Philadelphia Freedom!

This weekend I found myself outside the city limits. Of NYC, that is.

I was visiting my family in NJ and I did what I rarely do on one of these visits - I left my parents' couch!

A few choice road trip partners and I hit I-95 and made our way to Philly, which is really only 45 minutes away.

Our #1 destination was not Pat's or Gino's, but the Village Whiskey. I first read about it here, then, also, here, so I had to see for myself!

It did deliver, friends. I was not disappointed. I had local oysters from Cape May, NJ, and french fries fried in duck fat and smothered with braised short ribs and cheddar sauce. They fanciest Disco Fries I ever did eat!

We walked around a bit and then saw the Cleopatra exhibit at the Frankin Institute. It was quite amazing.

Did you know that the city of Alexandria was destroyed by a series of natural disasters?

Did you know that the Roman Emperor Octavius destroyed all images of Cleopatra after her death so no one really knows what she looks like?

Did you know that no one knows where Cleopatra and Mark Antony are buried?

This exhibit shows the archaeological discovery of the ancient city of Alexandria and the possible tomb of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Fascinating stuff people.

And only a train ride away!

Mermaids and tomatoes

Oh yessiree, I checked something off my list! I attended the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island on Saturday with a very dear (and long time) friend and it did not disappoint.

We saw mermaids and jellyfish and sharks and whales and pirates. I think the pirates were my favorite. I think if I were to be in the parade I would be a mermaid-pirate hybrid. They were the best.

Also, did you know that some of the best tacos in NYC are in Coney Island? I'm not kidding! If, no, when, you go, visit Plaza Mexico Dona Zita. My friend is from Texas (where they tacos very seriously,don't you know) and she says these are some of the best she ever had. I have to agree. There is no photographic evidence because I couldn't stop to take a picture. They were too good. Trust me.

I'm growing tomatoes again this year. This time around I have three plants. They are doing amazingly well after a slow start. My own private Tomato Whisperer mixed up some potting soil and lovingly transplanted them from the sad planter I originally had them in.

Making your own potting soil, apparently, is a lot cheaper and better than buying those pre-mixed bags. Here's what you need:

Equal parts peat moss, perlite and vermiculite.
That's it.

For the tomatoes we added lime to help balance the pH in the soil. About 1 cup per plant/big container.

(All of this can found at Home Depot or other garden/hardware stores.)

Or if you're lucky enough to have your very own Tomato Whisperer, then he does it all for you. We all can't be that lucky.

Come on, come on and dance all night Just bide the heat, it'll be all right

In the spirit of my friend Little Bunny (aka, Jess.) I'm making a list for the summer. I've gone through phases of making lists. I'm currently list-less (not listless) though I have attempted to keep one on my phone. Not as satisfying, though, as a nice piece of lined paper where you can cross items off with a Sharpie!

Without further ado, my list for the summer:

Mermaid Parade (hello Mr. Lou Reed!)
(Finally) visit City Island
P.S. 1's Summer Warm Up series
The Bronx Zoo
Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governor's Island
Shakespeare in the Park (starring Al Pacino!!)
more bike rides (see above picture)
Luke's lobster rolls at Hester Street Market
watch as many World Cup games as possible
finish my quilt!
4th of July on Governor's Island (featuring She & Him)


(If anyone cares to join me for one or all of these, drop me a note!)

USA vs France vs Italy vs England

Oooh did I have a busy week!!
It started with going to see the remastered version of the Jean-Luc Godard film, "Breathless." It's been playing at the Film Forum and the run is extended, so run out and go see it this weekend!! I had seen it for the first time 12 years ago, and I think, for me, it has held up over time.

I was so in love with Jean Seberg's look when I was 21 (you do the math) that I went out and cut my hair exactly like hers. I mean, look at that adorable cowlick! And the t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the little black pants! I wanted to look like her in every scene in the movie. The sunglasses! The eyeliner! The stripes! Oh, dear..... makes me want to go an buy one of these.

Before the show, we went to John's Pizzeria. It's one of my top 10 in NYC for pizza. It very much hit the spot, but for me, it was more about the atmosphere.

John's has been there since 1929 and the interior hasn't changed much. It's cheep and it's fast and it's super, super tasty so I recommend it for a pre-movie dinner any night.


