cheryl cambras

2011-06-01T09:15:00.000-07:00

Thanks very much for visiting and reading! I've decided to (officially) stop posting here. I need every extra second I can get these days. You can join me on Facebook if you'd like to stay up-to-date on what I'm doing. Thanks for all your support so far!

2011-05-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

Ian's first haircut! It turned out to be a much happier experience than I was expecting. The stylist was a master and finished in less than 10 minutes. He looks like such a grown-up gentleman now.

Happy to cross a project off my list. Just finished up this commission for a chevron cowl.

I am way behind on many promised crocheted things...if you're someone waiting on something, I promise I'll get to it soon! Right now I'm off to the park, then dinner, then bath, bedding the children, and then CROCHET. Unless I pass out first.

2011-04-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Who knew having two little chitlins running around could be so exhausting, overwhelming, and pretty awesome most of the time. Ok, please know that my heart is filled with love for them, a love I have truly never experienced before. But people, there are moments of stress that I've also never experienced, concisely captured by one word.

MEALTIME!!!

That is the way it should be written and spoken, if we're talking about it in my house. It's a sensitive animal, this MEALTIME!!! I seriously have .0067 seconds from when one of my sons feels the slightest hunger-related pang to when FOOD MUST BE IN THEIR MOUTHS. Especially the 14-month-old. I now have some methods. Yes. Like making a large pot of something and keeping little servings of it in the freezer to quickly warm up. The little guy loves peas & barley. And so do I! Truly a godsend.

Anyway, this MEALTIME!!! topic came up because of something only slightly related but totally and completely awesome. I have teamed up with Knit Culture and they've created kits for making my super happy potholders. Remember these guys?

Now you can get this super cute kit, filled with enough yarn to make a rainbow AND a summery slice of watermelon.

When designing these kits, I got to try out Blue Sky Alpacas worsted cotton. Ok, I don't think I can ever use another cotton yarn as long as I live. It is that amazing to work with. So soft, not squeaky, and the colors are to die. The kit is chock-full of this heavenly stuff.

Get a kit for that crocheter you're lucky enough to know, or make them yourself and happify your kitchen! I seriously need all the happy I can get at MEALTIME!!!

2011-04-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

new work this week

and now back to crochet..........

2011-04-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

A new love affair begins......

I'm gonna get so gushy in this post, you may need to turn away.

First, I love the internet.

How else would I have found my current crush, Hélène Magnússon?

A French native in Iceland, former sheep ranch hand (and before that, a lawyer), current Icelandic mountain guide, and knit designer extraordinaire!

I'm so in love it's like honey-covered popcorn balls with sea salt sprinkles. That's real love to me.

She recently put out this great book of knitwear designs inspired by the knitted inserts of Icelandic shoes.

How amazing that such beautiful and intricate handwork was created for only the wearer to know about and enjoy. Happy knittle secrets. :)

Her blog is filled with great tutorials, like this one on steeks! And lots of eye candy from her workshops and exhibits.

Did I mention I love her?
Because I do.

And to top it all off, she leads mountain-trekking knitting tours! Several stop off points are at textile museums and villages where Icelandic yarn is produced, AND she leads workshops throughout the tour.

One trip is named Hiking and Knitting Between Fire and Ice. Holy Goodness, sign me up!!

Go over and comment for a chance to win her shawl kit giveaway!

Thank you for what you do, Hélène!

All pictures from Hélène Magnússon's website or amazon book page.

2011-04-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

and the winner is.......KATIE SAPP!! Thanks to everyone for playing!

2011-03-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'm in a bunny and chick frenzy right now. Here are some little egg cups I made for the boys. Nate has already claimed the rabbit, and said Ian can have the bird.

Good for candy, love notes, or cold hard cash.

Remember to sign up here for the bunny patch giveaway ending tonight at midnight!

2011-03-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

Rabbits!

Feeling happy with how my bunny basket bag design turned out.

And thankfully, I was able to stick a pompom on it somewhere, which is a goal of mine for most things I make.

I'm crazed for rabbits this time of year, especially this year. A little morbid, but one reason is because of my husband's exciting debut as a guest chef here! If you're around Los Angeles on Tuesday (March 29), he's designing the menu and cooking from 5-10. Oh, and why morbid? You can see his menu over on Ermie.

And some more rabbits, courtesy of Mr. Lynch.

Bunny basket pattern available to buy here.

2011-03-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

A "from the archives" GIVEAWAY!

