Hybrid Hopes

Resolutions, part two

2012-01-09T07:26:00.000-08:00

I still don't want to commit to resolutions, but I will try to complete 50 projects this year. That's doable.

And now, a (start of a) list!

1) Hats - 12 of them. Why not? There are 12 months. And maybe I'll keep some of them.

13) Learn spanish - for real this year.

14) Finish reading The Wheel of Time Series (Robert Jordan)

15) Read the first several Dresden Files books. The first one... well, lets say, I've heard really good things about the following books.

16) Shawl-like object for me

17) perpetual calendars, for real this year.

18)

January: Things I'm looking forward to

2012-01-01T10:47:00.000-08:00

First post of the year!Welcome to 2012, and hopefully a new era of me posting on a more regular basis.I hope there's more snow. Portland has just the right amount of seasonal change for me. Not so much that I feel like death and desolation has entered my bones every winter and that heat and ruination owns my pores every summer (I'm lookin' at you, Illinois), but enough. Actually, the climate's pretty temperate here, but I am a big baby and the mild winters are great. But I still like the snow. I'm also looking forward to Baby Bear's first birthday next month!?!. Time flies when ... well, some of it's been fun, it's definitely been an adventure. She is an amazing little creature, and I absolutely adore her.I'm looking forward to crocuses and spring. I know, contradictory to what I said earlier... But I'm starting to get that gardening itch again. I'll have to be content with poring over seed catalogs.

Speaking of death, I'm looking forward to a new year of less people I know dying. Last year sucked for that. ((looks down at shoes, not sure what to say after bringing up the subject))...

I'm not big on resolutions, or keeping them. Maybe it's the truth about the latter that makes me not want to bother with the former. Anyway, I'm not going to Resolve to Lose Weight, or Resolve to Make More Pancakes or something. Maybe I'll make some crafty resolutions. I generally still buy handmade, but I do go a bit batty sometimes and decide I need New Towels. (By the way, I donno what is up with my use of the uppercase. I think maybe I think it looks more official. I was feeling that way about the towels when I bought them. It was during my nesting phase with the Beanlet). No, no hard and fast resolutions this year. At least not right now.

I have been sick

2011-11-20T22:13:00.001-08:00

FOR WEEKS NOW AND IT'S GETTING REALLY OLD.

the end.

Windy Day Gathering

2011-11-17T23:07:00.001-08:00

So.
Windy days knock branches off clean smelling pines and firs. No need to just through the downed twigs on your compost pile or in the yard waste. I use bits in vases, on curtain rods, in wreaths. Smells great.
And you can throw it on the compost pile a coupla weeks later.

new favorite site

2011-11-16T20:50:00.001-08:00

Or at least my favorite for today.
http://moistcrochetedvagina.blogspot.com/
you are welcome, friendos.

This s**t is bananas

2011-10-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

I am the proud parent of a giant 7 month old. She is bigger than 99% of kids her age. Any day now, people will look at her and expect her to know how to read just because she's 5'2". She's not THAT big. Yet.Time flies.One of my (many) goals is to blog consistently. Tutorials and such, and I'll keep my rants (mostly) to myself.Except when I have to shout GO OWS! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU AND ALL THE OCCUPIERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY! We need our nation back from the corporations, back from those "corporate citizens" who would be in jail for terrible behaviors if they were actual citizens.I may or may not post Little Bear pictures. The Mr. and I have an ongoing debate on the internets and our Osita's pics on teh interwebs. She may be headless like the kids of the lady who makes the Star Wars food. (Did I tell you I went to a panel she was on at Geek Girl Con? Yeah, I kind of haven't blogged in a while. GGC was AWESOME).So. Blog planning. Look for reorganized Hybridhopes which is absolutely everything you ever dreamed starting... January 1st. That's right. I'm actually going to do a resolution this January 1st.Going to do events in the morning with the Little Bear, so I'll catch ya'll later.

getting ready to go to geekgirlcon

2011-10-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Listening to the Gogol Bordello station on pandora, my 7 month old daughter is growling (yes, growling) and stuffing her pacifier in her mouth while bouncing a rattle, and I'm about to pack my own clothes for GeekGirlCon.

Can't forget:
clothes (mine)
clothes (little bear's)
various chargers
snacks, drinks, Little Bear's food
Cunning Hats (mine and Bear's)
t-shirt(s) for iron-ons
ipod already set up with roadtrip music because i haven't figured out how to use my droid
toothbrushes/paste, shampoo, eyeliner.
...

One Person Crochet-a-long, slogging through wool in July

2011-07-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

I'm 10 inches into a Neopolitan Ripple Blanket in wool in the hottest month so far. And I think I'm the only one in my crochet-a-long who is really into it. I love the colors, and I'm pretty sure I like the yarn. It's Cascade 220, a superwash wool, and it's soft. It's also allegedly durable, which is why I'm making a baby blanket out of it. I'm 10 inches in, and have what, 20, 23 inches to go? Will it ever end? How can mindless crocheting drive one crazy?

Gardening quick tip: get more plants for cheap!

2011-07-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

Have you coveted your neighbor's lemonbalm, mint, pelargoniums, or thymes? Maybe your plants have been added to someone else's covet list and you'd like to gift them their own. Easy fix!

(Insert disclaimer about asking neighbor if you can cut a small piece of their plant. Feel kind of hypocritical about disclaimer as you feel that anything growing over the sidewalk is fair game).

Plant Propagation Via Cutting (AKA Clone Plants on the Cheap!)
4-8
You need:
Scissors: make sure they're sharp and sturdy. I use kitchen scissors or pruning shears.
Container: watertight. Some folks like clear glass, but how many plants do you know that like to parade about with their roots exposed for all to see? I like dark glass because I figure it makes the roots happier. If you have to do the clear glass, I suggest covering the outside with a layer of aluminum foil or a crochet cozy.
Water: you'll fill the container about 1/2 full, making sure the cut surface is submerged but no leaves are in the water
Plant: pick one! or several!

Choose a healthy looking shoot, follow it down about 4-8 inches and make a sharp angled cut right below a set of leaves. Make sure that you remove the leaves from the bottom couple inches so they don't rot in the water. Speaking of water, plunk your prize down in that container and add an inch or two of water. There are rooting hormones you can carefully use, but many plants don't need it. A bit of willow bark tisane can help, too - although honestly I've only tried 1/2 a tsp with a couple lemonbalm cuttings, and lemonbalm roots crazy easy.

You can even do this with roses, I hear. I have yet to try it though. I have tried it successfully with tomatoes, lemonbalm, rosemary (although the roots took a long time, and half the cuttings rotted rather than rooting), and mint. With as crazy invasive as lemonbalm and mint are, I don't know why I thought I needed to make more.

My brother and Nelson Mandela

2011-07-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

It's not really fair that they were born the same day, one in 1918, and one a little more recently.

It's like if I shared a birthday with Mary Wollstonecraft or something.

It's ok that my brother isn't a winner of a nobel peace prize. He's still important to me.

<3

By the by, Wood Guthrie was born on the 14th.

Happy birthday, you three.

Sea VS Skyscraper Hat (free pattern)

2011-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Supercute hat!

Picture of yarn pending!

I went to an amazing garage sale and got several skeins of this "baby" yarn for two bucks a skein. An internet search said it's a machine washable yarn, the yarn label stated to handwash and lay flat. A test run of a quick knit wristband shows it handles both machine washing and machine drying with flying colors, ie no change in color, no colors leaking on to each other, no pilling, no fuzzing, no nothing. It looks and feels almost exactly like it did before. Plus it dries reeeeally quickly. So it's great for babies and folks with new babies and anyone else who doesn't want to spend time handwashing.

Enough about the yarn. On with the pattern!

Sea VS Skyscraper Hat

PICTURE OF HAT PENDING

I love this hat. I love the how the ribbing stretches, revealing shorter and longer strips that remind me of skyscrapers. I love the colors that make me think of imaginary seas - it's not green enough or dark enough to be the Pacific off Ventura, where I grew up. It's a candy colored version of the sea. No pollution here! It's a candy colored version of the city (no police brutality, no places where the only "affordable housing" is a grocery cart...). Just a nice, warm, quick-to-knit, hopeful hat.

Items:
1 skein Filatura Di Crosa Baby Kiss yarn in blue/teal (or generously weighted worsted weight yarn, takes about 88 yards) I used almost exactly one skein, so you may want to get two just in case!
set of size 10.5 dpns

Time: it took me about two hours with frequent interruptions, and I'm kind of a midspeed knitter.

Using the long tail cast on method (a great page about casting on is available on knitty), cast on 72 stitches.
Join, being careful not to twist the cast on row. (I always find this line in instructions funny. Like you wouldn't be careful with the basics... Anyway, don't twist your rows, your wrist, or your chonies).
It's time to rib!
Rows 1-5: k2, p1 to end of row. This is about 3/4 inches.
Rows 5-10: k5, p1 to end of row. This is about 3/4 inches.
Now knit around for about 3-4 more inches.
Now it's time to decrease!
Decrease row 1: (K10, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (66 stitches)
Decrease row 2: (K9, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (60 stitches)
Decrease row 3: (K8, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (54 stitches)
Decrease row 4: (K7, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (48 stitches)
Decrease row 5: (K6, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (42 stitches)
Decrease row 6: (K5, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (36 stitches)
Decrease row 7: (K4, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (30 stitches)
Decrease row 8: (K3, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (24 stitches)
Decrease row 9: (K2, k2tog), repeating 'til end of row. (20 stitches)
Decrease row 10: K2tog to end of row (10 stitches)
Decrease row 11: k2 tog to end of row (5 stitches)
Break yarn, run yarn through remainder of stitches, pull tightly and tie off. (I almost always tie a knot in the yarn when I'm making items I'm going to be machine washing, or items for kids.
Weave in any other ends.

This hat is stretchy and should fit a large one year old (my kid has a big head) up to a small adult. (It "fits" me but I prefer a slightly looser hat than this one).

PICTURE ON ISO PENDING
PICTURE ON ME PENDING

So sorry

2011-07-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Today in 1945, 73,000 people died when the A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

Some folks like to justify it by saying it saved lives, that the war would have worsened.

