Dear Pete,
Here's a necklace I made recently. My new thing is shoving a bunch of rhinestones in Fimo, then baking them. Et voila!
-- JT
I Did Not Make This
My mother and my sister made this for me. I think it's completely crazy and beautiful and it makes my head hurt.
It's a lap quilt, I think, technically, but it's huge -- it could almost be a bedspread. The details are crazy, too. This photo might convey the details better: 
What do you think?
-- Pete
More Recent Crafts, Now Without Trans Fats
Cupcake hat for my forthcoming nephew:
And matching Hostess sweater:
-- Jenny
Girl with Pearl Earring, and Digital Cable
I am supposed to be updating things while Peter is in Slovenia, but because Peter planned his trip to coincide with the premieres of Kathy Griffin and Top Chef, this has not happened. Also, I have PTSD from this week's elimination challenge and have taken to my bed until I can get the image of skinned rattlesnake and geoduck out of my head.
Here are some things I've made recently. I've been on a pearl kick:
Jawbreaker pearls a la Wilma Flintstone.
Oddly rosary-ish pearl lariat.
A copy of something I saw in Shakespeare in Love. In Elizabethan times, necklaces were called "carcanets," which I think is old English for "here's something you can look at instead of my teeth."
--Jenny
Things to Make and Do
Here are some things I've been working on:
This is the "medallion mitt" from Knitting with Balls by Michael del Vecchio. I like how this one (and its mate) came out, but do you think it makes my hand look fat?
This is a necktie, using the same medallion cable pattern and two shades of rug wool. I'm not sure how I feel about it -- I don't think the cable pattern works as well in a tie as it does in the mitten above -- it seems too bulky and unrefined. I'm hoping that washing the wool (my mother suggests fabric softener) will make it seem less rough and maybe meld the colors a little bit as well.
I'm going to do these monochromatic granny squares in a handful of colors (red, blue, two shades of grey) and then assemble them into an afghan. I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease, very cheap and easy to work with, although it's been hard tracking down colors I want.
More crochet: this is a vulgar, vulgar afghan I'm making, using scrap yarn (mostly acrylic -- I know) and a 1970s-inspired wave pattern. It's a really good project for in front of the TV, because it requires no thought and almost no attention.
This Is a Glove
On the right, is my current project. On the left, is what it's replacing. Any questions?
Workers Playtime
This is the heinous project I was working on last week and this is me, wearing it:
I look happy because I still can't believe I cracked it. I can't really explain the problems without going into a lot of knitting minutiae. Long story short: I have fat, clumsy fingers. I had to work almost the entire pattern backwards in order to account for them.
Cabling Is Actually Really Hard
I'm really struggling with a pattern today -- double-pointed needles, which I hate, plus this complicated cast-on that I've never done -- and keep having to tear out and start from scratch. Check this out, though:
I finished it yesterday. It's a necktie I designed myself. I found a pattern I really hated in a book, figured out what you need to do in terms of proportions and shape, then did what I wanted to do. The cables -- which Aunt Judy wanted me to mention are actually really hard to do -- make it fancy. -- Peter
Basic Cable
Oh crap. I missed Top Design because I was learning to cable. Check it out.
I was sort of watching, but I think I'm done with this show, for reals. The only note-worthy thing in the entire episode, as far as I can tell, was Kelly Wearstler's indescribably awesome hair. Oh, and Jonathan Adler called Carisa out on all her drama. That part was kind of satisfying. I sort of wish it had been enough to get her booted, but for once, I'm not going to second-guess the judges. Michael's room was ugly and ill-conceived, the latest in a string of disasters for him. Carisa's, on the other hand, was simply lame, and her record so far is not that bad.
Can we talk about my hat now? I'm very happy with it: cabling isn't hard or all that critical to knitting, but I'm pleased to have figured it out and really pleased with the results. -- Peter
P.S. The pattern is "Basic Cable" from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. The yarn is Lily Cotton "soft teal."
Wigs for Babies
Jenny's sister, Vicky, is having a baby this summer. Other people I know have had babies lately, and I've started to notice that while babies have lovely skin, often their hair is a little lacking. Consequently, I was inspired to create the following for Baby Traig-Rouser:
Sarah is wearing the "Bettie." This one was inspired by an ad I saw for a new magazine called Craft. If I had it to do over again, I'd give the wig a deeper crown: it doesn't really stick very well on baby's head. Maybe toupee tape would help? I used Lily Cotton Sugar 'n Cream, in "pumpkin," which I recommend highly: it's inexpensive, it's easy to work with, and it comes in a lot of vivid colors.
The inspiration for the "Sir Wilfrid" was a Curtain Call production of Witness for the Prosecution (starring my sister). I really dug the barristers' wigs, but figured that a non-powdered wig would be easier on a young complexion. This is Sugar n' Cream again, in "warm brown." I stole the curls from the "Loopy Velez" cowl pattern in Stitchin' Bitch. (My mother made the cape.)
Susie is wearing the "Elke." Here was an instance in which materials provided all the inspiration necessary. I worked with Lion Brand "fun fur" (in "copper"), a real delight, because the eyelash-style yarn hides all stitches and mistakes.
Special thanks to my niece, Jennie, who provided the models. -- Peter
