No, that doesn’t mean I was hammered while making it. Drunk knitting? No problem. Drunk metalsmithing with blowtorches and sharp tools? Definitely not. 🙂 You may have seen my posts about the wax casting classes I took at Jewel Envy. I enjoyed them so much I signed up for a jewelry fabrication workshop. Here’s the difference: in casting, we learned how to carve things like … Continue reading Jewelry Fabrication Class: the hammered band ring
Around this time last year I was on vacation in Iceland. It’s one of the few places I’ve been where I decided I had to come back, and soon, as soon as I returned home. What an amazing country! It’s remote, sparsely populated, has incredible landscapes and seascapes, good food, and it’s easy to get around. Everywhere you go, there is yet another unusual vista, … Continue reading Iceland: Knit Inspiration
Who gets a cold in summer? Me! That’s who! So as I’ve been dragging my ass around the house for the last couple of days, I thought I’d better try doing something productive other than napping and sipping tea. Hence the twig necklace. I’m sure my husband would much rather I went to get groceries to replenish our empty cupboards instead. But I’ll contemplate that during … Continue reading Twig Necklace
I had some fun the last couple of days putting together a basic tote bag for my niece (by request from her). It came out pretty big; I’m hoping it’s not too big for her 11-year-old frame. Because to make it the right size would have required me to actually plan out its finished size and then, um, MEASURE the damn pieces, which always just … Continue reading The Crooked Pocket Tote Bag Conundrum
Growing up, I had a friend who was very particular about how she dressed. She was very detail oriented, was hyper-aware of appearances, and was generally perfect and pristine. I admired her style but often I had to fight an instinct to rub dirt on her. I feel the same way about Pinterest. I love Pinterest as a tool for bookmarking and organizing ideas and … Continue reading GFY, Pinterest
I have ‘crazes’, as my husband calls them. I get interested in something and become completely obsessed about it until it no longer interests me. Knitting became a craze for me in 2009 or so, and it’s actually stuck, long past most of my best before craze dates. So because I had to have something on my knitting needles ALL. THE. TIME., I naturally included … Continue reading Summer Knitting: yea or nay?
Have you seen the hot mess that is the Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2013 edition? I’m usually happy to buy a download of Vogue Knitting without having first eyeballed the patterns before parting with my cash — usually there are some great patterns and it’s certainly worth a few dollars. But I have three words for you about this issue (or, ok, a few phrases … Continue reading Hey Vogue Knitting, I want my 5 bucks back
This amazing vintage pattern just arrived in my mailbox, and when I find the right fabric I’m going to sew the shit out of it! Props & gratitude to Colleen from Proctor Creations on Etsy, as not only did she wrap this up in the cutest package, AND enclose a lovely thank you card that was made from what appears to be an original photograph … Continue reading 60’s Revival: mod dress & fabrics
This may be the most flattering dress I’ve worn in a long time. It’s from the downloadable Burda pattern #122A and, as Clio on her Clio & Phineas blog put it, has “mystical bum enhancing properties”. Definite agree on that one! I wore it last week to my students’ convocation ceremony and got a ton of compliments on it. Don’t you love being able to … Continue reading Paneled Sheath Dress: sewing success!
My 11-year-old niece, who lives in Beijing, came for a sleep-over visit yesterday. She and I are like two peas in a pod: both really into creative, crafty things. She dutifully said “that’s cool!” and “awesome!” to all the handmade stuff I showed her (knitting, jewelry, sewing), and we spent time making bracelets and necklaces together. I suggested that we could sew a bag for … Continue reading Tote Bag by Request
Frivolous At Last 