Fiberpuppy

Craft Fair Display

2011-11-14T17:16:00.000-08:00

Last year being my first doing fairs, I didn't put much thought into my display. I grabbed some cubes at my local recyclery to hang scarves off of and placed a bunch of plate display holders on my table to show my purses. That didn't turn out so well. The cubes basically blocked my line of vision to customers. I had a crook in my neck from trying to peer around the dang thing. The plate displays tipped over so many times so as to be useless.

This year I was determined to get it right. I did some research to see other craft displays. Etsy's blog had some decent general information about varying height etc. Unfortunately, I sell felted items which, while not heavy, are bulky so the table top cutesy vintage thingys which may be fine for earrings were never going to work for me. I pored over the flickr show me your booth group and it came to me.

I decided upon a clothes line between two hat racks. I didn't have hat racks so no problem I figured I'd build them out of 2 posts and a number of 1/2 inch dowels. I basically just used a 1/2 inch paddle bit to drill holes for the dowels. The nice thing is the dowels come out so I don't have to transport these as monster sculptures. If I did this again, I'd only drill the holes perpendicular as getting the angles the same on the others was a pain.

Once I had the coat rack part set, I had to figure out how to secure them sufficiently to support a clothesline. I was a bit stumped and wandered around Ace Hardware looking for a way to clamp the pole to my table. Let me tell you some of those clamps are very expensive. I finally decided to use 2 christmas tree stands, which I filled with rocks. For extra support I used bungee cords to secure the poles to the table.

Et voila.

Beautiful Furniture

2011-08-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to make furniture. I’m especially taken by furniture that takes it to the next level turning everyday useful items into works of art. It’s what I try to do with my fiber creations. As I have little to no woodworking ability I am forced to admire rather than create.

Here’s a secret you may not know. Etsy (yes Etsy) is not just a place to find hipster t-shirts and fabulous earrings but a home to some absolutely fantastic furniture. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites.

Check out this amazing rocking bed by Joe Manus of ShinerInternational. If babies get rocked to sleep in cradles why not an adult version.

This highback chair from Mateo Panzica of Lazarus Handplane screams steampunk to me. Although containing all kinds of industrial elements it is softened by the padded leather back.

This is an amazingly clever and green idea by Ruffhouse Arts. These couches are made from old bathtubs.

This solid cherry credenza by Object Society reminds me of televisions from the 50's.

I am entranced by the lines on this endtable by Reed Handsuld. It's kind of minimalist yet swirly all at the same time.

Camping Trip Cut Short

2011-07-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

We are newly returned from camping. We decided to go up to Union Valley Reservoir in Eldorado National Forest. We brought along our friend Joy and our black and tan coonhound Greta.

We camped at a lovely site right across from the lake with views of snow covered peaks. We settled in and feasted on a camp meal of franks and beans. Greta proved her camping prowess. Although technically on a leash she basically ran free and stayed in our campsite.

The next morning we were all about the lake. Mr. took off to fish and Joy, Greta and I warmed ourselves in the sun so we could endure the cold lake. Greta finally understood that she could swim and took to it with gusto. As the afternoon arrived unfortunately so did the clouds. I suggested a drive up to Loon Lake as we heard it was pretty. When we arrived after the 45 minute drive, we discovered the $7 entrance fee. I didn't want to pay, but I was outvoted. We stopped at a picnic area to get our bearings. After sitting at the picnic table I decided I needed another layer. While trying to modestly regarb Mr and Joy approached the car.

Greta had been bit by a rattlesnake lurking under the picnic table we were sitting at. Being fans of Venom ER we had some idea of the implications. We gently and calmly hustled Greta into the car. There were a ton of kids playing about so David ran over to warn folks.

Well apparently these folks knew all about rattlesnakes. This guy went over and pinned the rattlesnake with an oar. He picked it up and held it for another guy to cut the head off. They handed the dead snake to us and offered us their snakebite kit. We declined the kit as we have heard they are ineffective.

Then we were off like the proverbial bat outa hell. The nearest thing that could be called a town was Pollock Pines and that was over an hour away. Despite spotty cell reception we managed to locate a vet and inform them we were on the way. All the way down the mountain, Greta's face began to swell and swell. She started to resemble an uneven Rottweiller. She never uttered a peep the whole drive (although I did with Mr.'s Mario Andretti maneovers) and remained upright and alert.

At the vet we were greeted with this display. I'm thinking "I know I know". The vet was kind but sort of circumspect and I was in full panic mode by now. Eventually it became clear that "protocol" dictated $600 worth of antivenom, but the vet having experience in these matters felt he could treat Greta without it since she was still standing after an hour.

We pulled out our "dead" rattlesnake for ID and darned if the dang headless thing didn't move.

We opted for the non-venom treatment and after 2 hours and much medicine she was released.

She was dopey as hell and I think she might have been hallucinating. She was looking at me like I had 2 heads and would not lie down even though she was wobbling like crazy. She seemed utterly spooked and had her tail firmly tucked against her tummy. We decided to let her recover at home so we re-packed the car full of stuff that Joy and I had tossed in willy nilly while David had waited at the vet and headed home.

I am happy to say she has made a full recovery. I'm not so sure I have. 24 hours after the bite, we took out the snake to inspect, and darned if it didn't wiggle it's headless body.

Gardening! It's a lot of work

2011-06-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

We have been going garden crazy lately. We've been in our house a year and have slowly been working on the garden. Sometimes it seems like we have gotten nothing done but after taking these photos I realize we've done a lot. So I'll take you on a garden tour. Above is a planter David built for me in front. The front has the best sun but is cemented so David built this temporary planter until we can get something more permanent done. We have basil, parsley and chives in this one. Next to it are out tomatoes.

Also in the front we had to cut down this rubber tree. It was poorly pruned and we discovered this puppy grows like 5 feet a year so this was our last chance to get rid of it before it got too big. I bought some stuff at Home Despot to get rid of the stump. When I got home and read the directions it said to drill holes insert toxic gunk wait 4 weeks and set the tree on fire. Whhaaaaa um not so much in dry N. Cal right next to our fence. I looked online and discovered that you can drill holes and insert epsom salt to make sure it doesn't come back. David is still after me to bring back toxic stump stuff. I told him I don't have the receipt. He said he doesn't care he doesn't want the money he just wants Home Despot to be responsible for the disposal of toxic goo.

I got this cool planter from my mother in law. It sort of defies gravity as the pots are just held in the notches of the wood. So far so good no tragedies. The front of our house is really lacking in color so the Zinnias add a little something. We are planning on re-doing our fence this summer and will eventually plant ....

New Guinea Impantiens. I noticed these in our neighbors yard. They get really tall and seem to do well here. So I asked if I could take a clipping. These guys rooted like gangbusters.

David did a ton (and I might actually mean a ton) of work adding another tier to our yard. We are on a steep slope so our yard has a number of tiers. This one (I hope) will be the last. Lots of digging and woodwork. We filled this one in with Cal wildflowers. Had to rope it off from Miss dog (in background) who seems to want to Christen any new garden with a big dog log. Urgh.

This is the only permanent raised bed we've managed to build. Peas and favas are going crazy. I'm giving them a week or so more before I dig em out and plant cukes.

This will be the site of the next raised bed. In the meantime, David gave in to my need for flowers and we planted sunflowers (and a few favas to break up the soil and add nitrogen) Again to keep Miss dog out we used the absolutely vicious fronds from the palm trees that fell over the winter.

