KNIT OR GET OFF THE POT!

I Am A Robot

2011-06-28T00:05:00.003-05:00

So, one of the crazy things that happened in the last year was Max’s 4th birthday party. I figured it was about time that I threw the kid a birthday party now that we were in an actual house that could hold more than 6 people at a time and he would remember it.

Max was, and is still, obsessed with Robots. I would like to blame The Backyardigans along with Star Wars and the Daleks for this craze of his.

So how does one plan and create a robot birthday party? You troll the internet for ideas that you can ~~steal~~ ,ahem, borrow and use for your own devious plans.

The list started out huge, of course. I had this fantasy that I was going to hang fabric – something sparkly and shiny and cover the table and floors in textured shiny vinyl…but Reality left a voicemail and said NOOOOOO!

So I contained myself with nice, simple decorations:

Thanks to 2 fabulous webpages Wendolonia and The Hostess Blog, I was able to create an invitation for the party and decorations.
(I am so grateful to those who are for craftier than I when it comes to the computer and Photoshop.)

There were lots of snacks and a robot birthday cake.

Betty Crocker has a “pattern” and video on how to cut and decorate your sheet cake into a tasty robot cake. It was a bit rough. I am sooooo much better with fabric than I am with cake. But Max loved it and that is all that matters.

BTW – Did you know that there is spray paint for your baked goods? Silver Spray paint to boot! (Where does that expression come from anyway?)

In our last episode.....

2011-06-12T13:20:00.005-05:00

... we left our heroine (me) desperately searching for a job, studying for the Foreign Service, watching the World Cup and getting ready to move house (that part you may have not known about).

As you know, the Germans lost to Spain (stupid Octopus) taking third when it was all over. They had some great team members this year: Klose, Mueller and Oezil - and my other favorite Schweinsteiger (because you know it is a fun name to say). It was shame to see the team captain Ballack out on the wounded listed.

As for the FSWE, I did not pass (again). I knew it the second I finished the multiple choice, which is such a shame because my essay rocked! It was a topic that was catered to me – could have argued it any which way and I felt I could have given a solid, grammatically correct short essay. But they do not grade the essay unless you pass the multiple choice. I didn’t even bother to ask what my score was this year. I knew that I had failed and that was that. I decided to take this June off and will sit for the exam this fall (2011).

By end of last summer we had moved into a large house with my brother and spent a fabulous week’s vacation with my sister’s family at OBX.

This year I was able to plant a garden! (I know I kill things but we shall see how it goes – that is if the damn deer don’t eat it all first!)

And what about my job situation? After almost 8 years, Jacqui decided to sell Woolwinders. It was obvious her heart was not into it anymore as she had started a new amazing business that was meant to be a side thing, but really took off. Paige, one of the teachers and employees made an offer Jacqui and Lew could not refuse. She bought the store, remodeled and opened an all new Woolwinders one month later. The store is beautiful! It is a different atmosphere but still a beautiful place to shop and visit. During this time I was offered two jobs, one of which was sort of of out of the blue as it was something that I had interviewed for 2.5 previous and had heard nary a word. The other was a job at another yarn store as a part-time manager, which I WOULD HAVE LOVED!!!!! But alas, medical benefits and larger salary came in to play – even Fritz and my brother were sad for me since they knew how much I really wanted the yarn shop gig to begin with.

All things work out for the best! On August 10th I began my training as a store manager for one of the 2 major fabric chains in the country. I don’t plan to ever link to it or say its name because I know they troll the internet (like all bosses these days) to see what their employees might be saying about them. It's the one that is less craft more fabric.Yes, it says it on my Facebook account and I will leave it at that.

The initial downside of the job was that I was offered the store in Leesburg, VA – 50 miles away – not the one in Gaithersburg only 13 miles away. I had a beautiful remodeled store with a fabulous crew (minus an assistant manager) that I hand-picked and it was a breeze – almost no customers really. But then I got my wish and as of February 28th I was moved to the crazy, insane, floor falling apart Gaithersburg store and I LOVE IT!!! More than half my crew is Spanish speaking to go with more than half my spanish speaking customer base. I have been learning to understand a lot of sewing-Spanish.

No more 15 hours of commuting a week and less money spent on gas and no toll road! More time spent with Max and I was able to plan his fabulous Robot themed 4th birthday party!
That is another post for another time (and I promise there will be more other times now that I have caught up with my life – almost)

OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE OLE

2010-06-11T09:10:00.003-05:00

IT IS WORLD CUP FEVER here in my home...well only in my sewing room as Mr. Fritz is not a football aka soccer fan. So silly of him.

Watching the first match as I type, getting ready for my second shot at the FSOT/FSWE this afternoon...oy!

For those who may not care about the Beautiful Game but want to know if they look good or not, read here.

And in crochet news - if you are free this sunday and in the neighborhood, come check out my Sunday in the Salon at Woolwinders:

Ten years ago today!!!

2010-06-03T17:59:00.003-05:00

Happy Anniversary Fritz!

(if you would like to know how we got here, read here)

btw: WORLD CUP IN ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Four

2010-04-26T21:41:00.002-05:00

4 days until the end of the 4th month
4 shows that I designed and opened earlier, closed this month
4 loads of laundry (possibly 4 times 4 loads of laundry) waiting to be washed
4 weeks plus 2 and I will be sitting for the FSOT again

Three is the Magic Number

2010-03-10T09:42:00.002-05:00

3 years since my dad passed away
3 fabulous children left behind
3 amazing grandchildren miss him too
3 shows in tech this month
3 shows in tech next month
3 months later and I still have my menorah out
3 sewing machines to go to the repair man
3 days time my mom will visit (SO NEED TO CLEAN THE HOUSE)
3 times 3 times 3 times 3 and then some are the number of projects on the needles and hooks

How to find a job -

2010-03-05T09:54:00.002-05:00

This is my new approach to finding a job:

DEAR SIR OR MADAM:

LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!

This is how I feel I should start all my cover letters when applying for a job!

LOOK AT ME!!!! I really want this job. I would not be wasting your time with my whack costume designer/ costume shop management resume/retail experience if I really did not want to work for your organization. I have no interest in killing myself time and time again, getting my hopes up even, about a position I didn’t think I was qualified for and capable of doing.

LOOK AT ME! Why would I spend all this time and energy researching your organization and what you are about if I really did not want to be there? Do you actually read these cover letters? Do you see that I am trying to tell you about how I want a career in International something or other so I can go into the Foreign Service? Did you not notice the whole “has experience working overseas” bit or the “years of management and über-multi-tasking” bit or that this applicant and speaks another language and would happily take on 5 more if it meant I had the job?

LOOK AT ME! And what about the fact that you have posted this job *3 times* in the last 9 months? If you did not like my resume the first or second time, why did you tell me to apply again? Why don’t you send an email, postcard or voicemail and tell me you are not interested? Why, when I call to confirm that you have received my information, you tell me to call back as you are just too busy to check? And when I call back at the time and date you proposed, you get snippy with me? (See, you *do* need and assistant – you are overworked and need someone to help you get it done.)

Now here, let me hem those pants for you as they are a bit too long.

Call me!

Thank you for your time,

Marietta AFGH

PS Check out my cute new hair!

How did it become March already?

2010-03-01T19:21:00.004-05:00

In KNIT OR GET OFF THE POT fashion, I have not blogged in 2 months and then some. I try to be consistant in my errors.

Why? Well, some for being busy and some for trying to find the perfect job (not happening) and some for sheer laziness.

And now I am super busy again just like last spring - with the Skating Costumes and 2 College productions - both Shakespeare and knitting ANOTHER sample for Mission Falls Yarns (YIPPEEE) and then there were those Olympics to watch in which I lost track of all time while bedazzling skating costumes. There were also some scary costumes too.

Something I did teach myself this January was Double Knitting - ohhhh it is so very cool:

here is side one:

and if you flip it over, you get this:

I am still looking for a new career/job - but until then I am in Tech rehearsal on March 15th until the end of April. Not only are there the two University productions, there are 3 other shows coming up too! All good - just very busy. And I have to plan Max's 3rd birthday.... I so want a Pirate Themed party :)

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-24T22:35:00.001-05:00

And another 2 months has passed.....

2009-12-15T10:22:00.010-05:00

Of me not posting on my blog
But you can always find me on Facebook – I just spend way to much time there – it is true.

Since last posting, there was Halloween…well, so I heard. I have been told of a fabulous holiday where children WANT to dress in fun costumes and got Trick-or-Treating for yummy candies….not my son.

After a lovely morning of “Thanks Mommy! It is so cute!” - all I got was his back and cries of “Take it off! I don’t like it!” A morning of Mommy–love turned into an afternoon of cranky, crying, not going out baby. I was C-R-U-S-H-E-D! I cried too…I had fantasies of a fab motherhood/childhood moment of going to the parade and Maxim in cute Halloween costume….dashed away by the whims of a 2.5 year old…oh wait he is 2.5!!! Of course! So reality checked back in and then there was alcohol after he went to bed
(There were chaps by the way. And a hat.)

So then November flew on by…
In the first week – actually the first 2 or 3 days of the month, I got a last minute text message and was asked to make this dress. For SHOWBOAT at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA (Did I mention they won a Tony last year?)

As quick as possible – as in cut and sewed on Wednesday, fit on Thursday, altered and fit again on Friday, and then the finishing was passed on to someone else to have ready for photo call on Saturday evening. . I hope nobody looks to close to the inside……For a quick faking of a Victorian day outfit complete with fake bustle, it was not bad. I do wish I had changed a few lines, such as knocking the shoulder seam down the back or the doing the front princess seams a bit differently, but you do what you can….

Then there were the doll clothes!!!! OMG! Tiny seams! Tiny pockets (for their tiny handkerchiefs of course)! And I had the easy lot – there were also tiny jean jackets with all that top stitching! This was another Simplicity project that I was a part of and the moment it was done there was *another* Simplicity project and there is even another one to be finished before the end of the year. So yeah – I have been a bit busy...

And I have not even gotten to Thanksgiving! Another story, another time...

Before I go I will show you a cute little sweater that I actually did make for Maxim- This time it is crocheted:

Pattern: Milo the Owl Sweater from CROCHET DESIGN FOR KIDS by Lucinda Guy
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool DK in Navy 011 (5.5 balls), Glacier 005, and Earth 018
Hook: E
Extras: none
Changes: no Owl or cross-stitch detail - may make the sleeves a bit longer by adding 3 rounds of single crochet in brown.

so here's what happened...

2009-10-26T08:07:00.005-05:00

Last Spring a customer, who happens to be a designer, at the store was looking for a sample knitter who could fair isle. Well, believe it or not, I fair-isle pretty well (in wool anyway, I am currently realizing that the act of fair isle combined with cotton and me are not as pretty on first try, or second...but that is another story).
So she offered me the one time chance to knit a sample for her and she liked it and the yarn company liked it and now is in print in the MISSION FALLS DUET pattern book!
I made the Indie Vest by Simona Merchant-Dest (rav link).
So here are my pictures of the vest:

BTW - I LOVED knitting with this yarn and knitting this pattern, there are plenty of ends to weave in, which was a bummer, BUT the pattern was simple (for me) and the yarn was a dream.

I am currently working on another sample for the same designer and company. And once it is approved and out in print, I will let you know about that one too :)

On the more personal side of life, still job hunting. Had a couple of very good interviews. One of which I did not get, but an impression was made and she passed my resume onto another department. So I am not certain where it all stands. Just keeping my fingers crossed since I really like this new opportunity and the characters involved :).

And on a Max note - we are debating between a cowboy or a pirate for Halloween 2009 :) I want pirate but I think he would rather be a cowboy. I am taking the day off from the store and Max and I are going Trick or Treat-ing in the Apartment bldg...maybe we will go to an event at a bookstore or something terribly stay-at-home mom like :) (I cannot wait!)

Roadblock

2009-09-06T17:17:00.005-05:00

Just over 3 months since I last blogged. ACK! It is a disgrace in the land of blogging, I know.

Sad – pathetic even! (Imagine Snagglepuss saying that)

What was I doing? You really want to know?

Well let’s take a look in the life of me in pictures:

Studying for the FSOT (and did not pass - barely - there is always next year)

Knitting

Jan’s wedding (for which I sewed the veil and made my own dress to wear – but no good pics yet)

Max looking cute in suit

Me sitting on couch

Okay that last one is obviously Daddy and Max on the couch. I admit - I am vain and any pictures of me sitting on the couch other than the one of the cool hair and studying for an exam, are absolutely horrendous!
Although that last one is mostly what I have been doing. Theatre is quiet in the summer and the lack of work has turned me into a non-creative couch potato.
No bueno.

The lack of employment is very frustrating. Financially and creatively.

I know. I know. Many of you might think to yourselves that this would be a perfect opportunity to use my time wisely and market myself more or become more creative and more productive. Maybe sew more for myself or Max or others even…..

Ummmmm…… not so much. I think that it is hard for those who have creative jobs to become more creative in these times. This is one of those moments that I am considering taking the other fork in the road and becoming more businesslike in my endeavors. I find it hard to create when the thing that has kept me in the black is the thing that is keeping me from getting a job.

There seems to be a roadblock in the employment department.

That roadblock is the so often heard phrase of “But you’re an artist….” or “But you work in the arts why would you want to work in an office?”
The second roadblock is my résumé and those who see it in a professional/non-theatrical setting.

I have an amazing résumé. (Of course I believe this :) afterall, it is MY résumé.) It just seems to me that the word THEATRE has been written in N1H1 flu ink or something and very few look past the titles and not see what I have actually accomplished. It is possible that I haven’t been clear enough. I have had some really good friends look at it for me and offer some brilliant advice on how to change the language and style a bit. Which I think has helped.
It doesn’t help that more than 10% of the country is out of work (I believe it is more than 15% due to those who have stopped looking for work are no longer on the official register and there are those like me who are “self-employed” artist types who are not eligible for unemployment based on your State’s unemployment laws). There are many talented people looking for work…so I know I am not the only one.

