Saturday at Market Day /  by jen geigley

This was the view from my space at Market Day, which was cool because I sat directly in front of the elevator where Scott Rocketship (and sometimes Cat) played lots of vinyl, directed traffic, answered questions and such. What a fun day ... it was awesomely organized and I'm loving the new building that we're in now.
It was a great way to start off the summer and we had a steady crowd coming through (espesh with the farmers market traffic.)
There was lots to see, including tons of super cute vintage finds.
Christine from Bean and the Spout had lots of lovely accessories made from recycled/vintage dresses and fabric ... and was wearing the cutest dress of the day.
New screen-printed Market Day bags? Such a great idea and I love the design/logo work by my pal Dani Ausen/Awesome, who sat at the table next to me at the show.
And of course, my best pal Erin was there with her recycled vinyl goods. Crafting and vending with friends? I recommend it.As usual, a few pals popped in to say hi. (Thanks to everyone who stopped by!)
Meanwhile, where was Lo all day? Having adventures with dad. Here she is at the Farmers Market.
I had to end the day with a crazy good pink tart cupcake from Darby Cakes, just one of the reasons I keep coming back to Market Day. (Seriously. So good.) I find that cupcakes help get me motivated enough to pack all my crafpt back up into my car in the blazing heat and head back home.

And here I am, sweaty from loading and then unloading the car. Hair completely disheveled and in need of a trim. But I had to show off the spandex headband that I got from Leslie Hall. (Yeah ... did I forget to mention that? She was a vendor at Market Day. Did you see her?) I don't have a photo of her or her booth but I promise she was there and I totally dorked out when I spotted her, because I'm taking a class she's teaching at the Des Moines Art Center next month. And I heard we're supposed to dress appropriately so I had to ask her a little bit more about that. Still have no idea what I'll wear ... but ... now I have this headband! So I'll possibly mold my attire around that. Yes? :)

(Hope you're enjoying your weekend!)

getting ready for Market Day /  by jen geigley

YAY ... so stoked for the first Market Day of the summer. Tomorrow, from 9 – 2! New location this time around, so be sure to check that info carefully. (But it's going to be awesome to be so very close to the downtown Farmers Market.)
Preparations are in full-swing around here. (Which means lots of late nights that don't exactly mix with my early morning running schedule, but that's okay.)
I've got a good pile of hand-knit scarf/necklaces ready to go, amongst some other random crafty things that I don't have pics of yet.
Market Day is always such a fun time and the weather is going to be beautiful, so I hope you'll stop out to see us while you're downtown hitting the Farmers Market. Me and my pal Erin will be there, along with tons of other local vendors with lots of handmade and vintage goodies. See you there!

too hot to knit? (nah...) /  by jen geigley

I haven't talked about knitting projects in awhile because I guess I was feeling a little bit silly for working on cold-weather accessories when it's 80 degrees outside. But summer is a great time to catch up on your knitting! So here's what I've been up to.
Dishcloths. This is the ball band dishcloth, a classic pattern by Elmore-Pisgah. I just knitted this for a review I did on the book Mason-Dixon Knitting where they say: “Here’s the classic dishcloth recipe that goes with Peaches & Creme the way champagne goes with truffles. Or a Diet Rite Cola with a Moon Pie, to be more exact.” True.
I don't even have pics of all the cute dishcloths I've been making (some were for gifts.) But I love making them, and even more, I love picking out the colors. I'm working on some stripey citrus-y ones right now to bring to Market Day this weekend.
And speaking of colors, I keep getting stuck on blues and greens for some reason. Here's some yarn I used to make a quick lap blanket.
I made it using Lion Brand Speed Stix with four strands of the colors above and wow, there could not possibly be a faster way to knit a blanket or throw.
I can't decide if it should be just a lap blanket or a baby blanket or throw for a kiddo. This one (and one more in girlier colors) is coming with me to Market Day, too.
Then, I finally tackled Braided by Susan B. Anderson. Ohmygoodness. This scarf pattern has been in my Ravelry queue forever. I finally got around to knitting it and I want to make a hundred more because the braids were so much fun.
I love that gray color and I totally cheated and used cheapo Lion Brand Home Team yarn instead of the gorgeous Spud and Chloe yarn that I wanted to use. But I still may splurge on some because it would be totally worth it (and Spud and Chloe is so soft and luxurious.) Anyway, I love this scarf.
And finally, I've been making tons of these little guys.
You can wear them any time of the year and I love the way they look. (Another thing I'll be bringing to Market Day, in lots of other colors.)
So that's what I've actually accomplished, but I have so many knitting projects I want to start. But don't we all? My queue could eat me alive, I swear. First up on the to-knit list is the Destroyed Cowl by Martha Merzig. Love this chartreuse color, but I think this would look rad in black.
And Pasha by Jane Richmond. (I love every single thing that girl designs.)
I have yarn picked out to make the Treeline Striped Cardigan by Isabelle of Purl Soho. I am particularly in love with how Urbanizer made hers, pictured above. It's the perfect boyfriend cardigan.
And there are two patterns that I'm looking at kind-of modifying to make a knock-off of this scarf from Anthro. Can't decide on a color yet but I really want to get going on this before fall.
So what's on your needles this summer? (I want to know!)

