ARDIRI

With a Little Help from My Friends...

Today, after sewing up nine more blankets, my tired and angry sewing machine decided to go on strike!  Despite all my mechanical machinations in an attempt to divert it's strike, the sewing machine saw through my cunning plot to repair it and return it to its former status as a sweatshop slave.  So I have 12 blankies all pinned-up and ready to be sewn and no machine to sew them with (and I am not likely to get my sewing machine fixed for a few months, at the very least, due to costs) and thus I am asking for a little help from my friends!

Friend(s):  "Will you please help me sew up these last 12 blankies for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive?"

All you have to do is sew them up and trim the edges.  It'll be easy-peasy (if your sewing machine isn't on strike!).  You would just have to do steps 3-6 of my tutorial (which are SUPER EASY STEPS!).  I'll mail them to you and take care of the shipping back here to California or we could just donate them to a shelter near you.

Email me if you want to take any or all of the blankies to finish them up.  Muchos thanks in advance!

Crafty Book(s) Review

I've been (nearly) dying to check out some of the latest books on knitting and the like.  Thus, after class last night, I trekked over to the Borders near SF State to have a lookie-loo.

Here's some of what I saw:

1.  Stefanie Japel's (of Glampyre Knits) book Fitted Knits:

• Totally love the Boatneck Bluebell Sweater (esp. since it uses Cascade 220 Tweed (decently cheap; perhaps regular Cascade 220--even cheaper!--could be substituted?)
• Utterly, completely, head-over-heels in love with the Textured Tunic with Side Buttons.  MUST MAKE!  I will be following the KAL to see if anyone has a cheap yarn substitution.
• I like the Keyhole Neck Blouse with Eyelet Details, but I am not so sure it would fit my chesty-chest dimensions :>(
• [Edited to add: I got this book!  I got a gift certificate a while back for Barnes and Nobles' Online store from my Sockret Pal and finally decided to use it to get this book!  Hello, Textured Tunic with Side Buttons!  You and I are going to be buddies!)]

2.  Vogue Knitting Magazine Spring/Summer edition: BLEGH!  Not a single thing of interest.

3.  Lotta Jansotter's Simple Sewing: I love some of the patterns in this book and I especially love that they are geared to the less experienced seamstress.

Quick-Sew Blankie Tutorial

1. Cut out two pieces of fabric in the same size --say 17.5X17.5 inches (making sure that it is at least an inch and a half wider around all borders; so if you want to make a 16X16 blanket, cut out squares that measure 17.5X17.5).   Also cut out one piece of machine washable and dryable batting to the size of 17.5X17.5 inches. 

2. Pin together the three cut pieces.  The batting should be in the middle and the two patterned fabrics should be facing away from each other.

3. Sew the three pieces together with a hem of about inch all around. 
4.  Pull the two patterned pieces away from each other and cut out the batting right along the edge of the seam (so no doggie or kitty can munch on it).

5.  Place the patterned pieces together again and use pinking shears to trim around the edges so they are less likely to unravel.

6. And...voila! You have a quick-sew kitty or doggie blankie!

For gifts, I will add a satin ribbon trim around the edges.  However, I usually only do that for doggies since kitties have super-sharp claws that will shred the satin ribbon.

P.S. Thanks to B. for the fabric donation which is featured in this tutorial.

ProcrastiSEW!

Perhaps another reason I delayed pulling out the sewing machine is that once it's out, it's hard to resist!  I procrasti-sewed last night for around an hour--cutting material, pinning together, futzing with thread and bobbins, sew-sew-sewing (or rather, so-so-sewing since I'm not the most talented seamstress)--rather than plugging more brain matter into my group project.  Nevertheless, it made for a good transition hour between work and trying to figure stuff out for the project AND it resulted in 4 more blankies for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive!

1 rectangle is made of this patterned fabric: (Mamoko--unfortunately--believes that I made this blankie for him and not for a shelter kitty or pup!):

and 3 rectangles of this patterned fabric:

Blankies for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive

I finally found an hour (more or less) last night to make some blankies for Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive.  I've been sort of freaking out lately about massive projects that are due for my grad school classes and so have been avoiding pulling out the sewing machine (add to that the fact that I was uber-sick for way too long).  But last night, after a day in Jack London Square in Oakland of super-productive work with my project partners (whom I LOVE so much; they rock!) on our major project due this Tuesday, I felt comfortable in letting things go for an hour and pulling out the sewing machine (which, for me, means making a big mess!).  Here is one of the four blankies I made, each ranging in size from 16X22 inches to 23X23 inches:

(Clearly this is not a perfect rectangle, but that's one of the things I love about making things for animals--they don't care if it's "Martha Stewart Perfect"!)

Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive

During this last year, starting with Rebekah's (of Knit Knack) Basil and Abner Critter Charity Drive, and moving on to Save the Children’s Caps to the Capital, the Red Scarf Project, and Sheila’s Shawls, I have learned what a joyous process it can be to knit for charity drives. It allows me to feel not so darn selfish when I consider all the things I knit for myself. I also like the fact—especially in the case of infants, dogs, and cats—that the recipients aren’t going to complain that the colors aren’t just right or it isn’t the exact style/pattern/yarn material they wanted. Basically knitting for anonymous-others allows me to spend time doing what I love—knitting, of course—and sending a bit of love and hope to the recipient. What more could a knitter ask for? 

When my dear Cyrano passed away in October, I was consumed with the loss of my beloved cat. He was found abandoned as a kitty in some grape fields by my then-boyfriend’s father, and eventually became my dear kitty-cat after a play-date with my other cat, Zoe. Cyrano was a cat who insisted upon sitting upon my lap while I wrote papers or read blogs. The cat who—almost every night—laid his head upon my shoulder to go to sleep alongside me (except in the rare case he would sleep on my love-dove’s John’s side of the bed), the cat who—with never a complaint—allowed me to pretend he was a weight (17.5 lbs!) that I could bench press while I lay on my back on the floor. Cyrano was the cat who really thought his role in life was to simply be affectionate, and whom I loved so, so, so very much with every bit of my soul.  In honor of the ten wonderful years my beloved Cyrano shared with me, I am starting an animal shelter drive to support the local bay area animal shelters. Thus I announce:

Cyrano’s Creature Comforts Drive

• Similar to Rebekah's Basil & Abner's Critter Charity Drive, I will be looking for donations of cat/dog/rabbit handmade blankets in the following sizes: 14x14, 24x24, and 36X36 inches.  They can be knit, crocheted, quilted, or machine-sewn.  They just have to be machine washable and dryable and handmade (to earn points for prizes!).
• The creatures in the shelters would also appreciate some toys--in this case, I will accept both store bought and handmade toys.  (Of course, there is always more prize points for handmade items!)
• I will be donating to the following shelters that accept Snuggles Blankets: the Antioch Animal Shelter, Berkeley Animal Care Services, East Bay SPCA, and the Marin Humane Society.
• If you run out of ideas for blanket patterns, the Snuggles website has plenty.
• I will be donating as much as I can possibly afford of my own handpainted yarn and will also be culling beautiful, untouched yarn from my stash to supplement the prize list.  But, I am only one person and would love/appreciate for anyone who can to assist in building up the prize list by donating yarn (handpainted/dyed or store-bought), needles, stitch-markers, needle-cases, gift certificates, etc., really whatever you can that is related to knitting (or even sewing and quilting!)  {Edited to add: Lain--yes that Lain, star of the scrapbooking world--will be donating a hand-decorated knitting journal, handmade beaded stitch markers, and a few skeins of yarn.  You rock, Lain!}
•  Points for prizes will be as follows: 10 points for cat/dog beds, 7 points for cat/dog/rabbit mats, 2 points for toys.  Points equals the number of times your name goes into the drawing for prizes.
• Oh! and when you send something in to me, I will photograph it and place it in a weekly post on my blog with a link to your blog so people can come and visit you.
• When you are ready to send something in, email me and I will provide you the mailing address.  Please send by USPS as it is the best way for me to get packages.
• The drive begins today, Wednesday January 24th and ends on Friday, April 13th.  02/27/07-EDITED TO ADD: Cyrano's Creature Comforts Drive Deadline has been extended to June 2nd!!!
• And Please, please-oh-please, write about this on your blog, tell your friends, your knitting/quilting/sewing group, your grandma/pa, your neighbor, your barista, even your mailperson about this drive  so we can collect as many beds, blankets, and toys as possible to donate some love and hope to these animals who are in desperate need of homes. 

One Christmas Present Down and Less Than a Week Left to Finish!

