so cute it hurts

I snuck this in so people would be forced to take in the utter, um, "proshness" (I can't believe I just typed that) of this picture, courtesy of my daily dose of wonderful, Cute Overload. It's knit, it's a kitten, it's a marmalade kitten, and it is wearing the knitting. AND it has holes where the kitten ears go. I just give up.

procrastination nation

I know this blog reads like a redux of Craftzine's blog, only three days later. So sad! I try to keep up with it, and I keep meaning to e-mail the Web sites I troll and try to exchange links or whatever it is people do nowadays, but I usually only spend time blogging at work. Like you don't!

I have started a new knitting project. The crochet blanket is still underway (18? 19? stripes), and I am attempting my first socks with some lovely sock yarn from Sweeden. I will never give my roommate a sweater, in keeping with old wive's tale tradition, but what's the harm in some socks for Valentine's Day? I figure they will be so malformed (as it is my first attempt) that it's hardly much of a gift.

A sweater for me, now that's another story. I generally look bad in sweaters that are boxy and bulky but my skill level is nowhere near knitting a fitted one. But this, this doesn't look bad at all.

I am this far along: I realized I might have to get some bigger needles, so threw it on a 29-inch circular. This will mark my first attempt at a large-scale project as well. I have a sinking fear the gauge is all wrong, but I can always give it to a narrow-shouldered friend.

material of a thousand uses

I have another problem. It's called vintage kitchenware on eBay.

I am now the proud owner of a smattering of Fire King pieces and this beauty, a vintage (70s is vintage now, yes) Sunbeam 12-speed Mixmaster.
It all started so innocently.

Like everything else that is wrong with this world, I started looking on eBay for spoons. Me and the roommate (like nails on a blackboard, Katy?) have one spoon between the two of us. We had soup the other day and he kindly let me use it while he managed with a soup ladle. But he suggested I try eBay for a set, and since I got paid that day I thought why the hell not. A flurry of bidding later, I had a mixer, some bowls, and no spoons.

I have yet to use the mixer, but it is so damn pretty I don't care. The ("peach lustre," for all you lovers of kitchen porn) loaf pan made a terribly uneven banana bread, so I think I will be sticking to my clear Pyrex from now on. It is nice to look at, though!

I started to see something called Bakelite showing up in the vintage category. What was this marvel of physics and plastics, exactly? To Wikipedia!. It turns out it has a thousand uses, including handles for flatware. I was drawn in by the color, the tantalizing pictures, the - dare I say - tackiness of it all. I never once cared about what my forks were made of. I endlessly mocked a friend's boyfriend for buying a state-of-the-art titanium spork for camping trips. And here I am, debating "butterscotch or jade."

When the bidding reached $50, I knew I was in over my head. This is not why I am on eBay - I could buy a brand new set for cheaper than this, or just go to Junk in Williamsburg and buy 10 spoons for a dollar. Isn't that where this all started? I could understand if this was an ultra rare silver service set, but plastic?

Needless to say, we are still sharing one spoon. And wouldn't you know - tonight is soup night!

sewing 101

Hello. My name is Jill and I only found out the tension on my sewing machine was disgustingly low last night. I have owned my machine for almost a year.

I own a very rudimentary model – Singer 1507
– since all I wanted was to learn how to sew. And, a year later, I can safely say that sewing is HARD! Math is easy, if you just listen to the teacher and commit the formulas to memory (another thing I learned too late). But sewing… is really, like, hard.

I never even had the option to take home economics in school, even though my tough-as-nails 15-year-old self would never have elected to take it. The wifely arts and Home Ec were phased out in favor of things like “Robotics” and “Computers.” Keep in mind this was early 90s computing, in a NYC public school, so it was something like Oregon Trail on an Apple IIe. And don’t even get me started on Robotics, which consisted of creating a hydrolic arm out of wood and syringes. There was no actual metal or electricity involved, no. But I digress, per usual.

So last night, instead of watching the Golden Globes like everyone else in my office (I heard Jennifer Hudson’s speech was “from the heart,”) I tried to construct the skirt I had cut pieces out for a few days earlier. Half out of necessity, since I can’t afford to go clothes shopping until the spring, and half to finally learn how to work from a pattern. And I want to preface this by saying I do not own a tracing wheel.

