healthy tension

Welcome, guests!

Thank you for the comments on Kip! She really was such fun to make -- I love that book. And its author actually left a comment -- whoa! You should have seen my dancin'! Thanks again, Tamie.

Please leave some way of contacting you should you win, unless you know I know you, you know? (And if you're just entering now, please leave your comment on the entry with the photo, below.) I'll post the winner during the day on Sept. 8, as early as possible Chicago time, just in case the Lucky Winner swings back on by. Good luck!

I place in nomination

May I present Kip:

She's so named because she's stuffed with wool batting and poly pellets from Carolyn and made with Lorna's Laces Angel yarn that I got on my first vist to Loopy, which was the night of a Bonne Marie extravaganza there. I made her to be the prize in the first-ever HeaLtHy TeNsiOn

CONTEST!

Leave a comment if you'd like to enter, and I'll pick the winner at random on Sept. 7. (I promise to get all the ends woven in by then.) Good luck!

She's from Tiny Yarn Animals by Tamie Snow of roxycraft.com, by the by.

A half hour, my bubby

Well, it took longer than a half hour to finish Bubby, mostly because I redid the ears several times and then dithered about how/where to attach the arms before settling on a jointed approach.

He's a little guy, but it's nice to have him finished.

Crafts gone by

Words of explanation would only gild the lily.

KIP tonight!

Come to KIP tonight at Intelligentsia, 3123 N. Broadway!

Draw a fork on it

Ellie drew this and explained to me that it is a fork. I have no other craft news for you (I call this craft news because it's on muslin with a fabric marker?).

Art. Bread in 5 One and Two

So I've made two loaves of bread using the master recipe in Artisan Bread in Five Mintues a Day. The second one is better than the first, but so far the New York Times recipe wins in the Crust Category. I have enough dough for two more Art. Bread loaves, so I'll see what I can do about crisping up that crust. I know there are probably three million web pages and comments out there that discuss this, but I'll try the old screw-up&learn method on this. In the meantime, I'm sure having me some tasty sandwiches!

What can I tell you

• I did the mending on Salsa. Yay! I did it half an hour ago just to have something half decent to post. Blogivation!
• The Family Finale of the Ersatz Day Camp (TM) was a lot of fun. Friends we hadn't seen in many months! Olympic medals from air-drying modeling compound! With star "beads" as well as spider buttons! Red/white/blue ribbon for hanging round necks! But the question remains: what is air-drying modeling compound?
• The finger puppets remain un-eyed (and in our possession), but Session II on Friday did feature seven children under the age of 5 in the wading pool. Some of them put their little hands over their little ears when the airplanes flew overhead during the Air and Water Show. Then they went back to throwing their Crocs (TM) into and out of the wading pool.
• That is all.

The once and future WIP

Yet another project unearthed in the move:

Bubby from Knitty. Ask not for whom the bear was started -- it was started for thee. Seriously, I have no idea why I started making this. May as well spend half an hour to finish it!

Belated thanks for the good anniversary wishes! Have a great weekend!

Potential, or the cat who turned into an elephant

I know this photo risks sending the blog over the line and well into the Craftee Zone, but it's late and it's what I've got:

Four of Ellie's friends are coming over tomorrow for Session II of the Ersatz Day Camp (TM), and it's Finger Puppet Day. The turquoise thing was supposed to be a feline-type creature. Perhaps it will not surprise you to learn that he was the last one out from under the sewing machine, at just about bedtime. Check out the sparkly action on some of those guys! My only comfort there is that those sheets of felt are made from recycled soda bottles. Incidentally, they are sitting on one camper's T-shirt from Session I. Fabric markers! Ric-rac! Why can't I make one?

Here's what the kids might/might not do with the above. They are my "test runs," which is code for "Hey, I want to play, too!" Maybe I should open a preschool.

Happy Friday!