Wait, Wait, What?!

It won't surprise many people that when I'm in the car, I listen to NPR. Last weekend, when I was running errands, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, the comedic current events show, was on. And they were talking about the Hobby Lobby case during the part where callers have to identify certain current events. Readers, they were not kind to crafters. Here's the transcript:

PESCA: It is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby. At issue, the owners of the chain of arts and crafts stores, based on their religious beliefs, do not want to provide certain kinds of contraception to their employees. Really, though, is there any more effective form of contraception than walking into an arts and crafts store?

PESCA: In fact, the Hobby Lobby was originally named Granny's Prophylactic Attic.

PESCA: I think I was watching a Viagra ad, and it said if your erection lasts more than four hours, visit a Hobby Lobby.

I think we might have to make a calendar of sexy crafters...

Catching Up

Dear friends, many thanks for your enthusiasm about that soap dispenser. In addition to making the man crafts, I have been trying to keep up with two threads a night on that giant list of stitching projects. I did miss one out because I had to finish a book (American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food*) for book group.

On Tuesday, I put two threads into Blackbird's Friendship Sampler. This is how it looked last time I stitched it (scroll down). The basket is starting to come together, and while I stitched I've already been thinking about which friends I might document on this piece.

On Wednesday, I put a number of threads into Emerald Mermaid. She is probably etched into your memory, but in case, here's where we left her. I stitched a bit on her at stitching group, where people are so used to seeing her they don't even ooh and ahh anymore. I guess I'd better get a move on!

On Thursday, I finished the first band of the Thistle Sampler for my MIL's birthday and started the over one lettering. (Before, middle photo.) I was wondering if this should end up in the stack of over one stitching for summer, but then I realized the birthday IS this summer. I must press on.

On Saturday I put a couple of flowers and swirls in the Green Snowman's hill. (Last time I worked on it, here.) We're getting a little better on catching the green of this fabric. At least this time you can tell it is green! (That shadow is me, I took this in my office with a horrible overhead light and there was no escaping it.)

And on Sunday I did a little work on the Great Pumpkin Conspiracy. (Previously, on Stitch Bitch.) (Horrible photo but it's is pouring here.)

Back to the grindstone for me! Thanks for stopping by.

*Please read this book. It's not an easy read or terribly well-put-together, but it is so important for us to understand our food waste and work to change it, especially when we have such a high number of people who aren't getting enough to eat in our country. And we're not talking about that head of broccoli you bought to make yourself feel virtuous, and then never used because (ugh!) broccoli. (Not that I know anything about that.) But the millions of tons of food that never get harvested, don't make it past inspection (seriously, I would eat a curved cucumber; wouldn't you?), and get thrown away by grocers because it's too much of a hassle to mark down blemished food. Yeah that. Please.

Mancraft Monday!

Can I even call this a craft? I mean, I emptied a bottle of Jack Daniels* and stuck the apparatus from a broken** soap dispenser on it. Seriously, screwed right in. That's the $11 bottle of Jack; just about what you'd pay for a new soap dispenser. My cousin's husband is going to love this. He's a fan of JD which makes it perfect for his bar!

But craft? Let's call it DIY and move on to next week, which will involve actual sewing.


*Into a decanter.
**For some reason the soap dispenser that we had in the kitchen came detached from its base. It became completely unstable just in time to be repurposed.

New Month, New Goals

Things really did not go to plan this month. It's amazing how a few germs can throw a wrench in the best laid plans. Do not expect much.

Finish Emerald Mermaid--The latest on this project is that we are taking my mother on a trip for her birthday over Mother's Day weekend (next month for my British readers). That's going to be her present--and it's already costing me an arm and a leg--so she's getting the mermaid for Christmas. But I do want to have it framed during the May framing sale at my LNS. 
Smalls SAL--Finished just under the wire.
Cards: "Kid" cards, need three.--I made man cards, I made lovely cards for women (pictured) and I made kid's cards as needed. I'm calling this good.
And last but certainly not least Craft for Craft Month! And we know what happened with this. But be excited! Mancrafts, every Monday!

For April, back at the beginning of February, I did say I would get back to the 31 starts in 31 days this month. Of course April only has 30 days; still, I will be working on my multitude of projects this month, not necessarily in this order. 

