Mr. Chubby Lumpkin....

Hi friends! Sorry to be MIA - I guess between Thanksgiving and preparing for this launch party, I've been a bit distracted.

So in order to distract you, I've got a really great "photo story". This one is about a really cute chubby lumpkin of a squirrel that lives at my parents house in CT. My mother likes to call him "that stupid rat", but I personally think he's adorable and quite ingenious, given the circumstance. Anyway, here we go!

Mr. Chubby Lumpkin has been noticing that, although it has been unseasonably warm, he has been feeling the urge to eat everything in sight. Seeing that "those stupid humans" (apparently it goes both ways, mom :), have refilled that crazy looking contraption for the gaggillionth time, he decides to pick up a few seeds on his way home from a hard day on the job. Except this time, they have forgotten to close the sliding mesh thingy! Oh joy! he thinks. Is it my birthday??

(Personally, my favorite. The "caught red handed" pic.)
 

And the end.

Finishing Repertoire, Part 2....

Do you remember the oddly colored "easter egg scarf" I completed over the summer? I decided it was time to overdye it, except when I dug it out of my "completed" box I realized it wasn't quite completed and I hadn't finished the edges. This seems to be the story of my life.

If something needs to be dyed post weaving, make sure the edges are finished how you need, no matter what. This might seem rather obvious, but I've heard many a horror stories about tangled edges that got the axe for this oversight.

Anyway, I again turned to this awesome finishing book I referenced before and tried the woven Philippine edge.

I am seriously in love with this edging. How gorgeous. So sleek and simple. Not to mention it doesn't take a long time to complete.

Cathartic rags....?

Rag rugs are one of the best things for me to do specifically when I'm feeling all fired up and need to get out some agression. Why? Because you have to [expletive removed] tear whatever old fabric - I like to use retired sheets - into a gaggillion strips. It can be time consuming, but cathartic. And if you don't have any agression to take out, it can be fun to do while watching, say, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom because you just happen to stumble upon a Thanksgiving marathon of such Spielberg movies.
This one just happens to use a very well worn Ralph Lauren men's shirt-inspired fitted sheet. I seriously loved this sheet set, but it was time to retire it to the rag rug bin.
 And it makes for a pretty sweet looking rag rug in it's second life. 

Definitely a cook...

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Every so often when I'm talking to my sister on the phone, she asks me, "When are we going to open that bakery together?" At one point, and I honestly don't know how this started, we discussed opening a bakery together; a place where people can indulge in their most favorite treats. And there will be cannoli, because damn it no one can make a good cannoli these days. (One day I will tell the story of the "Great Cannoli Hunt of 2004".) We both get a keen enjoyment out of it, not to mention the happiness that is brought to people who tastes our treats. Or rather, my sister's. She is an amazing baker - way better than I am and people look forward to each Christmas season to see what she'll stuff in the "tins o' fun" as I like to call them. But really 1800 miles separates us from opening such a bakery, although one day I know it'll happen.

And now you're asking yourself, what does any of this have to do with the beautiful purple stringy stuff on this page?

Well friends, I enjoy cooking way more than I enjoy baking. I like not having to follow a recipe sometimes and winging it is far more exciting. This philosophy has apparently spilled over into my dyeing. Oh boy, has it ever. Would you believe that this warp was supposed to be a dark blue-grey? Yep, except I decided to add the tiniest smidgin of magenta and, well, either too much spilled out or I just need to start being more careful. (Oh yeah, and mixing the color and testing it before adding an entire project to a dye bath would probably help too, but I just get too excited.)


No skin off my back, though. Because that's the beauty of cooking: you don't need to throw it out, just add a little here and there and you're good to go! So this may not have been the warp that I wanted, but it'll turn into something just as sweet....

Launch Party!!!

Exciting news! I would like to announce a launch party for my new home-grown business! I'm extremely excited and delighted to be presenting my new line of goods on December 4th, just in time for the cold weather and holidays.

I'll be putting together a little party at my place from 3pm-6pm. If you'd like to come, just RSVP to:

mockturtledove(at)gmail(dot)com.

And if you'd like to see a small sliver of the stuff that will be there, check it out here!

Can't wait to see you!
xoxo
Tara

The King - Stephen King, that is

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The other night I went out with my fabulous friend CH, and we got to talking about creating - she is a writer and I, as you might know dabble in the textile world. I was complaining about how, when I am working, lose all track of time but when I emerge from the process I am extremely hypercritical about what I've just created, often times to the tune of burn it!

She looked at me and said, "Ah, yes. It might not go away with time, but you will have to learn how to deal with it." I wanted to add a 'young padawan' in there, but she went on: "Have you read Stephen King's On Writing?" After I looked at her, oddly with my head cocked poised to deliver a snide comment, she continued that the - ahem - King of darkness wrote a wonderful book in which he describes his process, accentuating a part about leaving the book for at least 6 months before the first edit.

My eyes must have been bulging out of my head because she finished with, "Yes. It is a long time. But - oh - just read it!"

Has anyone read this? Any thoughts or comments about the book? It is currently in my NYPL queue...

Gray, gray go away!

Do you know how hard it is to get good product pictures when it's gray out? And I'm not talking a little cloud coverage here - I'm talking big nasty gray clouds that won't even let a little bit of light in.

A little cloud coverage can be quite helpful when taking photographs. They say that for your wedding day or any outdoor event, nothing could be better since it prevents people from squinting. But this ain't no outdoor party I've got going here.

I guess the etsy page will have to wait one more day.... grrrr.

You'll poke your eye out!!!!

Oh, friends. It is almost close to that wonderful (or hated, depending on who you are) holiday season. The other night I was gently reminded of the famed A Christmas Story, the movie beloved by all, although I still maintain that my family knew about it before yours and before it was played on TBS non stop Christmas Day. Seriously. My folks are from Cleveland. We represen'.

So, I was sewing together some really sweet pillow cases that involved knitted samples and felted wool, when all of a sudden, my sewing foot got caught on the knitting - although I didn't realize it at the time - and BAM! the needle broke into three pieces, with the center piece hitting me one inch from my right eye. 

Dear sweet jeebus. I have this severe worry that I'm going to loose an eye one of these days, either by cat claw or rouge needle.

And of course that was followed by not one, but three separate needles breaking.... One mangled in the base plate:

Took a good amount of force to even get the plate off. Ooof. Guess I was just having a bad day....

Finishing Repertoire

In efforts to expand my finishing technique repertoire, I have been raiding the New York Public Library for macramé books. You'd be surprised at a.) how few there are and b.) the length of the waiting list to check one out. Jeesh. 
In the mean time, I did find this awesome book which will remind you of all the friendship bracelets that you might have made as a child. The other is this finishing book, which has many techniques across several genres (weaving, knitting, crocheting etc) that has also been helpful. 
If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears!
In the meantime, I have a bin full of stuff I've woven that I've never finished. Which is terrible since finishing can really make or break your piece. And maybe that's why I'm putting off finishing - since I sometimes can't make a decision and it matters so much!  
Undulating Twill in Alpaca/Silk
First row is a simple square knot
Then knotted two sections to make a chunkier tassel!