Here is a pic of our waterfall. Miss dog had herself an escapade of chasing our frog down it and brought all the stone down in a landslide. Fortunately none ended in the pond and the frog survived. So we had to relay all the stone. Which is actually a mighty tricky task. Trying to figure out the aqua dynamics of any one rocks requires the waterfall actually be on. So we stood in the water hauling around rocks to see if the water splashed out or into the waterfall. We will still have to cement this, but I've gotta do some research on what kind of cement won't kill our goldfish. Hmmm I'm thinking that's probably the most expensive kind.

This is Davids current work in progress. Now that we have the tiers set he's trying to figure out a walkway. I'm not sure about the big square stones, but I love the river rock. We're thinking we will fill the gaps in with thyme and baby's tears.

I'll leave you with a nice pic of the pond. They water hyacinth are finally looking ok. I had to haul out a bunch and clean them up from frost damage over the winter. The fish seem happy and are apparently spawning if all the flipping and splashing is any indication.

Welcome to my garden. Always something to do.

Land Rich Cash Poor TOOLS

2011-05-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well I’ve survived a year as a new homeowner. New home ownership comes with dreams of making the house yours. Yup you can paint the walls blue if you want (I did). Unfortunately it also comes with responsibilities since you can no longer call the landlord to fix the plumbing.

Many new homeowners, like ourselves, just put down a big chunk of savings to get into the house. That means less money available to fix, change or update. So I thought I’d put together a series of posts of cost-saving ideas.

Ok once you’ve finally moved out of your rental and into your new home. You look out the window and notice the lawn needs trimming or the faucet is leaking and you need to tighten it down. You suddenly realize YOU HAVE NO TOOLS. Well some of you diehards probably have tools. But as a renter why would you own a lawn mower or a plumbers wrench.

Your first most costly option is to hop on down to your local Home depot (or despot as we call it) and open your wallet. That may be a fine option for some things. We immediately ran out and bought a nice cordless drill. But for some jobs it might be better to consider used tools or the less exciting, but practical and long-lived corded power tools.

Where do you get used tools? There are a couple of options here. There is always craigslist (this will be a recurring theme) or freecycle and that may be great if someone is selling/giving away what you want. But unless you are a 2 cycle engine master, it might be hard to tell if the lawnmower you bought is going to work. Another idea is to go to a shop that repairs tools. Often they sell used tools they have repaired. The upside to this is that if it breaks often they will fix it at no or low cost. Also often tool rental businesses will sell used equiptment.

And what about those tools you are only going to use once. You may need a jackhammer for a project, but do you really need to own one. Of course if you have a neighbor/friend/relative who is a contractor you may be able to borrow, but not everyone is so blessed. Here is where I really discovered a gem. Many communities have what is called a tool lending library. Oftentimes all you need is a library card. Here are two I found in my community. One in Berkeley (unfortunately you must live in Berkeley) and one in Oakland which even offers classes too.

If you don’t have a tool lending library in your area, you can always rent tools. This is still a good option. Contractors do this all the time.

This is how we roll in da Hood

2011-05-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

First a little explanation of our hood. We live in Richmond, CA. If you were to google Richmond, you might discover that it is one of the most dangerous cities in America. What that statistic won't tell you is how diverse the neighborhoods are. If you were to look at a map you might think that in the land grab Richmond got last draft pick with isolated pockets of land here and there, some ghetto, some farmland, some fancy waterfront and some regular neighborhoods.

When we bought our house last year we moved from the "safe" town of El Cerrito to "scary" Richmond. Nevermind that I could almost throw a stone at El Cerrito town hall, pizza delivery is no longer an option. Thankfully I love to cook and our new digs have a fabulous kitchen.

So it was with great joy and irony that Mr. Fiberpuppy discovered this meat tenderizer. He likes to say it sums up Richmond's culinary style.

Happy St. Pawtricks day.

2011-03-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well here's another edition of ridiculous things people do to dress up their dogs. (St. Patrick's day edition) Enjoy!

Green and Shaggy

Green and curly

You've been shamrocked.

Party Pooch

Working with what you've got

2011-03-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

We've been in our new house since June. We've been trying to take a wait and see approach to re-vamping the entire garden. We wanted to see the yard in all it's seasons before making any major decisions. (that and our limited budget). Ironically, our back yard with it's 3 Koi ponds and 29 palms turned out to be not so awesome in terms of growing veggies being on a northern slope. Other than that it is a paradise.

So with my desperate need for fresh herbs and veggies we looked around. And discovered that our cement covered front yard had southern exposure. Hmmmm.

David being the perfectionist and asthetic had ideas of tearing up cement. Um not even close to on our budget I suggested building raised planters. David agreed that could work, but we would need redwood since other woods would rot. Again not on our budget (are you seeing a theme here?) Perhaps next year once we recover from putting on a new roof. But we did have some Doug fir (which would rot).

Well in a stroke of genius (or bad taste if you ask David) I remembered seeing plantings in old bathtubs and such and thought well heck I can buy plastic storage containers from Home depot for $4 a piece drill a hole in the bottom. So David built a platform for the containers so they would get more sun over the fence. And here they are. I planted basil parsley, thyme and chives and have plans for another for tomatoes and cukes.

This is not a permanent solution. But planting time is afoot and heck even fresh sprouts in plastic bins is an improvement over pavement in my mind. Perhaps we can afford redwood next year.

Perhaps not to the aesthetic's eye a perfect solution but for those of us on a budget. Hey if you have a deck you can have a garden.

The compost bin to withstand the apocolypse

2011-02-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was gorgeous here in N. Cal. We took a look around the yard thinking about where to put the veggies and realized we were going to need a boatload of dirt. We decided we needed a compost in order to satisfy our longterm need for dirt.

First problem was where. We have raccoons in our yard so we didn't want it too close to the house. Unfortunately, the perfect place for the compost required moving 2 trees. "No problem" says David "I'll move those trees and after lunch we'll make the bin."

Well after a half day of digging up a ficus and a palm it became apparent that this project was not going to be done in one day. Although we did find some neat bugs and salamanders on Saturday we didn't even start the bin.

Sunday David and I (mostly David) got started on the building. Not being the most competent of carpenters it took us longer than expected. By 7 on Sunday night I had to yell down to tell David I was gonna have 911 on speed dial if he didn't stop using the circular saw in the dark.

Well Monday we had to work but David came home early and ITS FINISHED.

Wait how long do we have to wait for our dirt?

Best T-shirt

2010-11-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

First I must admit that I am a fan of Abba, much to the distress of my husband who teases me mercilessly. Kind of like when he caught me reading a bumpy cover novel or what he calls bodice rippers, but I digress.

Well David was attending a book signing of Dirty Donny who has a new book out called Monster Revolt. Donny style is really heavy metal and he has done extensive artwork for Metalica. David noticed this t-shirt and asked Donny what Abba was thinking it was an acronym for something.
Nope Donny's a fan.

So David gets some serious credit for buying me this shirt as he really hates Abba. But I guess the irony of the design and the band was irresistible.

First time I wore it, a checker at Trader Joe's (who was obviously a metal head) complimented me on it. He looked baffled when I told him it referred to the band

Best Dog Costumes

2010-10-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well it is now October so I'm starting to think about Halloween. I also have dog on the brain since losing my Weimaraner 6 months ago. Well I thought I'd combine the two and give y'all some fun dog costumes.

Dr. Spock

Watchdog

Taco

Rabbis

USS Enterprise

Bunny

Willie Nelson

Pooh

Skunk

3 Headed dog from Harry Potter

Skuba Sam

And last but not least Chia Pet

Viva La Revolucion

2010-07-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

I've been a bad blogger (slaps self on mouse). Within the past 2 months we bought a house, moved into said house took a canoe camping trip and generally had first homebuyer meltdown. But...just saw some eye candy I had to share.

