my damsel cookbook

I hear 40 is a blast...

2009-08-30T22:59:00.008-04:00

...but just in case, you go first.

I had a wonderful time celebrating my friend Kathryn's birthday. Ah...calamari, wine and conversation, what a way to kick off the second score of one's life.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the I hope the people who crafted this apron pattern are flattered, and not offended. My mother gave me a wonderful apron, and it is such a simple pattern. I had to try it out. This bird fabric has been fluttering around my craft room for quite some time, with the intention of becoming a gift for Kathryn. One week before the date of our get-together, I began snipping and sewing. A couple of days later, I wrapped it up with all its little extra goodies with a pretty little bow. I hope the pockets will keep her scissors from wandering.

Tonight while thinking of the days past and the coming of age of a good friend, I pulled this card from the deck. I hope that the celebration is contagious, and carries on throughout the year, bringing friends together for a time of unity and creativity.

Cheers!

Reflect

2009-08-26T13:07:00.004-04:00

I'm sitting at the computer, wearing my favorite apron, putting off all the productive things I should be doing. But before I can wrap up the summer in a pretty bow and pack it away until next year, I need to take a picture walk through some of my favorite images from this year's beach trip.

Now, back to work. I feel refreshed.

Sold!

2009-08-14T14:17:00.006-04:00

This one never made it to the website.

I've had the jewelry, and the photos of the jewelry for nearly a year, but alas...with my first year of teaching in a preschool, and the resulting summer laziness I have let my jewelrymaking go dormant. Luckily, I carry the jewelry to show off from time to time when meeting with friends. A friend from our latest baby hat meeting decided that this set would be just perfect for her daughter, so she snagged it up. A little wrapping and tagging and I had made a sale, and made my day. Thank you, Pat.

The Story of Fred

2009-06-09T10:28:00.012-04:00

This is Fred.

Odie and I met Fred's mother one afternoon, late in April. I saw a butterfly hovering over the parsley, and wondered why it was in a place with no flowers to feed on. Then I realized, "Black Swallowtail Butterfly? Parsley? She's laying her eggs!" So I started turning over leaves, and noticed the teeny tiniest yellow eggs, about the size of a dull pencil point, on the underside of the leaves where she had landed and hovered, landed and hovered. So I picked a few stems, put them in a vase of water, and waited... Some of the stems I took to school with me for my class to share, and some I sent with Margaret for her class. (But that is another story!)

In a couple of days, the eggs turned a little darker and looked a little clearer. In another day, the eggs hatched, and out of them came the tiniest of black smudges. Two caterpillars were born, only one survived, and he was named by Ben in the Kindergarten class next door. His name was Fred.

Fred never lived in a box in his caterpillar days in preschool. He was happy to roam up and down the parsley stems, chewing a leaf, growing a bit, chewing another leaf, growing a bit more. He grew from a plain black smudge, to a black smudge with a white spot, to narrow stripes, to the wide green, black and yellow stripes of the pudgy, hungry swallowtail caterpillar we all recognize devouring our parsley from year to year.

Fred was changing daily, from one instar to another, with visible differences from one day to the next. We were all fascinated. The three year old class showed amazing control in restraining the urge to touch him. The fours watched him eat and grow, and yes, even poop right before their eyes. Fred went on field trips next door for the Kindergarten class to observe during snack time. He became a part of our preschool family.

Once Fred got a little large for the sprig of parsley he was hanging onto, and decided to take a walk across the countertop. Evan and John were the first to raise the alarm (and can I touch him? No, no. Kind hands boys, kind hands, please.) We helped him onto a stable branch and the next day I brought him a deluxe parsley plant from the garden to suit the chubbiest of hungry caterpillars. Fred was content once again.

And so he ate, and so he grew, through April, into the middle of May. John David had been away, working in Rochester, NY for three weeks, and was scheduled to come back on Friday the 15th. I knew it was to be a long weekend, and Fred was so fat he looked about to burst, so I decided to take him home before going to pick up Margaret at school, and then John David at the airport. Of course, on a most eventful day, Fred comes down with a case of wanderlust, and crawls from branch to branch the whole way home in the car. Running late and thinking fast, I wrapped his plant up in painters' plastic with a rubber band at the top, set him in the corner of the kitchen, and took off to pick everyone up, just in time. Whew!

