Love*Craft

2006-09-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Movin' Out!

Love*Craft has a new home! A home that doesn't goober up my auto-login with it's passionate desire to merge with my gmail. A home that won't goober up my post titles on the sidebar. A home that sports a much less irritating color scheme. A home with privacy features such that I can post pictures of my naked rear without the risk of parental viewage! Oh brave new world that has such blogging in't!

Granted many of these issues probably stem from my own lack of techno-ability but now, with vox, I don't need techno ability. Less techno challenges and more media content means more of, well, me! And since that's what my limited audience (let's call them, "Dad") comes here to see, it's all good.

So yeah, come check out the newier, snazzier Love*Craft! Click the link or type http://www.lovecraft.vox.com into your web browser very very slowly.

Love*Craft because only the internet wants to know!

2006-08-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Kitties, Potatoes, and Snakes...Oh My!

Another random mishmash post, in which I report on crafting updates, Snakes on a Plane, and I'm totally turning Japanese.

Master knitting swatches are swatching. The new changes made to the level one instructions intrigue me. I know I they don't apply to me just yet (unless I want them too) but I like the idea of a hat. I wear hats. These swatches are, sortof just sucking my soul. In the meantime, the new socks are on hold, Christian's scarves continue to be on hold, spinning is on hold, everything but swatches are on hold until I finish this:

It's from a Japanese crochet book called "Something In Japanese I Have No Idea How to Say or Spell" by Nekoyama, whose patterns are darling, well thought out, and sometimes translated into English on her webpage. Click on "pattern of crocheted cat with diagram" to see the translated page. I'm making this for yet another new baby. It's been a good year for reproduction in the mountains of Arizona, apparently.

Christian's been making comments about the Asian flavor creeping into my hobbies. As far as crochet goes, the Japanese rule the crocheted doll universe. Amigurumi is everywhere on the internet and, like everything, some of it is lame and some of it isn't.

Completely unrelated (I warned you) check out these babies! Potatoes! Glorious potatoes from my patio garden, and there's lots more all scrunched in a little clay pot.

I am a huge believer in planting one's overripe groceries. Partly because I have this neurotic belief that I am somehow murdering something by throwing a "live" plant in the trash. But, crazy vegetable guilt aside, planting what I don't eat has turned our patio into a pretty tasty container garden and costs me next to nothing. And now we have potatoes. Enough for at least a couple days of hash browns.

Finally, you must go see Snakes on Plane! If I could hypnotize you through the internet I would. Go and see this incredible cinematic achievement! Our theater managed to hoot and yell without a guide but check out this participation script anyhow. If that doesn't get you pumped this quote from Samuel L., spoken at the MTV Movie Awards, totally should:

I'm here tonight to present the award everyone's been waiting for: best movie. Now, this award holds a special place in my heart because next year I'll be winning it for Snakes on a Plane. Now I know, I know that sounds cocky, but I don't give a damn. I am guaranteeing that Snakes on a Plane will win best movie next year. Does not matter what else is coming out. The New James Bond... no snakes in that! Ocean's 13... where my snakes at? Shrek the Third... green, but not a snake. No movie shall triumph over Snakes on a Plane. Unless I happen to feel like making a movie called Mo' Muthafuckin' Snakes on Mo' Muthafuckin' Planes.

It's true. And the best thing about this flick -- every single person watching that film left ready to take on a plane full of snakes. You walk in bored and leave an expert in snake butt-kicking. If snakes had butts, which I'm pretty sure they do not. This should be required viewing for everyone concerned about today's new age of airport security. Do you know what to do when the avionics go out? Cause I do. Thanks to Snakes on a Plane.

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2006-08-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Skull Bento

Christian's lunch bento goes macabre. Sortof. It was supposed to be piratey but the butterfly makes it sort of Day of the Deadish. Don't you think?

This time he's got a sushi rice skull, edamame, canned fruit salad, fortune cookie, chocolate butterfly, confetti candy, fried tofu and dipping sauce. Some day I'll learn how to focus my camera. Really. Some day I will.

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2006-08-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

Puti Fresh by Lube Sheep

More adventures in bento town! I whipped this up for Christian in about 10 minutes this morning. While making breakfast at the same time too! I can totally chew gum and walk, you know! Breakfast was oatmeal because the cupboard busting continues, just so you know.