downtown with my Erin /  by jen geigley

This is my friend, Erin. We like the same foods and order the same thing when we go to a restaurant. She's my partner in craft and the person I call (okay ... text or email) when I want to go see a show. We're both moms, so we try to make time to hang out once in awhile after the kids go to bed so we can catch up on life.
She totally gets me and I feel pretty lucky to have a friend like her. (Here are a few pics from our adventures downtown last weekend...)
I think we managed to hit the High Life Lounge, El Bait Shop, Hessen Haus (for a millisecond,) the Royal Mile/Vaudeville Mews patio, and then the perfect end to any night – Fong's Pizza. (But the best part of all was the girl time.)

Metal Monday: Plant and Page /  by jen geigley

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. So I'm realizing now that Metal Monday might not always be 100% metal, but whatever. Thanks to my cool dad, I grew up on Led Zeppelin. They absolutely deserve a spot in my list. Plant and Page was one of the first shows that I was allowed to go to, and I love this shirt because it has their childhood photos on it. I drove to Minneapolis to see Plant and Page on their reunion tour with my high school friends Mark, Wolf, Nick, Blair, Don and Lippy in 1994 or 1995 (and I'm not sure if I'm remembering everyone who went with us, but I think that was it.) At least two of these boys had to meet with my dad to promise him that I'd be looked after and returned home safely. We may have been young, but we knew that we were witnessing legends play right before our very eyes. We knew every word and it was a very special and memorable show for all of us. This show started it all for me and I fell in love with seeing bands play live and feeling that music come straight from the source. It was magic.


(On a very sad note, I just heard that Slipknot bassist Paul Grey was found dead today. Talented, young, and about to be a dad this year. Gone too soon. RIP Paul.)

goodbye to you /  by jen geigley

Here's to the countless nights spent holding my breath, making guesses and theories, loving the good guys and loving the bad guys. Accepting the total confusion, smoke monsters, polar bears, time travel, parallel universes, and throwing up my arms over and over again and saying 'what the ...!??' So sad to say goodbye to one of my favorite shows of all time.

birthday memories /  by jen geigley

Another year older and wiser. ;)I spent the whole day with this little sweetie, who had just as much fun as I did.There was cake decorating.And surprise guests to spend the day with.Piggy-back rides in the sunshine.Fish to feed.And a mallard in our yard!Actually, two of them!It's so strange. I have a weird thing with ducks hanging out in my yard on my birthday. This has happened before in three different cities that I've lived in. (One time, a female mallard had a whole string of babies with her.)Wishes were made and kisses were blown.
There was lots of swinging in the hammock swing. (But that's a daily occurrence.)
Dinner out with the fam.
Awesome Mongolian stir-fry.And we ended the night with some deliciousness from this place.
What more could a girl ask for? It was a RAD day.