We all returned home, happy to be together again after so long. I checked the plastic just to make sure Fred was safe; I couldn't see him. I took off all the plastic, scanned the plant from stem to stem; I couldn't find him! (Panic! I love you Honey, but I have to find Fred!) Now Fred was no small caterpillar any more, and would have been no good at hiding. So I shook out all the plastic. No Fred. I looked on the floor around his plant. No Fred. I put my hand on the dust pan to move it so I could get a better view of the floor around the parsley plant, and I saw a flash of orange horns shoot up, and felt something soft and pudgy under my fingertips. Fred!

I made Fred bide his time crawling from branch to branch on the parsley while I quickly fashioned him a new home out of a cardboard box. I cut two large windows on either side and covered them with plastic wrap and packaging tape. I poked holes in the other two sides, and the box was ready for Fred to move in. I added twigs, the parsley plant and Fred and taped the box shut. Finally Fred was safe to roam. He roamed around and around that box all Friday evening, stopped at the top of the box late Friday night and got very, very still.

By Saturday morning, we could see that Fred was still Fred, but he was scrunching up. The belt was the first thing we noticed forming, and then we noticed the pillow at the base of his tail. Margaret and I took turns shining the flashlight up into the box, checking for changes, all day Saturday, all evening Saturday, and I gave him one last check in the wee hours of early, early Sunday morning. Still stripes, still Fred.

Night rolled into day, and the morning sounds of chirping birds, wagging tails and shuffling feet intruded softly into my dreams, to be punctuated by the scream from the other room, "He made his chrysalis!!!!!" Excitement filled the morning; the flashlight flickered on the ceiling of Fred's house again and again. He was examined, scrutinized; praised for his cleverness; chided for his sneakiness and was just shy of being worshiped for sharing such a wonderful event with all of us.

Monday came again, and Fred traveled back to preschool for everyone to see his new outfit. Flashlights flickered once again. We noticed his colors; we noticed his stripes. We looked at the front; we looked at the back. We saw that he changed very little now, and so Fred was left alone to rest and dream of flying. A week passed, and part of another, and it was time for all our school friends to go home for the summer. Parties, cupcakes, and then goodbye, Fred was ready to come back to the place where he began, in his home inside our home, and he waited quietly on a bench in the living room with busy people and a slobbery dog shuffling around him as he continued to sleep.

Days passed, interest waned and Fred just became a part of the room, a piece of the furniture, with a couple of papers on top, and a less vigilant flashlight beside him. Margaret and I were having our lazy Saturday playtime, vegging out on TV and video games, sprawled on the beanbag chair, chilling out on the floor. We heard a small rustle, rustle. We heard it again. I think you could have seen the light bulbs go on over our heads even before Margaret could get out the words "What was that?" Run to the box! Turn on the light! Amazing! Can it be? Thirteen days of rest, thirteen days of beauty sleep and Fred was no longer the same. He had emerged a glorious black (and yes, male) butterfly! (May 30, 2009)

The rest of the afternoon was spent photographing, measuring and watching every flutter. Fred was a beautiful inky black. He was so fresh and undamaged by the world. His wingspan was an impressive four inches wide, and he measured two and three quarter inches from tip of antennae to tip of swallowtail. Once the documentation was complete, it was decided that he should be free before mundane captivity drained any of his spirit. Margaret reached into the box. Fred crawled up her long fingers. And as the wind touched his wings, Fred did what butterflies have always done. He flew. He paused not more than a second, before the gentle breeze carried him with great speed from the deck, to the back yard, to the woods, and then gone.

