She had a few stories to tell me about 'when she was young'; "When I was young I put some stickers in this sticker book". Another time we were going to play with her toys but she said we had to "wait for mommy, daddy & chacha to play with us otherwise they will be sad". I knew that this was going to be a long wait & tried to convince her that we should start playing without them as Salim & Nashib were cooking breakfast & Maria was getting ready upstairs. She held out hope for a little while that everyone was just seconds away from running to come play with us but when it was clear that that wasn't going to happen she seemed a little bummed. Sitting on the floor with a three year old surrounded by toys you can't touch is difficult, she was not up for small talk either. So we sat in silence for another few minutes while Mina looked thoughtfully at her princess slippers & I thought of how I can convince her to start playing without everyone. Finally Mina breaks the silence to ask with a sigh this question, which I fully believe she thought I could just answer; "Why is everyone crazy?". I could tell by the way she asked it she didn't mean just us in the house, for one we spent most the time sitting around or napping or telling Mina she herself needed to relax. She meant EVERYONE, you reading this included. I laughed & told her the truth, "I don't know". Her response was a deadpan "Oh...you don't know." If only I did!

Last craft show of the winter

2011-02-15T23:22:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday was the Cabin Fever craft show. All the vendors had such nice, well put together shops. My friend Melanie helped me out with mine in the morning as she is super friendly & outgoing. I was sad when she had to leave in the afternoon but I chatted with several vendors & made some new friends which was nice becuase being less shy, as I mentioned in the Baz Biz post, is something I've really been working on.

Here is my table:

My Aunt Donna came up from Southern Massachusetts to check out the event. She is adorable & wears my cowls/warmers very well. Here she is modeling her new eternity scarf (in cocoon) & some warmers (in Noro Silk Garden).

It took me a while to figure out where to set up as they changed the vendor floor plan a little but it worked in my favor as it put me closer to my friend Sew Mary Ann. She had a million lovely items & I believe she said she will be posting to Etsy again soon. I have several items left over myself to post to Etsy, hopefully I'll be doing that this weekend.

Now that I have a fair cowl inventory I am free to work on amigurumi. The plan is for Helvetica Jones to come over & have an amigurumi night. I plan on making this little dachshund!

March 3rd is the Grand Opening of Aviary, a new gallery & art boutique in JP. The first show is "Sound on Sight, featuring photographs taken by 18 local musicians". I am really excited to check it out!

I'd rather be in some dark hollow

2011-01-26T12:41:00.006-05:00

Cabin Fever prep has been going fairly well. I purchased a lot of colorful, lightweight yarn for spring items that I can’t wait to use. Hopefully I’ll be in full swing starting this weekend.

Things I've been working on:

Normally winters I hibernate but this winter I've been busy with importantish social events; lots of 30th/40th birthdays, art openings, bands last shows. One of these events was Steve & Lorna's birthday party, they both turned 40th this month. To celebrate they had an "80s-themed" party at a VFW in Cambridge. It was great but totally surreal as it was coworkers dressed/acting insane. Steve is my boss & Lorna, his wife, also works for the division of Sleep Medicine. I purchased a really great dress for this party at the Garment District.

Next weekend (the 5th) is Megan's art opening, Feathers & Scales; "Feathers & Scales is a cut paper installation using imagery from myths and fables about sisters who rose from the ocean and took to the air to seek revenge on their enemies." I'm into that concept.

And here is your monthly Mama Cat photo...

She will be turning 10 in March! I wish that meant something more exciting than just her switch to senior cat food & a strict diet. She does like treats a lot, anyone have any special/gourmet cat treat recommendations I could buy her as a birthday gift to soften the blow? Seems like just yesterday she was a tiny kitten that fit in one hand.

I really love folk songs, my friend Jasmyn made me a mix with Gene Clark's version of "Come All Ye Fair & Tender Ladies", it kind of feels like the song of the winter; "I'd rather be in some dark hollow where the sun refused to shine".

Cabin Fever; Sunday, February 13, 2011

2011-01-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

I will be selling cowls & warmers (some in new spring designs!) at Cabin Fever next month! I'll have items for both men & women so please come by & say hi!

2010, you are an official ending.

2011-01-04T22:14:00.000-05:00

I’m sad the holidays are over & I’m having a difficult time getting out of the, "I get to sit at home, watch bad movies & eat treats!" mode. For several weeks my diet has consisted mostly of things like this:

Sitting at home, watching bad movies & eating poorly does get old after awhile though & for the first time I am completely ready for a new year! I like New Years Eve, I like the parties, friends & the time off of work but I’ve never been into New Years resolution type stuff & I don’t think a new year means a "fresh start" or a "new beginning". Things come & go--seasons, years, opportunities, jobs, craft shows, anniversaries, vacations, good days, bad habits, people...regardless of Dec 31st/Jan1st.

I’ve always found it easier to take all beginnings when they begin & the endings when they end. It’s never been anything that exciting anyway, 2010 on the other hand was a little too intense for me, epic even. Weddings, parties, births, deaths, one too many flights on tiny airplanes (some through lightening storms), getting in over my head in several situations, among other legit once in a lifetime shit--good, bad, in all events stressful & man, am I glad it’s over. I think, in retrospect, I might have had some sort of weird breakdown/life crisis in there somewhere. So 2010, you are an official ending & I’m ready for 2011 to be as clean, dull & stress free as possible.

The need to shed myself of 2010 resulted in a weekend full of cleaning/organizing/cleaning/organizing my apartment until my arms hurt. It was worth it, coming home to an orderly apartment is so very nice.

I did find time for crocheting & the other day I made some adorable, soft tweed warmers from Dalegarn's Sisik, yarn which my friend thimblewinder gave me. I love them but they are off to Michigan. Thankfully I have enough of that yarn left over to make a matching pair for myself!

I know these aren't the best photos; in fact I took them with my iphone on the train! I've made several fun custom items over the last few weeks but I've had zero time to take photos. I need to be better about getting nice photos of completed projects. My best friend Jen also has the same problem. For Christmas she handmade me an amazing hook/needle case! She forgot to get a photo of it so she asked me to take & send her some so I am sharing here as well! Beautiful, right?

Since my brain isn't back from vacation I'm spending this week daydreaming about buying a weaving loom. I will put it in the work space of my new house, which will be the room with the view of the New England coast. Salim & mama cat will build 'fires for me & bring me cakes & tea'--like they sing about in songs. All the excitement I've ever really wanted.

...if that's the only way you'll be convinced, I want to be your happiness.

Yuletide Cheer

2010-12-26T20:11:00.008-05:00

Last weekend was spent in Ottawa visiting my nieces. Nyla is our newest little one & Salim is madly in love with her. We stayed in a silly fancy boutique hotel downtown, did some shopping & most importantly, ate poutine!

We came home from Ottawa & decorated our tree. Salim is intent on having the nicest, biggest, fattest tree. I forcefully suggested a smaller one this year as we had such a hassle with last years. Needless to say Salim is pretty disappointed with it & I am banned from picking future trees. I made it up to him by getting him two new ornaments this year, a handmade Mama Cat ornament by Mandee Paints & a fat wool bird!

On Christmas eve I finished some cowls which others planned to give as gifts & wrapped gifts for my family. I told Salim that mama cat worked all summer as a mouse catcher in our apartment building & saved the money to buy him a cute overload calendar & special cat wrapping paper.

Christmas morning we had panettone (Salim bought the most expensive kind he could find, his reasoning was he was "wearing red & in the Christmas spirit") & coffee before heading down to southern Ma for family & more food. I got several wonderful gifts. This included lots & lots of tea, more than two years worth I'd say! I will have to have a tea party soon for sure.

