1960s Crafts for the Modern Woman

In a 1965 issue of McCall's filled with how-tos for hideous crafts that look much like those you made in kindergarten out of toilet paper rolls and construction paper, I found a craft that actually looked kind of cool:

Embroidered styrofoam trays!

Ok, it still kind of looks like I made it when I was 5, but it was my first one. I also encased the tray in silver satin and gold crepe. A little over the top, maybe, especially with the brass buttons, but I decided to just go for it.

We like to shop at our local Vietnamese market because 1) it has an interesting variety of items that are difficult to find nearby and 2) super cheap produce. The downside is: much of this super cheap produce comes wrapped in saran wrap (which we save and re-use) and on styrofoam trays. Which are pretty much useless.

But this tray, at least, served as the medium for a not too terrible likeness of my cat.

A Pillow with a View

Knits with Wolves

Of my winter knitting project, I have already finished 2 squares. But now, I have been stuck on the same knit sample square all week. I can't seem to get past the first row. The pattern wants me to increase by 4, then decrease by 5, and that just feels wrong to me. I'm sure the stitches come back in the next row, but as I've been working on it piecemeal on breaks at work, I just get flummoxed and give up. But now that I have a weekend ahead of me, maybe I can finally figure it out.

In other news, temperatures in the mornings, when I bike to work, have been consistently in the 40-46 F range. So, I've put away my summer clothes and busted out my winter clothes. What a sad summer! I'm pretty sure I only just put away my winter clothes less than 3 months ago.

Whiskey "Dolla Dolla Billz" Burkle, the kitten, has been most confused by the change in weather - especially by that thing we call "rain." Even though her first tender weeks were spent outside in the cold mountain air, since Boyfriend and I brought her home she has only known artificially heated domiciles and summer sunshine.

She still wants to be outside all the time, but once she goes out and feels the frosty chilliness, she cries to come back inside. 5 minutes later, she wants back out, as if she expected something to change. Rainy days are even worse.

Maybe I'll have to knit her some sweaters.