I started making these snappy animal patches in early 2004 when I ran my little shop, Lily's Rooster. They were my first large scale sewing project since childhood and really jump-started my current obsession with all things yarn and fabric. If I had more time in the day, I'd sew these regularly. The colors, the felt, the stuffing, the snaps -- little things make me very happy. I found the card I used to include with them

I don't know how I feel about suggesting you put it on your underwear now....it would probably make an unfortunate bulge. If you don't wear regular pants, it could still work. I'll leave that up to you.
Here's the back snap:

And they were in Lucky! I think Mandy Moore really should have been wearing one. Maybe next time....

If you'd like this sweet little bunny, leave me a comment and I'll randomly pick a recipient (I couldn't say winner, because Wizard Sheen has basically ruined that word in my current vernacular). You have until midnight, March 31. Go!! :)

2011-03-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, it's finally finished! I'm very happy with how my first rug commission turned out. This one is 18" x 18".

After tying all 4900 knots, I carefully bound the edges with wool yarn, then hand-stitched wool felt as a backing. An extremely labor intensive project, but it was awesome to see the buyer's joy when she received it!

I love the simplicity and the alien/secret code quality of livestock brands.

I made my own, though I doubt I'll ever put it on any livestock....BUT if the geneticists ever create a giant happy cute bird, then I'll think about it.

2011-03-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Blocking is such a pain, but I do always prefer the results.

Working on some new designs....this chevron cowl is for a class I'm teaching this Spring at the Urban Craft Center. Loving the Noro** they recently got in. I designed this cowl for Taiyo. Killer colors.

I published my first official newsletter today! Hopefully this will be a continuing habit. If you'd like to see what I'm up to and get a free crochet pattern (!), let me know your email and I'll sign you up and send it out.

**Always thinking about Japan lately, sending much love. Speaking of, the makers of Noro yarn put out this statement, and would of course appreciate any contributions.**

2011-03-16T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to start teaching at Knit Culture, a beautiful yarn boutique in West Hollywood. My first workshop happens this Saturday. We'll be making these sweet little accent flowers.

Great for decorating purses, dresses, hair, maybe even underpants :)!!!

I'll be teaching a few more workshops there over the next couple of months:

Super Happy Cute Flower

Granny Squares

Happy Cute Birds

Hope to see you there!!

2011-03-06T07:12:00.001-08:00

Happy National Crochet Month!! To celebrate, I'm offering some exciting crochet goodness. First, I'll be offering a free crochet workshop open to all levels at the Urban Craft Center this Wednesday!

Also, visit my shop and pick a free pattern with every pattern you buy! BOGO through March! Have fun crocheting. :)

2011-02-25T16:32:00.000-08:00

Recently I got a cool gig to teach a group of ladies how to crochet red velvet cupcakes for a birthday party in a stylin' Hollywood hotel. It was super fun, but it was confirmed that champagne and amigurumi do not mix -- at least not for beginners.

Oh, and did you know? I'm addicted to latch hook. I've come to find out that it really is the red-headed stepchild (please don't take offense) of arts & crafts. Ok, I'll try to squeeze some sympathy out of you: A textile group on Flickr which shall remain nameless (for now at least -- maybe I'll refer to them randomly in a future post, so tune in!), deleted my rugs from their group because they don't represent the kind of "effort" they appreciate in their group. I unleashed a special sort of vitriol in the moderator who went bananas. Who knew latch hook could be so controversial?

Anyhow, I'm loving it and just got my first commission. :P

Have a lovely weekend and show your love for latch hook!

2011-02-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to introduce my new line of latch hook rug kits!

Do you remember doing latch hook kits as a kid? I would get so excited when a new color would come up on the pattern. If little things like this thrill you too, and you're in search of a craft that's truly meditative, I hope you'll come check my kits out over here. There's no scritchy acrylic in my kits -- only 100% natural fibers that you'll enjoy touching!

Happy hooking!

All images and patterns are owned and copyrighted by me, Cheryl Cambras. Thanks!

2011-02-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

The happy cute birds and GIANT happy cute bird are currently roosting at the Urban Craft Center. Swing on by if you get a chance.

In other news, I just saw an amazing show at the Craft and Folk Art Museum of works by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman. The colors in their wall hangings were so rich and inspiring. And what a great love story. They're in their late 80's and still smitten with each other.

And some sweet, extremely intricate, finger puppets Evelyn made for her preschooler daughter.

all four Ackerman images from their personal website.

Tanya Aguiniga also has a beautiful installation of weavings there right now.

2011-01-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

balls, balls, balls! I'm working on a big ball extravaganza at Machine Project this weekend. More precisely: Handball Fever Weekend 2011!