Today is filled with yummy left overs & watching movies while Mama watches the snow...

Perfect.

Gifts to give & gifts to keep!

2010-12-14T00:57:00.004-05:00

Sunday was the Holiday Mass Market put together by the wonderful Lindsay Metivier! It was a lot of fun & filled with friends I hadn't seen in awhile.

Here is my table & my friend Sarah modeling her cowl!

With craft shows out of the way I plan to complete my holiday shopping this week. I've done a fair amount already but it takes a lot of energy for me to not give things to people immediately following purchase. I love giving & hate having to wait to do it! It's odd as I don't love receiving gifts all that much, I feel embarrassed about it actually. Another issue I have is the longer I hold onto an item the higher the chance becomes of my keeping it for myself! It usually goes; "This is perfect for Melanie!", next day "I sure am great at buying gifts, I'd love this!", next day "actually, I could use one of these... maybe I should just keep it?", next day "this is perfect for ME, I have to keep it!!". Usually the item is personalized & absolutely not perfect for me.

Anyway, here are some of this years holiday items! Some from me to give to others, some from others given to me, some for others I will keep for myself!

*egg-a-go-go
*argyle whale
*greying ghost press

Other than crocheting, craft shows & gift shopping I've continued to walk to & from work for over a year now! I much prefer walking to work in the winter & I have some great new music to listen to thanks to my friend from SF, Jasmyn, including her band The Sarees.

My buddy Oscar has been around a lot these days for my morning walk. He/she was missing for almost the entire summer, seems he/she also prefers the winter.

Bazaar Bizarre 2010!

2010-12-07T08:22:00.009-05:00

I've spent the last two weeks in my apartment, staying up until 4 AM watching Woody Allen movies (I can go five years without seeing another one at this point) in prep for Bazaar Bizarre. Subsequently I've picked up the habit of whistling (poorly) & talking to myself out loud like a bona fide crazy person. Sunday was the fair & though I was mostly a zombie at that point it was really a great day & totally worth all the stress!

I had my friend/coworker Melanie help me at my booth as she is great at sales; she is very out going & chatty with a pleasant German accent. Several people who bought cowls pointed out how awesome she is & kept saying; “she’s a keeper”, I fully agree. I mostly sat behind my booth crocheting, I was hoping to force myself to try & be less shy this year & to make new friends but I didn’t really pull that off -- still to work on, shyness.

There we are!

A vendor that Salim really loved was May Day Studios, he bought a gift for his brother from her.

Repeat Press mobile letterpress was there & like the summer Bazaar Bizarre it was still my favorite. I had a sign made for Jen!

When I came back from ordering my sign I had only two cowls left! Salim sold several, one to the adorable Ryan of Masionwares & two cowls to her lovely helper:

Giant Dwarf was there (she bought a cowl from me!) & I've loved her stuff forever. When Salim asked me what I wanted for the holidays the other week I pointed out how I would really like her Starlette Crown in onyx. I also sent Melanie over there to buy a star for her own hair, which she did & it will look beautiful on her!

The last two went pretty quickly after I returned but I had a few hours until breakdown which I was planning to help with so I wrote “sold out” a notepad paper with a sharpie & walked around feeling good about myself & eating candy. When I returned from that Alison & Jerry had a real “Sold Out” sign made for me!! Man those two are the nicest people ever.

I think my face in that photo really says it all; totally fucking exhausted/happy! I came home to a giant mess & endless piles of tangled yarn that if I didn’t need for the Holiday Mass Market next weekend I’d be half tempted to cut my losses & toss it all in the trash instead of spending the 3 hours it took to ball up.

But I did it, I am now all organized & ready to start the process all over again for this Sunday! See you there I hope!

Bazaar Bizarre come & gone...

2010-12-06T16:35:00.001-05:00

Bazaar Bizarre 2010 happened yesterday! It was pretty great & went something like this:

I have a lot more photos to post soon but now to prep for Mass Market!

Craft Shows All Season!

2010-11-17T17:24:00.002-05:00

I am in two craft shows this winter -- both coming up in just a few weeks! I hope you can make it!

Boston Bazaar Bizarre on Sunday, December 5th, this is it's 10th anniversary!

& the Holiday Mass Market on Sunday, December 12th!

That same weekend my sister, Glamourpuss creations, will be selling her jewelry at the SOWA Holiday Market so you should probably plan to do that on the Saturday or stop by on Sunday after Mass Market, you can grab dinner over there!

She's also going to be selling at the Hingham Shipyard Holiday Market over Thanksgiving weekend so really I've just planned your entire holiday shopping & weekends until mid December. You're welcome!

Now with Sparkles & red lipstick addiction.

2010-11-08T07:39:00.001-05:00

Things I need work on ASAP:

*New Logo/Signage
*Table Display
*Business Cards/Stamp
*Tags/Packaging
*Payment with credit cards
*Owning a yarn shop / tea cottage on the New England coast...

That last one is more of a dream so I guess that can stay on the back burner for now. Last week I discovered baby alpaca yarn with sparkles. It's so wonderful, light, soft & fancy! I wish it came in more colors. Windsor Button only had two hanks so I could only make one eternity cowl with it. I hope they get more in because I think this would be very popular. I certainly know of several girlie friends that this would make the perfect gift for.

This week I also pulled out the oversized buttons -- my personal favorite embellishment. You can buy this Fig cowl on my Etsy!

Successfully sticking to my November tradition of staying up late (for me that is ~midnight), watching movies & crocheting until either my eyes or fingers stop working properly, I kind of love it.

Back in the "real world" I have a weird task at work to start on, I'm listening to Miles Davis & I just got an email from Egg-a-go-go saying that she has included me in an Etsy Treasury; Deep in the Winter Wood, cute!!

& it's hard to hold a candle...

2010-11-04T15:23:00.005-04:00

Once again I am faced with the reality that time does not stand still just because I really, really want it to. Bazaar Bizarre Boston is a month away!! I haven't done the majority of what I wanted/needed/said I would do. I'm feeling pretty motivated however & am making a trip to Windsor Button tonight.

I shipped three packages last week, 2 Etsy orders & 1 custom order for Jasmyn. They arrived this week & everyone seemed happy with their items, which of course makes me happy as the whole reason I started crocheting was to give people things that make them happy! It just feels so nice...

The above package was shipped to NYC! I'm working on figuring out how I want to tag items. I started using the hand-cut paper hearts from my wedding but I think they are too big. I like the idea though.

These wrist warmers were sent to California! Though I hear it's really warm out that way right now. Here in Boston it's cold & rainy. In fact, I was just telling my coworker, KC, how every November, no matter what the weather, I get the song "November Rain" stuck in my head for the whole month. The fact that today it is actually cold & raining isn't helping.

Halloween Etsy Sale!

2010-10-29T07:55:00.005-04:00

I'm into Halloween -- I like scary movies & chubby kids in costume! Sadly I live in an apartment building in the city so no little kids come visit me. Anyway, since I like Halloween so much I decided to have a Halloween Weekend Sale on my Etsy Shop!!

Buy a cowl & get any pair of wrist warmers half off now until Monday! Message me with "halloween" & I'll adjust the price. You might want to check back tomorrow also as I plan to have more items listed!

Don't forget the tweed wrist warmers can be purchased in brown, grey or purple tweed, all very smart. I also do custom colors & yarns!

Happy Halloween!

xx Amy & Mama Cat

(sometimes Mama Cat see's GHOSTS!)

