Burn, burn, burn...

Today I am finally finishing a project for Marie:

I digitized a bunch of interviews she did with her mother, father, and aunt, who grew up during the 40s and related really interesting stories about the war.  Marie's mother is from London and told about the variety of the local sentiment towards Hitler at the very beginning of the Nazi movement.  Crazy stuff, man!

The interviews contain some endearing family folklore, as well!

Plus many episodes of trying to quiet down the riled-up dog!

Somehow I didn't anticipate that it would take hours upon hours to burn the discs (6 copies of a 13-disc set) so that is my fate, until (if I calculated correctly) about 1:00am.  C'est la vie!

If there is one thing I have learned in college, it is to accept the consequences of procrastination with serenity.  SERENITY NOW!

Slackin'

Hey folks! I have 6 extra family members visiting town lately, so I haven't been in my "studio" much. So, this week I shall tantalize you with some old favorites!

Sorry the pictures aren't very good quality-- I do a lot of project documentation using my computer's webcam for the sake of convenience.

First off, here's my "Periscope hood" that I made in the fall.  In progress:

And here is a bag that I made for Nicole for Xmas (Also in progress, also being worn on my head:)

Here are Daniel and I, with them both on our heads:

Ultimately we took things off our heads and I finished the bag for Nicole:

The periscope hood is the most-coveted (by me and my roommates) knitted item I've ever come up with!  It is made from wool so it is extremely cozy, and you can toss it back over your shoulder and wear it like a cowl when you get too warm.  Let me know if you want me to try and write up a pattern for it.  Here is the technique I used to round out the brain-chamber: it is called "short-row" and this website explains it quite clearly!  It is a technique usually used for heels in socks, but it works well for brains, too.

The stripy bag is also made of wool, and felted!  Felting is so satisfying, because you get such a dense fabric in the end.  I knitted it on my Ultimate Sweater Machine® which I'll have to show you about later.

I PROMISE I will post a new project soon.  I am itching to get back to my pile of fabric scraps, roll around in it for awhile, see what comes out of it, and then show you guys!

Work to-do list

P E L O T O N

I think the word "Peloton" is really cool, partially because I like ridiculously specific words, and partially because I like the specific meaning of this specific word:
"the main clump of bicyclists in a bicycle race"

Anyway, sometimes a word is just pleasing: aesthetically, aurally, etymologically, etc.

So, I cut out the letters:

It was also kind of inspired by this bag I've had since childhood:

So maybe that's what I'll do with the letters.  Whenever I don't know what to do with an idea, I think to my self: "Can it be made into a bag?"

The answer, invariably, is "Yes."

If I finish this it's probably going up on Etsy, so keep your eyes out if you like words representing clumps of bicyclists appliquéd onto bags!

My Cousin Taki

I really love my cousin Taki!! I just can't believe how awesome and cool she is... Just, wow! 

CAUTION:

CAT VORTEX!!!

Happy Pi Day!

It started with triangles.

I cut out a bunch of triangles, partially to get familiar with the useful angles drawn on my quilting ruler (my new favorite tool!)

I wanted a certain look, so I cut the white triangles slightly bigger than all the others.

Initially I was thinking I'd make a bunch of rows like this and sew them into a quilt, but I got lazy, so here's what ended up happening:

I made a tiny finished rectangle with one of the rows, and then I started top-stitching on it (for hipster effect!)

Top stitching proved to be the most time-consuming step... so I only finished one, but I added some snaps, and it turned into a cute curtain-holder!

Maybe some day I'll make the other one in the set.  Maybe someday I'll make that triangle quilt!  That would be pretty cool!  The strips kind of look like mountain ranges.  Maybe someday I will learn how to do top-stitching in a way that doesn't take eons.

For now, I leave you with this enlightening video, to celebrate Pi Day!

That girl is AWESOME!  Now go make some triangles, and eat a pie!

Hello!

I keep telling myself I'm going to start a blog, but then not doing it because I don't have a "plan."

By plan, I suppose I mean: "get-rich-quick scheme," "world domination plot", or "cohesive concept."

In any case, it's resulted in me sitting alone in my room, obsessively making weird projects, and showing them only to my roommates.  I want the world to see the weird crap I make!  So here I am, on the internet.

So, friends, I make this pledge:  I will post photos of at least one fresh project per week, or, if I have no new project to show, I will show you all some photos of an older (pre-blog) one.

For now, I leave you with this darling portrait featuring me, Daniel, and the monster I made for Stacey Rozich.

Edit: The Monster is now up for sale on Etsy!