We went down to San Diego (for a total of 22 hours) to see an art opening called Viva La Revolucion a dialogue with the Urban landscape. Husband is publishing the book that documents the work so we did had an invite. It was curated by Pedro Alonzo and I must say he did a fine job. Many of the artists did works in the city outside of the gallery.

Above is my favorite work. I'm not sure if I was supposed to photo or not (Guard was unsure but hell it is supposed to be street art so I went guerilla thus bad photo). It was a guitar made out of a man. His toes held the top frets of the strings.

Also Sheppard Fairey (of Obama poster fame) was there and even took over some DJ time from the main DJ. Gotta say that boy must be my age cause he was pulling out Blondie riffs and such. Here is a piece that popped up outside the museum after we had entered the show, and by the look I can only say it was a Sheppard.
Piece

So if you are anywhere near San Diego check out the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (vs their La Jolla campus)

Enjoy the eye candy.

Sushi Art

2010-06-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

I don't even eat sushi but you must check out some of this amazing art.

Epiphany

2010-05-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

I just had a weird moment.

As I was walking into Trader Joes this somewhat strung out looking dude asked me for money for food. I was annoyed and stressed and ready to blow him off, but I stopped and asked him if I could buy him a sandwich. He hesitated for a moment like he was going to blow me off then said yes. I asked him what kind of sandwich he liked and he seemed amazed that I would ask. He asked for salame sandwich and chips.

I got him a whole package of salame, a loaf of bread, a big bag of chips and I even threw in some cliff bars and a chocolate bar, so he could eat a couple meals. When I handed him the bag of goodies he had a big grin on his face and dashed off away from Trader Joes.

It felt good and it reminded me of my prejudice in assuming he just wanted drugs and wasn't hungry (maybe he did want drugs I don't know) but today he was getting food. It also reminded me how rare the kindness of others must be to him.

And in the end as I took home the makings of Coq au Vin worrying about signing papers on my first home. I realized how blessed I was. Although he might have benefitted, the gift was to me.

New House

2010-05-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Well I think we have gone and done it. We've accepted an offer on a house. We did inspections yesterday and discovered nothing too surprising. We also got our appraisal yesterday and it appraised at $10,000 over what we will be purchasing it for, which I gather is a good thing.

The house is on top of a hill with views of El Cerrito. It was raining yesterday when I took photos but when I went back today the views were even better. It has a great kitchen. And best of all is the yard. There are 3 Koi ponds that cascade down into each other. It looks like a tropical jungle with tons of palms and other exotics.

Oh and did I mention there is a large inlaw unit that will be my felt studio. Yay, I'm about splitting at the seams in this house.

Gnome pest management

2010-05-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

Beware this invasive species!

Happy Cinqo de Mayo

2010-05-05T11:28:00.001-07:00

Wanna look like a freak well get a TV Hat

2010-05-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this ridiculous product and had to share. It's called the As seen on TV hat It's a device that allows you to watch your iphone hands free. It comes in both a visor or a hat. It also has this magical device (read magnifying glass) that enhances the picture. But wait there's more if you order now they will throw in the amazing neck protector (which you will need after wearing a hat with a foot long brim).

So if you really want to look like a droid, this is the hat for you.

Excercise Ice Cream In Perspective

2010-05-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Oh I only wish I thought of it this way. Life would be easy.

Try something new

2010-04-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Since wool season is almost over I thought I'd try something new. I've always wanted to try origami so today I took a stab.

I went online and found all these technical diagrams, with terms like valley folds and mountain folds. I have to admit I was intimidated. I am slightly dyslexic so things like diagrams pose a unique challenge for me. I cannot use a chart to knit and have resorted to retyping entire charts into words. My husband jokes that I'd make a great computer programmer because I spend so much time recoding.

So after a few failed and frustrating attempts I found this video showing how to make a star box. I tried it out with some cardstock and it came out pretty well I think.

I've been having a bit of a creative block and this just got the creative juices flowing. So when you are stuck creatively, try something new new craft new medium new color whatever. Kind of obvious I know, but it works.

This looks like my kitchen

2010-04-27T16:54:00.001-07:00

In a Pickle

2010-04-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well this lovely print from Simoneshin says it all for me. I admit to being a pickle fanatic. When I was a child, my cousin and I would squabble over who got to drink the pickle juice. So I wanted to share these Pickle finds on etsy.

This lovely photo is from JessicaRoseArt. I just love the translucency of the pickle here. It's just screaming for a burger.

This pillow from 4hands is just too cute. Although my good friend Joy who hates pickles (what is wrong with her) might not sit on the couch if this was gracing it. LOL.

This cell phone charm by jitterbugbark would definitely be a conversation piece. I guess you might have to find the Vlasic crunch sound for your ringtone.

I envision this super cute collar by CaliforniaCollars gracing the neck of a Dachshund named (you guessed it Pickles).

And last but not least are these super fun soaps by LoveLeeSoaps. Not only do they come packaged in this great bag, they actually smell like cukes. What could be better?

The Crucible in Oakland

2010-04-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

I went to the open house at the Crucible in Oakland on Saturday. For those who are not familiar with the Crucible, it is an organization of artists who deal in one form or another with fire. They have a huge building with lots of studios dedicated to different arts, where they also offer classes. They have everything from glass blowing, welding, neon, ceramics to fire dancing.

So Saturday they threw open their doors and let folks walk around ask questions and generally watch them do their stuff. First off I'll say that I always wanted to blow glass so I was particularly drawn to that. But some of the other fascinating things I learned about were making neon sculptures, glass etching and forging.

They also had fire eating and fire dancing performances. Apparently once a year they put on what they call a fire ballet. Amazing!

I'm saving my pennies so perhaps I can take a glass blowing class.

Sorry for the blurry pics of the firedancers. It's really hard to capture.

Mmmmm Mmmm not

2010-04-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Just had to share this. It is wrong in so many ways that I struggle to begin. Putting aside the fact of what it is. Did they really need to call it assholes? Can't someone come up with a euphemism like Rocky Mt. Oysters or something.

And what's with the Manhattan style. Well you know them there Yankee fans have just a particular way that they like their fish assholes.

And well you know, if fresh Manhattan fish assholes are a bit questionable what about canned? Not to mention the can looks a bit worse for wear.

Well being not much of a fish eater anyway, I'm struggling to think of a can of anything else I'd less like to open.

Well all you crazy New Yorkers enjoy your fish assholes!

Review disclosures and follow up

2010-03-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't been a good blogger lately. My husband and I are trying to buy our first house. It sometimes seems like a full time job. We live and want to buy on the East Bay of San Francisco.

So we found a house we really liked. Good neighborhood, nice yard, big enough house with no major upgrades needed. We read through the disclosures. Nothing jumped out at us. It was in an earthquake zone but here in the bay area you would be hard pressed to find anything that's not within 10 miles of a fault.

We decided to pounce. We told our agent to write up an offer. I looked into earthquake insurance and we both decided to pay the non-refundable $600 to have a seismic expert assess the risk.

When we went to review the offer our agent had found a way to create a map that showed the faults in our neighborhood through google earth. Holy crap apparently the Hayward Fault ran through the middle of our next door neighbor's house. Our house is highlighted in yellow and the Hayward fault is the red line. The hayward fault is deemed to be significantly more dangerous than the San Andreas at this point since it is long overdue to shake.

Well lesson learned but boy do I feel like I dodged a bullet.

So read disclosures and follow up.

Lacis in Berkeley

2010-03-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to share. I stumbled upon a shop as I was looking for those clamshell frames for purses. I found that this store Lacis carries them locally. Well I stopped in and WOW.

