Kitties in a Lineup

It turns out my "assembly line" is my coffee table.  My current batch of tiny cats are all in a row, so I had to snap a photo before they go to their new homes this week.

And because in my family someone was always snapping a photo from behind, not necessarily on purpose, here is a bum shot of the same characters.  Their curly tales are pretty endearing.

You can see the yarn already laid out for the next batch - as soon as I get a nose onto Mr. Cheeto - my crochet hook will be dancing away.

Here's one cheeky devil who is literally a cat in a hat.

Holiday Color

I still have my holiday decorations up, because they so cheer up my living space.  It makes the living room feel warm and wonderful.

My white yarn-wrapped tree from West Elm and fluffy owl ornament from Pier 1 may stay up until the spring.

Where will I put things when I break down and buy a modern, slim television?

Tiny Crocheted Cats

I've been so busy crocheting tiny cats to keep up with the demand, that I haven't even been blogging!  It all started with a holiday craft sale at work where the first woman to see them bought all 3 of the tiny cats I had for sale.  From there I have been crocheting special orders.  The first was a black and white cat who went to a good home, friend to a little girl.

I'm working on my third special order for coworkers, and finally have finished one for Etsy, with another still in pieces on the coffee table.  Here's a cat in a hat (I've been crocheting hats, too).

Next up:  modifying the pattern to turns tiny cats into tiny dogs.

The Feet of a Creative Type

Is this what the feet of a creative type look like?

Actually I am trying to stretch my shoes out with some new super-spray that promises miracles.  I'm wearing heavier socks for maximum stretching.  I couldn't find two matching socks so gave up and have spent the afternoon strolling through the house mis-matched.  Folded Ear Cat is not taken aback by my failing fashionista grade.

Perhaps this look says, "Can't be bothered to spend the time matching my socks - too busy crocheting"?

Bainbridge Fabric Found

On my recent tourist-close-to-home day a ferry ride away on Bainbridge Island I wandered into Eileen's Fabrics and just as I was about to have some fabric but I remembered to look in the basket of smaller fabric swatches.  I know you quilters probably do this all the time, but for those of you who hadn't thought of it - you can often find smaller pieces of fabric already cut for good prices.  Here's what I found:

I'm always on the lookout for unique cat fabrics which I can make into catnip toys or potholders. These will do nicely and I didn't need to ask for them to be cut!  They were just waiting for me to take them home.

Vintage Buttons - Stash Update

I got distracted last weekend shortly into my walk just a few streets from home by a big sign "Button Sale."  OMG!  Walk paused while my feet led me right in that door.  Not that my stash needed any additions, but I always like to have a stash of lovely buttons on hand (and yarn, and fabric).  Maybe I am a stashaholic, but you never know when you might need a beautiful button to complete a project, am I right?

Tell me if you don't think these are gorgeous vintage pearl buttons.  Well, I take that back, don't tell me because I am in love with these buttons of gloriousness.

And vintage glass buttons, too.  I was in heaven!

Yes, I went back for day #2 of the sale and added some more buttons to my bag.  Sometimes you buy the buttons . . . and then you come up with a project in which to use them.

Do These Eyes Freak You Out?

I'm trying out some more realistic safety eyes for my amigurami cats and I don't know what it is, but they kind of freak me out.  What about you?

I hope when completely assembled with a nice, embroidered nose those eyes will blend in with the rest of the face, but otherwise I'm going back to the regular safety eyes.  Yikes!

Cat Days of Summer

Folded Ear Cat enjoys some September sun between the roses and lavender.

Just a cat and her sunshine spending a little quality time together.

Where's the Yarn?

This is where I do my crocheting and creating.  Until a couple of days ago, bags and bins of yarn covered my coffee table and surrounded my chair on all sides.  

Then I ordered and assembled this enormous piece of furniture from Sears - and my yarn and crafting accoutrements are now mostly snugged away in the generous bins.  They are close enough to easily reach, but I don't feel like I am swamped by yarn.  The best part is that some of the bins are still empty!

Creative People in a Room

This is what a room filled with creative people looks like.  You can't hear it, but it is buzzing with conversations and connections as well.  Had a great time today at Schoolhouse Craft.  More creativity continues tomorrow, so join us!

Sheepish, or Unrepentant?

