the crochet café

featured on The Paper Shop Blog...

2010-11-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say thanks to my sister, Jessica, for featuring my coasters on her blog! Check it out here, and also featured are some other great fall inspired items from Etsy.

If you are into cupcakes, her Etsy shop is full of fantastic cupcake wrappers... these would add a special touch to any occasion. This one is my favorite...

Check out her shop... Home and Holiday Keepsakes Paper Shop.

featured...

2010-11-01T12:19:00.002-06:00

I have been feeling some love from the Etsy community this past week... with three treasury features! A big thank you to CheersToJuly, homeholidaykeepsakes, and promopocket for including my items in these great collections!

here...

and here...

first etsy treasury...

2010-07-24T13:22:00.000-06:00

Holy cow! A set of my corked tile coasters were featured in a treasury today. This is my first ever feature and so needless to say, I am quite excited. I love cork and so this is fantastic. You can find the treasury here. And many thanks to hperl who was so sweet to include my work!

paper monster photo competition...

2010-07-07T22:37:00.004-06:00

I entered a photo competition over at Stitches and Glue... and I was chosen as a runner-up! Super cool... To enter the competition I had to make the paper Tonks (cut out the pattern, fold, and glue) and take a photo of them.

Here is my runner-up photo... just some quantum mechanics

for a little light reading... who knew the Tonks were so studious...

The paper monsters were a lot of fun to make... I liked turning the 2-dimensional images into 3-dimensional objects. Here is the link to the paper monster pattern, you know, if you want to make one just for fun.

My lucky monster claw runner-up prize arrived in the mail on Saturday. I like it! Way better than a lucky rabbit's foot. Thanks to Paul Vincett from Stitches and Glue!

la pupuseria en mi cocina...

2010-07-02T01:15:00.000-06:00

My dad is from El Salvador... I would love to visit there someday. In El Salvador a traditional dish is the pupusa. I have only had this dish once, maybe twice... but I remember how good they were. Jeff and I made pupusas for the first time last weekend. And since pupusas are meant to be served with curtido, I made that as well.

making the curtido...

The curtido is a spicy cabbage salad that is lightly fermented. Cabbage, onion, and carrots are blanched, spiced with oregano and red pepper flakes, and then allowed to sit in a water/vinegar mixture. I like it best when served cold.

the pupusa served with curtido and crumbled queso fresco...

Our pupusas were made with spicy chicken and spicy beef. Next time I plan to make pupusas with beans and cheese or chicharrón (if I can find a good recipe). I will keep better track of my recipe and photo-document the whole process next time so that I can share how to make these delicious pupusas!

Yarn Destash SALE!

2010-06-30T21:40:00.014-06:00

It is finally time to destash... I have way too much great novelty yarn!

The following yarns are up for sale in my Etsy shop. Just click on a photo you will be taken to its listing. Message me if you have any questions! Hope you find something you like at the market...

mmmm... tortillas...

2010-06-25T18:50:00.004-06:00

Jeff and I have been trying to eat all (or mostly) natural for the past month, and so we have been cooking/baking much more than we used to... which means experimenting and trying a lot of new recipes. I really wanted to learn to make flour tortillas and to use a recipe that didn't use a ton of lard but still tasted good. I found this recipe... it is so easy and the tortillas are delicious... highly recommended! Not only do they taste great, Jeff loves them, which makes the hard work even more worth it.

mix ingredients, knead dough, and allow to rest...

roll dough into balls and allow to rest again...

roll out dough really thin...

ready to cook on the cast iron comal...

hot and ready to eat... homemade tortilla perfection!

for my dad on Father's Day...

2010-06-24T12:47:00.001-06:00

homemade salsa and tortillas... yum!

love you dad!

new shoes...

2010-06-19T10:34:00.002-06:00

Oh I absolutely love shoes! Usually my husband thinks I have too many... and I always happen to think I don't have enough. This time we both agreed I needed new shoes and so I bought two pairs at Famous Footwear the other day, both Rocket Dog. Rocket Dog shoes are my favorite!

