Encyclopedic!

I guess I don't ever often think of all the various crafts I've dabbled in - and I do love my crafting...it's a nice relief from my day job, and it provides a creative way to customize my home and gifts for others. I recently received this book:

It's an extremely solid and heavy tome, beautifully produced and just over 400 pages in length. While it covers 32 different types of crafts, this particular volume does not touch on any of the needle-arts, nor does it touch on various other crafts including stained glass, weaving, or pottery amongst others. Here's a snapshot of the table of contents (sorry, my scanner has taken to being temperamental so I had to try to make do with my camera).

Surprisingly (to me, anyhow) I've actually experimented with a bunch of these craft techniques - though I can't say that I've ever had a resource for all of them in once place. Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts is a photo-rich resource for ideas on various crafts if you're looking to do a little organizing, decorating or embellishing, or if you are looking for possible handmade gift ideas. Each section includes basic information about supplies required and several projects along with basic instructions and plenty of photos.

At the end of the book is a list (complete with photos) of commonly called for tools and materials, each with a brief description of what they are used for. This section is followed with a couple pages on seven must-learn basic techniques including: box wrapping, tying a bow, using a bone folder, making a deckle edge, using a screw punch, brushing on glue and cutting with a craft knife. The book is finished with several pages of templates (each referenced back to the project and page number in the book that they are used on) as well as some recommended sources for craft supplies.

While this book is not quite all-inclusive by way of all the crafts out there, it is very well put together. It brought back fond memories while I browsed the contents, and certainly has given me ideas for plenty of things to try out in the future. If I could just find the time ;)

a knitter's excuse

If ever you wonder why the knitting progress can be slow going, now you know. Would you want to disturb this kitty if she was sleeping on your handknitting projects when it is just as easy to grab a project that she *isn't* sleeping on?

Only a few more...

...before I resume with the knitting, or other things. I promise.

While the glass was amazing, I think my favorite shot was actually this one. Not so happy about the flash, but there was no capturing this little guy without it - the sun was going down and he was going for his evening meal. So brave, there were people all around, and I was snapping photos - totally didn't seem to faze him at all! I was stunned once I reviewed my shots and discovered that I managed to catch him with wings back and nose in the penstemon!

I also really liked this capture - it's actually an HDR modified shot - the blurry bits are actually other visitors wandering around while the 3 exposures were captured. It looks like an alien landscape! I'm pretty certain that that crazy upside-down-flower chandelier is the same one that looked like orange carrots in the sun.

Practicing 'Wichcraft

Throughout the year and especially during the warmer months, it seems I turn to sandwiches. Of late, I've been enamored especially of the breakfast sandwiches at Bertha's Cafe - but Bertha's is a ways away, and they will be moving at the end of this month (and will be closed while they renovate their new space). I was really excited to check this new book - 'wichcraft - out. Both beautiful and a fun read, the book doesn't disappoint. The table of contents features large thumbnails of the detailed sandwich photos throughout the book - it's like a menu of sorts!


I've never had the pleasure of visiting any of the 'wichcraft restaurants, but I certainly look forward to doing so the next time I happen to find myself in proximity to one. In the meantime, I'll satisfy myself by taking some inspiration from the cookbook. 'wichcraft is broken down into several sections including breakfast sandwiches, cool sandwiches, warm sandwiches and sweet (think dessert) sandwiches. There's also a section in the back with recipes for "pantry" items like dressing, sauces and condiments for the sandwiches included in this book. I'll admit, while some of these sandwiches are not anything I would have ever thought of conjuring (boucheron with grapefruit and crispy olives or raw yellow beets with avocado, grapefruit and radish sprouts) - their description and photographs sure make my mouth water. I'm looking forward to giving a bunch of these sandwiches a try over the next few months!

Even better...

...when the sun goes down.

More glass from the Chihuly exhibit!

I really adore the combination of the more or less straight uprite blue glass and the swirling blue glass in this installation. It would have been even more perfect if some of the agave were blooming.


More red waving tubes - these were further back in the garden, not right at the entrance. I really think they look more like flame at night with the red, yellow and orange colors.

One of my absolute favorite installations was of this green glass, in an alcove if I remember right. They remind me if pitcher plants or fiddlehead ferns with their swirling knobs on top.

