Free Charts for Tiny Owl Knits Beekeeper's Quilt & The Dalek Project

MONTHS ago a good knitter friend of mine started mentioning "The Beekeeper's Quilt". My response to this was, "I had no idea you quilted!" She never corrected what turned out to be an error. So over the next month or so she'd occasionally mention it and I'd just kind of keep thinking, "Wow, she's unendingly amazing and full of surprises." Eventually I decided to search the pattern name on Ravelry and saw what she was talking about*.

I stared at this picture for the longest time thinking about how completely crazy of a task this seemed to be. It was like a lava lamp, I couldn't stop staring. I decided that it wasn't crazy enough that I've been chipping away at Kerin Dimeler-Laurence's Dogwood Blossoms sweater pattern

and have her Aguona Laptop Bag Pattern in hibernation for a while.

I was going to knit this as well.

And as if that weren't enough mine is Portal themed.


The Beekeeper's Quilt (as you can see) is a knitted quilt that is intended to be made using sock yarn scraps that are knitted into small hexagonal amigurumi puffs, known as "Hexipuffs" or "Hexapuffs". This completely insane project has caught fire within the knitting community so it seemed only natural with all the knitted Daleks I've been releasing this month for The Dalek Project that I make a Dalek Hexipuff.

The first of my hexipuff charts was published this morning on Ravelry so that those who would like to make one of their own could do so.

Within the hour I had a request for a TARDIS puff so I quickly whipped up a chart.

If you're interested in other geek hexipuff charts just contact me and I'll see what I can do for you.

And if you aren't following The Dalek Project on Facebook or Tumblr yet you may want to because the first sale of posted Daleks is fast approaching. In early March you'll have a chance to buy Dalek Project items like these hand-painted, knee-high, Converse All Star sneakers (which I was able to make thanks to some guidance from the very talented Acrylicana).

And the official Dalek girl dress created specifically for The Dalek Project by Sweety Darlin' Designs is already available for order.

And considering that she already created the template to make them, I bet Janine Basil could be convinced to make you your own Dalek Project headband like the ones she also created specifically for the project.


*Even though she isn't doing the sort of quilted I thought she was, she's still unendingly awesome.

The Dalek Project: Extermination Creations (Comming Soon)

Yet again I've taken on a massive endeavor and it's left my blog empty. If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace you may have heard an occasional mention of The Dalek Project. The details of the project have been kept secret in an attempt to maintain the integrity of the project. It would really suck if I spent a lot of time and energy on it only to have it spoiled because I spilled the beans to the wrong person or just too soon.

If you're a fan of Doctor Who or a downright Wholligan you can follow the project on Twitter, Facebook, and through the site where the majority of posts will be made - Tumblr. The details of the project will be released within the next two weeks and posted on Tumblr.

And in non-Dalek Project related news there have been some semi-regular additions being made to my Etsy store. The most popular of which is these

LizzGlizz-inspired Piranha Plant stud earrings that are made to order.

What's New on Pro-Portional Designs

I realize that the time between posts has become hang-my-head-in-shame far between but baby nom has been growing like a weed and with all the things I do at once. It can be hard. Forgive me readers.

In my last post I mentioned that I was once again suffering from wrist pain which left me unable to knit. Productivity keeps me from being too grouchy so I set out to begin a new "hobby" that I would be able to do to help keep my wrists from staging another revolt.

Enter a friend from high school bearing the good news that Jo-Ann Fabrics had a sale of Fimo clay. Two years ago I looked into making polymer clay items but did not have the funds (not that I really do now), the sale was almost all I needed to finally get started in the exciting world of polymer clay (remember having money is also a major factor in the legal procurement of supplies).

After pulling some purse strings I made it happen and began making more affordable items for the shop, some of which are currently up for sale right now.

On a separate note I will be beginning a new project on January 1, 2012, the details of which are currently a secret. However there is a Facebook and Tumblr page already set up for you to go, "like", and hypothesize about until its release.

Another Liz Lemon Moment

It's been a hot minute since my last blog. There are a lot of things going on here right now. I am trying to get some more aprons together for you before I load any to Etsy and being pregnant has been (to say the least) a very interesting new development that is taking some getting used to.

I'll do my best in the near future to leave you with a more involved blog but it's been a while since I left you with a Liz Lemon moment.

And now, Liz Lemon:

Fancypack Review and Genji Overview

Warning (before you read): Since there is so much to cover more of the hypertext links take you to items that are related but not directly covered in todays blog to make sure you still get just about everything in.

Now on to today's blog . . .

Blogging while fancypacking all weekend turned out to be more of a time strain than anticipated. Bad for the blog but good for me. I was pretty busy from Wednesday until Sunday.

Thursday the belt was just used for taking my sweet pup out for a walk and for this purpose I have to say I really love this. During the winter I am usually bundled up and have pockets, during spring I wear a light jacket, but now that summer is upon us I got really sick of wearing the track jacket around my waist so that I could have pockets. When I take Perfect out, in my pockets I usually carry 1 plastic grocery bag, 1 pair of latex gloves, my cell phone, and my keys. I am able to carry all of this and more in the fancy pack. Since I prefer to always be prepared ahead of time I just keep more bags and gloves in than usual instead of grabbing some each day.

