get your hot buns here

Posted on January 21, 2004 by mariko

hotcrossbuns.JPG
Inspired by Clotilde‘s amazing food blog, I decided to make Hot Cross Buns. They are basically cinnamon rolls without the cinnamon, don’t you think?
Frivolous food purchase of the day:
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I know, completely gimmicky. A chocolate shaped like a Pringles potato chip. Hey, it seemed cheap for $1.49, so I thought I’d try them. You know what? They are actually quite tasty.

Posted in baking | 9 Comments

swappin’ fever

Posted on January 20, 2004 by mariko

I am currently participating in THREE online swaps: the teaswap, the stateswap, and Em‘s cupid exchange. Am I really so desperate for presents in the mail?
Funny discoveries of the day: Did you know Wil Wheaton (yes, the actor) has a blog? I don’t understand most of what he is talking about, but it is still rather amusing. Also, I found a long lost college classmate today by chance! I was reading Chowhound‘s general boards, and there was a post about Japanese cookbooks, so I lazily clicked on it, and one person talked about some Asian fusion cookbook by a guy named Eric Gower. Well, I went to college with someone named Eric Gower, so I clicked on the link, and there was the Eric Gower with whom I attended college! The guy is now a cookbook author!
So did you have any funny discoveries today?

Posted in General | 5 Comments

it seemed like a good idea at the time

Posted on January 19, 2004 by mariko

I believe I have mentioned before the 50-pound polarfleece remnant sack I purchased from Malden Mills. I became delirious thinking about this giant stash of fur, so I ordered it. It is so large and heavy that it practically needs its own shed. Today I broke into it in order to sew Peter a pair of heavyweight fur pants. Warning: Do not try this at home. Children under 17 should not attempt to extract fur from the stash without supervision.
furstash.jpg

Posted in sewing | 12 Comments

scarfin’ along

Posted on January 18, 2004 by mariko

And I am STILL knitting scarves! I just finished this one for a friend’s mother in Japan:
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It’s made with Online SPOT, a completely synthetic and fun yarn. The spots almost look like they are floating. The colors are kind of washed out in the photo. In reality they are very rich and lovely!

Posted in knitting | 4 Comments

blt/bpt progress

Posted on January 16, 2004 by mariko

Okay, OKAY, here is a knitting update. I’ve been working on bpt/blt lately. I finished the upper portion and am now on the body. It is going slowly for some reason (maybe because I am SLOW?), but it’s fun, and I think it will be a nice, comfy sweater. You can see the color of the yarn in this photo, but it doesn’t show the cables very well.
bpt progress.JPG
I got the newest Penzey’s Spice catalog today, and they have a new item: Hot Chocolate mix! I am pretty excited about that.

Posted in knitting | 12 Comments

searching for santa

Posted on January 15, 2004 by mariko

Hey out there in blogland–a friend of mine is looking for a pattern for a knitted Christmas stocking that has Santa’s face on it. It is a vintage sort of stocking with a fluffy beard and everything. Can anyone help?
I was reading a magazine (okay, so I will fess up and admit that it was Lucky Magazine. We all have our guilty pleasures!), and there was an article about where to apply blush depending on face shape. I asked Peter what shape of face I have, and he replied in all seriousness, “You have an alien-shaped face … but without the big eyes.”
I know I have been slacking in knitting content. I’ve been working on bpt/blt, but it’s slow going. Maybe I will post some progress photos soon so I don’t get expelled from the knitblogger ring.

Posted in knitting | 14 Comments

lather up

Posted on January 14, 2004 by mariko

The generosity of knit bloggers never ceases to amaze me! Jessica makes handcrafted soaps, and when she saw that I was obsessed with anything grapefruit scented, she offered to send me some soaps. I never expected anything as lovely as this:
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Isn’t it beautiful? I happen to love anything green tea flavored or scented, too, so it is perfect! The lip balm is mango. She sells these items on her web site, so if you’re ever looking for a nice gift, please visit!

Posted in General | 3 Comments

more for the fabric stash

Posted on January 13, 2004 by mariko

I was gone ALL DAY today. I took Peter’s truck in to have the seat replaced (he insists that the foam in the seat has gone flat in less than a year), and that took the entire day. Luckily, the Hedster was available to play, so we went out to lunch and wandered around town. We of course meandered to the fabric store. Since they were having a 20 percent off sale, I picked up a couple yards of this:
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Fabuloso, no? Not sure what to make with it yet, but I’m thinking maybe a Japanese-style apron (it’s like a big smock) for my mother.
In amusing news (well, it was amusing to me), I went to Trader Joe’s before heading home, and the checker asked me what I had been up to, and I said I had the “truck seat replaced.” Well, the lady behind me started pointing to her teeth, so I thought I had food stuck in my teeth, but then she said, “Your teeth look beautiful.” Huh? Then she said, “Did you have your front teeth replaced?” So I had to tell her, “No, TRUCK SEAT replaced.” Then the checker said, in reference to my teeth, “She got those for Christmas.” I didn’t get it, but the bagger then said, “Ah, two front teeth.” Heh heh. I love Trader Joe’s.

Posted in sewing | 10 Comments

it’s a bird! It’s a rutabaga! No, it’s …

Posted on January 12, 2004 by mariko

SUPER EGGPLANT!
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Isn’t it cute? It is courtesy of Jessica‘s husband Wes. Talk about talent! I mean, compare that to my lame attempt:
eggman.png
My insane brother picked up his Gleevec today for his Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and will start on his meds tonight. I keep telling him I hope he doesn’t puff up like Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka or feel all barfy, and what this is doing is probably conditioning him to experience these side effects! Ah, well, what are little sisters for, right?
By the way, I did not reupholster that chair. I bought the fabric from the Whole 9 Yards in Portland, OR, then hired a guy here to do it. I think it turned out really well. I did take an upholstery class once in Spokane, WA, and we still have the chair I did. Peter doesn’t really like it, though, so we have another piece of fabric draped over it!

Posted in General | 5 Comments

big bag

Posted on January 11, 2004 by mariko

Miraculously, I found time today to do a bit of sewing. The design for a mini messenger bag had been running through my head for a couple of weeks:
mesenger bag.JPG
You can’t see it all that well. I would have modeled it in a headless shot, but I didn’t feel like getting out of my “house uniform” of polarfleece pants (affectionately known as “fur pants”). I made the bag out of leftover fabric from this:

Hee hee.

Posted in sewing | 15 Comments