Ooo! Shiny!

Friday Finds: Hey Girl.

2012-02-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you have seen the Ryan Gosling meme phenomena. My personal favorite is a site called Handmade Ryan Gosling. Click through and get lost in the hilarity. Here is a taste:

As funny as I think this is, Ryan isn't my cup of tea. So I thought I'd make a couple memes that tickle my fancy. Because I can, I have Photoshop.

Now that's what I want to hear! Have a great weekend.

–Cassandra

[Note from Alex: Our shared love for George is another reason why Cassandra and I are such good friends. These are SO much better than the Gosling ones...)

Happy Accidents

2012-02-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

In December, while feeling overwhelmed by the wretched excess of the season, I wrote about donating to a worthy cause. My donating bug started about 15 years ago. Back then, I was dirt-freakin' poor so I volunteered my time - and lots of it. I felt very fortunate for my life and I wanted to share my abundance even though it wasn't in monetary form. So, I found a few hours of time a week and offered it up to various places that I thought could use some help. Surprisingly, most places welcomed me and my meager donation.

Thus, volunteering became a part of my existence, even though today my fortunes have changed and I could probably just write a check and walk away. There's something viscerally satisfying about showing up and getting my hands dirty, so to speak. However, my volunteering is very cyclical. I go through bouts where I feel like I have tons of time and I sign up to do a bunch of stuff. Then I get burned out and feel like my own life is being neglected. So I stop volunteering for a while - usually about 6 months to a year - until my batteries are recharged and then a start back up again.

Recently, the HR department at Company X sent out an email about tutoring opportunities at the high school down the street from the office. The required hours seemed reasonable and working one-on-one with kids wasn't anything I'd done before. I replied with a tentative "well...maybe" email, making sure to put a big "I need to know more" caveat in my response. I guess when the Universe wants you to do something, it clears the way and makes it easy because, within a few weeks, I was having a background check done and they were talking about assigning me a student. Yikes!

Don't let the fresh faces fool you.

The first time I walked into the school was for my tutor interview - before any paperwork or anything. I guess they wanted to make sure I was relatively normal. As I entered the building, I was struck by how scary it was to be surrounded by teenagers. Do you realize that, if they decided to rise up against us, we'd be in major trouble?? It would be like Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Seriously. And a bunch of them just ooze attitude. It totally freaked me out. But, once I got into the tutor room and met with the head of the program (who is about 12 years old, btw - adorable, smart, organized, and amazing, but 12 none-the-less) most of my fears were alleviated. Then my background check came back clean. Why that surprised me is a complete mystery since I haven't done anything remotely "bad" since about 1986. Then I got an email saying that I was assigned a student. A girl who needed help with English and History - both subjects I can deal with. Math, not so much but give me the Humanities and Social Sciences and I'm good to go.

Yesterday was my first session. Honestly, I was nervous. I had no idea if she was going to be totally receptive to the tutoring or if she was going to give me attitude. Turns out she's a doll. Sweet and smart and a little lost. She requested tutoring in second quarter but they didn't have anyone to assign her to and she ended up failing three core classes. My heart aches for her because all she wants is to be a solid C student. I think I can help her as long as she actually does the work. I hope I can help her. Unfortunately, one of the classes she's failing is Algebra 2 and, as we've established, I got nothin' so we're going to try to find her a separate math tutor.

Here's the real kicker... We were reviewing her class schedule and I saw that she was taking something called Fashion Business (or some such). So I said, "Oh! Cool! That looks like s fun class."and then she said, "Yeah, it's pretty cool Right now we're learning to knit."

I guess the Universe put us together for a reason. :)

- Alex

Easy Little Quilts (aka An Exacting Lesson)

2012-02-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Sure, I've quilted before. In the past I've free-formed some log cabin blocks and managed to cobble together something that resembles a quilt. Totally passable to the untrained eye. But were my blocks all measured perfectly? No. Did I rush through and fudge some stuff here and there? Yes.

Admittedly, I have a lot to learn.

I decided to do a little experiment. The kids needed some lap blankets for long car rides so I thought I'd try an even simpler variation on the Take-Along-Quilt from Craft Hope. This is how I simplified:

Each quilt consists of a single yard of fabric on each side with a thick wool batting in between
Window-pane quilt it with 6" squares
Bind with a coordinating fabric using my new handy-dandy bias tape tool
Use same bias tape to make tie closure for rolled-up quilt

I'm sort of addicted to making my own bias tape binding now.

Keeping the design simple, I was able to focus on the one thing that has been a challenge on my previous quilts. Being exact. Cutting fabric, trimming, marking, quilting...all those places where measuring and squaring is important. Actually, it all went pretty well. My little quilts are quite square and as a result the binding went on pretty painlessly. Gee, I guess it makes sense to take your time and do things right. (The words of my mother are haunting me.)

I love the process of hand-finishing the binding.

What's next? I have a little boy graduating into a big boy bed. I think a real quilt is in order. And I'm pretty excited about it.

One quilt down...one to finish.

–Cassandra

Friday Finds: Craft Gossip

2012-02-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

Back in August, we mentioned that we'd had an influx of new readers from a website called Craft Gossip. Since then, we've spent a lot of time on that site and are real fans of its dedication to all crafts (not just the ones we're interested in!)

Craft Gossip is driven by user-generated content in every craft category known to man - well, nearly. Each category has an editor who's in charge of filtering through and publishing the content. This makes for a very dynamic site with constantly churning information on a huge variety of subjects.

Example of a free jewelry tutorial

So...what do you get? Tutorials, free patterns, links to other great sites, give-aways, contests, and just about anything else you could ask for. Mighty Distractible has been blessed with having patterns featured at Craft Gossip twice - once for our embroidery patterns and once for the recently posted Pom Pon Hat pattern.

Check them out. Whether you're interested in jewelry making, scrapbooking, needlework, candle-making, quilting, edible crafts, and blah, blah, blah you'll find something to inspire you at Craft Gossip. Maybe you'll even discover a NEW craft to try. (like we need more, amirite?)

- Alex

Sewing Fundamentals: The Machine

2012-01-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

About a year or two after I finished college. I was given a 1960's-70's era second-hand sewing machine that looked like it had never been used. I learned to sew and it changed my life. For the next 20 years I sewed on my trusty White 1099. She was awesome. Every part was metal and every stitch was right.

Not my White...but mine was just like this.

Two years ago my husband bought me my first brand-new sewing machine. Smooth and fancy compared to the old White and she was soon donated to charity. But I still think about her all the time, wondering where she ended up. Hope whoever bought her felt her magic and falls in love with sewing the way I did.

Every serious sewist I know either loves or hates their machine. I was lucky to have fallen in love right at the start. I have not "loved" quite like that since....but things with my Bernina look REALLY, REALLY promising. My new machine has been a very patient companion so far.

When you are first starting out, simple is better. I think that's why my vintage sewing machine with very few bells and whistles was perfect for me. So when shopping for your first machine, keep it simple. You can always upgrade later. Stick with good brands, maybe even try a reconditioned older machine like I had. Like I've said before, it's amazing how many things I was able to make on that old machine with the thimbleful of knowledge I had.

The first thing I am going to tell you is to READ YOUR MANUAL. Cover to cover. Even if you don't understand it all. Just read it. You will refer back to this booklet over and over again. Give yourself some base knowledge before you start trying to thread it. Sewing machines can be frustrating, so knowledge is power. What I am explaining in this series is for the new learner so I am trying not to make it needlessly complicated.

You too can keep the home fires burning.

Let's get into the mechanics of the machine for a minute. There is a wonderful animated graphic here (created by Swiss Miss) that illustrates how the top thread and the bottom thread create the lockstitch. The top thread is fed by a spool positioned at the top of your machine. This is where you run your thread through the mechanisms (where your manual tells you) winding up at the eye of the needle. The bobbin feeds the lower thread.You fill the bobbin (using your machine's winder function) and pop it in it's place beneath the needle, threading it where your manual directs. All machines have a bobbin, and they all thread a little differently so you really need to make your manual your best friend. Here is a nice video detailing the basics of threading, all machines are different but similar enough to help you get the gist:

Learn a little something about the mechanics and threading today...and then next time we can move on to feed dogs, feet, and needles!

–Cassandra

Friday Finds: Pay It Forward

2012-01-27T12:01:00.000-08:00

There's a person in Madison, commonly known as The Muffin Man, who makes homemade muffins every day. He then hands them out to anyone who is willing to commit to doing something "good" in return. He even carries around suggestions of things you can do to earn a muffin - like, "shovel your neighbor's driveway with no expectation of thanks" or "stop using your credit card for the weekend." This is a guy who's knows for "drive by good-works" - he'll stay in a town for a few months doing something good, then move on and do something similar somewhere else.

Then, today, I saw this:

It's brilliant in its simplicity.

Finally, I was reminded yesterday about a Facebook "game" where you promise to hand-make something for a small group of responders. For example, "the first five people who respond to this post will receive one hand-made item from me within the next twelve months." The catch being that, in order to receive your hand-made item, you have to post the same offer to your friends.

Lately, the idea of "paying it forward" has been coming up a lot. I believe that, if the Universe puts something in front of you over and over, you're supposed to act upon it in some way. I'm not sure what that means right now but, hopefully, all these "reminders" will inspire me to do something nice that I can encourage the next person to pass on.

Do something good today and ask someone to do the same.

- Alex

Pattern Review: "Smuggler" Sweater

2012-01-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

Now that we are well into January, it's high time to review the pattern I used for the boys' holiday sweaters...

This year I ended up knitting a free pattern from Ravelry called "Smuggler" by Sublime Yarns. In my hours of searching, this one really stood out in the crowd. I love the stripes, the boat neck, the drape of the DK weight cotton. It all works together beautifully. And, the pattern has the added bonus of being free...although I would have gladly paid for it.

On a scale of 1-5 stars I give this pattern a 5, seriously. I can't really say anything bad about it. Directions were clear, pattern was uncomplicated, and the finished product is gorgeous. It might have been nice to have been able to knit the body in the round instead of two pieces like it is written, but that is splitting hairs. And frankly, if I were more ambitious, I'm sure I could have figured out how to make that happen on my own.

Luckily I had most of the yarn (Rowan Milk Cotton DK) for these sweaters in my stash..."yea me!" for being sensible! Since I only needed to order a few more colors to make these sweaters happen, I headed out online to WEBS to see if I liked any of the other available colors of Rowan Milk Cotton DK to complement what I already had on hand. And then a shocking discovery... I don't know what's going on, but it seems like the folks over at Rowan might be discontinuing this magical yarn. Everything is on closeout.

I am a pretty calm chick but this ruffled my feathers a bit. I love this yarn and have used it for many projects. Then I discovered Viking of Norway Milk & Honey. Same sh*t, different label. Awesome. Ordered what I needed at only $5.29/skein and got on my way. If you've never knit with milk yarn, I suggest you give it a try. It is so soft and the drape is stunning. It can be a tad bit splitty and I suggest knotting your ends because they will not stay woven in, but that is the price you pay for it's softness. If Viking of Norway stops producing this line I will wear a black armband for a year.

I finished the second sweater Christmas Eve, on the way to our family gathering. Yeah, I am a master procrastinator. But all was well in the end so I can justify it!

–Cassandra

Friday Finds: Evil-Cute Crochet

2012-01-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

I can't remember where I saw the first piece of Shove Mink's art - it was probably on Twitter - but I can tell you that, as soon as I visited her Etsy store, I wanted EVERYTHING she's ever made.

She calls her work "anti-gurumi". It's evil, a little twisted, and only "cute" because it's mainly made with yarn. Her store is called "Croshame", which is funny in and of itself, and her work is nothing short of brilliant. Please note that, while these may look like dolls, they are not for children and are priced accordingly.

I often complain that people don't view "craft" as "art" and, as a result, don't value it more. However, this stuff can't be categorized as craft in any way, shape, or form. The attention to detail and the skill is just too fantastic.

So, for your enjoyment, I give you my two favorite pieces of Croshame art - The Krampus* and The Exorcist Playset:

* The Krampus will be mine at some point in the near future. I'm just sayin'.

Adventures with Technology

2012-01-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

I am somewhat a technophobe. Oh, I know, you can find me deftly working on a computer all day long. But that's on my mac. The good folks at Apple have made sure that creative folks, like myself, have such a plug and play user experience that your G5 becomes your best friend. But there is other technology lurking out there -technology that's not so user-friendly and requires lots of manuals. You actually have to learn "why" and "how" before you can be successful.

I am not a Luddite like Tasha Tudor, but I'm still pretty bad.

For instance, long ago when I was in art school I took one photography class. I loved the final product but hated the process. Back in dark ages we didn't have digital cameras. I had to learn about f-stops and lenses on my Cannon AE-1 as well as complicated developing/printing. I was bogged down in the technical and I didn't like it.

I regret that I didn't bother to fight the "left-brain vs right-brain" war and power through the technicalities of photography. It would be wonderful to have skill to create the photographs I imagine when I look through the viewfinder.

"So advanced it's simple..." Yeah, right.

The one positive thing that came out of this failure is that I grew from it. I know now, as a grown woman, that if I can get through the yukky learning-curve, I can come out on the other side with mad skills. And this brings me to my latest techno-challenge...my Bernina 820.

I will give Bernina credit. The Bernina 820 has a touch screen and lots of graphics that make it easy to navigate. It is a "sewing computer" - as they like to refer to it in the manual. I'm sure I won't have trouble with the software (seems user-friendly enough), once I figure out the other stuff. And, by "other stuff" I mean the stuff I probably should already know from my basic sewing machine experience. Stuff like thread tensions, feed dogs up, feed dogs down, stitch length, the mystery stitches (other than straight or zigzag). And more. Lots, lots more.

