The (not so) Triumphant Return!

Greetings from sunny Pennsylvania! Actually, it's dark outside right now, but that's besides the point. Long time no see! How are your parents?

Now that that's out of the way.. I'm back! Really this time. Promise. Pinky swear, even. Has Google added that option to the internet yet? I wouldn't be surprised. It was a crazy year for Our Lady of Perpetual Arts & Crafts. Taking multiple advanced studio art classes at the time was positively exhausting, but in the end I came out with a bunch of work I'm truly proud of, and a few things of note to show for it! I won second place in the category of sculpture in my school's Student Art Show for a self portrait of my silly head, and another project (that I'm really looking forward to posting!) will be featured in a book! Pictures of all things mentioned are forthcoming, as well as a bunch of tutorials, crafty reviews, and snippets from what I've currently been working on. Hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am.

The Tale of the Textured Circle Fug

If there's one thing knitting has taught me (besides how to make too many hats) it's patience. In July, my best friend and fellow knitter decided we should do a knit-a-long together of our first knitted sweaters. Because of very different schedules, and -a-hem- priorities for other things/projects, it was hardly a knit-a-long. I wound up going my merry way while best friend set her's down. I knitted and I knitted, round and round this circle shrug went for months. It was December. I was near the end. It was going as planned, finishing this sweater just in time for the perfect Pennsylvania sweater weather. It seemed particularly huge, and these enormous rounds seemed like they went on forever. I told myself, if it's ugly, this thing is going to be frogged (a term for undo-ing a knitting project. I assume because you're rippin' and rippin'). This yarn was too nice to waste on an ugly sweater. I hoped it would be lovely and well, wearable.. but alas, I was suddenly a cousin of a particular Grouch.


erf.


The bunching.. oh, the bunching. I'm positive I did this correctly, but the fit is just.. well just look.

The height of my enjoyment of this monstrosity came from the collar.




We are kindred spirits.

Within days the yarn was back into it's balled form, cleansed and apologized to for what I put it through. This particular pattern will go unnamed, but has been mentioned on this blog in the past. I'm terribly sorry for what I put you through, Araucania Nature Cotton. You'll be something lovely and not Muppet-like someday.

a costume retrospective

Here's a peek at Cat's Crafty Costumes from years past in no significant order.

Miss Gnomer

In 2008, I decided to fulfill my life's prophecy and become ... a gnome.





Complete with fully operational toadstool purse.


and toadstool bloomers.



Real acorn earrings.


Name tag. Get it? hohoho I'm so punny.


Hand painted apron details.


and hair ribbons.


The body of the costume was a modified version of a pattern of bar maid, red riding hood and waitress costumes. The hat was a piece of twisted mat board, covered in felt. I'd still wear that costume out of the house every day if I could get away with it.

So, now you can tell I go all out when it comes to Halloween? Well.. then there was 2009.

Lego Love



I transformed my boyfriend and I into Legos!



a heavy description of the details:



a better shot of the backpack/purse before they were ruined by the heavy rain that evening.

and met Governor Ed Rendell:


Good ole brilliant bronze Eddie said "Great costumes! .. What are you?" I think Ed needs an education in Legos!


Here's two in-process shots for good measure.



(apologies for the tiny photo on this one)
One year, I was Miss Yvonne from Pee Wee's Playhouse.



The costume was almost entirely store bought, however, I made my date.




Hand painted and sewn from one of my grandmother's doll patterns.

Give us a wave until next time, Pee Wee.

Dipping my toes in

Greetings! I've decided to go about blogging once again. This time, with a twist. This will be a place for entirely public postings. A place to share my craftiness with the world, as it's been severely lackin' lately.

To get things started, I'm Cat. I'm 22, currently residing in the suburbs of the Philadelphia area. I'm a college student (fine art major and an education minor), and I make my moolah in a big box craft store in the custom framing department. You bring me your arts, I mat them, frame 'em, and make 'em better than ever.

I've got my hands on a few projects as of right now.

1) My ~bff~ and I have joined forces and have decided we're both going to knit the same sweater. For the Ravelry folks out there, it's this pattern.

For the rest of the world, it's this beaut.


Knitted in Araucania Nature Cotton. Pictures to come soon! I've only got my gauge swatch so far, but this week ~bff~ will be coming to my area and I'm sure that knitting will happen. It's inevitable.

2) I'm covering a small, articulated wooden lobster in blue sequins. Why? Because I can.