Crochet for Caroline

Free For All

2010-03-20T11:10:00.009-04:00

I love DC. Where else can you find a theater willing to give away tons of stuff for FREE? Warehouse Theater is in the process of renovating their stage area and needed to get rid of a lot of "junk." Someone there had the brilliant idea to "give it away." And so they did. I was the first person there and Paul, one of the owners, politely suggested that I sit right next to the door. At 5pm the door opened and thus began what I'd like to call "civil chaos." People behaved themselves, but it went by so quickly!

I was there on a mission: to pick up 3 identical chairs one I picked up at Community Forklift, an architectural salvage store. Anything else would be a bonus, and it was:

2 work horses (ikea table legs)
1 sheet of plywood for the workhorses
1 typing table (perfect for my sewing machine)
1 lamp stand
1 large lamp shade
1 vase

...and the chairs are under there somewhere.

A Special Anniversary pt. II

2010-03-07T12:14:00.003-05:00

So the "news" that needed to be shared at that staff meeting I mentioned in my last post was that yes, we are getting busier, but no, clients still aren't ready to start real, profitable projects, so now it's time to work your butt off so we don't lose the standing we have, but you won't be compensated for it.

Yes I know this is a good problem to have, but honestly, it's a problem nonetheless. We always hear in the news about the jobless rates, but we don't know how many people are underemployed. I'd personally like to know what it's doing to everyone's morale. In the meantime, I'll keep telling myself that this won't be forever and it will get better eventually.

A special anniversary

2010-02-05T00:16:00.002-05:00

One year ago this week, my office enacted a 20% pay decrease to survive the recession. I just checked an email saying that we'll have a staff meeting next week.

Is God going to answer the prayers of I and my employees? We shall see.

Drool, Swoon, and Drool some more...

2010-01-24T20:31:00.007-05:00

First, let me wish you a Happy (belated) New Year! I hope 2010 has treated you fairly so far. For me, it's kind of kicked things into this weird overdrive. Work has gotten busy (yes! I still have a job), although our hours and pay have not yet been reinstated. I gotten so used to a 32-hour workweek: sleeping in an extra hour or two, being able to take care of errands without the weekend rush, and being able to decompress for an extra day. Lately, my schedule's been so funky; for the last couple of weeks I keep hearing in my head, "gotta work, gotta work." I just need to take a breath...

On another note: 2010 seems to be the Year of The Wedding. Not mine, but a lot of my friends are getting engaged/married lately. I'm uber excited, especially for my college roommate who made the leap into planning her wedding this weekend (yay!). While working at home yesterday, my sleep pattern got screwed up (word of advice-don't try and do your work sitting on your bed if you can help it). I ended up waking at 2 am. After lying in bed for awhile, I decided to hop on the interwebs. Checking out D.I.Y. wedding stuff (because my friend actually has a budget), I came across two items that have been sent to Earth by the craft gods: The L Letterpress Kit by Lifestyle Crafts and Yudu's Screening System, two machines that, by the looks of the demo videos, are making me drool, swoon, and drool some more. I'm not kidding, I had to wipe my chin at some point. I'm quickly becoming a fan of letterpress through one of my favorite blogs who regularly features paper crafts. You have to check the videos for the letterpress and the screen printer. They've made these media so accessible and look so easy, I'm practically bursting with excitement. Might start making greeting cards (and maybe some invitations if requested) after this next paycheck...

SNOWPOCALYPSE NOW!!!!!!

2009-12-19T19:06:00.008-05:00

The last shopping weekend before Christmas and the entire DC Metro area is snowed in! No problem for me, I finished my shopping earlier this week, so all that's left for me to do is get rid of my cabin fever, enjoy the snow tomorrow and wonder if I have to go to work on Monday.

It's still coming down; we're seeing about 2 feet around here so far. I still can't believe we've had a snow shower and blizzard and it's not even winter yet. I know we're in store for a helluva lot more. We'll see, we shall see.

Time to Play Catch Up

2009-12-09T22:37:00.000-05:00

Hey...long time, no type. I apologize, once again, for not posting anything in a VERY long while. I still haven't gotten used to this blogging thing, primarily how it's only really effective if I post something regularly. I've considered making it a New Year's resolution to post at least once a week, whether it be about crocheting, my learning how to knit (gasp!) or general design eye candy. I'm working on it, honestly.

Well, since my last post I'd be lying if I said nothing happened. First bit of news (drumroll please) I finished a project! A-thank you, thank you. Two, actually, for my favorite little girl. I made her a blankie and bunny.

The blanket pattern is slightly modified from the original. And her bunny is a hybrid/modification of Ana Paula Rimoli's Valentina Bear and Rabbit. I thoroughly enjoyed making these gifts and can only hope that she enjoys them.

Secondly, my boyfriend and I have started making/repurposing furniture. I'll post more on that later. Thirdly, and quite unfortunately, a week before Thanksgiving my parents house was broken into. They stole a lot of electronics, particularly gaming entertainment systems. They even snatched a couple of remotes. It totally blows, but the circumstances could have been so much worse, and it stuff that can be replaces so my family and I are very grateful.

Well I suppose that's a solid update. Stay tuned for furniture projects and more needlework!