It's amazing how many things I have actually sewn successfully with the limited knowledge I have. But much like cheating in school, it always catches up with you. My new wonderful sewing ~~machine~~ computer asks me questions that make me scratch my head. I have been working on my first small project (car lap quilts for the kids) and everything was going along just fine...until the actual quilting started. I am just quilting squares across the entire thing. I quilted one direction without drama, but the overlapping quilting from the other direction has me stumped. I'm getting a little bunching before the seams that, according to what I've read in my (confusing) Bernina manual, can be mitigated by adjusting the upper thread tension. Huh, wha? You mean monkey around with the standard settings? Yeah, my misspent sewing youth is all coming back on me now.

I will know you in-and-out...I will!

I'm taking a deep breath and stepping back a few paces. I am going to suck it up and learn the sewing "hard stuff". From the beginning. I really want to use this Bernina to it's full potential. I don't want to miss out like I did with photography. Be prepared, I will be sharing this info as I learn it. I suspect some of you are in my same boat, hopefully we can both learn something here.

–Cassandra

FREE! Hat Pattern

2012-01-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

It's winter. We all need hats. Thought you might like to whip one up from this pattern I designed. It came out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. (My arm just cracked from patting myself on the back.)

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I created a "Poodle Hat" to go with my niece's Christmas present, the infamous "Poodle Scarf." It's only poodle-y because it's got pom-pons and is pink. Make it in some other fun colors and it could just be a super-cool snowboarding hat or "I'm a fun person and not boring" hat. Frankly, once I'm done with some obligatory gift knitting, I'm making one of these for myself.

The pattern can be found on our "Free Downloads!" page or by clicking here. I hope you all enjoy it. If you find any errata, please, please, please let me know so I can fix the pattern accordingly. It's pretty simple so hopefully there's nothing seriously wrong with it.

Enjoy!

- Alex

Friday Finds: Random Tutorial Generator

2012-01-13T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hi crafty people! I have 3 words for you that will change your life:

Random Tutorial Generator does what it says on the tin. Random hits on cool stuff to make. You want a tute for anything specific? I bet you can find it with their search function. This is the best thing since sliced bread.

–Cassandra

(Note from Alex: This is worse than Pinterest... I'm just sayin')

Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit...

2012-01-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm ten years old.

Last weekend I had dinner at a friend's house. She is also of Southern Italian heritage and I always enjoy comparing our cooking. We have many recipes in common but often with a familial twist that make her's her's and mine, mine. Saturday night she made lentil soup. It tasted nearly identical to mine and reminded me of my great-grandmother's kitchen.

For those of you unfamiliar with lentils, they are a legume but are generally very small and shaped like a lens. They come in a variety of colors - brown, green, red, yellow - depending on the geographic origin of the original plant. I prefer the standard brown lentils but only because that's what my family always used.

Thirty percent of the lentil's calories come from protein - making them third highest in protein behind soy and hemp - so, really, the tastiest protein you can have. Also, because they're a legume, they've got a good bit of fiber in them. All in all, they're really good for you. And did I mention tasty??

When I was REALLY poor, lentils were a staple in my house. It also helped that a pot of lentil soup simmering on the stove reminded me (still reminds me) of my family so it provided emotional comfort as well as cheap nutrition.

So, my gift to you on this soon-to-be-cold day (our temps are supposed to drop 30 degrees in the next twelve hours) is my great-grandma's lentil soup recipe. In the spirit of full disclosure I'll admit that nearly all lentil soup recipes are the same - with small variations based on family preferences. This is something you can have on the table in less than an hour and will fill your bellies and your souls with comfort.

Buon Appetito!

- Alex

Agostina's Lentil Soup

1 lb (16oz) bag of lentils (brown, preferably)
1 medium onion - coarsely chopped
2 small or 1 large clove garlic - diced
2 or 3 carrots - coarsely chopped
2 large celery stalks - chopped
8 cups water or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
Olive oil
A dash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Lightly sautee the onions, garlic, carrot, and celery in olive oil. When the onion is a bit soft, add the lentil and stir to mix well. Add water or broth. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 30-45 minutes, stirring often. (Keep your eyes on it because the beans may suddenly expand.) Add more cooking water/broth if necessary to achieve your preferred consistency. The lentils will thicken the broth and make a dense soup. Once the lentils and vegetables are cooked through, add balsamic vinegar, salt, black pepper, and olive oil to taste.

Variations - Chicken or beef broth both add a different flavor to the finished soup. Also, the addition of either ham hocks or Italian sausage can make the soup even heartier than it is already. Experiment!!

Variation also - some people like to use a stick blender and "puree" the soup to a smoother consistency. I like it "bean-y".

Friday Finds: Vintage Sewing

2012-01-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

Today's Friday Find is all about fashion sewing patterns from Wearing History for those who love vintage style. Particularly 1930's and 1940's. They are so much fun. And a lot of the styles they have chosen to write up as patterns are quite practical by today's standards. There is definitely 2012 appropriate sport and party wear in the mix. I don't mind the inappropriate myself, but that's just me (Alex doesn't like "costumey").

This is the pattern that initially sucked me in.

I have been wanting to make an apron for some time. This is the one it's going to be.

I would most certainly suggest that you follow the blog and "like" them on Facebook. They are always posting links to other blogs sharing vintage knitting patterns, tailoring tips, customer finished projects, make-up and hairstyle how-to's, etc. I have really gotten some good information this way.

Who doesn't LOVE lounging pajamas!!

If you adore vintage style as much as I do...check it out!

–Cassandra

It's An Obsession

2012-01-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

I hate having leftover yarn. Those bits of skeins that are too large to throw away but too small to do anything with drive me mad. As a result, I tend to keep knitting and knitting until a skein is gone (or small enough that I don't feel guilty about just throwing it out.)

Many of you are now chomping at the bit to give me your favorite "scrap yarn" project. The Beekeepers' Quilt seems to be a current favorite among Ravelers (which, btw, shows that I'm not the only one with tons of these bits laying about.) I'll be happy to take any suggestions/patterns/thoughts on the subject - seriously - but I will mention that I also have a bit of an issue with "mixing" yarn types. I'm so OCD sometimes.

Making 400 of these doesn't really appeal to me.

Anywhoooo... the point of this tirade is that I finished my niece's scarf just in the nick of time. I was, quite literally, knitting the last bit of the tail two hours before it had to be in the mail to make it there in time for Christmas. But, because I modified the pattern and made it quite a bit smaller, I had a TON of pink acrylic yarn left over. Pink.Acrylic. There was nothing to do but to keep knitting for my niece because, honestly, what else am I going to do with 3/4 skein of pink acrylic? I just finished a hat to go with the scarf and found myself with more than enough of this stuff left to make a pair (or three) of mittens so those are in the works too.

I'm pretty proud of this hat.

Look how much of this is left!

The finished scarf ended up 100 rows shorter (seriously) with legs and tail about 1/2 the length the pattern called for and ears that are about 2/3 the length called for. Regardless of it being short and stumpy, I think it still looks pretty good. At one point, when I was obsessing about the fact that I wasn't following the pattern and I was convinced it was going to look really jacked-up, Cassandra said "remember your audience" and truer words were never spoken. My niece didn't know that the scarf was short and stumpy and she was thrilled with the final product. I just hope she likes the hat and mittens as well.

My intention is to write up the hat pattern this week - before I forget what I did - and post it here for you all to download for free. I started the mittens without a pattern but Cassandra handed off a pretty good one that she's making for one of the Things so I can't claim that as an "original Alex design." LOL

If y'all want to send me some favorite scrap patterns, I'll be happy to add them to my binder. I'm one of those folks who hates to waste stuff so throwing out yarn - even the smallest amount - just feels wrong to me.

Hope you had a GREAT New Year's Eve.

- Alex

Reflections on 2011

2012-01-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today I started navel-gazing, inspired by a post made by Anna Maria Horner. Here are some things I learned this year:

To be thankful for my opportunities.
Life needs to be simple to be enjoyable.
Things can surprise you with how much they hurt.
Shifting gears as a mom to preschoolers and a mom to a college student is challenging.
I don't hoard yarn.
I do hoard fabric.
I love designing more than I like mass-producing product.
Swatching isn't so bad.

Swatching for one of our upcoming designs.

My state political climate can shift disturbingly quickly.
I had boxes upon boxes of items to donate (and never be missed) in my basement before the great purge. I'm so ashamed of that.
When said basement was cleared, I had room for the studio space I have been craving.
Home-made pizza is really the best.
Napping is nothing to feel guilty about.
I am really a Dark Shadows geek. (get the discs...you will be too!)
I watch way too much reality TV.
I missed going antiquing.
My family is there for me.
My husband is the most generous man ever.
I procrastinate.

Seaming a holiday sweater on the way to the celebration.

It's okay being on the other side of 40.
My Great-Grandmother is my true hero. (more about her later)
Magic is real.
I love blogging.
I love, love, love, making.

It's amazing what you can find in your navel!
– Cassandra

Friday Finds: Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T09:21:00.000-08:00

Wow! What an amazing 2011!! We can't possibly express how much fun we've had this year, getting to know you and expressing our creativity here at Mighty Distractible. It's been an incredible ride.

We are looking forward to a fantastic new year full of "making". We hope you'll stay with us as we grow and learn and, hopefully, entertain.

And to you - our lovely, loyal, creative, amazing friends - we wish only the very the best in 2012!

xoxo - Alex and Cassandra

Auld Lang Syne
(original Scots verse by Robert Burns)

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne* ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my jo (or my dear),for auld lang syne,we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp !
and surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae run about the braes,
and pu’d the gowans fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,
frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
sin auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
and gie's a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

An Embarassment of Riches

2011-12-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! We're back in action here after days and days of holiday celebration. I hope you all had as much fun and good food as we did.

I am so lucky to have family who know the way to my heart is through the craft room. The bulk of my gifts this year were for making. Yeah!

I have yarn for 2 sweaters:

The red will be used for Coraline by Ysolda Teague and the green is TBD. As soon as I finish my portion of the knitting pattern design for our entry in What Would Madame DeFarge Knit II, I am casting on for me. Me, me, me, me, me!

But, oh, new knitting isn't the only thing I can wait to start. I got some books that have me excited for new projects. Particularly the "Cozy Wool Jacket" in Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt. I've never sewn outerwear before, but this is making my want to give it a shot!

And then, there is the best gift I have ever received in my life. No lie. I have the most generous husband ever. He enables this crafty obsession of mine in spades. Meet my new baby:

This sucker weighs 50 lbs.

I will have more to share about my new Bernina in the future I'm sure. The learning curve I have with new technology is both sad and amusing. But nothing is going to happen in my crafty world until this post-holiday mess is up and out of the house:

I should buy stock in the Rubbermaid Corporation.

I better scat and get going on my cleaning. Talk to you soon everyone!

–Cassandra

Friday Finds: REPRINT "Against Gift Giving"

2011-12-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

For this week's Friday Finds, I'm offering up a reprint of a particularly eloquent article about seasonal gift giving. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because the author, Dave Bry, has captured EXACTLY how I feel about the whole tradition of giving and receiving gifts.

Of course, as a crafty person, I enjoy making gifts at the holiday - preferably consumable because I hate giving people stuff that just adds to their burden - and I expect nothing in return. As a matter of fact I would PREFER nothing in return, unless it's consumable.

When it's all said and done, I think that the spontaneous gift, given thoughtfully at some random time during the year, is more valued than a gift given because tradition dictates that you're supposed to give a gift. I'm just sayin'.

REPRINT: Against Gift Giving
by Dave Bry, December 16, 2011

I would like to make a proposal: Let’s all stop giving presents to anyone over the age of 12.

We can consider this a new front in the laughably famous and obviously fictitious “war against Christmas” that people like Glenn Beck and Rick Perry always talk about. Because I’m really only proposing this for the holiday season. (So the following all goes for Chanukah, too. Oh, and birthdays. No presents on birthdays, either.) Presents at other times of the year, random days on the calendar, are fine. Like, if you’re going over to someone’s house, you should bring a bottle of wine. Or if you’re browsing in a bookstore and you find a book you think a friend would like, by all means, buy it for her or him.

But not on Christmas! Jesus, please! Enough with the gifts at Christmas, already. This time of year is hard enough to get through as it is.

I won’t be the first person you’ve heard say that the holiday season sucks. Because it does. Suicide statistics and the smoked salmon inside Dan Akroyd’s Santa costume and the music being piped into the fluorescent-bright aisles of Rite Aids all around the nation at this very moment say it better than words ever could anyway. It’s definitely the least wonderful time of year for a lot of people, full of all sorts of pressure and accounting and reminders of how we’re not doing as well at the job of being a human being as we’d like to be doing. The last thing any of us need is the added stress and extra shopping that this barbaric ritual entails. Let’s give ourselves a break.

The kids, we should still buy gifts for. If only because they’d complain so loudly if they came out into the living room and found nothing under the tree except the pine needles that will have to be vacuumed up later. (I actually think it’d be better for everybody if we broke them of the gift-getting habit, too. But it would be too hard to explain to the 8-year-olds the first two or three years to be worth it.) And, to be honest, it’s nice to see the expressions on the faces of children when they open their presents. Lovable little materialistic swine that children are.

But teenagers? Nothing’s going to relieve their misery except getting to have sex, and that’s nothing that anyone can buy for them. (Or, well, nothing that anyone should buy for them. Not for Christmas, anyway.) Teenagers might as well spend every family holiday alone in their rooms, masturbating and listening to Skrillex or playing World of Warcraft or whatever. The best gift we can give them is to not make them be around us. They don’t want us to see their braces.