I can't find any justification in it.

I can't find any justification in bombing the WTC.

Innocent people should not be slaughtered to prevent slaughter of innocent people.

Lena Horne

2011-06-30T13:56:00.001-07:00

She would have been 93 today.

Happy birthday, lady.

Lena Horne tribute site with easy access to some of her beautiful music.

Not only did she have a beautiful voice, she was on the FBI watch list because of some of the organizations she belonged to.

Communication Breakdown

2011-06-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Juneteenth, ya'll.

May all your good news be known to you much faster.

Che Guevara

2011-06-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to Che Guevara.

"At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love. It is impossible to think of a genuine revolutionary lacking this quality."

"We cannot be indifferent to what happens anywhere in the world."

"There is no other definition of socialism valid for us than that of the abolition of the exploitation of man by man."

Whew - 3 months, 2 weeks

2011-06-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

Time flies for sure.

My gorgeous, sassy, solidly built baby is 14 weeks old.
She's holding her head up and trying to do sit ups. You can see her abdominal muscles work, and she works her neck too to try to get herself into a sitting position.
She squawks and makes happy shouts.
We took a bath together this morning. She loves baths.
She chirps when we read her books, a happy bird sound with every page turn.
She works her toes while she's drinking.

She's absolutely perfect.

June in the Garden

2011-06-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Propagate softwood cuttings from shrubs! Learn how at Finegardening.com. I really want to do this with some Daphne odora.

First Mother's Day as a mom

2011-05-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

And it pretty much ranks up there with other days. Meh.

Some of it's petty, like being mad at my husband for taking me to Sock Dreams, letting me pick out a pair of fancy striped socks, watching me deliberate between a six dollar pair and a sixteen dollar pair, and going with the cheaper ones. Then he got a sixteen dollar pair for himself. When I finally told him today that it bothered me, he responded that it we talked about each getting some, mine for mothers day and his for fathers. I don't think he realized it was the triple price thing that really bothered me. Also, WTF am I gonna get him for fathers day now? (instinct today is to say nothing but I was actually planning on making him a thing) But like I said, I'm being fairly petty. Especially because i have a bigger reason to hate today; my uncle is dying. End stage liver failure is hell. Then when I come home from visiting my mourning family at his house, he's watching basketball, dishes, bottles, and breastpump equipment unwashed. He doesn't yet get that you can (nay, HAVE TO) multitask with a baby.
Meh, life's not a bitch, I am. I didn't want a perfect day, just one where I don't ... Meh.

I watched my grandma watching her child's dying breaths today. Fuck mothers day.

Thinking about Joining the National Guard

2011-05-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

This incident was before my time, and before the vast majority of new recruits for sure.

But.

It's still a concern. The National Guard should guard the nation. Protect the nation. That's not what happened.

Seven years before I was born, on today's date, members of the Ohio National Guard fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis.

Call it a shooting. Call it slaughter. Hell, call it a massacre.

Just consider what you might be responsible for before you join a military organization.

Sourdough starter update, and my first wool soaker

2011-04-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

Woo! My sourdough skills seem to be progressing. I've made two batches so far. The first two loaves, the first batch, were a bit underdone and dense. They baked for the minimum time. So the second batch I baked for 5 minutes more. These four loaves turned out much better. I split the second batch into two groups - unbleached white bread flour and regular whole wheat flour. I'm kind of bummed that I like the stuff that's not whole wheat the best. However, I'm hoping that each batch will get better and better as I figure out what I'm doing :D

Another project I JUST started is a crocheted wool soaker. I've casted on and started the first row. I'm making the standard size of CrochetCastle's Easiest Crochet Wool Soaker. (In case you're wondering wts a soaker is, check out this description. I needed something to work on at tonight's craft night at a local coffeeshop/bar. It's my first postnatal craft night!

On the mama side of things, Little Hopes is just about two months old and getting so long. She's got a light case of cradlecap. I might treat it so it's not visible for photos - I think we'll get them "professionally" done next month.

Sourdough starter

2011-04-09T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's been ages since I've made a yeasty bread. I'm excited to see how my sourdough starter works out. I just mixed it up, and need to feed it twice today, and then once a day for the next week.

Because feeding the baby every 1-4 hours hasn't been enough :D

Good Lorde

2011-02-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to Audre Lorde.

She's one of the reasons I managed to go from painfully shy to a handle-my-business fairly assertive adult. One of my favorite quotes: "When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." Thank you, Ms. Audre Lorde.

"I see protest as a genuine means of encouraging someone to feel the inconsistencies, the horror of the lives we are living. Social protest is saying that we do not have to live this way. If we feel deeply, and we encourage ourselves and others to feel deeply, we will find the germ of our answers to bring about change. Because once we recognize what it is we are feeling, once we recognize we can feel deeply, love deeply, can feel joy, then we will demand that all parts of our lives produce that kind of joy. And when they do not, we will ask, "Why don't they?" And it is the asking that will lead us inevitably toward change.

So the question of social protest and art is inseparable for me. I can't say it is an either-or proposition. Art for art's sake doesn't really exist for me. What I saw was wrong, and I had to speak up. I loved poetry, and I loved words. But what was beautiful had to serve the purpose of changing my life, or I would have died. If I cannot air this pain and alter it, I will surely die of it. That's the beginning of social protest.

"Audre Lorde." Black Women Writers at Work. Ed. Claudia Tate. NY: Continuum, 1983. 100-16.

Seen around Portland

2011-02-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

Ravelry

Little Bunny Crocheted Pattern

2011-02-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Year of the Rabbit, y'all.

I've made tons of stuffed animals over the year, both with patterns and without. I've never been good about writing down patterns so I can replicate what I've done until now.

Enjoy!

Year of the Rabbit Little Crochet Bunny

G hook
tapestry needle if desired
white Caron Simply Soft
small amount light purple fuzzy yarn like Paton's Divine
couple handfuls of stuffing

Head:
chain 2
row 1: 6 sc in first ch (6 sc)
(I use a modified "magic loop, use whatever method you like to make a pretty start)
row 2: 2sc in each sc around (12 sc)
row 3: (2 sc in next stitch, 1 sc in next st) repeat around - 18 st
row 4: (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 st) repeat around - 24 st
row 5: (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 3 st) repeat around - 30 st
row 6: (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 4 st) repeat around - 36 st
row 7-9: st around - 36 st
row 10: (sc next two stitches together, 1 sc in each of next 4) around - 30 st
row 11: (sc next two st together, 1 sc in each of next 3) around - 24 st
row 12: (sc next 2 st together, 1 sc in each of next 2) around - 18 st
Stuff for snugglability and character.
row 13: (Sc next 2 st together, 1 sc in each of next 1) around, 12 st
row 14: (sc next 2 st together) 6 st
break yarn leaving a long tail, weave through remaining stitches like a drawstring and close. Save tail for stitching head to body.

Body:
chain 2
row 1: 6 sc in first ch (6 sc)
row 2: 2sc in each sc around (12 sc)
row 3: (2 sc in next stitch, 1 sc in next st) repeat around - 18 st
row 4: (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 st) repeat around - 24 st
row 5: sc around
row 6: (2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 3 st) repeat around - 30 st
row 7-11: sc around.
row 12: (sc next two st together, 1 sc in each of next 3) around - 24 st
row 13: sc around - 24 st
row 14: (sc next 2 st together, 1 sc in each of next 2) around - 18 st
Stuff body.
row 15: (Sc next 2 st together, 1 sc in each of next 1) around, 12 st
row 16: (sc next 2 st together) 6 st
break yarn leaving a long tail, weave through remaining stitches like a drawstring and close.

The head is the fatter of the two balls. Stitch the head to the body, or the body to the head - whichever phrasing you prefer. I like stitching the two ends together, so that the magic loop beginnings are at the very top and very bottom of the figure.

On with the bunny's other bits:

Ears:
make two
ch 11
sc 10, ch 1, turn
sc 9 back, in last sc stitch 3 sc.
Continue around, stitching down other side of chain for 10 more sc.
Change to fuzzy yarn, ch 1, turn, 10 sc in each of next sc, 2 sc in next 2 stitches, 10 sc down other side
Break yarn.

Stitch ears on head in between rows 3 and 4. They will be a little unruly, likely, which I think adds to this little guy's personality. With the fluffy yarn, or a contrasting color like black, stitch a little nose and mouth. For eyes, for a little one, I recommend stitching them with yarn. You can also add buttons or felt eyes. Be careful with buttons as you don't want babies or toddlers to swallow them. Actually, swallowing might be ok - what you don't want is for them to choke on the buttons.

Ok. Almost done.

Legs
Make two.
Ch 2.
Row 1: sc 6 in first ch.
row 2: 2 sc in each stitch around (12).
row 3-8 sc around.
Break yarn.
If desired, stuff legs. Otherwise sew them on to bottom of body roughly between rows 1 and 3. You can, before you sew them, run the tail through the ending stitches and pull the drawstring tight, then stitch them on. This allows an increased movement. This is how I attach my arms with smaller stuffed creatures. I usually stitch each leg's top closed so that it's flat, and then stitch the leg to the body. Hopefully you can see what I mean from the pictures. I did not stuff the limbs of this particular rabbit.

Arms:
Make two.
Ch 2.
Row 1: sc 6 in first ch.
Row 2: (sc 2 in next st, sc 1 in next 2 st) repeat 'til end) - 8 stitches
Row 3-8: sc even.
Break yarn and attach as described in leg portion above.

Oh yeah, this pattern is for personal use only. Make all the gifts you want. Please link to this post and give me credit if you post pics online. And please don't try to sell the pattern. If someone wants a copy of the pattern, just give it to them.

Dear Contractions

2011-02-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

Please stop effing with me. Go big or go home.
Bring the 'Bel to me or go away.
It's hard to know if you're for reals.

thanks.

