| let's sock |
friday 12.02.2005 |
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i got this item through ebay a few years ago. i had seen the sock dog segment on martha stewart's show and was obsessed. i bought the magazine version of that show too but i don't know where it is today. anyway, they referenced this booklet so i figured it's worth a look.
the sock toy authority
i find the envelope it came in just as interesting.
original packaging
35 years old
original teaser
the ebay seller also sent me several other original documents such as the ad for this booklet and the receipt. she also sent me a dozen miniature brown socks with red heels, only to have me misplace them.
i don't know why i'm posting this. i guess i am trying to get motivated to make something fun. i have not had any creative desires for some time. i bought the jess hutchison's booklet hoping it would inspire me but, alas, it failed.
i've been going through a terrible lull. all i do is crocheting cat parts. might you know of inspiring websites that would get me moving again? please share with me.
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| www.alpacasrfun.com |
tuesday 12.06.2005 |
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my next door neighbor moved away recently. before she did, she left a two foot high stack of magazines at my front door. they were her favorite issues of martha strewart's living, simple, and, my regular favorite, santa barbara magazine.
this was the only article i salvaged from the entire stash:
from sb mag
excerpt of the fine writing
i would like to visit these places, mostly because i hope they involve vast amounts of yarn and roving. i would also like to pet the alpacas except i suspect the ranchers might not let me come too close to the herd lest i snatch one. an alpaca that is. or at least a handful of raw wool right off its back.
anyone up for a road trip or two?
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sock glove dog |
thursday 12.08.2005 |
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i bought a mess of japanese craft books recently. i'm going to show you the best project of the bunch, the one that made me drop everything and force g to take me around town looking for string knit gloves.
book jacket
isbn 4-579-11061-7
fitting that they should put the monkey on the back; he's my least favorite of the bunch. anyway, look at the way the pattern is laid out. this is why i am such a sucker for these books!
so far, we have no luck finding the cotton gloves. if you happen to know a good source for them, please, i beg of you, let me know. i am interested in buying them in bulk.
g and i did succeed getting socks. once i get the gloves, let's all get together and have craft night!
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| mali(g)ned |
friday 12.09.2005 |
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well, i took kari's suggestion and ordered a few gloves from uline.com.
four dozens to be exact. you don't think i'm too obsessed with billy the dog, do you? anyway, as excellent as uline's service is, their gloves leave a lot to be desired.
60/40 cotton/poly
you may not be able to tell from that picture but the gloves are really poorly woven. i can see through each glove. i'm disappointed that uline failed to specify that they are not 100% cotton. also, for having 40% polyester, the color is a lot darker than the "natural" cotton i'm used to.
alas.
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| i hope this passes for knitting |
monday 12.12.2005 |
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saturday i spent seven hours making two sock dogs. that's after i spent an hour googling for answers to "why doesn't my sewing machine love me?"
001: glomutt
doesn't he looked like the saddest dog ever? i totally fouled up his legs. he looks all stiff yet he can hardly stand. weep for me.
002: albinomutt
for the black dog, i just went by the sock book with some visual help from various websites. for the white dog, i made the neck a bit shorter. i attached the front legs a bit differently so it could stand effortlessly. i also gave it some paws so it would look less handicapped than the fist dog.
i think albinomutt looks better but there's something about glomutt that really pleases me. i think it was the process, how i had to conquer the sewing machine and my fear of hand stitching. also, as it has my first run, i thought for sure i'd fubar. the fact that it still resembles a dog is a triumph for me.
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| what's this? |
thursday 12.15.2005 |
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a page from my japanese craft book
isbn 4.529.04146.8
isn't it a fine piece of crocheting? i like the use of neutral colors but i think the poncho is more decorative than it is functional. the fabric is too holey for me.
i still have no desire to make or wear a poncho. i'm posting that picture so i can show you this:
funny to think anyone would wear that yellow sticker. it's either a case of engrish or a sneaky insult for english readers. probably the latter.
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| three barks+a meow |
monday 12.19.2005 |
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i took these after the sun had gone down. the office lights are just not bright enough for this sort of photography. please bear with me.
that's all the sock animals i've made to date. the brown dog (second from left) cannot stand. see how it is flanked by number one and two? what a crying shame. i guess stabilizing the front legs takes skills. and i just don't got it.
the cat to the right is based on a pattern in the glove dog book. i didn't like the shape of it very well when i was making it. now that it has a face, it looks a bit more tolerable.
probably not the best spot for label placement but i like it. keeps me humble. here's a more focused shot.
those labels are a mutha to attach. they're nearly translucent but they are impossible to pierce. how?
anyway, i have six pairs of socks left. i hope that by the time i make the seventh dog, i will have the wobbliness problem solved. cross your fingers for me. if you are interested in making sock dogs, i recommend this tutorial and this vintage pattern. i suspect nicole might be making some right now. join us!
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| now, ugly dolls |
wednesday 12.21.2005 |
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i was at borders book store the other night in search of the latest interweave knits. there wasn't one single winter issue left. i got the winter edition of greedy martha stewart kids instead, just for this:
i wonder if kids would actually like playing with these things. i suspect that only adults find this sort of toys charming. i should test this theory out on my nieces and nephews.
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| hello, my name is |
thursday 12.22.2005 |
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gustaf
he arrived from phoenix this morning looking all debonair with that long scarf. see how he is wasting no time getting to know his new peeps.
sigh, schmeebot loves stephanie.
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| winter looting continues |
wednesday 12.28.2005 |
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i got my own presents this christmas seeing how santa was spreading himself so thin. first, an unexpected find:
made in japan
i got that at a thrift store in bakersfield last saturday. it was a 50% off day so it came out to be $1.48.
fully functional, complete with instruction sheet
i ordered a handful of books that have been languishing on my wish list. i received these this week:
the knitorama book is silly. i discovered it by coincidence at b+n. i had never heard of it before. not sure if i would ever knit a ham sandwich but it's a fun book just the same.
the charted knitting book is a barbara walker classic. i have decided to collect all her books. so far i have three: the first treasury, learn to knit afghan, and this, aka the third treasury. i hope to get them all before they fetch $1,000 each.
the quilts book i ordered blindly. i have no interest in quilting but i have known of schmidt for years from greedy martha's show. turns out to be an excellent book. the inspiration alone is worth twice the price. tasteful photography, well illustrated instructions, and a stuffed animal pattern to boot. schmeebot highly recommends this book.
my kind of pattern
finally, check it everybody!
another four dozens
i also found that in bakersfield but at harbor freight. they look exactly like the ones used in the glove dog pattern but they are not cotton. i don't know why i was so convinced that they are cotton. these are entirely polyester and i can't be happier. the texture is even and the knit is tight.* whee!
* jayme reprimanded me for describing the last batch of knit gloves
as "woven." schmeebot begs your pardon.
i wasted no time putting the gloves to use. i hope to crank out a few other animals from the book.
sock+glove animal craft along, anyone?
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| now we are two |
friday 12.30.2005 |
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rainy friday morning at 838
burgess on shoulder, langhorne on cast
i just love how thrilled jg looks. anyway, it took me no time to make langhorne. glove dogs are a lot easier to make than sock ones, i've decided. i'm on number three as we speak. i hope jg won't pass out from the excitement.
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