The mastermind behind the weekend is NY-based artist Carlin Wing, a former professional squash player. I was curious and excited when she contacted me about the sporting possibilities of crocheted balls. We will see....
You should come and make balls with me! Oh, and learn how to crochet handball gloves too! After the workshop on Sunday, we're going to find a prime parking lot to bounce and slap our balls in some rousing competitions.

2010-12-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone's holiday preparations are going well! I'm relaxing a bit and making things for friends and family. I love it. It's nice to take a break from the creatures.

In case you're in the mood to make some beasts, enjoy one of my patterns for free: yeti head ornament!

2010-12-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

And the winter display at the Urban Craft Center is finished!

Once upon a wintry day, a gigantic girl was enjoying a walk through the woods. She was surprised (and a bit frightened) to find an icon made of snow, erected in her honor by a yeti and a boy made of gingerbread.

The dayllight shots are so much richer, but this one will give you a little more detail.

Thanks to Max, Emma, Crystal, and the UCC ladies for helping me get things ready!

Now I must go do hand stretches and take pain meds.

2010-12-01T20:14:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful, but the long weekend was a little overshadowed by the giant window display I've been working on. Some sneak peeks:

Thank goodness it's done!! Please join me this Saturday (Dec. 4) for the window unveiling at the Urban Craft Center! It's happening in conjunction with a mini craft fair at the UCC, where you'll find a great roster of artists selling their goods. Everything's running from 6:00 - 9:00. Hope to see you!

2010-11-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

Here's a new pot holder pattern I just added to my shop.....a sweet little gobbler to keep you company and your hands burn-free.

2010-10-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already heard, my oldest son loves firefighters and pretty much anything that explodes or burns. He was a firefighter last year, so we had to come up with another fire-related ensemble this year. Here's his SUPER EXPLOSIVE VOLCANO that we made together.

Close-up of the lava flow:

And the collar "vent":

Nate decided his little brother would work well as an accessory. Here he is as Nate's lava puddle.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Some new stuff I'm working on.

Sweet Corn:

Hillbilly:

Hillbetty:

Have a great weekend!

2010-09-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching lots of upcoming crochet and knitting classes at the Urban Craft Center! Come and have some fun with yarn!

Terrifying Yeti - crochet workshop (two-part class): Sept. 26 & Oct. 3, 3-6 pm

Intro to Knitting (choose from one of the following single class meetings): Sept. 24 (6-9 pm); Oct. 1 (11-2 pm); Oct. 17 (3-6 pm)

Tiara - crochet workshop: Oct. 3 (6:30-9:30 pm)

Blackie the Bat - crochet workshop: Oct. 6 (6:00-10:00 pm)

Happy Cute Bird Bag - crochet workshop (two-part class): Oct. 15 & 22 (3:00-6:00 pm)

Super Scary Bat Bag - crochet workshop (two-part class): Oct. 18 & 25 (6:00-9:00 pm)

Hat - knitting workshop (two-part class): Oct. 24 & Nov. 7 (6:00-9:00 pm)

2010-09-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAYS!!

My friend Jennifer is creating the most amazing textile designs and offering some gorgeous pieces in her latest giveaway! Go over and help her come up with a name for this beauty:

textile design and photo by Jennifer Parry Dodge

Need a little terror in your life? Go over to my Facebook page or leave a comment here and you'll have a chance to win this frightening bat, handmade by me. Entries close on Friday night.

GOOD LUCK!!

2010-08-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Whew, that broken arm sure took its toll on all of us. N8 is still working off weeks of pent up 4-y.o. energy. Now he has a cool scar and an empty cast to show off. Ok, on to super happy rainbow cute love crochet laughter.

I'm totally excited to be part of this awesome recreation of a giant shipwreck in what remains the most innovative gallery in town. Make a jellyfish with me as you witness the disaster yourself!

2010-07-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

I love Front242. Here's a good mix of german expressionism, duchamp, '80s american club culture, and eggs (one of my favorite themes)! Enjoy!

2010-07-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

Taking some time off from blogging while I help my little trooper recover from a bad fall at the park that resulted in a broken arm.

Hope you're enjoying your summer. Be safe, but live a little dangerously too. :)

2010-06-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

corner view * summer

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A

My oh my, what a wonderful day
Plenty of sunshine heading my way
Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A

Mister bluebird on my shoulder
It's the truth
It's actual
Everything is satisfactual

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
Zip-A-Dee-A
Wonderful feeling
Wonderful day

A giant group of preschoolers, excitedly buzzing about the sunshine. We're so happy you're here, summer!

2010-06-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

TWO AWESOME GIVEAWAYS - check it

Goodies from ermie that involve this beautiful silver fox.