50 projects in 2011 update

2011-02-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

Craftster's 2011 thread

and my list

Things I've finished:

15. Plant snow peas / peas by end of Feb. (done)
13. Crochet that ______ for that ________ (Feb ravelry group project) (done)

16. Grow better peppers (started some Purple Beauty Bells) (started)

20. Wire wrap necklace project for me for Isobel's birth (done)

21. Make nursing pads (2 pairs done with this tutorial

23. Make burp cloths (6 done)

27. Blog at least four times a month. With one tutorial a month. (I think, other than the tutorial, I'm done)

31 Deliver a baby (NOT YET :/ ... but she's not due until Monday)

33 Make holder for tax receipts (bought, needs embellishing)

50. Make indoor herb garden for Bear. (started, bought pot with input from Bear, got new potting soil, and started two kinds of basil seeds)

51. Make bird seed wreaths with gelatin from recipe here (done)

Bird Seed Hearts and Stars

2011-02-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

I finally made bird seed wreaths, something I'd been wanting to try for ages. It's a widespread recipe / tutorial, available
here with a pretty pictorial version here.

They're cooling in the fridge as we speak. I can't wait to hang 'em up and see how they do.

50 projects in 2011

2011-02-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

FIFTY projects?

Crazy... But craftsters and others have been doing for years. A couple years at least. And some people do it without even trying. Not me. At least not until this year. Yeah, I know, it's February, but I figure I can start anyway. Better late than never. And I'm going to count some of the stuff I've already done.

Craftster's 2011 thread

Yarny:
1. Make fingerless gloves for Andy (DONE)
2. Make matching hats for me and Isobel (DONE)
3. Finish Isobel's Zodiac sleep sack
4. Finish Isobel's hooded sweater
5. 2nd pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
6. 3rd pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
7. 4th pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
8. 5th pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
9. 6th pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
10. 7th pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
11. 8th pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
12. 9th pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
13. 10th pair of fingerless gloves for 11 in 2011 Ravelry challenge
14. Become a better lace knitter AEB knitting a lacy shawl.

15. Plant snow peas / peas by end of Feb. (done)
17. Build a better chicken coop by end of summer.
13. Crochet that ______ for that ________ (Feb ravelry group project)
14. Make homemade lip balm
15. Make homemade diaper area balm
16. Grow better peppers
17. March project for ravelry group (at least one)
18. 30 dice bags
19. Costumes for Gen Con?
20. Wire wrap necklace project for me for Isobel's birth

21. Make nursing pads (2 pairs done with this tutorial
22. Make menstrual pads
23. Make burp cloths
24. Make me an A-line skirt for every season.
25. Embroider anniversary present for Bear.
26. Make baby leggings.
27. Blog at least four times a month. With one tutorial a month.
28. Jewelry projects - use up some stash and make pretty necklaces for Xmas gifts.
29. paint stairs
30. Design and execute garden tool organization

31 Deliver a baby
32 Stamp up birth announcements
33 Make holder for tax receipts
34 Knit socks
35 Infused olive oil (garlic and rosemary?)
36 Simple doll for Isobel (and nieces and nephews?)
37 Make fabric napkins.
38 Learn to can... "put up" harvest
39 Learn to pickle
40 Go strawberry picking and make freezer jam

41. Make 5 kinds of truffles.
42. Gardener gift sets for Xmas (3? 5?)
43. Citrus soaps
44. Crocheted/knitted toys for 5 nieces and nephews (animals?)
45. Craft gift sets for siblings? (woodworking? fimo-y clay? embroidery?)
46. Perpetual birthday calenders
47. Participate in craft fair (Gen Con counts!) or otherwise sell crafty stuffs.
48. Make lingerie and/or modify slips (at least two)
49. Make produce bags.
50. Make indoor herb garden for Bear.
51. Make bird seed wreaths with gelatin from recipe here (done)

21 days until the baby

2011-01-23T19:41:00.001-08:00

The baby's due soon. I may or may not post much in between now and then. I'm not sure when she's actually going to decide to be born, but she's due in three short weeks. So much to do in between now and then...

<3
steph

Yarny Books I'm Coveting

2011-01-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

Socks and all kinds of stuff with sock yarn!

Lots of beautiful sock patterns!

would balance out my crochet stitch pattern book.

2011 Projects

2011-01-12T20:25:00.001-08:00

Alright. Let's see how many of these I can do before my deadlines!

Before the baby is born:
draft dodger
Zodiac sleep sack, started.

Happy Times from the Mailbox: Territorial Seed Order

2011-01-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

*does happy dance*

I got my order in from Territorial today!

nasturtiums from seasons past

Soleil French Beans. They're yellow and have a pole habit.
Kentucky Wonders, pole beans
Quickie corn, an early sweet corn.
Napa Carrots. Mr. Hopes picked this one out.
McPick cucumbers. good for pickling and eating fresh. never pickled anything before, so we'll see how it goes...
Olympia Spinach.
Cube of Butter yellow summer squash.
Tomatoes: gold nugget cherry (decent in containers), legend (early), and silvery fir tree (early)
spicy globe basil
neon calendula
frutiy mix hollyhock
nasturtium: empress of india and black velvet
Sunflowers: sunseed and prado red

Now I just have to figure out how gardening and raising a baby are going to work. As long as they both stay healthier than these poor nasturtiums:

I don't think they got enough water, and they competed for space in the tiny toast compartment.

little heart, not so little

2011-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

So I stitched this knitted heart, and it came out much bigger than I imagined. The pattern initially was a bit intimidating actually, and I picked this project because it looked little and easy! Oh well. It's small and was initially mildly challenging for my knitting level.

Fortune Cookie Recipe

2011-01-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

These are great for just about any occasion.
You can make the fortunes, uh, fortuney, or subversive, or sweet, or informative, or random. You can use movie quotes, or poem excerpts, shared memories, whatever. I made some for a Friday the 13th party which happened around valentine's day, so it was a weird mashup of fortunes predicting horrible endings and nice valentine's sentiments.

This recipe only makes about a dozen. It's easy to whip up, so you can make more after you run out of batter. I haven't tried to double it, but it's worth a try.

You need nimble fingers and:

butter/shortening/parchment paper
5 tbsp butter, melted
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp almond extract
a bunch of clever fortunes written on 1/4 inch wide paper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease a baking sheet with the butter or shortening, or use parchment paper.

Combine egg whites and sugar, beat on medium speed for about half a minute. Add the flour about half at a time while mixing into smooth batter. Add melted butter, heavy cream, and almond extract. Beat until smooth and well mixed.

Spoon 1 tbsp batter onto the baking sheet, spread into a 5 inch circle. You can probably fit 2-3 cookies on one sheet.

Bake until golden, about 6-8 minutes. Get your nimble fingers ready.

Slide a spatula under first cookie, or peel off of parchment paper. Place fortune in the middle, and loosely fold cookie in half. Insert index fingers into the ends near the fold and gently bend ends together.

If you don't do the folding QUICKLY, you'll have to just eat the cookie and consider it practice. Bummer.

Repeat the baking and folding until you realize that you do need to make another batch or two, then start from the beginning.

It's fun to do this with another person, and you also have more hands to shape the cookies before they cool. However, if your co-cookie conspirator is like mine, you may end up with some cookies that look like taquitos. Tasty mistakes.

2011 Garden Planning: Day 7: Day of Rest, and Books to Read

2010-12-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the last day of my seven days of garden planning. If you haven't been reading, there are links to the other days at the end of this post.

My plan was to share links to gardening books, mostly to the website of my favorite bookstore, Powell's. However, I mentioned some gardening books here on Day 3.

I've been reading Forest Mage, by Robin Hobb. Now that it's finished, I'm back to Robert Jordan's epic series Wheel of Time. I'm on book six now, The Lord of Chaos. Somewhat slow moving, but addicting series. I'm also reading up on advanced cardiac life support because I'm planning on taking a class in the next few months. With the baby eating my brain, I need as much review as possible.

The greatest book ever for this region.
and I have my very own copy!

So I don't have much time to drool over garden books. However, there are some great ones out here. Carrots Love Tomatoes will give you a good working knowledge of companion Planting, but Jeff Gillman argues against some of the advice by Carrots Love Tomatoes author Louise Riotte in his book The Truth about Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why. I have both books in my library and try to balance some of the practices they advise. Which is true for all contradictory gardening books. :D I also have a few books on herbs and their uses, and have meant to get a square foot gardening book. Mel Bartholomew has a few out, and I've heard good things about his books. Then there is Gayla Trail's introductory book You Grow Girl: The Groundbreaking Guide to Gardening which I have, and Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces which I don't have. Yet. You Grow Girl is cheery and inspirational and great for beginners. I've glanced at Grow Great Grub but haven't gotten a chance to read it yet. Even if you're not a garden rookie, I recommend her books for sheer "you can do it" cheery attitude. Some books can be a bit overwhelming, especially the fancy garden planning ones.

A solid book for the Pacific Northwest is Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening. A much smaller, magazine sized book that I love and reference every year (and every month some years) is Maritime Northwest Garden Guide: Planning Calendar for Year-Round Organic Gardening

Any books that you love? Feel free to share below in the comments!

Seven Days of Spring Dreaming
Day 1: My Current Seed Collection
Day 2: Current Beds in the Garden
Day 3: 2011 Garden Planning: Resources
Day 4: Garden Bed Plans
Day 5: Seeds to Order
Day 6: When to start seeds
Day 7: Day of Rest, and Books to Read

2011 Garden Planning: Day 6: When to start seeds

2010-12-17T13:51:00.001-08:00

Pended :D

Um...

Obviously I'm behind on my posting schedule.

Thankfully, I've got a few months before I actually have to have all my plans semi-finalized :D

2011 Gardening Plans: Day 5: Seeds to Order

2010-12-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

Can you ever have too many seeds? Well, yeah, probably, but sometimes you need new ones :D

Being Considered...

From Territorial:
American Giant Sunflowers
Kong Sunflowers
Sunseed Sunflowers
Precocious Corn
Blue Lake Pole Beans
Kentucky Blue Pole Beans
Neon Calendula
Corn Salad for growing in pots this spring

Plus, I'm sure I'll pick up more.

2011 Garden Planning: Day 4: Garden Bed Plans

2010-12-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

So, I'm posting Day 4 a little late... It's been a little crazy here at the hybidhopes household.

