notes

While hard at work studying this afternoon, I got a call asking if I wanted to come down and see a local band playing at a record shop a few blocks from my home. Being an earnest little student I refused and got back to work reading through my notes on psychological pharmacology. Then about ten minutes later I got another call saying the local band playing was Minus the Bear and I should really come, it was going to be amazing. My initial reaction was a very loud fuck! This is not a particularly positive expression of that word, as I was actually well focused on my studies (not an easy task for me to accomplish) and I knew I would not be able to maintain this high level of focusicity knowing a band I wanted to see was playing for free just up the block.

So of course I went. And yes, it was amazing.

-Liz

living in a southern cocktail

After a long day of studying all I can think about is having a delicious mint julep.. most likely a result of deep southern roots.

about 1/2 cup of washed spearmint leaves

with extra beautiful sprigs to garnish

about 6 shots of bourbon (i usually go with jim beam)

1/3 cup of water

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

soda water

ice

first i crush half the mint and pour the bourbon over it

let this marinate for a while

(it depends on how long you are willing to wait for your

cocktail.. i usually try to do it in the morning and leave

it in the fridge all day)

the remaining mint, sugar and water go into a sauce pan over heat to dissolve

let this cool then poor over bourbon mixture

strain into glasses over ice and top with a little soda water

ok.. so the measurements are a bit of a guess because i don't actually measure anything

top photo borrowed from Southern Living

i wish i had these to sit on a back porch somewhere sipping this cocktail

-Liz

guerilla

When I first heard a mention of guerilla knitting I immediately thought “WHAT????? Why am I not out doing this right now!?”

I immediately went home to start an endless google search looking through images and locations. It was instant love!.. . Ok, probably more of an unhealthy obsession.

The juxtaposition of knit and street art is absolutely brilliant. I picture grandmas in their gray bouffant hair do’s sneaking out at night in their metallic track suits, knitting needles in hand ready to graffiti the city.

These are some of my favorites:

Long before I ever did any of my own, it inspired me to start crocheting other various objects that happened to be around. This turned into all kinds of things around my house slowly turning into colorful yarn art.

Finally I found the courage to venture out and create some guerilla knit of my very own. I wasn’t so much nervous about getting in any actual trouble, just the thought of people walking staring by made me nervous enough. Also, I did think twice about the parking patrol that is constantly driving around looking for rebellious cars sitting too close to stop signs. So I snuck out in the middle of the night and got to work on a street sign.. not a very fun task when it is freezing cold and drizzling out. Most people walking by didn’t give me a second look, actually I think they were avoiding looking over at all. About half way down the post I hear someone call out “What are you doing??” I look up to see 3 people sitting in a window smoking across the way staring down at me. “Just some late night crocheting, you know how it is,” I replied. “Like yarn graffiti??” they called back. “Um.. yes actually!” I answered. As I finished I realized I hadn’t brought anything to cut the yarn loose so went to town with my canines trying to detach my yarn from the post.. which I'm sure was quite a show for my upstair observers.

I have to say I loved it a little! I’ve already started pulling out all kinds of unfinished scarves and various other pieces that I can take out to cover the city.

-Liz

3 little red shoes

freedom!!

I have always been a natural artist/crafter. I get an uncontainable desire to create something and the only way to relieve that pressure is to construct this thing that is dwelling inside. I go through phases of crocheting, sewing, embroidering, painting, drawing, beading, potting, framing… anything that comes to mind that I absolutely cannot live any longer without doing immediately. It all started early (at the age of 4) with my nanny teaching me how to knit. This became my drug of choice and I filled my mother’s house with potholders, towels, coasters, placemats, scarves... all essentially the same pattern in which I did not have to actually add or loose a single stitch.
Then came the day my mother introduced me to crochet. I could only grasp the concept of a simple chain… which I would constantly do.. with entire skeins of yarn.. in one sitting. So the creativity came in coming up with things to make out of it. I had beautiful necklaces (yarn chains wrapped around my neck dozens of times), dream weavers, dog leashes (luckily our little maltese wasn’t strong enough to require any real restraint) and anything else I could think to do with my endless chains of colorful yarn. Since then I have expanded my abilities through hours of practice, advise from friends and (not always successful) experimentation. Apparently I haven’t completely moved on I still wear chains of crochet and still have it all over my house..



Spending the past 3 years intensely studying to become a nurse, some serious artistic frustration has built up inside of me.. and I finally have the time to indulge in some glorious craft time. The past 3 years have been filled with incredible stress.. enough that my hair is literally half as thick as it used to be! Since finishing school I have been fulfilling all the urges that I have oppressed for years due to a complete lack of free time. I moved to Seattle and have been avidly crafting, reading non scientific literature (the kind of fiction from which you get nothing but few laughs and pure enjoyment), drawing, baking, spending hours at the park, going to museums, painting, earning hangovers that have me bedridden for days and all the other desires I haven’t had time to entertain for so long.

This (along with other things) has led me to staring this blog. It is a collaboration with 2 of my best friends that are sadly too far away to see on a daily basis.. and a chance to write about anything I like and never having to mention the pathophysiology of it. It has also caused me to open an etsy shop.. which is my solution to an excess of crafting and absence of income. I am hoping to self sustain my crafting habit and maybe eventually reinvest in the handmade movement by purchasing some of the things I have been coveting in other handmade shops... a girl can dream right??

-Liz

3 little red shoes