An empty box, an empty gaze; it all seemed to end too quickly and yet just as it should be. I looked over the pictures again and again, scrutinizing, memorizing, hanging onto the moment for as long as I could, and then I stopped. I let it sink in, and I felt warm inside. I've enjoyed sharing Fred's story with others. I've shared it with anyone who cares to listen, in fact. I was able to show pictures of Fred to the summer campers who would remember him from class. He'll be sending out postcards to those who didn't get to see the pictures, and are still waiting to know if all turned out well. And I think I'll still be amazed, years from now, at my wonderful fortune of being in the right place at the right time. I shouldn't be surprised. I have always found more by searching less. Being open and receptive and ready for the new has proven time and again to be my path to meaningful experiences and lifelong friends.

When I see a flash of black on the deck, I check to see if it's Fred, back for a visit, but so far, no luck. I have met some beautiful Spicebush Swallowtail Butterflies and Black-capped Chickadees. And my eyes are open and ready to be amazed at the not-Fred going on all around me all the time now. Fred has moved on to complete his cycle away from prying eyes. I hope he receives rewards equal to what he has given.

Strawberry Summer Blanket

2008-03-26T09:52:00.004-04:00

Well, the swatching is over. I've found a pattern I really love, and I'm sticking to it (even if I have to buy more yarn...) My handy dandy Harmony guide had a Strawberry stitch pattern that just looks so pretty in the SWTC Twize "Twink" color. It's an open, lacy and feminine pattern in a silky, cool and slippery yarn that should be just right for showing off a beautiful new baby girl. The washing instructions for this yarn are hand-wash, dry flat, which would make any experienced mother cringe. But my nephew and his lovely wife are giddy with the prospects of the new girl in their lives, and are planning only the best for her. So they get a wonderful bamboo heirloom and I get to play with some yummy yarn.

The baby shower is early in May, so I decided I should really give this one a kick into overdrive. The pattern is a pleasure. It moves fast, is easy to remember and changes enough that it never really gets too boring. It is busy enough that the edging will be kept simple. I plan to just go round and round with a single crochet, maybe with a little picot edging on the last round. Then washing, blocking, photos, wrapping... As much as I procratinate, I'll be lucky to finish in time.

Crazy Rabbid on the loose!

2008-03-24T11:05:00.003-04:00

BAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

No sooner than I had released this crazy Rabbid from the crochet hooks did it begin juming and flailing and grabbing the paintbrush to splatter paint on any egg it could find! We did our best to contain him, but he chewed his way right out of the pet kennel. It was only with some serious "negotiating" with a plunger that he finally agreed to calm down and have some Peeps with the rest of the family.

Now that he understands the house rules, he has proven himself quite helpful. With his diminutive stature, our under-bed areas have been monster free since Easter Eve. I think he takes a bit of insane pleasure from flushing them out. His only request has been that we find him a plunger of his very own.

Going Rabbid for Easter

2008-03-16T17:59:00.002-04:00

This is what the Little Damsel asked for, so this is what she'll get! Recognize him? He's a Rabbid from the game "Rayman Raving Rabbids." We all play the game. We all giggle like idiots. So when the challenge was given, well how could I resist? An insane Amigurumi bunny for Easter? Sure!

So, real work has been in a holding pattern for a bit, while I go round and round on his pudgy bunny belly. I think he'll be done in time, but I'll really need to get going if I want to make his plunger, too. I mean really, what Rabbid would be caught dead without his plunger?

Etsy Shop :: the first photo shoot

2008-03-04T13:14:00.003-05:00

brown_pearl_1
Originally uploaded by g_stat

My little etsy shop is empty, but anxiously awaiting entries. I've been taking my time, building a collection of products, researching setting up my small business, and most importantly, building a good set of photos for my items. I'll be posting the results on my Flickr photo page under the etsy set. Consider it a tase of things to come. I hope to open the doors to mydamsel.etsy.com by April 1, 2008. Stay tuned and please feel free to critique.

Swatching for a summer baby blanket.