I've got some items in my beds that won't be moving. Those are in regular font. I need to add some more plants, of course :D. Those will be in italics. Plus some beds need new nutrients, which will be in bold.

Front Yard
South Strip: green beans. Garlic, tulips. whatever green beans need
South of Walkway: borage, mustard greens. Sage, rosemary. need to test for nutrients, probably needs nitrogen
North of Walkway: Rosemary (BBQ and creeping), Blueberries X 2, Strawberries, bulbs with bell shaped flowers that are really annoying, chicken and hens, Dogwood. get rid of creeping rosemary, probably add another herb
South of Porch: Honeysuckle, St. John's Wort, Absinthe. decide about keeping stinky absinthe
Southwest Porch Bed: luffa, maybe another gourd also variegated thing, yew test the soil for nutrients
Northwest Porch Bed: spread out irises, add shallow rooted flowers Yew, Irises. needs tons of nutrients

Side Yard
Roses, azalea, echinachea, thyme (wooly, citrus or lemon, and another), corsican mint add thyme plants, more calendula, add maybe more echinachea, maybe add some ginger if it likes shade, maybe take out some roses, tons of sunflowers, maybe patch of corn more mulch

Back Yard
North Near House: Day lilies, rhubarb. add more rhubarb, move day lilies. add fence to keep chickens from bathing on the rhubarb until established, check nutrients and add as needed.
South Near House: roses X 2, aliums. Compost bin is currently here.
keep aliums, add flowersmove compost back to back of yard, SE corner
Raised Bed: corn!!!, and squash which may be a pumpkin variety, also pole beans, sad looking overwintering fava beans right now. test for nutrients, make sure corn will be happy.
Raised Bed in Lilac Zone: Columbine, heuchera. mulch, nutrients as needed
Under Lilacs: nothing. lilac runners. Dig out some runners, prune lilacs, add shade loving herbs
East Bed: zone of chicken destruction. Hazelnut, peonies, attempted dahlias. protect dahlias from chickens, move coop to ??? more dahlias, sunflowers, squash or maybe cukes
Bed South of Garage: lemon balm, lavender. test for nutrients and add as needed maybe add flowers
Mint Bed: spearmint, chocolate mint. phase out spearmint, maybe add flowers

2011 Garden Planning: Resources. Day 3

2010-12-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hey, guys! How are you enjoying my Antsy for Spring Gardening Week?

I wanted to make a good reference post for gardening resources. There are two basic resources that I think we need: information and places to order from.

I'll begin with great sites with a bunch of information for you. Because I live in the Pacific Northwest, I listed some sites with a focus on the PNW and Portland. Then we'll move on to the drool-worthy seedhouses and more!

General Sites:
Yougrowgirl. She started with container gardening and went from there. Her print books are fun reads with some good basic information too.
Mother Earth News, it's a magazine, it's a web site, it's amazing. Extensive information on gardening and other ways to live lightly on the earth.
Farmer's Almanac Gardening Calendar gives you a great idea of what to plant when.
Better Homes and Gardens has a downloadable garden calendar that you can customize for your area by plugging in a date or two.
Don't feel like typing in your last frost date? Oregon State University has a comprehensive list of gardening calenders in most regions. Check it out here That's how I found an Idaho specific one that might interest one or two of my readers. (Ohai! I see you there!)
The increasingly popular Square Foot Gardening, a great way to plan out your garden to maximum production.
Lasagna Gardening is a nice way to save your back. That google search should give you a good start. I recommend the motherearth link. I also have a special place in my heart for the thriftyfun folks too.
Hopefully, those few links are enough to get you started!

Gardening in the Pacific Northwest:
What to plant now, thanks to Mother Earth Magazine. Unfortunately, they don't have anything up for the month of December, but you can gaze longingly at March!
OSU has tips for the whole year. In December, the focus is on maintenance, protection, and clean-up. They mention nothing about dreaming and wishing and hoping...

And now, what you've all been waiting for...

Seed and Plant Sources:
Territorial Seeds
Seed Savers' Exchage
Baker Creek Rare Seeds
Sandhill Preservation Seeds has, among other things, a good variety of hard to find sunflowers. They also have heirloom poultry! I wish I lived in the country sometimes. I'd be able to order chickens from places with 25 chick minimum orders.
Heronswood Plants. They have some beautiful poppies. Kind of expensive.
Hope Seeds, a Canadian source, although I don't think I've had any visitors from Canada in a while.
The employee owned Johnny's Seeds is based on the east coast, but has plenty to offer no matter where your garden is.

May your dreams be big and your garden be fruitful!

Seven Days of Spring Dreaming
Day 1: My Current Seed Collection
Day 2: Current Beds in the Garden
Day 3: 2011 Garden Planning: Resources
Day 4: Garden Bed Plans
Day 5: Seeds to Order
Day 6: When to start seeds
Day 7: Day of Rest, and Books to Read

2011 Garden Planning: A List of the Garden Beds

2010-12-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

I'm getting antsy for spring, which is bad because it's only December. However, maybe you're here reading because you are antsy too. Hopefully my plans can help you.

Today, I'm making a list of my beds. Want to join me? Feel free to start today with a list of your own beds, here or on your own blog. You can also start with listing your seeds, which I did here on hybridhopes yesterday.

For ease, I've split them into front and back yard. Also, I've listed things I've grown in the last year in italics, as well as plants and bulbs that are still there. I don't know if I can remember three years back, which would be ideal. You gotta start somewhere though, right?

Front Yard
South Strip: peas. Garlic, tulips
South of Walkway: borage, lettuce, tomatoes, onions. Sage, rosemary.
North of Walkway: Rosemary (BBQ and creeping), Blueberries X 2, Strawberries, bulbs with bell shaped flowers that are really annoying, chicken and hens, Dogwood
South of Porch: Honeysuckle, St. John's Wort, Absinthe
Southwest Porch Bed: tomato, pole beans variegated thing, yew
Northwest Porch Bed: sad onions Yew, Irises.

Side Yard
Roses, azalea, thyme (wooly, citrus or lemon, and another), corsican mint

Back Yard
North Near House: Day lilies, rhubarb.
South Near House: roses X 2, aliums. Compost bin is currently here.
Raised Bed: tomatoes, sad looking overwintering fava beans.
Raised Bed in Lilac Zone: Columbine, heuchera.
Under Lilacs: nothing. lilac runners.
East Bed: zone of chicken destruction. Hazelnut, peonies, attempted dahlias.
Bed South of Garage: lemon balm, lavender, sad beans, sad zucchini
Mint Bed: spearmint, chocolate mint.

2011 Garden Planning: Current Seeds

2010-12-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome to I'm getting antsy for spring already Garden Planning Week.
I'm taking inventory before I go crazy with seed catalogs. It's probably the most logical thing to do first. Then I can plan what will grow where, what seeds to give away, and what seeds I should order or buy locally.

Here's a loosely organized list:

Fruits and fruit like things
Climbing bean and bean-esque things:

Bean - Asparagus - Liana Yard Long. vigna sesquipedalis. 2004
Peas: Oregon Sugar Pod II Snow Pea. Pisum sativum 2010
Peas: Cascadia Snap Pea. Pisum sativum 2010
Peas: Schwizer Riesen Snow Pea. Pisum sativum 2010

Nightshades, heatlovers and tender things:

Peppers: purple beauty sweet. 2008.
Tomatoes: Yellow Boy. collected from my garden 2010. mediocre plant.
Tomatoes: Beaverlodge Slicer Ultra Early. 2008.
Okra, gifted to me in 2010

Squash and gourds etc

Squash: golden zucchini: Curubita pepo 2010
Squash: Fordhook Zucchini, gifted to me 2010
Gourd: Lofty Luffa 2009

Leaf and leaf-like things
Lettuce

lettuce, seeds saved from my garden 2010
Winter Density Romaine. 2009.
Lettuce: Merveille de Quatre Saisons 2009
Lettuce: Slobolt 2010

Brassicas:

Broccoli: Purple Sprouting Brassica oleracea. 2009
Mustard greens: Southern Giant Curled. Brassica juncia 2008

Roots and root like things Aliums etc

Onion: flat of Italy: Allium cepa 2010
Leek: Blue Solaize 2009
Chives: garlic: allium tuberosum. 2008
Onion: Talon Hybrid storage onion. Allium cepa. 2009

Carrots:

Carrot: Dragon 2009
Carrot: Purple Haze Hybrid 2008
Carrot: Merida Hybrid 2009

Herbs, annual and perennial

Lovage: levisticum officinale. 2008.
Coriander: Santo. Coriandrum sativum 2008
Coriander: Slow Bolting. Coriandrum sativum. 2010.
Basil: Lettuce Leaf 2009
Lavender: gifted to me in 2010
Hyssop: Hyssopus officinalis. 2008

Flowers

Chinese lanterns, orange, harvested from neighborhood walk in 2009
Purple poppies: Papaver somniferum. Gifted to me in 2007
Poppy: Himalayan Blue Poppy 2010
Calendula: gathered from my garden 2010. mostly mid orange shades.
Columbine: pink and purple, gathered from my garden 2010. Aquilegia. 3 packs!
Tobacco: Night-Scented. Nicotiana sylvestris. 2009
Sunflower: Mongolian Giant. Helianthus annuus. 2009

Other

Artichoke: Green Globe Improved AND Purple of Romagna 2011

Wintermade Crocheted Animals: Don't look if you're my niece!

2010-12-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

The small bear pattern is from Crochet Today! May/June 2008 and is CRAZY fast to stitch up. I made it with stitched eyes to make it totally safe for our first baby that we're expecting in February.

The owl pattern is the Cutest Little Owl pattern from Crochet Today! Sept/Oct 2007. It wasn't as small as the name implied, but it was cute. Totally should've used a smaller hook, you can kind of see the stuffing peek through a little.

The bears are also from a magazine pattern, can't remember which one off the top of my head. I changed the legs a bit, otherwise they're the same pattern and same hook: the size difference is just because one yarn is a bit thicker, although they're technically both worsted weight :D The blue bear is for one of my nieces.

