When the going gets tough…
The tough escape to the beach 
Late afternoon beach trips are the best. The hottest part of the day is over, access to the beach is free, the crowds have begun to disperse… it’s a great time to kick back on a blanket and relax.
Or to take 699 pictures. Not that I know anyone who did that. Ahem.
How’d this sea spray get on my UV filter? 
Shutter speed and brainiac birds
We stopped for a latte last night, and saw a nearly-full moon over the shopping center. I had my camera with me (why are you not surprised?) so I leaned it on the edge of the open van window and took this picture on Automatic. I can see the bricks of the Starbucks store very easily, but the moon is completely washed-out.
At this point, my vast amounts of photography training kicked in. Er, I mean, I remembered the discussions on shutter speed, aperture, and ISO I read in Photographing Your Family.
There was too much light hitting the sensor, and I could fix that by going into manual mode and selecting a fast shutter speed. I could adjust the other settings, too, if it turned out to be necessary, but I liked the result I got just by changing the shutter speed to 1/40.
I think it’s kind of fun to only see little glimpses of the buildings.
I wanted more detail on that tiny speck of a moon, though… zoooooooooooooooooom!
Ooh, nice close-up. 20x zoom, baby. (Have I mentioned before how much I love my camera?)
So anyway, the moral of the story is that am capable of reading something, remembering it, and putting it to use when necessary. That’s a relief!
Oh, and the other moral is, use a speedy shutter when snapping photos of the moon.
I got another chance to pull out the camera about 15 minutes later, when this insomniac bird followed us into the house. He freaked-out all over the living room, finally perching on the dining room blinds for a rest. The lighting wasn’t so good here, and I didn’t have a chance to compensate because someone was nagging: “put the camera down and help me get this thing out of the house!”
Some people just don’t understand art
Back in the backyard
Our back patio has been depressing me ever since the summer started. I hadn’t gotten around to cleaning it up or to buying a new kiddie pool for the ever-important mid-afternoon foot-dunking, before the weather turned brutally hot and humid. I didn’t want to be outside without the relief of the little pool, but I didn’t want to go to the effort to clean up the old one because it was too dang hot, and humidity makes me crabby.
Eventually (last week), Neil cleaned up the old pool, patched the holes he could find, and set it up for us to enjoy, but the rest of the patio looked kind of like a dump.
This morning, it was 70 degrees, breezy, and dry. Like a dream come true. I was inspired.
It looks better, no?
It’s not perfect. That pool is a disaster, and I am replacing it as soon as I can find a store that still has something similar in stock. If I had a budget for it, I’d replace or recover the chair cushions, too. We left them out all winter and now they are awful to look at. Of course, there is one simple thing I can do to deal with the aesthetic issues of this space…
only come outside at night. Candlelight makes everything look better 
Summer Studio, look two
I finished both of the projects I showed you on my first Summer Studio post a few weeks ago, so how about a peek at what I’m working on now?
I had a very specific quilt project in mind when I bought these fabrics recently, but circumstances may have changed since then. I’m not sure if I’ll make that quilt anyway, or find something else to do with these. I need some time to mull it over. I do love the colors very much…
I remember the days (less than six months ago) when I lamented the lack of babies in my part of the world. It had been soooo loooong. Now I know of three arriving this fall. What’s in the water??
This is a half-finished hat for one of them. I can’t wait to give you more details about this when I finish it – the yarn has one really interesting ingredient that I have trouble wrapping my brain around!
This is the very beginning of a seed of an idea that I am very excited to explore. The details kept my brain so active and awake last night, I finally had to put it to sleep with several rounds of Palm solitaire at 2 a. m. Thank goodness I keep the Palm by the side of the bed, or I’d probably still be lying there, my brain chattering away excitedly about photos, and transfers, and printable fabrics, and pendants, and and and AND!
Those of you who have been sitting around patiently wondering when I’d get back to the polymer stuff, this project just may be the one you’ve been waiting for…
Seaside Dreaming
So, it’s the weekend. It’s going to be another hot one here in New Jersey. Some Strawberry-Lemonade Smoothies may be in order.
I’d love to fall asleep tonight next to an open window, and listen to the sounds of the ocean lapping up on the shore. I’d wake up tomorrow, tiptoe down the sleepy sandy alley in my handmade pjs, to a bakery where I’d get a crumb bun and a nice cup of coffee.
*sigh*
Anybody want to join me? What a lovely getaway that would be.
