Tuesday, February 26, 2008

too late for a school night

so i had a $1 latte at Dunkin Donuts tonight at 7pm.
this will explain why i'm WIDE awake at quarter to midnight.
argh.
well at least i got some work done.

more puzzle piece earrings! these actually fit together perfectly!

so we had a crazy knit night adventure. there are 5 of us in the knitting circle that broke off of the Stitch n Bitch i used to go to. we've been going to Knit New York, and although we love this venue, it's decided to close early. we are all night owls and love staying out until past 8pm! so we've been trying to brainstorm places to go to be able to sit quietly (or loudly in our case), knit, chat, drink beverages, maybe eat some dinner.

our first thought was some other knitting place...every other venue closes at 6pm on weeknights! they're obviously not catering to the local 9-5er. the next thought was....the New York Public Library! so we all met there tonight, at the usual time. only to find out it closed early as well. the rain did not discourage us! we must have trekked around for blocks, into an H&M to ask for the nearest coffee shop, and all we got was a Dunkin Donuts/KFC near Grand Central Station. even the Starbucks were closed for training! can you believe this.

it turned out to be completely glorious. they were practically GIVING their coffee away! which is genius considering the Starbucks down the street was closed. so we sat in a fast food booth, drank our coffee, ate our well-deserved donuts, and knit our hearts out to smooth jazz playing in the background.

honestly not sure if we'll go back there, but it was an adventure in knitting we will never forget.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

lacey sweater cardigan thing

i finally posted it! it's been done for awhile now, but i was a bit angry with my camera for not taking proper photographs. these will do...for now.

yes yes yes, i am happy with this sweater. i mentioned it in my last post, what you saw on the sewing machine! the blossoms are made from individual lace flowers cut from an old lace skirt of mine.

one of my favorites. i retired it because the lace was just giving out. cutting it apart was my first solution. now two old things were made into new!

detail shot of the blossom. embellished with bright red thread and red beads. there are three blossoms total on the sweater. two on the front and one on the back.

spring is coming!! you better be ready!

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the results came through. i didn't make it into the fabric book through Lark Books. alas! i am not disheartened. no! it only forces me to make myself better. so! i joined the EtsyTrashion street team! what is a street team you might ask? it is a group of crafters (people) who are all interested in the same thing. that's my definition anyway. you can learn more about it....here! my friend Tiffany's company was featured on their blog recently, RePlaygound! fascinating.

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new recycling project::

what to do with all those pretty carpet samples? don't leave them lying around the office, don't throw them in a land-fill, make them into perfect welcome mats!

with a little bit of velcro (or double-sided tape), voila! instant welcome mats that are perfect for those rainy days. these are basically two 2x2 carpet tiles that a carpet manufacturer sends to my office when we request samples. very effective for getting an idea of what a carpet will look like spread throughout a room, but also very wasteful. always good to be resourceful. most manufacturers will take samples back that we're not using, but it's so fun to make use of them at home.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

new computer, new me!

the wind and cold keep me inside today, making and reading and wishing i had leftovers from last night's dinner.

my computer was totally rebuilt last night! what a long process, i really had no idea. but we made a night of it. i made an asian dinner, consisting of stir-fry veggies (broccoli, yellow squash, asparagus and snow peas), white rice and broiled tuna steak, marinated in an amazing wasabiyaki sauce. with banana bread from scratch for dessert.

as he worked, so did i. i have so many new projects going on, there are piles and piles of old clothing, fabric, and yarn all over my studio. piles of cut-up sweaters for my new leg warmers project, my latest knitting on the very top. (for who this is, i will not tell!!!)

speaking of leg warmers....

these i finished today and just listed on Etsy! made from an old sweater of mine (that is just too big and baggy for me now). as opposed to taking it to the nearest thrift store to donate, i thought, why not make something pretty out of it! i love the brown, tan and orange stripes, the colors together are just divine. i added maroon felt flowers with a vintage button for a feminine detail.

i'm also almost finished with my next sweater project.


a sneak peak!! this i'm making out of both a recycled sweater and skirt! you see it on my sewing machine above. i'm ready for this cold to be over, but i love the excuse to stay inside and make things all day. especially with my new super fast computer!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

sweet sweet fabric

shuffling through my itunes, i can't seem to find any music to listen to.
think i might buy some Feist.

what does this have anything to do with what i've been working on today? well nothing really but it is helping to mask the sporadic screaming i hear in my neighborhood as my fellow new yorkers show their support for the Giants in the super bowl. there is nothing better than a woman with her piano, serenading me.

you were wondering what the sweet embellished floral fabrics were for?

i'm feeling spring!! this is my latest Etsy listing, as well as the next project proposal for Lark Books. i took this square embellished fabric:

and wrapped it around recycled bottle caps! for some reason i felt compelled when i first moved here to tape bottle caps to my wall. now that i've grown up a bit, i have removed them and putting them to better use!

using craft/fabric glue, i wrap the fabric around the bottle cap, then backed it with commercial felt, which i sewed on by hand.

new on the Pink Graffiti scene! i've finally broken down and acquired a domain for my website! currently under construction, i'll post it when i've accomplished a bit more. i've also decided to start a myspace page...good for marketing i hope.

in other news, i hope that changing my blog name hasn't caused too much confusion. i do apologize for any incurred.

keep making!!