Powells Books, a Deal for Cyber Monday

2010-11-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

I looooove Powells Books. And they periodically have interweb discounts. And one of them happens to be today.

You can get 16% off your entire order.
http://www.powells.com has more details, but you have to have the code, which is save16. That plus other sales they're having = win!

Quick Link: How to Make a Potluck Dish Cozy (from a felted sweater)

2010-11-27T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hey! What a great idea!

Cruise on over to craftypod.com for details!
On CRAFT: How to Make a Potluck Dish Cozy (from a felted sweater)

Upcycle of the day

2010-11-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

A great way to use empty laundry bottles!

from craft magazine

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2010-11-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've read any of J.K. Rowling's books. So I forgot most of the minor plot details in the last Harry Potter book. It's probably better that way, the whole book VS movie issue.

Watching the movie Friday night reminded me of the book my sister gave me a few years ago, Charmed Knits. It's a cute book, but I still have only made the hat from that post three years ago.

Three years ago! That's a long time in blogging years.

Ok, back to the book. There are THOUSANDS of projects from the book on ravelry.

There are 128 versions of the elf tea cozy hat alone.

Here's my version from 2007, in case you didn't go back in time to look:

Giveaway, and cloth diaper making

2010-11-20T13:28:00.000-08:00

There are so many options in cloth diapering alone to make an expecting parent's head explode.

Basically, PUL and FOE are your friends if you're making your own. PUL is another topic for another day, but FOE is fold over elastic. Very useful for the stretchy curves that certain styles cloth diapers require.

Thankfully there are a lot of resources, including a giveaway that ends today. Fifty bucks to FOE Your Diaper Go to Sew Can do for details.

Thanksgiving Day Meal Planning

2010-11-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Nevermind that Thanksgiving is a reminder of a terrible time, of the beginning of terrible treatment of Native Americans.

I love food.
And I love family.

So we're going to feast. And treat each other much better than the europeans treated their hosts. I hope, especially since I'm hosting.

Here're the recipes I'll be using.

The main star, the turkey: Roast Turkey with Herb Butter, thanks to Martha Stewart.

Stuffing: recipe pending. Awaiting response to request sent to my Nana.

Salad: basic tossed salad with red leaf lettuce, tomatoes.

Twice Baked Potatoes: never the same way twice.
This feast will involve: 10 or so largish scrubbed potatoes, 1 lb cooked and chopped bacon, 1-3 homegrown chopped onion tops and bottoms (they didn't bulb up much), about 1 pint of sour cream, 1/2 a cup of butter, and maybe two cups of shredded cheddar cheese. The potatoes get cooked for about 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Then they cool. Then they're cut in half, their insides are scooped out and placed in a large bowl, then all the other stuff is mixed in and gently blended. Then the mixture is gently spooned back into the potato shells and topped with the shredded cheddar. Then, you relax because you're making these the day before or the day before the day before. Then on The Big Day of The Turkey, bring to room temp (or bake a bit longer), then cook in a 375 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Cranberry Sauce: from the infamous Martha Stewart

Some kind of green vegetable: compliments of my brother.

Bread rolls: also compliments of my brother.

Hot Apple Cider: (apple juice, 2-3 cinnamon sticks, a couple cloves, maybe a few peeled apple slices, a bit of ginger) heated in a crock pot. Will leave out the whiskey/bourbon spike this year.

Pies: lovingly handmade by my cousin.

Pumpkin Roll: recipe also available inside label of Libby's canned pumpkin. But I'll be using my own baked and pureed pumpkin for the recipe. Next year, I'll even have grown the pumpkin in the garden!

This is a pretty handy page with calculators to help you figure out how many pounds of turkey you need and how long to cook what you end up with. Thank you, Butterball! (Although I must advocate for happy free range birds, which is not Butterball).

Links for the day

2010-11-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

I'm really appreciative of this amazing Peacock Jacket that craftster user jenfullmoon made for the latest craftster challenge. Both the time she put in (although she seems to mostly knit those time consuming, yarn consuming, amazing pieces that overwhelm my crafting attention span), and the thought she put into the project - super dope.

Also, I'm making these:
Pork Chops
and
a made up cream cheese ball recipe, kind of like this, minus the gross meat.

Speaking of gross, that pork chop recipe calls for canned condensed cream of mushroom soup. Both Campbells and Fred Meyer's cream of mushroom soup have soybean oil. (Although Freddy's ingredient list includes the more vague and paraphrased "may contain corn, soybean, or some other kind of oil" which is more ewwwrific). So my beef with soybean oil is that it's from soybeans. Let me explain. I love soybeans and soybean products, and I love soybean farmers. I do NOT love that soybeans and corn are two of the most likely crops to be genetically modified. I've seen numbers from 70-91% of soybeans planted in the US are GMOs. Freaky. Why is that a big deal? Well, the GMO soybean has negative effects on your fetus, negative effects on your liver, negative effects on the environment (both in spreading their genes to nearby farms and in increasing needs for more and more weed killers). Still, I didn't have time to make homemade cream of mushroom soup. So I bought the bad soup knowing I'm going to feed this crap to my fetus. I figure once in a blue moon, maybe, hopefully, it'll be okay.

By the way, I resubscribed to Craftypod on ITunes. It's a good way to show the love for an awesome crafter and craft supporter, boost the ratings a bit more. I've been occasionally going to her blog and listening in, and I realize I've missed several podcasts that way. Want to join me in subscribing? Just search "craftypod" on itunes, or check out the blog and listen from there.

Quick Monday Post

2010-10-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

mmmmmmm

I just thinned out a pot full of carrots. Nothing's as delicious as homegrown food, and these carrots are the best carrots I've grown so far.

Never mind that they're 1/2 an inch to 2 inches and pencil thin!

They're beautiful too. Yes. Carrots. Beautiful.

I just can't remember if they're Purple Haze or Dragon carrots. They are purple, orange centered, and sweet, but that describes both. Maybe as the ones left in the planter get bigger I'll be able to identify their variety. Or maybe it doesn't matter.

Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Also, glued felt on the bottom of my sewing desk in preparation for it going into the library/craft room. The floor is gorgeous, thanks to my brother's refinishing skills, and I want to keep the old fir in great scratch free condition.

Peace out!
steph

Totally growing gourds next year.

2010-10-19T00:26:00.000-07:00

Gourds! Gourds! and more GOURDS!! a tutorial - HOME SWEET HOME Thank you, craftster user Beaker!

Easy Massage Bar

2010-10-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Only 3 ingredients!

Place 1 Tbsp coconut oil and 1.5 cups cocoa butter in a double boiler. Heat on low and stir until melty. Remove from heat, gently mix about 5 drops of essential oils in. Pour the mixture into your mold. You can use soap molds or a clean flexible container. If you use a larger container, slice to desired size. Wrap in pretty paper or plastic wrap closed with a cute sticker.

Your body heat (or the heat of the lucky recipient) will melt the oils when you use the bar.

10 uses for plastic bags

2010-10-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

1. Fuse them into a thicker plastic, and make bags and other items out of them. Tons of folks have made some really neat things out of this material. Mostly bags, but I've seen raincoats, bibs and hats too. Top of the google link to etsy's tutorial: right here.

2. Cut them into yarn. This has been going on for ages, long before 2007 when this link was posted. Still, that's a great, easy visual tutorial for ya. Then, pretty much anything you can do with yarn, you can do with plastic bag yarn. (Some folks call it plarn, but that just makes my ears want to bleed a little).

3. Use 'em to pad your fragile gifts in the mail. This especially works with produce bags and the bags that newspapers are delivered in on wet days; gently blow the bag up like a makeshift balloon, tie the end, and put it in with your item. I don't think you need a link for this one really.

4. Use 'em for pet cleanup. As in poo. It cracks me up that people buy plastic bags specifically for this purpose. I don't think you need a link for this one either. If you do, you probably shouldn't have pets anyway. :D

Okay, so it's four uses. But it's four uses I've done in the past, they're four uses that are pretty easy, and uh... you should try them too.

Baby news and afkish

2010-09-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hey dudes. It's been difficult posting on my little iPod touch with the little sceen and little keyboard and noneasy linking. The mister and I have been staying at a friend's home. The mister's pm his laptop and I'm typing on a two by one inch keyboard. Oh well.

So
updates ....

Tomorrow is the first day of possibly the last cthulu fest ever. Were going Friday only... Opening night is the dopest, and I love the short films so that's where you'll find us. It's not a bad idea, we've found in the last years, to go a few hours early to drink drinks at a local hollywood district eatery. Because of the little one growing in my uterus, I won't be partaking of alcohol this year, but will eat lots of yummy food. And well be early wnogj to get a goodie bag if their doing them this year. was last year the year they gave us nyarlotep chocolate? YUM

so onto other news... The bean/seed/fetus is a girl. Were having a baby girl!!!! For the record, we'd be excited if it was aboy rtoo and would have an equl number of exclamation points. I'm excited to meet her. She's been moving around but not externally visible yet.

New Site I Love!!

2010-09-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Howtoons.com

DIY instructions in comic book format! GENIUS!

Natural Dyestuffs that Don't Need a Mordant

2010-09-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Firstly, wts is a mordant? It's a powder, liquid, whatever, that helps the dye stick to whatever you're attempting to dye. Most natural fibers need something to help the dye stick. But some natural dyes don't need a mordant, so you can skip that step.

These dyestuffs can work well on their lonesome:
* walnut hulls and some seaweed turn something blackish (dark brownish and dark greenish)
* coffee grounds and avocado skins can give you a brown
* Red beets and saffron, if you want to waste your saffron on dye, can give you reds.
* Tumeric can give you nice yellow
* Blackberries can give you a blue color.

You can mix and match, get a purple hue with a detroit red beets and blackberry combo. Chop your stuff up, put it in a large pot, cover it with several inches of water. Soak the walnut hulls and avocado skins overnight. Anything more solid or tough than herbs, boil for about an hour. Herbs take about half that time.