Who doesn't need more giant comfort food on their bed? Made by my paper crane. Go to her blog tab.

2010-06-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

corner view * noticing

Looking around Nate's room is often surprising for all of the surreal juxtapositions (and for how absolutely messy it gets).

We bought this little Thorens music figurine a few years ago on ebay, not knowing about the previous owner's morbid and hilarious re-interpretation of the dwarves' friendship, until we opened the box. Snow White seems upset by it. Do you see it?

More corner views here.

2010-06-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

Join me to make sweet napoleon scoops in my new ice cream crochet class this Sunday!

2010-06-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

andrei tarkovsky

stills from Stalker (1979)

With each new movie I watch, Stalker becomes even more firmly set as my favorite movie ever. Yes, I love smiley flowers and can totally appreciate the happiest super sweet cuteness, but this atmosphere Tarkovsky has created is so deeply inspiring to me. Watch it if you haven't. I can promise you it will change your life. There's no eye-popping sexiness here. The palette is dark and muddy, primordial even. The world is covered in detritus and toxic clouds. And this was made before Chernobyl. My two favorite filmmakers (Tarkovsky and Marker) understand and sculpt time in such unique and expanding ways. Moments imploding, exploding.

I recently found out that Tarkovsky did a series of polaroids. A few remind me of Stalker. The never ending morning after the end of the world.

Polaroids found here.

2010-06-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

karishma shahani

images from laundry and ecouterre

Oh wow, sometimes I just fall totally, completely in love with the internet. Tonight's one of those nights. Karishma Shahani. Amazing textures, lines, styling, and where to start with those colors?>! She's a recent grad & award winner of London College of Fashion. Brilliant! She makes some very nice handbags too. Funny how that monobrow keeps popping up around and in my work lately. [:O

I'm working on a few accessory pieces that I'm excited to share with you next week!

2010-06-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

daily

In our house, emergency scenarios play out every day, courtesy of our 4-y.o. resident. Nate plans to be a firefighter, rock star, and artist. This is his first foray into writing. Enjoy more daily views here.

2010-06-10T08:59:00.001-07:00

bliss

Taken on a walk around the magical huntington gardens.
I'm looking forward to being part of this lovely weekly meditation.

2010-06-08T20:25:00.001-07:00

pic from Superbuzzy

I am very excited about this fabric. I plan to treat myself with a new dress, for my shrinking corpus, getting a little smaller every day! (I just had to have a daily, nice big hot chocolate whilst with child. My doc assured me that my new baby was going to be gigantic. He was, um, 7 lbs. Moving on...)

To top it off, this fabric is on sale right now at superbuzzy.
And in that awesome internet treasure hunt sort of way, I found out about cotelac using this fabric for some dresses. Beautiful designs over there.

One more fabric fetish:
Check out the new Nani Iro stripes. They are rad.

Oh! and as promised to a few readers who asked, enjoy this yarn buddies knitting pattern!

My new favorite song right now

I don't have the drugs to sort it out.
One of the best lyrics of all time.

2010-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

the ice cream makers

We had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon at the urban craft center today, whipping up some happy little ice creams. I'm a lucky gal, meeting all these creative peeps.

I love the range of ice cream emotions.

Thanks to Jennifer's great taste, I found out about Virginia Johnson, who happens to have a blog now. Although I'm hurting my chances of winning, check out her GIVEAWAY! (Sorry, I'm not gonna wish you luck.;)

2010-06-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

an amazing necklace by cheri messerli that now lives with me.
photo from messerli's shop

and some other things i'd like to have

images from bona drag
having a mad crush on manu

2010-05-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

allison schulnik

2010-05-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

I have some new classes coming up at the UCC. Tomorrow I'm teaching intro to knitting. We're learning how to make squares and rectangles in garter stitch, and all the things you can make with them. For instance, we'll work on these yarn buddies, filled with lavender to protect your stash.

On June 5, I'll teach crochet there. We're learning how to make this pluscious soft-serve ice cream.

Oh, and just because this guy is super cute:

2010-05-25T09:01:00.000-07:00

And the flower goes to commenter #6: JENNIFER! Congrats!!

Thanks to everyone for playing. I loved hearing about your favorite flowers; there's a virtual garden in my comments box! :)

2010-05-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

GIVEAWAY!

Dear AMV (All My Visitors),

Thank you so much for visiting my blog. To celebrate, I'm giving away one of my crocheted flowers. Just leave me a comment and tell me your favorite kind of real flower. Oh! and let me know if you'd like your Cherylmade flower with or without monobrow. Comments taken until Mon., May 24, 11:59 pm (PST); winner randomly chosen through highly advanced secret system. Thanks and good luck!

xoxo,
C

2010-05-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

a very busy weekend.

getting ready for the show. nate loves the girl.

what a cute couple.