So the store is basically both a museum and a store. Obviously lace is their main focus but they had everything from the hardware to make a corset, stays and ties etc to vintage books, to needlefelting supplies to every kind of ribbon you could imagine. Seriously the list goes on sewn and crochet flowers to add to something, pre-made to an item, felt and straw hats, and of course thread for making lace. And that's note even close to a list of just their supplies.

So of course carry lace as well. Every kind shape form date that you can imagine. I'm not an expert in lace but I tried to get up to speed. I had no idea how many ways there are to create lace, tatting, knotting some special crocheting, knitting and the pilllow method. They even had some work in progress displays showing how (for example the pillow method) it works.

I did not get to see the museum part of the store as they were revving up for an opening. I saw many clerks carefully ironing bits of lace. But they did have a collection of amazing vintage shoes on display and I did get to peek into the exhibit through the door. But I'll be back for sure.

If you are anywhere near Berkeley, CA and are at all interested in fiber arts or victorian fashion check them out.

Lacis

Featured Artists

2010-02-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

I wanted to showcase some great Etsy Talents. It appears I was in a green mood. Maybe I'm hoping for Spring. Check out these lovely items.

Sassybellewares Flapper Ring

Onetimestwo Cuff Bracelet

Mycrochetgarden Lovely cap

and JulieEllynDesigns Gorgeous Olivine Earrings.

Tara Donovan at MOCA San Diego

2010-02-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a trip to Southern California. We spent most of the time in Los Angeles but we did do a day trip down to San Diego. While we were there we checked out the Museum of Contemporary Art. They were having a show of an artist named Tara Donovan and all I can say is Wow. I was totally blown away. She uses everyday objects such as platic cups, buttons or tape to create these amazing pieces.

I cannot recall the name of the above piece but it reminds me of a cloud. It consists of a ton of straws of different lengths attached lengthwise to the wall. The effect is amazing. The visuals change as you move and peer down the length of different straws.

Some of the other pieces were stacks of plastic cups of different heights that created a kind of topographic landscape. There was also an object that looked kind of like a stalagtite which was created with hundreds of buttons.

If you are anywhere near the museum, check it out it is fabulous.

Win $75 worth of Goodies

2010-02-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

My loud and wacky team is having Valentine's giveaway. Included in the goodies is one of my items. It's free and easy to enter.

Check it out!

Valentine's Giveaway

Playing around with something new.

2010-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

I've been inspired to try something new. I read a post on a simple silkscreening setup that I thought I'd try. You can actually use images printed out on clear overhead transparancies.

Today I created the screens with fabric and embroidery hoops and applied the photo emulsion. They will have to dry overnight so I started thinking about images. I'm a bit of a novice on photoshop but I just let myself play around with some photos. I really wanted to create something iconic.

I'm not sure any of these will end up on a shirt but I had some fun playing around and I thought I'd share. Here are two different ravens and a coyote.

Oh a few new things in progress

2010-01-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

The New York Times Sunday section had a half page dedicated to critter hats. Yay I knew it. I'm not the only one. Alas, although I'm still working on a few (including this pig hat in progress), I'm thinking in August these won't be so popular (except here in San Francisco when you need one in August more than January).

So I've started working on a few purse designs. These are still being hammered out. The colorblock design was an attempt to use up some leftover yarn for R & D. I like it generally but I've been struggling to find ways to reinforce the handles. Felt tends to stretch. I've sewn on some thicker fabric on the inside so that it won't sag. Not 100 % satisfied but R & D continues.

The snail purse is a different shape and is inspired by the things I love about my favorite purse. It's designed to be worn bike messenger style across the chest resting on the hip. I think the flap makes it more difficult to pick pocket. The snail was an attempt to find beauty in the things I hate. (The snails are eating my Myer Lemon tree urgh)

Greek Chicken

2010-01-27T14:58:00.001-08:00

I'm sharing this super easy very delicious recipe for Greek Chicken Enjoy.

Ingredients

2 (or more) chicken leg quarters
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mix everything in a zip loc bag and shake vigorously. Marinate at least half hour but no more than 1 hour (the lemon will "cook" the chicken). Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chicken in baking dish and cover with marinade. Bake for approximately 40 min or until the chicken reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer.

You can simultaneously bake Yams while the chicken is cooking. I also added steamed sugar snap peas.

Easy peasy!

Enjoy!

Living in Cal in the rainy season

2010-01-20T12:02:00.001-08:00

We have just been hit by the third crazy storm to hit in as many days. Today we had torrential downpours and hail. I'm not sure the rainfall total, but the water was up to the first third of my tire in our street.

Apparently it was too much for the hillside above our house. (Thankfully, the mud chose a route other than towards our house.) The street above us is closed so now all the traffic including the bus is going down our street.

Eeek winter in Northern Cal.

Ernesto Neto Sculpture

2010-01-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a museum crawl in San Francisco. I was dual purposing. I wanted to see if any of the museum shops might be a good fit for my felted items.

We checked out the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. They had a show called Open Source Embroidery.

It was an interesting idea the intersection of coding and data and craft. Unfortunately, I was a little underwhelmed. It seemed like a show that was curated for a different context.

We then proceeded to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and saw a fabulous show called. When lives become form Brazilian Art from the 60's to present. Interestingly enough it had been curated by (I think) the Museum of contemporary Art Tokyo. Apparently there is a very large population of Japanese who migrated to Brazil.

My favorite of the day was a huge (almost obscene) soft sculpture by Ernesto Neto Shown above.

Mustached Owl

2010-01-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,

I'm so sorry I've ignored you over the holidays. I really meant to come visit you, but what with trying to keep cat hats in the shop and preparing for the family festivities I just couldn't find the time.

I'm making this special hat just for you. As you might know, Owls and Mustaches are all the rage on etsy. I thought if I made a mustached owl it would be twice as hip. As you can see I'm trying out different mustaches at the moment. I'm thinking I might go with a handlebar.

Please accept my apologies for not stopping by sooner. I promise to visit more often.

Sincerely,

Fiberpuppy

New Question of the Day

2009-12-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

Hi folks,

It's been a while since my last post. Sorry got really busy with custom orders etc. So without further ado onto the Question of the Day

What are your phobias/hangups. Snakes? Fingernails on Chalkboard?

I actually have 2 weird ones but they stem from actual experiences. I am definitely freaked out by birds flying around my head. I'm a mess in the city with all the pigeons. I have trained most of my friends to walk in front of me if there is a flock ahead. This actually stems from the fact that we had bats (which turned out to have rabies) in our 150 year old house that I grew up in.

My other weird hangup is cotton. I cannot stand the feel of raw cotton. I'm ok with cotton clothing, but I have to get tweezers or help to get the cotton out of asprin bottles etc. Cotton balls will not be found in my house. I think this weird one comes from the fact that I broke my leg and was in a cast lined with cotton for 3 months. If you have ever had a cast you know how itchy and annoying it is.

I'll share my husbands too because I find it funny. He loves the taste of peaches but cannot handle a fuzzy peach. He can't even watch me bite into one.

What's yours?

Starting to think about Christmas

2009-12-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

It's funny getting into retail selling has definitely had me more focused on Christmas in terms of sales. Sadly with the extra work, I haven't really focused on getting our home part of the Christmas equation into the works.

Today I was starting to feel that sniggle of Christmas hope and whistfulness. This year we are hosting Christmas and my neice will be here. This is a big deal as we don't have any children. The idea of having a child opening presents under the Christmas tree has got even the bah-humbugs in our family excited. My mother in law (who was a teacher) is picking out books and games to keep little Sierra busy.