And maybe discussing this on my knitting blog is not one of my better ideas….but if the employers find this post then they must be truly interested in me and want to know who I am. Basically, they Googled :). There are some fabulous ‘made for Marietta’ type jobs out there (Museums and companies who deal with Language training…department of commerce is also very interesting to me …maybe going back to school?)….alas……

On a positive note (there are some good things here): I AM spending more time with Max, who is ridiculously cute, and I have been working more at the yarn store this fall and teaching a new Safari class on Saturday mornings.

I am also looking into teaching workshops at a local Art Co-op as well as teaching knitting and crochet at MC to students who have developmental disabilities - expanding on my experiences of designing costumes for ArtStream (who I will be designing for again spring 2010).

So it is not all bad.

once a month blogger

2009-05-29T09:35:00.004-05:00

should probably be my new name....

things in chez knit-or-get-off are a bit rough at the moment...basically the economy sucks for all and it hits the arts pretty hard first (or in my opnion as that is what i am the most sensitive too)...I have been working crazy but not at all normal like. One moment there is nothing and the next it is everywhere and every second and too much but you have to do what you have to do....okay so the depressing part is over.

On to the fun and wacky of me!

One of the crazy things i did this past month was attend and judge at COSTUME CON 27. I am a geek and I am proud :)

on the left is my friend and sometime employer, Andrea Schewe. Andrea is a pattern designer for Simplicity as well as an amazing opera singer and just plain cool person. The other Simplicity Judge was unable to attend the Con last minute and since it was only 45 minutes away, I was able to help out with a bit of rearranging and babysitting help from friends and family :) The young lady in the middle in the fab SteamPunk outfit is French Canadian and her Mom is Marie Antoinette (a simplicity pattern). There are some great close-up shots of her dress here and here and here. You should also check out the some of the fabulous Historical Garments (if you are so inclined) especially the late 18th C gown in Hello Kitty Fabric! (I can't make this shit up.)

I ...also...modeled...for Simplicity...ahem. I am sharing this with you since i know there are only , what 5? of you out there? Simplicity and MGM are re-releasing the WIZARD OF OZ patterns as sexy and sassy. They also pushed for more plus-size sexy and sassy costumes...so Andrea created the patterns last year and used me as a dress form (as i am a 22 in their patterns)....so here i am as the Wicked Witch of the West

And here I am with Dorothy and Glinda.

There is video of us on YouTube, but you can find it yourself

Just search "costume con" or "cc27" on flickr and you will see some amazing work.

One of the impressive things about all this weekend was that many many many of these people are not costumers in real life - more like lawyers, and teachers, and engineers and employees of state...just with a serious love of costume, costume history, maybe comic books and anime too!

that was just the first weekend in May - there is always more too tell...just need to get to the telling

Spring Cleaning

2009-04-24T20:50:00.005-05:00

i know, i know - another month has gone by and i haven't blogged.

It isn't that i don't want to - it is just that there doesn't seem like there is much of anything to share. Nothing exciting I guess....i think i am in a bit of a slump.

I was so crazy busy for so long and now everything seems to be in a big long pause...and the work is not coming in as regularly as i would have liked ...but that means i have time to take on this disaster:

and make it look like this:

It may not seem perfectly clean - but there has been more labeling and organization going on which *is* making it easier for me to use my space again.

One of the things i seem to be taking on is bridal alterations. It is that season after all!

And i spend alot more time with Max. He is talking so much! And he is a dancing cheesehead :)

I really need to take some pictures of the items i have been working on - a sweater for Max, more crocheted toys, and a gift for my friend Jess.

One of the new and crazy things in my life is the time and energy that I am putting into a possible career change. It would be a huge change...not theatre at all. I think the last 6 years fried me a bit. I am loving the new groups that I am working for, but I have lived this dream for almost 20 years, why not live another?

do you love fabric?

2009-03-18T22:11:00.004-05:00

well i love fabric...and Fabric.com has realized how much i like fabric and how much i like to order fabric from them sooooooo

this means that any of my readers will get $5.00 off their next order between today and March 25th (one week only!!!)

all you need is the special code....

oh you want the special code? Okay it is:

blogknitorget

just type that into the promo box at check out and you will get $5 off your total purchase - whatever the total. And while you are at it sign, up for their emails - they have some really good deals.

They have bridal and cottons and patterns and notions and all sorts of things - also great with the shipping and great with the returns if need be. (and they are in MARIETTA, Georgia so how could i not like them?)

I think i will use mine to buy this pattern.

gratuitous pic of Fritz and Max on the Mall:

No political affiliation elephant (long lost item 2)

2009-03-17T11:33:00.003-05:00

Pattern: Henri the Elephant from CROCHET DESIGN FOR KIDS by Lucinda Guy
Yarn: Rowan Pure Wool DK in Damson 030 (2 balls), Lavendar 039, Quarry 035, and Cypress 007
Hook: E
extras: buttons for the stars
changes: no fringe on blanket or tail

I wasn't paying attention when making the belly section and made it too long so there was a little tummy tuck action, but you can't see that so you wouldn't know anything about it:)

And since i made him this past october or september - i have to name the no political affiliation elephant as too many people assumed that he was representing a certain political party that i am not a part of. Really? He's purple....maybe follows the path of the purplre Tele-tubby - so not that KIND of elephant :)

Btw - I really love this book. I am currently making the MILO Sweater and ~~i am forcing~~ my mom offered to crochet the MARCEL THE SNAIL TOP for Maxim too.

And in case you have forgotten what he looks like, here he is in snow from January:

under construction

2009-03-11T11:12:00.001-05:00

No i will not let this lag another two months - heck not even a week - but i am trying a few new things with the blog new header and background - i just have to re-load the illustrator on the computer before i can do anything :)

2

2009-03-09T22:42:00.009-05:00

2 years since my dad'd passing
2 weeks until Max's 2nd birthday
2 shows i am designing in
2 different states
2 weeks until they both begin tech
2 weeks since one of my best friends went into the hospital for chemo
2 days a week at the store
2 fat kitties on the couch
2 days a week in german class
2 very important men (one big, one small) in my life

2 many projects on the needles and under the sewing machine
2 much time spent on facebook

long lost item 1

2009-01-07T01:07:00.002-05:00

There has been some crocheting here and i cannot believe that i NEVER posted about it. Really!

Pattern: Wisteria Necklace, book - Colinette Arboretum
Yarn: Colinette Tao Silk
Hook: US C (2.75)
started and finished: November 29, 2008
changes to pattern: use needle and thread to sew flowers together rather than silk yarn - too slippery otherwise.

crazy? right? that i forgot to blog about it - it has been on my flickr account forever, so you might have seen it already but maybe you haven't.

This was made for one of our Sundays in the Salon at Woolwinders. Actually - it was my freedom Sunday - the last day that i was officially on the books as Costume Shop Manager at ISI.

In other news, i finally went down to the Goethe Institute to get more information about language courses and to see where i rank. Basically, I am still where i was - B2 level (some international rating system) - a bit better than i thought considering it was a written test and that means GRAMMAR!!!!!!!!!! So, hopefully I will be taking a class beginning in February - but that depends on sooooo many other things.....

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T13:44:00.005-05:00

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!

(image from here...which got me thinking about wanting to do something like this...maybe next

year!)

Max wishes you a Happy New Year too!

Coming back....

2008-12-30T01:10:00.009-05:00

Knitting and crocheting have not been up on the top of my crafting list these last few months. But there has been a bit of crafting along with the xmas sewing.

I made this little Bottle Cap Pin Cushion over the summer after seeing this or maybe this tutorial. Ones i really want to make are these tea pot pin cushions. I will definitley make more once i can find emory for the filling.

I also made a very cute Gnome t-shirt bag this summer:

- which should be a gift for someone but i am having a hard time parting with it. It has been sitting unused for months because of the guilt that overcomes me if i try to use it....ah the joys of being raised catholic and jewish....all that guilt!

And the last little cute item was an apron (of course) for our summer intern -

Project Runway themed fabric! Gotta' love it!

And then gratuitous Max picture:

or my other favourite from Thanksgiving is here.

MOre holiday pics of craftiness and baby coming soon!

Happy Holidays!!!!!!

2008-12-25T00:39:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone is having a relaxing holiday! And did not spend Christmas Eve shopping like we did. LOL! Just did not have time to shop and still have things to make...fortunatley i am seeing the family on Saturday, so that gives me 2.5 days to finish sewing...i think....or go shopping.....

At this exact moment in time, my kitchen is doing a repeat of last year. Makin' cookies for the holidays.

In other news, I am officially self-employed. YEAH!!!! I am working at the store a few days a week and then sewing/designing/knitting/finishing etc the rest of the week.....nerve racking....crazy....but i am excited. I just cannot WAIT to start creating again....this will be part of my new year's resolutions, along with taking a german course and a tailoring course....and maybe lose 20 lbs :) oh and find a new hair dresser...mine moved to spain :(

not dead yet (again)

2008-12-11T00:15:00.003-05:00

wow! 1 whole month has gone buy since i was last here.

I will be posting more now that i am not working full time - but it is amazing how much you work when you are not working.....

My last show opened at Imagination Stage. Miss Nelson is Missing is a fun fun fun show and if you are in the DC area until January 4th (so pre-innauguration) you should really check it out. If you do not believe me, check out the reviews(and the pics - i patterned both the Miss Nelson Dress and Viola Swamp Dress. Check out the matching plaid and all those pleats respectively):

washington post
dctheatre scene
????? but cool pic

so Thanksgiving was my last weekend and then I got SICK!! My last vacation was maternity leave - so 18 months later my body decided to shut down! Big time and i have been way under the weather since then. And i am building another show which runs next week at the Baltimore Theatre Project. So if you are in Baltimore next week, come and see ALICE IN WONDERLAND wednesday through sunday. It is a dance piece and i am not sure what it is like since this whole process has been very strange....very.
I will know on monday....

and i know i owe pictures from so many things - but this is just to tell you that i am alive :)

commercials i love (2)

2008-11-11T00:57:00.001-05:00

the finest german engineering...how i picked my glasses (rodenstock)

Why can't i sleep at night?

2008-11-08T02:05:00.003-05:00

The last few months have been crazy and ridiculous and not filled with much sleep.
After much deliberation and stress, I decided that it was time to leave my full time gig.

You are thinking:
Marietta! In this economy? Are you daft girl?

Well, my answer is:
duh! of course i am stupid!

But (because there is always a but) I have been ...unhappy in my job for awhile. And not really unhappy, just needing to do the next thing. Needing to move on and grow as a costumier (pretentious SAT word) and develop other mad skills (like how to type and spell) Or verbesser the Deutsch
Financially, I'm screwed - and really who isn't right now? But (because there is another but) mentally I will be happy as a clam (...do clams smile?)

As i mentioned in an earlier post, part of my reasoning was for this guy:

(Max as Luke Skywalker Halloween 2008 - and, no, he does not have a light saber. A light saber is a prop, not a costume. Props fall under Daddy's domain and Daddy did not get his prop)

The other reason is because of Fritz - who we shall now refer to as MR. Fritz :)
Here is Mr. Fritz's First Day of School picture:

Now here is his 2nd day of school picture:

Getting up at 5:30 am does not make Mr Fritz pleasant - nor does a nagging wife who wants a picture.

Fritz of the tshirt and jeans is now Mr Fritz of the shirt, tie, jacket and Dockers. He is now a High School Teacher of Technical Theatre.

My plan is a little vague at the moment - but I will be freelancing in the theatre world and in the knitting world a bit more.
Since September, I have built costumes for 3 shows at work, 1 dance company, 1 small opera, 1 high school show, another dance company assisting a broadway designer and building costume for another theatre on the other side of town. There might be something that I am forgetting.....

oh and raising a baby.

side note: yes i voted!!!! and i the lines were crazy long and i am thrilled i helped make history! i am really looking forward to the next four years and no, i idid not like what Michelle Obama was wearing on election night. So far that was the the only one total miss out of all her campaigning outfits.

commercials i love (1)

2008-11-07T11:48:00.001-05:00

as another tech approaches (my last one!!!) i will be sharing a few of my favourite commercials with all of you - and a few pictures from halloween too :)

Halloweens past cont'd again

2008-10-30T21:17:00.002-05:00

this one is my brother in 1979, i think. He was 10? He drafted the plans and did technical drawings for his phone costume. I think he wanted to wire it up so the buttons would light or attach a ringer? i remember my mom being worried that he was going to electrocute himself since it was raining

Halloweens past cont'd

2008-10-29T21:06:00.003-05:00

So fast-forward approximatley 10 years and here I am in HighSchool as Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ. My mom made the dress from a table cloth found at a community theatre's garage sale. The shoes were something in my closet that i painted red and then glittered the hell out of them. And it was DAMN-COLD! so i had to wear a turtle neck.
Now what the heck am i holding in my right hand?....oh! i think it was supposed to be a picture of Auntie Em and Uncle Henry.....i think.....

Halloweens past

2008-10-28T22:02:00.004-05:00

me circa 1980 or 1981 as Snow White - costume made by my Mom :)

so the next few nights i figured i would upload a few new, but old pictures in the spirit of halloween and all that is costume-y...this is also known as procrastination from doing anything new, such as finishing (starting) Max's halloween costume. He *was* going to be Yoda but.....i have not had the time or energy to make the head piece....so i am thinking just Luke Skywalker....oh! i should get him a stuffed wookie!

Zoom zoom zooma zoom

2008-10-19T17:23:00.001-05:00

after watching morning baby tv with Max, i figured i would google a few of my favourites....where are these kids today? anyone know?

dang!

2008-10-12T00:45:00.003-05:00

i am not typically happy about death (though i am going to burn about that jig i did when an old bitter relative dies all those years ago) but this almost made my day....

Mercurial Austrian rightist dead in car crash

and yes i know it's wrong but his were politics i could not agree with - and he was in full force in the mid 90's when i was living in Austria.....

I'm not Dead....yet!

