chevron /  by jen geigley

I've just added a new knitting pattern on Ravelry. Chevron! If it looks a bit familiar, it's probably because it's based on a tie belt by J. Crew. I had seen it online, and theirs looks like it's woven, but I wanted to try to knit something similar. It turned out to be a simple and quick project that would look pretty rad in any two-color combination.
Check out the pattern here on Ravelry ... you can download it for free.  :)

Hostile Takeover (it's this weekend!) /  by jen geigley



SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, May 26, 2011
For anyone arriving early, we will be fielding some informal rides and putting the finishing touches on the rally.

Friday, May 27, 2011

3pm – 7pm
Registration will be held at Greenwood Park Shelter #1. We will be passing out rally bags, shirts, tickets, and all other credentials during this time. We will handle all late arrivals on a one-on-one basis. For those staying at Corporate Headquarters, registration will be carried out upon arrival.

5pm – 7pm
Hang out time at the park while enjoying an Iowa pork loin dinner. (Vegetarian options will also be provided.)

7pm to 9pm
Evening ride about Des Moines ending at The Fremont.

9pm – 2am
Friday night at The Fremont! This little slice of heaven will host our evening entertainment, Omaha ska legends, The Bishops!


Saturday, May 28, 2011

10am – 12pm
Brunch and informational meeting for the afternoon events at the Heritage Carousel in Union Park. We will also register and hand out rally bags to any late arrivals.

12pm –4pm
Hard Ball Scooter Ride: It may sound like a Wisconsin Dells attraction, but this ride is no laughing matter! Our ride planners came up with this gem during a PBR/beef jerky fueled “brainstorming” session. Too many details would give it away, but this ride will be something. If the Scooter Cannonball Run and the World Series of Gymkhana shacked up in Iowa, this would be their unholy love child. Throw in some geocaching with a pinch of jackassery and you have a pretty sweet afternoon. But like all scooter events, the Rockers are waiting around every corner to ruin all of your fun…

5pm – 8pm
After Hard Ball, you WILL need some down time. So grab a nap/shower and recharge for Saturday night! Dinner is on your own, so check out the list of our favorite restaurants and check one out.

8pm – 2am
PRESSURE DROP: An all vinyl dance party and music celebration. Your host, DJ Eight Ten and his special guests, will spin the finest in Motown, Jamaica Ska, Northern Soul, Rare Funk, Roots Rock, Raw Rhythm n Blues and Reggae. It is a night to dress up, a night to celebrate, a night to blow off steam, a night to be thankful for what we’ve got and most importantly…a night to dance.




Sunday, May 29, 2011

12pm – 2pm
After PRESSURE DROP, you may not feel like moving for awhile, so there will be an optional brunch at The Fremont. Start with a build your own Bloody Mary bar, then add in biscuits and gravy, omelets, and doughnuts to round out the morning.

2pm – 4pm
Scooter Show/Slow Race/Raffle/Vendors. There will be a few informal rides during this time as well.

4pm – 2am
CORPORATE RETREAT 2011: Always wanting to go out strong, we are closing out Hostile Takeover II with a multi-genre music festival. Open to the public, we are using this show as a way of raising awareness of scooters and scooter culture to the average citizen. Check out the event page for more info. Between bands we will be awarding trophies for all of the competitions and announcing the winner of “The Kraken.”
 
All scooter makes and cafe racers welcome.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

http://whatisthecorporation.com

(it's okay to) play with your food /  by jen geigley

This is something I like to call bento on a plate. It probably doesn't even qualify as 'real' bento but whatever. (This is just a grape jam 'hedgehog' sandwich with a raisin eye, teddy grahams, clementine sections, salami, edamame, and cut-up string cheese.)
And in case you're wondering what I do with the rest of the bread (no, I don't throw it away!) I usually end up eating my own sandwich, which looks something like this. Ha.
Lately, my most-used cookie cutter set is this one from IKEA. The wilderness edition, I guess. Forest friends? It's pretty cute.
 Sometimes we eat quesadilla dinosaurs who walk on raisin rocks underneath a colby-jack sun.
 Or have a edamame/peanut butter cracker flower with a fruit leather squirrel for a snack.
But all that matters is that she eats it. :) I've been playing with cute lunches for a couple of years, since Lo is stuck in that picky-eater phase. I definitely make more of them now that the weather is sunny and we're heading out on picnics and playdates more often. And I love reading bento blogs; my very favorite is written by my pal Wendy, so if you like this kind of stuff, you should def check out Wendolonia.

in my faves /  by jen geigley

Just a few projects that are inspiring me lately (and lovely things going into my Ravelry faves.)

 alicey's stripey sweater

makki's ARASHI scarf

Alexandra Tinsley's Bad Oyster


Vintage Crocheted Blanket by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas


Solstice Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald

Me and my knitting pals have been thinking about starting a 'summer sweater knitting club.' You know ... so we can maybe finish a whole sweater by the time fall comes around. How about you? Do you have any big summer projects going on?

timestamp /  by jen geigley

Yesterday, iVillage posted an older project I did when Lo was just a babe, back in the very beginnings of this blog. After she was born, I photographed her holding a calendar page once a month (on her birth date, the 2nd) until she was a year old to record how much she was growing and changing.
I created a calendar page in Adobe Illustrator so I could update and print it each month. (If you like this idea, the sweet girls at Rookie Moms made a page just like it that you can download and print in Word right here.)
 At the end of the year, I had all of the photos printed and I put them into an accordian-fold album.
Looking back, I have to smile. I remember getting our first 'nice' camera the year Lo was born, but I didn't know how to use it. I propped her up against an enormous black backdrop every month and she'd try to eat the calendar page, crumple it up, spit up all over the place or crawl away. She's only four years old, but she's grown up so fast. It's pretty fantastic to look back at these photos now. And to remember everything about that little baby.

square /  by jen geigley

Don't be a square, daddy-o. But do get a Square.
Have you had a chance to check these out? Last week, Square became available at Apple stores everywhere. And I had to snag one. They're only $9.95. Not even kidding you. If you're a craft fair vendor, you must get one of these little guys. (e.t.a. You can still get a free reader here if you sign up with Square.)
It's a tiny device that allows you to accept credit card payments ... anywhere. Square is compatible with with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android.
So yeah. Download the Square app, plug in the reader and swipe away. This is just too completely rad. And easy. And affordable. (It's about time!)

new sticks /  by jen geigley

Lately, I've been stuck on vintage knitting needles. Especially the plastic ones that come in bright colors. It all started a few months ago when I spotted my friend Melissa knitting a scarf with a pair of robin egg blue needles she had found at a thrift store. They were so pretty and I wanted some so badly.
I looked around quite a bit, and while I love using bamboo needles, I also really like knitting with plastic. (I might be in the minority here, but I like how lightweight they are. And they're not too slippery.) So I started scoping out some colorful vintage needles on the internets, and found this awesome rainbow colored set from a seller in the UK. These are all Bonette and Wimberdar, and most of them have the black button tops.
I bought the chunkier sizes since that's what I use the most. And of course the set I picked had a few needle sets in that awesome light blue color, so now I can be like my friend Melissa. I love the yellow and green, too.
I sanitized and shined them all up, and then slid them into their new home. Knitting tools should make you happy. Color has a way of doing that. And it's super cool to think about who might have used these pairs 30 years ago.