abmatic/k

this blog is moving!

2008-04-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

Head on over to my new site:
http://abmatik.com/blog/

don't forget to change your rss feeds too!

I migrated all the posts and comments from this blog over to the new one. I'll leave this site up as-is but all the action will be over at the new place. See you there!

now with dreadlocks

2008-03-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended an internationally themed bridal shower. No, I've never heard of such a thing either. What is more, in what is truly *not* a logical move, I was chosen to represent Jamaica. I found a crochet pattern on ravelry (on ravelry | on the web) to make a big, floppy, Jamaican colored hat to wear to the party.

the hat

now with dreadlocks

I made the dreadlocks by spinning some large diameter yarn from naturally colored brown wool roving. I lightly felted it by soaking in hot soapy water and then running the entire length of yarn though my fingers a few times. I broke apart the yarn into appropriate lengths but then trimmed the top end with scissors to make things neater. I sewed the dreads down to a piece of fabric (with my machine) so that the ends were tucked inside a double fold tape situation and then sewed the fabric into the hat. That seemed to work well and was easier than sewing each individual dread into the hat. It looked creepily like hair...

The event itself involved several sticker-based activities. It took me a while to put the pieces together, but I eventually figured out that the bride's great-aunt is Mrs. Grossman. What crafty lineage!

one year

2008-03-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend who was about to start a road trip from Seattle to Utah. I raced through my calendar to see if I could possibly drive out there to meet him, but I couldn't quite make it work this time. This is the same friend who once, on a suggestion during a phone conversation, agreed to meet me at a prescribed time on a particular day in Utah when he was driving from Maryland and I was driving from the bay area. We both made it and the trip was great fun. I've been thinking over the trip last spring, which was exactly one year ago, and wishing that I was there now.

One year ago today:
devils garden

dance hall rock

Improved Sheep-Wash

2008-03-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday during a routine academic search for journal articles about the sensitive dependence of coupled carbon cycle climate models to land surface parameter values I came across this patent.

What do you think you get from boiling tobacco, adding chalk and tersulphide of calcium (prepared it in the usual way, whatever that is)? Improved Sheep-wash, thats what. Apparently the wash is not limited to sheep (on no!) the author claims that it is "equally efficacious when applied to cattle and other animals." Get yer tobacco a boilin...

Oh google scholar, how you do entertain me....

red

2008-03-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

My first flower of the spring came out a few weeks ago. By now the cherry and magnolia trees have past their prime but the bright red Nasturtiums on my porch are still going strong.

I brought my camera to knitting last week to do some long overdue documenting of the oh-so-fabulous wallpaper at the Mel-o-dee. The bar was opened in 1969 or so and has clearly been untouched since. I found three different flocked filigree patterned wallpapers between the two rooms of the bar and the ladies restroom. My photography does not capture the atmosphere of the dimly lit establishment, but just imagine this wallpaper surrounding tufted vinyl built in benches and lounge tables.

Finally, after drooling over sweaters cut like jackets all winter I've decided to knit myself one (with a nice moss stitch front, pattern from DROPS in Ravelry). I ordered a bunch of bulky handspun from handpaintedyarn.com in a color called Caoba.

I wound up some skeins and started swatching last night. Hopefully I will finish before next winter!

busy busy

2008-03-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

but not with crafty things... There has been a real sense of urgency around the office lately. It has good effects by motivating me to get work done but I don't enjoy the elevated stress level. I'm starting to feel a bit more relaxed now, at least enough to show off a few photos.

Spinning:

Merino dyed by Girl on the Rocks in colorway Europa. I navajo plied it and I've been pawing at the skein trying to decide what to make. It's soft and squishy and probably bulky weight. Any suggestions?

Yak! I spun yak! Locks were from A Verb for Keeping Warm.

Romney single-ply also dyed by Girl on the Rocks this one is called Apollo (after you know who). It is a pretty good match to his kitten years, but he is a bit browner now.

Knitting:

A hat! I knit a hat using my bruised handspun. I never did pick a pattern but I eventually figured out a size that would work and remembered to write it down (hooray!). I have enough yarn left over to knit two more hats (or something else). The hat is lovely and soft but it has already gotten too warm around here to need it. I guess I'll just have to wait until summer for those cold foggy nights.

I have also mostly completed a sweater. It's made from Debbie Bliss Alpaca-Silk (mmmmm soft) and has been in the works for at least a year now... I have a real problem following directions (or even choosing directions) and my pattern-less knitting projects always require some adjustments. This one is now seamed and awaiting a button band and collar. The neckline is a little funky and I might have to re-knit it but I guess thats what I deserve for trying to make a short row neck without even keeping track...

And I have new toys on the way too... A Beka rigid heddle loom and 30 yards of seatbelt webbing. Isn't that every girls dream?

Get 'em while they are hot!

2008-02-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

The Tweed Chicken had a photoshoot today out in the lovely spring sun.

Why so much attention? Well, I've opened an etsy shop. Thats right, now you can get your very own tweed chicken via etsy and the US Postal Service.

I'm also selling wallets made from recycled tyvek envelopes and vinyl banners from the bart station.

You can even get a button to show your tweed chicken pride.

I havent actually sold anything through etsy yet, but I know there are a lot of people out there who could use a little tweed chicken in their lives and hopefully this will help spread the love.

abmatic on etsy

movin on

2008-02-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

We finished our move a few weeks ago but are still getting settled. Im working on acquiring some additional furniture so we can finish unpacking and I can get back into all of my projects. I've been scouring craigslist for the perfect finds but it is so time consuming to find anything that falls under a generic description. We have made one late night trip to ikea, but otherwise have relied heavily on donations from my parents and some carpentry. I have gotten one thing from craigslist though, a table to serve as ground zero for crafty adventures. It is your classic 1950's kitchen table complete with two spring loaded pull-out leaves. I think it goes nicely with my 1950's sewing machines.

I do occasionally feel nostalgic about our old place although the nearly constant cold rainy weather of the last two weeks would not have been any more fun with 85% of the walls comprised of unsealed single pane windows. Nonetheless the full southern exposure in the winter was something close to heaven for me on sunny days and I will miss it.

I made a set of photos of the old place, a retrospective if you will, and you can see them on flickr.

I call it cardboard mountian

2008-01-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

This is the current state of our move (well, as of this morning). Believe it or not, there are way more packed boxes than unpacked boxes, most of which are squirreled away in closets and corners.

We got keys to our new place today and were happy to discover that it's larger than we remembered so our mountains of crap might even fit. Moving is a good time to take inventory of ones things and I've been trying to reassess. I'm really not kidding anyone here, I'm terrible at parting with things that could be potential craft material, but I did say try....

We had one last sunny Sunday morning to enjoy and now it's goodbye to all that. Wednesday is the big day but you can rest assured that I'll be preoccupied about it for the next two days and probably be so distracted at work that I'll have to go move a carload just to feel better.

Important things I have learned in this experience:
I have a serious OCD side. To me, this isn't normally obvious but the last few weeks it's been on display and driving N crazy.

Compared to the volume of stuff we have boxed up we really don't have much furniture. Just piles and piles of crap. Unfortunately I think the new place will need additional furniture just to accommodate the crap.

I now own more fiber than yarn (by volume). This might not be that surprising due to the packing capability of yarn except that I only recently started spinning and even more recently buying fiber.

I own far more fabric than either fiber or yarn and it's the heaviest. The fabric had been accumulating in the closet where I never saw it all together so I didn't even really know how much was in there. Needless to say there is a fair amount. This goes well with my three sewing machines (and upcoming back-ache).

I might actually enjoy having walls. Oh, and cupboard space. The dishwasher wont hurt either. After we move I can look back at this loft/studio/attic/greenhouse and get nostalgic, but right now I am just ready to get this over with!

hats etc.

2008-01-06T23:48:00.000-08:00

spinning, spinning, spinning and a hat...

Ah, just like a fresh bruise.. I finished spinning some merino roving that Karrie helped me dye in late November. I really, really, really like the color... I just need to decide what weight yarn I actually made so I can pick a pattern to knit myself a new hat.

Cato is proudly modeling a hat I made quickly before xmas. I used most of 2 balls of Rowan Cashsoft DK from my stash (originally purchased at the Webs booth at Stitches West 2007) one light blue and the other in navy. The pattern is the Inga Hat and I found it on Ravelry. I knit the hat using size 6 needles instead of size 5 which resulted in a really big hat, but it fits the recipient well. Oh, and the yarn is yummy...

multiplying

2008-01-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

First there was one

then there were twins

and now a whole family!

Ive been keeping a bit of a secret from you... In November after a tip-off from Karrie I went to the East Bay Depot and adopted a twin of my singer 301 sewing machine. The new 301 looks pretty, has a nice box and all of its attachments, but it also looks as if someone poured motor oil everywhere inside and then let it sit for 30 years. It was completely seized when I took it home but after some elbow grease and a good dose of advising from my dad the gears are all turning. With enough time spraying solvent into it I think I can get it running again.