2008-10-08T15:46:00.005-05:00

Okay - It has been almost 8 weeks and i have been a bad bad blogger. I even suck at posting pics on flickr! Really!

And there is so much to tell you! Crafting! Life! Crafting! Work! Crafting!!!

Okay to start:
The Cubs have failed me. After 100 years I really thought we could beat it...but this is getting ridiculous. We saw them lose to the Mets the week before it was all over and i couldn't take it. I should have known that it was going to be bad when Max puked into his popcorn bucket.....really..... he did....good training for his college career

That is just the beginning of the good and the bad drama in the KNIT-OR -GET -OFF household.....hint: I will no longer be working here full time (this is GOOD drama)

Partly (is that proper english?) due to this adorable guy:

new outfit for Max- burda pattern #9617 ,size 18mths, pants and shirt
basic black knit and stripey knit both from GStreet sale table.
started 9/30 finished 10/2

oh but there is so much to tell you!!!!!!!!! i will try to write more often - i promise and there are lots of pictures to show you all.....

and then, just for fun: (i am sure you know it but i had to do it...i was in the mood for consumate v's)

Swaps, gifts and other things that come in the mail

2008-08-18T21:51:00.002-05:00

I have been meaning to blog about all of the above. But there is always that sad excuse of mine – LACK OF TIME!!!
And I think the baby excuse is getting old...no matter how cute!

So let us start with gifts:
As a birthday surprise (3 MONTHS AGO!!!!!) SewMad sent me the most wonderful birthday package:

The most fabulous seam ripper (fliegenpilz!), stitch markers made by herself, jack skelington buttons, beautiful fat quarters, a nifty piece of fabric from IKEA (that I am seriously considering turning into a shopping bag, or two), hot pink mohair, and the piece de-resistance (how do you spell that?):

My very own SewMad original, a Fliegenpilz wallet. I love it! And I use it all the time now. My cigarette case –turned- wallet is now living in the diaper bag with important Maxim info (insurance card etc).
I had to wait until she posted her fabulous pattern (which I also have a pattern for now – thank you Katrin) before I could post a pic of the wallet – of course i waited way past the time she posted it .

If you haven’t figured it by now I am not very punctual with much of anything.

As for the swaps – I joined 2 apron swaps this summer. The first one was over at Apronista.ning.com (because I need to join another on-line community). The apron I made went to Sue Ann of Giabella Designs and the apron I received was from Deb, the Crochetholic. I loved my apron from Deb! So cute! And it is already blessed by Rit Dye and Clorox Bleach from work.

The next swap was on Ravelry.com. The Sew Obsessed group decided to have its first swap this summer thanks to Carlitadee. We all took a vote and aprons won! SO I got the chance to make another apron – this time I copied an apron given to me by my MIL. I actually cut out 2 before I cut out a 3rd and finished it. Swaps are hard if you do not really know what the person likes. I realize that I had a fabric that I thought my swap partner had used in the past – so I changed my mind entirely – I also realized that one of the aprons was really for me (haven't finished it tho...of course)

Here it is modeled by my old boss: (little trinkets thrown in found here.)

Isn’t she cute? And she makes my new sewing room look good.

Here is a view of the room from where she was standing.

There is another swap – the Theatrical Crafters on Ravelry are also running a swap…i really need to get working on that one...but I have until the end of the month….

There is so much more to fill you all in on - all good news (and no, not pregnant). I will be taking some time off this and next week – so hopefully I will get some more knitting and crocheting along with a bit of blogging in :)

Tequila Sunrise Special

2008-07-28T14:52:00.003-05:00

Having been inspired by all of the Chevron Scarves all over Ravelry, I decided to make my own Chevron Lace scarf. I loved the idea behind the original design in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, but I wanted something a little different - same concept just not the same :)

So I searched the wonderful world of the internet and found a stitch library at Knitting on the Net. I also searched my books but I had this particular pattern stuck in my head – probably from a sweater hanging in the store – and I was desperate to find it.

My other reason for wanting to make this scarf was the fact that I had four balls of this crazy hot Koigu (now 3 after making the scarf) and wanted to make something fun but mindless. The pattern of inspiration used 2 contrasting Koigus. I could just not find another yarn either in my stash or in the stores that contrasted in just the right way. Basically, I was being ueber-picky. So I went with the cool version of the same colour and am thrilled with the result! Granted, it looks like I only used one colour but it is now a more toned down version of the original purchase. And it reminds me of one of my favourite drinks – the Tequila Sunrise (yes, the drink is usually more yellow or orange bu i happen to like more grenadine in the mix than most)

There was a bit of trial and error with the pattern – such as just plain casting on too many stitches and making the scarf ridiculously wide.

Without further ado - the pattern for my:

Tequila Sunrise Special

Materials:
1 skein hot pink/orange Koigu (A)
1 skein cool pink/burgundy Koigu (B)
needle size -3.75 mm/US 5
Stitch holder
Note: Scarf is worked in 2 separate pieces to allow for scalloped edges then sewn together with Kitchener stitch
Finished Measurements: total length - 60"/width of chevron section - approx 5"/width of garter - 3.5"/length of garter section - approx 28"

With Colour A, cast on 36 stitches (pattern repeat is Multiple of 13 + 1 +2 for selvedge stitches)

Row 1: Knit to the last stitch, bring yarn forward, and slip last stitch as if to purl
Row 2: Knit into the back of the first stitch, continue knitting to the last stitch, bring yarn forward, and slip last stitch as if to purl.
Row 3: repeat Row 2

You should have 2 Garter Ridges or 4 Knit Rows (cast on row counts as 1st Knit Row)

Begin pattern stitch:
Row 1 (RS): Knit into the back of the first stitch *k1, yo, k4, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k4, yo; rep from *, to last 2 stitches, k1, bring yarn forward, slip last stitch as if to purl.
Row 2: Knit into the back of the first stitch, purl to last stitch, bring yarn forward, and slip last stitch as if to purl.

Rep Rows 1 and 2.

Change to Colour B, repeat rows 1 and 2, 2 times.
Change to Colour A, repeat rows 1 and 2, 2 times.

And keep on keeping on until you have reached approximately 13 inches from the cast on row AND have finished a 4 row repeat.

Decrease Rows:
With RS facing, Change colours and Knit 2 rows (one garter ridge).
Dec Row: (With same colour) Selvedge, *k1, k4, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k4; rep from *, k1, selvedge. (36 stitches) - ###this is not a typo, this is the same as the pattern stitch Row 1 but without the YO’S###
Next Row: Knit

Change colours:
Dec row: selvedge, *k1, k3, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k3; rep from *, k1, selvedge (30 stitches)
Next Row: Knit

Change colours:
Dec row: selvedge, *k1, k2, k2tog, Sl1, k1, psso, k2; rep from *, k1, selvedge (24 stitches)
Next Row: Knit

Change colours:
Dec row: selvedge, *k1, k2, k2tog, k2; rep from *, k1, selvedge (21 stitches)
Next Row: Knit

******Change colours:
Knit 2 Rows *******

Break Yarn leaving approximately 12 inches and place stitches on a stitch holder

And begin again - this time starting with Colour B.

Follow pattern, working your way through the decreases. Repeat from ****** to ******* working just in Garter, changing colour every 2 rows until you have almost run out of Yarn or until you have reached your desired length.

Sew the 2 halves together using your favourite directions for the Kitchener Stitch – don’t forget to have wrong sides together and the yarn needs to come form the back needle.
You could three-needle bind off with right sides together, but I think Kitchener is so much prettier.
Block – the edges will have a natural wave.

The end!

----The usual copyright rules apply to this pattern - personal use only - blah - blah - blah.
I have only written 2 other patterns before and those were crochet – so let me know how this goes if you make it.

a whole month!

2008-07-22T00:34:00.004-05:00

Wow! Has it really been a whole month? Where have I been you might ask? Well no where really. Just at the theatre for most of May and June and trying to recoup during the month of July.

There has been limited personal crafting – but there have been a few things that I wanted to share with you for while but just haven’t had the chance to do so. That baby and that job have been getting in the way of fun sewing. And lack of space to craft at home have made it difficult.

But that is changing very soon:
Here is Fritz:

and here they are!!! My new cutting table, ironing table and sewing machine table all built to my specs! (read: really flippin' tall - 42" for the tall tables and 32" for the shorter)

It is still a work in progress. And it will probably take awhile. Nothing is in the ‘cute’ organizational style – old diaper boxes used for storage bins for magazines and single patterns, as well my sewing patterns and a few other random things. I plan on using baby formula tins for notions and trims – and some of those leftover baby jars and tupperwares. There will be one or two more trips to IKEA for better lighting and other organizational tools.

And while organizing the disaster that was our guest room soon to be my personal studio (imagine happy dance here), I started taking pics of my yarn stash to post on Ravelry.

If you cannot find me there (mafgreene) then check my stash out on Flickr: here and here and here

The sad part is that I found quite a few (read: a crap load) of unfinished projects. The first one will be 5 years old this fall. the 2nd is an on-again, off-again relationship for the last two years...it might grow up to be a lovely blanket someday

and let us not forget these lonely socks…..some day they will have a friend

And here is an adorable pic of my boy!

Also check me out over at Woolwinders– I was the guest blogger this week pushing the penguin!

The Neverending Costumes...I mean STORY

2008-06-26T22:59:00.001-05:00

so this is where i have been for a few weeks now (actually we have been developing this production for 2 years)

And it is finally opening - the second world premiere live theatrical version of the NEVER ENDING STORY...

i will post soon (and maybe youtube will actually post this video this time - try #5)

Anniversaries and birthdays

2008-06-03T22:12:00.006-05:00

Did you know that I have been an irregular blogger for the last 2 years? It is true. 2 years plus 1 week…and I had a birthday…and today is my 8th wedding anniversary! Wow! Lots to celebrate!

My fabulous assistant, Jessica, has made these most delicious cupcakes to celebrate my 3 ½ decades on the planet. I hear there are more treats planned for later in the week by the other lovely assistant, Katherine. After eating 3 of these yummies today I really do not need anything other sweets….of course, that is saying like I do not need any more yarn or fabric…such a silly concept.

For my birthday/anniversary present, I received a lovely gift from Fritz and Max.

THEY ARE NOT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is Tuesday night and I have not seen them since Saturday. Can you believe it? It wasn’t so bad on Sunday and Monday since I was in Delaware checking out my mom’s new digs:

Some love shots of the garden.

The lovely Mamie.

And neighboring gardens.

Last night was awful though – I was home all alone and really missed Max – first time we have been apart since he was born….both fantastic and depressing. I mean, how can you not miss this face?

In other news, the personal/work life has been incredibly stressful, so when I get home, I have almost no interest in the knitting or crocheting or even sewing. Our next show THE NEVERENDING STORY is absolutely overwhelming for us at the moment. There are many many many costumes and not enough time to make it all happen – and not enough staff. We have been working hard on this show for way too long – it is truly the never-ending show.

Outside of the crazy number of costumes, the costume shop is also responsible for dyeing the ‘nothing’ fabric.
Here it is in stages:

no crafting here

2008-05-13T20:13:00.008-05:00

well not at home but very busy in the work place.

just got a new camera though......and still need to learn how to use it. Here are a few pics from this weekend:

a very filthy Max:

my mother's day breakfast in bed:

I am always giving Fritz a hard time for wearing the same thing every day and said he should switch it up a bit. So he emailed this pic and wanted to know what i thought:

Yeah, well, it's the same thing he wears every day: Black polo and blue jeans. The leather jacket was for the weather :) Gotta love 'im!

in fashion news - my mom sent me this cool link to a New York times article about a Superheroes exhibit at the Costume Institute at the Met in NYC.

check out the video

and for more music - Kate Nash, again, PUMPKIN SOUP and there is knitting in it!

time keeps on slippin'....

2008-05-09T08:46:00.008-05:00

(more photos of max in traffic wearing Adam's hat)

(there have been a few complaints from family members that there have not been new Max pics in awhile - I hope you enjoy these two!)

Time is getting away from me again.

Not much by way of crafting for me at the moment. I think i mentioned before that I have been taking on a lot of sidework lately (when it rains it pours). One of my designer friends is opening a HUGE show tomorrow night and I was only able to make a few pieces for her. I felt bad when i saw how exhausted she was yesterday - i really wish i could have done more, but i am just overbooked with life right now.

I am seriously considering Freelance as a full-time gig. The problem with Freelance is that I am kind of lazy - and you have to be ueber-organized and have the proper space to do it in..... I need to get through the next show before I make that decision. The thought of spending the summer by the pool with the baby sounds heavenly - okay not all that grand as i turn to a lovely lobster red when i am in the sun too long, BUT a few afternoons of scheduled swim time with me and the baby sounds fabulous.

my latest obsession:

My assistant, Jessica, got me hooked on Kate Nash...love this album! I really like her style.

How would you spend your time if you had all the time in the world?

2008-04-27T20:42:00.005-05:00

I keep wondering what I would do if I was a stay at home mom.
Would I want Maxim home everyday so I can spend every glorious moment with him? Or….
Would I put Maxim in Daycare everyday so I could do my own thing? Or maybe put him in Daycare part time so I can still afford daycare and afford to work from home as well as pay the bills?

He is starting that cling-on phase and wanting "Mama" or "Dad-dee" (who is also Mama) and he is walking and running and wants to sit in my lap and be read too....i am getting sentimental, i know. Shoot me.

I sometimes wish I didn’t have to work for the stress of working – for the need of the money to pay the bills.
I DO have an awesome job! I get to sew costumes everyday. I get to research cool things as how to make animal heads or animal feet . I am really looking forward to making horse hooves and other altered footwear for the next show – and once we learn how to do that, I hope to do it more for future shows.

And what about the things I want to learn for myself? Especially more advanced pattern making. This has led me to finally join the Japanese Sewing bandwagon.