And finallythere is this crazy, amazing installation right inside the main entrance to the garden. It is crazy and huge - and it looks much more spectacular once the sun goes down - at least I think so anyway!

Intermission

We interrupt this blog stream to announce a winner...


Congratulations, Abby! You've won my copy of Knitting and Tea! Email me and let me know your mailing address and I'll pop it off to you shortly :)

And now...we return to our semi-regular programming.

Flora...and fauna too

Here we are, continuing on with the photographic diversion. All these photos are from the botanical garden - seems the wildflower season for me is going to be a bust this year :( Still getting back in shape with the knee, and my other half has been escaping for some much more difficult hikes of late (2nd manuscript in the works!)

I thought these were really pretty - unfortunately there wasn't any signage nearby so I don't even know what they are. I'm guessing they aren't native, but they sure are lovely!

And I always love the gold poppies when they make an appearance. This patch appears to be primarily Arizona wildflowers - the red things in the background were more glass :) and the bokeh-d stick like things are ocotillos.

This guy was busy trying to impress another bird nearby...I'm amazed my camera managed to even capture him as I was shooting with a wee point and shoot (digital elph). Unfortunately the blue sheen on his plumage seems to have been lost in the capture.

Here he is on his perch atop a saguaro.

Knitting news, I'm on the bottom part of Whisper, so you may see this set from the botanical garden broken up with some kniting ;)

And now, a diversion.

Just a warning - the next few posts may or may not have anything to do with knitting (it depends mostly on how fast I knit on that Whisper Cardi)....

I've given artwork a try in several different media - one form I tried while in college was glass blowing.  While I never did get terribly accomplished, I did manage do develop a fine respect for those who do work with glass, and jumped at the opportunity to go have a look at the Chihuly exibit at my local Botanical Garden.  For those thinking of visiting, you'll need to make advance reservations, and I highly recommend scheduling soon - all the better to avoid the oncoming heat, and also catch the exhibit pieces both while the sun is out and then after dark.  Also, I noticed that my limited photography skills were not that great at capturing the glass and surroundings - best to go see it in person if you can!

We managed to take a bunch of photos....and I admit, I'll be spreading them out over several posts :) A couple of my favorites from one of the areas (next to the succulents, I don't remember of that pavillion has a specific focus or not) were these pieces:

twists and curls - a closeup from this rather large sculpture:

it's like a bunch of grapes...but better somehow :)

These orangy carroty things are a closeup of one of the "chandeliers"

 
And these look incredibly fluid - like those fabric sock tubes that you sometimes see blowing around at events - they also remind me of flame - a whole bunch of them are found right at the entrance to the botanical garden.

Fickle

Frolic has been moved from my carry all to the regular knitting bag....I still need to transfer the stitches to a long piece of yarn so I can try the body on for length.  You could say I'm procrastinating and taking a break from the 2x2 ribbing....

In place of Frolic, I've stuffed the year old Persephone socks in my bag for travel/everywhere knitting...of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that I'm getting much done on them - esp since I've gone and cast on for another new project.  

It's the Whisper Cardigan from the spring Interweave Knits! At least it isn't another pair of socks ;) I'm knitting it from Noro Silk Garden Sock in the natural colorway (very nice yarn, I believe this is the first "traditional" Noro I've knit with and I'm finding it to be a pleasure to work with (I discount lotus because it's not really what comes to mind when I think Noro))

Anyhow, I seem to have latched onto this new project, knitting it exclusively while I'm home - and even bringing it with me on occasion if I know I'm going out to knit.  If all goes well, I might have a new cardi by the end of this next weekend! (I'm on the 1x1 round and round ribbing part...1x1 ribbing is no more fun than 2x2 ribbing, in case you were wondering) :P

Knitting and Tea

Tea or Coffee? I seem to enjoy them both...though when I've had a stresssful day, I'm apt to curl up with my knitting and a nice cup of tea by my side.


Knitting and Tea combines both.  Each of the six chapters reveals information about a type of tea or the traditions that have sprung up around it, and are followed by patterns, a recipe and a bit more information about a "site of interest".  Patterns in the book are classic and retro in nature and run the gamut from accessories for the home (egg and tea cozies, a cushion, and a tablecloth),  to accessories for wearing (gloves, socks, wraps, a hat and a purse), to the expected sweaters and cardigans.  Skill levels range from Easy to Experienced and patterns are included for men, women and children (though the patterns for women are definitely by far in the majority).  Each of the patterns has at least one large shot of the finished project, and often has additional smaller detail images include.  Charts and diagrams were clear and included as appropriate.  I really enjoyed paging through this book, and learning a bit more about tea. 