And other adults? Why do we buy each other gifts? Why do we go to the trouble? So everyone can have to fake more excitement and gratitude than they actually feel upon opening them? “Oh, thanks for this book I told you I wanted that I could have just as easily bought for myself! Thanks for these gloves, this blouse, this bottle of wine. I’m so glad to have this pile of stuff to pack into the car or check at the baggage claim when I could have just bought it on my own time nearer to my own home, or even had it delivered directly to my door. Here, I got you something, too.” It’s like we’ve all entered into this mutual pact that makes everybody's lives a little bit worse. All anybody really wants is money anyway. And since there is a quid pro quo element to the stupid gift-giving tradition, we should all be getting back pretty much what we’d pay out. So let’s just skip it. Or establish a credit system. My gift to you is relieving you of the obligation of getting a gift for me. The gift of relaxation. The money you would have spent on me? Go buy yourself something you want with it. There. We’re even and happier. Bosses? Give a cash holiday bonus. Or better yet, don’t—and put it into raised yearly salaries and health benefits.

It’s not even just the giving. Receiving gifts stinks, too. People ask you what you want, and it’s hard to think of anything. (A yacht or a beach house or a portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer being unrealistic.) I mean, a bottle of nice something, sure, always. But again, then you’re stuck carting it home and the difficulty of not breaking it on the way. Generally, I think adults get the things they need or want when they need or want them. That’s one of the joys of being an adult. And in shopping for ourselves, we’re more likely to get exactly what we want; there’s less risk of mistakes.

A few years ago, back when CDs still seemed like things that were worth owning, I told someone who asked me what I wanted that I wanted a certain Townes Van Zandt CD that had been recommended to me by a friend. The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt, I think it was. But come Christmas, when I unwrapped one of my CD-shaped gifts, I saw a different Townes Van Zandt album—a compilation album. Of course, since the person who had bought it for me was sitting in the room, I did my best to hide my disappointment that this was not the CD I had asked for. I mean, it was a minor disappointment. And I certainly wasn’t, like, angry at the person for buying the wrong CD. I’m sure the person just couldn’t find the exact album I’d asked for. Maybe it was out of print? I don’t know. And, y’know, I don’t think this person should have been in the position of having to buy me a CD anyway. I blame society. But now I had this wrong Townes Van Zandt album. And the real problem was (and I know this probably has more to do my personal neurosis and human defects than anything else), this compilation had on it some, but not all, of the songs from the album I had in fact asked for, and I knew that owning it would in fact now make it harder for me to go and try to buy myself the original one. For the same reason that you always get off the subway one stop short of a destination that lies in between two subway stations, and not one stop past it. Nature abhors backtracking and redundancy and vacuuming up the pine needles that fall off of the Christmas tree.

See how gifts ruin everything?! At least for awful, unlovable neurotics devoid of the capacity for love or joy?! See?!!!

The whole problem is the obligation—that we’re expected to give gifts this time of year, and expected to want to receive gifts this time of year, and then expected to express gratitude, even if we’d rather just beg out of the whole deal. Don’t get me wrong, I know plenty of gifts—even those given to one adult by another—are given in the spirit of generosity and love. I like generosity and love. And other human beings. And chestnuts and roast goose and a big meal with lots of people. And even the smell of those pine needles making such a mess on the floor. And gratitude is a very good thing. But it’s easier to come to honestly in instances that aren’t so laden with all this heavy obligation, the feeling that we’re all taking part in an antiquated tradition that we’d actually rather not be taking part in.

When I dip, you dip, we dip.

2011-12-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

We had some holiday fun at Company X yesterday. The creative and marketing groups decided to have "Dip Day". A whole bunch of folks brought in different dips and we just sort of grazed (exactly like cattle) from 8-4:30. Yes, this is the sort of stuff we have to cling to...please don't judge the corporate drones.

Anyway, in my opinion, the best dip of the day was brought in by my friend Amy. She found it on Allrecipes.com and it was called "Festive Cracker Spread". Oh my! Cream Cheese, mayo, green olives, onions, red pepper...it is like a festive party in your mouth! Here is a link to the delightful dip.

Festive Cracker Spread photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com

So simple and easy. Great to bring along to parties this season.

On a side note, you know what is awesome about Allrecipes.com? You can put in the amount of people you need to feed and it will recalculate the ingredients so you can make the perfect amount. Lazy people like me love that.

I'm off to do some frantic last-minute holiday knitting of my own! Later!

–Cassandra

Panic! At the Holiday!

2011-12-19T09:22:00.000-08:00

So...yeah. Remember a couple of months ago when I talked about starting my Christmas knitting?

The thing I learned this holiday season is that, it's not about when you start a project, it's about when you finish. My (rather severe) lack of time management skills have left me, six days before Christmas, frantically knitting the last bits of my niece's present.

if the scarf ever gets done...

As a refresher, I'd let my niece and nephew each pick out their own scarf pattern from the fabulous Morehouse Farm Critter Collection. My nephew picked a green and gray gecko and my niece chose a pink poodle. I started the gecko first because I figured it would be better to knock out the two-color pattern first. Again... it's really a moot point which scarf goes first if one doesn't plan one's time well.

The gecko is done - and it came out pretty good. I ran out of the green yarn as I was finishing the third foot so he'll be going to my nephew as Greyfoot the Lizard. If my brain clears enough before I put it in the mail, there will be a story included about why he has one different colored foot.

one of these things is not like the others

Fortunately, I had Friday and today off from work so I've been a knitting fool all weekend (with a break on Saturday night for a really awesome Christmas party!) I feel a little guilty spending my entire long weekend on the sofa but it's nice to have an excuse to be supremely lazy. I'll take it as my Christmas gift to myself. :)

As of this moment, the poodle has 1.5 ears, no eyes, no feet, no tail, and no pom poms. Needless to say, I need to get back at it so this will be the shortest blog post I've ever written. I'll be sure to take pics of the finished project (I need them for Ravelry anyway) and let you all know if I actually made it in time to get this sucker in the mail. If not, there's going to be a frantic, last-minute shopping trip for my niece. LOL

where I am today...

Talk to y'all on Friday - hopefully with good news!!

- Alex

Friday Finds: Rit Dyed Buttons

2011-12-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

Check this sh*t out! You can dye white plastic buttons with Rit Dye. Who would have thunk? I can't wait to try this.

These bright buttons were dyed with Rit.

Easy tutorial over here.

And if you are what they have diagnosed as a "visual learner"...here is a video tutorial I found on YouTube:

Have a great weekend!

–Cassandra

Give It Away

2011-12-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Just when we're all feeling the money pinch, we’re bombarded with stories about people less fortunate than us. From the radio, the tv, and the web, we hear story after story of people who simply have a lot less.

Unfortunately, for most of us, our pockets aren’t as full as our hearts are and, as much as we'd love to be extra-charitable, there isn't much left over, after taking care of ourselves, to take care of others.

Years ago, I had a mentor who used to say that giving was about “time, talent, and treasure”. You could be charitable without having to empty your wallet. He believed that each of these ways of giving had equal value and that none of them should be considered less of a gift.

Once you start looking at your giving in this way - that it's not just about cash - you begin to realize how rich you are and how much you can do for others.

Before I had any income that wasn’t already earmarked for bills and daily survival, the one thing I had an abundance of was time and some talents that I thought might be useful. So I started my giving there.

I’m sure many of you think (as I used to) that you don’t have any time available to volunteer for anything – what with running the kids to sports and having to complete your honey-do list - but I’m going to challenge that thinking. I'll bet that there is one hour a week that you could take away from chores or watching television. Or, how about one hour a month? Remember, it’s not the AMOUNT you give, it’s the giving that matters. Your community center could certainly use someone one hour a month to help with cleaning or arranging the food pantry. You could take an hour and spend it sorting donations at the local charity. Or how about one hour a week to help a child learn to read? The possibilities are endless.

Once I realized that my time had some charitable value, I got a little addicted to giving back. I would get excited about a particular opportunity to help and pledge a lot of my time – only to discover that I hadn’t left any time relax and recharge. So, just remember to balance.

Now, donating talent is a bit trickier because it also comes with the donation of time. However, you’d be amazed at how much your talents are appreciated when they’re volunteered. Your skills can make a difference in someone’s life or for a worthy organization – whether it’s something you do as a hobby or a job. Let me give you some examples of how my talents have been donated over the years.

I wrote the web site for a non-profit organization.
I’ve done marketing consultation for my local community center.
I MC’d a variety of charity auctions.
I’ve used my crafting skills to create items to donate to various charities.

Donating talent is particularly rewarding because you’re providing a skill or service that the organization may not be able to get for free otherwise.

If I had my choice, I'd give away a lot of money. But it’s hard to part with hard-earned cash – especially when there are bills to pay and (even adult) kids to support. Every year, when I do my taxes, I’m pretty proud of how much I’ve given away and then my tax guy gives me a reality check. According to him, I’m giving away about half of what I should be for my income level. Yikes! But then I consider that my time and talent are as important as my treasure and I figure it all balances out to a pretty well-rounded year of giving.

So... back to treasure. You know how National Public Radio always says “give as much as you can, every penny counts”? Well, they mean it! Think of it this way, if every listener gave $5 annually, they would have $135 million dollars each year. I’m sure that would put a big dent in their budget. So, what are you willing to part with to donate a little cash to a worthy organization? One fancy coffee a week? Here's the coffee-math: $5 a week = $20 a month = $240 a year. That’s a nice donation to a small non-profit or an individual that needs to pay bills or buy food.. I’m sure that there’s something that you indiscriminately spend money on… coffee, lunches out, impulse purchases at the checkout line, magazines, etc. All you have to do is find a few dollars a week or a few dollars a month and commit them to a charitable organization and you'll have joined the ranks of treasure givers.

Finally, if you absolutely can’t find a way to donate time, talent, or treasure, you should go out of your way to look for other options. There are a million ways that you can make a difference from donating your hair to Locks of Love to adding the URL to a charity’s donation page to your email signature. You could donate old bikes to The Bicycle Project or train a service dog. How about cleaning out your pantry and taking all those non-perishable foods you haven’t eaten to the food pantry – making sure that they haven’t passed the expiration date, of course! Be a pen-pal for an elderly person or donate your old holiday decorations to a local charity organization. Just find something that constitutes helping someone who has less than you.

Regardless of how you decide to give, remember to give yourself credit for whatever you do. You made a difference in someone’s life. Like the old tale about the flap of the butterfly wings causing a tidal wave on the other side of the earth, every action counts - no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

- Santa Alex

Art Directed by an 8th Grader

2011-12-12T09:07:00.000-08:00

Yes, the title is true.

This past weekend I did creative production work for my little cousin. He was over for a visit and a couple hours before he had to go, he mentioned that he needed to create a short video on Lewis and Clark for a school project. Of course I started in with a million questions about how he was going to dress his sets and what his script looked like..."offering" my suggestions (aka running completely roughshod over the poor kid). My husband gently reminded me who's project this was and I backed off. But I did tell him I'd love to help him with this project before he went home.

We only had a couple hours to get this done so we had to move fast. He had come with the idea that he wanted to use toys for actors, making it more of an animated film. I loved this. We built a set using part of my Halloween village accessories and part of our Christmas nativity scenery. "Little People" were perfect in proportion to the set so we went with the farmer for Lewis, a random pilgrim for Clark, and the teacher from the school set for Sacagawea. Sir Toppham Hat makes an appearance straight from the Thomas Train set. Use your imagination people, we only had a couple hours to pull this together!

My suggestion of making a silent film was met with enthusiasm and so we set to work. Believe it or not, this entire little film was completely created on my iphone with an app called Silent Film Director. This tool made it so easy. I will admit to having upgraded to "pro" for a few bucks more. They had everything I needed from editing capabilities to effects and music. I have never shot video and edited it before...but oh my, I'm sort of a monster now. It was serious fun.

This film is rough, there was no time for re-shooting anything (I accidentally shot it portrait instead of landscape) and the typography leaves something to be desired...but I think it's sort of cute so I thought I'd share it.

Here is my his film:

–Cassandra

Friday Finds

2011-12-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

It's the time of the year for clementines - also known "cuties" or Mandarin oranges. Don't know why they're not called Mandarin oranges anymore. Maybe it's not PC enough. And, while I agree that they're pretty cute, I kind of hate how twee the name "cutie" sounds.

Someone told me that more clementine oranges are consumed on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. This is a completely unsubstantiated claim but it wouldn't surprise me.

Anyway.

I found this really cool craft project that employes clementines and I thought I'd share it with you for today's Friday Finds. It's super-easy to do and the end result is really impressive. Clementines aren't just for eating! Woot!

How to Make a Clementine Candle

Magic Mushrooms

2011-12-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned on this blog before, my family is mainly meat-free. This lifestyle is not a problem for our small children who have never enjoyed the flavor sausage brings to pasta sauce or what fat from beef adds to your stew because they have no idea what they are missing. But, for my husband and I (who were both raised omnivorous) there has been some time of "adjustment".

We have researched and experimented until we collected a nice stable of everyday recipes that we recognize as home-cooking. Flavored seitan and TVP have been integral as meat substitutes in this process (as seen in the Sausage & Angel Hair Pasta and Tomato-y Vegetarian Chili we have shared here previously). What also has been a key ingredient in the kitchen is mushrooms.

I will admit, chopping mushrooms is a bore.

Today I want to share with you what we call our "Magic Mushroom Base". So far we have used it in both Italian and Mexican dishes to great success. Here's how it goes:

Magic Mushroom Base

1lb mushrooms of random varieties (we like to mix them up)

1 medium onion

3 cloves pressed garlic

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup olive oil (plus more, keep the bottle handy)

2 tbsp tomato paste

Dice onion and saute in butter and 1/4 cup olive oil until transparent. Press garlic in and saute for a couple minutes. Add tomato paste and cook it until it starts to caramelize (which means it will start sticking to the pan, so as you stir you scrape the bottom over and over until the paste goes from medium red to a deeper shade of brick red).

The tomato paste getting deeper red.

Then it's time to add the cleaned and chopped mushrooms. Turn them over and over with a wooden spoon, coating them completely. If you feel like it needs more moisture go ahead and splash some more olive oil in at this point. Not too much though, you want to keep this thick.

Turning the mushrooms over and over.

