Craftyminx

Playing catch-up...

I've been uber busy with no time to sit and blog. I've definitely wanted to, believe me. First off...

Bri's Shower
It was on Saturday and it went really well! My mom and I made the cake.

Mom is a cake decorator. She made a white cake with strawberry filling and I decorated it with the fondant. We had a lot of fun trying to mix the colors while wearing gloves because I was fighting off purple hands.

Bri loved the crepe paper crown and veil (a last minute addition-- I just couldn't stand the ribbons alone).

See-- two thumbs up!
I love knitting for my friends. They always appreciate it and they always know what effort went into it because they are around to see how long I've been knitting on it. I'm not super big on surprises.

Ok now random fun stuff...
I made a super cool purchase last night!

It was right next to the cash registers at Target. I've wanted a SD card for my camera since I got it for Christmas, but I've just been too broke and they've been too expensive. I had actually been looking at the 2 gig ones for video purposes. That can wait though, because you can't beat 10 bucks with a stick! With the settings I am currently using I hold 959 pics! I'm probably going to up the configurations though. I had them lower to hold more on the camera memory.

I got a sewing machine!!!!

I know I have blogged previously about not being a fan of sewing, but the fact is I do sew occasionally. Now that my mom is leaving and taking her three (yes 3) sewing machines with her, she bought me my very own. Isn't she awesome?! She said her first sewing machine was her first appliance when her and my dad got married so she wanted me to have one. She also added that she hopes that I would one day have the love for sewing that she has. Maybe one day mom...
I told myself I couldn't open it until after the wedding. I'm still knitting on the shawl and that would be unfair. So there will be more pictures after the 18th, I promise.

Labels: knitting, life, parties

Announcement !

I received this from my friend awhile ago, but I forgot to post it. I'm not sure if table space is still available, but at least come check it out! I'll be there. That's enough reason right? haha

OKLAHOMAPUNKSCENE.COM 5TH GARAGE SALE/SHOW & BIRTHDAY PARTY

Oklahomapunkscene.com is proud to announce the all-local lineup of the upcoming 5th garage sale/show and birthday party for the webzine. Set for Saturday, April 21st from 3:00 p.m. until midnight, the Conservatory has again generously offered to host the event. (The Conservatory is located at 8911 N. Western in Oklahoma City, http://www.conservatoryokc.com.) Doors open and the sale starts at 3:00 p.m., with the first band taking the stage at 4:00.

Admission is free. The bar will be open for those 21 years of age and older. Free table space is also available. Items for sale at past events have included records, clothing, artwork, collectibles, buttons, musical instruments, and other assorted items. Send an e-mail to Barb at spano25@hotmail or Jenny at [email protected] to reserve table space.

The diverse lineup of local bands who are donating their time and talent includes:

The R.I.P. Tides
(no website)

Los Hijos del Diablos
http://www.myspace.com/loshijosdeldiablos

Stevedore (Hard Work Records, Tulsa)
http://www.myspace.com/stevedore

Klipspringer
http://www.myspace.com/klipspringer

I Resign
http://www.myspace.com/iresign

Crocodile
http://www.myspace.com/crocodilemusic

Son of Sam Walton
http://www.myspace.com/sonofsamwalton

Drunk on Sunday
http://www.myspace.com/drunkonsunday

CONTACT:
Barb Hendrickson
Editor, oklahomapunkscene.com
[email protected]
http://www.myspace.com/oklahomapunkscene

Oklahomapunkscene.com was founded in the summer of 2002 by Brian McBride and Barb Hendrickson as a service for local musicians and music supporters of wide-ranging genres. The webzine is published on a quasi-quarterly basis, with a featured band in each issue, spotlighting some of the state's best local talent.

Book Meme

Again from Lick my Sticks...

In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of. (I would recommend filling it out in a word processing program)

1. +The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) 2. +Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) 3. +To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) 4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) 5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) 6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien) 7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) 8. +Anne of Green Gables (L. M. Montgomery) 9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) 10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) 11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) 12. +Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) 13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) 14. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) 15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) 16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling) 17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald) 18. The Stand (Stephen King) 19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling) 20. +Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) 21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien) 22. +The Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger) 23. +Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) 24. +The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) 25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) 26. The Hitch hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) 27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) 28. +The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) 29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) 30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) 31. Dune (Frank Herbert) 32. +The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) 33. *Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) 34. 1984 (Orwell) 35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) 36. *The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) 37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay) 38. *I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) 39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant) 40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) 41. *The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) 42. *The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) 43. +Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella) 44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) 45. + Bible 46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) 47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) 48. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) 50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb) 51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) 52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) 53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card) 54. +Great Expectations (Dickens) 55. +The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) 56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence) 57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) 58. *The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) 59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood) 60. *The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger) 61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) 62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) 63. War and Peace (Tolstoy) 64. +Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice) 65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis) 66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) 67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares) 68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) 69. +Les Miserables (Hugo) 70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) 71. +Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) 72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) 73. *Shogun (James Clavell) 74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) 75. +The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) 76. *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay) 77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith) 78. The World According To Garp (John Irving) 79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence) 80. +Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) 81. *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley) 82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) 83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) 84. *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind) 85. Emma (Jane Austen) 86. *Watership Down (Richard Adams) 87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) 88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields) 89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago) 90. *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer) 91. *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje) 92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) 93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck) 94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd) 95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) 96. The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton) 97. +White Oleander (Janet Fitch) 98.* A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford) 99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield) 100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Labels: meme