This pair is a bit crazy to say the least... a way good deal though at only $15! I sort of feel like I am out of an episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air when I wear them. These are the first pair of laced shoes I have bought in a long time... on the way to checkout Jeff said that I am going to have to learn how to tie my shoes again... :)

You can't see it in this photo, but these are slip-ons with a velcro closure. A very comfortable pair of shoes and I love the color scheme.

parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...

2010-06-09T22:01:00.005-06:00

I find myself humming this song (... ah Simon and Garfunkel...) while I water the little plants in my vertical garden. I was inspired to plant a vertical garden by this post from The Fern and Mossery blog and instructions are found here on the instructables site. The garden was super easy to set up... now I must remember to diligently water. We have planted cherry and roma tomatoes, dill, lavender, chamomile, parsley, basil, chives, green onion, thyme, and mint and just used popsicle sticks to mark each pocket. So many sprouts have started to peek out from the soil, and it is so fun to check the pockets for growth and progress.

Here is the full view... uh, it looks kind of gross and dirty, but I
think it will look much better once there is lush green plant growth.

The dill was the first to show the most growth after about two weeks... (though I
am not sure what dill looks like in the early stages, so these may just be weeds...).

a green onion peeking out from the soil around two weeks...

So it turns out they were dill... here is three weeks (took this photo yesterday).

very first Etsy sale...

2010-06-07T23:32:00.000-06:00

I am so excited... early last week I had my first sale on Etsy! My first customer ordered a corked tile coaster set in white with the cork backing in the coffee bean shade. Last night I put on the finishing touches and they shipped out today. I loved putting the package together... and was finally able to use my rubber stamp on the fabric ribbon! It all turned out just as I had hoped for... actually better... and I hope my nice customer loves them too. And now for some photos...

for my mom on Mother's Day...

2010-05-21T15:26:00.005-06:00

a lovely little vintage locket...
love you mom!

from here...

a refinishing quick fix...

2010-04-20T16:50:00.001-06:00

So I have this great coffee table my mom refinished years ago. It is probably one of the most used pieces of furniture in my apartment. The apartment is a bit on the small side... and since there is no room for a kitchen table, the coffee table serves that purpose. Also, I no longer have a desk... again, small apartment... and so I use it for homework and crafting as well. It is a very well used and loved coffee table and so the finish on the table top has definitely seen better days. It was looking quite dry and had... cringe... water rings.

I was planning on completely refinishing the top, but my hubby came home one day with Restor-A-Finish. I was so surprised at the result. The water rings were gone and the wood was restored to its former beauty. The process did not require any stripping or sanding... I just had to rub it on and then wipe it dry. Simple!

Howard Products

I still think the coffee table could use a proper refinishing due to it being used so frequently... some of the dry areas have returned. But this was a perfect quick fix until summer rolls around. I think this Restor-A-Finish is ideal for restoring lightly used furniture, blending out scratches or water rings, or simply bringing the life back to a faded finish.

before... after...

I hate this week...

2010-04-10T12:29:00.000-06:00

weheartit

The week is finally over... thank goodness! What a busy week... a Spanish exam on Monday, advanced Inorganic chemistry exam on Wednesday, biochemistry exam on Friday, taught 4 chemistry labs, went to classes, and had a research presentation on Thursday.

hello weekend... I have missed you...

the market is open...

2010-03-28T18:20:00.004-06:00

I am very happy to announce that the crochet café market is now open... the crochet café market

I have listed 3 sets of corked tile coasters (in custard, white, and rust). The coasters are made of porcelain tile and are fully backed with thick cork. I stain the cork in the shade of your choosing (honey, hazelnut, amaretto, or coffee bean). I love cork, so it only seemed right for it to have as much focus as the tile. I made some for around the apartment... my hubby loves them and I do as well. Nice, durable coasters...