If you would like your mushrooms flavored for a Mexican (we use Penzy's taco seasoning) or Italian dish (we use oregano and basil), this is the time to add your spices. Turn the mushrooms over and over until they are soft and sauteed completely.

Now what you have is a thick mushroom base that is a great filling for enchiladas, lasagna, sub sandwiches, etc. Anywhere you would use ground meat or meatballs. This is why it's magic. :)

–Cassandra

Plushies (not Furries... get your mind out of the gutter)

2011-12-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

For the uninitiated, in modern parlance stuffed animals are called "plushies". I suppose it's because they are so rarely animals anymore. From UglyDolls to microbes, anything can be a plushie these days.

Jiker - pretty cute UglyDoll

This is a plushie of the herpes virus. I swear to god.

On Friday, our Crafting for Charity group had its fourth quarter meeting. After the debacle with the baby kimonos last quarter, Cassandra and I decided to do something different with our remaining flannel. So, inspired by our friend Emily at Bluestar, Ink. (please go check out her amazing work!) we figured we'd try our hand and some plushies of our own.

Cassandra designed a couple of super-sweet and simple patterns for us to use. One of our members had some fur left over from a Halloween costume so Cassandra decided to make a wolf:

Wolf

And she made a bunny for me:

Bunny

I didn't end up making the bunny evil, even though Cassandra left me the option by giving him pointy teeth. Also, she eventually added a 1/2 inch seam allowance to the illustration which was really helpful.

One friend, Erin, did the sock monkey from the book Craft Hope by Jade Sims. That turned out to be a pretty easy pattern - even though she made it difficult by purchasing chenille socks that were a b*tch to work with. LOL

I started my afternoon by finishing up the last baby kimono. I had to fix the hand flaps (I'd sewed them incorrectly) and add the tie closures. While I was doing that, Cassandra and Erin started their plushies. Cassandra did a lot of handwork on hers - embroidering the face and making the furry ears separate from the rest of the doll - and, well, Erin had the aforementioned struggle with the chenille. I kept my doll simple. I cut a front and back from the same flannel fabric then added a coordinating colored "face", paw pads, and inside ears. I machine-sewed the whiskers and the triangle nose, then added a couple of buttons for eyes. We all finished up at about the same time. And here's our final product!

The Usual Suspects

Wolf detail (love the chest hair!)

All in all, these were pretty easy to make. Now that we have the basic pattern down, we'll probably try to knock out a few more at our next meeting. Then they'll be donated to the Children's Hospital here in town.

On a separate note, on Saturday we delivered about 10 fleece pet beds to the Humane Society. We made these by taking the no-sew fleece blanket kits from Joann Fabrics, cutting them in half (to make two smaller "blankets") and stuffing them with a thin layer of polyfill. They seemed really happy to receive them. Also, our knitters are knocking out newborn caps at an alarming rate. At some point soon, those will be delivered to the NICU at one of our local hospitals.

Finally, our group got featured in our company newsletter. Based on the response, the idea is pretty popular so, hopefully, we'll inspire some folks to start their own groups.

- Alex

Friday Finds: LuSa Lotion Bars

2011-12-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

Must be read with a 1950's announcer's voice:
Friends, do your hands get dry from office air conditioning or heat? Does wool drag on your skin when knitting? Are you embarrassed of your cracked cuticles? Then you need to try LuSa Organics lotion bars.

LuSa Organics lotion bars are joyfully made in Viroqua, Wisconsin with the finest ingredients available. Each hand-crafted bar is similar in size to a bar of soap. You simply rub the bar between your hands to apply the lotion and then massage into the skin. It's just that simple. Order today!

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My favorite LuSa lotion flavor is lavender.

I felt like I needed to write a radio ad for this lotion because I love it so much. At this time of year when I am knitting like a fiend, my hands can get really dry. These lotion bars are my constant companion. I can't recommend them enough for folks who do a lot of work with their hands.

There is something for everyone at the LuSa site. Those with children will love the "Sweetest Dreams" roll on oil. It is part of our night-time ritual.

I am fortunate enough to live in a town where I have lots of retail options to purchase the entire line of LuSa products but for those of you who are not, it's okay, you can order online. LuSa is an example of a small independent company producing quality products at a reasonable cost. There is no excuse not to shop Indy people! :)

Happy Friday!

–Cassandra

Etsy too, Brute?

2011-11-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

Etsy is a savior. A savior for the gift-giver who has no idea what to buy. A savior for the online shopper who is missing out on cool, local artists work. A savior for the artist who's never had the wherewithal or the knowledge to open their own shop or site.

Etsy is not, however, the savior of Mighty Distractible.

Let me 'splain.

As you all know, we did the trunk show a couple of weeks ago. And then I blogged about how we were going to put up the rest of the stock on Etsy. But, as I began the foray into the world of setting up an Etsy shop, I learned a very valuable lesson - Etsy is not for every situation.

The brilliance of Etsy is that, if you're going to have an online shop, they do it all for you - and for a very reasonable cost. Fees are like this:

Each listing generates a non-refundable "listing fee" of $0.20 per item so, if you list 100 items, your listing fee would be $20. Not bad, except that the listing is only good for 60 days. If you need to re-list the item (it hasn't sold or it's a standard item that you'll always carry) you pay that 20 cents again - every 60 days - for as long as you want the listing active. Also, it's per item so, just like the grocery store check out lane, 30 cans of cat food is 30 items, not one. If you list 10 of the same item under one listing you pay $2.
Then, for every sale you make you pay Etsy 3.5% of the total sale price (not including shipping). So, if you sell one item for $25, you give Etsy approximately $0.88.
Fees are paid at the end of the month - they don't come out of your individual sale - so you have to stay on top of it and not spend that entire $25 because at the end of the month, Etsy's coming knocking for their $1.08 (listing fee plus sales fee). This can add up pretty fast so it's important to have halfway decent book-keeping skills.

For these fees, you get a cool, customizable online storefront where you can conveniently sell your wares. For the average bear, the idea of having to build their own website, with a shopping cart, is too much. It costs money to get set up and then you have all the hassle of marketing your store and dealing with issues like your server going down or your shopping cart not working. Etsy is a savior.

But if, like us, you really just need a place to sell off some inventory, Etsy isn't really the solution. Can you imagine how sad the Mighty Distractible Etsy shop would be once we were down to five skeins of yarn and two or three embroidery kits??

No... a successful Etsy shop needs to be a living, breathing thing. A constantly restocked, lovely to look at, store. Not a fire sale.

So, we have a question for you all. What would you think if we just posted what we have left out here on the blog and did our transactions via email? We could take PayPal and/or credit cards (thanks to Square!) and just work with you individually. Let us know. Comment below and tell us if you think this is a good idea or complete rubbish (that's for you @pinkundine!). If you all vote that it's a good idea, we'll put photos, quantities and prices up on the site this weekend and then we can get down to business.

Speak up friends! And thanks. :)

Alex

There Was Another Cat in the Bag!

2011-11-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

When Alex and I began this blog over a year ago, we had no idea where the journey would take us. The plan was simple: create a place for us to chat about our crafty pursuits and hopefully entertain our readers. Since then we've made friends with people from across oceans, connected with those in our own community, tried our hands as exhibitors in a trunk show, and even seen that folks read our blog by google searching terms as random as "as seen on tv" and "eating". Ahhh, the internet is a weird and wonderful world.

I am pleased to tell you today that another opportunity has arisen for us Distractibles...one that fits us well...one from the world of the printed page.

Do you remember when we recently reviewed What Would Madame DeFarge Knit? Well, that book was apparently quite successful because almost immediately after it's release they announced that they were looking for submissions for a sequal. We decided to throw our hat in the ring and send in our idea for a pattern. Guess what? Mighty Distractible will have a knitting pattern and two essays included in the upcoming What Would Madame DeFarge Knit? Vol 2! Squeal! I think we actually held hands and jumped around in a circle when we got the acceptance email from Heather Ordover.

Obviously, mum's the word about the details of our pattern. I can tell you that the concept is right up our creepy alley! We will be so proud to share it with everyone. (I'm not sure when the book is scheduled for release, but I am guessing it will be in Q1 or 2 of next year.)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...I think we all have a lot to be thankful for this year. :)

–Cassandra

How it went....

2011-11-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Distractibles

Last week, Cassandra and I posted about the trunk show we were participating in on Saturday. I thought that, today, I'd give you the "post mortem" (as it were.)

Friday night, at 10pm, the last bit of work I needed to do was put button holes on 15 notion bags and sew on the buttons. The car was packed and I was ready to go except for that last thing. Aaaaaaand.... my button-holer decided not to work. I was so tired and frustrated at that point that I was, quite literally, cross-eyed. So, I resigned myself to the fact that the notion bags might not have a closure and I went to bed.

Saturday morning I was up and running at 7a.m. I sent a text to Cassandra and asked her to stop at the craft store and pick up some elastic to make a button/loop closure on the bags. In the end, we figured it would be true-to-form if we were sewing at our table during the sale. I had a massage at 8a.m. (GREAT way to start the day), then home to clean up, run the last couple of errands, and get to the show by 10:30 or 11. Smooth as silk.

part of our display

I rolled up to the house at 10:30 and started unpacking the car. By the time Cassandra got there at 11, all we had to do was arrange everything and make it pretty. The craft shop didn't have elastic but Cassandra picked up some grosgrain ribbon that was just the right color. Aaaaaaand.... then I realized that I'd never stopped to get change in case people paid in cash. Yikes! Out the door I race, trying to get to the bank before noon.

I managed to get to the back and back to the show-house by noon. A little frazzled but ready to go. *whew!*

All day long there was a steady stream of people browsing and shopping. The crowd was wonderful and seemed to be into the spirit of the event. Cassandra and I got to do what we do best - talking and making friends - while we sewed buttons on the notion bags (which sold surprisingly well!)

sewing buttons at the last minute (not surprisingly)

Overall, we sold about 25% of the stuff we took with us. We're going to put up an Etsy shop in the next couple of weeks and will hopefully sell the rest of the stock. And, if certain items are particularly popular, we may be convinced to continue making them!

We had a great time although it's a lot of work for two, inherently lazy souls such as us. We learned that we have a strong brand that's well received by strangers and that "making physical product to sell" is not really our forte (unless we can just manage the process and have other people do the actual work! LOL)

Keep your eyes peeled for an Etsy announcement soon.

Alex

PS - I hope that the people who invented the Square are making $10 BILLION dollars. If you don't know what Square is yet, check it out. Best.Invention.Ever!

Peek #2

2011-11-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

As Cassandra mentioned on Monday, we Distractibles are participating in a trunk show this weekend. It's kind of a funny thing because, while we are (we suppose) artists of a sort, we don't actually make "product" like most artists.

The bonafide artists that will be at the show include a potter, a photographer, an illustrator, and others of that nature. We bloggers had a tough time figuring out how to represent ourselves at this shindig.

In the end, we settled on the idea of providing people with things that would allow them to "make" the way we "make" - things to encourage creativity. So, on our table you'll find:

1. Embroidery kits based on our Woodland Series embroidery patterns
2. Custom hand-dyed yarn from a local farm
3. Recipes from the Mighty Distractible archives
4. Knitting patterns
5. Tote bags for the fashionable crafter

It's been a bit of a bear, pulling all this together. We tried not to get in over our heads but, when you don't do this regularly, there are lots of loose ends that have to be dealt with. Personal crafting and, frankly, personal life has taken a back seat to getting this stuff done. Hopefully we'll have lots of attendees at the event and we'll sell out of all our cool stuff! If not, you'll be seeing a Mighty Distractible Etsy store soon after. LOL!

If you're in the Madison area, please stop by on Saturday. It's sure to be a lot of fun.

Alex

Peek #1

2011-11-14T12:41:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! The Indie Art & Design Trunk Show that Alex and I are participating in is happening this coming weekend. Yeah! Can't believe the date is finally here. We have been spending so much time preparing our kits and other goodies in the last month we seriously haven't been crafting anything else.

This week on the blog we are giving you a sneak-peek at some of the stuff what we will have for sale on Saturday. Today, we introduce the embroidery kits...

Template printed directly onto fabric.

You may already be familiar with the free embroidery patterns we offer on our site. Well, we made some modifications to the animal designs and had them printed on a medium-weight cotton/linen blend. No transferring needed! The designs are now smaller (6-inch) and circular. Absolutely perfect for quilt blocks, pillow fronts, or wall art.

A sample I've been stitching up.

And, these kits are great for the beginning stitcher because they are smaller and include a far more robust set of directions than our free downloads offer. Each kit includes:

fabric with printed embroidery template
cotton floss (for a monochromatic design)
embroidery needle
instruction booklet
copy of the design to use to transfer it to another piece of fabric if you want to try it again!

This is just peek #1...check back this week for more! And come to the show on Saturday and say hi!

–Cassandra

Friday Finds

2011-11-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

We're launching a new feature here at Mighty Distractible - Friday Finds. This is our attempt at passing on some of the cool things we find on the web, without the normal verbose exposition*.

*Verbose Exposition is my Talking Heads cover band.

I'm pretty sure that Cassandra wanted to do this to see if I could, possibly, post something without having to include a 500 word essay with it. LOL No way, Jose.

Anyway, at lunch I declared that I'm only ever getting recipes from the Internet from now on, since the ham and scalloped potatoes recipe that I made for today's potluck came out so amazingly. So, for today's Friday Finds, I give you The Best-Ever Ham & Scalloped Potato Recipe. (see below for the changes I made)

Enjoy!

Changes I made:

1. I was too lazy to cut the potatoes so I used defrosted OreIda Hash browns instead.
2. I used prepared brown mustard instead of mustard "spices" like he shows.
3. I cooked it in the crock pot - on high for 2.5 hours and then low for about an hour or so.

Antiquing

2011-11-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

Before we had our two littlest kids, my husband and I were quite serious antique hunters. We would spend our weekends at auctions and flea markets coming home with treasures to clean up (and sometimes take apart, refinish, and reassemble) and make our own. Our house is full of these items that had a long history before they came to us.

