Baby hat finished

Last month when I was flying out to L.A. for a wedding I started working on a pair of baby socks. There's this group called Touching Little Lives that's been really great to my family so I've been working on some projects to donate to them. Anyways the friends that we stayed with announced they were expecting so with a lot of speed knitting I finished the baby socks and left them with our friends as a gift. I've been working on a baby hat in matching yarn and now I'm finally done. It's all machine washable--as I believe almost all baby gifts should be. I'm really happy with this yarn it's super soft. Well into the mail it'll go this week. Now to finish up the stuff for Touching Little Lives and to get a move on my holiday knitting. I've got to write a paper for school this weekend too.

The camera is down right now. I'll post a picture of it later.

Plarn=plastic yarn

What to do with all those pesky plastic bags! It seems that no matter how much you try to avoid them sooner or later you've got some. Most grocery stores have bins where you can recycle them, however it you're crafty like me you can make stuff with them. I've been making market bags. I totally suck at crochet but that seems to be a bit faster and less stretchy than knitted plarn.

I take the bags flatten them out then fold them and cut the handles and bottom. That leaves a tube that I cut up into loops. The loops are then looped on each other to make one continuous string of plastic yarn or "plarn." Sure it's time consuming but what I have will last me a long time and stay out of the land fill. It takes a lot of bags to make one market bag so I feel good about it and I use up my friend's and family's bags. Making the plarn is my television watching activity or should I say "television listening" activity since my eyes are on my hands.

Maybe I'll get better at crochet and make something more interesting. Some people use old vhs tape to make these shiny, crinkly purses and stuff. I even save and wash the plastic bags from frozen veggies and fruits, as well as the bags that toilet paper is packaged in. Almost anything that can be cut into a tube or loops I try to reuse because I can get a lot of color that way. The plain white bags get a little dull looking and who doesn't like a little color?

The most colorful one is still in progress. I'm knitting some handles out of acrylic yarn to be a little easy on the hands. I'll post a picture once I'm done with it. By the way I keep working on the bath mat of doom but it's still slow going.

Bag the bags

Let's give up bags, plastic bags that is. There's an awesome group in Austin called Bag the Bags. They want to ban bags in this town. It's not that there wouldn't be any bags but there would be a charge for plastic bags. In Ireland the adopted this strategy and they reduced their plastic bag usage by 90%. Wow. Plastic bags are one of the most prevalent kinds of litter. Just look around, they're everywhere. Not only are they unsightly and dangerous to animals, they give off nasty chemicals when they break down. Just say no to plastic bags.

Bag the Bags Here's their website

In the meantimes just use canvas or reuseable bags at the grocery. It takes a little getting used to but don't let that discourage you. Sometimes I get half way through my shopping and realize that I don't have my bags. I just park my cart and go get them before I get in line. It takes 2 minutes. Really. It's very practical. I always look at bags when I go to Goodwill. A couple weeks ago I found a really awesome white faux patent leather bag with black handles. Very chic! It was a Saks Fifth Avenue give away and practically brand new. $4 that's it and it's super sturdy and great for carrying just about anything. I've scored other awesome bags there.

A lot of times if I'm only getting one or two things I just say "no bag please" and carry it out. Some grocery stores will give you 5 or 10 cents off your purchase for bringing your own bag, places such as Wheatsville (I love Wheatsville!!) and Whole Foods.

Bloom!

The baby toes bloomed! One of the plants in my succulent/cacti garden is in bloom right now. A big beautiful yellow flower! I haven't had anything bloom for me ever, it must really be happy living here with S. and me. It closes at night too only to reopen in the morning. I wonder what I'm doing right. The picture is a little fuzzy but you get the idea.
maybe I'll take a better one later

best recycling basket ever

You know, sometimes things were just ment to be. For example, one day at work someone brought books to sell and left behind this gorgeous sturdy basket. We held on to it for a few days but no one came back to claim it. So it went home with me and it now is our recycling basket. It fits perfectly on our counter and can hold a lot of crap despite its compact size. It was just ment to be...sigh.

Carrots, how I do love thee

I love carrots. They're probably my favorite vegetable of all vegetables. Sweet and crunchy, you can add them to almost anything, salads, soups, spring rolls, pasta sauce (a little grated carrot does wonders), or even on their own.

Today I made carrot ginger muffins, . I added 1/4 tsp cardamom and I think it added an extra oomph. Oh how I wish this were a scratch 'n' sniff picture so you could smell 'em. Technology lags behind though, here's the recipe. Pretty soon I'll learn how to make links. In the mean time you can just copy and paste.
http://veganizing.blogspot.com/2007/04/carrot-ginger-muffins.html

Covert compost

Like a ninja, I prepare myself and move out under cover of darkness. The warm night envelopes me as I move towards my target. I've got the goods and I'm not afraid to do the job that needs to be done. COMPOSTING! Yes, I am the secret composter! Silent as an assassin with my stash of cabbage leaves, avocado skins, and carrot tops. I seek out the chosen place and deposit the goods. No one suspects a thing!

I sincerely believe that no one would mind either. There is a huge empty lot next to our apartment complex. It's just sitting there. Nothing ever happens except litter and a few stray cats. It's far enough away from any buildings to warrant complaints. I try to be a smooth operator though. I'll keep it neat and tidy. There's nothing gross like bones or animal wastes. Nothing to attract vermin. I'm not about to ask permission because there's no problem with what I'm doing and it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. About 25-30 percent of household waste can be compost able. I'm dramatically reducing our waste. The fact that we live in an apartment complex won't get in our way! I cannot be stopped! Ha Ha ha ha!