I'd like to offer this up to anyone interested - US only please, just leave me a comment and a way to get a hold of you should you be selected by the random number generator!   You have til April 5th to leave me a note :)

Slipped and Cabled

...sometimes I feel slipped and cabled what with all the goings on LOL

Happy Spring :) I think I forgot to pop in on the Equinox!

Unfortunately, I havent been having much luck with finding wildflowers out here in the desert - I'm hoping the wildflower season didn't just pass us by this year.  

I spied these daffodils at the local grocery and thought they looked incredibly happy and spring-like :)  I've also managed to finish off another pair of socks - these are much more bright, riotous and girly than the last pair....the pattern is formed by slipping and then cabling some stitches.

Of course, as usual, there is more information over here 

oh my.

Keeping it in the family

I love my knitting "group" - and I especially enjoy my time with the LG family - can you imagine? An entire family that knits! They are creative and inspiring and always renew my interest in craft :)

I was intrigued when offered this book up for review:


Mother-Daughter Knits - it's written by the mother-daughter team of Sally Melville and Caddy Melville Ledbetter.  The book features 30 patterns for mother and/or daughter - the patterns are fairly classic in design, and many will suit knitters of all ages.  The book starts out with a great chapter on fitting your handknits to best flatter your body-type and includes information on customizing knitting patterns to achieve the best look.   Building on this opening, the patterns do call out opportunities for customization as appropriate.

The patterns included in the book range from basic accessories (hairbands, fingerless gloves, spats/legwarmers, shrugs and scarves/mufflers and a bag) to easy-knit sweaters and tanks to more challenging garments including a coat, shawl collar pullover, a fantastic sheer button down shirt.  There are also some offerings for more experienced knitters, including a really nice shaped textured hoodie and a lacey cardigan.

While I can't say I'm drawn to every single pattern in the book (I rarely am!) There's more than enough to keep me occupied and keen on knitting - I really like the reversible tank, the sophisticated hoodie, classic shirt and dare I admit it? The mini dress!  I've found I rarely knit straight from a pattern, and I found the opening chapter on fit to be a welcome refresher and reference on how best to customize my knits.   Definitely a nice book to have on hand to make your handknits that much more unique!

Around and around....

And now, a diversion while I finish going round and round on the socks on the needles...

There is a hooping bug going round amongst my Flickr friends...and it looks like a fun way to get a core workout...way better than crunches and planks anyhow :)

So I gave in and got myself some dvds and a hoop:

Curiously enough, the hoop ships just like this from the place I got it - just wrapped in bubble wrap...and a postage label. The people at the post office gave me the strangest looks when I went to pick it up. I gleefully grabbed it and dashed off for home to give it a whirl.

Incidentally, I am able to get my heart rate up into the very low end of my training zone by hooping continuously - this evening I managed to learn how to go both directions, but I still drop the hoop a fair bit. Groovelectric podcasts for running work real well for hooping too ;)

Progress...

Oops. Sorry this was so long in coming - I've had this post just needing to be written for a while, but I kept getting distracted. Drat that day job ;)

oooh pretty! Twisted cable stitches, how I do love knitting them....I did indeed finish these off earlier this month - cruise over here for more info and photos!

why is it...

...that when I am behind in knitting, blogging, reading blogs, housework (basically everything not work related), it seems I stumble into things that threaten to eat more of my seemingly non-existent free time?



Fantastic Contraption is a game that appeals to my problemsolving brain...though I warn you now, if you like solving puzzles, you may not want to click if you have things to do :D

(coming soon, finished socks. Really. I got sucked into working on the cabled ones yesterday and I've about 2 inches left on the leg, or so the pattern tells me)

Is it Friday Yet?

...or a wee glimpse into my mundane life.

Last weekend was good, spent some quality time with the husband and cats, went out for Dim Sum and met up with Raquel and Chad, down from Oregon to run the Skirtchaser race :) Everything was going great til the car decided to go "click" instead of "vroom" upon insertion and turning of the key.