After boiling, strain the solids out of your dyebath. Let it cool. Add just enough water so your fabric or yarn can move around freely. Boil the dye and your fabric or yarn for about an hour. Rinse, and carefully dry, and continue crafting.

Sometime in the future, I'm gonna test hopi red dye amaranth and see if we can do it sans mordant.

Magazines

2010-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

I've subscribed or bought regularly a handful of magazines over the years. Maybe two handfuls. Craft Magazine, Bust, Bitch, Mother Earth, URB, knit1, Jane, Marie Claire, ReadyMade. Some of 'em I've followed in and out of love with. I'm pretty sure Jane is out of print now.

Sometimes there're ridiculous tutorials: making a tiny herb dryer out of a short list of six items? Taking up valuable window space? Even in a tiny apartment, there are better, efficienter ways. (It's a word now). Tie a string around the stem of the herb, put it somewhere dark, and wait a couple of days/weeks.

*shakes head*

Oh well. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Anyway, do you guys have any magazines you really like? Especially parenting magazines. I'd like something with up to date studies, crafty projects you can do with your kids (of all ages, but now I especially need younger kid projects), and easy on the ads and the "buy this cool stuff" articles. M'aidez!

Delusions of Gender

2010-09-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

If you're a Bitch magazine reader, you may have already seen the latest issue. The one with the unicorn on the cover. Beyond the unicorn is a book review of Cordelia Fine's Delusion of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference. I want to read it. It's been added to my very long list of things to read sooner rather than later. From the review by Erica Lies:

Fine examines recent studies in developmental psychology... and neuroscience that have given scientific credence to the gender gap, and reveals many a methodologically flawed study. Fine demonstrates ... both women and men's test performances are vulnerable to the effects of self perception. (Subjects told that men are better at math bore at that self-fulfilling prophecy on tests, while those not subjected to stereotyped attitudes about gender beforehand showed no great difference in score). ... By statistical chance, 5 percent of studies will show strong gender differences. And guess what happens to those chance findings? They're published, and thus reiterate the same tired stereotypes about women, while the other 95 percent of studies that find no significant differences are tucked away because they don't generate sensationalist headlines."

Intrigued? Get the latest issue of Bitch, subscribe even. And pick up a copy of Delusions of Gender at your local indy bookstore. Pick up two copies, and send me one :D

An Oldie but A Goodie

2010-09-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

The Counterfeit Crochet Project.

Have I told you how much I hate status bags? And how much I love crafting? So imagine how excited I was to see this site a couple years ago.

happy birthday to me

2010-09-08T05:06:00.000-07:00

favored comic

Red Hot Hearts

2010-09-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

I got a free gallon sized bag of plaster of paris last summer. The stuff's pretty cheap anyway, but free's even better. I found the bag again when I was clearing out the craft room (we're redoing the floors, more on that later). I can't keep keeping stuff around and not using it!

Because plaster of paris is fairly porous, I figured it would hold a scent fairly well.

Red Hot Hearts: a Scented Gift

Gather your supplies:
heart mold (I used a candy mold, make sure you only use it for nonfood use after this)
1/2 cup plaster of paris
1/2 cup water
plastic cup (also don't use this for food in the future)
plastic spoon
paintbrushes
red paint (I used Plaid's Outdoor/Indoor Gloss Acrylic Enamel)
sealant (I used FolkArt Outdoor Gloss Sealer)
clove essential oil (you can totally use another scent, but they'll smell less like redhots. I suppose cinnamon would have been more appropriate).
perfume oil (I used Gluttony by Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab)
Ribbon (I used cream stretch lace seam binding and a green 1/8th inch satin ribbon)
Aleene's Tacky Glue

Due Date: Feb 18th

2010-08-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

Did I mention I'm pregnant? Just about 14 weeks. I've got a long way to go, but hopefully the majority of the nausea is behind me. We won't know the gender for maybe about a month. And yes, we will share with everyone once we know. We don't really care, but we know we'll be pestered. Just don't start knitting a bunch of pink frilly stuff if we tell you it's a girl.

Coded Language

2010-08-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

song

long time no post

2010-07-08T17:03:00.001-07:00

There's a few changes in the 'hood that I can't post about now, yet.

But I think we're going to get a new computer.

And with new computers come new responsibility. I've got all these things that I've made, cool things that don't quite fit the people I know and love. And I've been meaning to sell them. Which requires letting people know that they're for sale.

The trouble with brick and mortar, or anyone other than a sell-your-own-stuff website, is everything I make is a bit one of a kind. Which would work at a place like The Village Merchants, an awesome store on SE Division here in Portland. But I'm thinking about reventuring online.

Etsy, I donno. So so so overloaded with sellers. But lov-li, how many people look at it or other venues? I donno. Also, I'm not really into spending crazy amounts of time online to hype my products. Also, I'm not that into "hype." or "products."

So maybe I just talked myself out of it. Maybe craft fairs are the way to go. But every booth I've seen at recent craft fairs have rows and rows of similar stuff, and I get bored making the same thing too many times in a row. I cannot make 300 wallets without going insane.

Meh. Maybe I'll figure something out. Meanwhile, I'm done distracting myself from cleaning my craft room.

See you soon, internets!

Stuffed Owl Plushie Prototype

2010-06-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

So I finished this May 3rd, but can't post it until now because I was in a bird swap and I didn't want to give anything away! I made more, if you know me irl, just pretend you didn't see this post when your birthday rolls around!

Seattle

2010-06-12T00:31:00.000-07:00

I'm in it!

diy laundry soap

2010-06-11T00:20:00.000-07:00

One of the projects I've been thinking about doing for ages: making laundry soap.

I'm irritated that such a little container is so expensive. Especially the "environmentally friendly" ones. Buying container after container can't be good for the environment. All that plastic? Bleh.

So I finally did it. It's really quick and easy, except the part where you let it set up overnight.

I followed this recipe from thefamilyhomestead. SUPER EASY. You grate 1/3 a bar of Fels Naptha soap, put it and ½ cup washing soda and ½ cup borax powder in a large pot with 6 cups of water and melt/mix over lowish heat. Then you put 4 cups of just shy of boiling water in a big plastic bucket. I used the kind that cat litter's sold in, cleaned out thoroughly of course. You add your well mixed melty soap water in the bucket. Then mix it some more. Then add 1 gallon (I used a rinsed out 2L pepsi bottle that is going to become a cloche for some delicate plant) plus 6 cups of water, mix one last time. I shook about 5 drops of sweet orange, 5 drops of lemongrass, and 5 drops of lemon essential oils into the mix too. Let the whole thing sit 24 hours to gel up. It does look pretty gelled up within an hour or two.

That's where I'm at in the process. It's been a couple hours.

I'll try actually using it when we get back from vacation. I guess you use about a cup of it. I'm not sure how the gel will get along with my front loader. I think I'll have to put the soap in the ... soap thingie... then chase it with some warm water. If it works, I'll totally make more because IT WAS WAAAAY EASIER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. and way less smelly. I'd read that Fels Naptha was kinda smelly but I didn't find it a problem.

look what i made

2010-06-09T21:59:00.001-07:00

It's a pic that my Birds Birds Birds swap partner took.

You likey?

An army of rainbow birds.

So cute, right?!?!

Pattern from here! Thank you, Bittersweetblog!!!

Super easy. You should make 'em too!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day: Thanks to folks who went to fight people who were fighting for their own freedom, only to come back and not be able to talk about what went on "over there." Thanks to those who join the military for college money and manage to get to college and not die or change your hopes of going to college in the interim. Thanks to those who joined, got pregnant, and got out before anything terribly traumatic could happen. Thanks to those who joined and have to deal with the biggest fight being sexism or homophobia.

I wish our military was used as a tool to spread freedom. Of the people. But it's used to help free up income that multimillion dollar corporations could be making. It's used to block obstacles like union employees in south america. Coca Cola in Columbia. Dole/United Fruit Company received US military support in Guatamala. And of course, oil, oil, and more oil.

and you know this.

I usually keep these opinions to myself; I had family in the military and HAVE family in the military.

I also am getting spammed ad nauseum with "I'm proud of my soldier," "I'm thankful for those who died gave up their lives for total strangers and for generations to come." Except the strangers are corporations, and generations=profits. I need some truth to balance the willing blindness, to counter the lies.

So, thank you for any intentions that you have or had that were good. Please don't die, and please protect things in a way that protects things.

So tired

2010-05-25T01:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a long work week, nevermind that it was two days short.
Energy drained. Patients have things I can't fix. can't fix. :/

And I have a quick class (3hours) in the morning.

Would love to sleep in. Can't.

Also, I'm on puppy duty tonight. Woo.

Interesting seeing how much traffic is generated by google searches of union stuff.

Listening to NPR, listened rather to NPR on way to work... Friday, must've been Science Friday, talking about social media (I hate that phrase) like f.b. and how circles are smashed together outside their normal context. they phrased it so well, the weirdness of having grandmother on same info wavelength as my coworkers and friends of all sorts. and never the twain shall meet. or whatever. can't drop g*d bombs around my grandma. or delve as much into politics as I'd like with coworkers on that stream. meh! bah! goodnight!

p.s. may change blog format entirely. who cares, right? maybe will actually make print zine. computers = elitist? tired. of a lot.

Union Nurses

2010-05-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to see people get involved in the union. So much passion from so many nurses and health care professionals with so many diverse backgrounds.