Even I (professed tomboy) gave in to Sierra's fashion taste and had a pink and purple tutu made for her. Well I guess I'm starting to feel it.

So here's a virtual christmas card for you. A couple years back, my dog gully sported this fabulously holiday inspired outfit. And remember it's not all about the sales. Gotta remember to stop and smell the mistletoe.

Stay home if you're sick

2009-12-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

Gonna have me a little rant here. Please bear with me.

So as we enter the Christmas holiday, those of us who sell items know that this is kind of the Superbowl. Gotta have your A game going and all.

Well yesterday at the vet, I was helped by this lady who was very obviously sick. Sniffling sneezing etc. She processed my credit card and got my pooch prescription filled. I wanted nothing to do with her (well she was nice enough) but I had to pay and Mr. dog needed his meds. When I got home I immediately washed my hand.

Unfortunately today I started sneezing and coughing. Sure enough I have a cold at the worst time ever. I guess there is a slight possibility that I'm allergic to my new wool delivery that arrived today but I think not.

Here's the rant. If you are sick, please please please stay home. If you have to go out be considerate of the rest of us. I know you are miserable but that doesn't mean I have to be too. And those of us who aren't sick should remember WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY!! A trick I heard is to sing the alphabet song while washing. That's the amount of time you should be scrubbing.

Anyway rant over. Got dayquil on board and still working. Off to knit.

Fiberpuppy was featured on the Front Page

2009-12-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Well amidst all the chaos of black friday /cyber monday prep, I neglected to check out the front page. Well apparently my owl hat was featured on Friday. After desparately trying to keep some items in stock I took a break and checked out our dteam thread. Well sure enough someone else had seen it and gave me a shout out. I guess I know why I was so busy.

The theme of the page seemed to be geek chic. Should I be offended? Only kidding, it's certainly better than regretsy. Oddly enough the actual owl hat did not sell. Any takers? Oh well, I now now how hot a commodity the cats are.

Wondering if I am now target fodder for all the owl and cowl haters in the etsy forums. Maybe I should make a cowl. If you can't beat em join em.

Chaos and Mini crisis averted

2009-11-29T17:27:00.000-08:00

Had a small crisis today that worked itself out. I had pre-made some replacement cat hats so I could relist if they sold. Well sure enough they did and then one of the relisted ones sold.

So in the midst of my busy weekend, my husband decides to be "helpful" and redo my entire office for more storage. (I'm sure its because my sweat shop migrates to the living room often). Anyway we certainly tore the house apart but never quite got it back together as of this morning.

In any case, I'm putting together shipments and I cannot find one of the gray cat hats. I thought I looked everywhere, but at this point the entire house is in chaos. I'm freaking out here (already stressed can't plug computer in etc) . So I decide I'll make another one and I'm off to Joann for more yarn. Well Joann doesn't have the color. Neither does Michaels or my other local yarn store.

Well now I'm in panic mode. I figure I'll eat the cost and get some fedexed. Still couldn't find the darn yarn online. At this point, I start piecing together the very end of balls of yarn in the correct color. Not the same dye lot and still not enough but I'm thinking I'll just lightly felt it then stretch it a bit.

As I'm putting the hat into the washing machine, my husband walks in toting said missing cat hat. Apparently in all the chaos it had fallen on the floor.

Wheeeew,

Anyway needless to say if I find that darn yarn I'm buying a boatload.

But the hat I made I think I will donate. I am so grateful to have found the original and realized I could have such worse things to worry about.

I just joined an etsy team called host that helps folks in need. They have a store to generate money and people can post things they need (like presents for christmas ). Well I think someone is getting a gray cat hat for Christmas.

Bags Glorious Bags

2009-11-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

No Imelda Marcos am I. I do not collect shoes. (well that would be a fruitless venture as my size 11 huge feet preclude that) What I do collect is bags. It's definitely verging on obsession. I don't even always wear them, but I just gotta have them. And for me, I want a bag that no one else has so Gucci is out (even if I could afford it). I may not be able to buy all the bags I love, but I've collected a few in my favorites. So I thought I would share.

Picnic Tote by Avrilloreti. What a cool iconic picture. Love it.

.
Hobo Shoulder Bag by CreativeChics. I love the colors on this.

Tethy's interchangable wristlet and shoulderbag by FuchstBags. I love that it can be worn a number of ways.

Michelle Light Brown Soft Leather Handbag by Artoncrafts. Soo classy! I really want to touch this one. Yummy

Teal Aran Knit Shrug Modeled by Elle

2009-11-25T13:29:00.001-08:00

I gave my mannequin Zelda the day off. Instead my very good friend (and the person who taught me to knit) Elle graciously agreed to model the latest addition to my store.

I originally knit this for myself. I really wanted to play with putting different cable patterns together. I found that I'm really a sweatshirt kind of girl and the bell sleeves kind of drove me crazy. (great advertisement huh). But it is truly one of a kind and took me about a month to knit. Thus the ridiculously high price. Elle said she would buy it, but being a knitter herself, she was inspired to go create her own version.

In any case, it's the only non-felted item in my shop.

Enjoy.

New Question of the Day

2009-11-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

We are entering the holiday season and I have been pondering gift ideas. My 5 year old niece will be here for Christmas morning, so I've been scheming about toys. I thought it might be useful (and insightful) to ask the following.

What was your favorite toy as a child?

My absolutely favorite toy was a pogo stick. I could literally hop for hours on end. I have the distinct memory of hopping about on my squeeky pogo stick. Apparently my mom was trying to nap and she came running out of the house with butter in hand. She proceeded to grease my pogo stick with butter and silently return to the house. LOL She was definitely the kind of lady who would fix anything with duct tape.

Anyway, what was yours?

Everyone's got one even the dog

2009-11-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who is what the world would call a "real artist". He makes metal sculptures that sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Right about the time I was thinking of selling my felted items he gave me a couple great nuggets of advise.

The first thing he told me is that it is never a rational business decision to sell your craft. Next he asked me if I'd gotten to the point that I couldn't give my art away as gifts as everyone already had at least one already. I laughed and agreed that everyone had at least one felted item. He told me well then you have to take the leap. You're going to be doing your art anyway so you might as well sell it.

I thought that was a great way to look at it. The work involved in selling one's craft is the selling not the making. I, at least, am compelled to create regardless of whether it sells. The hard part is putting it out there.

And, as you can see from the photo. Even my dog has a scarf.

New Question of the Day

2009-11-17T14:44:00.000-08:00

I wanted to start a weekly Question of the Day post.

So here's the first question.

What three items are always in your fridge?

Ok for me;

1. Ketchup always always always. We go to code red when we start to get low.

2. Pickles and usually more than one kind cornichons, dills, half sours we love them all.(are you sensing a hamburger theme here).

3. Sriracha hot sauce. This is mostly for my husband. Where I put ketchup he adds Sriracha.

I was going to say 4. mold. But really my husband is the ultimate fridge sniffer so that's not true. He's constantly asking me to smell stuff to see if its bad. I mean really if it smells bad why do I have to smell it? I guess he want's to share the pain.

Anyway, I'd love to hear anyone's answers to this. Please post below. You blog but have no idea who's reading. I think a fridge is a unique insight into a persons personality.

Ahrrrrrgh

2009-11-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was having one of those days where nothing really works out. My calculations on a purse were off and when I took the item out of the washer it resembled a wine bottle cozy. I had no inspiration to go back and re-knit it.

So I took out a felted black scarf to work on that instead. I've been trying to come up with men's items somewhat unsuccessfully. Everything is just a little to feminine. I decided I would try my hand at a jolly roger. I mean even grown up boys want to be pirates deep down inside. And hey even my husband would wear black.

