i got my crafty mojo back and finished up some old projects and made a few new things.

here is a medley of what i have finished/made recently:



the lighting is horrible in these pics, but you get the idea.
-- from top left, we have a mini-skirt from a burda pattern
-- then there is the ripley hat without ripples in malabrigo worsted weight
-- next is a picture of one of the fingerless mitts (also from ysolda)
-- then there is the cowl i made (without a pattern) with some handspun my sister made for me
-- another shot of the fingerless mitts
-- finally there is a picture of my rib and cable socks from interweave knits fall 2005

i've also been busy with school and all of the related school activities. and i am tired.

this week there will likely be some good music shows... but i don't have much time to spend at shows, so i have to make wise choices on who i will see.
monday night -- japandroids with the mt. st. helen vietnam band
thursday night -- the horse's ha (for free!)
friday night -- matt and kim

i missed the sleepy sun show last week... i was way too busy. i also missed the fruit bats and am bummed, but there was just no way i could make that show and get all of the work done that had to get done. i did catch starfucker, which was just so-so. a few weeks back i caught the felice brothers -- which was awesome. go see them!

okay, this is turning into a list of shows i've been to or have missed, which is kind of boring. so i'll get back to work now and leave you with this.

my soundtrack for tomorrow

they played such a great show here earlier in the summer. they are great performers and, shucks, their songs are so sweet.

servant to all and servant to none

the video is crappy in this clip, but it's a great version of the song.
it is a palace kind of day...

also did you know there is a word for 'harmonica' in Seri? yeah.

this and that

once a great place...

i temporarily rescued a beagle mix last week. he was running down the sidewalk of a busy street. i grabbed him, went to the bike store and they cut a tube and tied it to his tagless collar. i took him home. unfortunately (for me), the owner called the pound right after i reported this little guy missing and then called me to schedule their reunion. his name was dewey, but i would have called him pepaw. it made me seriously want to adopt a dog again. but will one ever live up to patterson's legacy?



i can't get enough of sufjan stevens these days. i am particularly fond of his kcrw set from morning becomes eclectic. you can listen to it here.

my vegetable garden is look really schnazzy these days. i have the following veggies in the ground:
3 heirloom tomato plants and 1 plum tomato plant
3 sweet pepper plants (different varieties)
4 rainbow chard plants
3 beet plants
4 broccoli plants
4 brussel sprout plants
1 basil plant
1 dill plant

i got all of my plants and soil at urban roots.

i also temporarily got my knitting mojo back. i stumbled upon a yard sale from the former owner of the (no-longer-in-business) local yarn shop 'looped back'. i got some laceweight hand-dyed yarn and am knitting up a loose garter stitch scarf with it -- completely experimental. i love the fabric it's making. i also got some more of her lovely alpaca yarn.

i'll be gone lots this month -- which is good and bad. i have so much to do... so i should get to it.

in the mean time, check out bonnie 'prince' billy if he's playing live near you. his show in toronto was amazing. the helio sequence are also on tour and they rock. period. also, while in toronto, i went thrifting/shopping in the leslieville neighborhood. it was cool -- definitely worth visiting again.

...just rolling with it

i think that knox says it pretty well here.

of course, it's also her birthday soon.

shortly thereafter someone else is having a birthday. and hot damn, i wish i could make it to the party.

and i just found out that the helio sequence is coming back to buffalo next month. ah, yes. the show last summer rocked my world. it should be another good one.

i think more good news is on its way this week.

love and poetry

Originally uploaded by hello bum

it's gray and rainy and dreary here. the trees have no leaves and i'm still wearing tights with skirts. i'm behind on so many things and stressed out by all that's on my plate. but there are some things that are still making me smile. here's a list of them:

1. 'mockingbird' by ryan adams -- here is a link to a live version of that song. it's bittersweet in a way that gets me every time.

2. my first sightings of tulips here on my run yesterday -- they were yellow and red.

3. longer days!

4. the prospect of wearing vintage summer dresses soon (like the cute vintage items found here)

5. camping in may!

6. my upcoming trip to italy

for now, i must get back to work... my short-term motivation being that i get to go swimming later.