A few months ago, Kathleen Fasanella hosted a Japanese book group buy. I had only started reading her blog via Tini via Gorgeous Things via the Sewing Divas this past fall. I had seen a lot of these Japanese pattern books at Sew Mad and Moonstitches (i really want to find the right yarn to make this scarf) Let's not forget the fab crochet books recently purchased by Alice. All of these have made me want to do more.
Though I am not in the fashion industry, I am pattern maker in the theatre world.
Well I used to be. Well I am.
These books are like dirty magazines for the cutter/draper. I mean the technical drawings and how-to’s are HOT!!!! I now get it! I get the excitement over these books! And the next question is….have I done anything yet? NOOOOOO!!!! Why? Well, time.

I really want to create a proper studio space at home so when I am not at work, I can work on things for MEEEE or the baby or whoever – just not for work.
I went to IKEA awhile back and saw this set up:

(That’s my mom)

I want this set up – it is a perfect layout – lower table for the machines and the higher table, set higher (about 42” from the ground for me). Of course this means that I have to lose the guest room in order to turn it into a proper studio space and put the bedroom set into storage – the nightstand and the dresser too.
This sort of organization at work has been part of the inspiration and desire to re-organize at home.
Also these blog entries found at the Domestic Diva – very inspirational when it comes to how to organize. The other inspiration? Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine’s latest issue on Studio Spaces – now many of these must have cost a fortune but good ideas that can be used on a much cheaper scale at a later date.

what we did in the costume shop:

Date night!

2008-04-22T15:03:00.004-05:00

And Passover.

Fritz and I went on a date – a grown up date – no Max – just us.
Pretty impressive, I know. We even went to see a grown-up play. We saw THE GOOD WOMAN OF SZETCHUAN over at CONSTELLATION THEATRE. My friend, Yvette, designed the costumes for it (and they were fabulous), and I made one of the costumes for her – this equals free tickets. I love the complimentary ticket system. You work on the show and you get a few free tix. So nice and considerate.
The scary thing is that this is the first time in 5 years that I have taken advantage of my free tix earned elsewhere other than ISI. We really need to get out more. Really!

My mom came down and babysat and both she and the babe both survived! Max has new teeth (again!) coming in and has not been into too much food or sleeping.

It is also the Passover week – no Seders here. Not in the mood this year. We listened to PRARIE HOME COMPANION on the way into DC the other night and there were these Swedish guys singing “Putting on the Ritz” and the ShoeBand siniging a few Passover songs. It was both funny and sad at the same time for me. The Passover songs were in the 3rd segment for the night.

There has been some crafting in the world of KNIT OR GET OFF – well crocheting really. The wonderful world of Ravelry has led me to make these:

The pattern (in Japanese, of course) can be found here.

It is charted, so rather easy to follow but a bit awkward, due to weaving the circles around one another to create the centre. Once you’ve got that, you are good to go. These were just for practice. But I am thinking of making four of them (reversing the colours on 2 of them) and using that as the front of a bag (and maybe back?), and line it with some fab Asian print fabric – something on a geometric scale?

As for fabric, the latest banner is this fabric, in case you were wondering. I bought it at Capital Quilts, my local quilting shop (well, local to Woolwinders). Along with these guys here:

All of them are Alexander Henry prints and are from the Vienna or Gustav Klimt collections. The moment I saw them in the store i knew two things 1) they had to be alexander henry prints and 2) they had to be named after something from the Art Nouveau/Jugendstil period.

Skirt or aprons? Or bags? Or stash for now?

always another opening - again!

2008-04-13T21:45:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay! Not much knitting or crocheting at Knit-or-get-off! There has been crochet and knitting teaching and lots of baseball uniform making here.

Our latest show (and world premiere), LOOKING FOR ROBERTO CLEMENTE just opened last night and it is great! Again, we are blessed with an amazing cast. Not a single bitchy comment made during tech week and that says alot!!! Well, not to me anyway :). Here is a link to the video/trailer created by our marketing department.
It is a shame that the music playing behind them is not our cast – it was the recording made by the playwright and composer for marketing and rehearsal purposes. It’s good – but I just happen to love our cast more. The video also has pics of the costumes (designed by Yvette M. Ryan)
Oh and if you want to see what I was running around working on before i went to USITT, check out Yvette's entry here, her design, but I made that! Well, not the headpiece, but the jacket, skirt and breeches (which you cannot see) Sweet review here.

In other news:
I wanted to review some of the shopping, yarn and other, that I did in Houston last month.
The first yarn store I went to was the Mary Charles Yarn store
It is a lovely little shop – upstairs from a very cute little knick-knack shop, Pattywhacks

Yarn first:
Mary Charles was definitely upscale. And so so were some of the prices. Most yarns were reasonable and she had a great selection of Blue Sky Alpaca yarns – never seen the worsted weight wool before and thought that it was really nice. She also had Art Yarns, Colinette, Rowan’s dk weight yarns and Debbie Bliss. She had some other beautiful things, but that was 3 weeks and a show ago, so I admit, I have forgotten.
I did pick up 5 skeins Queensland Kathmandu (i know KFI, bad Marietta) just enough to make Max a sweater. If i ever get to it - or a yummy scarf/shawl.

Mary Charles herself is really nice and gives great customer service, and she loved on my son (‘cause he is so damn cute!)

Before the yarn store was open, I hit Pattywhacks downstairs, and did some damage:

Salt and Pepper shakers! Had to get them. Then I saw these:

Gnome shaped playing cards.

And this one on the way out:

The box was made by the store owner's daughter.

I could not resist. There were more items of the Fliegenpilz and Gnome variety, but I had to STOP THE MADNESS. There was yarn to be had, and possibly fabric, so I had to curb the desire for more cuteness. These may be gifts, I may keep them. I have yet to unwrap anything. We shall see.

Gratuitous Baby pic:

USITT and a yarn party

2008-03-30T22:29:00.006-05:00

The USITT SWAG!!!!

I worked very hard to get my free stuff! The bags are the leftover scraps from a company that does custom theatrical drapes. The tshirt (which i kept) was from a Rigging company based out of Las Vegas. I got some samples and swatches of fabrics for some very interesting products - which i plan to be using on the next mainstage show. You will be hearing more about those items and how we will be making headpieces and costume pieces for THE NEVERENDING STORY this summer. One company that i need to place an order from for work or play is these guys. The whole iron-on trim and beads thing was pretty nifty! I am not sure how much i would use it but the fact that you can iron on to ANYTHING was just gosh darn cool - and they were very nice.

photos of the adventures from USITT found here: Max at the airport, Muslin undergarments by PeriodCorsets.Com, Some random ballet costume (???) Swan Lake Costumes (by ????)

More Restaurants:

The next restaurant was an Italian joint - not too far from the Convention Center called JOSEPHINE's. The food was good, not amazing, just plain good and satisfying and worth the price. ANd i cannot say enough how amazing the service was at each and every restaurant (except for one). It has ben a week and i cannot remember what i ate, but Max loved the tiramisu and the wine was gooooooood - but the coffee was nasty. (their espresso machine was down and all they had was basic bad coffee)

The nest round of great service was at an IHOP - yes you read that right. International House of Pancakes. Okay the food is the smae everywhere , but our waiter, prison tat's and all, was one of the nicest, most on the ball waiters i have ever had! And he was so nice to Max. And did not complain about the clean up job that my kid left him (there was egg and crackers EVERYWHERE!!!

And then there was the Yarn Party!

Via a Ravelry group - some local to DC/Baltimore, spinners and dyers held a Yarn Party in Takoma Park. As you can see:

It was a bit overwhelming. I don't think anyone realized that sooooo many people would show up - I was definitley feeling incredibly claustrophobic. I only purchased one skein of yarn from StormMoonKnits - it was a sock yarn (go fig!) and the colorway is "I kissed a girl" all dark purples and black and some fuschia (or is it violet? - or magenta?) - will take more pics of yarn from today and things from my trip when i get better lighting. More pics of the local yarn dealers here.

CAMERA POLL:
Don't know if you noticed - but my pictures are starting to look like ass if i am not in the most perfect of lighting (and our apartment is not!) - so we are looking into a new camera. So....What do YOU have?

Gratuitous baby pic:

this one by me:

this one by Jill:

also check out these fab pictures by Jill - now she has an amazing camera and she knows how to use it.

My week in review - Houston Part 1

2008-03-28T20:28:00.007-05:00

Well last week in review…

Did you know that there isn’t any zoning in Houston? Really none – well not as far as I could see. The yarn stores were in the middle of neighborhoods (that is a different entry) – the PetSmart was at the end of the street in a very nice neighborhood. And yes, there is a Starbuck’s on almost every corner! Insane I tell you!!! Absolutely insane! And so unorganized. The true definition of suburban squall (what’s the phrase?)

So here is Max waiting for the planes:

No pics of the babe on the plane – I was too busy trying to keep him from running down the aisles.
He loved it! And on the way back he slept the whole way – as he should have since it was a 6am flight.

So my restaurant reviews:
First off, every single restaurant we went to, say for one, was fantastic. The food was great and the service was amazing! Almost too nice. Maybe a bit cult-ish. In New Jersey, you get rude service with a smile – and they mean that smile. In the DC area, you just get rude service – unless you have a true Northerner or a true Southerner. Then they know who they are and how to deal with the situation.

The first restaurant we went to was a TEX MEX place called CAFÉ ADOBE – oh-my-goodness! It was fantastic!!! I was boring and had my usual – Chicken Enchiladas with the “delicious” tomatillo sauce. It was not boring at all. I almost licked my plate clean. Seriously. Almost. Oh and the frozen Margarita!!!!! Tasty! I needed it too – and the service was great. They kept the chips basket full – we actually needed the two different kinds of salsa refilled several times….and yes the four of us were total and utter piggies eating all that fab food. Checked the drinks and made sure that we were very happy all night long. No room for dessert – though we thought about it since everything looked so good.

#2:

Yatra Brasserie – Indian food to die for. And again, the service was amazing! For an appetizer, I had Keema Empanadas (had to get it - a little lamb empanada) and then I had this amazing Lamb dish, Saag Gosht. Fritz had a shrimp and scallop dish. Our friends had the Chicken Tikka Masala and something else - with lentils. And that was all goooooood. Our one friend has a limited diet – gluten free – so Indian was perfect for her. Instead of Nan, they served these chips/bread made from sundried lentils – again delicious. Everything had the right amount of spice and heat. The kind that burns but still lets you taste everything you are eating. Oh it was good.

I am getting hungry just thinking about all these restaurants. Should have eaten a better dinner. Fritz should not have left me to fend for myself.

Okay say that is part one.
I wish I had thought to take pictures of all the yummy food and everywhere we went.
But there was work involved and there was a baby involved. He made it a bit difficult J
I say that with love.
Really I do.

one year ago today.....

2008-03-23T19:41:00.003-05:00

this little guy was born:

in order to celebrate this occasion, i ~~made~~ bought, cupcakes from the grocery store on our way home from the airport - made a little crown and we started here:

and ended here:

there were a few stops in between :)

it ended in a bubble bath - no pics but i think you get the idea

as for USITT - we had a great time and we are exhausted! I will post yarn store reviews along with a few restaurant reviews - there are places that you defintley want to go when you are in Houston, and there is one or two that you should never eat at, no matter how cool the name!

never enough time

2008-03-18T22:28:00.003-05:00

No, I haven;t vanished - I just have been way busy! And getting ready for USITT - hoping to learn many things to make me a better costume shop manager and/or designer.

Max will be on his first plane ride early in the morning with just ME!!!
Fritz left this evening - later than expected due to hailstorms and the like in Texas.

WE'll be staying with friends all week - i hope they still like us after spending 5 days with us and the baby! We'll see......

And we will be flying back on the Sunday the 23rd....Max's first bday!!!!

He has already had a head-start at the yarn store!

i didn't forget

2008-03-10T22:19:00.002-05:00

there was all this build up to today and what it would mean....so i spent the week being mentally and emotionally exahausted and today arrives and all i can do is laugh! and well, smoke the first cigarette in the last 20 months! (just the one, i promise)

Cheers to you Daddy!

dad in COMEDY OF ERRORS - he can so work that gold lame! He is FIERCE!

and no i couldn't bring myself to light a yahrzeit candle - i was worried that the baby would climb the bookcase and knock it over :) i am truly a mom - shoot me now!

last review

2008-03-01T20:09:00.002-05:00

No mention of costumes, but the last review for LOST AND FOUNDLING can be found here.

and yes, i am going for the gnome-pooh next!

The magic of the bubble gum machine...

2008-02-28T23:29:00.008-05:00

This past week has been one of those weeks where all I seem to be doing is bashing my head against a wall in order to solve a problem that those with the control to solve said problem are not willing to do anything about.

Did that make sense? Probably not.

In other words - somebody royally fracked up the budget and I am expected to make something absolutley friggin' fantastic in a non-existant build time with bare bones labour.

So what is a girl to do?

Why go get herself a cup of coffee at the local grocery establishment, and run into this machine:

Can you see what it is? Sorry for the fuzzy pic, but i used my cell phone camera to get the quick pic while i was on my way to teach a knitting lesson.

HOW could i resist????!!!! I could not! So i dug 4 quarters out of my pocket, and took my chances. I am sure you could guess which one of these ridiculous 1" tall Pooh Bears I wanted. Well, 2 choices....and I got.....

Can you believe it? I actually got the one i wanted! How rare is that? Very, if you ask me. It is like buying Kinder Ueberraschung Eier and hoping for the latest cute toy and getting the exact one you wanted (which, by the way, never happened).

I think there is a theme for me today:

the latest picture of Max sent home from Daycare. So damn cute!

ps - happy leap year!

In the POST baby!

2008-02-13T10:28:00.004-05:00

As promised, here is another review of our latest show. This one is in the WASHINGTON POST! And I am mentioned by name! More patting on the back!

The Never Ending Line

Photo credit: Scott Suchman

We go shopping!

2008-02-10T12:35:00.002-05:00

(warning: no knitting content today, but there is fabric!)