So here it is. The white felt I cut the skull out of is a bit tricky. If I do another, I may have to knit up thinner wool.

I guess it goes to show that sometimes the best inspiration comes when give up and try something new.

A Harold and Maude kind of afternoon.

2009-11-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

You are either going to get the idea of this post or think I'm a total weirdo, but so be it.

Today we visited our local graveyard, not because we knew anyone there, but just because.

It's actually a really beautiful site with gorgeous views of the San Francisco Bay. I brought along my camera and thought I'd share some photos.

I took a couple pictures of old graves from the 20s that had photographs. The portraits are so stylized.

There were also a number of unique things that people had left as offerings. There was a huge pomello which struck me as odd. Well I guess I might like oreos left on my grave who knows. And a little boy's grave that had a toy car someone left.

We also played a game to choose the our favorite unique name. Believe it or not a cemetary is actually a good place to find unique names. And the winner is

Work in Progress Octopus Scarf

2009-11-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

I figured I would share this scarf since it won't be seeing etsy. I sold a similar scarf to a local shop. The shopowner called to say that after it sold someone came in looking to buy it. She asked if I would make another.

So off I set to exactly recreate the prior scarf. It definitely isn't exactly the same that would be impossible. In fact I think it's turning out better.

In any case Enjoy!!

Oh Oh and tomorrow is Felty Friday on http://shessocraftygoods.blogspot.com Can you guess who the featured artist is???

Dogs greeting their homecoming soldiers

2009-11-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

A friend passed a link to this on to me and I am still teary eyed. These videos really show the sacrifices both our soldiers and their families make.

If this doesn't get ya, then nothing will. Happy Veterans Day and Thank you all those who have made such sacrifices to keep me safe.

http://mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/40324

The hat with the cat is back

2009-11-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

Well last week I sold three hats to one person. I was so excited until I realized that they were in California and I had neglected to charge sales tax. Obviously a newbie mistake. I posted in the forums and discovered that you can set up paypal to automatically charge sales tax. Well live and learn. I ate the sales tax on that sale.

After coming down from the "I made a sale" high, I realized that I had no critters in my shop. I kind of consider them my signature (If I even have such a thing). So I was off to critter creation mode.

I am happy to announce that the critters are back. Black and gray cats. The dog hat is currently setting on the hat stand and will join the cats shortly.

Grocery Store Embarrassment

2009-11-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

We had a skunk that began prowling our yard. This of course led to some unhappy interactions with my dog. After the second time in a month he had been sprayed I asked our neighbor who is a dog groomer what she recommends. She sort of chuckled and gave me the name of a particular brand of feminine douche.

Well about a week later I (stupidly) opened the door for the dog in the middle of the night. And pow!! Right outside the door was a skunk who sprayed not only the dog but got me as well.

After coughing and crying and washing my face (and of course locking the dog outside) I figured no time like the present to try out the new supercure. So off I went to the all night Safeway.

I wasn't sure how much I needed so I figured I'd get about 8 boxes. So as I am unloading my 8 (yes 8) boxes of douche at 3 a.m still smelling awful I look up at the checkers face. She was horrified. I started laughing so hard I almost couldn't explain what the douche was for. I can just imagine what kind of horrible medical problem she thought I was having.

In any case, I have since learned that it is the baking soda and vinegar in the douche that is key. So no more awkward moments at the grocery store.

Weekend of Food Food Food

2009-11-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

We had houseguests this weekend. My good friend Jenn (we went to law school together) and our friend Ruth who flew in from Germany. They arrived safely and soon a feeding frenzy ensued.

They had both been away from the Bay Area for awhile, so they were dying for a number of local things. On Friday, they barted into the city to have Pho. For those of you who do not know Pho, it is vietnamese noodle soup. Friday night I made spaghetti and meatballs from the tomatoes in the garden. Saturday Latin food was in order. We absolutely pigged out at a El Salvadorian restaurant in Richmond.

After that we were stuffed, but Jenn wanted to get some Japanese spices that she can't get up in Arcata, so we rolled into Ranch 99, which is an Asian Grocery the size of Walmart. Jenn and I somehow convinced each other we needed lobster, which is funny because neither my husband nor Ruth would eat it. So late that night, I cooked and cleaned (yes I'm from Boston) a Lobstah for Jenn and I.

Saturday, I sent Jenn and Ruth off to Thai Temple for breakfast. It's a Buddist temple that raises money by serving food on Sun. Meanwhile I cooked up a Ragout of Beef for dinner. We had another law school buddy over and made a party of it.

Well they just left this morning and I think I need to go on a diet. But it did make me appreciate the wonderful food I have locally.

Shibori Felting Techniques

2009-10-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

So as promised I'm sharing the method I use to create the textured lace scarves I make.

You need to start with fabric made with animal fibers. No acrylic and no superwash wool. Keep in mind that it will shrink. I knit my own blanks for felting, but you could use this technique on second hand sweaters or cloth so long as it is all wool. If you are knitting, I recommend Patons Classic Wool or Lambs Pride.

Next you will need some objects to create the texture. I used hazelnuts for this, but I've added some other weird stuff I sometimes use. You will also need rubber bands to secure the items in place.

Stretch the fabric over the object tightly and secure with a rubber band. Repeat this creating whatever pattern tickles your fancy.

Once you have created your pattern its off to the washing machine. Place the object in the wash. I recommend adding some other clothing to help agitation. Keep in mind that fibers will be coming off the fabric so choose wisely. Next set your water to hot and agitation to high and start the machine. Stop the machine and check the item every so often to see if it has felted to your desired stiffness. When it's done drain the machine.

Leave the nuts (or whatever you use) in the fabric for at least 12 hours until it has dried. This will create the maximum texture. After drying, remove et voila Shibori felt.

What a Week I made the top 10

2009-10-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my cat hat featured in the window display of Lava 9 in Berkeley. I stopped by to take a photo and drop off new tags for the items. The sales lady informed me that my gray cat hat had sold the very first day it was in the store. I had to replace the tags because the original ones had my etsy shop. I didn't want to undermine their sales as my etsy items are lower priced.

Well apparently I was too late, I got a convo on Etsy from someone who saw one of my hats and wanted me to make it for her for my etsy price. I haven't replied. Is that bad karma for me if I do it?

I drove by the store yesterday and the cat hat was gone replaced by my frog. I guess they sold that one too.

So I'm totally riding that adrenalyn rush when I discover my gingko hat is #9 on Timothy Adam's top 10 list. That's just crazy. He has over 95,000 people following him on twitter and 1,600 fans on his blog.

He hasn't posted it on his blog yet but it went out over twitter.

Here's the twitter page

http://twitter.com/timothyadam

It should eventually be here

http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/

OMG better get knitting.

Good Neighbor ups the Ante

2009-10-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was leaving to run an errand I found the above on my doorstep.

It's a goody delivery from my neighbor. It contains some Indian spices, chilis, apricots, her homemade tomato chutney and the recipe for the same.

So the background for this goody delivery is kind of funny. Our new neighbor bought the house next to us about two months ago. Prior to moving in she had some work done while the house was empty. Every day about an hour after the workmen would leave, an alarm would go off in her house.

Since there was no one in the house to complain we wrote a note explaining that we weren't fussy but the alarm was kind of making us nutso. I left a jar of homemade jam as a gesture of goodwill. Since I made at least 40 jars this was no skin off my back.

The next afternoon, the painter came over to tell me that she had arranged to have the security system ripped out. Two days later there was a bottle of wine and a kind note on my doorstep.