Theeeeennnn..... on Saturday I went to the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria to watch the USA vs. England World Cup game. It was a snooze of a game, but the Beer Garden is a great place to watch. You have to get there super early to get a table, but it's so much fun and the food is outstanding. I had potato pancakes and they rocked. I'm going to try to go back for a least one more game during the World Cup festivities.

Coming up.... I do actual knitting!! I'm swatching to new(ish) yarns for which I have planned new designs. I'm very excited!!!

Yikes!

Ladies and gentlemen, I knew that it had been a long, long time since I put up a post here at The Works. I did not know, however, that it had been TWO MONTHS(!), as I discovered when I logged onto Blogger mere moments ago.

I can't believe it. I know I've been busy, but I can't tell you with what. I made some carrots from this book. And made a lemon tart.


The majority of my time in April and June was spent planning my friends' wedding for which I spent a week in Point Pleasant, NJ. I should have pictures to show you, but I don't.


I took a trip to the beach this past weekend and was completely amused by my coffee cup.

I knit part of a little baby sweater, of which I don't have any pictures. I haven't done any sewing other than hemming a few skirts. I don't know if I've lost my blogging mojo or my blogging voice, or what.

I'm regrouping and hope to bring you some awesome content. Soon.

Late to the party

I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I lost it when I saw Liberty of London's line for Target.

I couldn't help myself and I bought this:


and I can't wait for summer so that I can wear this:

Ta DAAAA!

Look how amazing, everyone! About a third of the results from my Needleworks, Inc. photo shoot. Aren't they lovely???

Check out my etsy shop and my ravelry store. They look soooooo pretty!

In other news, TBTL has taken over my life. Has anyone else hear this podcast? It's insanely addictive, hosted by the hilarious Luke Burbank, and broadcast 5 days a week, people!

I went to see a taping with my good friend, L, in Park Slope back in January and I've been hooked ever since. I mean, it's the only thing I listen to on my commute. This means that I'm not listening to music, I'm not reading The New Yorker, I'm not listening to This American Life. Here's a pic of the taping.


It's just crazy! I need an intervention. Maybe.

Winners!

How was your Oscars? Mine was tons of fun, but I really enjoyed hearing the answers to my question:
"What is the most famous movie you've never seen?"

This is IMDB's top 10 as voted by their users. I tooled around the ol' internet looking at lots of lists. Some of them were very esoteric, some of them were based purely on box office earnings. I picked IMDB because it was the most democratic.

1. The Shawshank Redeption
2. The Godfather
3.The Godfather: Part 2
4. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
5.Pulp Fiction
6. Schindler's List
7. 12 Angry Men
8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
9. Star Wars: Episode V
10. The Dark Knight

I'm not so sure how happy I am about this list, because some really famous movies aren't on it, but it's all in good fun. Mine is #8, by the way. Though I have read the book - does that count?

I think Heather definitely wins. How about some sock yarn, Heather? I have some amazing hand-dyed, soy based sock weight yarn that is in a very Heather color way. E-mail me your address and I'll send it your way.


Also, I am another kind of winner. I scored these amazing boots on ebay. I've seen them here, and here and I really wanted a pair! Pretty good for $40, no?

Oscars!!!!

Do you remember that skit on SNL where they have the Mom Speak translator? Yeah, I thought so. I tried to find it on YouTube, but no luck.

Can you follow me, though? Mom gets it all wrong and SNL translates for you.

In the spirit of Mom Speak, I bring you my mom's top Oscar picks.

In a Bastard

Sideline

The Educator

The Hot Broker

I love my mom, but her versions of the Oscar winners are a bit suspect.

Here's a game that I love to play with new friends. What is the most famous movie that you've never seen? The most famous movie wins!

You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine. I warn you, though, I've seen a lot of movies!

(Mom, I love you more than you know, but this was too funny not to share!)

downtime at work = more blog posts!

Sometimes I have a lot of free time at work. Our workload ebbs and flows and, often, each shot needs approval from an art director in another building. We communicate by telephone and, often, this process is very slow.

When this happens, I turn to my knitting to keep me busy. I need to be present and to be able to put down what I'm doing in a split second. This crocheted belt is perfect for this. Unfortunately it is now completed.