Get Back on Track

2010-10-26T07:38:00.000-04:00

Glad to relax tonight after a very busy weekend. Saturday started early with a trip to the post office (I always feel so accomplished after the post office!!). After getting all my shipping completed I went to Davis Square to visit the egg-a-go-go trunk show at magpie! I bought some of the lovely ornaments you see right on her blog & the "Cats in Clothes" postcard set. Then I walked all the way back to Coolidge Corner (boy it was a long walk) to putz around the Booksmith before dinner & the new Woody Allen movie which was not good, I knew it wouldn't be but I was compelled to see it all the same.

Sunday morning I made some time for crocheting before meeting my siblings, their other halves & Melanie in JP for the Lantern Parade! It was a very nice night & it made me miss JP but only a little. We then met up with Stefan, Skye & their new wee one at the Galway House for dinner, drinks & plans of how to avoid Monday -- The Galway House is a place I recently realized I like a lot more than I thought I did when I lived just down the street from it, this fact bums me out.

Last night we held craft practice at my place but we didn't actually "craft", Jen gave make-up tips to Alison & Megan while I watched clueless & ate cheese & olives.

This week nothing but crocheting, crocheting, crocheting for once -- already so far behind schedule...

Another day come & gone & oh well

2010-10-22T10:22:00.009-04:00

This weather gets me every time. I've been going out too often & crocheting far too little. I plan to get back on track, hopefully this weekend, as I have several custom orders to place. These days I mostly spend hours walking through the city, listen to music obsessively, sometimes I meet up with friends for tea. There isn’t much I like more than being alone listening to music.

I haven’t been wholly unproductive; I did meet up with Mandee last weekend & I took some great photos (if I may say so myself) of her. I opened my Etsy shop http://abcowls.etsy.com & have made three sales & have four custom order requests. I have also been featured in my first Etsy Treasury, Seeking Comfort Wherever It May Be Found.

Anyway, I’m more into walking these days, I’m blaming the fall weather & listening to some old teen-angst favorites...

May Queen - Liz Phair
Letters to Memphis – Pixies
Noise – Beat Happening
Age of Consent – New Order
If Only You Were Lonely – The Replacements
You Were Right – Built to Spill

on repeat, repeat, repeat.

But here are some photos of what I've been up to:

motivation & inspiration

2010-10-15T13:02:00.005-04:00

Certified busy these days -- tomorrow I’ll be taking photos of my adorable friend & local crafty lady, Mandee of Mandee Paints. You should check out her blog & Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mandeerae & http://mandeeblogs.blogspot.com/

Excited as this means my own Etsy store can finally open on Sunday October 17th! I’m desperately trying to stay motivated in order to get all items made for Bazaar Bizarre & Mass Market as well, so please send motivational fall/winter music suggestions my way!!

Speaking of inspiration; I came across an insanely adorable amigurumi shop today, Petit and Cute Design. Totally envious of how amazing her stuff is; just look at this jellyfish!!

Why is there such a fine line between jealousy & inspiration (is it just me?) I’ve decided to start telling myself I don’t feel the former & to view those things as the latter with hopes that doing so will successfully turn the former into the latter. Even though I've always been a firm believer that smiling through a shitty situation doesn’t make you feel better, I don’t care what they have to say about it. It’s difficult & I still feel that there is a huge difference between just saying you feel one way & actually feeling that way but I’m sticking with it, at least through the winter -- as Nietzsche said; "that which does not kill you with gut wrenching jealousy makes you stronger", that is how that saying goes, right? I hope it’s true or I’m just giving myself an ulcer, at least it will be an upbeat ulcer!

I'm also inspired by my cats laziness, I wish I had the nerve to do as little with my life as she does:

Upcoming shows & Etsy store opening sale!

2010-10-12T13:03:00.007-04:00

I've been getting lots of emails (yay!) asking where/how you can buy my items. I'm very excited to be selling my cowls, scarflettes & wrist warmers in two upcoming craft fairs; Bazaar Bizarre Boston & Mass Market! Links below, mark your calendars!

- Bazaar Bizarre Sunday Dec 5th: facebook event page
- Holiday Mass Market Sunday Dec 12th: facebook event page

Friends not in the area: I have been putting off Etsy listings until I was able to take some great day-light photos of my items (out-of-focus self portraits won't cut it). This will finally be happening next weekend & Etsy listings will promptly follow, most likely on Sunday Oct 17th. I'm also planning an opening day sale so be sure to check back then!

-Etsy: ABCowls Etsy Shop

Newly organized yarn bins/work space!

Hope you're enjoying the lovely fall weather!

Filed under personal:

2010-10-06T09:00:00.007-04:00

Fall is my favorite season, October is my favorite month. The colorful trees against grey skies, the smell of crisp air, cozy fashions, savory food & warm drinks; everything seems rich & comforting. I like the general mood of the season as well, nostalgically filled with little traditions & lore that still feel individualized & personal than outright commercial -- baking, pumpkin carving, agricultural fairs & local ghost stories.
Some people, like Salim, find fall depressing & I can understand why. Summer has ended, leaves start rotting & the days get shorter & colder. Like any ending it can depress you if you let it. I think to some people, endings can make the thing that's ended seem more important than it actually was. In general I’m a pretty sensible person. I do overly sentimentalize the fall but there aren’t that many things I’ll let myself believe are more significant than they actually are, were or ever could be in reality.

[some of my favorite fall days]

soft, comfy, simple.

2010-09-29T22:03:00.006-04:00

On Friday it will be my favorite month, October! More on that later. On Tuesday I stopped by A Good Yarn in Brookline where I bought a bunch of pretty yarn, including:

Noro, Silk Garden 45% Silk 45% Kid Mohair 10% Lambwool

Tahki, Tweedy Alpaca

With that yarn I made these wrist warmers!

You wear them like this (I know...you probably don't need me to show you).

They are extremely soft, comfy, simple (three things I love, I wish everything in life was soft, comfy and simple) & perfect for the fall or cold offices!

And in case you haven't heard: Windsor Button is having their annual Columbus Day yarn sale -- all yarn 20% off! Friday, Saturday & Monday! You'll know where to find me on Monday.

Got a head-on collision smashin' in my guts, man.

2010-09-15T22:30:00.002-04:00

Cowl making is officially in full swing! I purchased over a hundred dollars of yarn & new containers for storage (gotta keep away from cat fur). I've started working on chunky eternity scarves, cowls that are higher necked & fold over or pull up, various forms of embellishment & other idea's that have been floating around my head all summer.

Please excuse my grumpy face, one thing I desperately need is an actual model -- I'm hoping I can work something out with my friend Mandee soon but for now:

The blue one I made last year but didn't love so I took apart the darker section (it was half dark blue/half light blue before) & I reworked it to make it less dark blue & ruffle out more over the lighter blue.

I made the circles thinking I'd put them on a cowl as embellishment but when I tried it out it looked too childish. They are adorable on their own though, I’ll have to figure out something that would look cute with colorful circles.

From here on out it's 5 cowls a week until Bazaar Bizarre!

In other news: My friend Melanie informed me that on Oct 7th HBO will be airing the new Springsteen documentary, "The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town". It looks pretty good & Badlands is one of my favorite songs -- we might make a little get together out of watching it.

