deceptively packaged

Belated holiday wrap up

So I was cleaning off my computer desktop and realized I didn't share any of my holiday photos. Time to remedy that. First up, mom's presents. She had decided she needed a traveling hobby for conferences and car rides. She tried cross stitch first, then decided she wanted to learn how to knit. So she got stitchmarkers and thimbles and some patterns and some little felted bowls. The blue one is from the yarn I spun at Maker Fair and the purple one is from Miss Hawklet (leftovers from the mittens). I tried to make one from the yellow I spun at Maker Fair too, but I guess it wasn't wool cause it didn't so much work. It's now a hat for one of my stuffed monkeys.

Next up, holiday meals! For Christmas my mom does a ham, so the veggies got fake Canadian bacon in the same brown sugar glaze. For New Years one must have pork (seitan) and sourkraut.

The big thing that I did over the trip was to tackle my bedroom. It had become a storage space and I needed to claim my belongings so it could transform into a guest bedroom. I have pretty bad dust and mold allergies and had been getting sick every time I went home so my parents have gotten some air purifiers and kept me down on the more used and cleaned ground floor. So a mission to the upstairs required special equipment:

The mission was a complete success however. I now have all of my books (filed in LC order thank you very much) and other knick nacks all settled in Austin and mom is well on her way to clearing out all the clutter that wasn't mine. Next up - convince my dad to put in wood floors instead of carpeting!

Need!

I mean, do you see that hedgehog?!?

Progress Shot

I know, exciting, more blotchy yellow.... But that's hours of x's!

Progress Shot

You can kind of see the pink robot, right?

So what do you do for fun?

Me? I catch up on crafting while listening to the New York Public Library's webcasts - including DESTROYING THE COLOR LINE: John Hope Franklin and President Bill Clinton and PIERRE BAYARD & UMBERTO ECO with Paul Holdengraber: How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read. (I highly recommend the Clinton one.)

I'm off this week and lazing it up. I've finally started on my Yoshimi cross stitch (thanks a million plus Erin!) and I've been working on Drunken Argyle. Lord I hate picking up stitches! If I had any foresight I wouldn't have cast off across the back but just set them on another needle. It doesn't help that I can't find my size 1 addi turbos anywhere so I'm using some old ones that I think came from a friend's dumpster diving, or from my grandma's basement, which is pretty much the same thing. :)

Also a most wonderful and lovely member of my weaving guild gave me a quilting hoop! So I'm reevaluating how I'm going to finish my quilt. I was thinking of doing a tie off method, but now that I have a hoop maybe I'll look for a lasso kind of stitchwork. I think that would be fitting with my cowgirls.

Thank you Cass!

Cass sent me the most lovely swap package (for the knitters coffee swap)! She reused the box I sent hers in (hence the "never ending swap box!") Which reminds me - I have this blue puffy envelope I've had since high school that I send things back and forth in (it's perfect for CDs) - mostly to my brother, but I've let one friend and my mom in on the action - both with a strict warning on the history of the envelope and the importance of keeping it going only to people who will send it back or on to someone else who would keep it going within our little loop. It's been all around the U.S. and always puts a smile on my face when it shows up in my mailbox. I hope it does the same for those I send it to. This box definitely did with my hilarious pirate packing tape showing up on my doorstep. And I have to say - genius stuffing a bag with newspaper for padding - ecological without getting newspaper smear on everything!

And then the goodies!

Such wonderful goodies! The coffee looks delightful! I think I'll take the holiday blend home with me to Pennsylvania to enjoy over the holidays. The coffee mug is the perfect size for our household. The little notepads are super mod - I can't decide whether to use them at home or take them in to cheer up my office. The chili pepper loofah is already hanging over my sink and the adorable sheepy made me wish I had set up a tree this year. It's definitely going on next year! (It's hanging from my warping board right now.) I LOVE the fabric - especially since Cass pointed out that it looks like little abstract sheep. So true! Shawn and I were just lamenting our stinky dog house - so the candle came just in time. (I already have an air purifier going in our bedroom and vacuum every week - if anyone wants to share ideas for un-dog-stinking your bedroom [without actually stopping your dogs from sleeping in bed with you that is] I'd love to hear them.) And there really should be a way to send texture over the internet so you could all feel how soft that yarn is. I'm thinking an really nice scarf.

And speaking of the coffee swap. Now that Cass has her package, (in two posts) I can share some other pictures with you.

I had so much fun making this apron! I'm glad you like it Cass! The pattern is from Doodle Stitching and I cannot recommend that book highly enough!

Serendipity

So here I was just the other day complaining about the state of embroidery and the lack of anything that I would actually make, and then, here I am, today, browsing aimlessly in a bookstore, and what do I see but Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray.

I loved almost every page, but these were some favorites:

Vegan Pal 2 Questionnaire

1) What is/are your craft(s), & how long have you been doing it/them?

I knit, weave, sew, bead, garden, cook, embroider, cross stitch, latch hook, and generally enjoy crafts of all types.