Dearests' lunch contains 2 rice balls, jicama salad, blueberries, a baby banana, fortune cookie, bean cake, and confetti candy.

I got this box in an Asian market for only 2 dollars. The lid has a small compartment for holding a fork or a pair of chopsticks and it bears an inscription which completely legitmizes my great expense:

puti fresh: Happy fruits is very delicious. I will eat this and will become fortunate all together!

I totally did not add the exclamation point. And the copyright is fantastic, this lunch box design is totally the intellectual property of Lube Sheep. How's that for an appealing brand image?

Next to putifresh I found a "fruitarian" dish set (I did not buy!) and I'm still trying to figure out what a fruitarian might be. The Vegetarian's arch nemesis? A someone with a simple over-fondness for fruit? A fruity someone? I don't think I know any fruitarians but it sounds like fun. I want to join the club. Whatever a fruitarian might be.

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2006-08-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Grocery Love

This weekend I took a trip to Phoenix to see my Dad on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad! And while I was there I hit a million asian markets looking for good deals on groceries and I totally won. I know I failed to wait till next month but a)the savings were SUPREME and b)I don't make it down to Phoenix as often as I should and c)grocery shopping in Flagstaff is costly. It burns us. Anyhoo, I think we've got ourself enough dried fungus and frozen udon noodles to last us quite a while. If I'm smart we should have enough pre-made frozen, pickled, canned, and otherwise preserved meals to make it another month. I am pleased and also cooking my buns off.

And check out my lunch for tomorrow:

This is my first real foray into Japanese bento lunches (I say real because my bentos in training all involved gladware and very lumpy rice balls). It consists of sushi rice and furikake, salad of jicama, carrots, and bell pepper, grape tomatoes, nori peanuts, a lemon bean cake, and (not pictured) edamame skewers. It's incredible how much food you can pack in those little tiny lunch boxes (mines about 3x6 inches). I think it came out pretty cute. Again, I please myself.

And no, still no spinning or knitting. I have no idea what kind of blog this is anymore but whatever. The blog needs to find itself. The blog needs its space.

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2006-08-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Biscuits, Bathos, and Financial Responsibility

Last week I received a bit of money and went from having to buy milk with couch change to considering my retirement plan. How cool is that? Now it wasn't all that much money but it made it possible to pay off all my credit cards with plenty left over. This means I went from breaking even each month to having a bit extra. Hooray!

But a bit extra means savings, and savings mean financial responsibility, and financial responsibility means making a budget. The budget process was painful, leading me to unload in the most hyperbolic and self-pitying way. In trying to express my post-graduate financial angst I even managed to say these words: "my life has been defined by fear and worthlessness."

The beauty of my relationship with Christian is that he's too sweet not to laugh at something so ludicrous, no matter how straight my face, and that makes things better. Much better. I had no idea that fretting about money was so big a part of my after-college mind-space. A state of mind I'm going to call, "I'm 24, Do You Know Where My Pulitzer's At?" Apparently my Pulitzer can wait so long as the bottom line stays green. And there's laughter. And also beer.

In order to test the new budget as scientifically as possible we're trying to hold out on grocery shopping until next month. So we're cleaning out my weird pickle collection and girding our loins for a future in which wine is more important than cranberry juice. I had no idea I had so many dried beans and nuts. Wow!

Think happy thoughts for us because we've already exhausted our supply of eggs, milk, and tofu (my primary source of protein). The past few days we've been getting creative, packing pickles and riceballs for lunch, making almond nectar out of forgotten almond's, and discovering that ramen can do anything. The result is that we are now fully living la vida vegan and in that spirit I share with you today's breakfast. A thankfully tasty experiment that wiped out half of the nut pulp from yesterday's almond milk. If an apple spice scone hooked up with a baking powder biscuit this would be their lumpy lovechild. Onward to flavor!

Vegan Almond Apple Scone-ish Biscuit Things

1/2 cup Almond Pulp
1 cup Apple Sauce
1-2 cup Arrowhead Mills All-Purpose Baking Mix
2 Tbs Honey ( I like mesquite honey best but whatever)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the whole mess together. Drop spoonfuls onto a silpat or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Slather in margarine and eat. Yay!

I know that yesterday I teased you with possible glimpses of socks and spinning but this post is already too long. Remain vigilant and I love you.

