A couple of new bags. The larger one with the wooden handle was made using Butterick # 3873. It turned out bigger and clumsier than I wanted so it will be a knitting bag. I decided to make another with the leftover fabric using Amy Butler's "Chelsea Bags" pattern. I am infatuated with dots these days. I haven't had time to do anything else lately, but I've got lots of stuff in the works. Just you wait and see!  

I stayed up late last night working on what I've been calling the "lost issue" of Eat Your Heart Out, Martha. Right now I am in the lay out stages and I expect to have it finished within the week. We'll see. In the meantime I have posted some pictures of the "fashion spread" on my website: Eat Your Heart Out, Martha!
I also posted the puppy t-shirt pattern I created, with instructions. I have a couple more completed bags, as well. Photos coming soon.  

Today I was the cupcake fairy. Red velvet with white chocolate icing and almonds. Total yum. 

Refurbished knitting bag. My picture taking skillz suck. 

The good, the bad, and the ugly:

+ Amy Sedaris on the cover of the new issue of Bust!!

- Bad, bad Tokyo for chewing up the phone cord and making me feel like an idiot for calling tech support.

+ Thank you to the sweet cashier boy for telling me I am "probably the coolest mom in the world." Probably is close enough for me.

- The results of putting a small dish of pasta in the microwave for 20 minutes. I meant to push in 3 minutes, not 30. I don't think my house will ever smell good again.

+ Nice letters in response to my S + L column. I guess people actually do read it.

What a good weekend.

Saturday morning I did some yardsaling. The first of the 2005 season! I did pretty well. I scored two nice black upholstered chairs with chrome swivel bases for $8 each that are perfect for the dining room, a two tier blonde side table that looks fab with the Ikea sofa for $4, a short round coffee table that I plan on refinishing for $5, a box of YuGiOh cards for my kid--$5--I know nothing about these but he said I got a really good deal, a swanky vintage black metal floor lamp for $2.50 and the record player you see here for $2.50. I am crazy about this thing. The pieces on the side are detachable speakers. I took a chance on it working since the seller knew nothing about it, but it did indeed work when I got it home.

I also went to an auction preview. I've been very curious about auctions and have resolved to start checking them out. It is like shopping as a competitive sport! So I went to the preview and while I didn't see anything I just had to have, there were a few interesting bits and I decided to go back to at least see the auction go down for future reference. So I reserved a couple of seats and then went home, curled up on the couch with Tokyo and passed out due to my efforts to eliminate my afternoon coffee intake. It's been hard, but I am now down to only 2 cups in the morning. Anyway, I didn't wake up in time to make it, but I will be trying again next weekend.

After waking up, my boyfriend and I made some badass homemade veggie pizza and had a candlelit dinner and a bottle of wine. I don't remember much after that.

Today I just kicked it around the house and got caught up on laundry and stuff. In defiance of living a healthier lifestyle, I had Ben & Jerry's ice cream for dinner. Rebellion tastes so fucking good.
 

Last night I drafted a t-shirt pattern for Tokyo. I have also crocheted a model sweater to use as a guide for making more and I'll probably post some of those when I finish them. I realize this might seem very silly to others, but he gets very cold in the evening and mornings.  

Paris Style

A darling little Japanese pattern book: French aprons! Oooo-la-la! See it on E-Bay 

Tokyo after some serious trimming. 

Which one of Candy's neighbors are you?

Which one of Candy's neighbors are you?

That quiz Marie and I made is still up! That was over two years ago!

My, how things change. Spastic Colon Girl moved but I often see her around town. I do everything I can to not make eye contact when this happens and pray pray pray that she doesn't talk to me. Pirate Man On the Corner also moved on, to places unknown. Ken the Landlord is still living there, being the most half assed handyman that ever lived. Okay, so that didn't change. But Sam the Nose Picker got married and they are having a baby in one week.

Damn it is hard to take a picture of a squirmy little puppy. Anyway, here is Tokyo. He is a fifteen week old toy poodle. Obviously he is in desperate need of a haircut. I love love love him to bits.  

Some of the fabric I picked up yesterday. 

I finally broke down and purchased a ball winder off E-Bay. I kept thinking maybe this knitting thing would pass, but since it hasn't and I am doing crochet now, a ball winder seems like a reasonable investment. I think my boyfriend will agree, since he is the one that always ends up untangling the terrible messes that I make. Today I hit up a few places around town and picked up fabric, fabric, fabric. And zippers, yarn, crochet hooks and a pattern for a shirt that I already made once but want to try again because it came out too big. I seem to be having a lot of trouble with that...patterns being too large. My spatial perception is not quite right or something?

I'll take some pics of the purty fabric tomorrow.

What I have planned or in the works:

- Operation Million Pillows. I am going to make so many pillows you won't even be able to see how lame my sectional looks.
- Asian Style Blouse: Take Two. This one needs to be about two sizes smaller.
- I learned that it is not kind to make hats for other boys and other boys alone. So I need to make a hat for my boyfriend.
- A match for the Turkish Slipper I made.
- I am going to make another newsboy hat. There are a few things I would like to do differently, and I am going to come up with a new starting sequence of stitches so that it will be an original pattern. Ideally I will write this down as I am doing it so that I can share it with others.
- I have a SECRET project in mind that will combine knitting and crochet.

I could dream up more, but that is enough for now.

I made these itty bitty stuffed animals last night. They are from a book of Japanese craft patterns that someone posted on Craftster. The dead bunny on the left is for my son, and the kitty with no face will be decoration on the gift I have for baby Mia. I put the pattern up at my sad little site, if anyone wants it: Eat Your Heart Out, Martha!  

I made this hat yesterday. It is a sort of puffy newsboy style hat. Initially I started using a pattern I found on the internet, but it came out weird and too big, so I ripped back and just made it up as I went along. I'm having a blast with this crochet stuff! It is so quick, and ripping back and starting over is no big deal at all. In the background you can see the couch I recovered and made pillows for. I'll have to take a picture of the whole thing sometime.