After she moved, in I asked her if she wanted any tomatoes. We have so many they are literally rotting on the vine. She looked estatic. So I've been leaving deliveries on her doorstep. Since leaving the tomatoes, I've found homemade bread, and other goodies on my doorstep.

Well today she upped the ante. Please note that we do not normally get the newspaper. (although that could be a one-time freebe from the Chronicle).

I'm kind of afraid to leave more tomatoes. She might just come over and make me breakfast in bed. Only kidding.

So the moral of the story here is that Karma does exist. I could have been bitchy in the note, but instead I included jam, and that has made all of the difference.

Felting 101

2009-10-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

History of Felt:

Felt is the oldest known fabric. Wall hangings using felt appliqué were found in Turkey from 6,500 to 3,000 B.C. Lore claims that St. Clement, patron saint of hatmakers, discovered felt when as a wandering monk he put wool in his sandals. The resulting sweat and agitation from walking created felt. The historical use of felt is widespread.

What is felt and how does it happen

Felt is the textile created by the interlocking mesh of animal fibers. Wool and animal fibers have scales. (See the above photo of wool fiber taken with an electron microscope) These scales are shaped like barbs on a hook i.e. if rubbed in one direction it will catch. Heat and moisture cause the scales to open and interlock. Wool fibers contain keratin, which chemically bonds the fibers together when the material cools the scales close and the keratin chemically bonds the fibers together.

How to make felt.

If you have ever accidentally thrown a wool sweater in the washing machine only to find a shrunken facsimile come out you have some idea how this works. Technically, felting only refers to the meshing of FIBERS not fabric or yarn. The meshing of fabric or yarn is referred to as fulling. In either case, the principal is the same. In order to mesh wool you need 2 things, agitation and warm water. The use of a little bit of soap can quicken the process allowing the scales or barbs of the fiber to slide more easily across each other.

The easiest method for meshing the fibers is to start with wool fabric and use a washing machine. Top loaders are the best as you can stop the process at any time you feel the fabric is meshed enough. Simply load the fabric. I tend to add something else to the wash to increase the agitation. Keep in mind that fibers will be coming off the wool so don’t use anything you can’t get wool pills off. I usually use a pair of jeans. Add a small amount of detergent and run the load using hot water. Stop the cycle every so often to check the progress. When it’s shrunk enough take it out and allow it to completely dry. While it is still moist you do have the opportunity to add some shaping. For my hats, I place them over a bucket to create a head shape.

This is the basic technique. I will be adding more advanced felting techniques such as Shibori and needle felting in further posts.

Try it out. I swear it’s just like shrinky dinks.

Photo by Gerry Danilatos

Under Creative Commons license

This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one.

How Breast Cancer Taught me to Knit

2009-10-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

This started as an attempt to write a very academic how-to in series about felting it’s history and techniques. Maybe because it’s October and breast cancer awareness month, this kind of turned into my own story.

I think I first fell in love with felt when I was a child. My godmother was Austrian (thus the weird spelling of my name) and my parents regularly traveled to Austria and Germany. My dad obtained a boiled wool jacket in the black forest of Germany. I had never seen such a thing. It was obviously made of fiber but was thicker than leather. Water beaded on it and the wind just could not penetrate it. It had hand hewn silver buttons and I totally coveted that jacket through my teen aged years. I mourned the loss of that jacket but did not give it much thought until my 30’s.

At age 33 two weeks after taking the California Bar I was diagnosed with stage 2b breast cancer. With Chemo and hairloss impending I did what all crazy people do. I had a party and had my friends dye my hair blue. (my mom even bought the dye). At the party, my friend Eleanor presented me with a hat that she had knit. Since it was looking like I was going to have a lot of stressful time on my hands I asked her to teach me to knit.

Eleanor was a free-form knitter. There were no mistakes only cat toys. I had so little to do and so little energy, I began to pass time in rows, feeling proud that I had at least something to show for my time. Then I discovered my local yarn store Dharma Trading. This was my salvation. They offered free drop in knitting classes every day. The woman who ran the classes was known (behind her back) as the knitting nazi. She was very proper and I think I sent her into heart failure when I presented my half knit socks which were knit inside out. But who can be too angry with someone so obviously going through cancer so I got a pass. I did not go out much but I pretty much went to Dharma every day.

That Christmas my I presented my husband with the most god-awful misshapen sweater that I had to pry out of his hands this year to see if it would felt as I couldn’t stand looking at it.

Later, I saw an article in interweave knits for a felted purse. My skills (which weren’t much at that time) were up to the task. I tried it and I was hooked. I practically shivered in anticipation by the washing machine as my ludicrously large sack of cloth was magically transformed a la shrinky dink into a dense beautiful bowl.

Well that’s how it started and next post will be the actual how felt works and techniques post.

So if you know someone going through this. For sure knit them a cap, then ask them if they want to learn how to make one.

A messy situation the secret to clogged drains.

2009-10-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night after dinner I discovered that my kitchen drain was clogged. Now granted it could possibly be the remnants of my greasy meal, but I was also concerned as I am a felter. If you have ever felted in a washing machine you will understand the amount of fiber that comes off wool. Normally when such things happen I rely on my husband. (I'm not much of fixer unless it involves duct tape). Unfortunately said husband is in Germany at the Frankfurt book fair.

So I do what any normal person would do and I buy some draino. I pour it down and wait and wait and wait. Being of the school that more is better, I decide to buy 2 more bottles of draino to add to the mix. When this fails to fix the problem. I call the landlord, who informs me that he would have used draino too but that I should leave it overnight and call a plumber in the morning. I'm a bit dismayed at the prospect of spending the night with toxic soup in my kitchen, but understand that emergency plumbers do not come cheap.

After waking, I peer into the kitchen to find toxic soup still there. So I call the plumber my landlord told me to call. The plumber calls me back 2 hours later. He does not speak English very well but I think he gets the gyst of the problem. He asks when I would like him come. I say now. He says he cannot because it is raining. "I'm sorry because it's raining??" I say. "Yes, the trap to your sink is outside and it is raining. I'll call you back when it stops raining."

Ok I'm not a plumber and don't want to insult any of you plumbers out there, but don't they have to deal with things much worse than rain. Like poop for example. Granted we are having quite a rainstorm right now but really???

At this point, I take matters into my own hands and go on-line to discover the mysteries of drain clogs. After a quick trip to the hardware store for a plunger I boil water. After pouring the water into the sink I very carefully (remember this is draino here) start plunging. Well that managed to get the toxic soup out of the sink, but the drain still clogged.

Ok here is the cool part/secret ingredient. Remember when you made volcanoes as science projects..... Yes the secret ingredient is baking soda which I funnel down the drain. I then add vinegar and put the plunger over so the pressure goes down not up. Add hot water et voila.

Who needs plumbers (Ok I may live to regret that last line.)

Weird Wonderful and Just plain bizarre fiber creations

2009-10-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to share this collection by my fellow Etsy D-listers. I shared an incident in which I had been felting in the washing machine and suddenly a huge fiber poop came shooting out of the drain. My teammates suggested that there might in fact be a market for this kind of thing. Well I don’t know if anyone is buying, but people certainly are creating strange and amazing things.

Ok first photo was the inspiration for the blog post. Honestly, I don’t know who made it or I would definitely give credit where credit is due (or doo-doo).

The second image is part of an entire series of knitted superheros. Here we see Argyleman. These were done by Mark Newport. He had a show at the Greg Kucera gallery. To see more check out www.gregkucera.com/newport

The third and fourth creations are by Janet Morton. Tree Cozy anyone? Also you have to appreciate the time it took to make an entire living room.