The belt is for Shalyee from the Rowan Kidsilk Aura pamphlet from ages ago. I started Shalyee two years ago and she is becoming quite the pain in my neck. I must have knit both fronts no less than 3 times each. Just when I thought I was finished, I realized that the front pieces were two different sizes. This is the trouble you run into when you put a pattern down for almost a year.

I started the left front again (4th time, I think) and I got about half way through when I realized my stitch count was way off. I was increasing instead of decreasing.

Really, it's not that complicated, I just seem to lack the concentration to follow the pattern. Hopefully it will be finished in time to wear it before the weather gets too warm! I have the perfect outfit picked out any everything!

Woo HOO!

This, my darlings, is a shot list from my very first Needleworks, Inc. photo shoot!

The benefit of working at a photo studio (and of being a stylist, I guess) is that people will take actual professional photographs of your knitwear for you. With models. For free. Cool, right?

This project has been taking up a lot of my time lately because I've had to re-knit a few of my samples. Now I'll have to revise some of the patters to accommodate the new yarns, alterations, etc. But as soon as the edits are made and the photos are re-touched they will be up in the shop and on Ravelry. All brand, spankin' new and pretty.

(Oh! They are sooooo pretty! Wait till you see them!)

In other exciting news: I joined a group called The {NewNew}, which is "an eclectic group of independent handmade etsy artists, designers, makers and crafters in the Metro New York area who are devoted to fostering a creative and supportive environment among its members."

First meeting tonight = very excited!!!

I have a lot going on, but I'm not prepared to share it just yet

So, instead, I'm going to share this.

I'm in love. And his name is Harvey.

Harvey Faircloth Spring/Summer 2010

(I hope you can read the captions. Click on the pics to make them bigger.)

so much from so little

I've been on this kick lately. It's a carrot thing. Every time I have some stray carrots hanging out in my fridge I feel a compulsion. A need to make something beautiful. It's the same thing over and over.

That something is soup. Carrot soup. So simple, so lovely, so much the very essence of the self-same vegetable. I have Jennifer to thank.

I mean, it's so simple. A bunch of carrots, an onion or shallot, a dab of Dijon mustard and good stock - vegetable or otherwise. Then, if you're feeling really indulgent, a good slug of cream.

It's my new favorite thing. A little breath of spring in the middle of a cold, cold winter. So bright and so, so... carrot-ty! I find myself smiling just thinking about it. It's so much more than the sum of it's parts. Add slice of toast with a good smear of goat cheese and you have the perfect afternoon meal.

Carrot Soup, adapted from "Last Night's Dinner"

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
1/2 medium onion or large shallot
1 lb. carrots, peeled and rough chopped
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Heat olive oil and butter in large stock pot over medium heat.
Add shallot and a pinch of salt and pepper, cook until soft and transluscent.
Add carrots and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add mustard and stir to combine.
Add stock and turn up heat to high. Bring soup to a boil and turn heat to low.
Simmer until carrots are soft and falling apart.
When carrots are done, transfer all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth, about 3 minutes.
Return to stock pot and turn heat to low. Add apple cider vinegar.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. I like to keep it on the simple side with little salt and a little extra pepper.
Add a splash of cream or whole milk if you like.

Enjoy with a green salad, grilled cheese or toast spread with goat cheese or hummus.
Cheers!

Um, so I had a birthday

Yeah, it is pretty much a blur. I do know, however, that it was perfect.

I filled the house with flowers, I cooked all my favorite foods to share with a few dozen close friends, and had (part) of my family come to dinner at my favorite Sunnyside restaurant. (Pssst! Do me a favor and don't blow up the spot, OK?)

Oh, but the gifts. You know your friends are keepers when they know you this well. I bagful of goodies came with my friend, Lynn, from Brooklyn. My mouth is watering just thinking about the Flying Pigs Farm apple and sage sausage in my refrigerator right now.

And homemade vanilla sugar from Ellen, for (in her words), "You know, making creme brule or whatever." Thanks Ellen!

Also, my roommate extraordinaire gave me the greatest gift of all. He helped me finish a home improvement project that had been the bane of my existence since September. More on that later. You rock, Kevin!

I have never felt so loved or so blessed. Lynn's mom said that her 30's were the best decade of her life. Mine started out pretty rocky, but have been progressively getting better and better. Which means that this year can only top the last one!

Ring in the New! (Year, that is.)