Bruce Springsteen - "The Promise: The Making of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town'" Sneak Peek

So here is me pretending to be Springsteen playing guitar at my table:

"Look at how happy he is to be singing to that plate of celery!" - Miss Sequential

Movies & Tea & Yarn & FALL

2010-09-12T17:35:00.006-04:00

I've been spending this lovely autumn-ish weathered weekend home alone re-watching movies while finishing baby blankets (Salim is in Canada & I just got home from Columbus, Ohio myself). Crocheting and re-watching movies go great together because you don't have to pay that much attention to the movie. I had it in my head to re-watch all the "epic love stories" I could barely finish the first time around. I've re-watched Dr. Zhivago, Gone with the Wind & The Way We Were, so far. Gone with the Wind is one I actually never made it the whole way through but I did this time & I liked it. Dr. Zhivago I felt the same about, I like that story, I should have re-read the book instead of re-watching the movie. The Way We Were is not a good movie at all...I don't know what I saw in it. I even found myself wondering if Robert Redford's character, Hubbell, is supposed to have sleep apnea, why are they pointing out his excessive sleepiness and snoring? The ending is great though -- maybe the reason I thought liked it in the first place? Next I'd like to re-watch Casablanca, another one I couldn't finish, I tried to watch it once but fell asleep.

Anyway, Salim has the good camera with him in Ottawa but here is a photo (taken with the crappy point&shoot) of a granny square baby blanket I'm hoping to finish up soon.

I'm thinking the dark brown is too heavy but I can't decide what color to replace it with that isn't equally heavy -- any suggestions? I tried taupe (the only other color of this type of yarn I have on hand) but it looked too much like the purple. I need to buy more of the "pearl mist" for the trim anyway so maybe I'll come across something perfect? I just don't know what color will fit...

Also this weekend I made my very first Treasury on Etsy! They are fun to put together but they make me want to spend money I don't have. Like this yarn shop I found, pigeonroofstudios, I wish I could afford to buy only yarn like this!

All I can think about these days is yarn shopping, yarn shopping, yarn shopping with a little movie watching & tea drinking & relaxing thrown in the mix.

Trade your heroes for ghosts

2010-09-01T16:06:00.007-04:00

My friend Megan found/bought me a crocheting book from 1931. It's filled with awesome fonts, photos & odd ways of phrasing things. This book doesn't really have anything that I can't find online -- it's just fun to flip through. I like thinking about the person who originally bought it in the 30s. I wonder where they bought it from, what patterns they used, does someone still have items made from this book?

"You will feel a greater appreciation for crochet when you realize that it is one of the few creative arts left to womankind which no machine yet devised has accurately reproduced"

After reading that book I decided to check out the other pattern book I have which my mom gave me; it's a Bernat book from the 50s.

I assumed it was from the current Bernat, a Canadian company manufactured & distributed by Spinrite Yarns, who apparently bought the Bernat name some years ago. Their yarn is pretty cheap, splits easily & I don't like that they don't say if their bamboo is rayon or not even after I emailed asking. I went to check the copyright on this book & noticed it said; Emile Bernat & Sons Co. Jamaica Plain, MA. Having lived in Jamaica Plain for awhile (& being far too interested in the history of things, what Boston neighborhoods used to be like & old buildings) I had to look into Emile Bernat & the old mill he manufactured yarn from. Sadly I couldn't find much about the Jamaica Plain mill location but I did find some information on the Bernat family (they lived at 4 Bishop St. Jamaica Plain) & the Uxbridge mill location where they moved after JP. Below is a photo of the Uxbridge mill which caught fire in '07.

Bernat & Sons Co. was owned & operated by Emile & his three sons, Paul, George & Eugene. The family immigrated to the United States from Budapest, arriving in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts in 1902. Emile Bernat, a tapestry weaver, restored tapestries for Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

The family wrote a book titled; "The History and Care of Tapestry". You can read it there, it isn't very long, it's sort of boring & it talks a lot about bugs. It basically implores people to understand the importance of tapestries & to care for them as though they are an endangered species which Emile Bernat has devoted his life to. Some quotes include: "Many things threaten the existence of tapestries" ... "In this, as in other matters, it is cheaper in the end to employ an expert than an ignorant unskilled worker."

It's clear that textile art meant a lot to this man and his family. It wasn't just a business/a way to make money, it was his craft & his passion. It's really a shame that today I (& I imagine most) associate the name "Bernat" to the crappy yarn you can get at ocean state job lots.

"We think you will keep this book of Afghans for years and years to come. It contains a collection of masterpieces."

Bazaar Bizarre summer fair

2010-08-22T18:20:00.005-04:00

This weekend Bazaar Bizarre Boston held a summer craft fair in Union Square, Somerville. During set-up Jen and I were directing vendors to parking spots when the thereminist started to practice. Jen looked at me and said exactly what I was thinking; 'man it is crazy to hear that in the middle of August!' Like the smell of pine trees and taste of eggnog I have come to associate the theremin with the holidays. After pissing off half of Somerville by telling them "sorry, you can't park here today" we got the much better, and more people friendly task of button making!

Here people could draw on a little circle and we'd make that into a button for free, needless to say it was a big hit. The most popular drawings it seemed were for the boys; poop & for the girls; I love (insert boys name here). It was cute and fun.

This summer version of BBB had some other cool new happenings (that maybe wouldn't work as well indoors at the winter fair?). Such as live bands, a "fauxto booth" and people doing their craft right in front of you!

One particularly awesome vendor was Repeat Press, turning out posters while you wait! I had to pull Salim away from this.

We put money aside in our budget for two specific purchases. I wanted a new purse for the fall and we wanted to get a gift for our niece Mina's 3rd birthday! MIAOW was there selling chubby birds and Salim knew instantly that that was what he wanted to get Mina. When the button booth wasn't booming I went with him to pick one out, we picked this one!

Then we went shopping for my fall purse and I fell in love with this one by Vonica Designs! It's so pretty and I'm waiting to use it until I return from Columbus, Ohio.

After the long day of craft-fairing we had dinner in Inman at Punjabi Dhaba where we always enjoy watching the hilarious Indian music videos. We ended the night with ice cream and people watching outside of Christina's.

Summer days/nights like this are pretty great... is it really almost September?

We Want Miles!

2010-08-15T22:26:00.039-04:00

This past weekend was spent in Montreal. We arrived Friday night, picked up two bottles of wine and headed to dinner at a French restaurant off boulevard Saint-Laurent. We stayed out pretty late before stumbling past the clubs & through china town with the intent to listen to music and finish the wine on the "balcony" of the hotel. I passed out as soon as I saw the bed.

Saturday we got up early for breakfast in Old Montreal before finding the Museum of Fine Arts to check out "We Want Miles", the main reason for visiting Montreal. After walking around the city for hours (we got lost & refused to pay the data roaming fee to look it up) we finally found the correct Art Museum.

The exhibit was great -- we spent ~2 hours there. It wasn't very crowded so we got to see everything. It starts with pictures and stories from his childhood and his move to New York before you come to the first "section" on his career; "Out of the Cool: Invention and Self-Loathing".

You enter to these three vintage silver prints which I took a photo of before I realized you aren’t allowed to take photos.

This section was rather depressing. It tells how Miles traveled to Paris to play in the International Jazz Festival and fell in love with both Paris ("It changed the way I looked at things forever") & Juliette Greco. " It was April in Paris. Yeah, and I was in love."

The next room had a large screen which played a clip from the film "Ascenseur pour l'échafaud" along with interviews discussing the haunting improvised score. It has been described as "the loneliest trumpet sound you will ever hear". People were mesmerized by this portion of the exhibit.

(Florence wanders the streets of Paris looking for her lover)

My personal favorite thing was the several listening stations, little circular rooms where you could sit and listen to the records surrounded by handwritten scores. Salim was mostly interested in the letters/memos, specifically ones relating to the accounting side of things; he was highly concerned with the record companies ripping Miles off.

On Sunday we went to check out a farmers market I had read about, Marché Jean-Talon. This was pretty much the greatest place in the world if you like food, which we do. We had crepes for breakfast and walked around the market sampling the fruit/sausages and loading up on bread, olives, chocolates, Lebanese cookies & Montreal style bagels for the drive/home.

