Whirlstrom Studio

For my extended day of beadmaking yesterday I experimented with some reduction frits. The results are neat in person and hard to photograph. These are some of the roundest beads I have made. I did have one problem yesterday that I have not encountered before. My 'bead release' was too thin and 3 of my beads refuse to come off the mandrels. Must remember not to use that container again.

 From Left to Right:

1) Dark Turquoise with Iris Gold Reduction Frit pulled into stinger. At he end I turned up the propane to get the mirror finish, which is hard to see in the photo.

2) Dark Ivory Base with Iris Gold Reduction Frit pulled into stinger.

3) Black Base rolled in sterling silver foil then Iris Violet frit.  Dots of gold pink and silvered Ivory Stringer. Encased in clear. (I think most of this combo is from Passing the Flame.)

4) Dark Turquoise base rolled in Iris Violet frit. Silvered Ivory Stringer. Encased and squished flat

5) Dark Turquoise base with Silver Green frit pulled into Stringer

In person,  the colors of bead 4 are the best but the composition isn't so great.

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Making Beads.

Making an effort to finish Birch.

Staining and sealing IKEA kids table and chairs.

Completing Taxes

Looking for new furniture: Couch x1? x2?

Getting ready to go back to work tomorrow.

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I don't know what possessed me to pick this project from Knitty. It took forever! Size 0 needles, lots of stitches, cables, knits, purls and on and on. I knit the cuff 1 repeat shorter than specified in the pattern and knit three repeats for the foot. I did do the cabled heel which was a big challenge, especially for the first sock. I purchased the Lorna's Laces Sock wool in Feb 2007 and finally finished this project in the last days of Feb 2008. For some months I didn't knit much on these socks, but with laid off time winding down I wanted to get these done and off my list so I put a concerted effort into these.

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My contribution to 

2008 - Project Spectrum Elements

FEBRUARY / MARCH - FIRE - orange, red, pink

I really like the theme of Lolly's Project Spectrum this year. Separating the segments into the primary elements was a great idea. The unusual color combination of red with coral of these beads appeals to me and seems to fit the idea of Fire. The combination with the silver really cools the fire. The heat from the color of the beads and the coolness of the silver are so different that they make the red hotter and the silver cooler. If I had made this bracelet with a different metal, copper or gold, the effect would have been quite different.

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Anything we do around the house, our son likes to help. Outside he likes to play with the watering can and the hose while we weed or water. In the house, he loooves to swiffer, sweep and pretend to use a dustbuster. Here he is pretending to vacuum with a roll of funky monkey fat quarters I bought myself for my bday last year. The closest quilt shop to me is Sowing Sisters in Carlsbad and they give a 20% discount for your bday week. They were super nice to me and let me get the discount a day early. Plus they have a great selection and atmosphere.

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Inspired so many months (years) ago by the bags made by Clementine's Shoes and a very small one I made during the '06 winter Olympics, I drafted a bigger pattern that would hold at least the standard size 14 inch knitting needle. I used IKEA canvas for the exteriers of the bags. This bag is my favorite and has Alexander Henry 'Nekko" fabric as the lining. and a really neat botton dotted black and white fabric for the trim. None of these fabrics were bought specifically to go together but I feel they go well together. I can't possibly use all these bags so I've listed them in my shop.

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Restaurant Review Friday: Ok, the last two restaurants were on the pricey side. Normally we eat at much more affordable places. One of them is Teri Cafe, a hawaiian japanese place. Everything is excellent, well I guess I didn't like the mackerel. My favorites are Chicken Curry Fried Rice ($5.95), Chicken Yakisoba ($5.95), Teriyaki chicken mini bowl ($3.75). My husband usually orders a plate meal ($6.95-$8.95). These are huge. For example the katsu don plate has a huge breaded pork cutlet on a bed of rice. On the side is a simple salad with ginger dressing and a scoop of potato mac salad. Ok I'm not a big fan of an iceberg salad and anything with mayonaise on it, but I like the dishes I usually order and the salad is refreshing. This is the kind of place that you walk up to order, get a number and the server brings your food to the table. Very Casual. There are three locations in the San Diego Area. The newest one is in Vista by Performance Bicycles and TJMaxx and for us makes a good destination for lunch if we need something for the bikes. Lastly, Teri Cafe makes all its own Japanese noodles ranging from ramen, soba, somen, and udon. That alone is a reason just to go and try out this restaurant.

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Happy Year of the Pig! 

So now IKEA charges for bags. Forgive me for being cynical but sometimes I think companies champion environmental causes for their bottom line rather than helping the environment. Examples: Use fewer napkins, charge extra for bags, options to not have fresh towels in a Hotel each day etc.... Anyway, I picked these out while standing in line at IKEA. Great merchandising! These were great, extra large bags that we used to haul christmas presents etc during the holidays but a little on the large size for everyday use. Now just have to remember to bring these the next time we go to IKEA or target. Yeah...right. We forgot to bring our son's shoes on our Sunday outing.

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Best New Sock Yarn Source 2008: Hazel Knits

That's the award I'm giving Wendee of Hazel Knits. This one is Chocolatier color code 115. It's hard to find interesting brown yarn that I like. After the Cable Net and Retro Rib socks are done then I can start new socks! I figure I have 11 hours of knitting to finish the second Cable Net sock (foot and toe remaining ) and half that for the retro ribs (heel, foot and toe remaining of second sock). So, plenty of time to think of what pattern I will start with the Chocolatier. I first saw this color of yarn at Rayleen. thanks for the tip! 

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Sometime way back in November 07, I made this cute bag for my Son's little friend at daycare for her 2nd bday. I wanted to give her the animal alphabet cards from Martha Stewart Crafts, but they needed a bag for storage. When I planned this in my head, I had thought of completely different fabrics. These fabrics are perfect for her. We will be sad when she goes back to Japan in only a few short weeks.

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I spent hours photographing all the bracelets, beads and bags I made. This photo was one of the ones I really liked even though you can see my reflection. I used my father-in-law's photolighting setup, but need to add some enhancements. He suggested I get some light-weight light cover material (the kind they use to cover up fluorescent light tube fixtures) to use as a backgroung and set up a light behind that.

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