I have really missed the hunt these last four years, but frankly, I have no regrets not trying to go antiquing with babies. But the time has come to get back on the horse. Now that my brood is old enough to mind their manners, we are back at it. This past weekend we drove down to St. Charles, IL and hit one of the biggest antique fairs in the Midwest.

Unfortunately, there are fewer vendors in November than during the warm months, but there was still plenty to see. On this visit, most of the folks who bring in large furniture were absent so I set my sights on fun, small items. (I generally try to focus on shopping for something specific so I don't get overwhelmed by all the stuff.) What really caught my eye this week was tacky statuary.

Like this:

Se weird, so wonderful.

Highbrow kitsch.

I'm a sucker for bunnies in clothes.

I actually came home with this:

Fawn bookends for Little Bear's room. All clean and shiny now.

Way less tacky once you get them in the proper environment (she tells herself).

The vintage "made in Japan" little fawns are so adorable in the woodland themed room. Love!

There were other things that caught my eye that didn't come back home with me:

I don't know what kept me from buying more. I think I'm out of practice. I'm totally excited to be back on the prowl though. So if you are out at the flea market and see a woman telling two small boys not to touch something every 2 minutes...that will be me!

–Cassandra

Best.Movie.Ever. (Suspense Edition)

2011-11-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

Ask 100 people what the best movie of all time is, and you're likely to get 100 different answers. The art of storytelling - whether on the screen or on the page - is subjective nearly beyond reason. Every nuance of a story affects the listeners enjoyment, from the setting, to the characters, to the basic plot. And the right combinations of these elements - along with the right conditions - can create a perfect storm known as a blockbuster.

Movies, and books before them, could become popular for a lot of reasons. However, intrinsic to any story's popularity is an intriguing tale that keeps the listener glued to it.

Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) was a prolific writer of compelling stories. The author of many popular novels, she had an artists ear for words and a creative upbringing (her parents were both actors and her grandfather a famous caricaturist) that contributed to her ability to spin a suspenseful yarn. Literary critics of the time (she was at her publishing height in the 1930's through the 1950's) admonished her work as being too lightweight as she wrote in the style of the old gothic tales, such as Jane Eyre. However, a good story is a good story and, when it's all said and done, du Maurier's works still stands up today. As if the world needed any more convincing, one just needs to look at he list of du Maurier books that have been made into blockbuster movies.

Because of the suspenseful nature of her stories, Alfred Hitchcock was tapped to direct three of the films adapted from her work: Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, and The Birds. And, while all three are considered classics and one could successfully argue that The Birds is the most ingrained in our popular culture, my favorite - by far - is Rebecca.

The genius of Rebecca is in the telling of the story. The title character, Rebecca, never makes an appearance in the story and the lead character is never given a name. Every character is shrouded in mystery and the chilling story unfolds around the poor, unnamed narrator. There's the mysterious husband who's harboring a secret that causes him untold grief and guilt. There's the menacing housekeeper who makes our narrator feel unwelcome in her new home. Then, all around, there are the whispers and the gossip that drive our heroine to the brink of insanity. While the twist at the end is more satisfying in the novel (blame it on movie censors of 1936) the movie brings the entire story to life in a way that is rarely seen in Hollywood.

For years, Rebecca was unavailable on DVD. However, since 2008, there have been a few versions released. There's a remastered single disc version with a booklet included, a multi-disc set of remastered Hitchcock classics that includes a number of extras for each film in the collection, and one that I can't find online anywhere - but is available on Netflix - that has the bonus disc to end all bonus discs. If you have a Netflix subscription, I highly recommend getting that version for the extras. It chock-full of insights into Hollywood circa 1936 with notes, memos, and letters written between Hitchcock and the producers of the movie (the best of which is a blistering lecture by David O Selznik given to Hitchcock regarding the screen treatment that Hitchcock delivered). There's a nice short history on du Maurier and her influences for the book that include photos of various houses and excerpts from her diary. And, best of all, you can see screen tests of a variety of actresses who were trying out for the part. It's a slice of Hollywood-history-heaven.

So, if you ask me what the best movie of all time is, I'll ask you "in which genre" (because you can't really pick just one...) But, if you ask me to list my top five films of all time, Rebecca is firmly ensconced there - pretty close to the top. :) I hope you'll watch this classic story and enjoy it as much as I do. And, if you're even a little bit of a Hollywood history buff, definitely pick up one of the bonus discs and check out the screen tests. They really give you a sense of the difference an actor can make to a role.

Dreaming of Manderlay,

Alex

Food and Fall

2011-11-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

The other night I went through my recipe box and in the interest of simplicity, tossed away most of its contents. Pouring over those cards and clippings was like taking a trip through the different ways I've chosen to eat over the last 20 years. My meals of today are (mostly) meatless so if a recipe could not be adapted to my current lifestyle, it was a goner.

Brandy slush is meatless.

But even in throes of therapeutic purging there were some recipes that I couldn't possibly get rid of... my Grandma's. While I may not be making these mostly beef and veal dishes anytime soon, they are close to my heart. The food I grew up eating was home-made, simple, ethnic, and delicious. As a matter of fact, I have had big plans to gather all of my Grandmother's recipes and create a family cookbook to share with my cousins. I need to make that happen soon.

Slovenian beef-broth soup just like my Grandma's.

For now, I am evaluating, sorting, and organizing what I have chosen to keep out of my own collection. The plan is to type them all up neatly into Word docs to store electronically so I can easily reprint a damaged copy or be able to share with a friend. I have a spiral bound notebook with plastic pocket pages that I will neatly fill with all these recipes. Eventually I will embroider a pretty heirloom book cover that hopefully last 100 years.

Fall makes me sentimental about food. What can I say? :)

–Cassandra

The Definition of Distractible

2011-11-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today, I am the very definition of distractible.

Picture my brain as a ball in a giant Plinko machine - bouncing around a shiny field of pins with no discernible path.

Here are some of the things that I'm interested in today:

Diaspora*Alpha - a new social networking site that's been in beta for, like, ever. I finally got my invitation today. It's lovely and simple and seems like a cleaner version of Google+. I'm not sure what value it will have for me but I love trying new, shiny social media sites so that's cool.
Food52 - My new favorite food site. Part social network, part foodie blog, part recipe exchange - there's a lot of user generated content here but the site is slick and the users have a lovely sophistication that means you're not going to end up with 25 variations on tuna-noodle casserole. Plus they have contests!
This could win the prize for Best.YouTube.Video.Ever. (unless you have no idea who Dr Who is and then it's just a randomly silly video)

Food. Food. Food. Food. The seasons are changing and it's cold and all I want to do is eat. At this rate, I'm going to weigh 1000 lbs by spring.

And on that note, I have a couple of recipe ideas that I've shared at the bottom of this post.

The new Gmail "look". Really...why? Change for change's sake is stupid. I checked it out. There's no significant difference in functionality that warrants screwing with something we're all happy with.
Wisconsin's brand new concealed carry law. Woot! As of yesterday, for a mere $50 and four hours of "training" I too can carry a gun around with me wherever I go. Legally. So, you know, the next time someone pisses me off in traffic, people better watch out.

When this law passed, Wisconsin was one of two states left that banned concealed carry. This mortifies and astounds me. And now we're part of the majority. Oh...and today the Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill that makes it okay for homeowners to use deadly force. Where the hell do the politicians think we live? Texas? (no offense to my Texan friends but, you know, your state is sort of "wild west".)

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) I wanted to do it this year for the first time but my time must be spent prepping for the awesome trunk show coming up on the 19th (damn priorities). So, all my scribbling friends are rubbing salt in my proverbial wounds every time they post their word count online. Of course, I wish them all no writers block and the ability to leave the editing until the very end.

Here's the deal.. I could keep this up all day. As my thoughts fly around like so many bees I realize that this was probably a bad day to try to write a coherent blog post. However, it does demonstrate my distractible nature and, perhaps, provided a little entertainment for this afternoon.

So, without further ado, here are the promised recipes. Have a great, focused Wednesday evening everyone!

- Alex

Sesame Tilapia
(I stole this recipe from a diet cookbook but it's pretty basic so hopefully no one will sue me.)

2 Tilapia filets
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 cloves of crushed garlic
Raw sesame seeds

Line the broiler with aluminum foil. Curl the edges of the foil up making a "bowl" to hold the liquid marinade. Spray the foil with cooking spray. Place the filets on the foil lined broiling pan.

Whisk together well all the ingredients except for the sesame seeds. Pour over the fish. Coat the top of the fish with the raw sesame seeds. Place under broiler and cook for approximately 12 minutes or until the fish flakes with a fork.

Gluten-free "Lasagna"
The idea for this came from my desire to have a lasagna but no noodles.

Polenta - the easiest thing to do is buy prepared polenta in the tube shape but you could make it from scratch.
Mozzarella cheese
Ricotta cheese
Parmesan cheese
Tomato sauce (jarred spaghetti sauce is fine)
Vegetables and meat as desired (I like Italian sausage, red bell peppers, onions, spinach, etc)

So...it's easy. Just cut the polenta into thin (1/4" thick) slices and place on the bottom of a greased baking dish. Then layer the cheeses, sauce and any meats/veggies you're going to add. Place another layer of polenta, then more cheese, sauce, meats/veggies. Continue until the baking dish is nearly filled. End with a layer of polenta topped with sauce and Parmesan cheese only.

Bake at 350 until bubbly - about 40 minutes.

Alex's Favorite Autumn Cocktail
(I stole this recipe from a local fancy restaurant. Hopefully they won't sue me.)

Spiced rum (Captain Morgan's or make your own. Don't use Sailor Jerry's as it has too much vanilla in it)
Apple cider
A healthy splash of ginger beer

Can be served over ice or warm. If you're going to serve it warm, warm up the cider by itself then add the rum and a good splash of ginger beer before serving.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween is in full-force at the Ooo! Shiny! country house.

Pumpkin goo.

Soaking seeds in saltwater....mmmm.

Yesterday was full with pumpkin carving, pumpkin seed preparing, and tiny apple pie making. Yes, tiny apple pies.

Yummy and cute!

Have you seen these apple pie's made in 4oz mason jars around the interwebs lately? I have no idea where the concept originated, but it is really cool. I had to bring a preschool snack for their Halloween party today so I thought I'd give these a whirl.

How cute are these 4oz mason jars?

As I mentioned above, there are many tutorials out there on how to make these small bits of heaven. I think that this one from the Our Best Bites Blog is particularly good.

Cut the apple pieces smaller than usual for the little pies.

I used my tried and true apple pie filling recipe (below) and the Crisco pie crust recipe. They turned out delicious. I will definitely be doing this again!

Apple Pie Filling

5 apples (I prefer tart)

3/4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1-1/2 tablespoons Penzy's "Baking Spice"

Half a lemon

Peel and slice apples to desired thickness (generally I cut mine for a regular pie at about 1/4" thick). Squeeze the juice of half of a lemon over the apples to coat. Mix the flour, sugar, and spice together in a bowl and then pour over the apples and stir. There is a reason for the expression "easy as apple pie".

I will snack on one of these cuties tonight when I am watching scary movies after the kids go to bed...bwwaaahhh!!!! Happy Halloween all!
–Cassandra

Party Like It's 1968...

2011-10-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

...and your baby is The Son of Satan!

In the world of Mighty Distractible, "spooky" is a year-round celebration - not just to be celebrated on Halloween. However, we recognize that many of you reserve your spooky love for the month of October. Therefore, we try very hard to limit our blog posts about spooky subjects to the Halloween season.

If you're interested, here are a few other posts from last year's "Spookytober":

While we had fun with each of these posts, my favorite entries are our film lists. Last year, I posted my list of favorite scary movies - a fairly comprehensive introduction to good (or good-bad) horror films. Recently, Cassandra posted a list of her favorite spooky films.

There is one movie in particular that both Cassandra and I are obsessed with - Rosemary's Baby. I won't get into the myriad reasons why this movie ranks as one of the best films ever committed to celluloid because that would become the Longest.Blogpost.Ever. But, I will share with you our secrets for hosting an awesome Rosemary's Baby Party (perfect for Halloween!!)

How to Host a Rosemary's Baby Party

There's a lot of eating and drinking that happens in Rosemary's Baby, and it's a recent-period film, so there's plenty to work with when planning your perfect Halloween party.

Costumes can be simple 1960's outfits. A trip to your local thrift store will yield plenty of options. But, if you really want to get specific, there are many secondary characters, including some very odd ones in the dream sequence, that would make great costumes including: the Pope, JFK, a Japanese photographer, etc.
Appetizers should include beef carpacio (raw, paper-thin beef) with capers. Rosemary ate her meat raw when she was pregnant with the Son of Satan. Also, she's given a charm containing "tannis root" which, by the description, I think might look like capers. Another good choice is chicken liver pate. Rosemary ate raw chicken livers but I'm guessing your guests wouldn't be into that so much.
Dessert has to be chocolate mousse - or, as Minnie (the devil's minion) calls it, "chocolate mouse." The way to make this especially perfect is to crush up some chocolate Necco wafers and mix them in the mousse. They need to be, basically, powdered so that you can't really tell they're in there. The Necco wafers will give the mousse the "chalky under taste" that Rosemary complains of in the movie. You can also serve chocolate chip cookies which Rosemary baked to give to the trick-or-treating children in her apartment building (oh the days of homemade treats!)
Cocktails should be appropriate to the '60's - martini's, Tom Collins', Gin Fizzes, etc. But, regardless of what you have available on your bar, you absolutely must serve Vodka Blush (recipe below). Roman and Minnie (devil's minions) serve Rosemary and her husband, Guy, Vodka Blush at their first dinner together. (Be sure to over fill the glasses and spill a little in remembrance of Roman.) While not a particularly popular drink today, sherry is another option as this is what Rosemary drank when she was pregnant - and she was afraid it had harmed the baby.
Another drink option is to recreate the "herbal drink" that Minnie makes for Rosemary each day. The consistency is like a yogurt smoothie and the color is green. I would recommend making smoothies with vanilla yogurt and using some green food coloring to get the right color.
If you like playing party games, Scrabble should be on the docket as Rosemary used Scrabble pieces to help her solve the anagram that reveals Roman's true identity.