Fast forward to January 2008 and an unanticipated craigslist find. Ive been looking on craigslist for the table which goes with the singer 301. I've seen them on there before and I'm not in a hurry so I figure that if I look long enough I'll find one. My RSS feed picks up a lot of other sewing machines though and yesterday I saw a little featherweight listed for $100 (they usually go for $200-$400). I couldn't resist and drove down to Mountain View to pick it up last night.

Its not in perfect condition - it looks well used - and thats the way I like it. I dont want a machine that cant be used! It runs and all the parts and attachments are there - even the original manual!

Look how tiny it is!

Just about everyone I talked to said I was crazy. 3 sewing machines in a studio apartment?

Well there is another bit of news I have yet to share.... We are moving. Our new place is still in Berkeley about 2.5 miles south of where we are now. It will have walls. More on that later...

swarms

2007-12-30T19:50:00.000-08:00

of cats! Apollo, Bart, Graphite and Streak spent the holidays together this year and everyone got along surprisingly well. You might notice that the top photo has a swat-in-action but there were no serious disagreements. Feeding time was a bit intense though, lots of meowing and jockeying for good position when the bowls hit the floor.

patiently waiting

swarming

chow!

getting my ducks in a row

2007-12-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

or tweed chickens as the case may be...

show them your toes ladies!

its all tweed chickens all the time around here these days... I'm weaving and stuffing up a storm to get ready for the SF Bazaar Bizarre on Dec 15th! I dont have a table, but you can stop by girl on the rocks for some of my creations including tweed chickens, tweed chicken buttons, and recycled wallets made from vinyl banners and tyvek envelopes. I'll be at the booth too helping out and sporting my new apron.

apollo gets in on the tweed chicken action too..

apron

2007-11-12T09:01:00.001-08:00

I've been working on this little number for wearing while crafting and also for when I help Karrie at the Bazaare Bizarre on Dec 15th.

The apron features the infamous rainbow canvas which I love so dearly as well as twill tape ties and vintage polka dotted double fold bias tape. I have made multiple variations on this theme but I'm really in love with this one - the "miniskirt" version. In fact, I like it so much I have a hard time taking it off when I leave the house.....

Dressed for the Holidays

2007-10-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

She is all dressed in her holiday best. Get this chicken some ice skates!

Beyond

2007-10-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

We are back from the desert and beyond. It was beautiful and vast and very, very windy. The same wind collapsing (and blowing away) our tent was fueling fires in so cal. Check out this satellite image with smoke, dust AND Von Karman vorticies. More of our photos on flickr.

Apparently Ive been tagged by Jena at eloomnation. Ive never done one of these so I supposed Ill give it a go. There are also apparently rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

well then, here I go:

Im currently obsessed with tweed chickens.
I am a closeted (or maybe not so closeted) crazy cat lady. I have been hoarding the brushings from my cat apollo and plan to spin his fur into yarn and knit him a hat (or maybe sweater.)
I once had a pet duck. It met its demise at a young age at the beak of a hawk.
I have spent a lot of time sailing small boats. In high school it was every weekend, and in college it was 5 days a week. This is funny because I hate getting wet.
I have an immense collection of jackets. I love coats, sweaters, fuzzy things--you get the picture. Again this is funny because I have spent most of my life living in northern California where to most peoples observations it does not appear cold.
I can do a fairly accurate chicken impersonation. (these are turning out very poultry-related arent they...)
I cant think of a seventh interesting/quirky item right now, maybe someone can leave one in the comments?

And now to pass it on: Amber at Yarn Junkie, Carmen at Rosebrier and Cara at Craftin On the Couch. If being tagged makes you upset then ignore me!

there it is

2007-10-16T12:39:00.000-07:00

The wedding quilt: "What a Bunch of Squares" pattern from Denyse Schmidt Quilts with a pieced back. It is machine quilted with unevenly spaced vertical lines and I added an embroidered patch with the names of the recipients and their wedding date. Most of the work was completed in the span of a month (actually, most of it the first week) - check out the progress in blogland and on flickr.

I really like it, and while its a big weight off my shoulders to have it done Im sad to give it away!

the EC

2007-10-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

Or, more accurately, the ECCWGS (El Cerrito City Wide Garage Sale). I love the idea of a whole town organizing garage sales on the same day. It makes any particular junk-finding probability so much higher! This year's find? A crock pot. A fantastic shade of red-orange and free to boot!

the instructions were with in in the box -- dated 12/29/1973. There are some "exciting" recipes in the booklet made even more fantastic by the by-lines for the titles and the super cute little illustrated vegetables and meats. They are quite similar to the box of recipe cards we found last year but without the heart stopping photos.

The cat had to check it out also. He even had his head stuck down inside but I was too slow with the camera, so all you get is the feet.

spinning away

2007-10-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Im slowly getting better... This is one strand of domestic white top and one of something grey-- honestly I dont really know. Im just practicing with all the pieces of roving ive got in my bag. I have also been really enjoying spinning some merino roving dyed by Karrie.

This weekend I received a package in the mail (always exciting) with musk ox fiber my friends found in Alaska while doing field work. So exciting! Its got some plant material in it and smells like animal, but its much cleaner than you might expect to find. The cat is pretty interested in the smell and spent a good 10 min sniffing around after I opened the envelop. Im going to need to find myself some cards that can handle it.

I also have for you today an indication that we have made progress on the wedding quilt

and a furrier version

We have actually finished all of the sewing and just need to snip off the tails of thread hanging out and take some photos before we can deliver it. Winter is coming at some point (its even supposed to rain today) and they might need it!

rules for life

2007-10-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

add this one to the list:

dont chase kittens on roofs. they have four legs and claws, you only have two feet and possibly slippery shoes.

thankfully, my dad is mostly ok and suffered only a broken arm and smashed face after falling 8 feet from the roof while trying to "rescue" his kitties (the cats subsequently spent the entire night on the roof and loved it). the injuries could have been *much* worse but let this serve as a lesson to everyone else--dont do it!

the felines in question

babies and such

2007-09-30T23:12:00.001-07:00

More baby blankets for more babies... They are everywhere!

I wish I could find a better resource for cute flannel prints. Joanns is always disappointing and my local fabric store often does not have the prints I like. Does anyone have a good suggestion for buying flannel prints online?

In other non-crafty news, N played a show with some folks on Saturday at Mamma Buzz cafe in Oakland. It was the first non-dead hensons show of his I've been to in many years. Maybe there will be more in the future?

Ive also been out enjoying the remnants of summer (oh, who am I kidding, it could go on like this for weeks). I went out to Point Reyes for a day of hiking and being near the ocean. There is just something special about waterfalls at the beach.

more craftiness to come soon...

fall comes early

2007-09-24T22:47:00.000-07:00

It was strangely autumn-like last week despite still being September (in my world fall starts the last week in October and turns to winter around the second week in November). I woke up Saturday morning to the sound of actual proper rain. It was a strange feeling which triggered in me a desire to put on sweaters and wool socks and maybe even a Halloween costume. (the weather didnt last long, it was back up to the 70s again today) All the wintry feel got me in the mood for indoor activities, at least for a few days.

I finished machine quilting and sewing binding to the top of the wedding quilt a few weeks ago. Now we are almost done hand sewing the binding to the back. There has been a distinct lack of photos while Ive been working on it as the hours between 9 and midnight dont have very good lighting (funny how that works)

Ive been spinning again (a little). I picked up some wool after abandoning the silk hankie I had been working on and remembered why I thought spinning was fun.

The mead experiment is going well. My dad added a water trap to the bottle to prevent explosions and we tasted our concoction this weekend. I was very skeptical but it was really, truly, not bad. Im excited to see how it turns out in the end.

And speaking of bees, N and I joined my dad for a look inside the hive using his "bee suits" which are really painters coveralls with mosquito head nets and gloves.

The figs and pears at my parents house are out of control this year.

I recommend baking them and serving over ice cream. mmmm

The kittens are out of control too...

Streak has reached a whopping 4lbs and is twice the size of his sister who is just starting to recover from a really terrible cold. He hardly fits in the scale anymore!

The scenery is always nice up there, but notice the dark color in those clouds. Definitely not a summer look.

Its not a bad view from our apartment either, the cat always seems to find something to stare at

And sometimes I do too.

Diagonal Weave on a Weave-it

2007-09-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

I like tweed a lot. My whole motivation for getting a weave-it loom was so I could make tweed. The instructions for twill (diagonal weave) provided with the weave-it loom are a bit confusing and I imagine they deter many people from trying it out. That, and the regular woven squares are really cute too!

For more info on Weave-it looms and what you can do with them check out Eloomnation and the "week" of weaving over at Girlontherocks.