<3standing up for safe staffing and decent benefits!Thank you OFNHP!Don't forget to vote!I'm voting for and endorsing these guys:

Linda Rohman, RN, OFNHP RN Contract Specialist, Mt. Scott Internal Medicine Advice Nurse for Executive President

Elex Tenney, MSW, Medical Social Worker, Primary Care Adult Medicine,
East Interstate for Executive Vice President

Samantha Owens, RN Cardiovascular Unit, KSMC for Executive Secretary

Meg McGowan-Tuttle, RN, Oncology Med/Surg at KSMC for Treasurer

Kathy Schmidt, RN, Critical Care Float, KSMC for Leadership Development

Guy Marx, RN Regional Call Center Advice Nurse for Vice President, External Organizing

Nancy Amstad-Hite (Devore), RN, Kaiser Home Health for Continuing Care Services
for VP of Publications

Mike Savage, Dental Lab Specialist, North Interstate for Health & Safety

Melissa Pond, RN, Chronic Conditions Case Manager for Legislative/COPE

Traci D'Andrea, RN, Chronic Conditions Case Management & Staff RN PACU, KSMC
for Retirees

Dawnette McCloud, RN Staff Nurse PACU KSMC
for President RN, Bargaining Unit

Nancy Mulsoff, RN, Advice Nurse, Regional Call Center
for Vice President RN, Bargaining Unit

Christy Grove, RPSGT, Sleep Lab
for President Tech, Bargaining Unit

Amanda Hill, ABOC Dispensing Optician - Beaverton
for Vice President Tech, Bargaining Unit

Sharon Peabody-Brown, RDH, Dental Hygienist, Grand Dental Office
for President, Dental Bargaining Unit

Allison Burgett, RDH, Dental Hygienist - Beaverton
for Vice President, Dental Bargaining Unit

Michelle Flores, Medical Laboratory Scientist, KSMC
for President, Lab Pro Bargaining Unit

Let's give Andy McCulloch pause. Whatever the election results, we are united for each other, for our sister unions, and most importantly, for our patients. We will keep Kaiser afloat, we will continue to be the best providers of care, and we will not accept anything less than an excellent contract that members appreciate.

and now a shout out to my nurses: OFNHP nurses! time to vote for your union's E-Board!

2010-05-11T17:06:00.001-07:00

Sent this as a pm on social networking sites (yeah, I used that phrase). What kinda blogger/unionist would I be if I didn't share it here? Share wide and far!

Hey, by now you should have received your ballot for our Executive Board. If you're like me, you've gotten a few items in the mail as well, advertising two different groups of candidates. For past votes, I've voted upon name recognition (not an ideal way to vote!), I've voted for people I know personally who have earned my respect, and I've voted for people that people I respect recommend. I hope that you vote. I really believe in the power of the people in general, and I really believe that voting is essential to a good government both of our nation and our union.

So please vote.

Specifically, I would like you to vote for the collective with Linda Rohman running for Executive President. Kathy Schmidt, our executive president before Kathy Gereaux, screened all these folks, and they all have agreed that an emphasis on transparency, improved communication, and democracy is necessary. They are focused on an inclusive, MEMBER-DRIVEN union standing for the values and goals of all our members.

They have a website here: http://www.membersfirst5017.org/
Please look it over, read the brief bios, and see if you agree with me that these are truly the best candidates.

I wholeheartedly endorse Meg Tuttle, Samantha Owens, Kathy Schmidt, and Dawnette McCloud. I've met them and respect them as people who will stand for us and help us stand united and strong during this difficult bargaining period.

"If you do not receive a ballot, or lose or destroy your ballot, you may request a duplicate by contacting the Election Committee, care of Jessica Humphrey, at 503-657-9974 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 503-657-9974 end_of_the_skype_highlighting."

Thank you guys very much. This is REALLY important.

See you maybe on Wednesday at the OFNHP member meeting! I'll be there, perhaps with out of town visitors in tow! http://ofnhp.org/

Reason to Rant

2010-05-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Seriously, internet citizens, my readers are good readers. I know you would never cut and paste an entire blog post. It's kinda stealing. But one of the blogs I read on a regular basis had that happen to her. A controversial post that, out of context, people get douchebaggy over.

Here's the post about the theft.

It's basic etiquette, plus, why be lazy and cut and paste an entire thing? Link to their blog, pull out a quote, talk about how you feel it's valid or not valid, and don't be a thief, especially if you're a douchebag. I'm looking at you, particular livejournal "community" of those-who-don't-get-it.

Red Journal: All She Wrote: Shameless Sell Promotion

2010-05-03T20:12:00.001-07:00

For someone my age who grew up on reruns of MASH and Murder She Wrote, "All she wrote" is close enough to the aforementioned TV drama that the phrase will always remind me of Angela Lansbury. Hurray for nosy old ladies who save the day!

Thank you, Ms. Lansbury!

Unlined, 160 pages of acid free freedom. Want to draw? Go ahead. Write? Do it. Want to gaze at the blank pages and imagine possiblities? Enjoy. It's a great size to throw in your backpack!

It's $15 including domestic first class shipping in the US only. International buyers contact me and arrangements can be made. If you're interested, leave me a comment and I'll get back to ya! As always, crafty trades are welcome! If I've left out any details that you're curious on, lemme know! <3

I might get back on etsy. I've had more luck in real life, personally. Testing the waters and seeing what happens! Will post more Hybridhopes stuff for sale as well as add more tutorials and tell ya'll what I'm up to more often! Especially now that I'm back in town.

Chicken Embroidery

2010-05-03T00:44:00.000-07:00

Why, thank you, those chickens do bear a striking resemblance to Matilda, the most beautiful bird in the world.

I can't sit through a plane ride without an activity bag of things to do. I need a book, a bullshit magazine that I can doodle in (can be the free ones in the seat pocket) and rewrite the ads for, and a craft project or two.

This time, I chose embroidery.

I stitched me and the mister a kitchen towel.

It's stitched with 2010 also. I think I might make us a new one each year.

I bought the pattern from Collage on Woodstock not too long before we left. I can't remember the company name, but it was one I hadn't heard of before, and based in Portland. It's the kind with carbon paper rather than iron on. I'll update ya'll once I find the package, or if you recognize the pattern, by all means, leave it in the comments!

Thanks guys! <3

Portlanders: Things I have for trade

2010-05-02T18:03:00.001-07:00

I have for trade (or for money if you want):

Tomato plants in gallon and 4" pots, Caro Rich, $2 each

Spearmint plants in same sizes $2 each

Embroidery floss, assorted, cotton, a checkbook box full, $2-5 bucks

Camera: Canon Rebel K2 EO5 with 28-80 lens, camera case, tripod, a few rolls of film b&W and 400 speed color (maybe 800 too, I think, somewhere). Does have a scratch on one of the interior mirrors. ($100)

Would like:
Plants: lavender, artichoke, sunflowers, calendula, echinacha, wild ginger,

Craft stuff: I'm pretty full up, but if you have something awesome and really want something I have, I'm cool with trading.

Supplies for painting outdoor trim.

Cement (making a bird bath and garden bench)

Who wants to buy me this fabric for my birthday?

2010-05-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Please? Ghostly Paisley Fabric Fat Quarter!

Crafty Wonderland Spring 2010 is AWESOME

2010-05-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

You know it, you love it, you cannot live without it.
And if you are one of the first 200 in line tomorrow, you will get a goodie bag.

Crafty Wonderland is happening one more day this go 'round, and you need to go.

Seriously, if all the amazing booths hawking aprons and soaps and beautiful art weren't enough, you have Hello Craft and the DIY Lounge and others hooking you up with the stuff you need to make pins and vintage mothers' day cards and all kinds of stuff.

Plus, today, I was one of the first 200 in so I got a dope goodie bag.

TWO soaps, one from AndersonSoapCompany.com (Kumquat, smells amazing and I want to eat it), the other is Road Trip Soap by Seattle Sundries (smells GREAT).

One little chocolate. If you need favors for a party, check out Neapolitan Printing and Chocolate (www.pinkwhitebrown.com). These are delicious and neat!

Timoradolores.etsy.com gave little paper heart tags.

Pins from www.Badgebomb.com, www.presentsofmind.tv, www.hooptomyloo.com, Ciao Birdy Designs, and www.jennyhotrod.com, and a special one made from a poker chip by Christy Yeomans Designs

A paper necklace to cut out and string up from Jill Bliss.

Earrings from specialporland.com, brick and mortar store at 1805.5 NE alberta.

Feather printed greeting card from www.kirstenblaire.com

a fancy bobby pin adorned with a button from www.agnescrafts.etsy.com and a hair clip with olive colored felted swirly wool from PenFelt.com

Oh! I almost forgot! The bag itself! It's a canvas bag printed with a supercute bear and tree, from Land at 3925 N Mississippi Ave here in Portland.

Thank you all for sharing your stuff!

I can't share what I bought just yet because they are presents :D

Arizona, you have chosen poorly

2010-04-27T11:09:00.001-07:00

AGAIN!

Glenn Beck, my friend and yours

2010-04-27T11:02:00.001-07:00

Uploading

2010-04-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

So I kinda took over 1000 pictures whilst on vacation. Memory card #1 is loading into my computer now. Today's the first day of my work week, and I've got a lot going on so I'm not sure when I'll be posting any of these pics.

Unless I do it now :D

.

Sorry, only one for now.

Hey dudes

2010-04-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

I'm BAAAAAAACK.

Will post a real post in the near future, maybe with pictures.

Trip was good.

Peace out!

2010-03-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

I'll be MIA for about a month. If you follow me on facebook, I'll be updating there because it's easy. But don't worry - I'll be back. With honeymoon pics. Now if I can chill out with the jitters, I'll be alright. I've never been on an international flight. Never been outside of the country save Tijuana.

Here we go...

note to me: procure this plant:

2010-03-13T11:22:00.001-08:00

red flowering currant

vindication

2010-03-11T00:39:00.000-08:00

i love you xkcd

stain test

2010-03-09T12:07:00.001-08:00

My brother did a stain test on the floor. I'm stoked to have our floor redone while we frolic through Europe like a coupla bougies. We'll end up doing the bedrooms eventually, but doing things yourself and/or coercing family into helping takes time. :D
On a related note, aforementioned brother is pretty much a stain genius. He was going to buy several tiny samples to pick out the right color, but the store didn't have samples. So he got a small can that was a bit more costly than he was planning. A single can. And it's pretty much perfect. "Something warmish red, or something that is close to the color it is already." Yeah, I didn't give him a lot to go on, and he hit the mark. Woot.

PLUS my cousin sent me a package that arrived today. Lots of little BPAL and BPALesque perfumes, including one of my favorites, "How doth the little crocodile."

Yeah, so I gotta go to work now.

I won't be posting much the next month.

Aforementioned brother will be housesitting, with his mean dog and his crazy girlfriend. So don't rob my house, because it will be inhabited by crazy vicious creatures. thx.