I was taking some action shots for Etsy and at first amurigami cat appears to be repentant on his Time Out bench, although I'm unsure what mischief he had gotten into.

But the next moment, he is waiting for birds to appear, though given the bird houses' placement indoors, he will wait for a very long time and be disappointed.

No birds for you to harass, my friend!

Fall Garden Projects

We are having a simply lovely, warm, sunny September in Seattle and before I start my new job I've been completing some garden projects I've been planning all summer and pruning back some plants that have passed their prime.

My potted lavender needed a new pot where it could spread out, as its clay pot lost most of its integrity over the winter.  Here's its replacement.

Notice my attempt at squirrel deterrent, i.e., strategic placement of spiky sticks to make it a bit harder for them to enjoy digging in the new dirt.  Boy, do squirrels love some fresh dirt to dig in, the cheeky devils.

My plan is to take out that whole strip of grass about a foot deep and replace it with pavers and potted plants.  We're trying to cut back on the grass (and mowing) a bit at a time.

I thought the purple plant added a bit of color to the mostly grayish foliage on the lavender.

I spent a lovely morning trimming back my white lavender plant, which clearly likes its location. Depending upon your state of mind, you could consider lavender pruning peaceful or incredibly boring, as you need to trim each lavender strand individually.  I have in the past pruned back lavender a bit too enthusiastically and lost the entire plant.  The key is to stop before your back goes out from bending over, trying to make the cuts in the right places.

I was joined by the neighbor cat, who kept me company by rolling in the trimmed lavender buds.  I am sure she was nicely scented for the rest of the day.

Another plant that is thriving is a white heather plant.  Now I have to research how to properly rein it in a bit, as it wasn't the plan to let it fill the entire planting bed!

Adding some nice color behind the enormous heather plant is a Coneflower (Echinacea) plant that I just added.

Another recent addition is a verdigris bird bath next to the fence.  It may need to weather inside when it starts to get cold.

On the left is a different variety of lavender, purple heather, with a peony bringing up the rear.  I do have a fondness for lavender and heather, as they both seem to thrive in Seattle weather.  Soon it will be time to haul home some mulch and tuck everything in for the fall and winter.

Does anyone else forget, when buying big bags of soil or mulch and letting a nursery man place them in your trunk, that when you get home YOU will need to lug them up the driveway and into the yard?  Darn, those bags are heavy!

In Honor of September 11

One of the blogs I follow has a great remembrance of September 11.  I especially liked this reminder:

It’s easy to live your life the way you are meant to live it when you are smacked upside the head with the truth that you could die any day now. It’s much harder to make the choices you need to make when you forget to remember that, it’s not just that you are GOING to die. It’s that you don’t know when.

Check out of the rest of it by Jennifer Boynton.

It reminded me to get outside today and appreciate that I have two supportive feet to carry me on a walk in the beautiful September sunshine.  I'm going to literally smell the flowers, appreciate the gardens and the joy of exercise.

Tiny Cat Crochet

Before I even give this little guy an embroidered nose, I had to give him a little blog space (he doesn't need much, he's little).  It's a beautiful thing when a new pattern turns into a sweet creature the first time I work through the instructions.

Doesn't he just draw you closer?

The chubby legs, the curvy tail - can't wait to try the next pattern!

Arms Like Michelle

I'm not much of a political person, but I was watching Michelle Obama speak last night and I really want my arms to look toned and strong like hers.  Those are some beautiful arms!

This summer, and August in particular, I have been focusing on walking and surprised myself by walking over 90 miles last month.  I amazed myself.  Perhaps I should take that accomplishment and run with it - well, not actually run, but you get the idea.

If this body, at this weight, can carry me 90 miles in one month, why not put a little effort into streamlining my arms and perhaps finding my core?

It may take me the rest of my life to get arms like Michelle, but I am going to be one good looking 90-year-old!

Cats with Old Souls

I have a soft spot in my heart for all of God's creatures, even the squirrels who eat all of my blueberries and plums.  My heart quite melts, however, when I meet a cat who seemingly has an old soul.  Herein lies a tale of two such cats I've met recently.

A few doors away, on a porch in the afternoon sun, lies a cat on a pillow strategically placed to offer him maximum comfort, sunshine and views.  He has one of those faces that look like they've lived more than nine lives and could tell some stories if we could understand the language.  Every cat deserves to grow old with humans who provide them with a pillow on a porch in the sunshine where they can watch their neighborhood in peace and safety.

A few streets away, lives a cat whose left eye was bulging in an unhealthy way, and now has smooth fur where her unhealthy eye used to be.  A lovely dilute torty, who loves to greet neighhbors walking by, you wouldn't even notice she only has one eye.  The fur has smoothly covered the spot where her eye used to be, and her spirit is bright and undaunted by what must have been a painful interlude because she is clearly treasured by her humans.  Such a treat to be joyfully greeted by a torty living large with one eye fewer than most.

Red Velvet Cake

I do love a good slice of red velvet cake, but such a slice (even when paired with a glass of soy milk) does not a dinner make.

That's a lesson learned this week, one day when I had a filling lunch, and thought dessert as dinner would suffice.

I savored every bite (and it was a good slice of cake), yet when the sugar hit my bloodstream I found myself grazing in the pantry for a food with some sort of nutritional value.  It defeats the purpose of going straight to dessert at dinnertime, foregoing the rest of the meal, when you need to eat several items afterward before you feel satisfied.

So I will occasionally enjoy a nice slice of cake with a cold soy milk chaser, but I will surround the indulgence with plenty of good nutrition to maintain the balance.

Food Geeks and Fabulous Venues

In the spirit of staycations, and given an unexpected work-free day, I called a friend and suggested she could use some fun, given the fact that she is currently caring for an increasingly frail extended family member.  I know how caregiving can sometimes make a person weary and even sap the joy out of life.  So off we went to Woodinville wine country.  We toured Willows Lodge (can't wait to stay overnight and try the spa), and had lunch on the patio at the Barking Frog.  Just to prove we can be geeks, and don't get out enough, we actually took photos of our food.  Its presentation was just so lovely.

The peacefulness and beauty of the lodge, grounds, Barking Frog and Herbfarm restaurants filled us with the peace we needed and we returned to our real worlds refreshed.  Sometimes it just takes an afternoon away!

A Cat in Paris

If you appreciate fantastic animation, I recommend the movie, A Cat in Paris.  It's just a little over an hour in length, so it won't take a huge chunk out of your summer activities.  I have a new appreciation for animators. The story was compelling, the animals were beautifully realized, and even the music was sumptuous.

Spend an hour in a dark, air-conditioned theater and meet the characters of A Cat in Paris.

Forks Over Knives

I can hardly believe that I am at this space in time where I am considering a plant-based diet!  It's not that I am a committed carnivore, but attempting to ingest enough protein on veggies alone seems a daunting task.

However, it was a raining-sideways day yesterday in Seattle so I watched the DVD Forks Over Knives, and was convinced by some mighty strong arguments that most of our health problems could be alleviated by eating in this way.  Since I am now at an age when feeling healthier has become an attractive proposition, an overhaul in the way I eat seems more palatable than in the past.

A surgeon and a scientist, both raised on farms as kids, talk about the knowledge they have gained over time, and other health care professionals also share their stories.  The most compelling stories in the DVD concern several people who have reversed serious diseases by eating a plant-based diet, as well as a group of firemen who eat this way and have become healthier and increased their fitness, despite living in a state where meat consumption is practically mandatory.

During the course of my kid-dom at various times we raised and ate rabbit and chicken.  I was too young to have any idea how the rabbits ended up on our plates, but I did participate in the plucking of chickens a few times and it was truly awful - smelly, messy, distasteful in every way.  

The big issue for me is how to make such a huge shift in my shopping list.  I'm not much of a chef, so perhaps simpler is better.  Giving up the eating of meat doesn't alarm me, since I have already discovered some excellent non-meat substitutes (there are some tasty items available now).  I've already shifted from milk to soy milk, but I do love a good slice of cheese and an occasional scoop of ice cream.  I've already shifted from butter to Smart Balance, but it will take some work to wean me off of olive oil and Smart Balance.  

There is a cookbook out now that provides a range of recipes to help those of us who have absolutely no idea how to shift our eating.  That will be helpful.

I did have vegetable only Chinese food last night, but somebody else cooked it for me.  It was, however, perfectly satisfying - so there is hope for me.  And if there's hope for me, you can't be far behind.