I am a slacker of a blogger, I know. But i have a legitimate excuse. Several of them, actually.

we opened a show
the baby was sick
fritz was sick
the baby was sick again
I was sick again

Did I mention that the baby was sick? As it turns it out, the entire eastern seaboard (okay, i exaggerate) and their children has some sort of flu-plague :) The adults go quick - but the babies can take up to 3 weeks to get better and that is a lot of diapers, if you know what i mean. So that explanation covers 2-4. What about #1?

#1 is all about LOST AND FOUNDLING, a sort of fairy tale told inside a big box store.

L to R:Susan lynskey, Chris Mancusi, Taisha Cameron, Mark Krawczyck

At first I wasn't sure about designing this show. I occassionally have a mental block with contemporary shows. I think it is because most designers want to create something that is fantastical, be it historically accurate or a fantasy piece (such as THE NEVERENDING STORY - which is our summer show or HEIDI - which we might do next year and i so want to design it!)- which leads to fabulolus elegant fabrics and creating items that are not practical. But I really loved this design because of the every-day quality of the characters. There is a lot of body padding for several characters, ie: saggy boobs, big bottoms and big bellies.

There is also a lovely review over here. Okay, it is the Washington Times and not the Post, but it is a very nice review that actually gives me props. I will now pat myself on the back :) If and when there are more reviews, i will post them. There are always links posted on the theatre home page.

One of my favourite moments in the show is the Never Ending Line - and the song GO SHOPPING by Bran Van 3000 (from the soundtrack for Y tu mamá también)
has become the shows unofficial anthem - minus the dirty parts of course.

Here is the video from the band along with the entire song - it goes on a bit - but you get the idea after the first 2 or 3 minutes of how this song fits our strange little show (again, minus the dirty bits of course - 'cause this is children's theatre after all...)

As for my own shopping, there has been way too much fabric buying over the last 2 months. Some I blame on work. I mean, I HAVE to go fabric shopping for working and I HAVE to go to the thrift store where i end up seeing cute fabric like this:

just a fat quarter for 99 cents along with 1 yard of hot pink cotton/poly blend

and then this:

the blobs are about 4 inches wide. i am thinking purse or apron - who knows. I think there was at least 3 yards worth in pieces for about $5.00. Ideas anyone?

But the scary part is this here:

do you see it? look a bit closer....yep! who over owned this fabric before me, had intended to make a jumpsuit out of it, maybe for a 6 foot tall clown, or maybe as a fashion statement...who knows!

no max pics - sorry to the baby obsessed! but he has not been all that cute latley.

A doll's life

2008-01-29T22:32:00.001-05:00

I am not one to get into the Blythe craze (tho they are cute and i love the fact that you can change their eye colour on a whim) or any other doll obsession. But one of my yarn customers asked me to make a dress for a Madame Alexander doll as a gift to her niece, and i couldn't resist.

Ms R has given her niece a Madame Alexander doll every year for her birthday and now it is the big one - her Bat Mitzvah. Apparently, they do not make a Bat Mitzvah doll - so Ms R asked me to make one for her. She asked me to copy her niece's dress for the Madame Alexander doll - as well as crochet a little pink kippa (made from Patricia Roberts 2 ply cotton - hey it is a yarn type blog after all).

Here is the original dress:

And here is the doll:

It was so much fun to make something that you would know would be appreciated and loved. And it was a great distraction from tech week along with a very sick Fritz.

Our latest show, LOST AND FOUNDLING, opens this weekend. It is a sweet little story (as told in a video here) about a little girl Found in the Mega Price Mart and raised there by its employees...and then it is a bit of a fairy tale ala Red Riding Hood or Alice in Wonderland. I hope to have pics by the end of the week - my batteries died just before the final dress and i wasn't able to take pictures.

and gratuitious baby shot - or i should say baby butt shot:

the life of a leather jacket

2008-01-21T22:18:00.000-05:00

This once lovely leather jacket was purchased by me for Fritz on our "sort of honeymoon."

I say "sort-of" because our honeymoon happened about 6 months after our wedding (as we were busy opening a show the weekend after our wedding. We went to Williamsburg, VA for the historic aspect and Busch Gardens. (We also spent 6 weeks or so working for this theatre in Germany about 2 months after the wedding, so that was our other "sort-of honeymoon") It seems we also went for the shopping. So I bought this jacket for Fritz and he wore it - alot. But the cats liked to claw at it when he forgot to hang up. It had been repaired, and then shredded buy pointy sharp claws again and again.

Well now Fritz does not fit in this lambskin leather jacket and I couldn't just donate it to my costume stock at work - or give it away to GoodWill. So i repurposed it!

I mean, really! Aren't those the cutest little shoes you have ever seen? (okay you might have seen cuter, but just nod your head in my general direction and PRETEND they are the cutest little baby shoes you have ever seen)

I made 2 pair using the pattern found here.
The first pair was a plain black pair, no decoration - and since i blew up the pattern 1.25% they are HUGE!!!! Toddler size, at least.

So I went back to the original pattern and compared it to the shoes he wears now (a la target). So I amde the original pattern, added some decoration (he is only 10 month old now and he can't say NO yet - heehee) and they fit Max FABULOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is plenty of leather left over. I am thinking baby biker pants!

And now for gratuitous baby picture - with Daddy:

edited 1/24/2008 to add shoe pattern link.

where does the time go?

2008-01-13T09:56:00.001-05:00

Wow! 2 weeks already? Crazy I tell ya!
Well between the baby being sick and me being sick - not much has been going on.

Well that's not true becasue there has been crocheting and sewing happening and a bit of knitting. And of course there are always cute Max pictures that i need to upload at some point....so let's start with what i have sorted out

Yarn: Cascade 220 in a lovely camel shade, 2 skeins (I did have to break into a 3rd only because I threw out the yarn from the 3 times I started and failed)
Hook: G (4mm)
Pattern: Crochet Cable Bag, Family Circle Easy Crochet Spring 2007
Changes to Pattern: LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS.
I view this Bag as I do a rendering from a Costume Designer. Someone else designed the bag - came up with the end look. But I did all the technical work and created the pattern.
The original pattern was not charted and the wording was very complicated and very very difficult to follow, basically not well written. I could not find any links (when i started it in September) that might help.
I also lined the purse and added a pocket and magnet snap ( i am a sucker for a magnet snap).
It is currently sitting in my "sunshine box"*****

So what i have to say to crochet designers is CHART CHART CHART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also, why all the back posting from the wrong side when the same texture can be created with front posting and having the correct side of the work facing you.

Okay enough complaing - I LOVE THE END RESULT. I will make more I am sure.
Once i had that chart, it was so easy to make.

I would love to find out how to have a link to the chart i created - it was done on graph paper since there does not seem to be a program for charting crochet - if you know of one, please let me know. People link to PDF's for their personal patterns and i was wondering how I do this. Is it possible with Blogger? Do I need to have a proper server? More research is involved on my part I am sure.

*** A SUNSHINE BOX is a box full of gifts - sort of. When we were little, my Nana had her Sunshine Box (big box with a sun on it) and in it were little gifts. More like the gifts you get out of the bubble gum machine - small toys, stuffed animals, doilies whatever little kids would think were fun. When you visisted you were allowed to pick out one item from the Sunshine Box. So I have always had a drawer or a box in the closet with random little gifts in it - instead of letting someone else pick - i use my Sunshine Box as a place to keep gifts for a future date - for birthdays, holidays, house warming gifts, going out to dinner etc. Some are actually lableed for people and some are just plain random weird things...

Almost HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

It has been a heck of a year, hasn't it?
I am not one to write out deep thoughts (unless they are by Jack Handy)...but there has been ALOT happening at Casa de Knit-or-get-off!

Some moments sad, but so many happy! Holidays were the worst - but made fabulous by this guy:

How could you not love that face!?!?!?!?!? Okay I am very biased but i am so happy to have this little guy.
Fritz would like you to believe that he doesn't think that Max is all that cute. I have to remind him, that Max looks like him, sooooooo....Fritz must be cute too :)

I am getting back into knitting and hope to have the rest of my presents finished soon. Though sewing is still happening. Like these lovely slippers:

They were modeled after my favourite IKEA slippers. There was a bit of embroidery and embellishment added too. I am annoyed that I lost the second name label for Cathy (these were gifts for my daycare ladies) - but I was running out of time and i had to pick up the baby and get these gifts to them.
The gray fabric is a wool that bought years ago in Illinois. It is very soft and drapey, that is until you wash it and felt it (on purpose). The ladybug is an embroidered micro-suede left over from a show and the purple butterfly is woolfelt purchased at JoAnn's last summer. Other than the cost of foam ($2.50) and time, I was able to make these guys for free. :) Free meaning I spent the money more than 6 months ago...i think that means free... :)

My brother also received a version, more manly, and way too big. His feet just seem sooooo much bigger than mine - but i guess not 3" bigger than mine :) oh well. But they matched the jammies i made him for xmas - and of course there is no photo! Why would i do that? As you saw in the previous post, I was way to busy taking pictures of the cuteness of Max!

Happy New Year!
Prost Neu Jahr!
Prospero Ano Nuevo! (okay i know that there is supposed to be a tilde' over the N but i don't know how to do it - or the Umlauts...)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

and i thought i was going to raise my kid jewish :).......

conversations late at night

2007-12-23T00:06:00.000-05:00

Fritz: What kind of pie are you making for Christmas?
Me: A crème pie
F: What kind of crème pie?
M: I don’t know, a crème pie – whatever my cookbook book calls for.
F: But I want you to make a Bavarian crème pie…
M: Well, what do you want me to do to make it Bavarian?
F: I want you to add a Bavarian to the pie .
M: So you want me to go out tomorrow, hunt down a Bavarian, chop him up and put him in the pie?
F: Yes –but no lederhosen, the leather would make it a bit tough to eat
M: I don’t think I know how to make a bavarian crème pie
F: Well ask the internet– it knows everything.... What about a boston crème pie?
M: You want me to put Bostonians in a pie?

I do know a few bavarians.....

handmade xmas going strong

2007-12-21T22:32:00.000-05:00

i am not going to say who i have been making these items for, so those of you who are expecting a gift in the near future will just have to guess! :)

i have been frequenting the Sew Mama Sew blog like a crafting fiend!
Originally i was not going to make these - but once they started to post ones made by other viewers, i was hooked!

so here are my little tissue holders - ridiculous and cute!

I am also thinking of making them to use for feminine products. I am making them to match all those bags I have cut out and still need to make.

I also am hooked on these bags:

I found the tutorial via Sew Mama Sew! ( i think) or it was Whip up! Well written and so quick to make! Check out the cute lining.

I have blown the pattern up 1.25 times, using the photo copier to make a slightly bigger size. There will be more of those later.

And last but not least , my little notebook:

I have no idea where i got the idea for this - either it came in a dream or a blog-hopping fog. Inside view here.

I am still not quite ready for the holidays! I mean hannukah has come and gone without the pomp and circumstance, why not Xmas? I am feeling the xmas stress.......

more cool gifties to post next week!

Fun at work

2007-12-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

In the midst of making the 16 quilt squares, there has also been alot of Secret Santa-ing happening in the ISI building. People get a little insane and have a fabulous time doing it.

Apparentley, my Secret Santa has been reading my blog (Hello!) and discovered that I might like this:

IS THAT NOT AMAZING!!!!!!!???????????

I am going to assume she made it (and i will assume it is a she since there are only 3 men in the company who are playing). And if she did, I would like to know who has been hiding their very mad embroidery skills from the Costume Shop Manager (me)

The patch on the left is Max, from Where the Wild Things Are. And the one on the right is the most glorious Fliegenpilz patch i have ever seen. Actually it was a little folder that had a mini packet of tissues tucked into it (for my runny nose suffering from the plague an all).

I might put the Max patch on something I make for the baby or just frame it. And the Fliegenpilz might go on a purse or as a patch on a pair of jeans .....for now i will just admire it and love it.
I received 3 other very cool items - but the Fliegenpilz is tops!

the last 10 days

2007-12-12T21:58:00.000-05:00

Happy Hannukah!

Oh! Wait that ended yesterday...
So I'm a little behind. What else is new? :) We lit the candles and ate the latkes. No dreidel spinning here but we sang the South Park Version of the song...we are soooooo not PC in this house, I tell ya!

Other than the eight days of chanukah...there has been the 10 days of QUILTERS. This is the latest musical for our Musical Conservatory program. I admit, I haven't watched a single rehearsal this weel. Poor Yvette has had to watch it every night this week...Max is such a great excuse. That and I have been sick too - i have caught the plague :)

So what does a musical about Quilters involve? Quilts! Lots of friggin' quilts! I have never quilted. I mean that I have NEVER done the type of quilts that require tiny triangles and squares and circles and all sorts of piecing.
Kristin sent me a link to this amazing webpage! Crazy helpful it was. That and the Singer sewing book on quilts and some other book the set designer brought in were the best thing in the world!

Our quilt blocks are (approx.) 22" square. Some patterns were enlarged and some were shrunk. The final product is 16 seperate squares mounted onto an 8'x8' canvas backdrop:

In order of left to right, top to bottom, we have -
1. Butterfly (a crazy quilt with applique) 2. Logcabin 3. Spools or Secret Drawer 4. "rebel patch" (a crazy quilt used for a fictitious block for the show)

5. School Houses 6. Rocky Road to Kansas (have also seen it called Rock Star) 7. Country Crossroads 8. Baby Blocks (aka Tumbling Blocks)

9. Lonestar 10. Four Doves in a Window 11. tree of Life 12. Kansas Dugout

13. Double Wedding Rings 14. Double Windmill 15. Crosses and Losses 16. Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

By the way, we cheated. Alot!!! - there was heat-n-bond and non piecing....but could you tell? Okay maybe you professional quilters could...irk!

Here are a few close-ups:

We ended up appliqueing this one with heat-n-bond after we had made it WAY to big. There wasn't enough time to piece it properly.

Made by one of our apprentices.

Katherine throwing down the scraps in order to make the Crazy quilt block. She ironed them all down and then zig-zaged by machine.

Our final block - The background blocks were pieced and then the rest was laid on top, then appliqued.