If only we had a shore house. Maybe someday.
These photos are from a gallery I curated on Flickr. Click the image to take a closer look and get the full photo credits.
Itty bitty sweater
I’m feeling less grumpy at the moment – it’s not too hot yet, and the humidity isn’t particularly oppressive, so I’m taking advantage of the ability to be outside. It’s nice. So, why don’t we go with this good mood while it lasts, and talk lightheartedly about sweaters?
Sweaters, you ask? Really? It’s been so hot this summer, it’s hard to imagine wanting to sit down with a pile of wool and knit a sweater. It’s hard even to imagine wanting to read about such a thing, but I hope you can forgive me just this once. I’m not talking about a honkin’ big adult sweater that covers your lap as you work on it. I’m talking about a cute, itty-bitty baby sweater. You hardly know you’re working with wool on a 94-degree day, in that scale.
I wrote before about the sweater I made my nephew-to-be. If you recall, I’d done it in the 3-6 month size according to the Baby Boatneck Sweater pattern in Debbie Bliss’ Baby Knits for Beginners and used the Cashmerino Aran called for in the pattern. It came out cute and oh so soft, but I was frustrated with all of the sewing I had to do at the end. Plus, all of that stockinette stitch really bored me. Yawn.
So, I decided to make another one, this time a smaller size, and with as much knitting in the round as humanly possible. It just seems to make more sense to me that a tube-shaped knit ought to be constructed in the round. Is that just me? Maybe it’s my background in knitting looms talking – nearly everything on a loom is done in the round.
So, anyway, using the Debbie Bliss pattern as a sizing-guide, I cast-on with circular needles for the body, and added a simple cable stripe a la the Dashing gloves I like so much.
When it came to the sleeves, I did them in the round, too, both at the same time, using Melissa Morgan-Oakes’ Two-at-a-time method, as explained in this book.
In the end, the only things I had to stitch together were the shoulders and the sleeves to the body. Sooooo much better. And no dreaded Second Sleeve Syndrome.
For this sweater, I used Berocco Vintage, which is a great yarn for the price. It only took one skein, making this sweater less than a third of the price of the first one.
You like? I’ll share the pattern, if there’s interest.
I have another skein of Vintage in a pretty green. I don’t know if three sweaters for the same baby is overkill, but I may just go there…
Uh oh. There’s a good chance I am becoming That Aunt. Poor kid
Mood-swingy July
Thank goodness for Project 365 and Picture Summer. They’re forcing me to get out of the house, do a little something interesting, and take a picture or two. It’s been a challenging few weeks for me, in several ways, many of which I can’t really talk about here just yet, and the temptation to become a hermit and avoid people and responsibilities has plagued me often. It’s been a mood-swingy kind of July.
I’m resisting that “pull the covers over my head and hide” thing right now, in fact, and forcing myself to say hello. I’ve been so absent here, and it’s a shame, because here is probably just what I need to add some balance to the chaos and bring me out of my thoughts.
So today I think I’ll catch you up on my latest Picture Summer shots, and tomorrow I will be back to show you the finished baby sweater I knitted for my nephew-to-be. I finished it last night, and it’s pretty nifty, if I do say so myself.
day 14 (we didn’t have a breeze that rainy day, so we made our own)
day 15 (making this postcard from a photo taken during our Ocean City trip really makes me long for the beach)
day 16 (morning light on the grasses)
day 17 (a tiki torch at my parents’ house lended a little visual interest – and then I put down the camera and went swimming <grin>)
day 18 (the only kind of play I had energy for that day was the solitaire kind)
day 19 (my willing assistant in mid-air)
day 20 (order and method)
day 21 (the spaciness of grass)
I haven’t taken today’s shot yet. The prompt requires me to get in the mindset of some of my favorite summer songs, and I’m having trouble getting that carefree feeling. Ugh. Is July almost over?
Tote bag makeover
So I wanted a sturdy but decent-looking tote with pockets that would allow me to carry around all of my Summer junk – camera, various gadgets, and the usual purse stuff. I had a pile of these Polka Dot Creations tote bags in the basement, and I didn’t like using them because they had an outdated logo. (I know, I know. Crazy.) Still, they’re really nice heavy duty totes and it’s stupid of me to let them go to waste like that.
Enter the ticking stripe.
I covered up the front logo and the back logo with pockets. The first pocket I made was more of a 3-pocket system – one large pocket with a shorter divided pocket on the outside of it. I attempted to make the second large pocket for the other side be gusseted, or at least, expandable in some way. It’s for my camera.
