Ahhhh.

Work is done for the time being.  That particular project took a bit out of me, so I’m looking forward to, at least, a week of sewing.  I have some projects I’d like to work on, in particular, an Irish Chain quilt I’ve had sitting whole cloth on my sewing table.

While I was working, my coworker brought up the topic of cat toys.  And how you never see a toy with the face of an angry dog.   Grrrr!  And how it would be funny, because the cat could take it’s revenge out on the neighborhood dog on a toy made in it’s likeness.  As the conversation went on I found myself volunteering to make a cat toy for his kitty.  Well. . . toy makers out there I salute you!! I started to make the darn thing last night, and ended with me on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, laughing.  I invite you to laugh as well.  (Note: the seam ripper in the background)

 

 

I think it’s just the small scale of it. Trying to turn the little paws inside out, and keeping the sewing straight.  I found myself hunched over, sweating profusely. So comical.  I have a toy pattern and fabric I bought from Crafty Planet, which I will try to attack today or tomorrow.  If I start from a pattern I might have a better chance at making something that resembles an angry dog. Grrrr!

On Pause

A bit insane with work right now.  So no time for crafting or blogging.  Barely updating my photo-a-day thingy.  But I’ve received a commision for a plush toy due on Monday.  So this weekend is booked! See you soon!

Upcoming

This Saturday, June 9th, it’s World Wide Knit-in-Public Day.   No events listed for the Los Angeles area, which is a bit disappointing.  Guess I’ll hang a little while at the local coffee shoppee with some knitting or crochet.  Represent!!

 

 

 

Sunday, July 1st, Ghetto Gloss hosts their monthly Kraftworks craft fair in their parking lot.  I’m really disappointed that I haven’t made it to this event yet. It was last Sunday and I just couldn’t get there.  Lame.

 

 

Sunday, July 15th, is Felt Club!  Wooo!  I made it to the last one and was a bit overwhelmed at the attendence and the crush of people.  Really overcrowded, which is exciting to see (!), but a bit off-putting when you want to spend more than a minute looking at the vendor’s handmade crafts.  Hopefully this new venue will provide a bit more elbow room.

 

 

Happy Hump Day!

 

Dust Cover

Haven’t been spending as much time with my sewing machine as I would like. Been a little preoccupied with the yarn arts. My machine is feeling a little neglected, so I made her a dress to wear when I’m not using her. Really simple! I made some measurements and used super firm fusible interfacing on the sides to help it stand up. The Amy Butler fabric I scored at the Road to California quilt show back in January. I want to add some trim to fancy it up a little bit, but for right now it works and she feels pretty. Awww. . . I miss my little Swiss Miss.

A post will be forthcoming about the pile of granny squares sitting behind my machine. Or as I call it when I see it, ‘The Pile of Ugh.’

Photo-a-Day is coming along. (Wooo! Three days!) But there is a slight learning curve. For example, yesterday I went to the farmers market and Ikea and saw my brother and his new car. Didn’t take pictures of any of those things. Just forgot. So I took a picture of the dahlias I bought at the farmer’s market. The deepest red I’ve seen. Really beautiful. Also, I’m not the most fantastic photographer around. My wonderful cousin Sabreena seems to have gotten that DNA. Part of the experiment is to improve my photography skills. We’ll see how that goes.

And I was doing so well. . .

Minor set-back last weekend. . . unnecessary yarn purchase.  (Is there an abbreviation for that: UnYP perhaps?)  My laundromat is located next to a little area I call Tujunga Village.   It’s a block long series of shops that range from ice cream parlor to massage parlor to  ‘older woman clothes’ and a tiny tiny yarn shop.  It used to be called Yarn Garden, and is now called The Pink Porch.  It’s small and whenever I get the nerve to go in (usually when the clothes are in the dryer), there are always a couple of ladies sitting at the table working on projects.  I tend to get intimidated going into places like this.  Not because the people are unfriendly, quite the opposite!  But I am a buyer-from-guilt.  I buy because I am afraid of being judged if I don’t.  The store is sooo small, I feel that if I don’t buy something I am a bad person for not supporting such a great establishment and the people there won’t like me.  That’s the only explanation I can find for blindly grabbing something that looks appealing without properly planning out what I’m going to be using it for.  And now that I’ve written that out, that is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard.  But it’s true.  And awkward.

So I bought four skeins (rolls?) of yarn.  I have NO idea what I’m going to use it for.  I think one scarf for the spring and a cozy for my cell phone and another for my camera.  It’s cotten with a tiny bit of wool. If the picture makes you dizzy, like it does to me, I apologize in advance.

In other news, I am going to attempt a picture-a-day until the end of the year.  It’s something I wanted to start at the first of the year, and you can see how well that turned out.  But I figure six months will be a good experiment in commitment.  I’m laughing already.  I can hardly commit to a blog, a picture a day will be a true test.  Well, check out my sidebar in the next couple of days after I figure out how to get my Flickr site up.