Arcade Fire...Music to craft to

2009-07-30T22:26:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting here making a blanket for one of my favorite little girl's 1st birthday, listening to this band, Arcade Fire. I've been hooked on this band since early spring and figured I should share it. Be forewarned if you don't like it, though; I've been told I have strange taste in music. Below is a performance of my favorite song of theirs, which is also featured in the trailer for Where The Wild Things Are. Enjoy.

awesome.

2009-06-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm a bonafide sucker for Stevie Wonder. And dance. And "So You Think You Can Dance" is always a summer favorite of mine. So when you combine Stevie, Dance, and Mia Michaels, you get a freakin' freaky treat! Like ice cream that will end up biting YOUR face off.

Mortal Plush

2009-06-22T22:30:00.003-04:00

My body-free bunny was meant to be a submission for this upcoming show at Art Whino in National Harbor. It would've been my first toy submission ever, but I let life and "work" work get in the way. It sounded really fun and interesting to do, although when I sit back and think about it, I can't pull 'disturbed' out of me that easily, and this stuff looks disturbed. I am definitely going to check out the show, though. It's practically in my back yard!

Procrastinator's Lament

2009-06-22T22:09:00.006-04:00

Self pity I have none
For I know what I have done
I waited too late
Now this is my fate
My bunny is still undone...

This is what you get for pushing off working on a toy for over a month:

That is supposed to be a rabbit. (Sigh), it'll get there, eventually.

Get Fit! Stay Active!

2009-05-28T21:42:00.004-04:00

I'm not a video game player. Never really was. I was one of those kids who would move their whole body when trying to play Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo. Yeah, not really necessary. My brother, on the other hand, is an avid gamer, particularly Nintendo systems. So when the Wii first came out, he was excited about how it was changing the way games are played and making it more accessible to people like me, those who just gotta put their whole body into it. He bought one, but has been disappointed in the game selections, so he gave it to me as a Christmas present.

The good thing about the Wii is that the interactive games they have can actually serve a purpose in your daily life...like fitness games! I'd been contemplating buying the Wii Fit for a while, but it wasn't getting the best reviews as far as "sticking with it". Last week EA Sports released another Wii fitness game, Active. So I decided to go ahead and buy both. I bought a bikini the same day too. Motivation.

I've been at it for a week so far. Wii Fit is good for core exercises, flexibility, monitoring your weight and BMI. But Active will Kick your butt. It makes you sweat, seriously. I think a combination of both will do wonders. Now all I need to do is improve my fresh fruit and vegetable intake.

First Day of Spring!

2009-03-20T20:32:00.009-04:00

Hooray, Spring is HEEEEEERRRRRREEEE! It's my favorite season and I can't believe it snuck up on me so suddenly. So how did I spend the day? Wrapped up in my hoodie and peacoat :( Not to mention I'm feeling under the weather. But I am working on a new toy... I'm thinking of calling her my little flu bug, or maybe something more appropriate. While I'm on the subject, let me introduce you to my other recent projects:

These two cuties were made with patterns from Lion Brand Yarn, just look up toys or amigurumi and you can find some of the cutest things. Well, I'm heading to my couch to veg on some Ben and Jerry's and watch a chick flick (just bid the boyfriend a bon voyage today so I get some me time this weekend). I made it to the Redbox a little too late, but I did want to see "Made of Honor" anyway. I just hope it's not as bad as "P.S. I Love You". Ugh.

To get to the finish line, sometimes you need to go back to the start

2009-03-12T22:25:00.002-04:00

Everyone knows that the economy isn't looking too hot right now. For those how have managed to hold onto their jobs without a hitch so far, congratulations. For those who have lost theirs, you are in my thoughts and remember that all of this is for the best, even if it's in some strange, unconventional way. If you're worried that you'll be laid off soon, then you are like me. My office has taken a payroll deduction recently, and honestly it hurts. But I suppose you could say we're lucky, even as a relatively small Architecture firm, we survived unscathed for so long. So while I try to enjoy my extra free time, I'm thinking of the ways I'll be able to emerge from this recession financially stronger. One is to invest in myself and my "craft". Another was much more difficult to decide; i should move back home to my parents. Not that I'm in dire straits ( no need to cue the sappy stringed instruments), I just realize that in order to really do what I want to do a year from now, I can't be throwing away half of my paycheck to rent each month. Sacrifices hurt in the short term, but in the end, I'm sure I'll be grinning from ear to ear.

Well, Here Goes...

2009-03-06T15:12:00.009-05:00

I finally decided to blog, and what better way than to do it for something I actually enjoy doing - crochet. I'm sure a lot of my family and friends have little to no idea that this is something I do, and quite honestly, they're justified. I've only recently picked up my hooks after about a two year hiatus. And before that hiatus, I'd only crocheted a scarf for myself.

I actually forgot about it and was preoccupied with growing up. I graduated from college, got a real job, and started to enjoy what being an adult is all about (rent, bills, mimosas). I guess you could say it was my boyfriend who sparked my interest in crocheting again. Two people very close to him were blessed with their own little bundles of joy within the last year. I really wanted to make a special gift for his niece and somehow crocheted toys fell into my lap. I'm super geeked about amigurumi dolls, as well as scarves, hats, and home goods. I'm hoping that I'll be able to show off some pretty little things on this blog, pique your interest in needle crafts, and maybe get around to selling something (more on that later).

Oh, and as for the name of the blog...

The "c" in c. alicia does not stand for Caroline. Caroline, however, IS the name I would like to give my daughter if I'm ever so blessed to have one. So this for her.

Enjoy.