This is a my attempt at shedding some light on the process and hopefully clarifying the instructions for how to make your very own "diagonal weave" square. I made a full set of photo-instructions on flickr complete with notes. Below I have my general rules and tips. I should point out that my definitions of tweed, twill, diagonal-weave, stitch, and strand may not be strictly accurate but hopefully they are logical.

To make a diagonal weave square you will need:
weave-it loom (I think all the sizes will work but Ive only done 2" and 4")
weaving needle
two colors of yarn
instructions
tweed chicken for company (not strictly necessary)

You will wind the white yarn around the loom (diagrams 1 & 2) and then weave in the black yarn with the weaving needle (diagram 3). Full photoset with instructions on flickr.

Diagonal weave (as the Weave-It loom instructions call it), or twill, is made by going over and under two strands and offsetting the stitch by one strand each row. This is the basic pattern you will follow, and it helps me to keep that in mind when Im trying to remember what to do next.

The weave-it diagrams for diagonal weave (courtesy of Karrie). Also a very useful chart. Click through to flickr for a few clarifying notes.

Tricks and Tips for diagonal weave

The very first row is different than all the others in two ways.
1. Row 1 is a 1-1 row, meaning that it is woven under one-over one all the way across (starts with under). All other rows are 2-2 rows (over two-under two) with some exceptions in the edge stitches.
2. The yarn at the end of the first row should go to the outside of the corner pin (see this photo and diagram)
Rule 1: The black yarn should always overlap one stitch with the previous row and advance in the correct direction. This should help you decide whether to start the row with an over or under.
If you are weaving standard twill (not changing directions) the rows originating on the right-hand side will always begin 2-2 while rows originating on the left-hand side will begin 1-1. They both continue across with 2-2.
Rule 2: The black yarn should always go around the white yarn on the edge stitches. This means that if you end by going under the last strand you need to go over it at the beginning of the next row. This will also help you catch mistakes when you start the next row. If you make a mistake you will not be able to both begin the row correctly and follow rule 2. When doing herringbone tweed you will have to be extra diligent to make the edge stitches are "captured".
Mistakes arent hard to fix, just weave backwards with your needle to the location of the mistake.
The last row can be very tight and difficult. Try doing it in sections so you can get more leverage on the needle.

Herringbone tweed is made with this same advancing stitch pattern but with directional changes. This poses a few additional complications. At the apex of the direction change there is a full two stitch offset (as opposed to the normal one stitch offset). I do one direction change in the example, but I like to do them every 5-6 rows for a more typical tweed look.

At the apex of the direction change offset weave the opposite pattern from the previous row. This will be a full two stitch offset.
Rows originating on the right-hand side will begin 1-2
Rows originating on the left take some more planning to satisfy both rules 1 and 2. I suggest ENDING the previous row with 1-1. This can be accomplished by backstitching one (see photo). If you do this left rows begins with 1-2. Otherwise you will have to begin 1-1-1 which I feel is invasive to the pattern.

The finished square on the loom:

and off:

Please let me know if you have any questions about my explanations, the photo-tutorial, or diagonal weave in general. Ill do my best to answer them!

Adventures in making Mead

2007-09-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

My parents have bees. Its my dad's army of 30,000 (or 50,000 depending on the season).

After extracting honey from the combs using a centrifuge (or gravity + time) there is still a lot of honey clinging onto the inside of the comb. Honey is so viscous its hard to remove it from the wax. My dad decided he was going to make mead from this honey which would probably get wasted otherwise.

We heated the comb in some water on the stove to melt it.

its kind of a disgusting mess of wax and bee parts.

After cooling in the bathtub we removed the now solid wax and bee parts from the liquid.

My dad tested the sugar content of the mixture with his hydrometer (left over from his beer making days) and determined that there was more than enough sugar for the yeast to eat.

yeast and yeast nutrition for mead

getting ready to shake

all situated for fermentation. My dad plans to add grain alcohol and maybe more honey later on. The mead looks relatively vile and is still going to need some filtering but we havent figured that part out yet. It is really just a test batch to see how the process works as there is SO much more honey where this came from...

The Tweed Chicken

2007-08-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

A handspun approach to the tweed chicken concept.

She joins a small but illustrious line of previous tweed chickens of both the woven and button variety and she is my entry to this month's WhipLash contest.

This month's theme is Zakka, a concept I had not heard of before and I'm still not sure I understand but Ill make my own interpretation anyway. Just to be redundant, this is how WhipUp.net describes Zakka:
a cultural phenomena/fad that is all about a certain style, but it is part of a broader feeling that comes from within their history and religion and philosophy

Seeing as how the tweed chicken is part of my personal history and philosophy and a fantastic fad among friends (well, ok, maybe its just me...) I think this particular tweed chicken, with it's extra handmadeness is a perfect fit.

She is made from one diagonally woven (twill or tweed?) weave-it square made with handspun yarn. Only a few yards of yarn are needed to make a weave-it square which is perfect for scraps of handspun yarn (which I seem to have a lot of--I am still learning). The comb, beak and feet are crocheted from sock yarn.

Apollo likes to get in on the action too.

machine quilting away

2007-08-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like with me trying to wrestle a queen sized quilt under my machine at midnight. Surprisingly, its coming out pretty well! Ive never machine quilted anything larger than a pot holder before so keeping the beast under control is my biggest challenge. I thought I would be able to get away with not marking all of the lines on the quilt, but so far that seems very unlikely. The thing is so big and heavy that it steers itself all over the place and I loose track very quickly of where my straight line should go. The chalk clicker and the tailors chalk are definitely my friends...

a good showing

2007-08-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

We made a good showing this week with quilt progress but alas, the wedding was last night and the quilt is still sitting rolled up on my kitchen table with only basting stitches. Seeing as how we didnt make the date anyway Im going to go where Ive never been before-- Im going to machine quilt the thing together. Im planning to do vertical lines with uneven spacing between them rather than echoing the pattern. I had that pattern in mind and then I saw this quilt on flickr and it reinforced my decision.

quilt top

quilt back

basting it together

and a matching card

I find it somewhat surprising that n wanted to embark on this project in the first place and even more surprising that he seemed to enjoy the process. Im hoping that he will want to work with me on a quilt for his brother's wedding because it sure does go faster with two people! Look at me, Im not even finished with this one yet and Im already planning the next one... To be honest Ive had that plan in my head since they got engaged but now it seems more do-able. Im thinking something like this:

What do you think? Any suggestions of other great modern-ish style quilts?

Oh the Insanity

2007-08-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

N's friends are getting married this weekend. While marriage and weddings in general may be standard fare for folks of my age in the population at large (at least in this country) it was not what I expected from these particular friends. Even less expected were the formal wedding invitations and the location of the event at a fancy B&B in Marin. Granted, we just got the invitation last friday (8 days of official notice!) but it was a fancy printed formal invitation none the less. I see parents at work. Anyway, the point of this is that we had to come up with a wedding gift idea. I know you dont have to show up with present in hand, but the event is fresh on our minds and the motivation is here now. We determined that this couple more than most needed a gift that was either vintage or handmade. N's idea? Sew them a quilt. In one week (this was Saturday). At least he promised to do half the work.

I sat him down with the Denyse Schmidt Quilts book and made him pick a design (but out ruled the truly complicated ones) and then colors. We picked "what a bunch of squares" and the colors below.

We went to the fabric store, which Im fairly sure is a form of punishment to him, and I made him pick fabrics. I ran to the laundromat to wash them and set him the task of ironing everything. Sunday morning we set to work cutting and sewing and cutting and sewing...

Block centers finally started to come together.

Assembly has continued late into the night several times already.

And now we have the blocks all sewn (but not trimmed yet) yet there is still so much to do. We still need to make a back and buy batting and decide how to tie it together... I dont think we will finish in time. But I have had the priceless experience of seeing n in full sewing and ironing swing.

Domestic scene, with scenery

2007-08-05T22:40:00.000-07:00

I had grand ambitions for crafting this weekend: welding! silkscreen printing! and while the heat overcame us and I forgot various necessary components at home we did still manage to eek out a crafty domestic scene in the wine country.

There are three spinning wheels in that photo! You can see my suzy peaking out in the foreground.

And the best entertainment of all were the kittens. Five of them! Unfortunately none of them appear to be named gravy.

The view is pretty neat too.

Beach Knitting Part 2

2007-07-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Im back from the beach and I got a good bit of knitting done. I didnt actually knit on the beach (too much sand and sunscreen) but I spent some quality time knitting on the deck looking out over the ocean which is almost the same, right?

Lisa Souza striped socks finished! More info on yarn etc. from my last post.

And a Noro scarf from birthday yarn! Its my first Noro and Im doing an entrelac scarf using the instructions from Knitty. Im on the third of 3 balls of Noro Kureyon (color 182).

