Hey Bay Area folks,

Y’all need to hot-foot it over to Oaktown and check out the Oakland Museum’s Annual White Elephant Sale.

It happens the first weekend in March every year and the place is overrun with great deals on loads of random vintage goodies.

But the best secret is that it has an amazing linen and craft section where every year on Sunday it’s all half price. There is some pure vintage gold out there at this place.  Make sure to stop by the used games section for some cool discontinued gameboards such as the “Bridal Bingo” set I picked up a few years ago.

I know, I know–so tempting what with the Alameda Flea Market also happening Sunday too. But, you can hit both!

Have a great weekend everyone! And stay healthy, so you don’t get that Juno flu!

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When you see three swatches, you know some hard core knitting is about to happen!

Yes, the dye has been cast–I just purchased the cable luxe tunic pattern from LionBrand. I’m going to knit the yoke in “duck egg” or “sea spray” or whatever J.Crewesque name I can use to describe a nice muted blue with a tinge of greenish gray mixed in. And “chocolate” (a.k.a. brown) for the body and arms.

But first it is time to swatch. Since this wonderful pattern was created to shill LionBrand’s Wool-Ease, I bought one of their wonderfully priced and huge skeins of yarn. And on the first take I hit the guage. What a dream! But what a meh fabric it produced. It was a bit too scratchy for me.  Now, I’m not knocking Wool-Ease. It’s a great product and the price point is amazing and they have some of the best colors available. And I’m a huge fan of their Cotton-Ease product. But after spending months knitting a sweater with yarn that I didn’t like, I decided that it was worth paying more to enjoy the knitting process as much as the finished product.

So I tried Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran and voila hit guage again and produced a much softer square.

So Cashmerino aran it is! Wonderfully expensive small-skeined Cashmerino Aran. 

And now all I have to do is wait for the yarn to arrive.

But don’t worry, I’ll still be putting my hands into all sorts of crafty mischief, while waiting for those little balls of gold to show up on my doorstep…

Here’s a little hint…with special guest star, Minnow too!

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I assure you–I’ve still been ditching stuff from my life and am even trying to be a bit proactive about it!

How? By getting rid of junk mail.  Renee hipped me to this and I’d like to share it with you all.  Here is the info, so you too for the price of a stamp get off all of those darn mailing lists.

Good bye to the dozens of Victoria Secret catalogues I get every month! Fare thee well, credit card inquiries! Let’s save some trees instead!

The Mail Preference Service division of the Direct Marketing Association (known as DMA) compiles a list of people who do not want junk mail. This list is provided to any company who requests it, usually magazines.
 
Write Mail Preference Service and request your name, address, and phone number be deleted from all mailing and marketing lists. Provide them with three spellings or variations of your name, as well as with any other names at your address (including previous occupants). They will retain your information for five years. At that time you should write again. Be sure to write when you move. Send your name and address. Be sure to sign and date your letter.

Mail Preference Service      

c/o Direct Marketing Association      

PO BOX 9008      

Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008      212.768-7277 

Oh, and I'm still cleaning stuff out of my life--l just went through and organized my recipes into a binder, which makes finding them so much easier.

And the dye has been cast. I decided on the next knit...

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As part of my CRAFT ON: 2008 Crafty goals, I’ve decided to return to knitting. Just a wee bit won’t hurt, right?

I’ve started accupunture as well as weekly massages and stretching to help the arms and I believe it’s working.   Afterall, my doctor said that I could knit possibly during the commercials of a TV show I watch. Heh. Yeah. So, that’s like 15-20 minutes of knitting an hour. How the heck and I suppose to finish anything going that slow? Yeesh! 

I’ve been working on my sweetie’s sweater, but it’s a heavy heavy thing that is a pain to just pick up. And it’s all stockinette stitch in the round, which means you can fly straight into the doomsday mouth of RSI or knit for like 4 minutes at a time. Oh joy.

So, now onto knitting something. Like a sweater for myself. Just not any sweater, but a more complicated one that will slow me down and make me savor each knit. Like this one–the illustrious Nantucket Jacket.

That sweater still gets me. Even after a whole year of staring at it, I still adore it. Surely being obsessed with it for more than a year means I’ll wear it right? And the recent rainy weather has been so yummily knit-worthy.

And you know what knitting a new sweaters mean, right? I’ll have to enter that crack den of knitting goodness, Article Pract.

Oh and of course I’m egged on to RSI doom in Ravelry. Looking at the dozens of finished Nantucket jackets is making me jones for this project so much…. Yeah, I know I’m late to the Ravelry party. Kinda like showing up to a party in wearing leg warmers and doing the moonwalk, but yeah, it’s still cool!

And then just when I was about ready to go with the Nantucket jacket, I was discussing this famous LionsBrand pattern that loads of people have been knitting.