Inspired by the imperfect* "points" (or at least that's what I remember them being called from the quarter of a class I took on quilting) of the quilts at the Gees Bend exhibit at the De Young Museum that B. and I visited yesterday, I created the following pillowcase for my parents' Christmas present.  They really are interested in far East culture and art so an antique-y Geisha reproduction pattern will float their boat. 

*N.B. I am working on trying not to be a perfectionist.   It has been a goal since at least age eighteen--I turned 31! on Friday BTW--and more so of a serious one during this last semester.  I gave up on the the quilting class because the teacher insisted that our points be perfect and I took the class inspired by the quilts of the women of Gees Bend, the work of Denise Schmidt, and Amy Butler--each of which seems a little more chill about approaching quilting.  Life is short, quilting/sewing should be enjoyable--otherwise I won't do it.

And now the secret of Mamoko's wild and crazy kitten energy has been revealed:

P.S. No kitty was harmed in the taking of this picture; i.e. Mamoko did not drink the Tab.

Mamoko's First Bath & My Winter Break Plans

I'm sorry--I can't resist posting a picture of little kitten Mamoko getting a bath {Edited to add: This is a picture from when Mamoko was probably about a month old or less!  He was born in at the beginning of September and has grown A LOT since this picture!}.  I got it from his foster parents and I find it too funny and adorable all at once.  And, yes, I realize that I have been quite the crazy cat lady lately.  There just hasn't been much knitting to show since I've been super busy with school.  But school is out and I only have one school-related goal to achieve over the break: my 10-12 page thesis prospectus.  Other than that, I am going to gorge myself on dvds, listening to NPR, and hopefully soon I will finally reach the top of the waiting list (which I've been on since June!) at my local library for the audio book version of Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.  All of the previously listed things will enable me to knit like a mad knitting woman and act not-so-much like a crazy cat lady.  Yay for that, right?! 

Also on the list of things to do over the winter break--till January 24th, Rock On!

1. Sew up Christmas gifts like a maniac during this week before Christmas.
2. Dye Yarn, YAY!
3. Finish up season one of Veronica Mars--which I've watched chronologically backwards; i.e. season 2 first, then season 1.  Veronica Mars happens to be an amazingly well-done TV show, especially for folks like me who love a good detective story and happened to be a big fan of Nancy Drew.  However, it must be noted that Veronica is is a million times cooler than Nancy and her daddy doesn't always get her a new powder blue convertible each time she wrecks it.
4. Read books for fun--not for school.
5. Breathe.
6. Try to take up the Slrog--that is, running--again.  Sort of fell to the wayside when Cyrano passed accompanied by the increase in cold weather and shorter days.
7. Substitute every single possible day I can during the month of January--without losing my mind or taking to downing shots of vodka (or rather Port or good wine) every day after school!

My Christmas Resolutions

Although one traditionally creates New Year's Resolutions, I've decided that I should create some Christmas Resolutions as Christmas has become--for so many of us--an over-stressed, got to get/make the perfect present, send out a million cards, eat loads of food, etc. time of the year.  I decided about ten years ago to try and avoid that sort of take on Christmas, thus I will post my very first annual Christmas resolutions (which like New Year's Resolutions can change according to the demands of the specific year):

1. I will not be making any knitted gifts.  Knitting Christmas gifts takes toooooooo much time and they each turn out to be the stressful, unenjoyable sort of knitting project I generally try to avoid.  Thus, knitted gifts belong to the domain of Birthday Gifts which are spread all throughout the year.  And if I ever have any friends who go and produce little babies, I shall make baby gifts.  But NO Christmas Knitted gifts.
2. If I decided to craft Christmas gifts, I shall pull out either the sewing machine or the beading materials.
3. I shall not send out Christmas cards.  Rather, I shall continue the tradition I attempted--but did not fully fulfill--of sending out Chinese New Year cards.  No, I am not Chinese, but I like their cards and the sentiments they convey.  Or I'll send out plain old American/European Calendar-based New Year's cards.  Perhaps I will break the Hallmark-marketing/Capitalism tradition and attempt to make my own cards?

Book Lust

I WANT this book so bad!

So, so, so many excellent, wondermous patterns inside (although, I have to admit I am not fond of the pillows on the cover!).

This book is also AMAZING:

The Art of Knitting: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces
By Francoise Tellier-Loumagne

This book has a few cute design ideas--but not enough to warrant the purchase: