crafty

I had the opportunity to review Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts on Craft Critique last week, and I've been all kinds of inspired after reading it.

This felt garland for Lo's room was made from one of the projects in the book, and I have a quilt project in the works. (Well, sort of ... it might have to wait until January.)

If you want to read the whole review, you can find it here!

And last week, the Moms Like Me section of the Des Moines Register ran a little crafty story featuring me and Lo! I didn't actually see the paper version until today (thanks EmC!) and thought my little girly looked pretty sweet. You can read the article on the web here.

making the season bright

I'm feeling so very inspired by bright knits this season. Here are just a few brilliant Ravelry projects and knitting patterns that have made their way into my faves folder.

This tiny sweater by botaneige is perfection. I never knew garter stitch could look this cool.

This Missoni Inspired chevron blanket by Kelly Kingston is insane. Who wouldn't want this hanging over the back of their Eames rocker?

Loving these super rad Heartless Wristers by Mandy Powers. (The photo is pretty great, too, right?)

These stripey mittens by handepande not only show off some great color combinations, but they also were a total stash-bust project.

Dying over the cuteness of this Dress to Impress sweater dress/romper from the new Stitch and Bitch Superstar Knitting book. Ugh ... so cute.

And I'm swooning over the Stem and Leaf cowl by Betsy Farquhar in this crazy color combo. What ... you wanted more? I do have more to share ... another time. (Hope all of this color helps inspire you a bit today.)

so ... you want to learn how to knit?

Meet my most recent group of lovely new knitters from the Knitting for Beginners class at Ephemera in the East Village.

I had an awesome time meeting and chatting with this fun group of first-timers, which included an avid crocheter and the adorable mom and daughter team in the photo above. (Which is a great idea, by the way ... I love that they decided to take the class together!)

And here's the graduating class of fall 2010, ready to go forth and knit lots of holiday gifts, I predict! If you're interested in upcoming knitting classes, be sure to check out the class schedule at Ephemera, which is a lovely place to take classes of all sorts this winter. Our next beginner knitting class starts November 16th. Contact my friends Arin and Karen to sign up!

p.s. Knitting classes make great gifts!  :)

Yo Gabba Gabba is AWESOME.

Saturday was the big day! Our little fam drove to Kansas City to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live, and we had such an amazing day. We spent the first part of the day at the Plaza, and then the show was at the AMC by Midland downtown in the Power and Light district, which is such a cool area.

When the lights came down and D.J. Lance Rock stepped out, opened up the boombox and our favorite friends were standing there, I seriously had a tear in my eye because I could tell Lo loved it so much. We all loved it!

(See?)

We saw lots of our favorite characters, like Archibald the worm and Gooble. The stage show was fantastic, we loved the choreography, and D.J. Lance Rock did an awesome job heading the live show.

As you'd expect, there was tons of dancing, we heard all of our favorite songs and the graphics and lights on stage were completely rad.

The Super Music Friends guest stars were the talented ladies of SHEL. (They sang a song called Blueberry Rubber Band, which has become Lo's new favorite song.)

And the one and only Midwest Diva Leslie Hall performed the Peanut Butter Stomp.

 We love Leslie and were so stoked to see her 'go crazy!!'

Biz Markie blew our minds with some killer beat boxing and did Biz's Beat of the Day with kids from the audience. Which was adorable.

 And our kiddo was mesmerized from start to finish, soaking it all in. She truly loved it.

There was a balloon drop, bubbles, dancey-dances, confetti ... the works. What else could a kid want?

Our favorite part of the show was Brobee's Party in my Tummy. Love the song, love love love the costumed characters. They went all out!

 But then, sadly, it was almost time to say goodbye. (I think everyone was sad it was over.)

Lo waved to Brobee, Muno, Plex, Foofa and Toodee as they each sang their part of the goodbye song and went back into their boombox home. (We explained that they had to go back home to California to make more awesome episodes ... it's tough to say goodbye!)

Such a perfect ending (and D.J. Lance even came back on the screen a couple of times to say goodbye again.) Our whole family had an amazing time and we can't wait to see them on tour again someday. (Thanks, Yo Gabba Gabba, for an awesome time!)

fresh off the needles

 

 
Just listed ... a whole brand spanking new group of hand-knit cowls. You can see them here. (Guess what? They make great gifts.)  :)

Yo Gabba Gabba + Vans = off the wall

So stoked. The new Yo Gabba Gabba Vans are available now, just in time for the holidays. (We totally have a pair on Lo's Christmas list.)

And Vans has just announced the release of an adult size Yo Gabba Gabba shoe this march! (So I guess that can go on my list.) Anyway, if you're a Gabba fan, you MUST see these ads for the new Vans, directed by Christian Jacobs. (They're amazing. If you watch these vids with your kids, you'll be re-watching them a hundred times.)