• I’ve been knitting (on and off) since '97, but just started again in earnest around '04. I'm good with double points, I've done socks and sweaters, and I'm working on some intarsia, but I'm not out there writing crazy patters like Euny, so I’d say I fall into the intermediate category.
• I’ve been weaving for just under a year. So far I’ve only made shawls. Definitely a beginner.
• I sewed a lot in junior high and high school, but then I bought a lemon of a sewing machine and didn’t sew until getting a new machine for Christmas this year. I’m really excited to be picking it back up.
• I just learned to do beadwork a little over a year ago and really only make stitch markers.
• When I say gardening, I really mean house plants. I’ve had some since going away to undergrad, but it’s moving in with Shawn that has pushed me over the edge to near green house status. (Which I love.) A guess of 50 house plants would be undershooting. I want to grow heirloom tomatoes.
• I learned to embroider in high school when my mom gave me an old pair of my dad’s jeans that he stopped wearing once they got a hole and she decided to sew butterfly wings around the place she tried to mend it. I loved it and had her teach me how and embroidered two pairs of those jeans to the hilt. I’ve done some cute t-shirts more recently.
• I learned to cross stitch in elementary school and again have picked it up and put it down over the years. I especially want to get back into cross stitching, but am having trouble finding cool patterns. I'm not interested in the traditional fare, but I'm also not interested in the subversive cross stitch, oo look, we use curse words, kind of stuff. I like Miss Wooly's patterns, but would also like to find something more complicated. If I get really ambitious I'm going to look into making my own, I think there's free software for that. If so, I'm doing this album cover for Shawn. Anyone who wants to be my hero and make that into a chart and tell me how much of which colors I need to buy, feel free.
• I did a latch hook bunny rug in elementary school but lost the whole thing before I finished it. Nostalgia made me start on a fleece latch hook more recently. It’s pretty fun, but pretty tacky.

2) Are you a vegan, vegetarian, veg-curious, veg-friendly or other?

I’m vegetarian with vegan tendencies.

3) Is this your first swap, or have you done previous swaps before? What makes a swap enjoyable for you?

I have done a few swaps before. I love sharing treats with each other that we might not have gotten ourselves otherwise.

4) What is/are your favorite color(s)? Do you particularly dislike any color(s)?

I wear a lot of brown and black. Then I mix in some pale blues or pale pinks. I don't do electric colors. I'm more neutrals. I also like deep eggplant and lavender.

5) Do you have any allergies (such as pets, foods, fibers or cigarette smoke)?

Don’t love cigarette smoke, but I’m not allergic to anything besides dust and mold.

6) Do you have any companion animals? If so, name(s) and type(s)?

Shawn and I have a little menagerie - Parker Pug is 4, Mashti Pug is just 6 months old, and B Kitty is 2. We're also frequently visited by Thomas the frog/toad who likes to say hi to Mashti through the backyard sliding glass door, and Thomas the ancient Egyptian evil god/scarab, who likes to visit throughout the house, including the bathroom, the guest bedroom, and under my pillow at night when the lights are out, where he likes to pretend to be B and scratch at my hand. Why yes, I did scream and jump out of the bed.   

7) Do you collect anything?

I actually collect super bouncy balls. Like the ones from quarter machines.

8) Do you have a favorite vegan food, snack or dish? If no fav that's vegan (for those who aren't vegan),  what's your favorite food? (Hopefully your pal can find a vegan version!)

Tofutti fudge pops! (but those aren't mailable.) which reminds me that one time ever I had this awesome huge tofutti chipwhich kind of thing. One of my brother's friends had brought them to our house. I have no idea where she got them and I've never seen them since. Mailable foods… I like sour, sweet, and salty, but not spicy or fruity. I also love loose leaf tea, but again, not fruity. In the autumn theme - hot coco and vegan marshmallows!

9) What are some of your favorite/least favorite tastes/flavors? (e.g. sweet, salty, chocolate, crunchy, smooth, tart, sour, spicy, thai, whatever - Help your pal get a feel for what kind of recipes you might like and/or never ever make.)

I like most things pretty well. But not spicy! Or something that requires an oven – I don’t have one right now. I do have a toaster oven though.

10) What tools/supplies/accessories for your craft(s) are you wishing you had but don't? Also, what do you have TOO many of? (basically a wish and anti-wish list)

I can't find my Chibi or yarn needles anywhere, so any cute little holder and some more needles would be cool. I have all the knitting needles I need. Ooo, I could also use more super strong magnets to glue to my tiles. ETA - My dog ate my row counter and I broke my retractable measuring tape, so those would be good things too.

11) Are you on Ravelry? What's your handle?

Yep! Ellie

12) Is there anything else you would like your pal to know about you?

Feel free to check out my other questionnaires for more info. They’re linked in the upper right hand sidebar.

13) What scents do you  like/dislike?

I like food scents: banana bread, pumpkin pie, coconut, chocolate, cookie, cake, yum. I don’t like fruity or floral.

14) Do you prefer fall or Halloween or some other autumn theme?