Frida Kahlo has been on my mind lately. here are some flowers for her and Diego.

and one for Trotsky.

and the show is complete! please check it out if you're in town.

Plus, a wonderful mother's day, complete with Natemade gifts, sleeping in, and truffles. Thanks, guys!

2010-05-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Super Happy Cuteness opens Saturday! Hope you can stop by! I'll post pics of the show next week.

2010-04-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Totally excited about Annie Lee Larson's shop opening tomorrow! I love her patterns, colors, everything. Her fearless creativity inspires me to no end. Go, Annie, go!

photo credit: Annie Lee Larson

2010-04-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

I can't help it. This guy is totally my favorite project right now. IAN!! You're 2 months old today. You're smiling and becoming quite a conversationalist. Your favorite words: ah-goo, ah-boo, and foo. If there are any blog readers left, please humor me a little longer while I nuzzle my little wuzzle-bear. xoxo, c

2010-04-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Finding bits and pieces of time to work on stuff for my upcoming show. How are you?

2010-03-31T14:08:00.000-07:00

Five weeks old yesterday! Time is seriously flying. The second child has been such a different experience for us. We're all just a lot more mellow. :)

Look at this sweet kimono Ian's sporting, made by the amazing, talented, generous Jennifer. Now I have to make myself something from some nani iro. And I said I'd never be matchy-matchy with my kids. ha! Thank you so much, J!

2010-03-12T09:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the good wishes on our new arrival, Ian August. We're enjoying him so much! I can't believe the time that's passed already. My blogging will be on baby hiatus for a while, but I'll be checking all my favorites -- see sidebar for many great places to visit. Take care!

2010-02-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

Here we go! Giddily finishing up little things before our big day on Tuesday. We're so excited! Please send us good wishes as we prepare to welcome a new life into the world. Much love, Cheryl

2010-02-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

The curtain stamping is finished! Now to sew them up and hang them before I pop.

Found a couple of lovely shops recently.

Le Petit Pig is run by amazing designer and stamp maker Janet Chan. Her work is so sublime and super cute.

photo by Janet Chan

Sathya Ranjana creates a mysterious, beautiful world. Her blog is one I look forward to visiting each day.

photo by Sathya Ranjana

2010-02-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

Preparing to stamp 5 1/2 yards of fire engine red denim for Nate's windows.

Here's the first stamp layer.

One week to go until baby arrives, and the curtains are up! I'm going through some serious nesting right now and it feels so great to check to-do's off my list.

Added some little faces to the large dots with a fabric pen.

2010-02-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Nate's valentine crayons were passed out and, from what I've been told by Nate: A) were a hit; B) were not eaten by anyone; C) were eaten by a few kids. Well, at least they were sugar-free. Next time I pass out crayons, maybe I should just make these or these. (thanks for the links, glittery one!)

Still inspired by my stamping class, I made a giant version of my drop design and stamped them, along with a circle stamp, on this lush grass green denim. These will be curtains for the new babe's room.

2010-02-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

Some valentines Nate and I made for his classmates. We melted broken crayons in Wilton's heart molds for about an hour at 170-degrees, then put them in the freezer. We had a lot of fun breaking old crayons together -- I, of course, was paper-remover-manager. Nate thought that was fun for only about 10 minutes. There's a no sugar policy at his school, so when I saw Heidi's project, I had to find a fun way around it too. My husband says at least one kid will try to eat them. More valentine goodness to come...

2010-02-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

Busy quilting lately...here's the yeti quilt I've been working on. It's a bit bigger than crib-size. I used invisible thread to quilt with, so there are some prickly areas where the thread bumps out. I think I'll hang it anyway. Almost finished! Just have to hand stitch the binding to the quilt back -- which I've come to love, especially in my sedentary state that slows down more and more each day. Evidence:

I managed to waddle out of the house for the LAMQG meeting last night. It was super fun. The batty lady came and talked about all sorts of choices for quilt batting. I had no idea there were so many kinds -- silk and PLA (made from plant sugars) are two I want to try. The silk had such a nice drape -- it could totally work for a jacket or maybe even pants!!

We had a fun valentine swap too. The tote bag I made

Quality tested

and approved by N8

Here's the beautiful heart pin I received in the swap. Such amazing embroidery.

A great discussion has started over here on what "modern" means to contemporary quilters.