LOVE them so much. Check back next week to hear all about Yo Gabba Gabba live in Kansas City. (They're offering a last-minute deal, if you are still on the fence about going ... right now, you can get a family 4 pack for $60! Go here to get tickets.)

mad for madsen

I know you've seen them around, but they're just too good not to share. Madsen is having their bike giveaway contest again (and you just have to link up to them to enter.) So do it. I'm crossing my fingers that we may be the lucky ones this time, because we'd LOVE to win one of these babies. Too rad.

k.i.p.

k.i.p. ... knitting in public. Yup, I do it. (Do you?) When my daughter started her preschool classes this fall, I decided that most days I would stay nearby and use that quiet time to work on knitting. So I started hitting up local coffee shops and busting out the knitting bag. It's my time, and I admit that after 3.5 years of stay-at-home momming with my favorite kiddo, it's a little bit of a treat to have a couple of hours to myself, two days a week.

Sometimes I feel like a spectacle, because some people will stop or hover over me and stare. I am shy about the whole thing anyway, so I always kind of look down while I work so I don't look like I'm showing off and saying 'HEY! Look at me; I'm the knitter girl! Knitting over here!'

But I really do love hearing other people's reactions and stories when they ask what I'm doing or what I'm working on. One man said the clicking sound of the needles reminded him of his late wife. Another man told me about his grandma, who lived past the age of 100. She claimed that knitting kept her joints limber, her mind sharp and said she never felt bored or lonely because of all the gifts she made for people. She was one of those knitters that you hear about who still kept knitting even though she eventually went blind; her fingers knew the way.

But the comment I get the most often? 'You look a little bit young to be doing that.' Or 'It's nice to see a young person knitting.' And that makes me smile. I tell them that there's a big resurgence in the craft scene these days and that lots of younger people are taking up knitting and sewing and embroidery. And I tell them that I teach knitting classes to a younger generation each fall/winter. They seem glad to hear it. And I'm glad to tell them. I like it. I like knitting in public.

wellhellothereNovember...

So I guess it's a new month already! This pic is my friend Kara's lovely fall-ish-looking coffee from our stop at Brooklyn Label a couple of weekends ago. (Thought it might be just the thing for your internet warm/caffeine fix today.) Funny how just a few days after Halloween passes, it's already time to start making Thanksgiving plans. Uh ... yikes.

Which means it's also time to shout out to you new would-be advertisers. I'm offering up a few spots for just $10 for the month of November, and if you need help designing your ad, that's cool. Just let me know. Hey! Jen Renee is averaging about 30,000 - 35,000 hits per month, sometimes reaching 45,000 and higher. Ads will appear in the sidebar.

Would you like to advertise your blog or crafty business during the month of November? Click on 'advertising info' for the deets or email me at jgeigley [at] gmail [dot] com if you're interested. (And Thanksgiving? ... bring it.)

today...

Doing a little bit of currents (Tina-style) today...
listening: to my B's in iTunes. Bad Religion, Beasties, Beck, Ben Folds, Bjork, Bon Iver, Bright Eyes...
eating: mini Butterfingers and Snickers (thanks to my little trick-or-treater.)
drinking: Pepsi. (yes, candy bars and soda.)
wearing: Converse skinny jeans. striped black and white tee from the Gap. black Vans.
feeling: content. cold. hopeful.
weather: sunny and sorta chilly. 55 degrees with that bright blue fall sky.
wanting: to just sit and knit non-stop. for days. on a couch with my blanket and some coffee.
needing: more sleep, of course.
thinking: about voting tomorrow. the holidays. knitting class. and YGG in kansas city.
enjoying: the gorgeous fall colors in my back yard and Lo doing lots of fingerpainting.
wondering: what's the next thing?

The pic above shows my fall go-to's. My turquoise and gray Moop Market Bag that I love so much. (I've probably washed it fifty times and it still looks good.) My favorite Alpha Industries light jacket that I love wearing before it gets so cold that my Crimptastic is really the only solid and rational choice. One of my cozy hand-knit cowls in midnight blue. My Sharpie pen and my Project Sketchbook moleskine. I have only a couple more months to fill it up.

Currents are such a nice reminder to stop for a minute to take note of what's going on right now. (Lately, I feel like everything is ruthlessly passing me by.) I've been playing catch-up ever since I got back from New York, which is okay, but everyone needs a breather. I've been busy putting my brain to work and filling up my little notebooks with new knitting patterns, and knitting into the wee hours of the morning. I spent Saturday at Market Day, chatting away with Amanda from No Tengo Miedo clay. And I had a little feature in the Iowa Life section of the Des Moines Register yesterday. Life is crazy. But I love the busy-ness. I'm ready to just hang at home tonight, eat our fave deep dish pizza from Felix & Oscar's or grab some noodle bowls at Z'Mariks, and then snuggle in and enjoy some family time. How about you?