2008-03-03T14:02:00.009-05:00

A new baby is on the way, and so the hooks go flashing, trying out pretty patterns to make a summer blanket for a pretty new little girl. I have until June to finish the task, but my fingers were itching to try out the beautiful bamboo yarn that was chosen. The yarn is Twize by The Southwest Trading Company, in the colorway Twink and is made of 100% bamboo. I know it isn't the most practical for washability, but the parents are pulling out all the stops for organic bedding, bamboo sheets, bleach free diapers... So, I get to play with some yummy yarn. Yay!

Unfortunately, I had forgotten how heavy bamboo yarn can be, so I've been swatching, swatching, swatching to find the right balance of lacyness and substance to make an heirloom that doesn't break the bank.

This was my first swatch. I love it. I started it. I put it on the scale, and it would take about 8 skeins to do it properly. NO way! I've got 5 skeins, and I'm sticking to it. But I do love the pattern, and I'm sure I'll find a place for it some day...

This is the second chioce so far, and on the scale it fits the bill. Plus, I like getting the chance to try out a strawberry pattern. But I need to take it to the drawing board and make the starting side and the finishing side balance. The pattern ends with half a strawberry, which just kills me. Plus, I'll need to figure out how to finish off the top to square it off, or I'll need to start in the middle, and work to opposite ends.
Alas, it's back to the hooks for me, so I don't stumble blindly into this project like I have so many before.

Clementine goes home.

2008-02-25T16:15:00.006-05:00

We've had a wonderful time getting to know Clementine, but now it's time for her to go to her new home. But first, we had to get in a photo shoot on Little Damsel's playground.

Clementine is a project I started at the beginning of the year for two main purposes. I had been itching to try out one of Beth Doherty's Amigurumi! patterns. And, bonus! it was almost Little Damsel's best friend's birthday.

When the two girls get together, they love to play Cat and Mommy. Little D's name is always Clementine, so it seemed most fitting that the gift kitty should be given the same name. We know she will continue to be good at chasing off scary ghosts, but hopefully she won't have to go to any extreme measures. Enjoy your new Little River home, good friend.

Influenza A holiday

2008-02-21T12:56:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the wonders of the virus world, my family and I just took a week-long Influenza A vacation, and are just beginning to feel productive again. The Little Damsel got a wonderful prescription of Tamiflu, and was bouncing off the walls long before the Dragon and I felt like peeling her off of them.

Now I'm just excited to feel like being productive again, and can't wait to get back to work. Projects are waiting...

Thick Warm Crocheted Winter Hat

2008-02-07T17:55:00.001-05:00

Thick Warm Crocheted Winter Hat
Originally uploaded by g_stat

This is my version of the Crochetgarden.com Thick Warm Crocheted Winter Hat. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, because it seemed so bulky. But the ever-wise Little Damsel says it makes me look tough... in the good way. And, it really has grown on me in the past month. I'll be sad to see it on the shelf, as our North Carolina winter slips into a 70+ degree February Spring. It took one ball and some change of Caron Simply Soft's Shadows. I have more, so I can see making up a matching scarf as a future project.

I hope to take the skills gained in this project and apply them to the Stone Path pattern from Interweave Crochet's Winter Issue.

This pattern is available for free at crochet garden. Thank you for sharing such a lovely pattern...

Skinnys for the Teachers

2008-02-07T13:32:00.001-05:00

Skinnys for the Teachers
Originally uploaded by g_stat

The little damsel saw these Bernat Bamboo "Get the Skinny" scarves that I was making for my sisters, and decided they would be better for her teachers. I had to agree. (She's always right.) Plus, this gave me the excuse to go out and buy some yummy Misti Cotton/Silk yarn to do three more.
Christmas was so crazy that this was all I was able to photograph for all my efforts. My friend at Little River Fiber Arts said she lost her mojo this Christmas. Well, I hope mine is slowly coming back...

Just getting set up

2008-02-07T03:01:00.000-05:00

Odie just told me it's getting waaaaay too late for me do be doing this, but what can I say...I'm obsessed. I really want to get it set up tonight. Forget that the little damsel has school tomorrow, and I have to be coherent for the monthly baby hat meeting. Just a few more minutes...