Maypop Studio

Plarn…The Bag

maypop — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:54:52 +0000

The Plarn has become a Bag!

Here’s the bottom.

Finished bag with Kitty…

without Kitty…

with produce.

While this bag was in process, I had momentarily left it on the counter to do something in another room. When my sweet hubby let the cats in from the back porch, I called out to ask him if he would kindly put it away. Cats + Knitting = Disaster. Now, my hubby’s enthusiasm for my knitting endeavors approximately equals my excitement over his online perusal of Volkswagen parts. One evening, as he observed me spinning on the wheel I had brought home from my first spinning class, he commented, “Honey, you have the most boring hobbies.” So, imagine my utter glee when he picked up my bag to move it and, being overcome by the realization of his wife’s creative genius, muttered to himself, “Okay… that’s pretty cool.” Ah, sweet affirmation.

Plarn!

maypop — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:30:19 +0000

I got word today that my numero uno mug survived the first firing! Hallelujah! The Pomatomus sock is on hold until I can find some time, some quiet , and some brain power to actually focus on the next, somewhat complex, step. (That last requirement is probably the most elusive.) So, my project for today, and for many days to come (as it is somewhat time consuming), is PLARN. That, my friends, is short for…plastic yarn. Yes, I am actually cutting up plastic bags to make plastic yarn. And what, you might ask, will I be creating with this plastic yarn? Why, a plastic bag, of course. Lest you think, as my sweet hubby and my mom both think, that I have taken leave of my senses, I have some perfectly intelligent, well thought out, practical, and noble reasons for making a plastic bag out of plastic bags. Um, let’s see, what were they…… Ah, yes….. the first one is the most obvious and politically correct reason…

Many, many, many strips of plastic bags

1. Recycling! I am saving all that energy used to recycle these bags by recycling them into something useful myself.

2. Instead of wasting time just watching movies, I can make good use of my hands and make plarn at the same time.

3. It’s a great way to annoy my hubby while watching movies. (Crinkle, crinkle, crinkle, crinkle.) I wouldn’t advise trying this in a movie theater, however. It could be potentially life-threatening. This reason probably does not fall under the intelligent, well thought out, practical or noble category, either.

4. Since I have a very limited (read, non-existent) yarn budget at the moment, I can still knit for FREE.

Plarn to be plyed

5. And last, but certainly not least, at the end of it all , I will own not just a “plastic bag”, but a very cute, strong market bag/conversation piece that cost me nothing except the time it took to create it. Well, okay, my hubby did have to put up with a few crinkly movie nights, but he is ever so patient and enduring.

Who knows how many movies I will have to watch before I actually have enough plarn to knit the bag of my dreams, but I’m guessing three or four more. And since hubby will be working out of town for a few days, you can bet they will all be chic flicks!

Ready to knit!

If you are interested in doing something creative and useful with all those plastic bags spilling out from under your sink, here is a great plarn tutorial and some nifty patterns.

Happy Plarning!

Knitting and Throwing (clay, that is…)

maypop — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:46:03 +0000

I’m thinkin’ this is not looking like it’s going to be an every day blog. Life just seems to get in the way of me sitting on my tookus in front of the computer. Imagine that… At any rate, I have managed to adhere to my daily creative goings on at least most of the time. Here is one of the latest endeavors.

The Pomatomus Sock

This is an awesome sock pattern I found on www.knitty.com. Fun to knit, though it needs undivided attention most of the time. Which is why, when I went to visit my friend, Linda, this past week, I got exactly nothing accomplished on it. I did, however, manage to try a brand spanking new craft! Pot throwing! Well, actually in my case, mug throwing. Harder than it looks. (Linda makes it look E-A-S-Y) Great fun, though, but hard for someone who is addicted to instant gratification. I have to wait for it to dry, then for Linda to fire it, then I get to go back and glaze it, then fire it again…. And she says knitting takes a long time! At least it’s a continual progression. Phooey on all this waiting around. I am super excited to see it all done, though. I even engraved a nifty little message on the bottom for the hubby. (Wouldn’t you like to know!) He insisted that since I got the three day vacation, he should at least get the mug. I suppose he’s right. Sigh.

Well, here goes…

maypop — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 02:18:41 +0000

This blog is beginning, I suppose, as a way to challenge myself to do something creative every day. Whether it involves cooking, knitting, making glass beads, spinning, baking, working with precious metal clay, doodling, soapmaking, creating jewelry, photographing the world around me, writing, or growing my own tempeh mold. (Why I want to do that particular thing, I’m not sure, but the idea fascinates me.)

For some reason, I find myself more drawn to the idea of making something myself than to simply running to the nearest mall. (Except when it comes to sewing. I don’t even like to finish out my own knitted projects.) Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy shopping as much as the next girl….well okay, maybe not quite that much….

I hope, through sharing my experiences, I can encourage someone out there to try something new, see something in a different way, be adventurous, and most of all, lose the fear that the world will see your bumps and warts, mistakes and goof ups. Everyone has them. Everyone makes them. Life is a lot more fun when we can laugh at them, learn from them, and move on.

Enjoy!

Day 1 - Adventures in Unheathy Cooking

I made biscuits and gravy for breakfast this morning as per the hubba’s request. Of course, if it weren’t for him I would never eat like this. (yeah, right) I should say, I would never actually make this at home just for me. I would run to my nearest Hardee’s (That’s Carl’s Jr. for all you folks out west. Do they serve B&G?) and eat their biscuits and gravy. Also, somehow food never seems as unhealthy when you eat it in a restaurant. When you cook at home, there’s really no escaping the knowledge of what goes in your food. I mean… white flour, Crisco, pork fat….mmmmm, the breakfast of champions. Sure tastes good, though.

Southern Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits:

2 cups self-rising flour

1/3 cup shortening

2/3 cup cold, non-fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 7-inch skillet or an 8×8 pan. In a medium bowl, cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and stir gently until just combined. (Don’t overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.) Spoon the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently about 10 times. Pat or roll to about 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick. Cut with a 2-inch bisciut cutter aand place in pan so that the sides of the biscuits are touching each other. If there is extra space in the pan, crumple some foil and fill in the spaces. (this helps the biscuits to rise straight up instead of spreading out.) Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes about 7 – 9 biscuits depending on thickness

Gravy:

1/2 pound sausage

1/4 all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)

black pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, crumbling as it cooks. Stir in flour until it dissolved and turns golden in color. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits. Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.