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2006-08-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Posting About Not Posting Makes Kim A Dull Blogger

Maybe I was feeling a bit ambitious in my last post when I expressed my new commitment to posting regularly. Perhaps it should read, semi-regularly but I'm not going to change it. If I'm too lazy to post, I'm too lazy to edit. Whatever.

While we're on the subject of my laziness, very little progress on my master knitting swatches. I'd like to say that it's because I'm just that kind of meticulous but I've already stated the real reason. I'm lazy and I have the attention span of a flea when it comes to stockinette stitch. The written part is just about done (save those questions that I require completed swatches for) so that's some kind of progress right?

Christian's illusion scarf is sitting in The Basket of Knitting Shame until I remember why I thought it was such a good idea to start a bulky all-wool scarf in the middle of an Arizona summer. There's a new sock on my needles and a growing blob of lace-weight on my spinning wheel. If you're lucky, you'll see them both tomorrow. Assuming, of course, that I can get off my rear and post something already.

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2006-08-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sock Wars 2006!!!

Oooh, check this out!

I'm totally signed up for this. Anybody else want to play? Mary, I'm looking at you...

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2006-08-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Moderately Random Sorry-I-Don't-Post Post

My apologies. I know it's been a heckuva long time since my last post. Been planning a major revamp of the website but, since I'm lazy and sloth-like in my pursuit of blogging perfection, I'm committing to regular posting instead.

Not much going on in the Northern AZ but rain. Lots and lots of rain, which is a happy thing according to my mint plants and those of us who prefer the weather a bit on the cooler side of burning. All this water did away with our plans to go camping last weekend but it did give me time to do some serious spinning and to finish up the socks. Check them out! Aren't they, like, totally whole?

One other thing happened last week that's worth noting. Something that gives me renewed hope for men, manners, and humanity in general. Last week a man walked into the store. A man with a bone in his nose and a carpenter's belt walked into my store. This is the first time this has happened in my ENTIRE LIFE but this guy ASKED ME ON A PROPER DATE.

Now by proper I mean that he did three things: he asked if I was interested in a specific activity, asked about a specific time and location, and he made his intentions perfectly clear (i.e. he used the words "on a date"). Now I've had boyfriends and romantic encounters but this is the first time a man has shown me this kind of good breeding (...and he had a bone in his nose! I love that!). This probably sounds like no big shakes to any men reading this (I could be wrong) but this behavior is way way way more charming than asking somebody if they "want to come over sometime" or "maybe hang-out or something." It shows a kind of respect and straight-forwardness that nobody seems to engage in anymore. Needless to say, bone-in-nose guy won't be seeing me this Saturday but I'm tickled. I really am.

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2006-07-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

I Heart Stumble...

Because otherwise I never would have found this:

Knitting for the powers of good, people!

And if you're not stumbling yet, totally get it here.

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Nifty

2006-07-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

My Indoor Wildlife

This morning I woke up to the most wonderful surprise. Overnight, two tiny mushrooms sprouted up and out of our garbage disposal.

So there! I'm not a lousy house keeper, I'm a rebel challenging an environmentally destructive social construct by encouraging nature to take over our building a tad early. If I could've gotten my camera far enough into the toilet to get a decent picture I could show you the mini-kelp forest I'm growing. Now that's some kind of statement!

I know some of you must be wondering where the crafty's gone on my supposedly craft themed blog. To appease you people, and also because I want a place on the Knitting Kitty Webring, let me update you on my yarn qeue status.

Little to no progress has been made on my master knitting swatches since before California-Adventure-with-Venemous-Creatures 2006. I am, however, much closer to completing these babies:

Meet the most boring socks in the entire universe. Also, notice my nasty toe nails. Dad's got a birthday coming up, father-daughter pedicures anyone? Just kidding, Dad. I know what you're getting and this year it doesn't smell at all like feet! Hopefully, I'll have these socks done in the next couple days and then I can dig into this scarf. It's the boyfriend's holiday/birthday present. I'm starting early this year so maybe he'll have a chance to out-geek his coworkers before next spring.

The pattern is from a Norwegian(?) web-based knit rag called Ulla. It's the place where I found these way-rad gloves but since I have no idea what a simapakohihat is, I might have to come up with my own pattern.

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2006-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Another Man Done Gone

I've heard from some reliable sources that Jim Simmerman passed away a night or two ago.

I won't say that he was a wonderful man. I hardly knew him. What I can say, that he was an exceptional poet and teacher, and that he was kind to me, is enough to make me very very sad.

