a craft revival

Ever since I finally finished organizing the craft room (pics to come soon), I've been unable to stay out of there in the evenings. I think a lot of that has to do with the soothing sounds of baseball analyst chatter emanating from the small TV in the corner. I've had a blast following the players on my fantasy team this year -- no doubt because I have stayed solidly in the top three spots in our league and Tim has yet to come too close to passing me (ha!) If there's no baseball to be found, it's all about Law & Order reruns. I find I work better with some background noise that I can tune in and out of at will.

Anyway, these are a few things I've been working on lately:


Yes, I'm knitting again. What am I knitting? I'm not sure, but it's probably another scarf. I finally balled some of that awesome alpaca yarn my father got in Peru. I started this scarf down in Tampa on the USF campus while waiting for Tim to finish teaching class so we could go to the Rays opening game. I knit a lot in the car that week since it takes forever to get anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. Then I decided it was too wide, so I pulled it out and started over. I'd like to try some new things with knitting, but frankly it's become a relaxing, no-brainer thing to do in the evening, and I'm content with that for now. One of these days I'll have to get together with some knitting friends who can teach me something new.


Here is that pink mum fabric I found at the Kissimmee thrift and three new pillowcases bound for skirt-ness. That blue pillowcase will make a funky skirt, but I'm still not sure what to do with the mum fabric. It's canvas weight, so if I used it to make a skirt it would have little movement. But the fabric is certainly pretty enough to give it a shot. I might make some summer totes with it too. Any ideas?


I'm still putting out alligator push pins for my mother's friends and co-workers. People love these, and I'm hoping to do some magnets to go with them for the next go-round. I've also been experimenting with these:


Desk sets of magnets, push pins, and paperclips. I mostly like the way these turned out, but I'm still brainstorming how to package all of it. The pink fabric push pins were made using button covers -- super easy.

Hopefully you'll see some sewing out of me in the next couple days. I'd like to get through another pillowcase skirt before I start any summer tote bags. But there's still work and the garden to contend with, so we'll see.