2010-02-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

crazy cupcake lady
pattern available in my shop

2010-02-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

Happy February! This month will bring so many changes. We're making a big turn from a trio into a quartet. I'm very excited and nervous about all of the transitions we must go through. For now, I'm happy enjoying some of my husband's delicious culinary creations. Here's an amazing apple galette he made for a dinner party last night.

I'm working on more patchwork projects, incorporating more of my handprinted fabrics. Using my own stuff makes me so happy, almost like I'd prefer to use it exclusively from now on. Then I think about how much I love Liberty's, Nani Iro's, Jennifer's designs -- I guess I'm just getting much more selective.
My latest work-in-progress

2010-01-29T16:57:00.000-08:00

Just finished a second quilt block for the project that still remains mysterious, even to me. Reigning in the center is one of my yudu yeti prints on black linen. I'm having so much fun going through my scrap bags. These things are addictive!

giant doilies make me very happy.

2010-01-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

I took a wonderful stamp making class with Elinor Nissley last night at Home Ec. I think I might as well move into that shop. Now I just want to cover everything with stamps!

2010-01-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

I went to my first LA Modern Quilt Guild meeting on Monday and, wow, it was a great time. There were so many creative, inspiring people there. I brought my baby coin quilt and here I am mumbling about how crooked my quilting stitches turned out.

Jenny hosts the meetings at her shop Home Ec, which is dangerous for me, because it means I'm surrounded by fabric and other crafty things that I must have. Like these buttons...

The red ones are made from wool felt -- super lux!

I've been feeling so low energy lately, so just getting to the meeting took about two days of revving up for me. But once I was there and saw everyone's stuff, I went home immediately with a plan to start something new. Here's the first step.

Not sure what it will be, but I had so much fun putting it together. Thank you Modern Quilt Guild!

Here's that group picture I promised of all the new yeti makers over at my Urban Craft Center class.

What a gorgeous group!

2010-01-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

a new yeti family has entered the world

What a great class of ladies! Much fun was had. Later on I'll have a big group picture to post of all of us with our yeti babies. Check out the urban craft center for a great variety of new classes coming up in the next few months.

Thanks for letting me use your photos, Crystal!

I just posted a free pattern for my happy cute amigurumi bird -- see link on the sidebar. Also, a few new patterns are up for sale in my shop. Enjoy!

2010-01-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

all images from Les Queues de Sardines collection by m + o studio

2010-01-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Looking for a great way to donate to earthquake victims in Haiti? Jenny at Home Ec is hosting Homemade for Haiti, an awesome super delicious bake sale on Sunday. Come on out!

2010-01-19T10:21:00.000-08:00

One of the 1,000,000 awesome reasons for having a baby. Dressing...

My good friend and photographer extraordinaire Becky Sapp is starting up her own line of silkscreened goods. Check out her shop, where you can place an order for one of her camera onesies.

Thank you, Jennifer, for this sweet outfit from natsumi.

I discovered mogo goods a year ago at the last Felt Club craft show. Nate's balloon dog big boy shirt still remains one of his favorites. Sometimes you just have to be one of those matchy parents, especially if you're planning on starting your own Koons gang.

And, I don't quite remember where I first heard of Speesees, but I have fallen in love. Great colors, images, wow!

last pic from speesees' website.

If you know of any other amazing kids' clothes designers, please send links my way! Thanks!

2010-01-15T11:18:00.000-08:00

Rödel Latin America

Here's the gorgeous designer Helen in glasses I need to have. stat.

All images from Rodel's website.

2010-01-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

I am so saddened by the devastation of Haiti. My heart goes out to everyone. I've decided to donate 50% of all my shop sales to the Red Cross relief fund for Haiti, through Jan. 31. Blessings to everyone.

2010-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

These valentines are newly listed in my shop.

I'm teaching a couple of classes this weekend at the urban craft center. Saturday is an intro to knitting class where students will begin a garter stitch scarf. On Sunday, we'll have part one of two classes on crocheting yeti dolls! I think both classes are full, but someone might drop out last minute if you're interested in taking one or both. Have a lovely day!

2010-01-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

Drawn to central asian and northern african patterns lately, I've just scratched the surface of a wealth of amazing resources. All images above from Alberto Levi gallery.

Bold Abstractions, a new show at CAFAM on Central Asian and Iranian textiles, opens Jan. 24 here in LA!

And this new project, Recycle LACMA, gets me beyond excited. LA-based artist Robert Fontenot purchased many textile pieces from LACMA's collection (that they were planning to dispose of -- oh the humanity!) and is repurposing each piece, giving it a new function.

before
Love this one. Girls, don't we all need a sheath for that pesky machete we carry around?

after
images from Robert Fontenot

2010-01-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

Fun was had and I nearly passed out after Nate's big 4th birthday party. I made my first ever decorated cake and, although it took forever and came out a bit shaky, Nate loved it.