I must say, I don’t necessarily dig it as a sweater as much as I’m in love with the vintage coral wallpaper in the back.  And then of course, Ravelry to the rescue!  I saw someone easily reinterpret the pattern into a cardigan.  And all of a sudden I see this as very very wearable and doable. And it incorporates the garter stitch–which I’ve kinda been crushing on recently.  I’ve never used Wool Ease, but some of the new colors are really quite yummy… I’ve heard some mixed stories on it, so perhaps I’ll buy some and see how I like knitting on it.

And then to add more confusion, Interweave Knits arrives on my doorstep singing out to me in it’s sweet carpal tunnel hungry siren song. With this beauty that Sylph pattern is.

Something about it is just soo yummy to me. And wearable.

Eek! What to do? I’m in a bit of a tizzy on this. But I must start knitting this weekend. Afterall, it’s going to be very rainy and I will need something like this to calm the knitting beast.

Anyone leaning more towards one than the other… Comments anyone?

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I’m lucky enough to have friends that all have simply gorgeous babies. And I’m not kidding here. As you all know, I’m a complete and utter baby snob.  But every now and then one particular cutie comes across my lap and it’s pure love at first site. Like this one.

So utterly dear, isn’t she? I love dark eyes. It makes me think of women at the turn of the century who were putting poison in their eyes to get them to open the corneas and make their eyes look big and beautiful. OK, that sounds disturbing, but seriously–look at those big gorgeous neverending eyes? And look at her sweet nose and perfect little kewpie lips!

But what really gets me is her skin. It’s this gorgeous almost olive–not sunkissed but something so perfect that will continue to be perfect throughout highschool–much to the chagrin of every Clearasil-toting teen in her classes.

You can see the curls coming through those dark tresses. Are we eyeing the Sophia Loren of the millenium?

I must admit the best part–the part that really rocked my world is what a nice sweet baby she is. Cooing instead of crying. Just staring up at her teddy bears with absolute delight. Always ready for a snuggle and just enjoys looking at all of the wonderful things around her all the time. And when she smiles. Oh, when she smiles… It’s just like the whole world is a better place because of her smile. 

Note to self: get baby as sweet as this. 

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I’m putting the Craft back in Crafternoon!

Yup–I’ve had enough of my own crafting whining (RSI, etc.) and I realized that I can’t let it get in the way of doing the things I love. I just have to do them in moderation and change it around every now and then. Take the pressure off knitting and do other crafting things. 

So, I’m going to put a bit of structure on my crafting with Craft goals for 2008. Now, this is more of a goal than a challenge. And I just want to remind my self/inspire myself to keep the dream alive in my crafting.  And I still want to knit, but also try different things and just mix it up and enjoy myself–which is what it is all about anyway, right?

So, here is what I hope to accomplish crafting wise:

1.) Join Wardrobe Refashion: and redo at least three pieces. I’m so ready for this!

2.) Knit two sweaters: and one MUST be for me. I’ll be posting about this shortly.

3.) Take up embroidery: Alicia is about to set off a day a week flour sack toweling craze and I’m jumping on that train! Watch for an upcoming post on that.

4.) Sew at least four pieces of clothing for me:  There are so many charming skirts and dresses and even a pair of pants that I love and want to try to make.

5.) Take up crochet or quilting: Yup–it’s time. I used to quilt, but never finished the whole one. Which makes me think that I need help on that one. Hmmm… And I’ve always wanted to learn crochet too! We’ll see which one wins out. Perhaps starting with smaller items before jumping in whole hog to something.

Wish me luck!

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Yes, yes–Valentine’s Day is purely a Hallmark card kinda holiday and a racket for florists. But still….

This one is for you, sweetie.

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Who knew that Tasha Tudor, the well known children’s book writer and illustrator was so well loved? Well, of course I should have known what with such kindred blog spirits as Cece and Alicia that we have all worshiped at the shrine of Tasha and spent many a childhood evening tucked into her books.

My personal favorite Tasha Tudor book was A is for Annabelle. It was about a beautiful doll named Annabelle and we went through her wardrobe alphabetically. I still remember that “L” is for “Locket”. Oh, how I wanted that doll! That doll was the epitome of glamour to me. She even had EARRINGS and (be still my heart) a MUFF! I can thank Tasha Tudor for my undying appreciation of the muff. It’s such an underrated accessory. I think that is why I wanted a winter wedding, so I could incorporate a muff into my wedding ensemble.

But I digress.

So, as many may know. I worked at Old Sturbridge Village during a couple of summers in college. As an art history major, I had an internship editing a book on antique clocks. And because it was an unpaid internship, I needed a job–so I worked part time as a costumed interpreter.