Beach Knitting Part 1

2007-07-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ive been doing a bit of knitting while sitting around at the beach.

Im knitting striped socks with Lisa Souza Sock Yarn (from the heels and toes bin at Stitches West) using a general toe up approach. I used the Knitty generic toe-up sock instructions and directions for "hole-free" shortrows from Nothin' but Knit. They are going much quicker than my previous pair, but I owe part of that to the fact that I have knitted them only once...

One sock is finished and the other one is past the heel. Hopefully I can post a proper picture of them finished when I get home!

The beach (outer banks, NC) is pretty nice--its been hot and sunny most of the week--but the ocean here is just not as dynamic as it is on the West Coast. Ive managed not to get too sunburned yet, but ive still got two days to survive!

On buses and excessive proportions

2007-07-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

This post isnt particularly craft-related (or, in fact, related to crafts whatsoever) but I will spend the next week sitting on the beach knitting. Maybe after that Ill have some craftytastic news to report.

This is the match-up I have been waiting for, a meeting of two halves. 42 oz. of soda for only $0.69? Only one friend could be the spokesman for such Savagery (and for MacDonalds no less).

Bye Hugo, have fun living in the foot of England. Berkeley certainly wont be the same without you.

Simple Flannel Baby Blankets

2007-06-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

I made some baby blankets about a year ago for a friend's shower and I debated with myself over what parameters make a good baby blanket. Having no personal experience with this I was somewhat out of luck so I did what I usually do in these situations, I called my Mom. With some basic guidelines I made up this simple blanket approach. These blankets are quick to make and seem to get a lot of use by the recipients. One little girl in particular poses with them in many photos! Her dad suggested that the key characteristic of the blankets is their size and stiffness. I guess there is an important role in baby accessories for structural wrapping items useful for containing limbs. If you have even minimal sewing skills you can tackle this project and wow your expecting friends (or yourself) with handmade gifts.

This is my entry to the June Whiplash "competition" - Introduce Yourself. Its my first post to Whiplash!

This will describe the steps to make one blanket even though two are pictured.
You will need:
One yard each of two flannel fabrics
Fabric cutting devices (scissors, rotary cutter)
ruler
round object like a bowl
sewing machine
thread etc.

Step 1: Purchase and Wash
Acquire 2 yards of flannel fabric, one yard in each print. I purchased mine from a fabric store (amazing!). I was particularly enamored with the Sock Monkey print. Im also a fan of non-pastel baby items so I go for dark, rich colors. I usually choose a patterned fabric for one side and a solid for the other. For the Sock Monkeys I chose a matching "Sock" print for the solid. Its all personal preference though! The solid colors are often double sided (i.e. fuzzy on both sides) while the printed flannels are usually single sided. The double sided stuff will make a stiffer and slightly heavier blanket.

Now wash the fabric (just in the washer with your clothes) and iron it flat.

Step 2: Square the Edges
You need to make your fabric into matching sized rectangles. Inevitably the edges will be un-square when they cut the fabric at the store so you will have to fix it. I use my gridded ruler and rotary cutter but you can do it with scissors too. I square one of the pieces first and then with *right sides together* I make the second piece match the first. I use scissors for trimming the second piece.

Step 3: Round the Edges
One of my favorite touches on this blanket is the rounded corners. I did this by taking a round object (the pictured bowl) and simply cutting away some fabric in a round shape. I just traced around the bowl, then cut away the excess.

Step 4: Sew, right sides together.
Now, with your rectangles right sides together sew around the perimeter with a 5/8ths inch seam allowance. Stop sewing when you get about 6 inches from where you started, i.e. leave a gap (you can see the gap in the spotted blanket in the background).
Trim the corners like this:

Step 5: Turn right side out and press
This one is fairly self explanatory. Turn the blanket right side out through the gap you left in the stitching. Using an iron on cotton setting press around the edge. Use your fingers to help the fabric expand all the way out. The notches you cut at the corner should help in the curves.

Step 6: Top Stitch
Pick a thread color that goes with each of your fabrics. It can be matching or contrasting, the same on top and bottom or different--you choose. Now using a 1/4th inch seam allowance sew around the entire edge of the blanket. You may wish to pin the section where the gap is but I find I dont need to since the flannel is adheres pretty well to itself.

Press the blanket one more time if you like and you are done!

Here they are in the sunlight:

And some I made a year ago:

Behold

2007-06-06T23:01:00.000-07:00

Introducing the Tweed Chicken

A stuffed chicken made of tweed from a 4" weave-it loom. This was my original motivation behind getting one of these looms. It is truly the physical manifestation of the whole TWEED CHICKEN concept and I am quite pleased.

Apollo and the Tweed Chicken are also friends

More tweed

2007-05-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ive been having fun making tweed squares with my weave-it loom. I figured out that the zig-zag pattern I originally made didnt look quite right and after some careful inspection of my herringbone tweed jacket I realized that herringbone tweed has an offset at the center of the "V". Go figure!

Quick Baby Bibs

2007-05-12T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was in need of a quick baby gift I could make from things I had around the house. Since they came out so cute I thought I would share a little about how I made them.

I happen to have a stash of blank baby bibs (from Ikea) in my sewing box that had been waiting for just this occasion. My favorite baby gifts so far are the flannel blankets I made for Tillie but I didnt have time to shop for fabric and run it through the washer for this project. Perfect time to bust out the bibs.

First I gathered the necessary materials:

Blank Baby bibs, cute fabric for applique, stiff card (from my recycling bin), ruler, pencil and cutting devices for card and fabric.

I did a few different designs but these photos will show how I made the star.

I drew a star and added a seam allowance using my ruler for guidance:

Then I cut out the stencil using an exacto knife and a ruler.

I transfered the shape to the applique fabric using a pencil and then the shape of the fabric:

To tuck the seam allowance under I had to cut slits to the inner corners:

At this point you could use the iron to press the seam allowance under but I was too lazy, so i just pinned it to the bib. I did press the seam allowance for the circle because it was too difficult otherwise.

I sewed the star to the bib by hand using an invisible stitch (maybe called an applique stitch? im not sure). Since I was going to zig-zag around the edges I probably could have gotten away with basting but it didnt take very long to sew it properly and then I didnt have to remove any stitches.

I used the zig-zag attachment for my Singer 301 to make a reinforced (and decorative) edging around the applique.

I also made a circle and a patch of a VW pop-top camper bus.

Hopefully the little guy will like them!

Seeing Spots

2007-05-12T12:26:00.000-07:00

Another pleated bag.

But seriously, I am seeing spots, or rather, a spot. So far neither the doctor or the optometrist has come up with a believable explanation... At least my eyeball isnt falling out or anything.

rainbow canvas part three?

2007-05-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

I made another bag from rainbow canvas last week. This comes in a long (well, a few years) tradition of bags made from my gigantic stash of rainbow canvas. The first was a bookbag for me, the second, a ~~camp~~ tote for Hugo and now this pleated number as the third. I was quite attached to it but I gave it to the Cal Sailing Team for thier spring auction. It wasnt quite as lucrative as the 6-pack of beer cozies from last year but still picked up a few bucks. Now I just need to make another one for me...

new family members

2007-04-28T17:17:00.000-07:00

meet my new plants, they eat bugs!

toothless

2007-04-23T16:51:00.000-07:00

I am now 8 teeth down from a normal adult--number 16 met its end today. Things went ok except for the part where I fainted. I need to stop doing that.... At least if you faint at the dentist they seem prepared to deal with the situation unlike that time I fainted at the optometrist. They looked a bit stunned.

tweed!

2007-04-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

I have made tweed! It took a few attempts, but I finally suceeded using the 4" Weave-It Loom that Karrie gave me. I have plans for this..

A Passover Breakfast

2007-04-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

Passover is almost over but here is something you can do with all that left-over matzah (if you can still stand to look at it).

Matzah (or Matzo) Brie is a passover version of french toast using matzah instead of leavened bread. I consider it to be more of matzah scramble. It is very fast to make and is a great maple syrup vehicle. So go buy a box of matzah on sale at the supermarket and get cooking!

You will need:
Matzah (one half matzah per egg)
Eggs
Salt to taste
Maple Syrup

Step 1:

crack the eggs and break up the matzah. Matzah breaks easily into strips and those strips can be broken into bite sized pieces.

Step 2:

Soak the matzah in warm water for ~30 seconds. If you want it crunchy then soak less time, soak longer for softer matzah. Beat the eggs as if you were going to scramble them.

Step 3:

While the matzah soaks, turn a frying pan onto egg c00king temperature. I like medium-low.

Step 4:

When the soaking time is up grab a handful of matzah and squeeze out the water and add the handful to the egg mixture. Repeat till the matzah is all de-watered.

Step 5:

Mix egg and matzah together. Add salt as desired.

Step 6:

Once the pan is hot enough add some oil or butter and the egg-matzah mixture. Cook like scrambled eggs.