We also put out cupcakes from my favorite local bakery, buttercake, with some "happy fire" toppers I made.

some of the cake monsters in attendance

Now it's time to prepare the nest for my next little one, due on Feb. 23! I've already received some lovely goodies that I'll take the time to share soon.

34 weeks and counting! :)

2010-01-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Nate's 4th Birthday. We had a wonderful, low-key day. My mom and sister are visiting and we all played music, laughed, and took a nice stroll around the neighborhood before our little party last night. Each year I make Nate a new year shirt with the same number of things on his shirt as his age. Here's his new one:

And a retrospective:

And at 3, the fake smile begins

Happy 4th Birthday, my light, my love.

2009-12-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

christmas decorating at my house

latvian mittens rock my world.

2009-12-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

Come and crochet with me at Home Ec!

2009-12-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

Yes! For a limited time, I'm selling my happy cute birds for a very low price. Come to my shop, get a bunch, and make your own chick commune.
Happy December!

2009-11-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

Trying to find the perfect things to put in our new place and having more fun getting sidetracked. I found this amazing jewelry maker from my home state. Her beadwork makes me swoon. Look at this bracelet.

photo by J. Stinson

I just posted my little deer from the Royal/T show in my shop. It's a one-of-a-kind creature, signed by me, and all that good stuff.

2009-11-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm very thankful for many things, especially the hands that made these turkeys with me.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you have a holiday filled with love and happiness.

2009-11-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

Feeling Christmas-y. I think I may have to have a yeti head tree this season.

Wow! more.

2009-11-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot of me live! action! crocheting! at Artery Gallery a week ago for this show. I got to meet several amazing artists: Glenn Arthur, Kelly Castillo, Craig Roccanova, and many others.

I'm now in the process of unpacking all my stuff and hope to get started on a few new projects soon. I try not to let my husband see much of what goes into (or comes out of) my boxes, since he starts to worry a little about me when he sees a jar full of bread ties or a folder of old junk mail envelopes. Yes, I'm a terrible pack rat, but I'm organized! And everything will be used someday in a project, of course!

The Urban Craft Center put up a nice interview with me over on their blog.

And get your crochet hooks ready! I'll be teaching an intro class over at Home Ec next month!

2009-11-10T16:45:00.000-08:00

Exciting mail today!

Machine Project's LACMA book arrived with my amigurumi bird pattern inside.

bird photo by Hunt & Peck.

I have lots to show and tell, but it'll have to wait since we're in the middle of a move. Hope you have a great week!

2009-11-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

My first quilt

is finished.

To be honest, I never thought I'd find quiltmaking fun. I loved the improv piecing I learned from Denyse Schmidt, but making a finished quilt just seemed to have too many rules. Here's where I have to thank Alissa again. Her class was so inspiring and freeing. Alissa, by the way, has an awesome giveaway on her other blog, block party!, which is all about promoting virtual quilting bees and sharing block-making tutorials. Lots of great ideas brewing here.

2009-11-02T11:12:00.001-08:00

The cards are in the shop! Come and get some yeti.

2009-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

Very excited for the opening of my friend Jennifer's lovely new shop, Ermie. Her hand printed fabrics are gorgeous!

2009-10-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Dude, screenprinting is awesome.

I can't say enough good things about the UCC. I just took a yudu class there last night.

It's like a whole new world's open. I even dreamed about printing last night. I'll be adding those yeti cards to my shop soon. There's also a mystery color that I'll unveil when I add them.

Yeti on black linen, so refined.
Happy Halloween!

2009-10-27T15:18:00.000-07:00

I tried another pattern from Christine Haynes' book with this beautiful piece of Etsuko Furuya's lion fabric. Working with double gauze wasn't as intimidating as I thought it would be. It's so light and flowy, and nice with a warm pair of tights.
Now to finish up my little quilt!

2009-10-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here's the dress I just added the final touches to. It's really exciting to make clothes! Who knew? Several things I have to work on, including stitching around small curves -- mine look too jaggedy. I'm thrilled about the collar, but the gathering is very uneven. The fabric turned out much flatter on the right shoulder than on the left.

Must sew more!

2009-10-20T08:45:00.001-07:00

liberty goodness

2009-10-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

A very busy and fulfilling weekend of taking classes at the urban craft center. What an amazing space and so many great ladies to be met there! I took a dress-making class with the talented, lovely Christine Haynes. Pictures of my finished dress are coming soon! She's such a great teacher; I'm not feeling freaked out about trying to make clothes anymore. Oh and here's her book with so many cute patterns. Thanks, C!