Each block gets snapped on as the play goes on and the song is sung to explain the story behind each pioneer woman's quilt. So we need to readjust the snaps a bit and maybe adjust a block or two....then it is all done!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once that is done, we can get on with the more important things at hand. The making of the holiday gifts and secret santa-ing in the work place. I am sure my person knows who I am...but that is okay...she is loving it!

Purses, Schmurses!

2007-11-30T00:24:00.000-05:00

So a few days ago i gave you a little peek into my Holiday Madness.

Well here is more!

The Fliegenpilz bag is made of fabric I purchased last summer in NYC at Purl Soho. The buttons are from a new store near me that has just opened. (they come in green, blue, red, white and burgundy).

Their online page is lousy - does not do the store justice one tiny bit! And so much of their stock is not online. Here is a hint of what I bought on my first purchase. (yes, I said first. There has been a 2nd)

The green cordoroy bag is for a co-worker who has been one of my "new-mommy gurus."
I added appliques and a pocket on the outside and buttons from my new dealer.

The trial run began with the wool tweed fabric from my stash. The lining is also from Purl Soho. It is a Heather Ross fabric.

Really - check out the Handmade Holiday month at Sew Mama Sew! And while you are at it, don't forget to check out Whip Up for their latest roundup of crafting (featuring the lovely Alice).

And in the middle of the madness I have been crafting a few other things - and have been creating a mini-tutorial of my own. We shall see if I can get it all done and posted it by the end of the weekend.

oh goodness it is well after midnight - so need to get to bed!

ps: the purse pattern is here (the schematic should be a trapezoid, not a rectangle)

holiday creating has begun!

2007-11-27T21:25:00.000-05:00

Have you all accepted that this is not a pure knitting blog?
Good.
I only remind you all of this since the holiday crafting will be heavy on the sewing and light on the knitting or crochet. I blame Sew Mama, Sew.
The month of November is Handmade Holidays Month. And I am going crazy with the craftiness of them all...not enough time in the world (and there needs to be more manly ideas)

I have printed out so many tutorials it is R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S!!!

And I am having a fabulous time.

Here is a little hint of the beginning of my holiday crafting madness:

the details:

(did you see the buttons!?!?!?!)

And there have been cookies. I saw Madhatter's yummy cookies and i figured it was time to dig through the magazine recipes i have been saving over the years and make these Iced Gingerbread cookies.

(next week, I will attempt a chocolate shortbread recipe)

Gobble...gobble!

2007-11-22T12:01:00.001-05:00

Let's just assume i am greatful...and thankful and all that. I know. It is Thanksgiving here in the USA and everyone is writing something beautiful and poetic about how they are greatful for all they have in their lives......Like! Gag me with with a spoon!

No. Really. I AM thankful for many things.

The cuteness that is Max.
The latest show is open (and no actors were harmed in the process, or babies - Max is so lucky that Nana came down to babysitt, and sew costumes)
I am not at work.
I will bake a pie that will not taste terrible.
I am not spending this day with anyone other than my new immediate family...oh? Did I type that? :)
This.

And now i can return to the knitting! There are always 80 million projects in the works. But the one that seems to be getting the most time and energy from me is a Log Cabin Blanket. Which i completley blame on Ravelry for the inspiration. This started as a crocheted afghan for Fritz awhile back and it was not a success. AT ALL! To be honest with myself, it was U-G-L-Y! BUt the knitted version is looking sooo much prettier.

Here is just the beginning.

I hope to get it done by the end of the decade....hmmmm...don't hold your breath Fritz! He is lucky that i don't have to mail it to him...that's all i 'm saying.

Gratuitous nekked baby post!

PIF:
Thank you Amelie and K(n)ittything - you are on the list - now i must figure it all out - thank goodness i have a year! There is a 3rd slot if anyone is interested :)

Max as Knitwear model

2007-11-07T20:47:00.001-05:00

This is a gratuitous baby in knitwear post - you have seen the some of these and some not. But how could I not post this adorable face?

The blueberry hat is by my friend Beth, the Little Man sweater is designed by me, the red sweater was made by Nana and the blanket was made by Lew at Woolwinders.

Pay it Forward

2007-11-06T11:44:00.000-05:00

So I am joining the party. I was reading Tini's blog and then checked out the Madhatter and saw this PAY IT FORWARD blogger idea.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

This is a great idea - it is a casual crafting swap - and it will motivate me to try something new...i hope!

And since I seem to be a joiner these days (read: Ravelry and Facebook) I figured I would do this one too.

And though this is a knitting blog, I am thinking that it will be a sewn item...knitting needle case....linen napkins with embroidery...mini art quilt (okay i have never made one, but why not try one now?)......it means i can try out lots of things and see what happens....

hopefully not this! :)

ps- thanks for all the nice comments about my sweet pea! It is so easy to make him cute when he is so damn cute to begin with! (no i am not biased AT ALL)

happy halloween!!!

2007-10-31T19:22:00.002-05:00

he's a PEA in case you are wondering :)

and yes, the peas are on steroids...good fertilizer....

there are also these cute pics too (I was going for the PRINCESS AND THE PEA but mommy did not have enough time for a full costume)

so as you can see, not much knitting and too much time on ravelry!

and in case you need a new fabric and trim dealer, check this place out!!!! (and do not blame me when your check book goes south!)

Cleaning house...

2007-10-26T11:38:00.001-05:00

So the idea of this whole Ravelry thing is organization...well that is how i see it anyway. And boy does it want you to be organized. Pictures of my stash? Needle count? how many projects are ACTUALLY on the needles and then those that are stashed with needles and books hiding elsewhere?

Time to face the music!
And a scary piece of music is that.

I have been uploading projects and some yarn pics to my ravelry notebook - and i cannot believe i did not post about this adorable sweater:

You can view a closup of the little back view here.

Yarn: Regia Jacquard 4 ply in Oslo and Rowan 4ply soft in dark gray (soot?)
Needles: 2.5 for edging and 3mm for the body
Pattern: Candace Baby Cardigan by Holli Yeoh (pattern a day calendar 2005)
Size: 6month to 12 month
Notes: I had all but one sleeve done before the baby was born - but it took me until July to get that last sleeve done. I knit the sleeves in the round instead of flat ( I hate purling).
Since I did not have the perfect gray until after I waned to start this project, I picked up the hem edging once the whole project was sewn together. Also - I purposely did not match the stripes -I like when they match hardly at all or when they are absolutley perfect. I knew I couldn't get absolutley perfect :)

And now to the gratuitous baby pictures:

and one more here!!!

Also - here is a better shot of my Gala dress.

I'm IN!!!!!

2007-10-18T19:02:00.000-05:00

frecklegirl has invited you to Ravelry!
Here you go! Thanks for your interest in our little site.

Did you see that? She said LITTLE site! So funny! Little! HA! HA!

Now this means I need more time to organize my stuff - virtually and in reality! Scary thought - I was thinking about scanning my patterns into the computer and putting them into PDF files and getting rid of the paper-trail (you know, fantasies of moving overseas and all...need less stuff to move)

Also I need to create an on line design portfolio. This is is it - sort of. I need something on a more professional level....another flickr account?

Fritz and me at this year's gala! Aren't we cute - It was the end of the night when this was taken. Hopefully I will post better pics of the dress (finished minutes before the show ended and the party started) when other people send them to me :)

7 months and a few days

2007-10-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

What would be my Dad's birthday is in about 30 minutes. Well, a half hour from when i started this post. Who knows where we will be when i end this post.

He would have been 68. 67 is just too young.

I am not sure how well this reads on your computer, but yes, the type above my dad's obit from last Spring is Chinese. My aunt had this crazy idea while walking through Chinatown (NYC). She figured that Milt loved chinese food and he would appreciate the humour. The funny things is that the chinese food place where we ordered the foor for the memorial service from, recognized him :)

In other news - Saturday night is also the Gala for Imagination Stage - which means, as all not-for-profits do, we are fundraising. This also means that I need a dress and a babysitter. This will be the 1st date Fritz and I have been on without the Baby and not during the day. My sister and brother are coming down to babysit and spend tomorrow with us.

"What about the dress?" You might ask. That is a good question. I am currently reworking a dress that i made 4 years ago - turning it into a shorter cuter cocktail version of itself. Should have taken a before picture.....But you will see the after on Sunday...I hope :)

And while you are waiting to see that - you need to check out this fabric:

Take a closer look if you can. The one on the left is KNITMARE ON ELM STREET. And the second on is QUILT PIRATES. Both by Michael Miller - oh how i love the scissors instead of bones or swords.

Opening a show...again

2007-10-03T20:40:00.001-05:00

So sorry that I have been out of touch. JUNGLE BOOK just opened this past weekend at Imagination Stage and it is FABULOUS!!! I am sure i have said this before about our shows. But there are times when we do good! :)
The monkeys are HYSTERICAL... unfortunatley, my pictures of them are not great, but you can see a fabulous picture of the tiger, Shere Khan. He is very scary. Or so I hear. Enough for a 3 year old to wet his pants.....well the target audience is 4-10 years old....

As for the knitting and crocheting - there have been socks as usual (no pics) And yet another Angel dress. This time it is punk rock crochet:

Pattern: Butterfly Pinafore (but i call it the angel top), McCall's Treasury of Patterns (?) from the early 70's or late 60's (my mom has been making these forever and rediscovered the book at a garage sale several years ago - out of print as far as we know)
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay - not quite 2 skeins
Hook: F or G....can't recall
Check out the adorable buttons here.

The sweet angel that is my son is pushing to NOT make it to 1 years old. Lots of lack of sleeping, which also means lack of knitting and crocheting. Doesn't he realize that Mommy has a habit? And she needs her fix?!?!?!?!
Guessing not....

gratuitous baby picture:

as for Ravelry:

You signed up on August 27, 2007
You are #29157 on the list.
6514 people are ahead of you in line.
9983 people are behind you in line.
57% of the list has been invited so far

I am ALMOST there. I was invited to a Ravelry Meet-up this past Sunday, even though i am only on the waiting list. It is good to have friends. Of course, I forgot the camera - so no pics to post. But Max was a rock-star - he even took a nap and Mommy got 4 rounds on 2 sox done. SOOOOO EXCITING!

Run, don't walk....

2007-09-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

...to your local fabric store (or where ever else you buy your patterns)

Last year, I got the chance to do some sewing for a Simplicity pattern designer to make some extra cash (for my trip to Vienna of course). Well, if you you have been perusing the costume section of the Simplicity pattern books, you will have seen my fine work!!!!

Being the dork that I am, I took pictures of the pattern books with my cell phone to document my handy work (which of course i never photographed last year because i forgot):

You can also view the professional pictures here and here

re-purposing stock

2007-09-12T07:57:00.000-05:00

There are just WAY too many tshirts in our costume stock. An insane amount, really. I can only donate so many to Goodwill or Salvation Army, so i felt the need to re-purpose a few of them for grocery bags. The idea came to me when I saw the check-out clerk at the grocery store emptying the box of bags, which said "Tshirt Bags" on the box. And i thought..aha!! I know what to do with all those tshirts that do not fit into storage!

Now I am sure that this is written about somewhere in the blog-o-sphere, but i have decided to not google it, and post my own mini tutorial:

Starting from the top left corner, working across Left to right:

row 1:
1. You need one t-shirt. Children's small or medium is perfect for your aversage grocery store size bag (not to mention, these things S-T-R-E-T-C-H!)
2. Hack off the sleeves (but save later, for they will be pockets!)
3. and 4. You will need to cut out the neckline for handles. Draw it out to see how deep you want them, or just be brave and cut away.

row 2:
5. Turn inside out and fold sideways. The center fronts and the center backs are now the side seams.
skip middle pic
6. Creat bottom of back: Sew a seam approx. 1" -2" from original hem. (Seam depth determines width of bottom of bag)

just below, right to left (oops)
7. and 8. Snip open at sides so bottom of bag can lay flat. Measure approx. 1.5" in and stitch.

next row
9. and 10. Finish edges of handles (old neck and armhole seams) with stich of choice. Since this is a stretch fabic I just zig-zag around.
11. For pockets, open up sleeve seam, lay flat wrong side to wrong side 2" below armhole/handle with hem up. Stitch around sides and across bottom and then down middle to create 2 pockets (i need to play with photo shop more to learn how to draw arrows and other directional things).
12. On side opposite from pocket, add decoration of choice! (Tigerente, of course)

I use the smaller bags with pockets inside to transport bottles and what-nots to daycare for Maxim. But the red bag with the Tigerente is MY bag - lunch bag or knitting or general grocery shopping. The larger bags (what are now too small for me or Fritz) are perfect for larger grocery trips and are much more comfortable to carry from the parking lot to our apartment while pushing a stroller :)

mmmm, cake

2007-09-05T20:33:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday! To my lovely assistant, Katherine. Well, last week anyway. She is in search of her frog prince so i felt the need to make cupcakes and arrange them like this. Get it? Frog prince? yeah - i know i lose me too sometimes :)
I like to believe that it is practice for my future - little boy birthday parties and all that. Katherine is a willing ~~victim~~ participant in my reindeer games.

She is also a fan of aprons - so i made her a knitted apron:

Can't tell you what the yarn is other than it is Gedifra (dandy? and something that starts with a V? possibly?) It came out of my stash and i was just messing around with one of those dishcloth patterns you can find on the web. The fabric ruffle is a double-shot chiffon from stock. There is an inset of a close-up in the picture with the idea of running a lime-green ribbon through the eyelets. Maybe...well most likely.

Still playing with photo shop...and still forgetting what i did to get cool things to happen to pictures. Less beer and more sleep might be involved....

lemmings

2007-09-04T18:26:00.000-05:00

okay - i am not jumping off a cliff or anything.

but i was feeling left out so i signed up.

you know? where all the cool kids are:

You are #29157 on the list.
17723 people are ahead of you in line.
1779 people are behind you in line.
36% of the list has been invited so far

something tells me, Max will be walking before i get in :)

Happy Labor Day!

