Don't be fooled

That's not Santa Claus ... it's a kitty monster in disguise!

Santa Speaks

Check out Santa Monster and all the rest of the goodies at http://ciaralovesyou.etsy.com .

Kitties everywhere!

Check out this great Treasury by vivametal, featuring my newly relisted hairballs!

I love pet-themed treasuries, mostly because the things people come up with for their pets are always so unique and entertaining. I mean, fortune cookie catnip toys? Genius! Today I'll be doing my part to add to the creativity with holiday-themed additions to the Kitty Monster line. Exciting!

If you're interested in more pet-themed goodies, check out Etsy for Animals' shop -- there are plenty of items for pets, pet-themed pieces of art, and other creations by pet lovers in the group. And the best part -- all proceeds go to an animal charity. Hard to beat that.

Organizing

Oh my, people. I'm a wreck. Every room of the apartment is trashed. Dishes are piling up in the sink. Laundry is overflowing from its basket. My desk is strewn with all manner of fabric and thread and yarn. I spent this morning doing all my writing from bed. And the Steelers lost to the Jets -- yes, those Jets -- yesterday. I am feeling more than a little bit undone.

But I am also feeling way behind on my crafting plans for this week, so instead of actually cleaning anything, I took a few moments to update my Myspace calendar with the shows I have coming up. Most importantly, Atomic Holiday Bazaar! This will be my first year participating in the bazaar, but I've heard from just about everyone who did it last year that it's an amazing event. And it should be, with all the members of the Hollywood Craft Mafia in attendance, as well as handmade superstars like Lollibomb, Fort Cloudy, BeanBlossom, PhBeads and more. I'm getting really giddy to see everyone again after Stitch, and even more excited to show off all the new clothing, accessories and cat toys I've been working on.

Most of which, um, are not yet finished. To that, then. There'll be plenty of time to clean after the holidays, right?

Well damn

I was feeling all accomplished and crafty when I woke up this morning, until I got an email from my friend Cassie, alerting me to the vastly superior stylings of Mr. Crochet:

I mean, seriously? I am AMAZED. I wouldn't necessarily want to wear most of this stuff out to the corner store, but as show pieces they're really impressive -- like something out of a Bjork video. (Not surprisingly, Stephane lists Bjork as a favorite artist.) I'm definitely coveting that little pink bag at the top, too. Fabulous.

For my part, I finished another shrug last night. Because of the limited amount of Goa I had on hand, it ended up being a size x-small -- it's a bit snug on me, but would look perfect on someone a bit more petite.

Green Shelly Shrug

Check it out at Etsy here!

Back to Blogland

It seems like forever since I've posted here, but it's not for lack of activity. The transition back to real life from Morocco was rocky, to put it mildly, but I'm back on track now! I attribute this mainly to the completion -- successful completion! -- of my first large-scale crocheted womenswear item: this lovely red shrug.

Shelly Shrug

Everything, from the pattern to the stitch itself is of my own design (though I'm sure someone's come up with that particular open shell-stitch before me). This shrug uses my favorite yarn ever, Malabrigo, in a gorgeous Vermillon color. If I knew the folks at Malabrigo, I'd kiss each and every one of them. Soooo comfy. I'm working on a green version of this shrug was well, this time constructed out of a thick Goa cotton/acrylic. It has an almost felted or rough velvet feel to it -- definitely a new take.

Another reason I'm back on the craftwagon this week: the return of Project Runway! Last night's episode has me giddy in all the right ways for the upcoming season. And, um, am I alone in adoring Elisa? Girl is CRAZY, and we are going to get along quite well. Soon I'll be using words like "haiku" and "sssszzzzzzhhya" to describe my own designs. I trust you will all give me a little tough love a la Tim Gunn when that happens. Hee.

Also, have you seen Project Runway fantasy leagues at Fafarazzi.com? I think the crafty community needs to start its own. I'm just saying.