one down.

Before Christmas, I got the crazy idea to create something handmade for each person on my gift list. As time flew by, I got less and less ambitious, so I just ended up making purse-size tissue holders (after I saw this guy) from scrap felt. I did, however, go out and get some lovely cotton to make my husband some rolled-hem handkerchiefs, which I discovered on one of the Purl Bee blogs. I thought he might appreciate being able to put something in his suit pocket that wasn't just the paper program of the wedding we were attending. The first one was done in about an hour, and the second one I quickly stitched up on Christmas eve, while sitting at my grama's house, chatting and waiting for my fella to finish wrapping gifts in the other room. I gave up on finishing the third one and tucked the cut square of fabric in my bag. Anyhow, the other day I was home with a wicked headache, lying on the couch, and thought I'd start on my personal challenge to get things done. Another hour later, voilà! Now on to the knitting....

beats shovelling snow

Two things happened this week: 1. I remembered I had a blog. 2. I gave up my search for cool crafty classes to take in my town, and decided I'm going to finish every abandoned project I can find in my house, and post before and after pics of each one. Here I come, sad, sad five-year-old six-inch scarf!

recent obsessions...

....nbc's thursday nite lineup, especially the office and 30 rock (which will be back in september for sure!). check out mindy ephron's (a.k.a. kelly) blog, about stuff she's bought that she loves. it's even funnier if you read it with her obnoxious voice in your head...
...scottish bands. it's all because of a glaswegian band i recently discovered, called the twilight sad. the lovely purring accent makes them sound adorable, so i'm resisting the urge check out their website. this is my favourite song at the moment—i'm not embarrassed to say that on friday i listened to it six times in a row...

the two-year jacket.

well, it's finally finished. i started making this jacket, thinking it would be lovely for spring. the pattern was labelled "easy," in a laid-back kind of font (see bottom left), so i assumed i'd have it finished in an afternoon. not so. cutting out the pattern and sewing the straight seams was "easy." the collar was a bit tricky. and then i got stuck when it came to making buttonholes.

the next spring, i got a new sewing machine that made buttonholes, but i never got around to trying it. somehow i end up busy and never finish projects i start. i blame television.

then last week, it took me exactly 15 minutes to make four of them. so so so easy. the machine does all the work, even figures out how wide they should be. now i want to make buttonholes in everything. anyone need something buttoned?

and it was all yellow...

this post is a few days too late. the warm t.o. weather, the birds singing in the trees, the tulips for sale, and the plentiful racks of sundresses and shorts at the mall had me thinking it was almost spring. and then this morning the car was encased in ice. ah well. only 65 days to go till winter’s over. phew. to try and make it come more quickly, think yellow. i’m forecasting that it’ll be the spring’s hot new colour. (okay, so is everyone else.) bring on the sunshine!!

holidays is over.

clearly we had a little too much excitement this christmas. we're all a little pooped. (don't let this sleepy face fool you... douglas is on his way to puppy school NUMBER TWO next week.) anyhow, santa was good to us all. after a bit of a nap, it's on to 2007.

time wasters

ain't they fun? i've pretty much cheated my way through weffriddles, a super-addictive puzzle-solving game. you might have to read through the forums for the first 29 levels or so, but it makes you feel so s.m.r.t. when you figure one out for yourself.