Step 7:

Enjoy with maple syrup!

You cant beat an expression like this

2007-04-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

it was a fun trip....

Save the Planet with Sheep!

2007-04-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

An April fools day chuckle (a few days late).

I occasionally have my issues with Real Climate but this is, although incredibly nerdy, very cute (and woolly).

I could get used to this

2007-03-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

I went up to my parent's house yesterday to feed their cats (they went to Paris!) and do my taxes. I go up there every few weeks for dinner but it was different spending a day doing ordinary around-the-house things like laundry and taxes. I forgot how much I enjoy the peace and quiet. After all these years living in cities (some of them large and noisy--that would be you 118th and amsterdam..) I still think I could be very happy living in the country.

The wisteria were just starting to bloom!

She Spins!

2007-03-25T11:33:00.000-07:00

Suzie is all fixed and ready to go. I still dont really know what I am doing spinning-wise but at least I have a working spinning wheel.

There were two broken parts from the accident (UPS dropped Suzie, maybe off of a forklift). The broken drive mechanism had to be ordered from Majacraft in New Zealand but it didnt take too long to get here. The broken baseboard was repaired by a carpentry enabled friend (thanks!!) and looks good-as-new. The wheel only ended up costing me the price of replacement parts if you dont count the years of life I lost due to stress over it. Im not sure it was worth it. Im so happy to have it all resolved!

On another happy note, since I didnt end up spending all that money on a spinning wheel I decided I would buy another toy instead - perfect for our upcoming trip to Utah.

Here is a gratuitous photo of Apollo with the new camera!

Words cant do this justice

2007-03-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Except maybe moo-oo-oo-oooo.

The best thing Ive heard in quite a while

You need to hear it to believe it

Not your ordinary day

2007-03-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

I had lunch with a Nobel Laureate yesterday!

And all anyone wanted to ask him was what it was like to go to the academy awards.....

That doesnt happen everyday!

that hat gets around

2007-02-27T17:04:00.001-08:00

there it is again...

The good the bad and the maybe not-so-ugly..

2007-02-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

Which shall I start with? I'll go with good. You are welcome to read out of order though!

The Good

I recently finished my handspun handwarmers and I love them. I bought a silk hankie from Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks last year at Stitches West and it sat in my knitting box untouched until sometime last fall. I spun it using a bottom-whorl spindle my dad made for me. It was a great first drafting experience since the fibers were so long.

I knit 3x1 ribbing tubes with slits for the thumbs and I think the fabric came out really nicely even though my spinning is far from even.

The whole experience really helped prepare me for an actual spinning wheel and probably contributed to my immediate enjoyment of the whole spinning process. We know where that story leads...

The Bad

I guess I got a little over-zealous after the spinning class I took a few weeks ago and I started looking around for a wheel. Its a large investment for those of us with an almost-livable income so I wanted to at least make a well thought decision. With a little help I found a few places where used spinning wheels were being listed online: kbbspin.org a free website to post ads on and a yahoo group called "spin-sales."

And then I found a Suzie... A green Suzie at that. For a price I could afford/justify! As you might imagine, there was no going back.

Im not sure why I fixated on this particular wheel but I just seemed to really like it. So I went for it and arranged to purchase the wheel and have it shipped from Florida.

So why a photo of a severely compromised cast metal part? You can probably put together your own story from there. The wheel was packed and shipped and insured by UPS (for $120 total..) and the day it was due to arrive came and went. I called and they started an "investigation" to look for it because apparently they had lost track of the (gigantic) box. On Friday the box finally arrived, but Suzie was not well inside.

That metal piece is the connector from the drive post attached to the left pedal to the wheel. The bolt is sheared and the casing is cracked. I havent calculated the force necessary to cause such damage but I dont think it could be done without dropping the box some large distance and having it land directly on the piece.

And thats not the only damage....

The board the pedals attach to is split all the way across. I guess theoretically these pieces are replicable so long as the factory in New Zealand could send them but I worry that there is other damage that is less visible.

Tomorrow UPS will file an official claim and we will proceed from there. The lady who sold me the wheel has been exceptionally kind and helpful through this whole process which has made things better but not removed the sick feeling in my stomach when I think about what must have happened to the box to cause so much damage. I think the end will bring me back to where I started, with all of my money back but no spinning wheel. That also makes me sad since I doubt it will be so easy to find another Suzie at that price. In any case the whole process involved too much drama and I dont think I will be ready to try again for quite some time.

The Not-So-Ugly

In the mean time I borrowed Gen's Lendrum and had a go at spinning some more fiber. (I still enjoy that part) I had a lot of trouble getting it to go fast enough while I was plying so parts are a little underspun- does anyone else have this problem? Maybe I am just too impatient, Im not sure. In any case I like the way the Lendrum looks (and its awesome to be able to borrow it - thanks Gen!) but I dont think its the right wheel for me.

letting me down

2007-02-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

Its been a frustrating week around here and although none of my problems are life-threatening (or even really bad) they sure have managed to bring my mood down. There has been a lot of drama round these parts lately (other people have real problems i wish I could fix)-- its about time things started looking up for everyone.

Culprit #1: UPS
Im pretty sure they have lost a box** on its way to me that was fairly precious. Its insured and technically replaceable but after the emotional rollercoaster im not sure im ready to invest in another attempt.
**Update: They found the box but the contents are severely damaged. I imagine that might be why they "lost" it. There are sheared bolts so some serious dropping must have been involved....

Culprit #2: Stanford's ******* Coach
He has been disrespectful and just plain not nice.

Culprit #3: The Internet
I just want to buy a pair of shoes! I know im picky but there is the whole internet out there-why cant i find what i want in my size?

ack!

2007-02-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

I wasnt expecting to see this...

My super bulky cabled hat looks so new!

Traveling Knitting

2007-01-23T23:30:00.000-08:00

This weekend Nick and I finally went on our "New Years" camping trip in big sur (only a few weeks late). My knitting came too and this portrait of a sock in progress (superwash merino dyed by Karrie, 1x3 seed stitch ribbing) was taken from our super awesome cliff-side campsite in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. There were bunches (or perhaps, pods...) of Gray Whales hanging out just off the point and I even saw a tail!

More photos of the trip on my Flickr page.

I also noticed that a photo I took of Nick and I on Pfeiffer Beach looks just like one from our trip 3 years ago.... (im even wearing the same jacket and hat). I guess I dont change that quickly.

its almost like yarn!

2007-01-14T22:23:00.000-08:00

I took a beginning spinning class with Carmen on Saturday at West Valley Aplacas and it was really fun. I even made a fiber product that is sort-of almost-like yarn! The class was so much fun that I have spent the rest of the weekend thinking about buying a spinning wheel. It really is a dangerous situation.

A couple that was also in the class brought some fiber from their angora goat Lucile and I tried spinning a bit of that. It went pretty well but then I tried to Navajo ply it and that was a bit of a disaster.... The fiber is really shiny though!

A while back I spun a silk hankie using a drop spindle my dad made for me. I found it slow and difficult but I guess in learned something in the process. I found spinning on the wheel SO much easier. It was actually enjoyable!

Oh, and spinning wheels... Man, they cost a lot. You could buy a ridiculous sewing machine for the cost of a spinning wheel. but yet....

I would want a smallish one and not *too* expensive. Folding would be nice but just for storage and not for carrying it around. Im pretty sure I want a double treadle but Im willing to be convinced otherwise. I used an Ashford Kiwi for most of the class and that went pretty well. At the end I tried the Joy (single treadle) which went ok with the Mohair until I tried to Navajo ply and then I had all kinds of trouble getting the wheel spinning the right way which resulted in lots of tangling. Most of the wheels out there are still sight unseen as Pat at West Valley Alpacas had only Ashford wheels and Karrie has a Lendrum but I am intrigued by the Majacraft Suzie. Maybe not $630 worth though... Hopefully I can either talk myself out of buying one at all or try a bunch out at Stitches West.

In other more productive news I have blocked and sewn pockets into my giant orange cardigan. Im about to order a zipper for it too. Yay!

View from my sick bed

2007-01-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

I had the stomach flu last week. Eyuck.. Anyway in the moments when i wasnt feeling like death I was actually enjoying the view from my bed.

You know those people who live in glass houses? Well that's us. And it can be damn sunny. Most of the time the sun is really wonderful but occasionally, like when you need to lie in bed all day, its a little too intense.

A while back I tried to fix the direct-sunlight-in-my-eyes-while-lying-in-bed problem by sewing a canopy for the bed. Its a little like if we had a four poster except without the four posts...