As always, the rest of the photos can be found on my flickr.

I'm sad to be home, this trip was the last of the summer plans before heading back to Columbus, Ohio for work. I also came home to an email saying that I would be a vendor at the 2010 Bazaar Bizarre Boston. Now to get to work...

Business Casual

2010-08-10T20:33:00.023-04:00

This past weekend my parents came up to the city, took me yarn shopping & helped me organize/catalog my supply. Having recently acknowledged my lack of vision & goals for ABCowls (and for most things in life, see also; paid profession, music, schooling in general) I promised myself earlier this summer to take things more seriously. I'm proud of myself for sticking to it so far by setting goals with moderately realistic deadlines and for keeping organized! If you recall last year I flaked out of applying to bazaar bizarre, ended up going anyway & set a goal of 50 cowls in 14 days. After all my organization, on Monday I sent in my application for Bazaar Bizarre Boston on time! Note; applications close tomorrow. I then made a list of what I plan to make this fall/winter between any craft fairs I get into & Etsy.

To sell with completion deadline of Dec 1st:
*30 Scarflettes w/buttons
*30 Cowls w/o buttons
*10 Cowls w/decorative buttons
*10 Men's wrist warmers
*10 Women's wrist warmers w/bows
*10 Women's scalloped wrist warmers w/buttons
*10 Amigurumi Cat toys for Etsy

This equals 110 items in 112 days!

Not including my side projects:
*2 hooded baby blankets (November)
*2 sets of baby booties (November)
*1 Regular baby blanket (October)
*1 Granny Square sample Afghan for a b.day gift (September), see photo below!

New Granny Square Pattern I learned Yesterday

One thing I didn’t get done was writing an "artists statement". I want something short and simple but I can’t seem to do it. I started one last winter but gave up because it seemed impossible/silly (embarrassing). I searched "tips" on writing them and found a bunch of guides, all saying essentially the same thing;
"What information should be included in an artist’s statement: Why do you create art and what does it mean to you? What inspires you? How much time is spent creating your pieces? What is your vision/philosophy? What are your goals for the future?"
I can’t relate to these questions, they don’t seem to apply to crocheting anyway. I was discussing it yesterday with my friend Mandee, who asked for feedback on hers, hers is good -- she also feels they are far harder to write than they should be.
Several people at Bazaar Bizarre last year asked me how long I have been crocheting, why I started and what I like about it, the usual stuff. I can answer those questions now having thought about it but just thinking about it embarrasses me; I wanted to make someone a gift a few years ago that required a lot of thought/effort, they seemed to really appreciate it, it made me happy. When faced with those questions at the time I would freeze and say, "It's fun I guess, I dunno..." This response was understandably off-putting to people and I felt sort of awkward saying it, like they were placing me in an uncomfortable situation just by asking.

I’ve gotten better though, I’ve noticed if I’m crocheting in public strangers will want to talk to me, it’s helped with my shyness. They’ll come over and tell me that they crochet/knit themselves, they’ll tell me how their mom or grandmother would crochet or they’ll tell me about an afghan someone made for them. I really enjoy hearing these stories. I'm not a sentimental person myself, I personally find that stuff, as mentioned, embarrassing. Salim finds that odd about me, he's sentimental. Others nostalgia however melts my heart, it might even be rubbing off on me (is it my 'old' age?).
My most recent interaction and one of my favorites, was on the 10PM flight to Edmonton. I was in my seat crocheting when an older man, a coarse looking rocker dude, went to walk by us but stopped. I don’t know what I thought he was going to say but he said, rather excitedly; “you're crocheting! My grandmother would spend hours crocheting and all us kids we’d get these giant afghans. This was 50-60 years ago! She’d make those squares and I’d watch her. I know how much work goes into those.” The man in front of him, I couldn’t tell if he was with him or not but he was listening and he leaned down to my seat and said; “You know they say that there is a thought in every stitch” We all smiled and they walked to their seats. That's basically it.

When I crochet callous looking older men stop to tell me about their grandmothers. Crocheting often reminds one of someone they loved or someone who loved them; it reminds me of that too.

CEO Of ABCowls

Edmonton to Saskatoon!

2010-08-03T00:50:00.008-04:00

We are home from Canada! Last week we headed to Edmonton, Alberta to attend Salim's cousins wedding. The wedding itself was several days of festivities but we were only able to attend 2 days of them. Edmonton is a much bigger city than I thought it would be and it has a freeway called "Wayne Gretzky Drive".

On Friday Saif and Arisha had a beautiful Nikkah at the Fairmont.

Naturally we took advantage of the location to take "fancy people" photos with Farha and Adam.

On Saturday everyone headed from Edmonton to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where we would be having Sundays celebration. The drive was long but filled with crazy bright yellow canola fields, something I had never seen before.

At Sundays celebration (I can't remember what it is called) Farha and I had to wear our own wedding dresses. I am informed that it is an actual custom but it still felt really weird/wrong to wear your wedding dress to someone else's wedding!!! In western culture you'd be crucified for wearing a white dress to another bride's wedding! I tried to get out of wearing it then Salim tried to get me out of it but once it was confirmed that Farha had to wear hers we gave up the fight in solidarity. Don't get me wrong, I love my wedding dress and I'm thrilled to have the chance to wear it again but this was a big eastern/western difference that was difficult for me.

We also ate (at least) 6 meals (of amazing food) a day, not including all the snacks and several desserts!! I am five pounds fatter but I don't regret it as it isn't often you get all you can eat home cooked Indian specialties, TWO fancy wedding dinners with dessert buffets of my dreams, to a surprise breakfast of handmade crepes and whipped cream from the wonderful family friends we were staying with in Saskatoon!

A little sad it's all over, already missing our cousins, hockey being a respected sport and Neil Young radio stations (I was born on Canada day after all) but glad to be back in Boston!! Time to relax and crochet!

Updated Layout and Wrist Warmers

2010-07-19T08:37:00.000-04:00

Sunday I spent the day making wrist warmers -- I think they came out really cute. The pattern isn't perfect but I think by September they will be nice enough to sell!

I also updated my blog layout (only a few small changes, did you notice?) and made a Facebook Page for ABCowls. Hopefully this will help with my goal to start selling things more seriously.

On Saturday Salim and I rented a zip car to check out various little antique shops around the city, we didn't buy anything though. On our hunt for shops we ended up at the Bunker Hill Monument, neither of us had been before! We climbed the stairs all the way to the top -- it wasn't that exciting. However, Salim really likes the Zachem Bridge and we had a good view of that. Was it worth the pain our calves are in? Probably not.

Then we spent the rest of the day at the Mount Auburn Cemetery. It is so beautiful there it's easy to forget that it's a cemetery. It's also very shady and cool from all the trees and it was totally empty, it felt like we had the place to ourselves. I bet it's amazing in the fall. Salim was really intersted in the mausoleums and thought people who got those must have been jerks. He also picked out the other "real assholes" based on headstones. Can you judge how big of an asshole someone was in life based on how gaudy you find their headstone? According to Salim you can and it was pretty funny.

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Two baby afghans; not quite right...

2010-07-14T21:40:00.023-04:00

This week I completed two baby afghans -- they aren't for any babies in particular, I just want to clear out some of my yarns before I start buying more. This easy pattern (see below) is really great for left over skeins that you don't have enough to make a full afghan out of.

One I tried to make in peacock-like colors and it is something I started a while ago but only half finished. I originally decided not to complete it because the colors were too over the top/ugly. I kept it with my supplies though in case I needed the yarn. When organizing this weekend I pulled it out as a reminder to unravel it. Then I started/finished the rose one (which came out rather dull/boring) and took a photo of it with the peacock one on the shelf behind it. Looking at the photo I thought the peacock one was pretty cool after all so I finished that one too.