And finally in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month knit tits. There’s a special place in my heart for these. I am a breast cancer survivor but fortunately, managed to keep my breast. You should really read the article it’s pretty touching. It appeared in Knitty fall 2005 http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTbits.html She actually wore these instead of prothesis. The pattern is also contained there if you are interested in making and donating to a local organization that helps breast cancer survivors.

Swiss Cheese

2009-10-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

I was asked on the Etsy D-lister board if I could make felted food as a toy. Unfortunately, this is not my forte, although it did give me ideas for next year. So as I'm chugging along working on some scarves I thought about making a swiss cheese scarf. The beauty of felted knitting is that you can cut into it and it doesn't unravel. So here is a sneak peek into my first stab at felted food. (It still needs to be trimmed before being posted) .

Should I market this to Wisconsonites? Don't they wear cheese heads for football games? I'm not much of a sports fan I admit.

Enjoy!!

New technology meets old

2009-10-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about creating a new line of lower priced items for my etsy shop. I am so excited I just finished my first iphone cozy. Ok I know this dates me, or maybe it dates you if you don't know that this is a rotary phone dial. I really like the irony of keeping a cell phone in a handmade pouch with the old rotary phone decoration. This is the first item I've made using old sweaters that I felted and then hand sew. I hope to make more.

Meeting our new mannequin or how I found Zelda.

2009-10-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

After a number of critiques of my etsy shop, I decided I needed to up my game with the photos. Many had suggested I find a model. Since I pretty much work alone and didn't want to show my pudgy figure in a photo I decided to either buy or create a mannequin.

I searched online under how-to make dress forms and was pretty put off. One suggested duct taping oneself, peeling it off and putting it back together. Another involved paper mache. While I am not opposed to these necessarily, what I really wanted was a model not a perfect replica of myself to make a dress from. Besides I had to wonder about the duct tape thing.

Next I checked on craigslist. et voila, a one day sale of slightly damaged mannequins. Torsos going for $25. The place was called mannequin madness, they were located in Oakland and would be open from 1-2pm. When I showed up the door was locked so I called the number on the ad. A man answered and let me in through an old warehouse to a back room. Inside...well, I'll let the photos show you. I found one that was not too crooked. Her left breast was a little dirty, but hey, my left breast is a little crooked too from breast cancer. I took her home and named her Zelda. Here she is. I hope she can help me sell my stuff.

Manly Art of Knitting

2009-09-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I was puttering through the craft section of the library and I came across an amazing book called the Manly Art of Knitting. It's a paperback pamphlet-style book. The cover shot looks like the Marlboro man on a horse knitting. The back flap reads "Only a man would knit a hammock with shovel handles for needles and manila rope for yarn."

Needless to say I was taken.

Despite the kitch value, the book was incredibly well-written and concise. It contains instructions on how to do the basics. The close-up photograhs show what the stitches should look like. The diagrams show how the yarn is supposed to wrap around the needles. I remember wishing I had such great, clear instructions when I began knitting.

Although it is a short book (only 64 pages), it contains a number of patterns that are perfectly balanced in the kitch to utility factor. These include a dog bed with different sizes for a small, medium and large dog, a ribbed cap, a horse blanket knit with garden hose in the round and of course a hammock knit with shovel handles.

After bringing the book home, I showed it to my husband who is a book publisher. I think my enthusiam rubbed off on him. We went on-line to purchase a copy and discovered it was out of print. Ok here's where my wheels started turning. I suggested that Gingko press re-print the book. David was a bit sceptical, but he brought the book in to show around the office. After discovering that copies were selling for over $100 I think he was sold.

Since that time I managed to secure my own copy and have written a number of letters to the author to see if he would re-publish. Unfortunately, I have had no response. I'm not sure I even have the right address. Well today while trying to get a picture of the book I came across contact info for a woman who says she published it. Well I just e-mailed her. I am so excited. Everyone cross your fingers and hope that we can get this gem back in print.

Dog or Bear

2009-09-28T15:07:00.001-07:00

So after trying to handsell to shops I was told that I should make more things for men. Additionally the color brown was suggested. So I made this hat (obviously not finished yet). I can't decide whether to make it a dog hat or a bear hat. For the dog, I would have to add some floppy ears. It kind of already looks like a bear. Well we'll see.

I did unwillingly post this scarf on Etsy. It was cold today so I wore it to the office and I kind of fell in love with it. I know I need to sell but sometimes it's hard to let the objects go.

Patterns for Textiles

2009-09-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a cool resource for patterns. First a caveat (yes I am an attorney). This book is published by my husband who is the editor at Gingko Press. So this is shameless promotion for him. Ok onto the meat. This book is a great resource for patterns. Basically, it is a compilation of 483 pattern images. It costs $24.95. It comes with a cd which contains all of the patterns for download royalty free. The images are eps scaleable vector files (so says my husband). For those of us that do not speak vector, this means you can open them in photoshop and choose what size etc. you would like them to be and save them as a jpeg.

I used one of them as the background for the title of this blog. I found them inspirational, but since my fiber work doesn't run through the computer, I've been using them more as background for posts etc. If any of you do screenprinting though, they could be used for that as well. I've posted a couple images from the book of patterns I like.

What tools do I use

2009-09-26T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ok so I was forced to organize my (our) office when my husband couldn't find a place to sit down. To that end I recycled an old shoe holder for my small gadgets. After filling it up I had to chuckle. What a bizarre collection of things I use. I'm not sure someone would know what I do by what's in there.

See if you can identify what these things are.

Too many tomatoes here's what to do

2009-09-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

I may just be drowning in tomatoes, but it may be the best way to go. Today alone I picked these beauties from my garden. I am also tending my friend's garden for a week or so the harvest is doubled. For all of you who want to do something with all your bounty and be able to taste a summer tomato in the middle of winter I am including instructions on how to sun (well actually oven) dry your harvest.

This recipe can be used for any size tomato.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees (or your lowest setting)
Clean and wash tomatoes.
Cut tomatoes in half and squeeze out any juice and seeds
Add olive oil to tomatoes and mix to thoroughly coat.
Lay tomatoes skin side down on baking sheets
sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper and any other spice you like. (I use fresh basil)
Place in oven

Let the tomatoes cook for at least 5 hours. Read a book, knit a hat watch a movie.

When they are done they will have shrunk but should still have a bit of moisture in them. At this point you can stick them in zip loc bags and freeze.

And here's what to do with these lovelies. Easiest pasta sauce.

Chop 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic
Add olive oil to sauce pan and heat over low heat.
Add chopped onion and cook slowly until translucent.
Add garlic cook until fragrant.

Add a bunch of sundried tomatoes and increase heat.
Add 1/4 cup basalmic vinegar
Add 1 tbsp basil
add 2 tsp oregano
add 3 tablespoons shredded parmesan
add salt and pepper to taste

Cook until tomatoes are starting to fall apart

Put mixture in blender (be very careful if it's hot the top will want to fly off) Blend et voila.

Enjoy

Hudson Valley Wool Delivery

2009-09-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ok Welcome to the world of blogs. Who ever thought I'd be blogging. My husband still has to remind me that there are preset numbers in my cell phone.

Well I finally have my etsy shop up and running. I'm trying to add a new item every day.

And most exciting my wool shipment arived today. I still had to run to Gingko to drop off a letter but I was just salivating to start playing.

Since I have only knit but not felted this wool I started on the dreaded swatches. They came out ...unexpectedly. I thought they would be thicker. They almost look like mohair. You can actually see through them after 2 full cycles in the washing machine. I realize some of my standard patterns for Etsy will not work with this. Oh Well, I've learned that necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes the biggest snafu turns out to be the coolest thing you ever made.