So I attempted some amateur troubleshooting - and learned how to swap out a car battery:

(yeah, I'm wearing gloves - it makes for less grease everywhere and also protects against acid burn if there are any crystals on the battery). Unfortunately, the battery didn't do it - so I've been carless the last couple days while the car was running up a rather unfortunate bill at the repair shop...the bad news is we're not done yet and I need to schedule a followup appointment *sigh*

Hasn't been a great week as far as food or exercise goes - I've "hired" a health coach to try to help keep me more accountable. After all, I do know what I need to do...it just falls apart in the execution is all. Tonight when trying to figure out what was for dinner, the husband submitted a request for "good pizza". Realizing that I need to try to get back into the swing of preparing food properly rather than resorting to takeout or convenience items, I churned pair of pies out with the help of Trader Joes ready made dough...

And they came out quite nicely if I do say so myself - this one is laden with spinach, mushrooms, onions, garlic and pineapple bits. Very tasty :) I baked it in stages to get the veggies to cook down and dry up some before I added the cheese. And with all those veggies on there, it was plenty filling - there's still plenty of pizza left over for tomorrow's breakfast...or lunch...or dinner even.

There has, of course, been knitting going on, but most of it is of the stealthy variety. I'll be back with more sock photos shortly, I'm sure...

Be Mine

Happy Valentine's Day ;) We're not huge on celebrating here - my only requirement really is that we spend time together. drat. Maybe I shouldn't post that where my husband can read it ;)

A little sparkle...

...to brighten your day?

Uh yeah, those would be gold flecks (actually a gold metallic filament plied) in the yarn - it's not one of mine, but a commercially available yarn that looks an awful lot like a handdyed one. Yes, I know - sparkle? And that colorway? Not really what you'd expect to find me playing with...but that's the whole idea :)

Several of us have decided to do a knitalong for these Uncertain Times...the idea is that in times of uncertainty, you sometimes have to do things a little differently. So here I find myself, knitting with sparkly yarn (to brighten the horizon) and in a colorway that is pushing my comfort zone.

And here's a preview of the socks in progress :)

Twisting and Turning...

Look! Progress on my New Year knitting :) These are socks from the Wollmeise sock club - the pattern is called I Mog Di and it features all kinds of twisted cable stitches. I think the fact that the sock is worked up on US1s (rather than 0's) has made it so I have been able to knit these up happily (unlike Bayerische, who I am still somewhat determined to revisit sometime down the road...maybe)

Unfortunately, the colorway has proven to be the devil to capture properly - like all Wollmeise, the colorway is dark and saturated. The dark regions are accurate, but that color that pops out is nowhere near that bright and startling in person. Because of the dark colors, capturing the detail on these socks has also proven to be a bit challenging.

Anyhow, I've just turned both heels (hello, twisted cables via the wrong side!) and have rejoined and am knitting away on the legs now. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before I have finished socks to show off!

Just a bite...

In my continued quest for a delicious cupcake, this weekend I stumbled across these at a small cafe in Phoenix - Bertha's Cafe - each one of these adorable mini Red Velvet cupcakes is a large bite - the papers remind me of the peanut butter cup papers for those pb cups you can get at Trader Joes. This trio is sitting on a small dessert sized styrofoam plate, in case you're having a hard time figuring out their size.

Delicious, the frosting was very rich (and there was a bit much of it - I'm one that prefers a more sparsely frosted cupcake), and the cake was tasty and moist. This one wee cupcake was just enough to satisfy. Thanks much to Mel's Chris who bought the lot for the table to share :)

I should say the food at Bertha's is also very tasty :) I had the Asparagus, Havarti, Pesto Chicken Panini and it was fantastic.

Motivation....

....by way of toys.

Yes, this would be my 2nd HRM. My other is a Polar RS200 (red!) - it works fine, the strap is comfortable enough - and I've even got a few special bras that accept the Polar transmitter - these eliminate the need for the strap!

Anyhow, for regular every day wear, I'm a timex girl - and I was forever having to remember how to flip thru the settings of my Polar. Seems Timex is upping their HRM line - this is a Race Trainer model (mens unfortunately, apparently they do have one that looks like a bigger Sleek) - it's obviously built on the Timex platform, and as such, seems a lot more intuitive to me. The extra fun part? it comes with a USB thingy, so I can download my workout stats to my computer and upload it to the timex trainer website...much easier to slice, dice and analyze my data :D course....now I just need to get out and start gathering workout data...