I plan to list crochet works as well... some bracelets and scarves... but they are not quite ready yet.

Have a look around the market... you may see something you love!

green thumb...

2010-03-27T01:59:00.009-06:00

I am in the mood for spring... here is a little bit of springtime for my apartment...

I finally had a chance to plant my ponytail palm in this terrarium. Looking back, it sure is crazy how time can get away from me. I have had the palm for almost a year now and the fishbowl for about two years... boy was the fishbowl dusty! I got a super deal on the fishbowl at TJ Maxx... so if you are ever in the market for nice, affordable glassware... that is the first place I check...

Terrariums can be closed or open systems. In a closed container, most of the water lost through transpiration and evaporation remains inside, creating a humid environment. This type of terrarium requires the least amount of care... with infrequent waterings you can pretty much just plant and enjoy. In an open container like my fishbowl, more frequent watering is necessary, but less so compared to a completely open planter. I like the open fishbowl for grass-like plants like the ponytail palm since there is more room for growth. For this terrarium, I layered (in order from bottom to top) peat moss, sand, activated carbon, rocks and gravel, more activated carbon, and potting soil. The activated carbon reduces odors and the rocks and gravel are for drainage to prevent overwatering.

I love how apartment friendly terrariums are... they take up such little space and require so little care. So lovely...

under construction...

2010-03-24T22:39:00.000-06:00

weheartit

Over the next couple of days I will be working on some blog layout... so if the site looks a little odd, bear with me while I work on the coding... o_O

hello spring break...

2010-03-22T01:15:00.009-06:00

aahhhh... spring break! I only have a few school-related tasks to do this week (grading...), but otherwise I am free! I have big plans for the break... especially for my crafting and blog... but I will be sure to be a bum for at least a little while. First thing tomorrow (oh.. it is after midnight, so I guess today) I will roast and brew some fresh coffee and get started...

I ordered some yarn from Knit Picks. I am a bit weary of buying yarn online without ever seeing and feeling it, but I decided to give it a shot because of the price and selection of colors. I ordered these fingering weight, 100% Peruvian Highland Wool yarns...

for use with... my loom!

My mom and dad gave me this loom for Christmas. I haven't had a chance to really try it out yet, but I am so excited to try something new. A few years ago, during the Earth Week events at my university, I bought a woven scarf made in Bolivia from alpaca fiber. I absolutely love the woven look... and I wear the scarf all the time. So when my mom and dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I asked for the loom. My mom searched everywhere for one, but every time she asked a salesperson if they carried it or something similar, they looked at her like she had three eyes or something (I certainly know that look... when I was looking for squeakies to put in dog toys a while back). They finally had to go to the internet to buy it... so wonderful to go through all that trouble just to get me a Christmas present. I do love my family. :) Maybe the yarn will get here before spring break is over so I can attempt to weave a scarf!

So I have made a goal for my spring break... to launch my Etsy shop. Fingers crossed... hope I can make it. Here is a close-up of what I am currently working on...

night! ...

sunshine blog award...

2010-03-17T02:00:00.008-06:00

Back in February the wonderful Sarah... the mind behind EssHaych... listed me for the Sunshine Blog Award. Aaahhh... that was so sweet and it certainly made my day to see her comment. Thank you Sarah... smiles!

This blog award is perpetuated by those who receive it... and I am happy to pass it along by doing the following:

Put the logo on your blog or within your post
Pass the award onto 12 bloggers
Link to the nominees within your post
Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award

Here is my list...

I love reading these blogs... I hope you like them too! Thanks again Sarah... :)

hello blog...

2010-03-09T21:04:00.003-07:00

After a bit of a hiatus, it is nice to sit down and write for my blog again. It certainly does provide a needed respite from my responsibilities as a graduate student. Now for some exciting news (I think so at least)... I have a website! This blog is now located at www.thecrochetcafe.com. I have much to share... finished projects, new stuff, and a blog award!

