Summer Grannies

When I finished knitting my crazy socks the other day I needed a new little project. It had to be small enough that I could work on it on the subway (without annoying the people sitting next to me) and I also felt like I wanted to work with cotton because it's been so hot outside...

I remembered that I had a desk drawer full of balls of DK weight organic cotton. It always seems to go on sale after summer and I always grab a few.

I'm having a really nice time making these granny squares. They make really nice little kitchen towels or fancy washcloths. I think a few people will be getting these as gifts when I go home to Minneapolis next week...

The one below is my favorite. It is made of three similar shades of yellow in the center melting out into green on the edge. I think this one might have to stay with me...

The hook I'm using is a size I, if you're curious. And the squares are just 2 rounds each of 4 colors. If you'd like to learn how to make granny squares you can check out Pip's tutorial here. It's how I learned.

Beach House

What I'm listening to this morning

Perfect Timing!

Today it is a hot and sweaty 92 degrees in Brooklyn, New York and guess what I finished knitting.

My ugly/beautiful wool socks! What do you think?

So, yeah... I really won't be wearing them again for another 3 months or so, but for now the are sitting on my bookshelf for me to pick up and admire. And even though they're so weird and nerdy, I really do love them. I sort of can't believe I made them. My spinning skills have improved so much in the past year. I never thought I would be able to make sock yarn, let alone actually make enough for a pair of socks (I also never thought I would be enough of a nerd to want to do something like this but that's another matter).

And in other crafty news. Siri (of Treehouse Brooklyn fame) and I biked over to the Renegade Craft fair at McCarren Park and it was awesome! There were quite a few vendors I had never seen before and Siri introduced me to a lot of cool artists. And of course, I picked up a few treats:

This beautiful printed tea towel from Enormous Champion. I think I want to hang it on the wall so it will never get dirty (I've just gotta iron it first).

Some lovely merino from Traveling Rhinos in the colorway "Blue Beard". It was quickly transformed into this 2-ply yarn!

Lastly (and most sadly) I got a Moss Bulb from Land Rich and it was so pretty and nice and I was able to bike all the way home without breaking it. Then as I reached in my bag to get the keys to my apartment, the little glass bulb rolled out of my bag and smashed on the sidewalk...

oh well... boo hoo...

p.s. The photo below is not mine. It is from Land Rich's website. I didn't have mine long enough to take a photo of it.... waa

Confession Time

I don't like machine sewing.

I have a sewing machine.

I bought it because I just wanted one and this particular one had a photo of Martha Stewart on it.

I imagined myself as a natural sewist (I think that's what they're called, right?). Well, I'm not good at sewing with the machine. It turns out that I don't like ironing, measuring, pinning, or uh... sewing. At least, not yet. I hope to be better at this some day. Right now I mostly practice sewing just by taking up the hems on long vintage dresses.

Tonight I was reminded why I shouldn't sew while singing... and drinking...

The above photo illustrates what happened about six times.

Oh well, some day I'll be better.

Five Faves

Pip over at Meet Me at Mikes is suggesting that people share their five favorite things this week and I think that's a very nice idea so here goes!

1. Treehouse Brooklyn

This super cute Brooklyn shop carries a mix of vintage clothing and locally-made apparel, jewelry, and home goods. The shop also hosts craft classes and parties and has a big library of craft books old and new to peruse. I'm interning at the shop once a week right now and having so much fun! This is definitely one of my favorite things. Website is here. And if you live in the NYC area you should come and visit!

2. Carrot Cake

Norel and I made carrot cake (cupcakes!) recently and it was so good. It reminded me why I usually requested it for my birthday cake as a little kid. Unfortunately, I left some of it out on the kitchen counter overnight and a mouse decided to come taste some... Lesson learned. Recipe here!

3.The Backyard

I know I've mentioned my love for my backyard before but I don't care. I just love it. It's special and amazing and beautiful. Logan planted some new stuff this past weekend and I'm going to try to find a hammock this Friday. Hooray!

4. Kata Golda's Handstitched Felt

I bought Kata Golda's book last week because it is just way way too cute and I couldn't leave the shop without it. All of the projects are fairly simple but that's okay for me because I'm really not great at sewing and sometimes I need help figuring out how to construct even simple items. The first project I did from the book is the Glasses Case and I think it turned out perfectly. I think I might give these out as gifts in the future...

5. My New Craft Room!

I have a craft room in my new place and I'm so happy about it! I know it's a bit messy in this photo but I'm still figuring out where to put things. All the crafty things that were stuffed into the closet and under the bed at my old apartment are now out in the open for me to admire and use! It's funny when people come over and are surprised at the amount of yarn I have. I'm so used to it that I feel like it's a totally normal amount for one person to have. Oh well. I love my yarn. I really do. A lot.

That's all for now. I'm going to go back to knitting my ugly/pretty socks and watching The Simpsons (which is an all-time favorite thing).

One is Done

I love this weird sock. I think it strikes a perfect balance between being really quite ugly but also super pretty. I can't wait until the pair is complete!

Slow Club Saturday

I've been listening to tons of Slow Club on You Tube this week. I just feel

like it's really good summer music...