Plant Sale! (I almost wish I weren't leaving town)

2010-03-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

Looky what came in my e-mail!
____________________________________<3

Greetings Gardeners!

It's that time of year again for Portland Public School's Community Transition Center Early Spring Plant Sale. The sale runs from March 15th-19th from 8:30-3:00 daily. We are located at 6801 SE 60th in Greenhouse #1. We have a wide variety of edible and ornamental plants for sale including:

-Arugula, broccoli, broccoli raab, collards, cauliflower, garden sorrel, swiss chard, and assorted lettuces

-Chrysanthemums, spider plants, licorice ferns, assorted lilies, sedums, and much much more!

We will be hosting 2 more sales with lots more available in April and May.

If you have any UNBROKEN nursery pots that you would like to recycle through us we'd be happy to take them. We use 3 1/2", 4", and gallon sized pots. We do not have a use at this time for larger sized pots.

If you no longer wish to receive email updates please email me to be removed from this list.

Please view the flyer for complete details.

On behalf of the students at the Community Transition Center, we look forward to seeing you!

Sarah

_____________________________________________<3

If the honeymoon wasn't coming up, I'd totally go. I don't have broccoli started yet, and I haven't grown arugula, and there's so much to do in the garden...
Oh well.

Montage and east industrial Portland

2010-02-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

Some pictures from last week:

more here, maybe if the link works.

Rhododendron Gardens, PDX

2010-02-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Not a rhododendron, but pretty anyway. There were a two episodes of tons of ducks flying all at once. The first time, they were a flurry of worried birds squawking like they had been disturbed. The second time, this time, they were just flying together.

There wasn't much in the way of rhodie based excitement. But there was lots of Hellebore bloomage:

and this sweet smelling daphne:

Knitting Good for Soldiers, Good for You

2010-02-25T01:49:00.000-08:00

One of the blogs I follow posted this. A lot of folks write and talk about the therapeutic benefits of craft. Some even compare it to, or describe it as, meditation. Maybe it's trying to justify a hobby or jump on the hipster buddhist-wannabe bandwagon. It is, for me and a lot of folks, relaxing. The joy from making something with your two hands is nice in this electronic, consumer era. We deal in so much that doesn't exist tangibly (electronic banking, e-mails, tv), and the touch that comes with crafting breaks up that monotony.

Anyway, it's interesting that there may be a trend between wartime and an increase in people taking up knitting. Why is that? They needed to see their stitches stack up, a hope against another stupid war? Maybe those at home hoped that by the time they were done with a sweater, their soldier would be safe back at home to wear the damn thing.

Did I ever tell you that I worked at a veterans' home? Yeah, I did. 1996 or so. One of the reasons I won't join the military. They can't talk about atrocities that they saw. Or they have nightmares, still. These were people decades out of war. Or if they bring it up, their embarrassed, or scared, or angry, or numb.

Anyway, I am upset at the way the military is used. Kids join up because they don't have access to other opportunities, don't think they can go to college. Poor kids and minorities especially, troubled kids, harassed/wooed by recruiters while in high school. Kids have surprise pregnancies and panic. People are offered reduced jail sentences for military service. Then they join up, and go protect the assets or desired assets of corporations, working side by side with murderers like Blackwater. Then they come home, distraught as hell, off themselves, and everyone loses. Fuck that shit.

Okay, going to bed now.

Post Racial, my tailfeathers!

2010-02-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

Your weekly installment of "Post Racial, My Tailfeathers!"

http://www.10news.com/news/22606765/detail.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/02/uc-san-diego-officials-meet-with-students-angered-by-offcampus-compton-cookout-.html

http://www.racialicious.com/2010/02/23/%E2%80%9Ccompton-cookout%E2%80%9D-party-at-ucsd-ignites-racial-firestorm/#more-6381

http://opinion.latimes.com/opinionla/2010/02/i-feel-a-little-sorry-for-the-uc-san-diego-frat-boys-who-last-weekend-thought-it-would-be-funny-to-throw-a-little-bash-they-d.html

Baklava

2010-02-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

I made baklava for the first time last night. Recipes demanded almonds, or walnuts, or pistachios, and all seemed convinced that their nut was the right one. Mine has 16 oz minus one cup of walnuts, one cup of pistachios, and about 1/4 cup of hemp seeds. I would've thrown almonds in there if I had realized we had some. Trying to use up random assorted things in the cupboards.

We have to wait 24 hours before we try 'em. That'll be tonight when I get home from work. If they're delicious, the work'll be worth it. (Actually, it's easy, just kind of time consuming).

Thursday Tunes

2010-02-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

I love this song.

P.S. I am up early on a Thursday because I have a dentist appointment. Routine checkup. I am a terrible health care receiver, and am terrified of the dentist, but am happy I have health insurance.

ugh

2010-02-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

hot then cold then hot then cold
and all along these coughs
and now these eyes are so dry and my face is hot and my nose is stuffy and then my nose is leaky
and then my eyes are leaky

and now there are germs on my keyboard.

regarding certain CEOs of financial and insurance companies

2010-02-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

"It is a joke to me that this man should have presented himself as an ardent conservationist, since so many of the companies he served as a director in in which he was a major stockholder were notorious damagers of the water or the soils or the atmosphere. But it wasn't a joke to *MacIntosh, who had come into this world incapable of caring much about anything. So, in order to hide this deficiency, he had become a great actor, pretending even to himself that he cared passionately about all sorts of things."
Kurt Vonnegut, from Galapagos

Cradle Robbing

2010-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, in another century, a girl fell in love with a boy who looked like he was twelve.

We were both 21 or 22 at the time of this photo. Crazy, huh? That's Matt next to him, and he's breakin' hearts in high school now, I think. I'm pretty sure those are Charlie's legs. Now Charlie is taller than me standing on a kitchen table (that's the sort of thing I do, you know, stand on kitchen tables in my stocking feet. I can't come up with a better exaggeration right now. He's really flippin' tall).

Look at Bear's beautiful greeny blue eyes. They're a bit grayer of late, but bright and blue, and captivating. And best of all, after waking me, covered with sharpie written notes like "rm 55A, u/o 50. b/p 90/46" "33b d/c staples" "87a oxy at 2130" and grumpy as hell, he still loves me.

This Old Gray Mare Wants Health Care (Reform)

2010-02-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

Alternate title: I love old ladies.

How me and the husband talk to each other

2010-02-03T16:46:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, we talk in real life. Sometimes, with work for me, and work and school for him, we just don't see each other that much. I had the day off, and while surfing for info on "gardening in the pacific northwest in february," Mr.Hopes messaged me via some website we both are on.

I was going to share it, but it's really too ridiculous. And boring. So I'll just share the part where we're talking about the Imp Ears from Black Phoenix Alchemy that my cousin sent me.

THIS IS WHAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO AFTER YEARS OF BEING TOGETHER. YOU TURN A BIT BATTY.

me: gluttony: Dark chocolate +, Vanilla +, Buttercream +, Hops +, Praline +, Hazelnut +, Toffee +, and Caramel

Andrew
o i like those

Stephanie
i want to eat them all.
crocodile: Chocolate peppermint, mint-soaked vanilla, pistachio, oakmoss, and green cedar. is also favored by me out of the ones tris gave me

Andrew
i will has to smellz them
when i get home
well....u has to get ready for your party?
thanks for talking to your husband.

Stephanie
sNAKE OIL
By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.
nods

Andrew
zomg sex

Stephanie
i like to talk to my husband sometimes.

Andrew
good
i like talk to u 2

Stephanie
I have a habit that i imagine is annoying. the habit of bookreading/newsreading/knitting whilst we are on a date.

Andrew
yesterday date was rough in the earliers....saved by youth in revolt.

Stephanie
nods
mata hari Her scent is striking and bold with a delicate yet dark undertone: five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean.
i has a need for waters
and teas

Andrew
they just make up shit i thinks

Stephanie
hehe
maybe
i think some of them, fig oil etc.
but aether of stardust? lols

Andrew
purpleberrys enhanced my mayhem and a touch of cinnamon (for dover) mixed with the jack of hearts in a euchre deck.
my=by
i want to just make up scents and then when they get it......it is just ck1 leftovers.
it would work on dover...he could feel the cinnamon

Stephanie
nods
i found this for you
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andreanna/2793164011/
for your purfumes

Andrew
lol
yes!

Stephanie
i saw it earlier

Andrew
i want a beauty berry mocha milkshake now.

Stephanie
was looking up "garden february pacific northwest" to figure out if i should be planing anything now.
lols
i wanna BEAUTYberry.

Andrew
yeayh!
we get a beautyberry tree

Stephanie
heh, well, we could

Andrew
i assume they are edible
or is it only skin deep?

Arne Duncan

2010-01-30T12:12:00.000-08:00

Lets see...

How can I transform the world and drain the poison from festering wounds?

Oh, I know. I'll put people who got us in this mess in charge! A sound economic policy, and great for education too.

Your education for the day:
"My money is spent on the goddamn rent.
Neither party is mine, not the jackass or the elephant."

Flashback Friday, the Second

2010-01-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

This is another recent one. Must've been April, 2009. The birds were just starting to get used to outside living, having grown to teenagers in the craft room closet. Tilly, the 'lorp, is in the foreground. You can see her white patch she still has. We weren't sure what breed she was here. We bought two Australorps and three Silkies, we thought. Turns out we bought one Australorp, one Plymouth Barred Rock, and three Silkies, one of the silkies being a male. I'm pretty sure that's Tatiana Ali on the right, the Chicken of Vast Mistaking. See, I wanted to name the pugnacious biggest silkie after Mohammad Ali's boxing daughter. And my brain apparently was melty that day, because Mohammad's daughter's name is Leila. Tatiana Ali, as my readers already know, was the name of an actress on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Doh!

Either way, she turned out to be a dude, so we had to pass her on to someone a little more rural.

You can see the barred rock's, well, barred markings pretty well here, her orange beak quickly ruled her out of Astralorp designation. She's now the leader of the pack, despite the 'lorp being much bigger.