Then I made the outside of the bag, which was essentially a sleeve for the original tote. The tote would be turned inside-out, so that the pockets were on the inside of the bag, and the ticking would be sewn to the outside.
Like so.
Here are the pockets.
And the self-made polymer button I added on for fun. It’s not functional – there’s a snap underneath it that does the real work. Pay no mind to the messy stitching – by the time I got to this section, I was more interested in finishing than in making it perfect…
I’ve been carrying around this bag for a week now, and I do like it, however I’ve got some notes for next time (and why shouldn’t there be a next time, if I’ve got so many of these tote bags in the basement doing nothing?):
- I should add a backing to the pockets. When I open and use a pocket, it reveals the logo behind it, and I really don’t want to see that.
- The pockets feel flimsy compared to the canvas of the bag. I should either interface them, use heavier fabric, or cut up a second tote bag for the pockets.
Essentially, my biggest complaints are related to the pockets, but since big, functional, and numerous pockets were the whole point of this experiment, I can’t really ignore the fact that they don’t feel right to me.
Still, I like it. And I particularly like that it’s not obvious where it came from (at least, until you look inside a pocket!).
Who knew books could be so witty?
I’m kind of a craft book hoarder, and I have always liked buying new. But financial necessities forced me recently to take more advantage of the library and engage in many fewer impulse buys. To my surprise, I discovered that I kind of like borrowing first. I found the try-before-you-buy that the library offers to be a perfect antidote to my tendency to over-spend on books I may only read once. But more than that, I realized that I don’t care so much about having a “new” copy as I thought I did.
I’ve spent the last few years trying to make simple choices towards a lighter impact on the Earth. Why, then, have I always been so quick to buy brand new books?
While searching online for appropriate advertising partners for my blog, I came across Better World Books. Full disclosure: I did join their affiliate program, but I assure you, I’d be writing this post, even if I hadn’t – I’m not a “pay per post” kind of girl.
Anyway, this company is great. They sell new and used books at very nice prices. They offer free carbon-neutral shipping (and the option of throwing them a few cents towards the purchase of additional carbon offsets). Plus a portion of all sales is donated to literacy funds worldwide.
I found there a $10 copy of a $40 cookbook, which I’d borrowed from the library and fallen in love with. So I bought it, saved some money, saved some trees, and helped further the cause of literacy. Good deal.
Anyway, my order shipped today, and I was amused to receive a personal, rather chatty note directly from the book I ordered:
Hello Lisa,
(Your book(s) asked to write you a personal note – it seemed unusual, but who are we to say no?)
Holy canasta! It’s me… it’s me! I can’t believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I’ve got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can’t believe I’m leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already – the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge – so many memories. I don’t have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it’s time to see the world!
I can’t wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen) and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol’ brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?
I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I’ve had, I’m ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn’t take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I’ve found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana.
But hey, enough about me, I’ve been asked to brief you on a few things:
[personal shipping/order info removed]
Eagerly awaiting our meeting,
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Amusing, no? I always enjoy it when companies get creative with their order-related correspondence. (MOO has some cute notifications, too, I’ve noticed.)
Have you done business lately with any companies that have impressed you with their commitments to the environment or to other worthy causes (or, corresponded with you in amusing ways)? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
Ice cream overdose
Geez, has it already been five days since my last post? I have pictures taken of my latest craft project, but I don’t have the energy to explain them.
I blame Neil. He dragged me kicking and screaming to Dairy Queen tonight and forced me to eat a Cappuccino Heath Blizzard. Oh, the nerve of some people! And two hours later, here I am, still in an ice cream coma.
Maybe I’ll have posting energy tomorrow. For now, can I just show you the most recent Picture Summer images? (This kind of feels like a cop-out, I’m doing it so frequently…)
day 9 (circles and a partial triangle in the back yard)
day 10 (making memories in the hotel pool at Readercon)
day 11 (treating myself to a magazine I’ve been wanting)
day 12 (simple solitude with my knitting needles)
day 13 (fruit that was once juicy but is now frozen)
I am noticing that this project is inspiring me to explore textures and other processing effects more than I usually do. Don’t know why that is, but I’m going with it.
I’m off to digest this ice cream once and for all, and glare at my crazy skinny bottomless pit of a husband who happily slurped up twice as much ice cream as I did and who most decidedly does not feel like the blimp that I feel like.