2007-09-03T20:04:00.001-05:00

With such a long break from the blog world – there has been a lot going on. So much that I should be able to blog on a regular basis for awhile. Well at least until we go into tech rehearsal for the JUNGLE BOOK at the end of the month. I have been trying to work through both knitting and sewing stashes; which means there should be plenty to share in the near future (there is even an attempt at working on holiday knitting and sewing…. Yeah, well I‘ll believe it, when I see it too)

First – of course, the gratuitous baby pics:

He is so damn cute don’t you think? Especially with Fritz.

And now to the knitting. The lovely Alice of Future Girl recently emailed and asked if I wanted to partake in a mini swap with her. Perfect timing! My sister was visiting and had asked where did I get *this* purse. When I told her about Alice and her amazing purses for sale, she asked if Alice would do custom and could she have one with a daisy? (btw - check out Alice's tutorial here).I told her I would see what I could do…like I said, perfect timing. So Alice has made this gorgeous purse for my sister and I knit this hat (as modeled by Fritz and his lovely assistant, Maximilian).

Yarn: Rowan Cashsoft DK in Thunder
Needles: US size 5 (3.75mm)
Pattern: Design K, Smallest size, Sirdar’s “Arans for Living” Book #276
Changes to Pattern: I had made this hat before, at gauge, in the yarn called for and the largest size, approx. 24” – and it was WAY to effing big! I mean HUGE So I made the smallest size (20”) in the yarn called for – still, it was HUGE!!! So this time I used a smaller yarn and am sooooooooo much happier!

The requirement was TIGHT – and since Fritz likes his hats ridiculously tight – he was the perfect model and point of reference. He liked it so much that he didn’t want to take it off after I took the pics. So Alice, if it is not liked, he will gladly take it back. I pointed out that I could make him yet another hat this year….I mean, I do have the mad skills and all.

As for the sewing: there has been a lot of cuteness happening for the baby. I have been on an appliqué and machine embroidery kick. I think a lot of inspiration is coming from all the adorable things that I see on other blogs. So I felt (get it? Felt?...yeah i kill me) the need to try some on my own:

The onesies were purchased and then embellished (what a great word) with felt appliqués and machine embroidery. The Lion bib was a kid’s t-shirt that we were going to toss from stock; I repurposed it and made a bib for the wee one. While still on the bib kick, I crocheted a bib with King Tut Cotton and a size G hook. The shaping was created with short rows – and of course, an adorable Tigerente appliquéd sewn on by hand.

Side note: As you can see, I have discovered fd’s flickr toys (thank you SewMad) and there has also been PhotoShop activity as well. I now need to figure out that layer thing so I can create a copyright/label for my renderings and photos)

Some Assembly Required...

2007-08-22T15:39:00.000-05:00

Just a little update that i am still alive and YEAH we have a new computer...Vista isn't all bad...well for now.

I am currently reworking the blog look and forgot to save my links list. SO if you feel you are missing from my list - don't feel bad, i just accidently deleted you (and if you are in my cell phone, you already know what that feels like)

Learning lots of things now that we have PHOTO SHOP!!!!!!

I feel like i am in the 90's! All modern with the Photo Shop....

Here is a cute baby picture:

beth and angela came for avisit and got to see the babe!

99.9 Fahrenheit degrees

2007-08-09T11:20:00.000-05:00

*Suzanne Vega song

Okay so it is a million degrees here in the DC area! It is so hot that I am hanging out at Fritz's scene shop keeping cool while the theatre is OUT OF POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So all shows cancelled and no sewing (Don't have any hand sewing to do) No laundry (not using a washboard) and well no posting of new pictures of cute baby sweaters or crocheted bibs that say MAX! (the camera is in the costume shop, along with my swim suit and am not interested in driving all the way there)

But since the baby is at daycare, Fritz and I are FINALLY going to see HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. (we have yet to see PIRATES III or the new BOURNE movie)

Also i am going to take an official blogging break until Labor Day. I have plenty to blog about - have gotten a lot of knitting and crocheting done - working on my stash and finishing objects that i have started oh so long ago.... of lot of repurposing going on too.

Part of the reason is that the home computer is crap and we are geting a new one soon. Also i want to take some time to learn some html and really make this blog into something other than your basic template.

I am very much inspired by SewMad's collages of pic on her blog as well as the look and "feel" of other blogs such as MollyChicken or Moonstitches or a new to me Inside a Black Apple. There are a million more blogs that inspire me and that i love to read - but these blogs (and many many many more) all seem to have this tactile feel that i feel mine is missing.

And since I am an artist in real life , i need to show this a bit more through my blog.

If you are in DC, on Sunday come to Woolwinders and learn to make this cute dress with me!

ikea hack

2007-07-29T07:46:00.000-05:00

I love my Ikea bags - you know....those HUGE blue bags that you buy every time you go to Ikea to bring all that stuff you don't need home? You know...this one:

This bag has many uses as I am sure you know. Great for luggin' laundry back and forth to the theatre or schlepping it down to the laundry room in our building. Also, good to keep in the car for those trips to Sam's Club or Costco or any other store where there aren't bags. Also FABULOUS for show-shopping ....Great for the gross quantities of stuff.

But what about smaller loads of laundry such as baby stuff? Or little shopping trips? I still wanted my ikea bag but it gets so cumbersome when it is only half full. I thought to myself...hmm i really like the size of these Giant Pea Pod bags, but how tacky to carry around a grocery store bag, not to mention it is just plastic and not tarp like my Ikea bag, hmmmm.....

So 30 minutes and 59 cents later I had these:

OOOOOOHHHHHH! AAAAAHHHHH!
Papa bag, Mama bag and Baby "knitting project size" bag.

i guess i can now say:

gratuitous baby picture:

It's Harry Potter Time!

2007-07-20T21:05:00.001-05:00

(title of this post sung to the tune of “howdy doody”)

yes there is knitting - see below :)

Well just a bit less than 2 hours to go and the final installment of the HARRY POTTER books will be out and about on the East Coast. Those of you overseas have already obtained (and most likely devoured) your English copies of Deathly Hallows. (Can you believe that the German version won’t be out until OCTOBER!!!!!!????)

I know that it is the final party at the stores – but Fritz is picking up our 2 copies (1 for me, 1 for him) later in the day while I am at the yarn store. And I probably won’t be reading HP until Sunday, as I will be spending the very late evening watching BUFFY the MUSICAL!!!!! So cool I tell ya! (Yes I am that strange). In case you did not know, there was a BUFFY THE MUSICAL episode (season 6 of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) and they are performing it around the country ala` ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. They currently do this with SOUND OF MUSIC as well. I am so excited!!! Can’t you tell?

If I am lucky the baby will sleep long and hard on Sunday so I can read all day poolside.

Last Sunday was great! After swimming, the baby did this:

So I did this:

And made this:

Pattern: ala sweater wizard version 3.0/raglan cardigan sweater/knit flat
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton in Willow
Needle size: US size 7 (4.5mm)
Gauge: 4.25 stitches per inch (2.5cm)
Finished size: 20”

Isn’t he cute in his little man sweater? It just took one day! I love aran weight yarn!
It took me all week to find the perfect buttons and then do the button placket. There are 2 extra stitches on his left side which bug me just enough that I do not feel like ripping it out and re-doing it. It took me 2 tries to get the buttonholes exactly where I wanted I know that there is a mathematical way to figure out buttonholes – I teach this in my Finishing Class- but I am “artistic” (read: crazy) and was being ueber – specific. It also took me all week to find the perfect buttons. I went with tiny little stars…so cute.

I plan on working through a few more stash items before casting anything new on...yeah..i am sure i have said that before....

Blue Beauty

2007-07-17T21:19:00.001-05:00

This lovely top is a gift for Meghan, the scenic artist who painted the mural in the baby’s room. She wouldn’t take cash, but she would gladly take knit/crochet wear as payment.

Pattern: Blissful by ? in THE HAPPY HOOKER
Yarn: Rowan Damask 6 skeins (I think)
Hook: G for the shell skirt and F for the bodice
Changes to the pattern: since it was a bit big and overlapped at the back, I used snaps as closures at center back. Instead of a halter, I used ribbon and lingerie findings for the straps.

And it looks great on Meghan (who was covered in paint and not willing to be photographed all schmutzig)! The skirt part was fabulously easy to make – the “feather and fan” type repeat on the lower half was so much fun to make. And that was done in no time….it was the bust cups that drove me crazy!!!!.

I checked for errata on the Knit Happens home page found that, yes, there are errata, but it is WRONG WRONG WRONG. When you have 78 stitches and decrease 4 stitches you cannot still have 78!!!! Argh!! Oh the frustration of this pattern!! I had to do the left bra cup 3 times to get it right. At first I thought it was me, so I ripped out. Then I realized that the pattern is not written the way I was taught to read patterns. For example: In crochet, you chain a certain number of stitches at the end/beginning of the row to create height for the next row. This chain counts as a stitch. So, if the pattern reads:

foundation row: Chain 21
row 1: In second chain from hook, single crochet to end. 20 stitches.
row 2: Chain 3, double crochet in each single crochet to end of row. 20 stitches

What this means is that there are 19 double crochets and 1 “chain 3” which total 20 stitches. (Make any sense?) Okay – this is how every other pattern I have ever made is written. Apparently not this one! So frustrating. The pattern was written so my row 3 above would total 19 stitches, not counting the chain 3 as a stitch. Get it?!?!..No? Oh well…I tried. Just add one to each row and it will be fine…..

So obviously problem with the pattern. But it is very pretty, no?

Baby Potter

2007-07-11T10:11:00.000-05:00

So I had to do it! In honour of the 5th Harry Potter Movie "The Order of the Phoenix," Max really needed a boy wonder bib. And with the final book being released next week, he will wear this again I am sure :)

The lightening bolt was enbroidered by me by machine. I have become very attached to the free form embroidery aspect on one of the machines at the theatre and have been very much inspired by Kristin LaFlamme's Needle Doodles. I don't have the finess that she has but Iam starting to learn the basics and plan for more little images on bibs ('cause babies drool..a LOT!!!)

Hard at work...

2007-07-10T12:01:00.001-05:00

Oh my it has been almost a whole month since I last posted!

What has been happening you might ask? (and if you didn’t, I will tell you anyway)

Well the cute boy has been at DayCare *sigh* and he is FINE!! Am I fine? Well I am not crying this week….He is so happy to be there because he is so cute and loved and how could you not love this face:

How do you people with Jobs and Crafts and Kids find time to blog? I mean I thought crafting and working made it hard enough – though I admit the blogging forces me to finish…sort of….okay maybe not all.

But there has been some finishing happening. My Mom almost finished this very cute sweater for the boy:

Pattern: Baby Kimono by Kristin Spurkland in Interweave Knits Summer 2005
Intended size: 20” which says newborn, but I think it is more like 6mths (22”) – my mom knits loose
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton Colour #? (lost the ball band)
Needles: size 3(3.25mm)
Changes to pattern: Closure is left over right (boy baby) and used snaps instead of ribbon for closure (again, boy baby)

So easy to make! Okay, all I did was one sleeve and put it together. As you can see I added a bit of grosgrain down each “button band” and sewed snaps instead of buttons. And used a fabulous Pirate Button purchased at the store as decoration. I like snaps and zippers best for baby sweaters since they hold better than buttons possibly torn off by little hands. Of course that does not mean that I would not use cute buttons if I found them!

And there has been a lot of swimming going on:

Maxim with Julie Anne hangin' out in his coolshades at the pool!

Father's Day #1

2007-06-17T22:25:00.000-05:00

It is Fritz'z first official Father's Day!
And in honour of said day, I made the cutest little romper for Maxim:

See the ties? Get it? Oh, I slay me!

And really getting on the Father's Day/matching outfit bandwagon, my boys have matching pj's:

too cute i know...Fritz isn't feeling so hot, but I HAD to take the picture.

I even have knitting for the baby to post - but that will have to be later this week, as i am back in Oz for this week while Fritz is home with the babe!

kindness of strangers

2007-06-13T16:33:00.001-05:00

Fritz has an assistant named George and George has a mom named Pat – well Pat is a knitter and also has a blog (George’s mom is obviously cool - and i think her hair is red? maybe strawberry blonde). Not only she is a knitter with a blog who is George’s mom – but she knits socks…socks for my Max!

Aren’t these great?!?!? Met her once for five seconds at the MD Sheep and Wool and she knit my boy socks!!!! 2 Pair!!! And a very soft wash cloth (Manos stria maybe or blue sky organic cotton?) Very soft!!! My opinion of George is raised highly since his mom is so cool (Actually I have always like George but add the knitting mom and, well… I am biased after all)

Oh how i miss

2007-06-04T16:40:00.001-05:00

this guy!!!

I am at work today!! Can you believe it - my maternity-leave is basically up and gone!!
I miss him so! Fritz has been kind enough to Text me pics all day long to keep me sane :)

Fritz is home this week with the wee one, then I am home next week, Fritz is home the week after that and I get the last week of June with Maxim before I have to go back full time and he is off to Daycare in July...so very sad.

In the picture above, Max is sporting a lovely hat i made with leftover Noro Tidori and Debbie Bliss Cathay. These little booties:

Are also made with the Noro yarn. I think the pattern is out of KNIT SIMPLE magazine spring/summer 2007.
They are not for Max but for Baby Anna who is 4 weeks younger than my sweet boy. BUt doesn't he make a lovely model?

Must. Go. Home. And see baby (that and my boobs are about to bust! Left the tubes to the pump at home - somebody shoot me!)

gettin' crafty

2007-05-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

As mentioned earlier, I have been watching way too much DIY. And one of the shows that I tend to watch is called CREATIVE JUICE – the hosts, like most TV hosts, are a bit too cheery for me ….and the chick has red hair...
Has anyone else noticed that all the cool crafty people have red hair? i.e.: Vickie on KNITTY GRITTY, the Annie Modesitt, and in the blog world, Katrin at SewMad, Kristin at Kristin LaFlamme, and Yvette (who is also a costume designer I work with). Starting to think that I should have dyed my hair red instead of dark brown……..might help in the crafty-ness… though i have been known to be a red, rather burgundy, head from time to time.

