There Will Be Beads

Just a quick note to show you that this blob of cashmere...



will someday look like this...



Oh. And I'm sure there will be beads.

Blue Cummerbunds + Glitter Storms

A windstorm of glitter swept through our house this weekend. Magical flecks of silver dust travelled from room to room, suspended mid-air, gently making their way to the floor which I just swept last week.



Did I mention that I created this mayhem? Although I thoroughly enjoyed my bling-storm, I was slightly horrified when we realized sparkling dust was finding its way into Mike's studio and attacking his work! (Note to self: Did you not learn your lesson with you and Susan frosted cupcakes with this edible glitter for Becky's wedding?!)



So, yeah. I frosted another cake. Two friends and I made a carrot cake which must have weighed almost 15 pounds to celebrate a couple's recent marriage. I was in charge of frosting it, and had a wee bit of difficulty with the cream cheese icing.



What was supposed to be a sophisticated design, turned into a gargantuan cake reminiscent of the "Enchantment Under the Sea Dance" from Back to the Future.

I think that the slightly gaudy creamy frosting and 1970s tuxedo blue worked for this non-traditional couple.

The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with cream cheese frosting, no matter how much your cake resembles a giant cummerbund.

Key Lime Pie

Summer time is for visiting family at the Jersey shore for my aunt's famous garlic crabs.



It's for homemade key lime pie to be taken to a friend's barbecue and eaten after dark.



It's for being beyond impressed with oneself for getting her baking mojo back. (Although, I must confess, key lime pie is one of the easiest recipes, and my favorite pie of all time.)

But have you ever made whipped cream from scratch? I hope you all have. I think it's the closest I will come to magic in this lifetime.



Summertime is for stores on the boardwalk, that an 11 year old boy goes in to buy his cousin a miniature pug on a rug since he knows she loves them! Sweet boy, he even made the lady go back into the storefront window to purchase the rug separately since it "made" the gift. I love that kid.



But don't forget, it's okay to enjoy a summer thunderstorm so that we can sit inside, work obsessively on our favorite project and not feel guilty for not enjoying the lovely weather. (wink)



I'm glad that you all are scarce too, since I know you're enoying yourselves wherever you are.

Lazy August

I have no drive to do any major projects this month. Instead, I relaxed, and let myself sit on the couch this weekend, while watching movies, platform diving and enjoying a thunderstorm. I also crocheted my little heart out.

We're talking about approximately 10 square feet of crochet! (Maybe)



I'm loving it. For someone who has a tendency to get bored easily, the quick change of colors each row perks me right up. I tried not to feel guilty about not being "productive", and just enjoy my laid back August. Does anyone else have problems getting things done in late summer?

Here's a photo to give you an idea of scale on this blanket. I can use it as an escape ladder from the second floor the next time a neighbor has a grease fire...

I am running out of scrap yarn. This may just have to be a work in progress, for the next few years, while I obtain more stash. I'm hesitant to use any of my Koigu mill ends, which are slated for Charlotte's Web, but I did cheat a bit...

Princess #1 Reigns Supreme!

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that my Gocco Tutorial was featured in Craftzine and Whip Up today. I got the sweetest comments from people thanking me for my time in putting it together. Don't you love how when you know just enough about something that you're not that scared to put out a tutorial to help others?



That is one thing that is remarkable about the internet. When you have a new interest that hardly any of your friends had heard about, there are great online resources out there, and an amazing amount of friendly people willing to share their knowledge.

My tutorial was a way to put more good karma out there from getting so much help on knitting and gocco (wink).

Mike has been in Indiana visiting his family this week. Although I miss him, I'm glad that he has a chance to see them. I was also lucky to have my cousin Cara visit this weekend, and we took a trip to the Jersey shore to see our aunt and uncle.

Apparently, she is still not happy with her mom for giving me the favored "so ugly it's pretty" of our Grandma's scrap afghan. We're currently negotiating a joint custody of the blanket. I must make a mental note to remind her that as the first granddaughter and reigning "Princess Number One" so christened by our late Grandma, it's mine until I befall my throne. (wink)

In the meantime, I'm unwinding every night by crocheting a few rows of my own scrap afghan, dubbed "The Frankenblanket" by Lisa.



It is so uninentionally long, that it will be a vertically striped blanket instead of a horizontally striped one. I love it, and it's definitely a runner up in the ugly-cute category, like my favorite dog, the Pug.



I love it! The only part I'm not digging are the red and pink stripes on the left hand side. Thinking back though, the red mohair was yarn that Mike bought me on my first and only Christmas away from my family, and the pink was something I was going to make his niece, but didn't since it wouldn't be fair to make only her something and not his nephews....so it's quite fitting that the two are together.

I guess I won't mind them after all. I do like inadvertant pairings and found meaning.

Grocery Pannier for my Bicicleta

Love is riding downhill on my bike on the way to work in the morning. To looking forward to my daily commute, and appreciating my favorite security guards who found a parking spot for my bike in the executive garage. It truly is who you know! And I choose to know the really nice people (wink).

Oh, and love is also this new grocery pannier I purchased to carry my things in. It's perfect, has a shoulder strap, and can fit a baguette if I'm so inclined.



I've been quiet, busy, and exhausted lately, but should be in more regularly soon. Let's hope the end of summer doesn't fly by too quickly.