Eat at Andy's

My dad is a fantastic cook. Everything he makes is delicious but, as his daughters and sons-in-law can attest, his specialty is breakfast. Nobody fries an egg like my dad. And he loves nothing more than playing short order cook to friends and family who visit. He also loves crows. No matter how many humans he might be entertaining, his backyard friends are always fed first. And it shows, the crows in his trees are sleeker and shinier than any others I've seen.

For Christmas I wanted to make him a sign that said "Andy's Diner" or "Buddy's Bed & Breakfast" or something. I was going for a sort of old timey look and I wanted "crow" in the name. I had a ridiculously hard time thinking of something suitable. Andy's Eatin' Crow Cafe? Ew. No. But it all came together. I made it using this really cool wood transfer technique. Mine didn't come out as cleanly as I had expected, but I'm ok with it. It makes it look vintage. I can't wait to give this to my dad. He's going to love it.

Shawl Pins

I did it! I actually made the shawl pins I mentioned in my previous post. I'm always looking for excuses to pull out my Sculpey stash. I get a ridiculous buzz from making these tiny figures. I always have. But how many wee statues does one house need? Luckily, tis the season for scarves and shawls. So I made these.Of course I made my go-to favorites, a fox and a couple of owls, but I played with some new things too, with certain people in mind. A bunny and a cat for my sisters. A lion and a toadstool for my good friends. A squirrel for my mom.
And, just for me (and for the look on Beckett's face) a stout little walrus, tusks and all. I'm going to put him through some quality control testing and if he withstands it, these will be the perfect little somethings extra to go with my holiday gifts.

Woven Scarf

I finished a scarf on my little vintage play loom and I'm so happy with how it turned out. I haven't woven anything in about 5 years and never a scarf. The weave makes it less bouncy than a knit scarf (just like woven fabric vs knits) but it lends it a certain elegance. It's unique too, and right up my mom's alley. I love handmade holiday giving, especially when the supplies came from my wonderful local yarn shop. Take that Joann!I used 3 different blue yarns to give the color a little dimension, a solid blue worsted weight wool, a wool tweed and a navy lace weight alpaca. I used all 3 in the warp, and used just the solid blue for the weft. I'm so glad I took the time, it would have looked pretty flat in one solid yarn. For any of you interested in weaving but not so interested in investing in a loom, there are many tutorials for DIY looms on the web. Or you could just put some nails into 2 bits of wood, clamp them to the ends of a long table and go to town.I'm pretty fired up about this, it's much quicker than knitting, which suits my current life situation, and it could be just the thing to help me burn through my excessive yarn stash. Also I'm thinking about making some shawl pins. Don't you think this scarf would be nice paired with an owl shawl pin?

Long Weekend at the Beach

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We spent it at the coast. I'm a little tired, but also that kind of rejuvenated that I only ever get from being near the ocean. So beautiful. Things have gone crazy in our little family, major changes ahead, so it promises to be an exciting but at times stressful holiday season. A few days of quiet walks and wave watching was just what I needed. Did anyone else have Thanksgiving weekend adventures?

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Beckett's preschool had a potluck Thanksgiving feast today. You all know I'm a lousy cook. But for the preschoolers and their families I wanted to put together something fun, despite my utter lack of skills. This is what I came up with. Turkey tail fruit kebabs. These were a big hit with kids, parents and teachers alike. The kebabs were pineapple, strawberries, cantaloupe and grapes on bamboo skewers. The skewers were then pushed into half of an apple. The turkey head was cut from brown paper,then I added the wobble and beak with colored paper. Balance was an issue, but not a huge one. This really didn't take any time at all, so if you find yourselves with a little extra time and fruit in your preparations for tomorrow's festivities, maybe try one of these out. Just for fun.Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Have a great long weekend!