But before I even get to that part, I have to figure out the target zones....any advice? Way way way back when I first injured myself I figured I should try giving the Maffetone method a try, but the target zone is quite low...I did the suggested sub-max step and chair tests....and came up with a MHR of 179 BPM...of course, I can tell you right now that I know my heart beats faster than that...I pegged it out at 189 BPM during a portion of my half marathon last year....suggestions? I intend to start training in Zones 2 & 3 to build my fitness and strength, then I might re-attack C25k depending on what my knee tells me.

Information Overload.

Have any of you noticed a drop in "regular" blog entries? I know my blog has suffered a bit over the last year. I blame business and lack of content...and now I add social networking and micro blogging to the "blame" list. Between the 2 365 projects I have going, facebook and twitter, I find I leave my blog for when I have longer things to write about. Anyhow, just thought I'd let what few regular blog readers I have know that no, the blog is not dead, I just try to wait until I have real content to post about is all :)

Sunshine and Camoflage

While the winter has been doing some really crazy strange things across the country, it's been nice and sunny for the most part down here in the desert...

I spied my first lizard of the year on my hike today - he's a lot darker than most of the lizards I usually see - but his coloring is perfect for the rocks he's hiding out on.

Seeing as my knee appears to be plateaued in its improvement through physical therapy, I figure I'll be shifting my attention to my general fitness and health - with that in mind, I trundled myself off to the local park for a short walk this morning.

The trail I tackled sees a lot of traffic and unfortunately suffers from poor design that has resulted in significant erosion.


If you look carefully as you walk, you can spot some rock art. This one happens to be well signed, but I know there are other petroglyphs to be found at this park.

I'm suspecting this one isn't real - considering the location of the rock in question and the appearance of the other petrogylphs in the area, this one is simply too distinct and to clean in its appearance. And yes, I do happen to both run and hike in a skirt :) I find it just as modest, and much more comfortable than shorts!

Here's to hoping that a fitness improvement will also drive further healing of my knee :)

Knitting? Yes, but nothing really looks like its making much progress and I'm having a devil of a time capturing an accurate shot of one of the projects on the needles...stay tuned!

Mostly Dead...

I've been a big fan of Canon Cameras since I went digital years ago...and since we tend to be a bit hard on our cameras (what with all the sand and swimming around etc. etc) we tend to purchase the camera and a waterproof case for protection each time. In order to get the most use out of a case, I'll usually try to pick up some spare cameras if I notice them at a good price...

Here's my small family of Powershot A-series cameras (there was one other, but it was sent back to canon in exchange for my current point and shoot, an SD900). You're looking at one A60 and a pair of A70s. Not too long ago, I had sent in their waterproof case for replacement/repair since we had managed to scratch...of course, once I got the case back, the cameras started acting funny.

So there they sat, all by their lonesome selves, scattered across the shelves - neglected, in favor of the newer and shinier cameras...On the advice of my brother, who visited recently, I decided I'd go ahead and ping Canon customer service and see what they had to say. Of course, none of these cameras are within the normal warranty period, and I kind of figured that they might wind up telling me they aren't worth fixing...but lo, apparently there is a known issue with the ccd sensor for these cameras...and Canon is going to send me paperwork and shipping lables to send them back for repair! Here's hoping they still have CCDs on hand, and will fix them up (as alluded to in their email response) at no cost. Worst case, perhaps they can recycle the cameras for me if they aren't worth repairing.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Happy New Year everyone :) It's the Year of the Ox! And since I've not been so good with the diet and exercise portion of my whole "everything in moderation" plan for the year, I figure this is another reminder to buckle down and focus on little steps. I've managed to work my way up to doing 27 pushups before my arms turn into noodles, so I am making some progress!

Slow progress

Look! Another long-time WIP! It was supposed to be done for a knit along, but I wound up setting it aside - for whatever reason I was having some difficulties following the pattern back during the KAL. I put it into a time out, and when I picked it up recently, it seems I'm getting along better with it now - though I'm finding the purl rows really slow me down - I guess that's courtesy of all the circular knitting I've been doing lately! Current progress: most of the way through chart 3 of 8...I guess I'll be knitting on it for a while yet...