Year: 2009

Who Do You Knit Toys For?

Posted on by Anna

Hey everybody! I’m writing about knitted toys right now for something special to be published in the future, and I’d like to ask for your help!

I want to come up with a fun list of the different kinds of people that we knit toys for. Who have you knit toys for as gifts? I’m especially interested in hearing about more unconventional toy recipients—someone with an interesting occupation, such as a truck driver, or maybe someone with an interesting relationship to you, like your great-great-aunt.

Ideally, I would like like to hear about people for whom you’ve knitted Mochimochi Land toys, but any kinds of knitted toys are OK.

So, who have you knitted toys for, and what did you knit? Please comment! (And thank you for your help!)

Anthropomorphic Window

Posted on by Anna

I made this guy last month as an experiment. It was an interesting project, but a little chaotic with all the colors.

anthrowindo

I made a couple more, then decided I was finished with the project. Too stressful! I’m going to save my pictorial ideas for cross-stitch, I think.

Dirty Projectors, and Coraline

Posted on by Anna

Just got the new Dirty Projectors album Bitte Orca.

bitteorcaIt’s pretty wonderful. I have a feeling that it’s way cooler than I am, though, as if I should find something better to wear just to listen to it. That is to say, the R&B-like vocals are gorgeous and everything else is one step ahead of what you’re expecting. This was my introduction to the Dirty Projectors, and it has me interested to listen to their older work.

Also music-related, I saw Coraline (the musical) on Saturday! The production as a whole was delightful, and the music was extremely Stephin Merritt—plenty of fun rhyming, unusual instrumentation (oodles of toy pianos!), and just-right melodies. I left wishing that there had been one or two more “wow” moments, but if anything, the story was my least favorite part. (I know I should read the book before saying that though, so consider it unsaid.)

Coraline is only playing through July 5th, so if you are a Stephin Merritt or Magnetic Fields fan in NY get a ticket before it closes!

Clearance Shoes

Posted on by Anna

Sometimes the coolest stuff in the store is in the clearance aisle. Especially at the Tulsa DSW, where fashion-forward shoes don’t seem to be the most desired.

I found shiny tie-dye-style Steve Maddens…
clearanceshoes1

..and all shoes of this style of CL by Laundry were regular price except for these mustard lovelies.
clearanceshoes2

I don’t usually get pumped about shoe shopping, but cheap plus cute equals yay!

Of course, I found the real shoe bargain earlier in my trip, but probably somebody has snatched those up by now.

Gospel with Your Acrylic Yarn?

Posted on by Anna

In the past I’ve had trouble finding the right Oklahoma souvenirs for my New York friends, but Hobby Lobby came through for me on my last trip with Testamints, sugar-free gum that is officially holier than whatever gum you’ve been chewing!

testamints

I had heard of these before, so probably they’re not unknown, but I thought it was extra great that they were available where I was shopping for polyester stuffing. And according to the Testamints website, they are currently ONLY available at Hobby Lobby (and online via Oriental Trading Co).

What makes this gum special is not, as you might think, a Christian message printed on each piece of gum, but instead it’s just a Bible verse printed on the back of the package. So the idea is that you have to give whole packages of gum away to spread the word, and not just a piece. Sweet Jesus that’s clever.