the complete book of handicrafts

With a title page such as this, how can you resist? (complete instructions for paper people found on pages 230-231).

I'm also discovering an urge to start sewing. I might begin with this rice-filled frog.

This is the first embroidery project in the book. Looks a bit advanced to me.

I don't care how dated macrame is; I see a lot of potential in knowing how to do it. In fact, there's a design for an entire macrame SKIRT, not just this sweet necklace (is that Gwyneth Paltrow modeling? Not in 1973, but I think she's channeling this Macrame Model).

And I can just see DH grooving at the hi-fi in this radical flower-power shirt.

Found the book at my favorite thrift store ever, 22nd Street, a few weeks ago. I paid a whopping $2.00 for it. It's already been worth it.

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wedding gift

On Saturday Dave's cousin Traci is getting married. At the last minute we decided to fly to Ames for the wedding and to see everyone who will be in attendance there. At the last minute, I decided to crochet a throw as a wedding gift. I just finished. The colors in this first picture are true; the other two pictures were taken with flash so the colors look brighter than they really are. I started last Monday night with 7 skeins of Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick in Periwinkle. It's 72 single crochet in the back loop only for as many rows as you want. Then single crochet around in a contrasting color. I chose Wine. I bought the yarn at Big Lots for half the retail price. It's long and skinny but very texturally appealing. Though all skeins were of the same dye lot, you can see that the top and bottom skein are definitely different, not so much in color as in texture. It's pure dumb luck that they ended up at the top and bottom. It's not perfect, but neither is mar...

memory

in which I get knocked down

Sickness saps my energy, both physical and mental. It's surprising, really, how seldom I get sick, since I work in a petri dish. When I do get sick it lays me low and happenings that I might normally take in stride just completely knock me down. Last week I was diagnosed with an embarrassing viral infection, the symptoms of which on their own couldn't possibly have dragged me this deep down: sores in my mouth and throat that blistered and peeled and made every mouthful feel and taste like shredded pennies; an itchy rash around my mouth and nose and on my chest. Compounding that: knees that felt packed in hot wax, the backs of my eyeballs aflame. No fever, so no H1N1. Negative strep. Malaise. But I soldiered (martyred?) through most of the week at work, because I could, and some of the other teachers had to stay at home with their diverticulitis and kidney stones. On Thursday night my laptop died. On Friday night I felt I could deal with my weekend obligations. DH went out of t...

chock-a-blog

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