It's difficult to make color combination's sometimes when you can't be sure how it will come out in the pattern... Now I have two completed afghans that I won't give to anyone because one is too boring and one is too crazy.

Rose with the Peacock in the background.

The rose one looks better when folded!

The peacock one.

As I mentioned in my last post, summertime isn't the best for crocheting so I've decided to master the guitar & practice like 2+ hours a day. I also tried (am trying?) to teach Salim everything I know/am learning which is hilarious if you know Salim. He doesn't really retain anything but likes to pluck the strings while telling me how he'd be a natural at the banjo. Maybe he would be? How much do banjos cost?

Basically the pattern is:
With A, ch 4, sl st in beg ch to form a ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in ring, ch 2, (3 dc in ring, ch 2) 3 times, sl st in top of ch-3. Fasten off.

Rnd 2: Join B with sl st in any ch-2 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1 in next ch-2 sp) 3 times, sl st in top of ch-3. Fasten off.

Rnd 3: Join C with sl st in any corner ch-2 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, [(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1) in next ch- 2 sp, 3 dc, ch 1 in next ch-1 sp] 3 times, sl st in top of ch-3. Fasten off.

Rnd 4: Join next color of color sequence with sl st in any corner ch-2 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, [(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1) in next corner ch-2 sp, 3 dc, ch 1 in next ch-1 sp, 3 dc, ch 1 in next ch-1 sp] 3 times, sl st in top of ch-3. Fasten off.

Rnds 5-whatever!: Continue as established, adding one more (3 dc, ch 1) each side every rnd and changing color every rnd according to color sequence.

It's like a heatwave -- burning in my heart.

2010-07-13T01:28:00.003-04:00

Absolutely no crocheting has been done in this heat!! So unmotivated -- nights are spent collapsing on the sofa after the dreadful trek home from work and trying to keep mama cat away from me so we don't overheat each other. Not that I don't enjoy summer (or want it to be any shorter than it already is) but weather like this gets old fast. I should be more, 'yay summer, sun & swimming' but instead I just long for the FALL, lovely fall with it's cool crisp evenings, yarn shops open long hours & hot tea from my new Bodum tea press...

You know how it goes; always wanting what we don't have & all that jazz, I got it bad, number 1 vice these days. Need to get over it. So I've been looking at others awesome crocheted goods in hopes it will motivate me, here is what I found:

Sweet Pea Toad Tots "Little Lamb Hat For Her" hat. SO CUTE!! Does the baby come with it?!

Trendy Knittings "Ivory Mohair Hittite Shawl". All her shawls are literally out of this world beautiful.

MissusD "Herr Fox Amigurumi Miniature" I just love this little guy, still really really want to learn amigurumi animals myself...

Update: Salim found a way to "install" our AC so I was able to organize my yarn, make a cowl and start a baby blanket!

And I finally got to use my new tea pot! It is so cute...

In other news: We went to see the 50th anniversary restoration of Breathless, one of my favorites -- restored print with new subtitles. I've been waiting for months for it to show in Boston, it was as great as I hoped. Go see it!

"Are you afraid of getting old? I am."

Summer time craft fairs!

2010-06-28T10:52:00.010-04:00

Sunday was Mass Market 6 & I purchased myself two hair clips (a red & a white) from Sew Mary Ann. I put the red one on right away and got two compliments from strangers while grocery shopping later that day.

I also purchased a red velvet cupcake which I shared with my sister Lisa who was there selling her jewelry. I really liked the yarn that The Yellow Hobbit was selling but I didn't buy any! I blame the warm weather (and the millions of skeins of yarn at home that I still have to use). I should have though because she had a beautiful purple/brown-ish alpaca yarn that I hope didn't sell and will get posted on Etsy!

This weekend my sister will be selling her stuff at Indie Art by the Sea in Newport. If you're in the RI area you should go!

I'm mostly looking forward to the Summer Fair that Bazaar Bizarre Boston is having on Saturday, August 21; http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136675233012524
It's a curated event with some favorite vendors & I already plan on buying a Pansy Maiden purse for the fall.

Yay summer!!

Etsy Birthday Party

2010-06-21T12:58:00.007-04:00

On Friday Bazaar Bizarre Boston held a birthday craft party for Etsy!! Jen came over on Thursday and we made name tags for the event based on my wedding place cards. The event was a blast (the BBB ladies know how to throw a party!) though I didn't mingle as much as I would have liked (still far too shy for that sort of thing) but I did meet a few new crafty friends, took some photos, ate cake & made some buttons. Salim also made buttons, he was really excited about it -- he likes anything involving machinery.

Here are some photos from the event!!

(Party O'Clock!!)

(Salim making buttons!)

(official event photographer, Lindsay Metivier's photo of Ryan&I photo taking!)

(My favorite photo, also by Lindsay Metivier)

You can find the rest of the photos on flickr, per usual! Did I get a photo of you there?

I'm a pretty busy lady this summer with lots of travels planned & classes but I can't wait to get back to crocheting (hopefully next week) as we'll be welcoming two new babies into the family this November!! Yay Salim's family, keep the babies coming! MAMA CAT is back at our apartment though, she has been staying at my parents for a couple of months while we had some contractors fix our bathroom, so I'm going to have to work out a "controlled environment" to store my yarn and make baby blankets in.

Life has pretty much, in general, taken a turn for the AWESOME...I was worried/stressed for awhile there but anyway -- as Jen said, we are on "this side of it all" and I'm feeling good.

Married!!

2010-06-15T10:19:00.015-04:00

Well, I have made nothing (yarn related) in months. I started a shawl that I didn't complete which was probably for the best as my wedding dress, the one that it matched, was unwearable after being hemmed too short! I got a new dress and everything turned out fine.

I haven't been completely slacking however; I did, after all, have a wedding and I did make a lot of things for my wedding! Including the table numbers (1), place cards (2) & heart garland (3)!

1: Horse Ribbon Table Numbers
2: Crepe paper place cards
3: Heart Garlands cut from a book

I'm sure I'll post more when I have the professional photos back and I'll also write more about the Indian parties we had & how wonderful Salim's family is but for now here are just some random photos:

Table numbers and heart garland in action!

Place cards!

Christy, getting the party started.

Salim and Nashib, Lorna in the back with her English flags.

Lisa's idea of heaven/Nashib being extremely awesome!

Salim and his Mum!

The cake!

And you can find all the rest (that we have for now) here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amyblushing/sets/72157623185866033/

Wedding Shawl

2010-05-14T16:49:00.003-04:00

I decided I wanted a wedding shawl and earlier I was mentioning how I wanted to crochet something for the wedding, this lead to crocheting a wedding shawl! I am not even sure it will be done in time but I have a goal and I'm working on it. This isn't a great picture, hopefully I'll be able to take a better one this weekend.

"sweet scallops shawl" from patons ivory silk.