Read a couple of his poems here and here.

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2006-07-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Back to the Coal Mines!

What do you do when you get so wrung out that you're holding a mop and listening to NPR and CRYING because that country western cover of a North Korean folk song is so incredibly beautiful and yes, you're really that pathetic today? Drop the mop and find the ocean, which is exactly what I did thanks to our incredibly kind and wonderful neighbors.

So in case anybody's wondering where I've been the last few days I've been prancing my hairy legs all over the beaches of California. We got sun. We got swimming. We got rest and relaxation. We got cookies and free zinfandel in the afternoons. We got tidepools and dogfish, kites, and sandcastles. I even got sting-ray stung so our perfect week would not be without that special touch of drama.

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DaLife

2006-06-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

Southern Fried Pity Party

Yesterday the yarn store I work at closed up. For good. And even though I'm still employed at the owners' new venture, and even though not having all that yarn around will make me a millionare, I was feeling kindof bummed. So last night I went on a mission for comfort food and found fried green tomatoes. Recipe care of Crazy Aunt Purl who has the most fantastic blog and also just had a birthday. Go see her!

I made 'em. We ate 'em. And they were incredible. For those of you who also put sugar in your corn bread and otherwise exist solely to horrify Southern culinary sensitivities, you must try this. Seriously.

These guys are especially good eaten on the back porch at dusk, with a wonderful man, and your finnicky cat who hates tomatoes but loves you anyway.

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2006-06-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

I Dig Stuff

Check out Turtlecamper by Jeremy Fish. How wicked is this guy?

The Turtlecamper lives inside its head and has traveled the world at a slow and steady pace. Six points of articulation with ball-joint appendages, and packaged in a pet carrier window box designed by the artist.

I think I'm in love with this silly thing.

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Nifty

2006-06-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

I Hate Sour Gummi Bears Anyway

I found out yesterday that my Grandma Marge passed away. We weren't really close and I've hardly seen her in the last few years. The thing is, after losing my Mom and my Grandpa last fall, it's starting to feel kindof lonely. Some of the things I used to resent (getting a bag of two small underpants as a Christmas present when I was 13) seem downright rosey now, special. And it makes me sad that I couldn't appreciate these things before the family tree started thinning.

It's a terribly awkward feeling to remember what I brat I was staying at her cabin, without AC, being hot and itchy all night. The birthday checks and bonds, things that are going to help me buy a home in the very near future, they're a blessing now. I feel guilty, and thankful, and annoyed that I have to deal with death again. And that annoyance makes me feel guilty and I start all over.

I could say something trite about life being like sour gummi bears, or how impermanence makes you appreciate the miracle of being, or any of that overplayed garbage. Even if it's true I'm not feeling it now. The way my mother died, with kindness, humor, dignity, and grace, taught me more about living than all my years in school. I talk to her everyday. I talk to Grandpa too, but it's been so long since I've talked to Marge. I don't even know what to say.

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DaLife
Rant

2006-06-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Update: Who's Got Da Skillz, Baby?

I said I'd post some evidence that I was, maybe, making some progress on this Master Knitter program and here it is (nevermind that it's a day late, was anybody holding they're breath anyhow?). Here's my new folder (with tabs!).

In the past couple weeks I've managed to crank out three swatches and I'm still redoing the third. If anybody has any suggestions for neatening up my seed stitch let me know. The more I futz with it the more it looks like shame.

Sorry for the blurry picture. All you're missing are the gigantic holes and lumps of sorrow. Oh well, at 2-3 days per swatch I'll bang out another in no-time! :o( <--This is the emoticon of my frustration.

And in the interest of ending today's post on a happy note, check out yesterday's sunset. Ooh, pretty, yes? Random but pretty.

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2006-06-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

Crisis Averted

Despite last night's talks of evacuation plans and emergency preparedness, the woody fire that sprung up near Flag last night is more or less under control. The Home Depot is safe, the arboretum is safe, and the observatory is safe. Everybody rejoice!

And thanks, Aaron, for posting this information on myspace since radio, television, and newspaper all failed to tell me what I wanted to know.

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DaLife

2006-06-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

Wool and Charred Air

Just a quick note to all the folks regarding the fire: it's nowhere near us and we're fine. The air is all smokey gross and I have a headache but that's all. No worries!

