and knitting

Project Spectrum: April

Debbie Stoller's new-ish book Happy Hooker appealed to me, so I found some Project Spectrum appropriate yellow kitchen cotton (sugar 'n cream) in my stash and decided to try again to learn how to crochet.

You may recall my first attempt at crochet. I got the single crochet down, but the gauge and everything was way off, and the bottom of the bag ended up way bigger than the top. Coincidentally, Happy Hooker has an adorable little project called the fat-bottom bag. I really would like to make this appropriately big-bottomed bag at some point, so for Project Spectrum this month I'm swatching away and trying to practice the different crochet stitches.

If you want to see some real crochet, go visit Carrie and take a look at her wonderful in progress Prepster jacket (also from the Happy Hooker book).

My other Project Spectrum contribution this month is a collage of photos of some of my yellow and/or orange records (details on the flickr photo page).

Various and Sundry Links - April 21 2006

- We Mime Our Own Business [via]

- Knitting magazine blogs and errata - I totally understand where they are coming from, but in the interest of transparency, wouldn't it be helpful if a knitting magazine had an errata-specific blog?

- This may be TMI, but I really liked the toilets in Japan. I don't know what the chicks at Google are complaining about.

- Chronicles of the Chronically (and voluntarily) Bedridden. I like to think I would get a lot of knitting done if I was participating in this study [via]. **Update** I just read more of her site and realized she actually is a knitter. If you see this, good luck, Erin! I hope you end up with a lot of FOs at the end of this.

- Hotel Room Secret

- I am Dave Gahan's leather trousers (I think my sister is the only person who will get this reference).

- Someone out there is less fond of capri pants than I am.

- A tale of woe starring some very cute shoes [via].

- LOOK AT ME BEING SERIOUS!!!!!!!!

- I like the idea of this jewel clip cable winder.

- Don't you hate those celebratory greeting cards that say ConGRADulations?

- design*sponge has a podcast interview with Lotta Jansdotter, one of my favorite designers .

- The Ethics of Buzz Marketing - Interesting post and discussion at String or Nothing. Rest assured that if I'm gushing or ranting about something, I've paid for it. If there is ever an exception I will make that very clear.

- The 100th anniversary of the San Francisco Earthquake happened this past week. Here's A Shopper’s Guide to Urban Catastrophe

Technorati tag: project spectrum

Les tabliers...

Like I said, I didn't have much luck finding new knitting books while I was in Japan. However, I did finally get my hands on a book I had been coveting for a long time.

Les tabliers sont arrivés de Paris
ISBN 4-579-10972-4

I'm a big fan of aprons. It seems that recently they started becoming a trendy little thing to make and collect. They even sell them at Anthropologie (all links via Wee Wonderfuls).

The aprons in this book are ridiculously adorable. I'm not sure I'll ever make any of them due to my complete lack of sewing ability, but just looking at the photos is fun.

Even the illustrations in the pattern section are cute!

Audrey on top & J-Lo on the bottom

Molly and I dragged our karaoke-fatigued bodies to part two of our crochet class yesterday. I strayed a bit from the pattern by both accident and by design, and ended up with this slightly wonky yet lovable little bag. I have dubbed it The Audrey on Top & J-Lo on the Bottom Bag due to its similarity in shape to its namesakes (and to me).

crochet is a cruel mistress indeed

Well, I can certainly say that I will never desert knitting for crochet. It was embarassing to be the dunce of my class, but I am starting to get the hang of it, though it certainly doesn't come easy for me.

my cheatin' heart

I'm cheating on knitting today by taking a beginner's crochet class at Crafty Planet. The class project is a mesh shopping bag, but I hope to learn enough so I can crochet flowers and other little sculptural things.