Yeah–dressed up in clothes from the 1830s milking cows, cooking over an open fire, spending the afternoons embroidering and knitting up a storm. Doing a lot of hand sewing. Wearing a bonnet to go outside. I made the uppers to my shoes. Heck I even dated a shepard for a month. Yup. The whole thing.

I’m the one rocking the knitting out of the window. Oh yes, wearing my scotch dress. And of course a bonnet. I can’t lie. It was a hoot. The experience gave me a huge appreciation for all things handcrafted–from knitting to baking to gardening.

Anyway, Tasha Tudor lived rather close by. As many Tasha Tudor fans know, she loved a world that was older than herself. She had a particular penchant for the 1830s and would come to Old Sturbridge Village (or the Village as we used to call it) to sip a bit of the past. The cooper at the Village used to unload the cords of wood she would order for Tasha and do work on her roof when she needed it. So, he had an in to Tasha and told me that she was planning on stopping by one day.

While I was out chopping wood at the Bixby house I looked up only to see Ms. Tudor watching. She had her hair pulled back in a pink kerchief and was wearing a black sweater. She commented on how she was just doing the same thing the other day at her place. I smiled shyly and chatted with her for a few moments. I was utterly starstruck. Oh, she was so tiny–I could have put her in my pocket. I felt like a giant in comparison to her.

If only.

If only I offered my services to work for her in her garden or doing odds and ends for her. Oh, why didn’t I jump at the chance? If only I wasn’t so darn tongue tied. But I’ll remember her apple core face and wispy white hair. And how she loved what I loved. Or that I loved what she loved. She was berry brown and had quite the impish smile.

If only.

Well, I did run up after her and tell her that she wrote my favorite children’s books and she was amazing and so many other jumbled sentences gushed to her in one fell swoop. So embarrassed. Then I scurried away. Clearly too overwhelmed and awkward for my own good. And she just laughed and said she loved A is for Annabelle too. And had her ears pierced later in life so she could look just like Annabelle. Such a light and feathery laugh. But I didn’t ask her if she ever needed help. After all was planning to go to London for a year and then perhaps I would try to contact her afterwards to see if she needed help. But I didn’t. And instead applied to grad school.

But I’ll always remember this little missed opportunity. So, please everyone–take your opportunities! Fly through the crack in the window.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my sweet cozy life just the way it is (perhaps it could be improved by losing 15 pounds) but overall, I’m very happy. But perhaps I’ll try to bring a bit of Tasha’s wonder into my life today. And remember to not let my shyness/nervousness/fear stand in the way to just going for it!

Has anyone else out there had similar experiences?

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So kids, check this out:

What is this you ask? Why, its what will be known as my secret ingredient. My nunyo (as in Q: “What did you put in that delicious dish?” A: “Why Nunyo–as in None of yo’ business!”)

But really, it’s everyone’s business and it’s amazing. It’s umami salt. And what is that, you ask? Check out the Breakaway Cook’s thoughts on it. All I can say is that it came from three completely random ingredients:

Who knew dried porchini mushrooms, parmsean cheese, some random kelp and some pink salt I bought from Cost Plus could work such miracles? I just whizzed together for a few minutes in my mini Cuisinart into a crazy mix of goodness.

I tried it on some roasted chicken I had left over from a different meal and to be honest, it was kinda fishy and well… weird. But added to the Breakaway Chef’s Super Green Wonder Soup that was a mix of leeks, mint and cilantro–well, it took it to another level.

I then added it to my chicken soup and all of the sudden the broth was richer and had more depth. I put it in some spinach and kapow–it was great!  I fear an addiction coming on…  I wish I made more! Trust me, you’ll thank me for hipping you to this foodie goodness!

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Yes–I know we’ve heard much about houses dropping in price and I must admit as a person looking for a house, this housing meltdown has certainly opened the market for new houses.

Currently we rent a darling little house. On a darling street. In a totally craptacular school district. Our place is really quite nice, but as with most rentals there are downsides. Like no proper garage for my sweetie and only one bathroom and no coat closet or linen closet.  Our dear home has been owned by the same family since it was built in 1911, and it’s been a rental for the past 50 years, which means that it really hasn’t had any upkeep done to it in FOREVER. Upkeeps like oh–insulation. Or new plumbing.

So we’ve been out hunting for houses and every now and then we see something that would be just perfect. Like this:

PROS: Three bedrooms! Coat closet! Huge kitchen! Good school district! Button cuteness galore! And dream of dreams–a RUMPUS ROOM! I’ve always wanted a room to rumpus in!  But really who doesn’t?  Can you imagine how much yarn/fabric/just plain stuff I could stash in a place like that?

CONS: More than $80,000 in pest and foundation work to do.

That’s a big con if you ask me.

Back to square one!

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