Also, yesterday I got all my materials out and together for the master knitters program. Look for pics of my first swatches and supremely uncharacteristic organizational skills tomorrow! Wee!

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2006-06-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Yarr!

Flagstaff has a new kite store! Christian and I took a trip to Cloud 9 on Humphreys Street and came home with this beauty:

That's Christian sporting his complimentary "cool eyepatch." It's nylon to match the kite and lined. A fleece lined eyepatch. That's luxury, people. Cool, indeed!

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2006-06-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hat-O-Rama

I am a hat-tastic! In a fit of super-indrustrialness (which should result in some seriously good knitting karma) I knit/chrocheted not one, not two, but three groovy hats for my sister with the chilly ears. She's in Australia right now, using her knowledge of genetics to breed a super-strong and super-intelligent monster shark for military use. Isn't that right, Sarah? Um, hello!

Christian and I romped around our apartment playing supermodels today so's the world (but mostly Sarah) could see the fruits of my incredible craftihood. Dig it!

Wow, sistah! All these are for you!

The blue one is funky (goes with jeans!), the black one is simple and...black (classy!), and the pink one is made of my very own freakin' handspun (made with love!). I do so hope you like them. You can see how sexy they were on us!

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2006-06-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

In which I get off my butt and...go out!

I did two things today that make me feel like an absolute in-your-face kind of badass:

1) I took myself (alone!) to a very swanky restaurant in my bed hair and a skirt that shows off my hairy ankles. Treated myself to a three course meal that resulted in the ABSOLUTELY BEST CHEESE HIGH OF MY LIFE (since I came back from France, mind you, and if you don't know what a cheese high is then you've just never been there).

When I defied convention by using every fork on the table to tackle my spring greens the waiters laughed and brought me a lemon tart. Apparently, everybody loves a rebel (the waiters at Brix at least).

2) Drove myself to the Arboretum up here in Flagstaff at 3 in the afternoon. This is a silly (read stupid) thing because a) nothing's blooming until august and b) 3:00pm in June in Arizona means hotter than Satan's sweat pants. But I went anyway because I am a rebel! See above!

While on my adventure I learned a few amazing things. I learned that those tiny daisies, the ones along the freeway that are so small they're almost just the idea of a flower, are actually closely related to sunflowers (wow! sunflowers are big!). I learned that the turkey I saw while walking their "nature trail" was a renegade (like me) and absolutely should not have been up here where I found him. Does this make him my soul turkey? power turkey? Am I too far from Sedona for that? I don't know.

The last thing I realized is that I need to get out, by myself, a whole heck of a lot more often. See, while I was talking to the very nice arboretum staff lady about peppermint vs. beebalm I did something I do a lot. I talked about my boyfriend, Christian, as if he were standing right next to me. Which, most of the time, he is.
Let's have a flashback...

"Are you from around here?" she asks.

"Yes. I mean, not really. Christian's from Pennsylvania."
Christian? Who the heck is Christian? The nice arboretum lady is visibly perplexed.

"Oh sorry, it's just that he's always with me. He's my boyfriend you know?"
I'm not making things better. You can tell she's wondering what I mean by that. Like herpes, like schizophrenia, like I just escaped from somebody's basement and might be a tad dangerous? Crazy much? Maybe!

So yeah, I might be crazy but there is nothing so rejuvenating as going out on an adventure with just yourself. Yourself can be damn good company and at the end of an ugly week full of failures what could feel better than that?

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2006-06-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hello World!

So, I've been thinking about putting together a craft and rant blog for a long time. This is it. I finally got off my butt and did this thing, not because I successfully completed TKGA's master knitter program and wanted to celebrate, not because I've nailed a million dollar book deal, and certainly not because I've finished filling my non-existent etsy store with irresistable goodies and handspun yarn.

Yeah, I hope to do all these things and I hope to chronicle them all here. But really, LoveCraft hit the web today because of the worst Memorial Day weekend ever. After rattlensakes, a shadeless dessert death march, and my first brush with Arizona Search and Rescue I figured I would never have a more interesting day for launching a blog. This is it, as good as it gets. After today my life is all "I watched CourtTV for 16 hours straight today" and "I think there's something alive in my toilet tank" and "when will people start paying me for my self-indulgent poetry?"

So prepare yourselves for the non-stop action adventure that is my life. Or don't, nobody's making you read it.

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