::while riding the bus i…::

* Watched another passenger pull out his half-eaten Big Mac and take two bites

* Looked out the window and noticed a graveyard off the side of the highway. I had never noticed it before, and there were cows grazing around the headstones.

* Noticed the man sitting in front of me was reading an illustrated Bible and listening to Whitney Houston (I could hear the song blasting from his cheap earphones).

* Caught a little shut eye

* Read The Creative Family by Amanda Soule and reminisced about my own little kid days. It took me three commutes, but I finished the book. Oh, so satisfying. You don’t have to be a parent to get something out of this book.

ETA: I’m keeping my current job after all. No writing from home for me. Except here on this blog. For the record, I was a finalist for a position, but in the end I didn’t get it. But at least now I can concentrate on where I am and what I have and what I need.

::cuffed::

I have a skein of natural-colored Cotton Fleece and I’m challenging myself find creative ways to use it all up. I used a bit to knit a small swatch for an art project. I used a bunch more as part of an in-progress baby blanket. Now this cuff. Stay tuned for what’s next.

::almost-all handmade::

Shirt: Wiksten-made (yes, I had to splurge! It was worth it! I’ll figure out a way to pay my bills…)
Pants: Target (I can never find a pair of jeans that fit me right b/c I’m petite)
Earrings: Red are the Roses
Socks (not in shot): handknit by me out of yarn from here.

PS I am thinking of all the clothes I want to sew myself, but I’m feeling rather unmotivated…

::book sale::

I’m having a book sale! I love these books and am hard pressed to sell them, but I don’t use them enough to justify having them. They are all craft books, so I thought I’d offer them to you guys first. All of the books are in very good condition (like new), no bent or torn pages and with their original dust covers and pattern pieces (where applicable) If no one’s interested, I’m exchanging them at the used book store. One way or another, they’re outta here. If you are interested in any of these books, leave a comment with your e-mail and I’ll send you a paypal invoice. I’ll cover the shipping. Here we go*:

Kids Embroidery by Kristin Nicholas: Lots of cute kids’ embroidery projects including simple softies, bags, tea cozies, place mats and more. Full-color photos and glossy pages. There are well-illustrated instructions as well, so this is good for the beginning embroiderer or anyone seeking inspiration. Original price 19.95. I’ll take $12

Kids Crochet by Kelli Ronci: I really love flipping through this book, and would keep it if I could just learn to crochet beyond sc. Like Kids Embroidery this one is hardcover, well-illustrated and features glossy full-color photos. There are patterns for a cute snail pillow, an afghan, scarves, a cupcake softie and more. Original price 19.95. I’d like $12

Knitprovisation by Cilla Ramnek: The title is a play on the word knit, but many of the featured projects are crochet. This book is softcover but full-color and loaded, LOADED with inspiration, especially for artsy types who eschew traditional patterns. Ramnek has a ton of ideas for what to do with those “unfinished” objects. Original price 21.95. I’d like $14 *SOLD*

The New Crewel by Katherine Shaughnessy: A full-color, softcover book dedicated to crewel. Lots of contemporary patterns that I imagine are applicable to more than crewel. There are also detailed instructions on how to start. Original price 14.95. I’d like $7

Embroidery Techniques by Pauline Brown: The various stitching examples covered in this (full-color) softcover book are gorgeous. It covers everything from cross-stitch to lace. I can only dream of the day I’m good enough to stitch like this! Original price $14.95. I’d like $7

99 Ways to Cut, sew & Deck Out Your Denim by Faith Blakeney, Justina Blakeney and Ellen Schultz: Exactly what the title says: 99 ideas to give your pair of jeans new life. This book is hardcover but spiral-bound so that it lies open when flat. It’s not full-color but there are fashion illustrations and cutting diagrams with each projects. Ideas include bags, jackets, shrugs, toys, rugs, capelets, ties…and on and on. Original price 19.95. I’d like $10.

*Please see my flickr page or the flickr bar at right for photos from the book. I seem to be having some problem uploading some images; I will try those again later.

::under the weather + something better::

My dinner tonight: tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. I think I may be coming down with a cold :o( But I kinda like this photo: such a simple, comforting meal in the middle of a lot of stuff.

Thank you to everyone who chimed in with a comment or suggestion on my latest conundrum. I wish you calm amidst the chaos too.

ETA:: Oh! How could I forget to mention this? Melissa is participating in a pay-it-forward challenge and I agreed to join. Here are the rules:

“The idea of the exchange is I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this blog post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

Please don’t leave me hanging; I’d love to send some handmade goodness your way.

::what would you do?::

Let’s just say you were offered a job that allowed you to work from home. A job writing]. But it was only part time. What would you do? It would mean a pretty big pay reduction unless you found more part-time work to compensate. Your current job offers some sense of security and health insurance but there are some things about it you don’t love (and you have an hour commute). What would you do? And say, just to make things interesting, your car was in need of a fairly expensive tune-up. You’re not sure you can keep driving it for your daily commute but if you don’t have a full-time job how do you afford to fix it? What would you do? And can you tell I’m torn right now? Just want to stare at my pretty new earrings and go, “La-la-la-la-la…”

Psst: Should you also want to be distracted from making life-changing decisions, check out the list of shops I’ve started compiling on the sidebar.

::a baby bonnet and a dog grooming::

I finished knitting a skirt this weekend!
The key word here is knitting. I finished knitting it. I didn’t finish weaving in the loose ends or finding a ribbon for it.

Instead, I used the leftover skein to knit this cute baby bonnet from the book Knitalong by by Larissa Brown. The picture of the bonnet in the book is the actual size of the finished bonnet, apparently. I just have to do the eyelet border. I think I’ll make an i-cord out of a contrasting yarn instead of using a ribbon. This bonnet will probably go to Chris’ friend’s daughter Ria Annette, who is the only baby I know right now.

In totally unrelated news, Chris went and SHAVED Chance. No, I don’t mean he went someplace to get Chance groomed. I mean he shaved Chance himself. And he purposely left that poof at the end of his tail for “artistic effect.” All this, he said, and he didn’t have to pay a groomer! No kidding!

::car talk::

* went to get my car’s computer read because the “malfunction lamp light” went on three days ago
* the first place I went to wouldn’t do the reading because, according to the guy there, “we’ve been sued too many times for giving false information.” Aaalrighty then.
* the second place also wouldn’t do a reading
* finally arrived an an auto zone but the woman who did the reading came up with two error messages, one relating to a faulty cylinder possibly caused by an ignition problem or a fuel injection problem and another one that would only relate to a diesel truck (I don’t drive a diesel truck)
* took my car to another auto zone branch and confirmed that it was a cylinder/combustion problem and made an appointment for a tune-up

Yup. Really I didn’t accomplish *that* much, but it sure feels like I did.

::made in hawaii::

The Machine Stops is an etsy seller based in Honolulu! You know I have to support the Hawaii folks. Just looking at the photos of this seller’s goods makes me homesick because many of the photos were taken outdoors in what could be my grandmother’s yard. It made me remember how green and luscious and tropical my home state is.

She also has an etsy shop where she sells vintage finds.

Happy browsing!

today i…

Another cactus picture to liven up this post. I got nothing else.

* Ate toast with butter and blackberry jam

* Got all my tax stuff together (yay for planning ahead!)

* Ate some dolmas and rice pudding

* Compulsively checked Amazon for the status of an order (it was supposed to arrive today but didn’t)

* Had a nice chat with a former employer who I miss and sorta wish I still worked for

* Bought myself some new underwear!

* Was tempted to buy clothes at Target, but didn’t because everything was made in China