the ironed plastic bag pieces have now been sewn together. next step: cut out lining. then: sew lining and outside together along three sides. then: stuff. add velcro for closing. fold and sew along two edges to make pouch. stick in laptop and be happy!

on another crafty note: here is me adding beads to my crochet crown, while waiting for the train.

step 1 in making a laptop case a la threadbanger:

give your self a headache ironing plastic bags:

these pieces will be stitched together to create the outside of the case, then it will be faced with lime green polar fleece, stuffed, given velcro and loved.

i want one for myself now. sadly, although the whole point is to use up the unwanted bags you have at home, i really want to collect some really interesting bags during my travels in november (kind of defeats the purpose)! though on a positive greeny-note, the ironed bags in the photo represent most of the plastic bags we actually have. go green!

a note though on fusing plastic bags – its not as easy as it looks… the first bag wasn’t sticking so i turned up the iron, and then it shrivelled… bother. probably took about an hour all up to create the pieces in the photo above. but i think the end result will be worth it.

spotted outside my favourite cafe in perth: two lovely bikes. personally i do prefer gears on my bike, but i can appreciate the aesthetics of single speeds.

my archaeology honours proposal is due tomorrow, and rather than finish it off, I would like to commemorate milestone 1 in this year of study pain, with a lovely mosaic of a few of my archaeology moments (from greece, crete, england, and australia).

1. stone artefacts, middle island, 2. trescoe, UK, 3. historic site, middle island, 4. minoan bee pendant, Crete, 5. delphi, greece, 6. monastery, greece, 7. neolithic tomb, UK, 8. ceramic fragment, 9. delphi, greece

brompton cardigan: about to be ripped back to the armpits as denial made me believe that it wasn’t too big for me…

very proud of hem (below): knit one row purl, then knit stocking stitch to match length of basket stitch at bottom. fold over and seam. ta-da!

socks for my dad. pattern: diamond waffle socks

mimicking my outfit today: red tights, red scarf, red cardie.
wish that my day had been better than my outfit.
my total productivity for today = 57 entries in my new endnote library.
not completely wasted; but then not completely necessary right this minute!

1. for 2007 Red Scarf Project, 2. Red boots 1_07_07, 3. T-Bar shoes and red tights, out and about., 4. OFA Red Scarf, 5. 365.118 red!, 6. Little red boots, 7. Red boots for me, 8. Untitled, 9. red fanatic

on the menu tonight:

sushi (thanks to mon)

nachos (thanks to me) with mexican beery-cheesy sauce (thanks to moosewood)

apple crumble and ice-cream (me again).

yum yum!

1. i got tagged, 2. winter cooking, 3. knitting inspiration, 4. the perfect treat after a day out in the cold

some wintery goodness (photos courtesy of flickr)

photos of our bikes, other peoples, bikes, a cup of tea, and my favourite bike jersey seen thus far!

1. DSCN7423, 2. DSCN7408, 3. DSCN7124, 4. IMG_2999, 5. IMG_2989, 6. IMG_2603_2, 7. IMG_2602_2, 8. IMG_2553_2, 9. IMG_2466_2

trying to make a flickr photo mosaic to avoid finishing my uni honours proposal.

about to make pot of tea # 2

thinking about lunch

thinking that i am cold

remembering that i have quite a few things to get done before 7.30 which is when friends come over for dinner

loving that said friends invited themselves over and offered to make sushi. the plan is to eat in = saving money.

it’s brilliant!

And remember: if your dog is on fire, throw a bucket of dirt on it.

I have made some progress on a few knitting projects lately, while attempting to avoid study. Of course, although I have already many projects to be completed, I started work on something new: a pair of gloves for me. The pattern is Ysolda’s Garter Stitch Mitts (a pdf of the pattern can be found on her website). I have lengthened them slightly to cover more arm, and also so that I can wear them in spring with 3/4 cardies and tops. I am quite happy with the results – maybe a bit to tight near the elbow, and a bit loose around the hand, but the pattern is easy to follow, and it doesn’t involve dpns.

The second project taking up my time is the Brompton cardigan by Alice Bell. I am making mine in a blue/grey tweedy 4ply yarn and its is turning out quite well. Maybe a bit looser than i would like, but it will probably end up being a more casual knit then something for an evening out. Still deciding if I will knit a hood for it – i think this will depend on how much yarn is left once i have completed both sleeves.

While I am having a crafty moment, here are a few photos of a blanket I crocheted for my cousins baby (a girl, if you can’t guess by the colours).