another one bites the dust

Oh no.

No, please, no.

Domino magazine is closing. And I had been thinking of telling you all how fabulous the latest issue is, what with Zoey Deschanel on the cover in her cute fuschia tights and an article inside about hosting a dinner party for six when you have a very small kitchen. I wasn't happy about the collapse of Blueprint (in fact, I've kept every issue for posterity's sake) but now there is NOTHING left. Frick.

(News via Design*Sponge, Cup of Jo and Apartment Therapy. Full articles at Mediaweek, WWD and NYTimes.)

snowshoe for houses

I said BRRRRR it's cold in here.
There must be some snowshoein' in the atmosphere.

Oh sad, I've gone and refashioned a quote from a total B-List teen movie.

We'll be snowshoein' for Habitat this Sunday, before I paint my face in some color and stock up on Budweiser cans for the big game. Notice how I didn't mention a face-painting color... because for the life of me I couldn't tell you a thing about the SuperBowl. I just know that Martha has some tasty-looking snacks, of course.

Back to it, we're snowshoeing a little for Habitat so we can keep build build building affordable housing in our community. If you would like to donate a little cash to our winter romp-a-bout at the Pine Bush Preserve, you can:

1. Shoot me an email at christine[at]unspeakablevisions.com and we'll arrange a sketchy money exchange, or if you trust the USPS you can send it to me via snail mail.


2. Invite me out for drinks, dinner, coffee or dessert and give me the money then.


3. I was going to suggest that you just wire me the money via PayPal and then I'd write a lump sum check to Habitat, but that is really the sketchiest idea I could have come up with. Reeks of corruption even though, clearly, I'm no Madoff.


4. If you want to bypass me and my snowshoes altogether, you could always send some moolah straight to the source: Capital District Habitat for Humanity.

And if you are a heartless, cold bastard only interested in the wildly exciting trials and tribulations of this blogger and also are into her exquisite handcrafted goods, just stay tuned.

ps- Maybe I'll snowshoe you all another heart, if you'd like. All y'all.

pps- My Spell Check didn't get the word "moolah" and instead suggested moorland, Motorola, molar and moonwalk. I imagine Habitat wouldn't be too happy with a bunch of donated molars, but they might take a Motorala if you have one to spare.

Autumn (Winter) Afghan, Completed!

At last! My first full-sized afghan is completed!

We started our Afghan Challenge back in September and I finished this about two weeks ago. Once it got big enough for me to cuddle under, my pace really slowed down because the afghan was already serving its purpose... so what's the rush? But eventually I realized it would be better to cuddle underneath it without a crochet hook sticking out and dozens of yarn ends flailing every which way so I finished 'er up.

I used the Coastal Ripple Afghan pattern from Lion Brand, with a few modifications. After making one too many prayer shawls using Homespun yarn (which, while delightful to the tactile senses, has been a bit overplayed in my past) I decided instead to use Vanna's Choice Solids from America's alleged favorite crocheter, as I've mentioned. All in all, it took around 5 skeins each of Rust and Mustard (gross-sounding combination) and 2 each of Dusty Blue and Pea Green. Yeah, it's a very hardy afghan-- super thick, a bit heavy and as you can see here, basically covers a full size bed (though it's more of a Curl Up On The Couch sort of blanket, not a bed blanket).

This is a monster afghan and I love it.

On Ravelry here.

happy inauguration

Barack Attack Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

more than blank

Cute project-- finish this sentence and submit it to love@paperwhite-studio.com and they'll post it on their blog, i love you more than ______.

Entries accepted through Valentine's Day.

I've got a few up there, can you guess?

knock his socks off gift guide!

Uh oh, look who's featured on one of Etsy's Season of Love Gift Guides!

It's me.

So far, Etsy has deemed my goodies appropriate for teens (Floral Retrograde Neck Cozy was featured in the Teen Gift Guide over the holidays) and dudes and I don't mind one bit.

in defense of beards

(Beards Are Sexy T-Shirt by The Bold Banana)

(Bearded Grandpa Painting by imadeyouabeard)

(Beards Not Bombs from ReForm School)

(Christopher (Blue) by Ashley G)

(Via Egg-A-Go-Go's etsy shop.)

Where's the Beardiest city in the U.S.? Click here.

Save Handmade

Here's the deal:

In 2007 a whole bunch of toys (largely imported) were found to be dangerous-- lead paint, small parts easy to choke on, etc. Not good.

So Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). It bans lead and phthalates and other such dangers from toys. Good!

It also mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number. Good, generally speaking.

These changes will be fairly easy for the big dogs to deal with-- ie, large, multinational toy manufacturers.

But here's the problem:

For small, independent toymakers and artisans the cost of the regulations will likely drive them out of business. And not just toymakers... anyone who lovingly creates handmade goods for kids will have to pay the thousands of dollars necessary for third-party testing for each product.

No more handmade knit baby hats, embroidered onesies, cute plush dolls or games for sale.
Bottom line: Unless modified, the CPSIA will virtually make handmade toys illegal in the U.S!

We know that wasn't the intent of the legislation, but it will be the result. Amend the CPSIA so that all businesses, large and small, are able to comply and survive!

How You Can Help:

1. Click here to leave a comment for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commision
asking them to address this unintended consquence of the CPSIA.

2. Write/call your U.S. Representative or Senator. Visit the Handmade Toy Alliance for templates and talking points.

3. Tell our President-Elect what you think. By heading over to change.org and voting for the "Save Handmade Toys from the CPSIA" cause, you can help bring the issue directly to President-Elect Obama. The top 10 rated ideas from this final round of voting will be presented to the Obama administration on January 16th at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, co-hosted by the Case Foundation. At the event the Ideas for Change campaign will also announce the launch of a national advocacy campaign behind each idea in collaboration with their nonprofit partners to turn each idea into actual policy. Saving Handmade Toys is currently in 7th Place and is in position to be part of the final 10 ideas presented in Washington, DC!

obligatory new years post

2008:
lots of sewing
some crocheting
colorado
crockpots
masters degree
a new apartment
a real job
marcy dam
homemade butter
making soups
herb garden
an afghan
elected a new president
the market

(Click to enlarge.)

(Reflecting on last year's post, I've done pretty well: there were certainly mini bread loaves, some cute dresses, a bit of yoga, new lunch bags, a degree, netflix, fresh air...)