cool things

Here are some long overdue photos of projects I've worked on, and a most excellent christmas present from my best friend...First, a super-happy work bag from my best friend J. She's a tremendous dressmaker, and had some adorable heart fabric to make this very roomy bag. It's lined in a deep blue, with handmade handles too! Cheers, J, I love it!
The weirdest thing I've worked on in a long time are these sneakers. I went to get some walking shoes for my treadmill workouts, and all they had in my size were bright white, Nurse Ratchet shoes. So I figured they'd be a good blank canvas for some sharpie marker fun. I used a piece of Japanese chirigami paper as inspiration for all the patterns, and now I actually like wearing the sneakers.And introducing...Koi Hooks! I have almost worked out all the kinks for production of these crochet hooks made of sculpey. So far, they have been very time-consuming and difficult, but they stand up well to wear and tear when they're cured properly. Not all will have this fish-scale effect, but they look cool. Each has been carved by hand and polished and sanded to a satiny shine. I am planning, once I have a good number of them, to sell these at a new local yarn shop, called Spinster Yarns and Fibers! The owner of the shop, Andrea, is super nice, spins her own yarn, and has asked me to be the crochet teacher for the shop. I am truly excited about it, and I would love for you all to come check it out! I'm planning to teach beginner's crochet and also an intermediate class for people who have the basics down. The shop is in the basement of my favorite cafe/bookstore, The Red Canoe. It's a great place to grab a coffee, check out some fun books, and chat with the friends who inevitably stop by. It is Smalltimore, anyhow.