Of course, the movie should be playing in the background throughout the party!

I hope you all have an amazing Halloween weekend. Just remember, to make it perfectly perfect, you have to have at least ONE viewing of Rosemary's Baby before November 1.

- Alex

Vodka Blush Recipe

2 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 ozfresh lime juice
1 dash grenadine syrup

Fill shaker 2/3 with fresh ice. Add ingredients. Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Awestruck by Lotte Reiniger

2011-10-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when I was an art student, it always bummed me out that we spent such a small amount of time on women artists in art history class. Now, please don't misunderstand me here, I don't feel the need to root for "the ladies" just because they are my people. It's simply that I connect with the artistic process of most women artists. Most likely this is because on some level we have a shared life or possibly emotional experience.

I have to say, I sort of understand Camille Claudel's crazy.

Lee Krasner ran with the big dogs.

To supplement my college education I would sit for hours in the library pouring over big books that included the work of well-known female artists like Cindy Sherman, Lee Krasner, Camille Claudel (my daughter's namesake), Frida Kahlo, etc. In the days before the interwebs this was really the only option. Nowadays online, in a few click-throughs I can stumble upon a mind blowing artist that I never knew existed. It was on the herzensart blog of a German handmade art toy designer the other day that I was introduced to Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger (1899 – 1981).

Lotte at work.

Wow...I kinda love her work, if I had to put a name on her style/meduim it would be: Paper Silhouette Animation Artist. The first of it's kind. Her work is both enchanting and dark, I think largely due to the fact that most of what I have seen is inspired by fairy tales. It has a hand-made feel to it that I find so appealing and yet (especially for it's time) it is amazingly technical. She had talent and brains. Love.

This is really inspiring. I am particularly taken with the idea of mixing my crafty pursuits with my highbrow art training. Hmmmm...I need to stew on this for a while.

Here is a brief video showing her inspiring creative process. Enjoy!

The Art of Lotte Reiniger (1953-1971) by baraqueafritz

–Cassandra

Everything I Learned, I Learned From TV.

2011-10-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

Let's bet.

I'll bet you money that, if you're under the age of 50 and you grew up with television in your home, that the bulk of your classical music recognition come from Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Go ahead. Think about it. The Rabbit of Seville. Classic Bugs & Elmer.What's Opera, Doc? (aka: Kill Da Wabbit!) I can't hear that music without singing the Looney Tunes lyrics.

If you've been reading us for any length of time, you know that I'm an unapologetic television watcher. I don't mind that my introduction to classical music was through cartoons. It made going to the ballet with my grandma much more interesting because the music wasn't foreign to me. And, it means that lots of classical music has positive, sentimental memories attached to it.

What I'm trying to say is that television can be the positive influence that the founders of the medium wanted it to be. To that end, please let me introduce you to one of my favorite media juggernauts - America's Test Kitchen.

America's Test Kitchen is a public television program (and complementing website, The Feed) that's celebrating its 10th year on the air. The host, Christopher Kimble, is editor-in-chief of the lauded Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Of course, the show and the magazine are affiliated and have a similar style and commitment to quality. The actual "test kitchen" is located in Massachusetts and, as a result, there's a distinctive New England quality to proceedings - simple, no-nonsense, and very, very practical.

In a beautifully equipped yet unadorned kitchen, Christopher and his crew of regular chefs cook and cook and cook some more to find the very best recipes for... well... everything. If you need to know how to make any dish, I promise you'll find the best possible basic version of it here. It's important to note that they're not out to make the fanciest, or most innovative, or Top Chef-ish dish. The goal of the test kitchen is to discover the perfect core recipe that you can then expand on if you're so inclined. I had never successfully made a pot roast until I followed the ATK recipe. And it was perfect. As was the gravy. This dish is currently in heavy rotation at my house as a result.

In addition to providing us with perfect recipes, ATK also does product reviews (food/gadgets/etc.) and some fun segments like "what is this utensil?" where people can send in photos of weird utensils they've found and the folks at ATK will research and tell you its purpose. Finally, there are techniques and tips galore to make you a better and more efficient cook. Everything I ever learned about cuts of beef, I learned from Christopher Kimbell.

A friend of mine described the show as "Consumer Reports for cooking".

I used to save ATK shows on my DVR so that I could watch them while I was cooking and follow along. Then I figured out that I could just pull up the video segment from the website so I was able to clear quite a few hours of programming from my hard drive. (thank goodness). However, I still love watching the show itself. Kimbell's laconic humor and the good-natured ribbing that happens on set is really appealing and keeps me coming back. Well...that along with the recipes.

So, if you want to learn something from television (something other than what Snooki's wearing out to the club this weekend), I highly recommend America's Test Kitchen and it's affiliated magazine, Cook's Illustrated, and, of course, The Feed website. I promise you won't be disappointed.

- Chef Alex

PS - I just discovered there's a Cook's Illustrated iPhone app. I'm downloading it as I type.

Indie Trunk Show

2011-10-21T12:36:00.000-07:00

I want to let you all in on a little secret. For the past few months Alex and I have been preparing to participate in our first Indie Artists Trunk Show. It has been difficult for a blabbermouth like me to keep this under my hat...lemme tell ya. We are simultaneously excited and nervous.

There are six other artists in this show offering beautiful textiles, fine art, photography, pottery, plushies, and more. Alex and I (under the name of Mighty Distractible) will have custom embroidery kits, knitting patterns, our own yarn, beautiful project bags, and more. Squeal! We were quite honored to be invited to do this. Our hope is that some of our local readers will pop over and introduce themselves. That would be seriously awesome!

This show is chock-full of talented artists...and great timing for picking up unique holiday gifts! I'm sure we will have more info as November 19th comes closer. Check the Indie Art and Design page for links to the various artists.

–Cassandra

Critters for Christmas

2011-10-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

Knitting has turned me into "one of THOSE people" - the ones who are planning for Christmas in October. Well, to be honest, I bought the patterns in July but I'm just now casting on.

I miss the days when I didn't think about Christmas until, say, the week of Christmas. It was an awesome thing to realize that I had seven days or so to balance my checkbook and scour the stores in a fast, but satisfying, buying frenzy. There was just something more festive about it.

Planning for Christmas makes it seem like a chore.

On the other hand, I love giving hand-made gifts to my family and friends. Not everyone appreciates them, but I like the process of picking out something I think the person might like and creating it from scratch. I think it has more value than some mass-produced piece of plastic that a gajillion other people are also going to own on December 26th.

This year, for the first time, my niece and nephew are getting hand-made gifts for Christmas. It's tricky with kids. They could be really bummed out with the present (think about Ralphie in the bunny suit) because it's NOT that mass-produced piece of plastic. However, I hedged my bets and had the kids pick out the patterns that they wanted.

Enter my very best resource for knitted items for kids: Morehouse Farm Merino.

Morehouse Farm makes some of the loftiest, loveliest merino yarn you've ever seen. You know it's from the farm because, occasionally, there'll be a bit of hay or something stuck in the fiber. But even better than their yarn are their patterns and kits. Sure, they have the traditional hats, scarves, sweaters, etc. but where the real treasure lies is in their Critter Knits.

Pretty much any animal you can imagine has been made into a Morehouse Critter - dogs, dragons, chicks, and geckos abound. They might be scarves or purses or hats but, however they're knitted up, the one thing they all are is CUTE.

My niece chose the pink poodle scarf and my nephew the gecko. While I love the merino wool, it's not really practical for two little, messy children so they're getting theirs made from lovely, washable acrylic. I picked the loftiest acrylic I could find because I was worried that the pattern would lose it's shape so the gecko is being made with Vanna's Choice and the poodle will be made from Waverly by Bernat.

So far the gecko is coming out beautifully. I'm actually surprised at how well the acrylic is knitting up and how much I like the hand of the finished fabric. I'm really looking forward to seeing their faces when the open their presents on Christmas day. I'm sure they'll be happier than Ralphie was.(At least I hope so!)

- Alex

Tea Leaves Cardigan

2011-10-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Almost a year ago, I whined here about wanting more hand-knit sweaters for myself. Well, I am happy to report that I have a finished beauty to add to my collection (now it is a collection of 2).

Love the neckline...

I am all squealy about my new Tea Leaves Cardigan. I am wearing it all the time. I had such a hard time narrowing down which sweater to knit, so it's satisfying that this ended up being a really great choice.

The Pattern
This pattern was sooooo easy to knit. I am a big fan of working top down. (My other hand-knit sweater, Liesl, was the same.) The detail on the yoke is simple but elegant and the miles of stockinette made for great mindless TV watching/knitting. And, there is very little "finishing" work to do on this sweater which is always a big plus.

The yoke in progress.

One problem:
I actually knit a gauge swatch before I began this project because I wanted it to fit just right. I was spot-on with gauge so I was surprised in the end that my sweater is about a size bigger than I'd like it. My body measuring must be off. The next time I make a sweater for myself I am going to do more research on this subject and make sure I am doing it properly.

With that said, I did notice a lot of people on Ravelry mentioned that they ended up ripping back after knitting the yoke and making this sweater in a smaller size. So maybe it's not just me. For a better fit, I ran a piece of yarn through the neckline to tighten it up a bit. It helped immensely.

The back view of my new sweater. It could fit a wee bit snugger.

The Yarn
I used the Madelinetosh merino that the pattern specified. It was spendy, I was nervous. I was worried that it would be wonky. Then I would have a hand-knit, expensive, and ugly sweater in my collection. I put my reservations aside and mustered up my kitting bravado...casting on with confidence.

I am not that experienced knitting with hand-dyed yarns so I wasn't sure if pooling would be a problem. To be safe, I alternated between two balls on every row. A bit of a pain, but better safe than sorry.

Madelinetosh Merino in Nutmeg.

This yarn knits up like a dream. Beautiful stitch definition yet as soft as can be. And the color...oh Lordy! It is so rich. I am not generally a fan of variegated yarns, but this is so subtle. No wonder I fell in love with it in the store. This is a bad, addictive kind of love though. I want more...

Wonderful pattern, wonderful sweater. I can see why it's so popular on Ravelry. I have some dreams about the next one on the needles for me...

–Cassandra

And, the winner is....

2011-10-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

Cassandra and I really enjoy this giveaway business. We love looking for interesting new things to review and we love-love sharing the products with you. We take the random-drawing process very seriously because it's important to us to be as fair as possible. Our first effort was a little awkward but we've worked out the kinks and have it down to a science now.

Here's how it works:

1. We place the qualifying names in a special Random Drawing vessel. Each name is on an equal sized piece of paper, with no edges folded (you people who enter raffles know what I'm talking about.)

Seasonally-themed vessel

2. We engage a completely unbiased co-worker at Company X to draw the name.

Suited up and ready to draw a name

We are proud to announce that the winner of the autographed copy of What Would Madame DeFarge Knit? is...

Congratulations, Connie! We'll email you at the address you provided in your comment and you can send us your mailing address. Thank you so much for participating!

Thanks also to everyone who participated. Please let us know if there are any products that you'd like to see us review and giveaway in the future. We'll be back to regular postings next week.

- Alex

It's (Finally) Getting Spooky

2011-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

*Reminder - don't forget to comment on our review of What Would Madame DeFarge Knit? to be entered into a drawing for a free, autographed copy of the book!

I mentioned last week, I am a big fan of this time of year. What I didn't mention is, this is the season where other people become more like me. Let me 'splain...

This holy-water aspersory/aspergill is always on my kitchen mantle.
The raven addition indicates that it is now Halloween.

Those who know me well are aware of my fascination with the creepy. I'm not talking slasher films or zombies (I leave the walking dead to Alex). I mean the kind of creepy that on the surface looks okay...but on closer inspection, something's not quite right. I watch movies like Rosemary's Baby or The Omen any given day of the year. Most people only get into the spookier side of things in October. So this month is my chance to strike up conversations about movies I'm obsessed over. Love it!

Last year, Alex gave us a list of her favorite scary movies...this year I will take a stab (pun intended) at listing 10 of my must-see films....and if you have all day, I could go on.

Rosemary's Baby (1968) - the most amazing movie ever made
The Exorcist (1973) - you will be looking for signs of evil in children for a while after a viewing of this
The Shining (1980) - after seeing this, hitting a single key on a piano will always give you chill
The Omen (1976) - this could happen to anyone
The Sixth Sense (1999) - utterly brilliant
Nosferatu (1922) - old-school creepy squared
Phantasm - scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a tween
The Others (2001) - messes with your mind
The House on Haunted Hill (1959) - don't let the black and while fool ya, it's f'd up
Carrie (1976) - in my opinion, Piper Laurie steals the show

So, settle in for a good scare with a cup of spiced cider and some pointy sticks in your hand. I promise that any one of these movies will make your Halloween even more of a fright (without any blood or gore.)

–Cassandra

Book Review & GIVEAWAY!

2011-10-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may have stopped by last week to read this, we apologize for the immediate reposting. However, we've decided to do a give-away of this book. If you win, you'll receive a trade paperback copy of What Would Madame DeFarge Knit? signed by each contributor!

The Rules: simple read our review then make a comment in the comment section before 12pm CST on Friday, October 14, 2011. We'll do a random drawing from the qualifying entries and announce the winner in our blog post on Friday 10/14. If you've won, you'll have to email us your mailing address and we'll get the book out to you right away. Good luck!!

Please check here for giveaway winner!

Our Review of What Would Madame DeFarge Knit?

Occasionally we distractibles will review a product or a book. This week, we bring you our opinions on the book What Would Madame Defarge Knit? edited by Heather Ordover.