I bought 5 yards of fabric on sale at Ikea for $0.50/yd and used the hemming foot on my sewing machine to finish all the edges. Then I sewed "walls" on a few sides of the "ceiling" where the sun can potentially infiltrate the sleeping region. I mounted hooks on the wall above the bed and sewed loops in each corner to make the canopy removable. So far we enjoy it too much to take it down but it is always an option and takes no time. The third corner is tied to a nail on the wall with an adjustable line (truckers hitch anyone?) and the fourth corner is held up by a lamp which is in turn stabilized by the programs from the 2005 and 2004 AGU meetings. Those damn books had to be good for something!

Someday maybe ill make a more permanent corner-holder-upper but for now its doing a great job helping me sleep a little longer...

homegrown glasswork

2006-12-31T16:53:00.000-08:00

My dad and I did some playing with glasswork this Christmas. We used his welding torch with a rosebud tip (multiple flame holes) and propane/oxygen flame. We used clear glass tubing and rod to which we added colored glass from rod and frit (ground up colored glass pieces of varying size). Our shapes were far from symmetrical but the process was pretty fun anyway. The glass turns to a honey like material when hot. Our flame wasnt hot enough to heat much more mass of glass so our projects were limited to small items like blown glass bulbs and icicle like items.

This is my dad's garage and our glasswork set up.

notice the mill and silvertop toyota engine in the background! Not pictured are the band saw, metal lathe and MIG welder. Ahhh tools...

A few more of our creations

Winter Welding (and other projects)

2006-12-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

My dad and I have been busy around the house (and especially the garage). I did a little work on my welded shoe rack doing final welds on the non-corner joints and grinding all the welds down (my welding is less than perfect). The next step is to weld on tabs to hold the shelves up and then make the shelves. Alas that will be left for yet another day.

We also had some fun with the welding torch and some glass rod and tubing. more on that when i can take some acceptable photos. All i have to say is molten glass is pretty neat stuff.

After the earthquake my parents had last August (only a 4.4 but they were less than 3 miles from the epicenter) it became clear that some earthquake-proofing was going to be necessary. I managed to putty down a shelf of antique glass bottles which were just waiting to go flying and I convinced my dad to strap a few pieces of furniture to the walls. The cabinets still need latching but it was a good start.

I had asked my dad for a subscription to Craft for xmas and the story of him acquiring one involves him visiting the actual OReilly headquarters only to find multiple confused people who informed him that he could just order a subscription online. The fact that my dad, the engineer, could probably build a computer but is incapable (or really just uncomfortable) navigating the internet is totally hilarious. Somehow Make volume 8 came out of the deal though and I imagine that he made a few peoples day over at OReilly.

Finally, over at Curbly I was selected as a finalist for the Curbly Christmas wishlist and if I win I get $200 of rad crafting books from Amazon. They are deciding the winner by votes in the comments so if you feel like heading over there drop a vote in for "List to start a craft library by" (thats me!). (You will need a curbly account but its free) I asked for some good stuff like Denyse Schmidt's quilting book, Jenny Hart's embroidery book and all four of the Barbara Walker stitch dictionaries.

Recycled Wrapping

2006-12-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

Im no Martha Stewart (that is for sure) but I do love a beautifully wrapped package. I just cant ever bring myself to buy (or afford) wrapping materials which are just discarded (by some people) after the gift is open. I also have yet to acquire (and would have nowhere to store) the large box of wrapping paper and ribbon saved up over many years like my mom has. My solution is to wrap everything in paper that was already destined to be thrown out.

This is how I wrap gifts in recycled (or reused?) catalogs. Forgive the fuzzy photos, I was trying to avoid the flash.

Find a catalog to pillage for the cause. Look for catalogs with full page photos and nice colors. The subject of the photo really isnt important as just the act of using it for wrapping a package will abstract whatever the original photo is. I find that jcrew catalogs work well and have a large variety of colors represented. They also have entire pages devoted to the ever mesmerizing stacks of shirts (or sweaters, pants etc) in a rainbow of colors. Outdoor wear catalogs like patagonia will also have great photos but I cant quite bear myself to tear them up. In any case find one in your recycling bin or around the house and get started! You will also need tape, some string of some sort and possibly some scissors.

Depending on how large your items are you may wish to use single pages or double pages. If you want double pages I recommend removing the staples from the cat log before beginning. If you just want single pages you can tear them out pretty easily. Choose the best pages to start with. I like the full page color photos of stacks of clothing or people in scenes.

Boxes are super easy to wrap this way but soft items can be done well too. Things that can be rolled like tshirts or pants are very easy to wrap.

For this example I will wrap a shirt. Use tape wherever necessary.
1. Make a background paper large enough for the item. If need be tape more pages on in whatever direction to make a sheet large enough. For this shirt I will just use one double sheet.

2. Wrap the item. Wrap round things in a tube shape first

Then close the ends either by tootsie roll-like twist and some string or by a circular end fold. I may decide to describe this further later but it basically just involves bringing the paper towards the center of the circle from many points around the edge in a pleated fashion. It looks a bit like this but can be done much more neatly!

Here is my wrapped shirt

3. Make ribbons and bows for decorations. Ribbons or bows of some kind may be necessary for this type of wrapping to obscure large areas of text. Regular ribbons and bows work great with catalog wrapping too but making your own is quick and fun. Faux ribbon can be made from contrasting colored catalog pages and bows can be either matching or contrasting. The catalog pages will rip easily along the grain which is usually aligned with the text.

Ribbons can be any style you like but I often go for the standard cross down the middle.

Bows can be made in many styles (and out of any type of paper!). To make a circular bow start with four equal length strips. For simplicity i use strips torn from a single sheet (so their length is the width of the paper). You will also need one strip 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the others.

Make the strips into squashed loops. This can be done with one piece of tape by leaving a gap between the ends of the strip with the sticky side towards the middle of the loop. Make the short piece of paper into a non-squashed loop for the center of the bow.

Once you have four loops assemble them into a bow using rolled bits of tape (so its sticky on both sides). I usually put down two loops perpendicular to one another and then another set of two more at 45 degrees from the first. The small loop goes in the center. You can assemble the bow on its own and then affix it to the package or just affix it as you assemble. This all sounds more complicated than it actually is.

You can also make oblong bows by varying the length of the loops or tiered circular bows by making an outer tier of larger loops for the bow above.

Feel free to add "ribbon" tails to your bow as well.

4. Make a gift tag

Lots of catalog pages will have solid patches which can be used for writing gift tags. They dont need to be white so long as your pen will show on the color. You can also write directly on the wrapping paper as it is unlikely to be used again later (although I find that people often save the bows since they are unusual looking). I also like to cut gift tags into the shape of the name of the gift recipient. This is not so easy for friends with long names but great for mom and dad. (Ill try to add a photo later, I think the camera has wandered off for holiday)

General tips:
Dont be afraid to try this! The worst case is that you will use up a little tape and re-arrange your recycling.
Dont worry about making it *too* neat. Im a fan of tightly wrapped packages and that is entirely possible with this approach (especially with small boxes) but dont worry too much about making perfectly even bows. They have a handmade look and a lot of character not being "perfect." The same goes for gift tags and ribbon.
Enjoy torn edges. I didnt even pick up the scissors except to cut the gift tag and I could have done without them.
This method is non-holiday specific so it works great all year. Better yet you dont need to specially buy paper for different occasions.

Let me know if you have any questions I havent addressed and Id love to see how it goes for you!

California Style Christmas

2006-12-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

How to have a California style Holiday Season:
1. Combine all aspects of Holiday season into one big-ole celebration. I like to put a star of David on top of my Chirstmas Tree (or Holiday Bush etc). I also enjoy jewish themed ornaments. Im not religious at all so I just like to celebrate Christmas in the true American fashion of consumerism, feasts and family visits.

2. Use recycled materials for as many things as possible. And I dont mean wrapping paper made from recycled material (though that is a step in the right direction) I mean use things that have already served another purpose. I like to wrap presents in jcrew catalogs. I get far too many in the mail and the shiny colorfull glossy paper makes great wrapping material. Make your own bows and "ribbon" too! Ill post a bit more about that later.
I also made a garland this year out of already used printer paper and some red yarn. I think it would look nice and do a good job reflecting the colored lights if my tree were strong enough to support them!

3. Get your holiday tree(s) and foliage from a sustainable source. Mine came from my parents yard where the Douglass Fir trees are taking over. My dad is scrambling to keep their numbers under control so I would classify that as than sustainable. The Berkeley Forestry Club also sells trees on campus which they harvest from the research forest in the Sierras.

4. Make gifts yourself. I know not everyone has the time for this and it isnt appropriate for every situation but I really enjoy the process. I enjoy giving gifts to people that I have spent time thinking about and working on.