Ok back on topic: SO CREATIVE JUICE had a baby things episode. They decorated a onesie with Buddha and made a baby sling. So I had to “follow the fold” and go for it.

Maxim has grown out of these onesies and I could not let them go to waste:

Since everyone else is having girls, I decided to lose the traditional car-boy themes and appliqué some cute birdies over the original design:

Added a little glitter paint to the wings and sparkle for the eye…so cute for the girls. Must pass on to the next cute baby (somebody shoot me!)

I also felt the need to make a baby sling:

I needed something classy to help carry the baby (as well as be able to breastfeed in plain view, but not) while at a wedding this past weekend.

I have the Baby Bjorn (eBay purchase) and that works too. I also tried a New Native Sling that for the first few weeks. Unfortunately, both caused some back pain after awhile. Although the Baby Bjorn is a bit awkward to adjust, it is great for more active roaming with the baby and fantastic once I get it right, but bulky and unattractive when all dressed up. The New Native Sling is more of a pouch and not adjustable at all – moving on to the sling!

I followed these instructions and am really happy with the end result. You can find plenty of different versions of how to make a sling, as well as other carriers, here.
Normally these slings cost way too much (that is, if you can sew, have a crazy stash of fabric and trust your own mad skills). Instead of buying (and wanting one NOW) I made a gorgeous and comfortable Baby Sling for under $10.00. I used a silk from my stash that I bought off a $1/yard table in college and the rings are very inexpensive (ordered from www.slingrings.com)

Must make more!!!!

Finishing the unfinished

2007-05-29T00:22:00.001-05:00

More finished objects!

The time between late night feedings has become very productive. And now that my serger is back from the Bernina repair guy and my sewing machine is out on the kitchen table…I am flying through a few sewing projects:

This lovely wall hanging was started in 2004. I think? I decided to take a quilting class over at Capital Quilts in Gaithersburg based on the sample hanging in the shop. All the piecing was done but none of the quilting or the bias edge. I am still thinking about stitching around the dragons and castles in gold or silver metallic thread – but that will most likely NEVER happen. I thought about passing it on as a gift but Fritz really liked it and thinks I should hang it in the baby’s room.
Apparently, I liked the first one so much, I started this one:

Now this one has been quilted, but I have yet to do the border pieces….I am sure there is something in my stash that would lend itself to trimmings. Something in a lovely red maybe? To match the back?

And last but not least – a needle case for straights, circulars and dpn’s along with a pocket for stuff…

Any takers? Seriously. You want it, I’ll mail it. I cannot remember who it was for - if anyone. Email me first and it will be sent out to you this week!!

oh and there is more Unfinished yet to be finished..those baskets are scary!

Wow! One whole year!!

2007-05-27T19:19:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it? This piddly little blog has been up for a year! And not yet 100 posts...been busy :)
And even more amazing, I finished a sewing project that i started with fabric that I bought last year this weekend.

this is my very first pieced quilt! The finished measurement is about 45" x 36". The few others quilts that I have made were done with those "tops" you can buy at the fabric store and have some sort of character (animaniacs, harry potter...) and then a few blocks of matching colours around them to make them bigger.

So last year, I started with this:

I sliced the rows on the bias, then re-stitched the bias strips into the center rectangle.

The majority of the fabrics are Denise Schmidt - and a few others filling in the blanks. I finished the center portion last summer and then it just sat and sat in one of my many baskets of many unfinished projects. So last week, while finally unpacking a few things, I found the beginnings of this quilt and felt it was time to finish. The top only took another 2 hours to put together (baby napping - yeah) and pinned like crazy to the back fabric. The not so perfect hand quilting was done by the light of the tv inbetween the 4 am and 6 am feedings. No reason to try to sleep for 1 hour :)
The pictures are all a bit blurry since I used my cell phone camera to take pictures (Fritz left the digital camera at the theatre)

I loved the end result so much, that I started another one!

the fabrics were given to me by Vivi, last year during our fabric swap. The colours are very fall-like: browns and rusts with some olive green and a bit of gold. The stripe is something from my stash. There was another fabric, but it is living a happy life as a purse lining. Expect to see a post one year from now with the finished project.....

Tiger ducks unite!

2007-05-17T10:22:00.001-05:00

And now for my latest creation, a TIGERENTE army!!!!

There is no pattern...something that I made up in between midnight feedings using Lion Brand Microspun and a size F crochet hook. Hence, the "no 2 Tigerentes are the same" look.I should have used something like this pattern for a little more consistency. That would have meant planning and thinking ahead. The wheels are a bit "off-road" as Fritz likes to tell me.

I need to put a ribbon and snaps or velvro on them so I can hang them from the car seat handle or on the stroller...but for now they are just their own little army.

Happy mother’s day…a bit late

2007-05-15T09:05:00.000-05:00

So this was my first Mother’s Day – not all that different from any other Mother’s Day before, except this time I had a baby to show for it!!

My sister came down with her daughter and boyfriend (who is also a “Fritz”). Since my sister, Jan, is seriously allergic to cats (so strange since we grew up in the same house with cats) they always stay at a hotel –which means HOT TUB!!! And POOL!!!!
This also means:

No not baby-porn:) Maximilian is sporting the finest in baby swim suit bottoms/built in diaper. He is a bit perplexed...

Maxim’s first swim!!! And still is perplexed. He cannot hold his head up all the way yet but he seemed to take to the little inner tube as well. We floated in the water a bit here and there and he accidentally dunked his own head (My Fritz will tell you that I did it on purpose). He coughed and blinked and was fine! I am so happy that this water baby might have her own water baby!!!
There is a pool at our apartment complex, so I cannot wait to take him swimming every evening after work once it opens and is a bit warmer. My niece will be down for a week of summer camp at the theatre, so she is also looking forward to taking the baby swimming.

One of my MD presents was a package from Annie Modesitt!!! So very cool! She must have called my mom to get my address…or maybe I gave it to her?....so spacey these days – whole lack of sleep thing. Anyway she sent a couple of very soft sleep onesies for Maxim and cool stuff for me:

Fritz kept playing with the flip books and “giggling” – that is, if a 40 year old fuzzy man can giggle….so cute!
I am so excited about the millinery/hat making book – am seriously thinking of making the Ascot Hat for a wedding we are going to in 3 weeks….maybe, possibly…all depends on how much more lack of sleep I am up for….

Too much DIY

2007-05-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

It starts with sitting in the dark, feeding the baby and thinking “…hmmmm wouldn’t it be cool if the bassinette was a pirate ship?” At first you think that it was all the vicodin combined with lack of sleep. But soon you realize – No it is your own insanity without the aid of drugs or sleepless nights, you are just that wacko.

The basic bassinette really lends itself to Pirate Ship. Don’t you think?
Here is the before:

Stare at – in the dark with tired eyes…Doesn’t the hood just scream to be a flag with skull and cross bones? And maybe something pirate-y on the skirt? Hmmm, must find the perfect fabric for the skirt…oh, and I did - and let us not forget the sheep mobile….

Pirate Max!!!!!!

I thought about a naked girl or a mermaid at the front, but that required way more effort and probably wouldn’t be done until the kid turns 2. Of course, I could find a Barbie or Little Mermaid doll or something…..no, stop.

It took several naps and one evening of Fritz completely taking over the evening cranky-pants attack. (around 7 or 8pm every night there is a cranky-pants attack – sometimes full blown screaming and tears, and other nights just incessant whining that nothing other than over-feeding or bouncing or rocking or shooshing or sling or baby bjorn or…well you get the idea…)

It is not my best work – but hey, I have the excuse of caring for a newborn (we shall see how long that one lasts)

Have you seen the sheep mobile? Check out the close-up of each them here and here.

SOOOO much better than STITCHES!!

2007-05-08T10:32:00.001-05:00

I know I am a couple days late with my report but I have got to say that it was soooo much better than STITCHES when it comes to vendors and food!!!!!

Okay food I did not get to partake in the food‘cause the lines were way too long – but this poster might tell you how it was:

"and don't forget the mint!"

There were sheep of course:

just a few feet away from the lamb gyro and sandwich stands....hmmm better win!!!

And there was yarn – lots of yarn and fleece:

The funny thing is that I bought more of this:

Than I did yarn. Maxim, of course, will not fit into these until next MD SHEEP AND WOOL but I could not help myself.

The only yarn I bought was some hand dyed wool for the afghan I am crocheting – nothing special and some hemp/wool blend from someone I cannot remember. I just realy enjoyed walking around for way too long and checking it all out. I ran into people I had not seen since before the baby was born – so he was properly admired :) Heck – he was admired by those I did not know. If I had a dollar for every person who commented on my sweet pea, I’d have bought A LOT of yarn!!!

There are pictures of the baby there too – but I need to edit those – came out a bit bright.

Other amazing items:

People do some fantastic things….

so big!!!!!

2007-05-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

finally a cute outfit that i made! this lovely picture was taken by JILL this past sunday at the Woolwinders baby shower....he was such a good baby that you would not believe that he doesn't rest during the day when I want to sleep :)

But one of the lovely ladies gave me a BOUNCY CHAIR!!!!!!!!! do you know the magic of the bouncy chair? Well - let's put it this way, I am blogging again and knitting/crocheting again!!!!

He is so easily amused with the Elephants and the Lion...

argh!!!!! (frustration - not pirates)

2007-05-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

i had written a very clever post and the computer crashed just when i was finishing up
lots of cute pics too....my time is precious- so i have learned with baby...i mean look at this gray hair!!!!

but really look at the cuteness that is Maxim:

there is more - really - even a bit of crochet...thinking about an afghan... 'cause i have all that free time...and way too much yarn.....

still breathing

2007-04-21T18:44:00.000-05:00

at two weeks old Maxim is just so damn cute!!!!!

I mean look at him:

he is now 4 weeks old and i need to download more pictures of the cutie

Here are a few things that i have learned in his first 4 weeks of life:

1- babies poop alot! just because you changed the diaper 5 minutes ago, does not mean that you do not need to change it again
2 - sleep when they sleep! 'cause you do not know when you will get to sleep again, EVER!!!
3 - babies make it hard to knit or crochet :(

4 - breastfeeding is not easy just because it is "natural" - but if you get one of these and something like this, for a few minutes a day your hands are free to knit or crochet - so you can make something like this for someone else's little girl (was so tempted to put it on Max, but Fritz said no)

"

more to come - both knitting and baby!

how i spent my weekend...

2007-03-27T22:08:00.000-05:00

march 23, 2007
@ 13:49
Maximilian Joel
7 lbs 15 oz
21" long

pic taken only minutes after birth (overhead surgery lighting is fabulous for picture taking)

check out jill's pics of us! she has a fabulous camera and takes very nice pictures - nd you can see some here :)

maybe baby!

2007-03-23T07:24:00.000-05:00

not quite yet!
but here is a view of the before taken in a lovely apron made by my assistant as a "domestic goddess" present - front view:

and the side view (a bit blurry, but you get the idea):

he is gonna be huge, i tell ya!!!

my mom is here and is totally dealing with the crazy pregnant lady...crazy isright - it feels like the night before my wedding, but this is much scarier!!! husband you can get rid of by way of divroce, babies? well... that way leads to jail, i think....should i test it?

alright - well i am not sure when you will hear from me again - but I will get Fritz to post obligatory cute baby pictures at some point....

the biggest question i have right now is....what will the baby wear home!!!!?????!!!!!

thank you

2007-03-19T13:40:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to get a public thank you out to all of you who posted and sent me personal emails about my dad.
It really meant a lot to me.
I am not one who is very skilled at the flowery or the poetic or the good writing; and it is so kind to know that friends, family and friends of the blog world said such lovely things and sent positve thoughts, and all that :)

so thank you

“Lawzy, we got to have a doctor. I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies.”

2007-03-16T10:19:00.000-05:00

In case you haven’t heard – I am having a baby. Scary, isn’t it? I think so.

And you know what is even scarier? The little Maximilian is scheduled for next Friday…NEXT Friday…that is one whole week until baby – that is, unless he decides to miss his beat and enter early well before his cue. I would like to think of my doctor as his own personal Stage Manager. There might even be a technical rehearsal next week if the stage decides to fully open and let it all go, but that would mean he would still enter backwards, more butt then feet this time. He is no longer standing on my pelvis he is now sitting. Guess his little fat legs got tired 

But he will get to see this lovely mural aka the TIGERENTE MALEREI:

IS THAT NOT just F&*^#@ awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot wait to get the curtains up and the crib and the dresser painted and the changing table built….. (Umm, Fritz, are you reading this? Because that is your list…)

Oh and I have got to finish the cute outfits:
Sock monkeys…needs a matching hat –

holiday themes:

And there is also a sushi outfit which I need to make a wasabi green hat to go with. According to Fritz, Babies taste good with Wasabi (while cats taste good with teriyaki sauce!)

And if anyone wants to see my fat arms and some cute baby items from friends and coworkers, there are pics from my baby shower here, and do not forget to check out the awesome onesie Yvette embroidered with the skull….This kid is going to have one hell of a wardrobe!!

sadness

2007-03-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

I usually do not post things that are TOO personal since i am the type of person who really does not like her personal space invaded unless it is from people who i consider close (try working in theatre when you do not like to be touched all the time! oh AND pregnant :) )

But this is about my Dad - and this will effect (affect?) so many other things later.
My cousin sent out an email with this fabulous picture of my dad as a kid. I added the other ones :)

Love and miss you Daddy.

MILTON GREENE
October 13, 1939 - March 10, 2007

After a month long, hard fought battle with
multiple myeloma, our much adored Milt died
peacefully this afternoon at Clara Maass Hospital.

...

We then gathered at Janis's home and had a
Chinese feast in his honor.

it went fast!!!!! barely any left overs - he'd be so proud :)

(my birthday last may)
Dad, Mike, Jan, Me