Then, yesterday, I took a baby coin quilt class with quilting maven Alissa Carlton. I've never been inspired to finish a quilt until I saw her design. She has such a wonderful, laid-back approach -- there's so much room to breathe in her teaching style. I feel like I can really make my own kind of quilt, not follow some rigid pattern. The first phase of my quilt is above. I can't wait to finish it and show you next week!

And Devon, one of the awesome ladies of the Urban Craft Center is an amazing quilt maker herself. Check out her blog. Loving the knitted microphone!

2009-10-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

rain
I guess because we get so little rain around here, it's almost an other-worldly experience when it happens. The highways become a total black hole. It took me two hours to drive 17 miles last night to our crochet class. The LA freeway two-step (gas, brake, one and two). I felt caught in a vacuum that might never let me go. Driving so slowly, I noticed the variety of garbage on the shoulders of the freeway. There's a lonely white chair frame on I-5 N, tipped over on its back; a ghost of a tire on I-10 E, still a perfect circle, but the middle is mostly melted away. A few pieces of clothing from...what? someone moving to a new home, a spurned lover, or maybe just wearing too much on a hot day?

Just finished this little 4-inch deer, enjoying a photo shoot in the rain.

2009-10-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

this week:
apple picking, which resulted in a toasty heavenly apple crisp
a book called "Nursery Friends From France"
met great ladies in part 1 of the fawn class
Martha's Uniform Natural shop update!

2009-10-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Coming up on the next two Tuesdays (Oct. 6 & 13), I'm teaching my fawn pattern at The Little Knittery in Atwater Village.

2009-09-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

*new plum boots
*thrift scores: what i call the "nurse purse" - an homage to Jennifer; tatted doily and tiny crocheted dress
*granny square throw that i'm in the middle of putting together. I went through a few weeks last year when that's all I wanted to make. Relaxing then; all the unwoven ends mock me now.

Animal Instinct is opening on Nov. 7 in Costa Mesa. I'll have a few things in it. 80% of all sales goes to the Humane Society!

2009-09-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

2009-09-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

A surprise gift picked by my favorite waffle-muncher.

Even though we've been through a firestorm/heatwave here in LA, I've been so excited to knit lately. Here's a little hat for my niece's baby, coming in November.

Some experimenting:

I'll be teaching a "knit a cozy" class at Machine Project on Sept. 12 & 13. Students can bring in anything, and we'll make it all snuggly.

And look what's going to be ready to pick soon! We discovered a plentiful tree nestled by Nate's trampoline.

2009-08-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

I want to go to this show on Macedonian aprons so much. I realized while I was putting my show together at Royal/T that I have a very rigid symmetrical design sense when hanging shows (and with my designs in general). It's something I want to let go of. These really help me. They sometimes remind me of the Gee's Bend quilts. Freedom, joy, exuberance -- all things I know are there for me when I work with textiles, I just haven't quite found my path there yet...
Thanks to Karen Barbé for the show link.

2009-08-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

Some of my birthday loot. Loving the double gauze. So light and airy.

echino

nani iro

I hope to make some dresses with these. I'll be taking a dressmaking class at the Urban Craft Center in a couple of months with Christine Haynes. We'll be making the Back-to-School Shift Dress from her book.

Here's a great book I just got with many creative ideas for mixing traditional fabric printing with digital.

I particularly love Claire Thorpe's designs that I found throughout the book. Her fabric reminds me of dresses my Grandma Lily used to wear in the 1920s and '30s.

Off to the yarn shop!

2009-08-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

In addition to the show, we just decided that I'll teach a crochet workshop at Royal/T on Saturday afternoon. Students only pay for a project bag ($5.00!) and will learn how to make a tiny one-inch bird. There is an 8-student max, so call the gallery if you'd like to reserve a spot: 310.559.6300
Hope to see you!

2009-08-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Gelitin's giant rabbit!
As seen from a satellite:

From a plane:

With sleepy people on it:

It took them five years to knit this (I love that they all met at camp when they were kids) and it looks like they plan for it to stay fairly intact in the Italian Alps until 2025. I think it's time for a pilgrimage.

2009-08-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

in my yard

2009-08-12T10:40:00.001-07:00

white fawn

This week has been a great mail week so far. Fabric, books, a new top, and scarves! I'll post some pics of things soon. Working on some fabric designs of my own again with the help of Lena Corwin's inspiring book.
Now I'm looking for patterns in my yard.