That night I also tried out Genji, a Japanese steakhouse here in Columbus for my birthday dinner. There are two, I chose the one out of the two that had the higher approval rating on Urban Spoon.

My entree was okay, I had the fillet and sesame chicken. Since this looks like it will be a long blog I will just give you the pros and cons of the experience.

Cons:
*No choice of a mushroom or chicken liver appetizer.
(Which I have gotten used to being a standard offer)
*The sushi menu was minuscule at best.
*Instead of miso soup we were served beef broth.
*The "show" was the worst I've seen
(Do not take this to mean total disappointment - I've just seen much better)
*Needlessly surly hostess

Pros:
*Endless dipping sauce
(So long as the "chef" is still at your table. Every other place I have been, once you're out - you're out!)
*Clean
(Nothing felt grubby, sticky, grimy, or just yucky in general)
*Nommy food
*Birthday photo

(On the far right you can see my friend DreemGypsy from I Can Knit That)
*Birthday chopsticks

*Birthday pineapple
(Nicely sliced and came at the same time as the drumming, singing, chopsticks, and right before the photo)

Friday was actually one of my cousins birthdays (and a few other people I'm not related to as well. Happy public belated birthday once more to those people.) Grandma was kind enough to take five of her grand-children to the Columbus zoo to see the new polar bears, for birthday fun, and a great place for continued Fancypack testing. When one of our cousins saw the bow he immediately remarked that it was "fancy" - good call on the name Carla! Grandma's reaction to it was that it was a great idea instead of carrying her purse and headed off for her "lime green" fannypack.

I had cause to use it before we even left grandmas house when she gave me her second parking pass and then immediately once we were all through the gates when we needed to grab a map. The fancypack got constant use that day with all of my picture taking. One recommendation about carrying your camera is to make sure if you keep your camera in any sort of camera sock, try to choose one that wont constantly try to stick to the Velcro like mine did. Eventually I just had my husband carry the camera sock to make everything easier.

Despite the fact I have an actual camera sock I made for myself,

I have been using this coffee cup cozy for months now instead.

Saturdays plans to go to The Wilds were thrown over for mischief with some of my family which included a trip to the dollar store where the Om Nom Nom Studios model you may remember from the grand opening, Lizzie K., found cute sidewalk chalk.

But I did still get to experience just a tiny bit of the "wilds" in the form of Columbus zoo stuff in Raising Canes (chicken so good I had it at my wedding!) where we had lunch.


Sunday, Lizzie, one of my brother-in-laws, the hubbo, and myself trekked down very close to Cincinnati to go to Kings Island. When we stopped for gas Lizzie and I had a mini DeLorian adventure.

The temperature Sunday was in the high 80's to the mid 90's so we chose to head to the water park portion first. There my Fancypack was relinquished to a rented locker, where it spent the majority of the day.

My rating for the Fancypack after this weekend is four stars. I would have given it five but I want to see how long this Velcro lasts and see how it does in a few other environments.

Since this post was so long I plan to blog about the most recent episode of Cupcake Wars tomorrow.

Fancypackness Is Next to Rachel Rayliness . . .

. . .well, sort of. "Next to" meaning, also used by Kim White, Rachel Ray's makeup artist.

Carla Morales, graduate of one of the art schools I begged my parents to let me go to (RISD), has the solution for anyone else out there, like me, who frequently has no pockets and just enough times that you don't feel like carrying a purse. The solution comes in the form of an adjustable belt with a bow containing two pockets, cleverly named - the Fancypack.

Examples of great times to Fancypack-it-up:
*Walking your dog
*Amusement parks / zoos / fairs
*Airports
(so you can carry a little more than you already have in your purse and carry-on)
*Firework fights
(Hey I'm a girl from a family of boys that married into a family of boys. This comes up more often than you might think!)
*Country kiddies who need to carry a small amount of ammo out into the woods

Carla was kind enough not only to work with me to create a custom made Fancypack that fit the Om Nom Nom spirit, but to also make sure to get it to me in time for my birthday. Ultimately we decided the extra-large sized Fancypack would best suit my possible needs. Here is the mock-up she came back to me with.

I was able to pick the belt colour as well as the kind and colour of the clasp. I chose a slimming chocolately belt with strawberry heart accent clasps.

My Fancypack arrived today - two days before my birthday. I intend to test it out and report back on my Fancypacking all weekend long and let you know how it stands up.

For all of today's Fancypack pictures you can see them here in the Om Nom Nom Studios Flickr stream.

Regretsy'd!

I'm not sure just how many people outside of the crafting community are aware of Regretsy, but I can assure more than enough within it are incredibly aware.