5. Enjoy the sun and spend some time outside just because you can!

a beast of a sweater

2006-11-24T14:13:00.000-08:00

Many months ago Carmen scored a lot of superbulky yarn from the ebay branch of Handpaintedyarn.com/Malabrigo right as the website stopped carrying it (and the price was subsequently raised from $5 to $12). The yarn is really nice and Ive made several hats out of it (pattern for cabled hat). I decided to make a raglan cardigan but I wasnt sure 10 skeins was going to be enough. I have knit and re-knit most parts of this sweater several times because I apparently have no ability to plan out a project ahead of time and I keep changing my mind. I just decided I wanted pockets, but not patch pockets since I wont have much extra yarn, so I ripped out the whole body back to the top of the pockets. Its pretty quick knitting and this is the sort of sweater that should have been done in about a weekend but my indecision has drawn it out for months. It also weighs a ton. All I have to say is thank goodness for interchangeable needles!

nasturtiums

2006-11-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

I made this skirt in middle school from some fabric my mom had lying around. Needless to say it no longer fits me but I love the fabric so much that I need to find some appropriate use for it. I was thinking about piecing it together with some plain colored fabric to make the top of a blanket but im not sure how much I like that idea. Anyone have a good suggestion of what I should make?

pork chop!

2006-11-19T23:06:00.000-08:00

I bought this stuffed pork chop from Sweet Meats at the craft mafia trunk show in SF this last weekend. It even came all wrapped in butcher paper with a deli sticker. So cute! I think apollo likes it too...

this weekend really did have too much shopping involved. I may or may not have the energy to talk about it (yes it really was that exhausting) except to say it involved BOTH the Mountain Hardware wharehouse AND the Patagonia outlet and that some items were cheap enough that I had to buy them and Ive already started pawning jackets off on other people... (I have two more - anyone my size?)

Avocados grow on trees! and other news from Hawaii

2006-11-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

lava!, originally uploaded by abmatic.

At last! i have uploaded photos from my Hawaii trip. You can see the full set of photos (ok, actually I tried to pare it down as much as i could) here, a condensed set here and a few favorites are below. We saw lava flowing into the sea, white, black and green (olivine!) beaches and sea turtles. We ate grass fed Hawaiian beef, tropical fruits and shave ice with fresh coconut and drank large quantities of kona coffee. The first day we had lunch with Phoebe in Waikiki and the next three days we stayed with Ingrid who was visiting at HVO in Volcano National Park. Then we spent two days sitting on the beach and two days sitting around on our porch looking out over the ocean. It was warm and wonderful and in strong contrast to the 30knt winds and 40 degree temps in chicago right now (where i am sitting in the airport-- almost home!) and thats not even cold for Chicago...

anyway on to the photos

Green Sand Beach

Punaluu as a storm was coming in. This beach was 100% shattered basalt and entirely black.

Sea Turtles! There were a bunch of them hanging out at Punaluu

Punaluu

Waipio Valley

Sunset from the porch

Make your own Cardboard Spurs

2006-10-30T00:07:00.000-08:00

So I was invited to a halloween party this past weekend with a western theme (is a theme even allowed at halloween?) for which I had little to work with in the way of costume items. What is a girl to do? Make her own cardboard accessories obviously! This set of photos on Flickr explains how you can make your own pair of cardboard spurs so you can be ready for whatever halloween throws at you. There isnt much complicated about it but you will need some way to cut cardboard, a tapestry needle and some yarn or string.

I would love to say that the spurs won "best use of cardboard" at the party but it's hard when your up against someone dressed as an outhouse....

Jeans, resurrected

2006-10-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

DSCN2508.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

I get very attached to my jeans but there comes a time when wearing them out of the house is a dangerous enterprise (for the jeans). Since I dont want my beloved pants to actually die I have been stratigically re-inforcing all the weak points I can find to prevent tears and gaping holes from forming. I have two pairs I have been working to save and so far its been pretty sucessfull. Above you can see the patches I've added to pair #1. They are right-side out below.

There are 4 main weak points that seem to deveolp in all my pairs.
1. Left side pocket area develops a hole in the corner from my cell phone
2. Back center belt loop is badly worn and sometimes tears all the way off. It must chafe on something, maybe my backpack. Have you ever tried to wear pants with a belt when the back belt loop is missing? It's rather disastrous if you actually need the belt.
3. Right hand pocket area sometimes develops hole from my chapstick
4. Knee area cloth wears thin and tears

weak point 2 with repair:

weak point 4 with repair:

I have broken down and bouthgt a new pair but I love the old ones so much that I'm determined to keep them going.... at least for now.

Homeade Belt

2006-10-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

DSCN2507.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

On a trip this summer a friend of mine had some problems with descending pants and was dreadfully in need of a belt. I dont want to name names here but since the lady in question is vegan i thought a homeade belt would be a good solution (no leather involved). I dont think she reads this page (does anyone?) but i do risk ruining the surprise.

Its been done before and it is in no way ingenious but here Ive gone and done it again. The belt is plain canvas on one side and printed fabrics on the other. I used a variety of scraps to get the full length and put colored fabrics on both sides at the end where the belt folds back after the buckle. If i did it again i might consider using some iron on adhesive to add more stiffness and keep the layers tidy during sewing. Other than that it was quite simple to do, its quick and I like the finished result very much.

Now I only need to get over my procrastination of going to the post office....

From the side:

Several people have commented on the cat appearing in lots of photos. In realitiy its far more difficult to frame a photo in my apartment without the cat in it. What can I say, he is a total ham.

Stage 1: Apollo comes in to investigate what is so captivating to me

Stage 2: where Apollo usually sits on top of the item of interest

Stage 3: he usually begins rolling in, clawing or trying to play with the item as in the photos of the Clapotis

The Clap

2006-10-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

DSCN2469.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

I finally finished the Claptois! I think I started it in February so its been a while.... Its made with much heavier yarn than most people are using but I am enjoying wearing it instead of a jacket. I used 6-ply merino in burgundy from handpaintedyarn.com

Apollo seems to really enjoy this one. The chewier the yarn the better as far as he is concerned.

i love rainbow canvas

2006-09-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

DSCN2457.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

This is what $10 will buy you in rainbow canvas when Ikea finally decides to sell it all off...

And all rolled up:

Pot-au-feu

2006-09-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Nick discovered this recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (p 306). It feeds 12-16 people! Below is a description of how the dish is to be served.

The host starts the proceeding as usual by spearing out the beef and lacing it on a platter. The he finds a sausage, and after that a big piece of pork. Finally, to wild acclaim he brings out a chicken.

It's t-3 days until judgement day....

bulky cabled hat in action!

2006-08-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

DSC03276.JPG, originally uploaded by kweaver614.

This is what happens when you try to drain pasta for 20 people while camping. Amazingly even though only maybe 1/3rd of the pasta fit in the strainer at a time we didnt spill much. Perhaps even more exciting, the next photo in the series features an action shot of my long-johned butt..

DSC03277.JPG, originally uploaded by kweaver614.

(photos by karrie)

one year later

2006-08-16T00:19:00.000-07:00

Its one year to the day since I moved back to California...

then

now (in all its messy glory)

Super Bulky Cabled Hat

2006-08-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

DSCN2008.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

**This blog has moved!** All updates to this pattern can be found at the new site

Its finally here!! The pattern is pasted below, pdf version may be available on email request... If you are looking for more pictures Carmen has made many of these hats in various colors such as these and these.

PATTERN DESCRIPTION
A simple cabled hat made from Super Bulky yarn that is quick but not boring. I think it makes a good first cable project as well. The pattern does a great job showing off the beautiful colors from handpaintedyarn.com although they have recently stopped carrying this yarn (Ive heard that their yarn store line Malabrigo recently picked it up) but I’m sure that similar bulky yarns will work well too. Square brackets indicate the cable section which is twisted on every 5th row. During the Decrease section I will not list the cable twists because it depends on long you want your hat to be. You may wish to continue with the cable into the decrease section and can just add the cable twist in the appropriate row.

MATERIALS
handpaintedyarn.com (or Malabrigo) Super Bulky [wool; 65 yd/ 59m per 100g skein]; color: Green Apple; 1 skein

1 pair US #13/9 mm needles
cable needle, tapestry needle

GAUGE
9 sts/15 rows = 4" in stockinette stitch

PATTERN
CO 48 stitches
Rows 1-4: K48
Row 5: K *K P2 [K4] P2* K2 (right side) repeat from * to *
Row 6: P *P K2 [P4] K2* P2 (wrong side) repeat from * to *
Row 7: same as Row 5
Row 8: same as Row 6
Row 9: K *K P2 [place 2 stitches on cable needle and hold behind work, K2, K2 from cable needle] P2* K2
Repeat rows 6-9 until work is between 6 and 7 inches in length (depending on how long a hat you would like) ending with a right side row.
Decrease Section:
Row D1: P *P K2tog [P4] K2tog* P2 (38 stitches)
Row D2: K *K P [K4] P* K2
Row D3: P *K2tog [P4] K* (4 repeats only!) K2tog [P4] K2tog P (32 stitches)
Row D4: P *P [K4] P* P
Row D5: *K2tog [P4]* K2tog (26 stitches)
Row D6: *P K2tog K2tog* P (16 stitches)
Row D7: *P2tog* (8 stitches)
Cut yarn and draw through remaining stitches and seam (mattress seam works well). You may wish to use a smaller diameter yarn for the seam. Weave in ends and enjoy!
ambatik.blogspot.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

swift!