I prefer autumn.

15) Just for fun - tell your favorite Halloween or autumn related memory.

When I wrote this question I swear I had a specific story in mind I was going to tell, but I’m blanking. I grew up in the northeast though and I always loved pulling out the light weight jackets and watching the leaves change colors.

 

WIP Week - Tuesday

dI only have two knitting wips right now, so they'll be split up by other types of wips. Today, it's sewing.

I'm nearly done this little cross stitch from Miss Woolly. Just need to tack on the antennas. It comes with a little card to display it in, so I might do that. Or I might try to sew it into my purse somewhere.

I also finally finished one of my thimbles from this fabulous book one of my friends got me. But as you can see, I have the pieces lined up to do a bunch more.

Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I like cotton quite a bit, but I also like playing with some of the newer yarns out there. I try to be eco friendly and do my part, so things like sustainable, natural, recycled, and organic are always good. I like to try new/weird yarns. I haven't tried corn yet. I'm interested in linen. I've also been eying up this butter bamboo for a shirt or vest. I don't use animal fibers, this includes silk.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a nice set of needle holders - the cloth roll kind - one each for straights, double points, and circulars.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I’ve been knitting (on and off) since '97, but just started again in earnest around '04. I'm good with double points, I've done socks and sweaters, and I'm working on some intarsia, but I'm not out there writing crazy patters like Euny, so I’d say intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yep, right here.

5. What's your favorite scent?

I like food scents: banana bread, pumpkin pie, coconut, chocolate, cookie, cake, yum.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Definitely have a sweet tooth, I like dark chocolate (especially with fruit or nuts in it) and gummy candies (without gelatin).

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I don't spin, but I do tons of other things. I weave, sew, bead, garden, cook, embroider, cross stitch, latch hook, and generally enjoy crafts of all types. I especially want to get back into cross stitching, but am having trouble finding cool patterns. I'm not interested in the traditional fare, but I'm also not interested in the subversive cross stitch, oo look, we use curse words, kind of stuff. I like Miss Wooly's patterns, but would also like to find something more complicated. If I get really ambitious I'm going to look into making my own, I think there's free software for that. If so, I'm doing this album cover for Shawn. Anyone who wants to be my hero and make that into a chart and tell me how much of which colors I need to buy, feel free.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I don't really listen to much music on my own these days. I listen to podcasts and audiobooks mostly. But if you have something awesome you want to share, I can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I wear a lot of brown and black. Then I mix in some pale blues or pale pinks. I don't do electric colors. I'm more neutrals. I also like deep eggplant and lavender.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Shawn and I have a little menagerie - Parker Pug is 4, Mashti Pug is just 6 months old, and B Kitty is 2. We're also frequently visited by Thomas the frog/toad who likes to say hi to Mashti through the backyard sliding glass door, and Thomas the ancient Egyptian evil god/scarab, who likes to visit throughout the house, including the bathroom, the guest bedroom, and under my pillow at night when the lights are out, where he likes to pretend to be B and scratch at my hand. Why yes, I did scream and jump out of the bed.   

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Not so much.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I like things that are simple and that I can work on without requiring too much attention, stuff that is easy to pack up and take places and start and stop and pick up again. I like to make myself cardigans.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Drunken Argyle for my dad. The opposite of everything I just said above. But I really wanted to make that pattern. And I need to get cracking on it! I promised I'd have it done by this Christmas. (Which would be 2 years after I started it - life got the better of me for a while...)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes! I especially like small letterpress items.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I make just about everything on circulars from my Denise kit, unless it’s for something particularly narrow, like a scarf, or if it requires double points. I haven’t learned the magic circle yet, but I kinda like double points. I really like having the project hang out in the middle of the circulars, it’s much easier on your hands and wrists than straights for a bulky project. In terms of gifts though, I have the Denise kit, so I don’t need any circulars size 5 or above.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

No, but I covet them!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Let's not count my afghan from '97, because I've fully abandoned that, so we'll say Drunken Argyle.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Thanksgiving. I get to be with my family for a long dinner, our favorite shows (Doctor Who and Star Trek), dessert, coffee and lots of conversation. Plus, my mom makes the whole spread vegan (excluding the turkey for her and Dad). It’s so nice to have such a food centered holiday totally revamped to be full of delicious things for me. I love my family!

19. Is there anything that you collect?

I actually collect super bouncy balls. Like the ones from quarter machines.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Any of the books in my amazon wish list. Yarns I linked to in the first question. Needles, I'm set. Patterns: "Ram's Horn Jacket" from Knitting Nature, Sweet Mary Jane, Sizzle. I subscribe to Craft and Adorn. Edited to add - I can't find my Chibi or yarn needles anywhere, so any cute little holder and some more needles would be cool too. ETA2 - My dog ate my row counter and I broke my retractable measuring tape, so those would be good things too.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Duplicate stitching, magic circle for socks, woodworking. :)

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Nope. Size 10/11 womens.

23. When is your birthday?

July 13th.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

Yep! Ellie