Regretsy, whose tagline is "Where DIY Meets WTF" is a parody of Etsy. Items on Regretsy tend to be reported to them, and due to the popularity of the site even they themselves have pointed out there is a whole lot of WTF to sort through.

What makes it a WTF? The short answer is: whatever makes you wonder why someone a)made the item b)thinks someone would buy the item c) chose to go against their best judgment and share said item with the internet when they should know it's a WTF.

And all on my own steam, I've made it. That's right, this morning I woke up to a Facebook message from my friend over at Dollfoolery proclaiming I'd made it!

Here is the item that people feel was worthy.



Am I upset? No, not one bit. Even bad publicity is good publicity.

Am I surprised? Only mildly. I figured eventually someone would find me and post me. What I really think of the whole situation is - "wow I never saw the item in that light."

The cowl has been likened to scabs, bot flies, and goiters. I thought the whole bot fly thing was so original I nearly went in and changed the name!

Also in the Facebook comments was a remark about what on EARTH was I doing to the peperoni pizza scarf!? The owner and operator of The Neighborhood Fiber Company has remarked on that same thing. When I opened my store she said it was a bunch of pictures of me in a slutty dress making naughty faces.

You can see how seriously I took that.

Etsy Updates and Roadside America

This past Friday there was an Etsy update (as promised). And as I said, I have come up with something that I have yet to find anyplace else online. So I am happy to announce that Pro-Portional Designs of Om Nom Nom Studios is the home and creator of the foodie baby bib (maybe I'll have a cuter way to put it in the future.) There are now two new sections in the store, children and http://www.etsy.com/shop/ProPortional?section_id=6905791.

The other day I was out visiting some family and saw the pumpkin water tower in Circleville, Ohio (that I am sure i have seen before but never really thought about.)

While I was working on these pictures I wondered about other water towers similar to this and came across:

The watermelon water tower in Texas


The Peach water tower in Alabama

Not quite food but still delightful is the coffee pot water tower in California


There are others but I thought it was amusing.

Cookies with Grandma

In an attempt to be more accessible and sociable Om Nom Nom Studios now also has Xanga and in the near future will also have Live Journal. There are no posts just yet on the Xanga account as of yet.

New items have been pre-loaded to Etsy. They are awaiting photos and some finishing touches (i.e. a LOT of zippers.) There are some entirely new sorts of items that will be offered on the next upload.

For Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace followers you are aware the other day my husbands grandma invited me over for leftover party food and cookie making (during which time crafts always come up in some form or another).

We had a brown sugar mishap that involved giant unbreakable chunks. Grandma put them into the mixer anyway so there was a momentary cookie dough/brown sugar hail storm. Which made my dogs particularly happy. Here is Minnie with little bits of dough still stuck her her.

I doubt she really noticed though.

Amongst lessons learned was a new, somewhat important one. Do not leave wine unattended when grandma is around. No, she didn't drink it. Because she has no wine glasses I had mine in a coffee mug on the table. When I returned from shaving some newly felted bags I found this:

This is a cookie dough encrusted spoon - in. my. wine. She had no idea she'd even done it until I started snapping pictures of the cup.

I married into a crafty family. The range of abilities is astounding. We have crocheters, seamstresses, general fine artists, and quilters. Grandma seems to be the head quilter of the family. In fact, her bedroom is further proof how entrenched in crafting she is.



And those are just some of the people from the family I married into - my immediate family also has a lot of artistic inklings as well.

Etsy Stuff I Don't Understand

Got $15 and want to spend it on some strange digital photographs? Then I have a suggestion:



You can find these here. Comes in burrito, sponge, and brick.

14 Days Til' Christmas. Really?

So to gear you up for more nommy creations as well as Christmas looky what I found! For those of us who are less that impressive in our gingerbread house building skills I found this cute game where you can decorate your own house. I guess it's not so much a game as it is an application but there you have it. I haven't tried it out yet but it looks enjoyable.

I had an appointment today at the mall. Easton Town Center is definitely ready for Christmas. Look at all the shiny pretty pretty!




Like so many people - I lost my car at the mall. But unlike many people - I lost it FOR HOURS! I was out in the cold from roughly 6PM until 930PM searching.

I was so certain I'd parked the Northwest parking lot but even after I found this:

it was probably another hour and a half until I found my car.

Cold mall hatred aside. Pro-Portional Designs is definitely on it's way to expanding in a few ways but some are too young to be sure about yet. But all of these ways will be kept a secret until things are set in stone and ready to go.

Store Uploads

To date there have been about three uploads to the store. All have been made on Sunday's at Midnight. After spending this past weekend doing almost nothing but work the shop on my husbands days off I started considering uploading on a different day.

So, this Sunday there is no planned update so that I can reset my work schedule.

I'd love to hear from any Om Nom Nom followers if you'd rather I kept to set date and time uploads or just to hear whenever there is going to be a new upload.

Pro-Portional Designs has plans to expand just a bit online but until that is all set in stone there's not much more to say on that.

Well despite the fact there is no store upload this week I still have a lot of work to do so toodle-oo for now kids!