For now, though, here is a photo I love...

weheartit

from the local yarn shop...

2009-12-14T20:24:00.011-07:00

Took a visit to the local yarn shop, Mustard Seeds & Dreams, the other day and picked up some goodies. I was amazed at the selection of colors and fibers... all so beautiful. It was hard to stop myself at three skeins... but my hubby was there with me... the voice of reason, I guess...

This is one is an 80% Mohair • 20% Acrylic blend by Kraemer Yarns. I am currently making a lace-type scarf for my mother-in-law for Christmas. It is more of a green... the photo doesn't quite do it justice...

This one is a painted 50% Llama • 50% Wool blend by Cascade Yarns. This hank is destined to become a scarf for my sister-in-law for Christmas... which is really right around the corner (I better get started, huh)...

This one is for me... it is a 79% Wool • 21% Linen blend by Cascade Yarns. I haven't quite decided what I will make with this one... probably a scarf... it is cold and I am loving scarves...

National Chemistry Week...

2009-10-19T14:48:00.002-06:00

Enjoy...

still here...

2009-10-18T17:15:00.007-06:00

I am sad to see that October is already nearing its end. School has proved to require much more time than anticipated this semester, and I cannot seem to find any time for hobbies. Between 12 credit hours (all undergrad and graduate chemistry courses), teaching 2 general chemistry labs, grading for a professor once a week, research, and planning our Chemistry Club's National Chemistry Week events I am surprised my head is still above water... though just barely... and kind of sleep deprived as a result.

I call this one the Bible of Organic Chemistry...

It is not crochet related, but I am going to post some cool chemistry demo photos tomorrow to kick off National Chemistry Week 2009...

I could use some of this right about now...

2009-09-23T14:38:00.004-06:00

at the fair...

2009-09-05T21:58:00.005-06:00

Had a great time at the state fair today! My hubby and I like to go every year... I guess it is a tradition... and we met up with some of my family there, which was nice. We had our usual pronto pup corn dog, tigers ear scone, Chinese rice bowl, and lemonade slush... nom nom...

I especially love to walk around to see all the exhibits... saw an old Zassenhaus coffee grinder in the antiques, some 'awwww' baby photos in the photography, and lots of floppy-eared bunnies. I was quite disappointed by how small the crochet exhibit was... I almost missed it since there were so few entries. I think next year I am going to enter something, and I have a whole year to figure out what...

The best part of the fair was the petting zoo... oh my heck, I love the alpacas and there were the cutest little 7 day old pigs... :)

I want one! ...

gar... broken hook...

2009-08-29T22:14:00.005-06:00

Ever used a plastic crochet hook?

A few weeks ago I picked up a set of the Susan Bates plastic crochet hooks, and even though they seemed a bit flimsy, I liked how they felt in my hand and how the yarn slid across the hooks. Today I was just tinkering around with an amigurumi and the head of my size H hook just snapped clean off! I guess I should have seen that one coming...

I think I'll reserve the rest of my plastic hooks for looser stitch projects...

mmmm... coffee...

2009-08-27T19:41:00.004-06:00

Coffee... the home-roasting experience...

action shot...

fresh coffee... one of the best aromas and tastes for sure...

I come in peace...

2009-08-24T21:36:00.008-06:00

Here is Alpha... a sweet little martian looking for new friends...

The pattern will soon be available here on my blog as a free pdf download. Happy face... I love him :)

corks...

2009-08-22T11:49:00.005-06:00

I ordered some wine corks from the net about a week ago and they came in the mail yesterday... [ebay is wonderful]. My hubby split them into halves so we can make a cork board for our office.

in pieces...

2009-08-19T23:25:00.004-06:00

put me together, pretty please...

published continued...

2009-08-14T13:01:00.003-06:00

Here is my harmonic oscillator demo that was published to the Wolfram Demonstrations project...

published...