Pattern:PANEL (make 2)
Ch 56.
Row 1 (WS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook, *ch 3, sk 2 ch, sc in next ch, (ch 5, sk 3 ch, sc in next ch) 3 times, ch 3, sk 2 ch, sc in next ch; rep from * to end – 3 pattern repeats.
Row 2 (RS): Ch 3 (counts as first dc), turn, dc in first st, *ch 3, sk ch-3 sp, sc in next ch-5 sp, 9 dc in next ch-5 sp, sc in next ch-5 sp, ch 3, sk next ch-3 sp, 3 dc in next st; rep from *, working only 2 dc at end of last rep.
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in first 2 dc, *ch 1, sk next ch-3 sp, sk next sc, dc in next dc, (ch 1, dc in next dc) 8 times, ch 1, sk next sc, sk next ch-3 sp, sc in next 3 dc; rep from * omitting 1 sc at end of last rep.
Row 4: Ch 1, turn, sc in first sc, *sk next sc, sk next ch-1 sp, dc in next dc, (ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, dc in next dc) 3 times, ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, (dc, ch 1, dc) in next dc, (ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, dc in next dc) 4 times (Crescent made), sk ch-1 sp, sk 1 sc, sc in next sc; rep from * to end.
Row 5: Ch 6 (counts as dc and ch 3), turn, *sc in 3rd dc of next Crescent, ch 5, sk ch-1 sp, sk 1 dc, sc in next ch, ch 5, sk 1 dc, sk ch-1 sp, sk 1 dc, sc in next ch, ch 5, sk 1 dc, sk ch-1 sp, sc in next dc, ch 3, sk rem sts of same Crescent, dc in next sc, ch 3; rep from * omitting ch-3 at end of last rep.
Rep Rows 2-5, until Panel measures 45 in. (114.5 cm) from beg, end with a Row 4.
Last Row (picot edging): Ch 1, turn, sc in first sc, picot in next dc, *(sc in next ch, picot in next dc) 8 times, sc in next ch, insert hook in next dc and draw up a loop, sk next sc, insert hook in next dc and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through all 3 loops on hook, rep from * once more, (sc in next ch, picot in next dc) 9 times, sc in last sc. Fasten off.

FINISHING
Seam ends (at Row 1) of Panels together.

Edging
Join yarn with sl st in corner of one long side.
Row 1: Ch 1, sc in same space as join. Sc evenly along long side.
Row 2: Ch 2, turn, hdc in each sc.
Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in each hdc.
Fasten off. Rep edging along opposite long side.
Weave in ends.

eternity scarf & iceland

2010-04-30T12:17:00.002-04:00

In exciting yarn news; my brother went to Iceland (a few weeks before the whole Volcano situation) and brought me back some amazing Icelandic wool and horn buttons!!!

I've never felt wool like this and read that; “Icelandic sheep is a unique breed. For over a thousand years, total isolation and absence of contact with other breeds have protected the purity of the strain. Icelandic fleeces are among the rarest in the world, grown only in the high mountains. The rugged sheep brought over by the Vikings in the year 874 A.D. have maintained the same gene pool, making them truly one of the purest breeds in the western world. The number of sheep in Iceland decreases every year, making this exquisite fiber increasingly more rare.”

He got me two skeins with which I started making, what else, a cowl.

He also got me some rare to find Icelandic horn buttons, again from their awesome sheep. Actually, I have never even heard of Icelandic horn buttons before! They are amazing and I'm pretty sure magical. I'm not 100% sure what to do with them yet.

Needless to say, my brother and his lady-friend, Solomon, are pretty much the best!

In less exciting news, finally posting photos of my eternity scarf; made from Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette -- Peony. I don't love it, it's just a simple double crochet pattern around but it's cute, the yarn is nice and it's great for this weather.

And here are the wrist warmers (posted earlier) being worn:

Anyway, I have some fun plans for this weekend, including open studios in Somerville!

granny square blanket

2010-04-22T22:52:00.002-04:00

That "birds nest" giant granny square blanket was too easy and finished too quickly. Now working on smaller granny square tiles:

I should just move on to amigurumi animals.

I wish there were things for the wedding I could crochet, I should think more about that...

Afghan Squared

2010-04-18T17:03:00.002-04:00

Though I haven't had much time for crocheting, as mentioned before, I did finish the three request blankets. It felt nice to get them out of the house and everyone seemed pleased! I'm kind of sick of that shell pattern though so last night I started on an easy square. It's not for anyone in particular, I just don't want to get out of practice.

[I realized I don't actually like the colors but the pattern is nice and I think it will make a really cute summer throw.]

Speaking of practice; my friends have a "craft practice" on Wednesday nights and I'm looking forward to joining! I think I'll use that time to learn amigurumi animals!! I've tried it a few times and always give up...I hear it's not hard though so maybe if I have my friends to keep me motivated I'll actually finish one of those projects.

Baby Blanket/Wrist Warmers and 0 time!

2010-03-29T10:38:00.002-04:00

I've had zero time for crocheting with wedding planning in full force -- 10 weeks!! On my down time I have however been working on a baby blanket for a friend, it's the same pattern used for Megan's blanket which has been in high demand since I posted photos of it (three requests). Other than that, I finally feel like I perfected the wrist warmers. They are great for this cold/not cold crappy weather we've been having if I only had the time to make them!

Here is the baby blanket:

Here are the wrist warmers:

In wedding related news... Yesterday Salim, my sister and I went to Hartman's Herb Farm to finalize the food and some other wedding details. I really love this location, they have two pigs and kittens running all over the place!

I'm thinking basket of kittens as possible center pieces?:

Salim chatting with Dixie the blind pot bellied pig:

Hartman's:

They also have goats, several chickens, ducks and various other farm animals. It's run by a very nice/helpful family -- I'm really excited and glad I found such a nice location!

New patterns I can't wait to try

2010-03-02T19:27:00.002-05:00

Sadly I have nothing new to show. I have been sick the last few weeks and doctor's appointments and resting is how I've been spending my time. I hope to be back into full crocheting mode soon! For now I'm posting some really adorable FREE patterns Lions Brand has listed! I hope to find time to give them all a try...

Scalloped Cowl

Vintage Cascade Cowl

Frosty Morning Cowl

Cinderella Wristers

A Touch of Warmth Cuff

Thermal Scarf

Shell throw, warmer update and more.

2010-02-13T12:17:00.003-05:00

This week I finished the shell throw I started around the first of the month. Personally I really like it. If you notice, I decided not to add a border. I thought about it for awhile and realized since there are no repeating colors I wouldn't be happy with any of the colors used as a trim and adding a new color for a trim seemed over the top. Anyway, I like it as it is.

I'm still trying to perfect a lace wrist warmer pattern, though getting better I'm still not in love with it. Here is my latest attempt.

Those buttons were the wrong choice and over power the scalloped edging. Ugh, attempt 3 coming up!

In other news: Jasmyn [http://niteznshadows.blogspot.com/] received her cowl and was nice enough to send me a photo of her wearing it! Yay, she's adorable.

Still to do: Get started on eternity scarves already and another birthday throw for another special friend. I plan on staying home watching a lot of Olympics and crocheting the next two weeks!

FTC Stop Labeling and Advertising Rayon Textile Products as "Bamboo"

2010-02-04T13:17:00.015-05:00

If you use bamboo yarn you might be interested to know;

"Seventy-eight companies nationwide have received Federal Trade Commission letters warning that they may be breaking the law by selling clothing and other textile products that are labeled and advertised as "bamboo" but actually are made of manufactured rayon fiber."
"Marketers looking to provide more environmentally friendly choices to consumers may have heard about bamboo, which has been recognized for its ability to grow quickly with little or no need for pesticides. But when it comes to textile products made from bamboo, that’s not the whole story.
The truth is, most “bamboo” textile products, if not all, really are rayon, which typically is made using environmentally toxic chemicals in a process that emits hazardous pollutants into the air. While different plants, including bamboo, can be used as a source material to create rayon, there’s no trace of the original plant in the finished rayon product."

Some bamboo yarn makers I know of:
Moda-Dea now lists their "bamboo" yarn as "55% rayon from bamboo 45% wool".
Lion Brand Collection Cotton Bamboo now lists as "52% Cotton, 48% Rayon from Bamboo".