Winter Weaving

Ever since I wrote my post about not knitting, yarn is all I have wanted to work with. Funny how that happens. And of course the chilly hot-cocoa-and-scarf weather hasn't helped. This weekend, while digging out winter clothes and decorations etc, I stumbled upon this great vintage children's loom I picked up at a thrift store last year. It's very basic, but it has a turner, which acts like a primitive heddle (for those of you not into weaving please disregard the preceding nerdiness.)

So hey, I started weaving. It's not knitting, I won't be able to weave any hats or sweaters, but I love the way these yarns are looking woven together. It's sort of elegant. It's a solid gray bamboo/ cotton blend and a fine mottled mohair in taupes and aqua. It completely satisfies my yarn cravings. And, as an added bonus, check out the awesome vintage packaging my mini loom came in.

...In the Lane Snow is Glistenin'...

Winter in the Northwest is usually much more gray than white, but last night we were treated to an early snow. It's beautiful. Beckett and I crept out this morning while the biggest and littlest of our family were still sleeping. We had a snowball fight, found a perfect tree fort, made snow angels and fell a lot. Then we brought home donuts and hot drinks, warmed ourselves up and waited for our clothes to dry so we could go play again. Clearly the roof needed a snowman.More snow is predicted over the next few days, which means I better clear off my sewing table and make something uber warm and fleecy for little Jonesie. Though I have to admit that I loved having my big boy all to myself in the Winter wonderland today.

Pipe Dreams... or Needle Dreams

Everything has come to a grinding halt around here. The baby has needed near constant walking and the big boy has decided that 3am is his new wake up time. It's frustrating to say the least. I'm almost jittery with an "idle hands" kind of feeling. This too shall pass, right? In the mean time I've been day dreaming of an alternate universe in which I am (and have time to be) an adept knitter. All of my yarns and needles are stored and untouched, but here are a few of the things that alternate Claire is working on this winter in front of her fireplace. Because she has a fireplace. Obviously.

Hat with Anime Character (Hello Totoro!)

Baby Sophisticate Sweater

Vine Yoke Cardigan

O W L S

Meret (Mystery Beret)

It's a lovely dream, anyway. The weather up here is providing enough excitement for now, I suppose. I was photographed by the local paper this morning. Most likely because I looked so ridiculous carting my 2 bundled up kids through the bluster. Happy Windsday everyone!

My Favorite Neighbor

This handsome fellow was perched on the neighboring building's chimney this morning, just posing for my camera and completely ignoring the mob of angry crows around him. Pretty cool. I like to think that each of our hawk visitors has actually just been the same one - the one that came in the window- all grown up. He's reached near mythological status around here. But whether this is the same bird or not, he's lovely and I was happy to have his early morning visit.

I'm feeling that post-Halloween pre-holidays eye of the storm buzz. Like the tension is building. So I've been working on little things here and there, but it's nothing I can post without spoiling surprises. Weird. But I have to say that feeling girly and glamorous last weekend has made it a little harder to go back to my lounge pants and grandpa sweater norm. So I'm getting back to sewing this weekend. I'm wanting to make more of my much loved basics and maybe throw in a few statement pieces. Maybe even work from a pattern.

Music for Moderns

Last night was the Music for Moderns benefit. What an incredible event. The American Museum of Radio and Electricity is a phenomenal place, full of gadgets and curiosities and technological history. Once a year they turn it into one swell scene. I got all ginned up, cut a rug and had a ball.
There was a live Big Band and a Tesla coil demo. A multi-generational crowd dressed to the nines in era garb and a polaroid photo booth. Champagne, dancing and a theremin for all to play. It was the cat's meow, kids. And I have to say my Goodwill revamp skirt was perfect. My tailoring skills are vastly improving. It fit like a glove and was comfortable to boot.
I had so much fun putting this whole look together. As much as I love costumes, I've never dressed up as a fashionable person from another decade. So hair and makeup have never been involved. So fun. I even called my grandma for advice, I hope I did her proud.I felt lovely and stylish and couldn't have asked for a better night out with friends. The fact that it benefited this phenomenal museum was icing. Can you believe it? More pictures of me on mothandsparrow! What's the world coming to?