Here's how it works... we both checked out the book and then wrote our reviews separately (so you basically get two reviews for the price of one!) Then we post both reviews and enjoy discovering what we agreed upon and what we disagreed upon. Not surprisingly, we often agree on the same bits. Enjoy!

Cassandra's Review

The very idea of crossing classic literature and making sends me into a swoon. So, needless to say, I was delighted when Heather announced on the Craftlit podcast that a book was forthcoming. I procured a copy of the book as quickly as I could after release, but, sadly haven't been able to actually knit from one of the patterns yet. My observations are strictly on the book itself.

Heather from Craftlit LOVES all things literature. No, I do not know her personally, but I know her passion for literature having listened to her podcast weekly over the past few years. So, it comes as no surprise to me that this book does not simply use literary characters as inspiration for knitwear. The book is as true to the literature as to the knitting portion. Each pattern has a well-written essay from the designer. They share personal reflections on why they chose that character as their muse. Very inspiring and again, evidence that this book was edited with a mission to celebrate the classics. I defy anyone who has not read Frankenstein, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, or any of the stories highlighted before the pattern begins to not get intrigued enough to hit their local Barnes and Noble for a Penguin Classic to get the full story. Brilliant.

I am a professional creative who designs print pieces. I'm going to say this because I know I'm a little tough and frankly, opinionated. I'm sure if Heather reads this, she will understand and she can feel free to poke holes in my atrocious syntax or dangling participles! I am not a writer, I just play one on this blog. :)

The design of the book itself is not quite on par with the content. I think I understand the look they were trying to achieve, but it needs some seasoned art direction. I'm pretty sure that the book would flow better from pattern to pattern by using some design tricks. The illustrations have a primitive feel, which is fine, but I think the way that they are presented leaves them a little flat. Now, I understand that designing under the constraints of black and white only can be challenging, but in that challenge lies true creativity. The design has so much potential to be as great as the copy...I would love to get my hands on it. It would be a dream project.

With that said, I love the idea of incorporating the theme with the difficulty rating system...Liberté, Egalité, and Fraternité. Brilliant. And the little illustrations of the tools and techniques are very nice.

I have glorious things to say about the actual patterns in this book. I especially love the Ms Prynn neckwarmer, Lysistrata Chiton sweater, Van Tassel Mittens, and Nora's Glacial Gauntlets....but what has captured my imagination is the Defarge stole. There is something so timeless and mysterious about it. I think that could be my first choice to cast-on of the patterns out of the book.

The companion web site to this book is a wonderful modern touch. Color views of the patterns, more information, KAL links...all great ideas. Overall, I love this book. Glad I have it a copy and I really look forward to knitting a project or two after the holiday backlog is finished.

Alex's Review

What Would Madam Defarge Knit is a practically perfect title. It is immediately evident that the book has a literary spin. And, the idea that the Machiavellian, vengeful Madam Defarge would knit anything is just short of hilarious.

The book title made complete sense when I learned that the editor of this compilation of patterns was Heather Ordover, the always delightful host of the CraftLit podcast and craftlit.com. Heather describes her podcast as “a book-on-tape with benefits”. You hear a little crafty talk first and then the audio version of some piece of classic literature. It’s a great way to get caught up on the classics while your hands are busy.

There’s much to love in this book – my favorite thing being the commitment to the concept.

There are 21 patterns inspired by classic literature, and each comes with an accompanying essay about the pattern-designer’s inspiration.The designs are categorized by difficulty by assigning one of three visual symbols - a fleur-de-lis (Liberte for the beginning knitter), a ribbon (Egalite for the intermediate knitter), and a guillotine (Fraternite for the expert or “willing to stick their neck out” intermediate knitter).
Throughout the book, there are little sidebars that point you to the WWMDK website for tips and ideas to accompany the pattern(s).
There are nice extras such as pattern resources, a glossary of stitches and chart symbols, links to all the books (either audio or print) that are referenced as inspirations, and a fun visual primer on making tassels.
While I’m not a chart knitter, a number of the patterns come with nicely-reproduced charts.

The contributing designers include a number of very recognizable names such as Brenda Dayne (Cast On podcast) and Chrissy Gardiner (Gardiner Yarn Works) which adds to the overall credibility of the collection.

In the beginning of the book, Ms Ordover explains that they specifically choose to print the book in black and white, for a number of reasons – to keep the production costs down and the highlight the illustrations (there are no photos in the book at all and, in fact, no real representation of the actual projects.) I have nothing against black and white because I know, as Ms Ordover points out, that I can go online to Ravelry or the WWMDK website and see color examples of the projects. However, the majority of the illustrations in the book are incredibly distracting. At the beginning of each pattern, there’s an illustration meant to represent the book or character that the pattern is inspired by. For example, for Jane’s Ubiquitous Scarf (inspiration: Jane Eyre), the illustration is of Jane wearing, assumingly, the scarf from the pattern.

The problem with these illustrations is that they’re simply not that good. The illustrations that DO work, and don’t distract, are the simplest ones – the scissors, tape measure, stack of books – that pepper the pages. There’s also a great, simple line drawing of a woman in period costume holding knitting needles and an iPod. Totally funny and lovely. But, the illustrations that are meant to be the centerpieces – the real artwork of the book – are, frankly, sophomoric and of a totally different style than the more elegant and appealing line drawings. These primary illustrations detract from what would otherwise be a funny, sophisticated concept by making it look amateurish.

When it’s all said and done, I really like this book a lot. As a pattern resource and an interesting peek into people’s thoughts about classic literature it’s an absolute gem. The concept is funny, unique, and well executed. However, I miss having, with the patterns, some simple representation of the actual pieces – even if in illustration.

Please check here for giveaway winner!

October

2011-10-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

October could possibly be my favorite month. Changing colors, the smell of burning leaves, warm days with cool breezes, orchard fruits, Halloween...all the trappings of early fall. I also find myself happily spending a lot more time in the kitchen or handcrafting. If I could stay home all day with pots of soup on the stove and knitting needles in my hands, I certainly would!

Snapshots of my recent days...

Apple picking and apple eating.

Yarn in my hands.

Pies with creepy smiley faces.

Guacamole...random, yet delicious.

And, lately it seems like fun ideas of things to make are everywhere I look online. Sadly, I can't do them all, I have lots of irons in the fire these days. This is what has made it on the short-list of things I HAVE to do soon:

1. Tiny Apple Pies
2. Tiny Lasagne (seeing a trend?)
3. Making my own Terrarium
4. Amy Butler Lotus Tunic
5. Cute Floor Cushions

I love all those ideas! And there is so much more on the back-burner. I think I need to stay home and make...

–Cassandra

2011 Fall TV Season

2011-10-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Back in the stone-age, when I was a kid, the fall tv season was a huge event. Because it coincided with the start of school, it made the month of September feel extra special - like it was the beginning of a new year. January 1 means nothing to a 10 year old.

TV was eventful back then. There was no VHS, DVD, DVR, VOD, or streaming. You watched it when it was on, or you missed it. Once a year, special programs would air such as The Wizard of Oz or Christmas shows like Rudolph and Charlie Brown. Actually, Charlie Brown had the market on the "once a year" shows since there was one for every holiday.

In today's on-demand world, there's little to look forward to on the calendar. Even the fall tv season is plagued by our brave new media world. Missed the premier of that highly praised new show? No worries! It's going to air three more times this week on tv and, in a couple of days, you can stream it from Hulu Plus.

Even though the "event" element is gone, I still get jazzed for the new shows and all the new technology has actually made catching new shows a breeze. Since I'm a TiVo subscriber, I have access to something called a Guru Guide that presents me with every new show premiering within two weeks. I can read the description of the show and then record the pilot episode (or the whole season, if I'm feeling lucky). It's so much more efficient than the old process of having to actually be home on the night and time that a show airs. Plus, it allows me to check out competing shows in the same time slot.

So... all this being said, I thought I'd share some thoughts with you on some of the new shows I've seen (or opted not to see) this season.

The Good
(the title links will take you to the trailer for the show)

Person of Interest - Convoluted concept but simple execution - it's a bit sci-fi and very action-adventure with a soupcon of mystery thrown in for good measure. Jim Caviezel is the tortured good-guy who is thwarting bad deeds before they happen. Michael Emerson (Ben, from LOST) is the mysterious genius who supplies Caviezel's character with the information to act on.
Terra Nova - Future earthlings flee a dying earth by going back in time to a pre-historic earth with clean air, clean water, and a moon you can see (because there's no smog). Oh, and there are dinosaurs - cute vegetarian ones and scary meat (people) eaters. I expect this show will appeal to the whole family - dinosaurs for the kids, teen angst and guns for the teenagers, and some mysterious hinted-at plot for the adults. Oh, and Spielberg produces it.
Suburgatory - Smart sit-com about a snarky, Manhattan-raised teenager who's upended by her paranoid single-dad father and moved out to the suburbs. This culture-clash premise could devolve into caricatures but, if the pilot is any indication, it's going to be smart and funny. The great cast includes Jeremy Sisto as the dad, Alan Tudyk as the dad's smarmy suburban friend, and Cheryl Hines as the ultimate suburban mom who wants to take the new girl under her finely-manicured wing.
Bedlam - A real-estate developer has turned an old mental institution (closed down because the staff was abusing patients) and turned it into luxury apartments. Sparsely occupied by the living, the place is over run with pissed off, crazy ghosts. Fortunately, one of the residents can see/talk-to the dead and, I assume, will be sticking around to help keep the ghosts from harming the tenants. This show is seriously, awesomely creepy.
The Secret Circle - Teen supernatural drama - I thought we'd mined this for all it's worth but someone came up with yet another iteration. Interestingly, I recorded the pilot just to make fun of it and ended up liking it a lot. I may tire of all the teen angst eventually but, for now, the plot is intriguing enough to keep me watching.

The Bad

Whitney - Seriously. Awful. My prediction is that this show will be the first to be cancelled.
Free Agents - This broke my heart. I desperately wanted to like this because I love Hank Azaria but watching two damaged people trying to have a relationship, while all the ancillary characters around them are written as cartoons is just painful.
Unforgettable - I don't need to say anything else. Actually, yeah I do. I need Poppy Montgomery to take some acting classes. She has one expression and it basically says "confused".

The Undecided

Up All Night - I really want to like this one. Christina Applegate and Will Arnett are fantastic but someone decided to write Maya Rudolph's character as a Saturday Night Live skit. The thing is, Maya Rudolph is an amazing actress but, if someone doesn't fix her character, I think the whole show is going to sink under the weight of all that ridiculous mugging.
Prime Suspect - I'm willing to give it a chance and try not to constantly compare Maria Bello to Hellen Mirren but it's tough. The over-the-top sexism in the workplace with the boss that just looks the other way, the stupid, costume-y fedora, and the constant "tough-girl" gum chewing, is just bothersome. The bright spots so far have been with the character's home life. Doesn't bode well for a show that's supposed to be about the workplace.
A Gifted Man - This hokey premise - egomaniacal doctor learns how to be a better person through the ghost of his dead wife - is actually kind of sweet and touching. So far I haven't died from the treacle but, if you find me drowned in a pool of syrup, you'll know what happened.
American Horror Story - looks promising but the pilot hasn't aired yet. Maybe I'll do a review post after it does.

I made a conscious decision not to watch any 60's retro, Mad Man rip-offs (Pan Am, Playboy Club) or the so-far well-liked The New Girl starting Zooey Deschanel. Neither retro show is going to out-do Mad Men so, really, what's the point? And, honestly, Zooey Deschanel just tires me with her cutsie-smart schtick.

So that's my very long post about the new 2011 Fall TV Season shows that I like, and why. I promise that I won't take offense if you hate what I like. However, if you say you liked Whitney, I'm afraid we're going to have to stop being friends.

- Alex

Crafts Gone Wrong

2011-09-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

Y'all remember last week when I posted about doing our Crafting for Charity day? Well, let me tell you... our normally laid back event was an adventure in pure frustration.

As I mentioned, three of us decided to make baby kimonos this time around. We've been using the book Craft Hope by Jade Sims for months and have really liked everything we've made from it so far. For example, the Take-Along Quilt pattern was super-easy and allowed three non-quilters to get our hands wet with a new craft. So, the baby kimonos seemed like the perfect project - small supply list, weirdly simple pattern, and only a few steps in the actual instructions.

Lesson #1: Never assume that, because every other pattern you've worked from a book is good, that the one you're working on now is going to be good.

Seriously, the "pattern" itself should have been a big red flag. I sew. Cassandra sews. Our third charity crafter sews. Why any of us thought that THIS pattern was remotely complete is beyond me:

Please note that the pattern instructions say to "Enlarge 500%". Yeah. This is all fine and good except that the average office copy machine will only enlarge 400% and there's no standard paper large enough to accommodate the full-sized pattern.

Now, I'm sure that our math-inclined readers (or our readers with better abstract analytical skills) will immediately have a solution to this little problem. In the aftermath of our sewing adventure, I've managed to think of a variety of ways we could have approached this dilemma. However, in the throes of having to have this pattern ready for a scheduled event, I took the "easy" route and enlisted the help of someone at Company X who has access to a plotter.

We arrived at our local fabric shop and set up in the big sewing room. Then, the three kimono makers started to cut our fabric. In the middle of cutting, we realized that something was amiss. The description of the kimono mentions "...special features, including fold-over sleeve cuffs that will protect a baby from accidental scratches." Unfortunately, there was no pattern piece for the fold-over cuff. No worries! We can improvise the pattern-piece. And we did.

Our next hurdle came when we started piecing the pattern together and begin sewing. The instructions were just short of gibberish - leading us to wonder aloud if anyone had bothered testing this pattern before it was published. Let me provide a sample of what we experienced:

3. Lay the back piece right side up on your work surface. Note: if you're making the version with the envelope, lay the folded envelope on top of the back piece with the raw edges aligned. The fold will be facing toward the top of the garment. Lay the front pieces, right side down and one on top of the other, over the back piece (and envelope, if applicable).

