Road Trip!!

Well this crochet queen has been road tripping across the country...I did not leave empty handed...



We went from CT to Cali. It took soooo long, but it left so much time to crochet/knit/take pics. We needed gas as soon as we got there, so I decided to take a little walk down to the roadside and make mischief.



Once we got to Cali, I promptly yarnbombed the sign at the corner of Haight and Ashbury.



Check out this sweet graffiti I found too!



Then we traveled to Vegas, and to the Grand Canyon. It was amazing how small it made me feel. The world is a crazy place. This was the yarnbomb that I did after being super bored in an Arizona Econolodge.



Just for fun, I made this little beauty in Albuquerque, New Mexico,



And this one is from Santa Fe. It's one of mah favorites :-) I had just learned that stitch before I left, so I had toons of time to practice in the car.



We stopped at Third Man Records, which is Jack White's new recording studio, so that was really neat...



And we ended our trip in DC...before going home. I believe this is my masterpiece.



All in all, it was amazing. I saw a lot of the country, and I'm pretty sure the country saw a lot of the KGC.

Life Experiences

I have plenty of excuses for not blogging in such a long time. But odds are if you're reading this, you know me personally. Therefore, you know those reasons.

Life in Flux!

Anywho, after all these delightful oils have been sitting around/moving with me for months, I decided to make some soap. How is this KGC related? Oh, I'll get to that eventually.

Here are my ingredients:

Organic all vegetable shortening
Organic unfiltered extra virgin olive oil
Organic (Food-grade) Cocoa butter
Unrefined Organic virgin coconut oil
Organic fragrance oil (white tea & ginger)
Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
Water

First I started by mixing the Lye and water.... very carefully. It became quite hot (and stinky) so I put it outside.

Then I melted down all of my oils to around 100 degrees. Didn't take long at all!

I mixed in the lye and stirred. There was a bit of a chemical reaction at first... you could see some soap-like suds forming - really cool.

Then I poured it into my "mold," consisting of an old cardboard box and shower curtain. This mixture stayed hot for a very long time. It eventually cooled off and solidified about 24 hours later, but still needed more time to cure.

I broke off a little chuck to see if I did everything right!

A day later I took the whole mass out and cut it up. It was a little flakier than I had hoped, I probably should have stirred it longer... but not bad for my first attempt. It definitely leaves my skin ultra soft. I'm about to take some into the shower to make sure it's safe to share... I'd rather not have to pay for skin grafts!

 The flakiness doesn't really matter... I'll be covering these babies with some local hand-spun (and naturally anti-fungal) wool.... once I get it! Thinking about taking a trip to Madison Wool to support the local shop, new friend, and fellow yarn-enthusiast!

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Here's a really awesome link brought to my attention by friend and local artist, Barbara Hocker.

Here’s something wacky and awesome that I’ve never seen done before. Minneapolis yarn bombing artist HOTTEA (previously) strikes again with this amalgam of street art techniques including a canvas made of yarn, two stencils, and spray paint to create this holy trinity of non-destructive street art. How long does it take for one man to unravel 12 skeins of yarn? Longer than it takes for the sun to rise and set. Jump to around 00:45 in the video to watch the time-lapse. That guy is a yarn wrapping animal!

WILDLIFE from Hot Tea on Vimeo.

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We still meet every Tuesday, and open to absolutely everyone. If you're interested in hanging out with us, shoot an email to knittygrittycommittee@gmail.com

Wool...Movie Star!

I wish I had a 36 hour day. I do not have enough time in one day to do everything I want to do. I got a new guitar this week, but I have not played it as much as I'd like. I have silk to sew into bloomers. That I may be able to get to this week, along with the crochet roses I'm making. BTW, keep an eye out on that project. Hehehehe.

But then I see something like this:



And now I would love to knit and shoot a movie. But I know damn well I do not have the time.

Maybe if I got an assistant to help with the sewing? I can only pay in pie right now. :P

Curb Appeal

This is basically my life right now.

In other news, I ordered new business cards. They should be in pretty soon.

As you all may know, the rapture has passed.... but not without any repercussions.  I lost quite a few family members over the course of one month, and it's something that I meditate on while crocheting. Going through my late grandfather's belongings, I found a nice wooden chair by the dumpster. Instead of throwing it away, I chucked it in the back of my car. Now it's being covered by beautiful grandpa-reminiscent yarns. Once it's done I'd like to leave it in a nice place. He always liked to sit, listen & talk to friends.

This has started a whole new yearning for curb-related crafts. I also was given this near-death wooden flower stand. Once it's finished with a new skin, it will be donated to the Hartford Farmer's Market.

We have so many ideas for this summer.... we just need a cohesive plan. Also, if anyone else has any other free time during the week to meet, that would be great. Sometime during the week I am going to put together an online photo album of all of our work.

I finished most of the baby gifts... making baby things is so much fun! Everything is so tiny and quick to make. My friend is due in July, so I'm going to take a break for a while and finish everything up for his very first New England winter.

I'd like to get some sort of conversation going about the recent New York Times article on Yarn-bombing... if there are any other crews reading this PLEASE comment with your thoughts.

Lastly just another HUGE thank you for all the donations we have been receiving. We will probably never have to buy yarn ever again. Please feel free to contact us regarding donations of yarn or things you think we should bomb at knittygrittycommittee@gmail.com

Intense Bombing

this is on a nice corner, and it's the first square I ever knitted!!

Look at the light pole to the left!!
Above: at the skate park!

La Paloma Sabanera.
I had an itch this week to throw some yarn around some things, if you know what I mean... I've been working a third shift awake job, so I have a lot of time on my hands to create things. Also, a nice trip to home depot for cable ties helped immensely. I won't be joining you all tonight because today is the day that the paid sick days bill is being voted on in the senate. Enjoy your days, everybody!

"Life and art are inseparable,"

Man, this is what I get for blogging before my 5th cup of coffee!



I meant to post this days ago, but me and my sinuses had a bit of a tiff. I mostly post this for CamusKnitty, 'cause she is a big fan of Olek! Her newest project is on display in New York until the 28th of May. Personally, I'm not sure I could go without my own bed for that long, but I am a Superbaby like that!

I do suggest that if you can get to NYC in time, go and check this out. I think if I went, I would get a major inferiority complex!

Hopefully, see y'all tonight!

Fan Mail from Some Flounder!

Ok, so it's been a little while since anyone has posted. We've been off in our little Knitty cubby hole, brewing up great ideas. We happen to think there are some horses that need our brand of TLC. Stay tuned folks...

Until that's ready, viddy this, droogs! Our first fan video! Yay!


And a request to tag Willimantic! Does anyone know a place that is just dying for a little yarn love? Because I am always up for a road trip. And more knitting!

I would most certainly love to see your lovely faces tonight at Real Art Ways. How do we make that happen...