I got as far as the back seam, which, yes, was the first instruction. Then it came to basting the zipper on. I used the absolutely brilliant Twelve22.org zipper tutorial to learn how to do it in the first place (I had no idea there was such a thing as a zipper foot!), but this was different as I would soon find out. I was instructed to loosen the tension on the machine. I needed the 1570 manual, eHow.com, and the patterns instruction to tell me that those two dials? On the top of the machine? With the numbers? Those are there for a reason. First I learned which one was stitch length, and then I learned the other was something I now forget. But I set that dial to the longest stitch, and then it was time to adjust the bobbin tension. I had seen the screw before, but I just figured it was all set when I bought it. eHow had a very informative test to determine how loose is your tension. You held the bobbin case up by the thread and see how far down it drops. Well, mine hit the floor. At least I was ready to baste!

I ended up doing a pretty crap job of the zipper, and then I realized I don’t even have any way to eyeball the darts, so I ripped what I had done so far out and plan to start anew this evening. Today it is back to Rag Shop, for a tracing wheel. Thank goodness for a 40% coupon.

I am thinking it might be worth it to take a class, or at least buy one of those "learn with photos" Singer books.

progress

I am feeling more myself (while some people would argue my self is more surly than sweet, I beg to differ) and I think it is due in part to getting my hands on some sewing again. It seems infinitely harder than knitting for me in many respects, which just make me want to master it all the more.

This is a bag I started working on since my regular one has been dirtied and frayed to shreds and people stare at me and the look on their faces is something like, "How is she homeless? She certainly looks like she gets enough to eat."

Here is the famous Bella Dia afghan. I just like calling it an afghan but it's not much of anything yet. I'm 13 rows in and I have to stop taking it on the subway with me. It's about 6 feet long and you want to talk about funny looks? I estimate I will be done sometime in late 2009.

This is why I will be done in 2009 - I have no shelving!!! It is funny, my craft room was the first room in the place to be painted and finished and it looks like it will be the last to get organized. Between me and the roommate, we have about 300 books, and all my bookcases/shelves went to the greater cause. I keep meaning to build my own but then I think about staining and sanding and sawing and I get tired and need to take a nap. Look closely at the mess and you will notice at least four bags/baskets/hatboxes of yarn, two out of three bins of fabric, my Uncle John, and assorted crap. Like the yoga mat paced conveniently out of reach in the corner.

This picture is just what is to the right of the prior mound of crap, to give you perspective (and allow you to marvel at the orange walls. They are not peach. One day, I will paint that horse paint-by-numbers set.

And last, but certainly not least, here is Seamus, looking forlorn, if not haute, in his smart off-the-shoulder (who knew dogs had shoulders?) sweater, courtesy of Kathryn. And that is the kitchen. Bright, no?

apologies

I feel terrible that I whined so bad in my last post. I have nothing to complain about in the grand scheme of things. I have my health and a dumb puppy who is FINALLY (fingers crossed) flea-free, and a wonderful roommate to share the great new place with. Of course it worked out, for all my fretting and passive-aggressive anger at any and everyone in my way, and we're moved in and happy and colorful.

There are a million things to do but the Internet goes in tomorrow and tonight I may finally get to my office/craftroom, which I painted a fun light/bright orange. I am afraid it looks too peach now, but I am assured it is indeed VERY ORANGE.

Back to crafting news, of which there has been none because all my things are/were in boxes, I did manage to dig out enough yarns to start a new project.

I want to make note that your typical 99¢ store is a magical, wondrous place for cheap acrylic yarn. Sometimes they even have nice baby soft yarns instead of the itchy usual stuff, but cheap and cheerful works for me, since I am undertaking the biggest project yet:
Bella Dia's Vintage Vertical Stripe Crocheted Blanket.
I admit it, it was the colors here that got me hooked (yuk, yuk) on the idea, though perhaps once I started working on it I realized I have a very drab yarn collection. This didn't stop me, of course, and now I just have another reason to go back to 99¢ Dreams on 5th avenue to find some yellows and white. I am 8 rows in and not bored yet.

Apparently there were/are a lot of crotcheters in the family, great aunts and third cousins and the like, and I was the recipient of some interesting blankets as a baby. I remember seeing them as I got older and my mother put them away lest they be cut up into a million little pieces as I was wont to do with anything of value as a child. But I got excited at the thought that I will make an heirloom, and if I get good enough at it, I can make them for other people as well. Those blankets were a huge comfort to me, my mom, and the thought of doing the same is extremely gratifying.