2006-08-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

DSCN2075.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

This is a "hollywood yarn reel" in action that I bought at an estate sale. It makes a pretty good swift so long as your skein lenght is pretty standard and i love how simple it is. the four arms are just dowels that stick into the center cog and have a few holes for the posts at the end for different skein lengths. the cog in the middle is held in place by another dowel that sticks into the base. The whole thing comes apart and fits in a small little box. Its not as versitle as those fancy pants expanding swifts I see at the store and it cant accomodate all skeins but it only cost $3!

pumpkin

2006-08-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

DSCN2292.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

this is pumpkin the camping cat. weighing in at what i would estimate to be 15lbs (and maybe more...) he likes riding in the car and going camping. he apparently has a fascination with semi-trucks and often tries to go over in the parking lot to have a look. he also likes sleeping in the drivers seat and munching on left over fish sandwiches. the last time my cat went for a road trip he got carsick (just picture me walking briskly into my parents house holding a polluted cat carrier at arms length) and he meows a lot during the whole ordeal. i wonder why pumpkin is so down with the whole idea of a vehicle journey.

im in alaska!

2006-08-05T11:35:00.000-07:00

DSCN2226.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

here is a picture of miriam and a somewhat visible denali. we got a good glimplse of the mountian early in the morning but it only got cloudier as the day went on. in general the scenerey was pretty impressive though. today its berry picking and tomorrow canoeing!

finished things!!

2006-06-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

I know its amazing, but I have acctually managed to complete a few projects.

A trio of knitted toys for my cousins. They are, from left to right, a kitty made as a modified Bubby from Knitty made from Cascade 220, an elephant from the pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts from Blue Sky Aplaca Sport Weight and Pasha the penguin from Knitty made from Blue Sky Alpaca and Cascade 220.

a close up of the kitty

and i made cherry jam on what was probably the hottest day of the year

at long last the socks are finished! They are made from Socks That Rock in a color called moss agate. The pattern was invented (and re-invented) on the fly as a toe-up sock with an afterthought heel and 2x2 ribbing on the top and ankle. Forgive the strange angle of my legs, photographing socks is sure hard to do....

even cuter than I thought

2006-06-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Oh man... Baby Tillie came to visit the other day and I couldent get over how cute her little feet were so I went right home and started knitting some baby socks. Then I couldent get over how cute the baby socks were (in particular, how much cuter they are than adult sized socks ive been working on) but that was really nothing in comparison to the ultimate combination of baby socks on baby feet...

(Photo by Tillie's mom)

cozies

2006-06-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

Those of you who may have had the pleasure (and by pleasure i mean by way of comedic value) of observing my wardrobe or visiting my apartment probably have noticed that I have an affinity for jackets and fuzzies. In fact, if you had seen me last weekend you might have witnessed a particularly unique occurrence of this region- I wore my down coat to an outdoor play in June! And not just a down coat, I had a hat and scarf on as well. While I can attribute some of this desire to dress warmly to the chill of san francisco fog, Nick was sitting next to me in flip flops with no complaints. The point of this post is not to wax on about my wardrobe choices but to discuss how I also attribute the desire to dress warmly to my inanimate objects. I have noticed that i like to make sweaters jackets and cozies for electronic devices. In their own way each of these garments has some practical purpose, to keep ipods and laptops from getting scratched or to keep my hand warm when im drinking a cold beer, but sometimes I wonder if its just me thinking that the monitor needs a jacket and patagonia doesnt make one...

Monitor sunshield / cozy

computer cover

beer cozy

ipod cozies

the sock saga

2006-06-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

It began innocently enough, a drink or two at the Mel-o-dee, some good looking yarn, encouragement from my friends. Next think I know I'm knitting socks. It must be said here that I have a sitting attention span of about 30 min before I fall asleep in most settings and while i start many a knitting project, most of them have been living in my knitting bin for months untouched. I make a point of working only on sewing projects I can complete in one sitting. As Nick often points out, its really a wonder that ive made it this far in life (at least in the life im leading) All of these time constraint factors did not bode well for my prospects of completing a pair of socks. I decided I needed to do them both at once just so I couldent bail out with only one sock made. And yet, here they were last week nearing completion. I still had the heel left to go (toe up with an afterthought heel) but I had made up my mind that I would cast off at knitting last tuesday and thats how long they would be.

I bound off, held my breath and snipped the yarn free only to find two min later that there was no way that my foot was actually going to fit inside the sock. The foot part fit fine, and the ankle part would likely fit but there was no way my heel would pass through. What could I do? It was kind of a big bummer. I topped off the evening with flinging a melted green tea mochi through the air but thats a different story. So here is the one ive torn out.. So sad. I started knitting again adding some stitches to make the ankle section bigger but I really cant tell how big it needs to be. My solution is to knit the afterthought heel now and then I can try it on as I go up the ankle to make sure it fits ok. I havent consulted my knitting guru's but since Ive already torn out several weeks of knitting one more probably wont hurt that bad.

This is what apollo thinks about knitting--its a good place to sit.

mosaic

2006-06-02T00:19:00.000-07:00

DSCN1970.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

Last weekend I spent a day helping my parents lay their new bathroom floor. It was inspired by the kitchen counters we made two summers ago which were in turn inspired by quiting patchwork. The tiles are almost enitrely from two local handmade tile makers (Heath and McIntyre) and the depth and varitey of colors within each tile and among all the differnent glazes is amazing. This picture shows the floor without its blue-green border tiles but hopefully soon ill have a picture of the finished floor!

look at us!

2006-05-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

karrie posted some little videos we took of ourselves knitting with two colors. Now my hands can have an internet life of their own!

tetanus factory

2006-05-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

poison lump, originally uploaded by abmatic.

I got a tetanus shot on friday which has resulted in this alien lump masquerading as a bizzarly shaped muscle in the bicep region. Its a strange sensation to have a large firm growth like this which is, as karrie pointed out, just a factory for tetanus antibodies. Imagine smokestacks spewing little bacteria.

Cal themed homemade stuff

2006-05-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

I made some things to put in the Cal Sailing Team's spring Auction.

A pillow with appliqued script-Cal. All the freshman girls wanted this one! Nick was also offering to bid negative dollars to make sure it would leave the house.

The 6-pack in all its glory. Oh yes, I take comissions.

Beer Cozy Envy

2006-04-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

The Infamous Cal Sailing Knitted Beer Cozy.

You know you want one.

They are available at the Cal Sailing Team Spring Auction and Gala in 6-pack form...

New Lady in the house

2006-04-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here she is... My new sewing machine. Born 1951 in Anderson SC she now comes to me after the best craigslist experience Ive ever had.
She weighs in at ~16lbs while my previous sewing machine, a 1913 White rotary (the bottom photo), probably weighs 50.

The woman who gave me the machine said it needed a name--thats right, a really nice woman I met on craigslist GAVE me this machine in return for me working to "save the earth from the ill effects of humanity" (which is really what I do already, right?). Anyone have a good suggestion?

The bottom picture is my old(er) machine. It was my grandmothers which she had converted to an electric. It still runs like a champ, but after sewing on the Singer 301 there is really no comparison. In fact I think that due to lack of apartment space the white will be put out to pasture at my Mom's house. It still amazes me that a machine made in 1913 is still perfectly functional. I think we might have to throw a 100th birthday party for it or something.

In the works

2006-04-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ive been particularly ADD about projects lately. Here are a few of the many Ive been working on...

This is the back of the Salina sweater from Vintage Rowan Knits. Im using a double strand of Rowanspun 4ply and 3.5mm needles so needless to say its going pretty slow. Im only a few rows away from finishing this piece though...

Pasha the penguin is nearly completed, with only a few ends to weave in. His partner in crime (an all alpaca elephant) still needs some embroidery and a trunk tuck. They will join a toy kitty to get shipped off to Boston and then Israel where they hopefully will be well loved by my three cousins.

Socks from Socks that Rock (in Moss Agate). I havent decided if I think this is an exercise in futility yet. We will have to wait and see...

polkadots

2006-03-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

DSCN1849.JPG, originally uploaded by abmatic.

Im really into polkadots lately for some reason. Last year it was stripes. Go figure...

These are for "sprout"

view from the porch

2006-03-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

check out the awesome sunset the other day

on the bandwagon

2006-03-25T21:53:00.000-08:00

ok so i finally jumped on along with the rest of the world. damn you Jessie!! It wouldnt let me post on your blog unless i signed up! Maybe ill post something someday-