let no 'ween go unhallowed

I missed last year's WeHo SnB Halloween extravaganza, but I can surely bear witness to this year's festivities. Good clean fun it was. Low-key and well produced by my buddy Natalie, who really knows how to throw a soiree, it was one of those nights that make me happy to call WeHo SnB home. Those crazy crafty chicas know how to wield so much more than knitting needles and crochet hooks. Take a look:

The Moth and the Fiber Fairy square off.

My crew -- Ellen, Nat, Darcy -- and Angela Davis, er, I mean, me.























Yarn Cowgirl Abby, who whipped up this cute costume at the last minute.




















The Fiber Fairy brings Dolly Darcy to life.















See, crochet tools aren't the only things that hook. Ha ha. (Katherine, please forgive me.)














No Halloween bash would be complete without a costume contest. Here, the Winner's Circle: Kim the Fiber Queen; Frida Kahlo's niece, complete with monkey; and Sara The Moth, who took scariest costume (for obvious reasons). The prize loot featured Nat's fun felted sweater totes.















Darcy, the sassy revolutionary.

Dr. Love is in and she's makin' house calls.































I'll end this post with a pirate and candy corn because, hell, what more can we ask for Halloween?


Unless we ask for these, courtesy of Dr. Love!














For more and better pics, visit Ellen's blog, okay?

yes, I make stuff

I'm sure I'll soon be back to my usual non-crafty posts, but today I'm feeling a return to the roots of this blog is in order. I do, after all, make stuff.

I can't say I've been knitting much stuff. I went and overwhelmed myself with too many projects (last count, 15) and, once again, my fiber love waned. But it didn't really matter, because there's a new boy in town and he's lovin' me up just fine -- sewing. No, you can't do it all the time. People would surely look at me funny if I took my sewing machine to work to get in a little topstitching in between classes. For the times when I need to get my discreet stitch on, all those knitted WIPs still come in handy. For the other times, the times when I'm left in the peace of my own home, or with the comforting camaraderie of my sewing class comrades, I'm all about the machine. Especially now that I've made the wondrous skirtness you see before you.

Unless your first skirt is a total flop, there's no way to get around wearing it until the seams nearly come apart. I've had the decency not to take pictures every day I've worn the skirt (as that would number in the zillions), but here are a few more.



I won't bore with further declarations of sewing love, but I will say that I made it from Vogue 7416. It wasn't that I adored the pattern so much -- I'm still not a fan of the v-shaped waist band -- but, rather, that I was lured by the $5 pattern price. I do like the fabric a lot as any form of denim will do me swell, but, again, ten bucks for two yards didn't hurt. I didn't want to have to resort to eating cat food over a skirt that didn't come out right. Luckily, it did. Luckily, I enjoyed making it. Luckily, I love it.

crow, it's what's for dinner

I could blame my blogging absence on busyness and life stuff, but, really, it's this guy's fault:

Schmin. AKA, The Gloater.

He really thinks he's the shiznit just because he beat his mother in a photo contest.

Isn't he just pathetic?

Well, since you guys took enough pity on me to indulge in my little contest it's only right that I give you the results.

SET 1:

a. Shutterbug - Schmin


b. Shutterbug - me

Yeah. I know I know. A bunch of trees or the whole vast universe? No contest, which the votes revealed. I took a beat down on this one, 7 votes to 1.

SET 2:

a. Shutterbug - Schmin

b. Shutterbug - me

I believe my loss on this set is due to the fact that no one appreciates the magic of black and white photography anymore. Especially when it's flat and dull on a computer monitor. Feh. I figured the Where's Waldo quality of the deer in my photo would dazzle and mesmerize and lead to a win, but no. I went down 6-2 on this one, but at least my good friends V and Nat voted for me!

SET 3:

a. Shutterbug - me

b. Shutterbug - Schmin

This I cannot explain. I'll give Schmin his color photography and close-up deer and captivating water and earth, but 6 - 2 in his favor on this one? I think you guys are just being nice to him.

SET 4:

a. Shutterbug - Schmin

b. Shutterbug - me

Finally! Schmin - 0. La Mama - 8. (But of course when his photo didn't get any votes I thought, Doesn't anyone see the brilliance behind his picture? The movement? The palette? The emotion? ARE PEOPLE BLIND? THIS KID'S A GENIUS!)

SET 5:

a. Shutterbug - Schmin


b. Shutterbug - me

Oh well, at least I had a brief time in the sun. 6 - 2. Schmin's favor.

SET 6:

a. Shutterbug - me

b. Shutterbug - Schmin

Me - 5. Schmin - 3. This is where I thought I smelled a comeback.

SET 7:

a. Shutterbug - Schmin


b. Shutterbug - me

Schmin - 1. Me - 7.

I like rocks. Apparently other people have the good sense to like them too. I studied rocks in college. The course was called geology. It was conducted as a seminar because it was a general education requirement and --

okay I'll stop stalling. Final score -- Schmin - 29. La Mama - 27. BAH!

monkeygurrrrrl, I think you're gonna have to carry the torch. Defeat that lil' MG with gusto!