Again, I'd like to direct your attention to the actual pattern pieces. Does anyone see instructions for a "fold" on the envelope piece?? So... how is the envelope supposed to fold and why? If we fold the envelope and align the raw edges, they'll be sewn into the garment and the envelope won't turn correctly.

Oh! and pattern has you finishing the the raw edges AFTER you sew the entire kimono together - which makes absolutely no sense. Of course, we learned (the hard way) that, if you finish the edges BEFORE you sew this wonky pattern together, the pieces don't fit properly.

We are three, intelligent, educated women and yet it still took us about an hour and a half to figure out how to piece this craziness together to make something that resembled a giftable item. Once we divined the answer, Charity Crafter #3 managed to knock out two of them. I did 1.75 (I have to lay in the ribbon and fix the mislaid fold-over sleeve envelopes. Cassandra finished one.

Cassandra was so angry about the pattern that she, quite literally, couldn't blog about it. Once we've both calmed down, we're going to write to Ms Sims and suggest that she either remove the pattern or fix it before they publish another edition of this book. We also going to suggest that someone TEST every pattern before they go to print.

My issue is with the people who wasted over and hour of our time, including: a pattern designer who wrote a crappy pattern (inexcusable), an author who didn't bother to read/test the pattern before it went to print, an editor who either didn't know or didn't care that the pattern was crap, and myriad other people who touched this book before it went to print. They are directly responsible for putting out a bad product and creating frustration where there should have been harmony and good-will.

Is it wrong to expect people to deliver a basic level of quality? I don't think so. Maybe if we were talking about subjective quality - like, is the finished pattern pretty. But this is not "subjective" this is "does it work or does it not work." It's pretty simple to get that right and incredibly lazy to allow something so ineffective to be part of an otherwise brilliant book.

Quality is important to me and Cassandra. It's one of the things we bond over. This experience is the kind of thing that really upsets me (in case you hadn't noticed) because I know that someone, anyone, could have taken a 1/2 hour of time and prevented the ripple effect that caused us to have a bad experience.

So... my two cents... Always do your best to ensure the highest quality you can provide and remember that your output is going to affect someone, somewhere. Maybe even a little crafting group from Madison, WI.

- Alex

Decisions, Decisions...

2011-09-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

After much gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands, I have decided what sweaters to knit for the boys this season. (For those not in-the-know, I knit them new sweaters each winter.) Last year the sweaters were cabled, so this year I thought that I would change it up and go with stripes. The pattern I decided on is the (aptly named) Boys Striped Sweater. And it happens to be free...score!

Boy's Striped Sweater photo courtesy of Prima Knitting Magazine.

Love the way it hangs, especially the straight bottom. I'm pretty excited to cast-on and can't wait until my yarn arrives from WEBS. And...speaking of the yarn...

Admittedly, my indecision on this yarn selection has been annoying to everyone around me. I have been pouring over cotton DK weight yarn choices online...looking for the perfect color/texture for the stripes. I know, I should be shopping at my local yarn shop (and I'd rather), but they aren't open after I get kids to bed. And lately, that's all the time I have.

The problem I have with shopping online is that the options are just so overwhelming. Color-wise, do I go with heathered, saturated or subtle tones? And when you can't see and feel the actual fibers, it's hard appreciate the qualities of each brand. I have been shopping online for this yarn for weeks. But I threw the gauntlet down (with myself) yesterday, I'd had enough. I needed to narrow the playing field so I could focus. Tick-tock. The leaves are turning already.

I decided to go with something I knew. Milk yarn. I love that stuff. I've made a couple things in the past out of Rowan's Milk Yarn. It knits up beautifully and time has told that it wears like iron. Sadly, when searching online, I discovered that my beloved Rowan was phasing out this line. They still seem to have it in "fine", but the DK is discontinued. Sniff.

Abel jumper knit in Rowan's Milk DK.

Farmer Fox was also knitted (and washed many times since) in Rowan Milk DK.

Luckily, a company called Viking of Norway is carrying what seems to be the same exact milk yarn fiber in a delicious array of colors. I stumbled upon them when searching on WEBS and promptly ordered 2 skeins each of green, blue, and brown to add to a couple of beige skeins I already have in my stash. It was on sale for $5.29/skein so I was pretty stoked that these sweaters weren't going to end up costing me a fortune. It looks just like the Rowan I am used to, hopefully I will fall in love when the package comes in the mail. I'm sure I will. I'm notoriously "easy" when it comes to soft, colorful skeins.

Viking of Norway's Milk and Honey collection...yummy!

Let's hope by the weekend I will be casting on for a green-beige striped sweater with brown trim and a blue-beige sweater with brown trim. My plate is very full these days dear friends...there will be so much to share here the next few months. :)

–Cassandra

Giving It Away

2011-09-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Multi-tasking (note the iPhone for tweeting while I craft)

It's that time again, folks! Our little craft group at Company X is off to make stuff for charity this afternoon.

For the uninitiated, Company X generously gives its employees four hours each quarter to do volunteer work. They don't really care what we do - pick up litter on the side of the road, help out at the local retirement home, volunteer at your kids school for a day, etc - they just want us out in the community doing something for the greater good.

At the beginning of the year, Cassandra found the book Craft Hope by Jade Sims. Thus began our Crafting for Charity group. Every quarter a group of us get together and make something to give away to people in need. We've made quilts that were sent to Japan after the earthquake, little girls' dresses that were sent to Haiti, fleece blankets for a pet shelter, tiny knitted caps for preemie babies, and more. Today we're going to be working on baby kimonos.

We're making the envelope bottom so little toes can't escape

Doing this every three months has turned out to be one of the most fulfilling parts of our job. As a team-building activity, it's been great. I love doing something fun with people who I work with. All the politics and wrangling gets left behind and I get to know the real person. Plus, packing the boxes and envelopes to send off our finished crafts is a huge soul-warmer.

I hope that our group will continue and that our idea will expand. I'd love to see other groups form to do charity work like this.

Maybe next week we'll post some pics of our day and our finished products. Have a great weekend everyone!

- Alex

The Definition of Distraction

2011-09-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Yeah...I have a lot of stuff I need to be doing right now. Sewing projects are half-baked, pattern designs need completion, supplies must be sourced, yada, yada. So what am I actually doing? Starting a Beekeeper's Quilt.

Photo of a finished quilt courtesy of Tiny Owl Knits.

I spent some time browsing Ravelry last weekend and stumbled upon this curious pattern. In short, it is a knitting pattern that appeals to the quilter in me. Each little honeycomb hexagon is knit separately and then tossed in a basket until you have enough to assemble the quilt (384 yikes!). I love the idea of little portable bits of knitting to keep in my purse for down times. I have always envied sock knitters and their portable projects!

This is a baby sock I abandoned 5 years ago...when I decided it wasn't for me.
Yarn will be re-purposed for the quilt.

Speaking of not sock knitting, I occasionally have a moment of insanity when I purchase sock yarn. It's usually the siren song of the pretty colors and soft fibers. It's when I get into full justification mode where I tell myself I will double it and use it for a scarf, or maybe some lace knitting. And then it sits in my yarn box. Forever. So, another reason for loving the pattern is that I can use all of the sock yarn I have on hand for this and it still won't be enough. Great stash-buster!

Sparkly pink sock yarn I bought ages ago...because it was pink and sparkly.

This project is so darn cute! I am not the only one who thinks so. As of today, Ravelry has 1522 active projects for The Beekeeper's Quilt. Pretty awesome considering that the pattern was published in July of 2011. Way to go Tiny Owl Knits!

I am looking forward to seeing how I customize this project as I go along. The pattern really lends itself to embroidered bits, interesting color choices, shape, etc. I plan on taking my time with this...just picking it up here and there...letting it evolve. Love.

Tiny Owl designs some of the most fanciful and charming knitting patterns I've seen online. Very clever, lots of attention to detail. Take a look and a listen. The designer, Stephanie Dosen is an incredible professional musician as well.

–Cassandra

Soup's On (Again)

2011-09-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

Late in the game today - having forgotten it was my turn to post - I decided to review some of our old posts for inspiration . I discovered that my post on 9/24/10 (a year ago this week) was about autumn's untimely arrival and soup. Interestingly, the entire post is applicable to today - autumn came to us last week without warning and, yesterday, I made my favorite Three Bean Soup (recipe below).

So, in the spirit of laziness and procrastination, I offer you last year's post for your reading pleasure....

Soup's On!

Autumn came unceremoniously to Wisconsin - as it often does. There were a couple of "transition" weeks thrown in there where it rained and got a little cooler but, for the most part, it was summer one day and not-summer the next.

This season is bittersweet. I hate that summer is over because I love the sun and the warmth and the activity. Plus, the end of summer means that winter - my most hated season - is just around the corner. (Argh!) But there's something lovely about autumn too. The crisp feeling in the air. The smell of crumbly leaves. Wrapping up in a favorite sweater. And, for me, the return of comforting soups.

Now, don't get me wrong - I eat soup year round. I'm a huge fan of cold soups in the summer with Cold Cucumber Soup being my favorite. But there's something so nest-y and "mom" about a good, solid hot soup that I think of autumn and the subsequent unmentionable season as the seasons for this particular food.

There's also a nice dovetail with soup and the dreaded "garden clearing." The last of the tomatoes (which look kind of puny), the overgrown and flowering basil/fennel/oregano/etc., the squash, etc. all need to be dealt with. They're generally not nice enough to stand alone at this point so they need to be cooked into some lovely concoction and soup is the perfect vehicle.

Coincidentally, Bon Appetite Magazine's September edition has a really nice article about a woman who taught herself to cook by making soups. It's a fun story and I recommend it for both the treatise on soups and the provided recipes.

So, to kick off your autumn the right way, make a big pot of soup this week! Here are a couple of recipes to get you started. One uses up the last of the garden and the other is a fast and easy soup created from canned beans. Enjoy!

Squash & Tomato Soup

3-4 large tomatoes or the equivalent in medium to small tomatoes, skin & seeds removed, chopped
4-6 cups of various cubed summer squashes (eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, etc)
1/2 a large onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, diced
2-3 T olive oil
Basil, oregano, thyme, (or Italian-blend seasoning) to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
(optional: diced bell pepper; kale; spinach; cabbage)

Heat soup pot on medium to medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add chopped squash. Saute for a few minutes - until squash is a bit soft. Add chopped tomatoes. Stay with the pot, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down enough to make a broth. If your tomatoes don't have enough juice to make a broth, add a small can or two of diced tomatoes with their juices. Add your herbs. Once the consistency is sort of stew-like, lower heat to simmer and cover. Let it cook for thirty minutes or so and check that the squash is done. As soon as you're happy with the consistency, salt, pepper, and cheese to taste. Serve hot with a cheese to sprinkle on top.

This is the base soup. You can add many different veggies to this (see "optional"). Any vegetables you add, just saute for a bit before you put the tomatoes in. Common sense says that harder veggies (eggplant, carrots, celery, etc) should cook a little longer. Softer veggies like spinach and summer squash need less time to cook so plan your sauteing accordingly. :)

Three Bean Soup

2-3 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small head of green cabbage, chopped
2 cans of garbanzo beans
2 cans of canellini beans
2 cans of black beans
Stock (preferably vegetable) to cover
1 Bay leaf (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add cabbage and stir well to coat cabbage with oil/onion mixture. Cook until cabbage is wilted and a little soft. Add the beans and mix well. Cover with stock – I use vegetable stock but chicken is also good. The use of vegetable stock means no additional fat is added to the soup. Add bay leaf and salt if desired. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for one hour. I usually cover it to ensure less splatter but if you simmer uncovered, the soup will boil down a bit and be thicker.

edit: When I made this soup yesterday (9/18/11), I added some browned ground Italian sausage. It really adds a new dimension to the soup - if you're not a vegetarian of course.

Buon Appetito!

- Alex

You Are Number 6

2011-09-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today's Speak Out with your Geek Out post is about a retro British TV program Alex and I love very much. As big fans of the old-school shows from across the pond, we could be referring to Monty Python, Dr. Who, Dave Allen at Large (this might technically be Irish), or even Benny Hill. But no, our geek lies today at the foot of The Prisoner.

Mod, mod, mod.

The Prisoner is an adventure TV series that ran from September 1967 to February 1968. Part spy thriller, part sci-fi, and part mod. Think Lost...by way of Carnaby Street.

He spends most of his time in the Village brooding.

This show starred the dashing Patrick McGoohan (of Danger Man fame) as a disgruntled secret agent who abruptly resigns from his position to then find himself abducted and held captive on an island called "The Village". The other residents of the island seem to be in the same boat as him, although, they are maniacally happy.

All names have been stripped away and everyone is assigned a number. McGoohan is No. 6. An (ever changing) individual called No. 2 seems to be running the joint...with instruction from a never seen No. 1. No. 6 often asks "who is No. 1??" only to be told "you are No. 6". Obviously, this answer does not satisfy his keen spy-man mind and adventures ensue. He wants out of this nuthouse and uses all his wits to make that happen. Though, should you try to escape The Village, a huge balloon named "Rover" will chase you down and you're caught. So, our man spends a lot of time avoiding that menace.

The location of this show is AMAZING. Almost the entire thing is shot at the Hotel Portmeirion in Penrhyndeudraeth, North Wales. It is enchanting, eerie, and otherworldly. Alex and I have schemes to visit this place someday...possibly during the Prisoner Appreciation Society festival! Oh yes, we are not alone in our geek on this.

This location is made-to-order for this show.

Luckily, this series is available on DVD. Our library system here in Madison even has it to let. Totally worth the time...give it a watch...you might want to travel to Wales with us someday :)

–Cassandra

P.S. The AMC Channel has recently done a modern adaptation of this story. It's fine, but not the same. Much like The Twilight Zone and Dark Shadows, it's hard to recreate the ethereal quality of those shows for some reason.