1. Tall Guys Christmas, Holiday Sparrow 

2. Lady Gray, Lilybet
3. A Mind Independent & Free, Carriage House
4. Off the Deep End, Raise the Roof 
5.  Elizabethan Rose, Moss Creek
6. Majestic Rooster, Linda Jary 
7.  Treasured Tulips, Nutmeg Needle
8. 16th Century Knot Garden, Liz Turner Diehl 
9. Watercolor Geranium
10. A Fish Tail, Theresa Layman 
11.Shining Star, SamSarah

12. Tis the Season, Blackbird 
13. Merry and Bright, Heart's Content 
14. Love Me, Love My Dog, Mill Hill (Sticks)
15.  Leave a Light on, Teresa Layman
16.  Emerald Mermaid, Mirabilia
17. Marquoir, Bleu et Rouge
18. Santa kit, Dimensions 
19. St. Basil's Cathedral, Dimple's Designs

20. Friendship, Brightneedle

21. Green Snowman, Shepherd's Bush

22. Friendship Gathering, Blackbird Designs

23. June Morning, Good Huswife

24. Thistle, Charland Designs 

25. Great Pumpkin Conspiracy, Cross-Eyed Cricket 

26. Deruta Biscornu, Giulia Punti Antichi

27. Two Fine Houses,  Hands to Work

28. Smalls SAL

29. New start 1

30. New start 2

Mancraft Monday: The Re-defininging and Smalls Report

I want to thank you all for your encouraging comments and nice notes. Even though I returned to work the day of my last post, I have been tired until recently and I still have this damn cough.

I've been thinking and thinking about how to get back to the craft month celebration. I appreciate all your suggestions but the idea of taking it back up for three straight weeks kind of repulsed me. It's so much work to make a craft every day, and the idea of dragging it out to a new month did not appeal to me. That's when I though I could string out the crafts for the rest of the year in a series of Mancraft Monday posts.  Not only will I have the weekend to work on the projects, it has a nice ring to it. So for the rest of the year, Mancraft Monday. That also means there will be some bonus posts since we've got about 38 weeks left.

I started my small for Stitching Lotus's SAL when we went off to Washington. And then it got put away when I was sick. But I finally finished. Because I was crafting for men this month, I chose a small (which was not that small in the end) that might make a nice gift for a man. The men in my life have influenced the projects I have chosen, so it's another Dr. Who themed project.

This is a pattern by Wee Little Stitches whose work is available on etsy. This is a tardis with doctors 9, 10, and 11. (I bought it a while ago!)

When I was stitching on this, twice people who were sitting opposite from me (so looking at the back) exclaimed with delight, "Is that a tardis!?" The last time it happened I was getting a pedicure and wearing my double glasses, so you know, I really wanted more attention called to me. (And she called it knitting...)

I'm glad to be back and I'll have some more interesting mancrafts for you next week.

Sick

The last four days have found me moving between the couch and the bed, experiencing a full array of muscle aches, joint aches, headaches, fever, chills, and a racking dry cough. It was a great way to spend the weekend. (Thinking back I don't know how I managed Saturday's craft. Probably because the worst came on Sunday.)

I finally went back to work today. I was a little cotton headed, but thankfully had long day of a fairly repetitive task (kind of unusual in my job). I shook off the cobwebs but was amazed to make it all the way to the end of the day! I am still really tired and, frankly, unmotivated to keep crafting. 

I just don't know what to do about this.

I started celebrating craft month two years ago with this fabulous craft-a-day idea. And it was tiring but fun. I wanted to keep doing it, but I also wanted to keep it fresh. I came up with the idea of mancrafting in the middle of last craft month and have been collecting ideas since March. I've been so looking forward to it! So I'm really invested in it. And as much as I want to, I lack the energy right now. 

I'm not sure when I'll be back with more projects, but I'll be back.

Love Your Loved One's Ties

When my father-in-law died suddenly and unexpectedly, I collected up his silk ties. And though his children aren't quite ready for me to make anything from them (I'm thinking roses because they can be pinned onto a pillow or worn--and the process doesn't really end the life of the tie) I understand the impetus of the designer of these memory albums.

This was a fairly easy project, except that I developed the worst cough overnight and dragging my ass upstairs to work on this has been a daylong project. I can't sit upright for too many consecutive minutes.

Gotta go lie down.