One company I'd like to know about is Spinrite Yarn, a Canadian company that makes Bernat and Patron. Both have several popular bamboo yarns that I've used often. They still list their products as Bamboo only but I wonder...

So be sure to keep an eye out for bamboo yarn listed as "rayon from bamboo"!!

More information on this can be found here (source):
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/02/bamboo.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/alerts/alt172.shtm
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/textile/bus21.shtm

Cowls being worn

2010-01-25T21:02:00.005-05:00

I've already posted some of these cowls on my ball/display thing but I thought I would show how they should be worn as they look different on. Even the one I thought I hated looks much better being worn than on it's own. So I'll start with a photo of that one:

Chocolate/hard to get a photo of...:

Milk:

Tri-Color:

And rainy Monday evening:

Baby Blanket Completed!

2010-01-24T23:06:00.008-05:00

I spent today finishing the baby blanket. Sadly mama cat claimed it for her own. I tried to keep her away from it as much as possible since it is supposed to be for a baby -- what if the baby is allergic to cats?! Oh mama cat...

Oh, for me? Thank you! - Mama cat

The pattern is below, I used four colors instead of three:

GAUGE:
1 "ripple" = 5 in. (12.5 cm); 5 rows = 4 in. (10 cm).

NOTES:
COLOR SEQUENCE
Work *3 rows with A, 3 rows with B, 3 rows with C; rep from * for Color Sequence.

AFGHAN
With A, ch 114.
Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook (beginning ch counts as dc), (dc2tog) 3 times, 2 dc in next 6 ch, *(dc2tog) 6 times, 2 dc in next 6 ch; rep from * across to last 8 ch, (dc2tog) 3 times, dc in next 2 ch – 6 ripples.
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), turn, dc in next dc, (dc2tog) 3 times, 2 dc in next 6 dc, *(dc2tog) 6 times, 2 dc in next 6 ch; rep from * across to last 8 dc, (dc2tog) 3 times, dc in next 2 dc.
Continuing in Color Sequence, rep Row 2 until there are 5 stripes of each color. Fasten off.

FINISHING
Edging
From right side, join B with slip st in any st on edge of Afghan.
Round 1: Single crochet evenly spaced around all edges of Afghan, working 3 sts in each corner. Fasten off.
Weave in ends.

new cowls/baby blanket update

2010-01-20T21:10:00.005-05:00

Over the past week I made 4 cowls, 3 that I like and 1 I don't like and wont post a photo of. I also started, restarted and gave up on the dog sweater. I'll give that another go this weekend. I also made some baby blanket progress.

Lemongrass thick n quick

Chocolate Cowl, alpaca yarn.

Milk cowl, bamboo yarn

Baby Blanket update!

Not the best week but I really love the chocolate [alpaca] and milk [bamboo] cowls, they are the softest yarns I've ever felt, I want to live in them like a cocoon. I should make and live in a yarn cocoon.

Also, my aunt sent me photos of her and my uncle wearing the cowls I made them for Christmas. They are cute.

Baby Blanket Update!

2010-01-10T23:33:00.003-05:00

The baby blanket is coming along...not as nicely as I would like. I'm trying to stay motivated and not give up on it. I'm thinking it is, as I feared, too babyish for Mina so I am looking into a new pattern for her. This blanket won't go to waste though as my friend/coworker is expecting her first niece this year! Hopefully it will be nice enough to give to her.

To break up my time I've been working on cowls. I made a multi-color cowl from some scraps. It is kind of cute.

Also trying to perfect the button scaflettes, which I have been neglecting, now that I finally feel comfortable with the cowls.

Hopefully a post to come with a completed baby blanket and a new Mina blanket started! In unrelated crochet news, the lovely orange roses you see were provided by Salim's mother. They are very nice and cheer up the apartment.

Monday awaits...

Amigurumi Fortune Cookie Cat Toy

2010-01-08T23:12:00.009-05:00

Mama cat likes to paw at my crocheted goods so I decided to look into some cat toys for her. I found a pattern for this cute amigurumi fortune cookie, very easy and less than 20 minutes to make!

She really seemed to like it!

It's odd, she doesn't really play with my yarn, like cats usually do, but as soon as I get a substantial amount crocheted she wants to paw at it. Oh mama...

Free Lion Brand Pattern:

NOTES: Crochet Hook - Size G-6, work in continuous rnds; do not join or turn unless otherwise instructed.

FORTUNE
With B, ch 5.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across - 4 sts.
Row 2: Turn, ch 1, sc in each st across- 4 sts.
Fasten off.

COOKIE
With A, ch 2.
Rnd 1: Work 10 sc in first ch. Place marker in first st for beg of rnd; move marker up as each rnd is completed.
Rnd 2: Work 2 sc in each st around - 20 sts.
Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st, rep from * around - 30 sts.
Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in each of next 2 sts, rep from * around - 40 sts.
Rnd 5: *2 sc in next st, sc in each of next 3 sts, rep from * around - 50 sts.
Rnd 6: *2 sc in next st, sc in each of next 4 sts, rep from * around - 60 sts.
Do not fasten off.

FINISHING
Fold Cookie in half to make a crescent shape. With A, sc through both layers to join. Fill with catnip and stuffing before joining completely. Fasten off. Sew Fortune to Cookie.
Weave in ends.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-04T21:54:00.001-05:00

It's 2010 and I had a wonderful Christmas and New Years Eve! I have high hopes for this year and things are going well so far!

I've made about 5 cowls over the holidays [for gifts], only had time to take photos of the one I just finished:

My [soon to be] niece, Mina, helped with that one!

Promise in the new year to take more photos before I give them away, if anything to have a real record of what I've made.

Speaking of Mina, I just started a blanket for her...she turned 2 a few months ago, hopefully it isn't too baby-ish for her. She seems to be growing up so fast and was telling me stories about her trip to the museum and pumpkin patch!

It's going to be stripes in the colors you see in the photo, dusty blue, brown/taupe-ish, dusty pink and pea green. Hopefully she [and Maria, her mum] likes it! I hope to have it finished by Feb 10th as we are planning a trip the following weekend for Ottawa's winterlude.

My aunt Donna gave me a wonderful new bag to hold all my crochet goods! I love it and it's already helped so much with keeping me organized.

And Maria and Nashib [Mina's parents] got me a cute journal for Christmas which I plan to use as a log of items and patterns I'm working on!

Let's keep up the good work 2010! Happy New Year!

2 more special orders completed

2009-12-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

Sunday night I completed my two ivory special orders -- I was too lazy to take photos. I haven't started a new project because of the holiday however I did finish my Christmas shopping on Saturday! I have a lot of yarn to use this New Year and have a goal of 3 cowls/scarves a week. I also have to start thinking of summer projects...h'm.

For now here is mama cat under the tree.

Merry Christmas!!

Special Orders and for Etsy

2009-12-13T19:25:00.003-05:00

Finished my 2 red special orders today and completed a sea green cowl! I also took photos of the two I didn't sell at bazaar bizarre to post on Etsy.

BBB 2009!

2009-12-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the Bazaar Bizarre Boston 2009. I had been thinking about applying originally but decided it might not be worth the stress with an already [very] full time job. Then Jen called two weeks ago saying there was an open spot and I should reconsider despite the last minute notice. I decided to give it a shot and I'm glad I did as it went really well. Jen was really excited for me and beyond helpful, she even offered to make me a sign and give me tags and bags. I ended up selling all but 2 and I took 4 special orders.

Before Table:

After!!

Now I am very sore in my arms and shoulders, excited to just go home and relax and watch holiday movies instead of madly making cowls until 2 am. Though I'd better get started on those special orders before I fall out of the groove....