From the library bookshelf ...

Since I work in a library, I thought it might be appropriate to do some craft book reviews. I'm a technical processor so I get to see all the books before they are shipped off to their new homes. Its wonderful! Especially when the selectors are buying lots of craft books. They're in their knitting book buying mode right now. This book came across my desk and I just had to give it a review.

"Kids Learn to Knit" by Lucinda Guy and Francois Hall is one of the first Kid's knitting books that I have found to be perfect for young ages. It is full of illustrations and fun characters that Children will love learning from. Mice, Peg and Pip lead the instruction while Bob the wolf learns along with you.

The directions are written out in big font and easy words. Its even great for new readers with some help from mom or dad. All of the patterns are written in graph form as well, something kids are used to seeing in school. It also teaches appropriate knitting terminology by highlighting key vocab words -- another tool children are used to seeing in school textbooks.

Half of the book is filled with illustrations of simple to follow instructions for getting started and knitting. There are also six projects to help teach the basics: Knit stitch, Purl stitch, Stockinette, Color changing stripes, Increase and Decrease, Spool Knitting, and one that combines all the skills. Each project is also shown in variation of color and different amounts of stitches (of course with a new name for each), so they can easily be 5 projects if the child wants more to do. The projects are all small and perfect for kids. You won't see a beginner scarf here! Its really cute how they add buttons, felt, and stuffing to simple squares of knitted fabric to make a toy. Instant gratification for young knitters!

There is one drawback for me -- All of the projects are knit with DK weight yarn and size 6 needles. While every book says to start out with these, I have found it to be difficult for small hands to be able to hold the small long needles. Little hands prefer bigger tools. I always use my plastic size 19 needles (short and fat) and Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarn. They learn quickly, because everything is easy to hold and they can see what's happening better, and then can easily transfer to the smaller needles later. Of course the projects will work with whichever yarn and needles you want to use because gauge isn't a must. You would probably just have to increase the size of the felt cutouts.

My favorite project it Hooting Henry. I'll probably have to make one of these for my desk. He's too cute! This book is definitely one I'll recommend for years to come.

Labels: book review, knitting

I told you so...

Ok I've finally been able to sit still for a few minutes. Here's what I've been working on...

I've been trying to put together one of my best friend's personal shower for the past two weeks. Here are the invitations. Gold embossing powder is my new best friend. It was my first time to emboss and I thoroughly love it. hehe.

An FO! I've been working on this on and off for a month or so. It really hasn't taken me long, I just work on it for 5 minutes here and there.

Pattern: Crepe Paper Crown from "Alterknits"
Supplies: White crepe paper, Ribbons, buttons, seed beads
Needles: US #10.5 and N crochet hook to attach ribbon at bottom.
Started: 2-6-07
Finished: 3-1-07

And now the shawl...

I have half of it done, not counting the edging. I am pleased with it, but wish I would have worked harder on it a couple of weeks earlier. But I had grad school applications to complete and Kingdom Hearts to play. I haven't actually given this up to play the game, I guess. I can only knit lace when I'm in the perfect mood; not tired, not talking, and not paying attention to anything else. I can get a whole lot done on this in a setting if I can really concentrate on it. I'm not too worried. It will be done by the 16th, even if I have to work on it night and day.

Speaking of grad school, everything is in! I'm relieved to have actually gone through with it this time. I've had some time trying to convince myself to grow up and continue with a life plan. I hope I get in. Its a big step, but I'm ready.

Well I guess that's all. I have to go work on some other stuff for the shower. Oh everyone have a happy National Craft Month! Celebrate in style with your craft of choice.

Labels: card making, knitting

excuses...

I promise I'm crafting and have tons of stuff to share. But I'm tired and haven't been home much the past two weeks. Pictures will be coming I promise. I've finshed about half of the shawl. Its turning out pretty!

I've finished all of my grad school application stuff and Bri's shower is this weekend. Her wedding is this month as well. After all of this my life should be back to normal and I can possibly be back on a regular posting schedule.