2009-08-13T14:05:00.003-06:00

Yes... I have published! I am so thrilled that both of my demos were published to the Wolfram Demonstrations Project. I'm waiting for the harmonic oscillator demo to be updated, so here is just the spectroscopy demo for now...

yet another comfy crochet hook...

2009-08-10T18:07:00.002-06:00

Here is another comfy hook... I went with a different design for this one with a much larger diameter, and I have decided it is even more comfortable this way. I also sanded this handle grip, while wet, with 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. This really smoothed the surface and gave it a slight sheen.

front...

back...

whoa... zoom... I molded indents for fingerplacement...

hook in hand... nice fit!

they say patience is a virtue...

2009-08-07T19:39:00.005-06:00

As of yesterday, I submitted two demonstrations to the Wolfram Demonstrations project... one about simple harmonic oscillators and another that simulates rovibronic infrared spectra of rigid diatomic rotors. This is really the first milestone of my chemistry graduate work... a culmination of about six months of work since I had to learn a new program to develop these demos. I am super anxious to hear back from Wolfram as to whether they will be published or not... and now it's the weekend so I have to wait even longer. Hopefully I will hear back early next week. I did find a neat demo on the site that produces some really amazing patterns... I am currently using one as my desktop background.

These patterns are produced by superimposing rotated screens of parallel lines. The Mathematica player needed to play around with the patterns and other demos is available as a free download on the site.

Well, off to the store... the xbox just died...

comfy hooks...

2009-08-04T22:17:00.002-06:00

Now that's more like it!

Making tight stitches can really wear on my hooking hand... so to make my smaller crochet hooks more comfortable, I have started to mold polymer clay into a handle grip. This method is ideal because I can increase the diameter of the handle to the size and shape that feels most comfortable and make it more eye catching... transforming any old hook into a hook made just for me... ergonomic... just the right look and fit.

If you want to give this a try here is what to do...

preheat oven to 275 °F (135 °C)
work the polymer clay (I use Sculpey III) until it is soft
mold the clay around the handle of your crochet hook into a shape that fits your hand the best
place hook on an oven-safe glass dish and bake 15 minutes for every 0.25" (~6mm) of clay
remove from oven and allow to cool
enjoy the comfiness and crochet to your heart's content

pattern almost done...

2009-08-03T17:11:00.002-06:00

Geez, time sure flies... I thought I would have finished designing my first pattern by now. Oh well, it is almost done. He is a sweet little amigurumi martian... still trying to think of the perfect name for him. So the first mock up is done. I decided last night to make it a second time, you know, to work out any kinks and maybe try a different color combination. Super cute, though, and I am really happy with how he looks so far. I can't wait to share...

yarn barf...

2009-07-30T15:24:00.014-06:00

I lightly tug on the yarn end peeking out from the center of the skein and feel some resistance... uh oh, I pull harder and....

blech... yarn barf... all over my lap.

I just loathe the notorious yarn barf, especially when I am itching to get my hook around a new strand of fiber. This seems to be a common problem and, for me, quite a nuisance... winding the mess into a ball and the sometimes laborious unknotting and untangling. Though this most recent incident was by no means the worst I have experienced... imagine skeins spilling their guts so badly that only a thin outer shell remains... this was not the first and likely will not be the last. What to do... what to do... I think I will have to visit my trusty friend Google to see if there are any tricks out there to avoid the yarn barf...

crochet Journey...

2009-07-29T21:55:00.007-06:00

Wow, what a great weekend... I know it is Wednesday but technically my week started yesterday. Anyways, I traveled to Boise, Idaho to spend some time with my brother and we went to the Journey and Heart concert... it was absolutely fabulous! Journey is one of my favorite bands and it was a remarkable experience to see them live. Tell you what, I could not stop smiling and, oh, I got a sweet t-shirt (see the photo above).

Having taken a brief weekend hiatus from all my crochet projects, it is time to return to my crochet journey. Here's a preview of what is coming... purses and amigurumi...

comments enabled...

2009-07-29T10:09:00.005-06:00

I just realized today that even though I enabled comments when setting up my blog... for reasons unknown to me... people were still unable to leave me their own two cents. Well that problem is now solved and the comment form is embedded with every post. Just click on the comments link below the post and let me know what is on your mind...

confessions of a yarnaholic...

2009-07-23T09:26:00.023-06:00

Hello... my name is Whitney... and I am a yarnaholic.

I have been lovingly asked to address this issue and informed that I cannot buy another skein until 50% of my collection has been used, and not a skein sooner... and what did I do today... bought 3 hanks of hand painted wool. "I... I... I just couldn't help myself, they were so beautiful" said I to my hubby, all while making my best pouty face.

Yarn... so many different kinds, all so full of potential. I love the look, the feel, the menagerie of colors, and sometimes even the smell; so many different choices that the eyes cannot take it all in at once. Needless to say, over the years I seem to have accumulated quite a bit of yarn... yarn gathering dust from all those neglected projects, scraps (I am no stranger to the term "pack-rat"), random skeins I just had to have for the unique color or texture, others left behind from overestimating the needs of a project, and a staggering amount of clearance novelty yarn. And when I mean staggering, I am not exaggerating... but at $0.25 a ball, how could I pass that up, right?

Just today I finished organizing my yarn smorgasbord, filling two large plastic totes and the inside of my craft ottoman... but even with this large surplus I found myself only being able to part with a couple skeins. Well I call that progress, and after running my hands across each lonely skein, project ideas rapidly moving through my mind's eye, I look towards the future... excited and eager to delve into my heap and hook my next skein of yarn...

Joey wants to keep all the yarn for himself...

comfy...

ouch!

2009-07-20T10:12:00.006-06:00

one word... ouch! I spent most of last night finishing a purse and starting an amigurumi toy for my dog, Joey. Both projects consist of very tight stitches, and boy do my fingers hurt. I think I will have to mod my small hooks tonight to make them more comfortable...

first time for everything...

2009-07-19T16:10:00.005-06:00

Ever since I set up my blog, I have been scouring the net for a blog background that suited my tastes. Needless to say, my searches were fruitless. What's a girl to do but to do it herself. So last night was my first attempt at Gimp (basically a free version of Photoshop), and the end result... my blog background! I spent 6.5 hours on this last night, a couple more this morning, and that's not even considering the hours spent looking for the perfect picture for inspiration... speaking of, I would like to thank Corrine Papier @ {Papier Pieces} for the great striped background paper from her Thinstriped paper package. It was just what I was looking for with the woven appearance. She certainly has some unique digital paper, definitely check her out. Well, it was a lot of fun working on this (with some help from my hubby, who is more versed in photoshop than I), and I am for sure going to make some new ones... :)

amigu... what?

2009-07-17T10:04:00.005-06:00

I recently stumbled across amigurumi... so adorable, by the way. Check out this link and you'll see what I mean -

Amigurumi Kingdom's photostream

I usually just crochet afghans, baby blankets, and the occasional purse, so I'm quite excited to try out something new. But rather than using a pattern, I am attempting to come up with my own so I can share it here on my blog and make a how-to video. My sister is going to have a baby in January, so I think I will start there and make some baby toys... a teddy bear maybe...

in the works...

2009-07-16T15:25:00.005-06:00

So I have set up a YouTube account... yes, that's right, how-to videos! There isn't anything there yet, but hopefully soon. I am studying for the GRE at present... meh... so it may be slow coming, but watch for it because it is coming.

Here's the link -

TheCrochetCafe Channel

my first blog post ever...

2009-07-15T12:04:00.007-06:00

So I finally started a blog, something I've been thinking about doing for a while now. My husband has been enjoying his website/blog, so I decided it was time to blog about something I enjoy... crochet.

I consider this venture as a way to connect with people and motivate myself to try new things. So yes, this is The Crochet Cafe, but there will be more than crochet here. This is a new creative outlet for me... oh so many possibilities.