Last year, at the new year, I sent little DIY gifts to my best college friends, who are scattered around the country. They consisted of a homemade brown sugar scrub and some candies.

It was such a lovely idea - a little pick me up at the start of the year - that I decided to do it again.

I just couldn't resist these reissued classics. I'd seen them at Anthropology, but picked them up via Amazon. I got four, each one carefully picked for each friend.*

For, LF, the Pragmatist: "Sense and Sensibilty"
For MW, the Adventurer: "Great Expectations"
For CB, the Moral Sounding Board: "Pride and Prejudice"
For LK, the Romantic: "Wuthering Heights"

I included a recipe for spiced cider/mulled wine (whatever your heart desires!) on a little bit of paper, tied to a muslin bag that I got here. Dirt cheap.

My hopes are that they will be able to curl up with a long-forgotten classic, sip some soul-warming brew and have a cozy start to the new year.

Enjoy, ladies!!

*I didn't use full names for privacy reasons. You know who you are. ;-)

That time of year

The apartment is all cosied up with Christmas decorations and the remnants of a little holiday party from last Friday. I set the table with a red cross-stitched table cloth that my father made as a child. It was a long train ride from Trenton, NJ to Altoona, PA , where my grandmother's family lived, and needlework was how she kept my father busy. I think it's kind of amazing. The ruffled plates are from the same grandmother. She had a vast collection of milk glass and it became mine when she passed away, last year almost to the day. It makes me infinitely happy to have it and to use it. At least it's not sitting in a box in someones basement.

I took about 25 pictured of the table, all of them blurry, but you can get the basic idea. All warm red and orange and creamy white. Very festive, indeed.

I'm at my parents' house today and will be for the next 4 days. I had a little moment of panic when I realized that I brought my current knitting project but failed to print out the pattern! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my free time now. It's a feeling kind of like floating in space with no anchor.

For the moment I'm watching TV and sitting on the couch with the family's dog, Ella, faithfully at my feet. Some programming genius knew I needed some comfort today and there is a West Wing marathon on right now. Is there anything cosier than curling up with Josh, Leo, CJ and the gang for a few hours? I think not.

Be grateful for the little things this holiday. Give from the heart and honor the past. Start new traditions with people you love. Keep things in perspective and keep things positive. A new year and a new opportunity to start fresh is right around the corner, so no matter what this year has brought you, there is the promise of the New Year lighting your way.

Happy holidays, everyone, and thank you for being a part of this blog, and of my life.

Craft-rageous! Craft-tacular! Craft-abulous!

I think you can pretty much put the word "craft" on the front of any other word and it would be funny.

Last Saturday was the 3rd Ward Handmade Holiday Craft Fair. The fair itself was quite impressive. It was out in the middle of nowhere in Bushwick, Brooklyn and, yet, there were hundreds of people there! Quite a turn out, indeed.

It was a mild success for me. It's been several years since I was on the craft fair circuit and was a bit rusty. I also think that Bushwick is not really the demographic for my goods. Ah, but live and learn, right? I know what I would do differently next time around.

The coasters, gift tags, and, soon, the pillows are up in my etsy shop. The gift tags were incredibly cute and my best seller. There's only a few left so go get 'em!!!!

In which I head out into the world of crafting

Hey there! I've been super busy since my last sorry post getting stuff ready for the 3rd Ward Handmade Holiday Craft Fair! It's my first craft fair in about 4 years and I'm a little nervous, so come out and say "hi", OK? And maybe buy something!

Gotta go finish with the sewing and knitting and etc! See you Saturday!!!!

Oh, hey, I have a blog

I actually couldn't remember the last thing that I posted. I had to visit my own blog to find out. That's really sad.

Then I had to go to flickr to see if maybe there were some pictures of stuff that I hadn't blogged about and there weren't. Not really. Just some random shots of supplies for a photo shoot I did a week ago and this one.

These are destined to become something that's a bit of s surprise. I'm going to sharing a table on December 12th at the 3rd Ward holiday craft show in Brooklyn. I'm pretty excited. I'm going to be selling stuff from my etsy shop as well as a slew of new items.

In the meantime, I've been sewing up a storm, knitting when I can, and, well, living life. I often forget that I can share all of this here. There's been another photo shoot, a chili takedown, a Christmas tree.... I'll be sharing all of that with you really soon.

I promise.

Have you seen this? (via isuwannee.com)