Manhattan Craft Room

Check out the latest Crochet Today

2009-09-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

The latest issue of Crochet Today is hitting the streets! I think this is my favorite issue to date - I'm so psyched about our cover story, a collection of holiday decorations that are inspired by the kitschy christmas crochet of days gone by. We photographed the projects with a nod to Mad Men and mid-century fabulousness in general -- it was a super fun shoot with our photographer Rose Callahan and I'm really happy with how everything turned out.

I'm absolutely over the moon about this awesome crochet gingerbread house! It was designed by the talented Carolyn Christmas of Gourmet Crochet. I love how it's SO something that your grandmother would have had in her house, yet it's still totally cute today. Classic!

How bout this sparkly snowflake afghan by Kim Kotary - and I really love this shot of our cute cover girl livin' it up with her martini. You can't tell in this pic, but Don and Betty Draper are just off camera, and everyone is having a grand old time at their holiday cocktail party!

And I'm totally in love with these stockings by Lauren Osborne. They're so graphic and punchy, and I think they'd look just perfect in anyone's mid-century-inspired home, right next to the Eames rocker and Frank Lloyd Wright-esque fireplace.

Finally, I'm completely smitten by this chevron tree skirt by the fantastically creative Regina Gonzalez of Monster Crochet. I shouldn't admit this on the internet, but I've been using a depressing white sheet as a tree skirt for the past couple of years... and if this projects goes missing from our offices? Don't look at me. I didn't do it, honest!

Um, and if you come to my holiday party this year and I'm wearing a green striped dress and red stilettos, I don't know where those came from either. Merry Christmas!

seriously, seriously crushing

2009-09-22T15:17:00.001-07:00

...on this Platner dining table and chairs. I don't think I can live without it... and I'm definitely going to purchase this gorgeous set, just as soon as I have a spare $13,000 lying around.

Sigh.

But seriously, it's pretty, right? This classic table and chairs was designed in the '60's by Warren Platner, a renowned designer who went on to design the interior of Windows on the World. I visited Windows many years ago when I first moved to New York, and I'm sad to say I can't remember any details about its interior. I was distracted by the view I'm sure, and by the general sensory overload one experiences every day when you're new to this city!

Anyway, this graceful, modern design has stood the test of time, and is still manufactured today. I love how it's futuristic and retro all at the same time.

One day, Platner table and chairs, you will be mine!

FINALLY FINISHED: lacy days of summer top

2009-05-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ah, there's nothing like tying up unfinished business. Crossing one more thing off the old Craft To-Do List feels mighty good!

I started crocheting this top, oh, two years ago. The pattern is from the July/August 2007 issue of Crochet Today, and was originally published with the option to crochet a whole dress or just the top (which can be worn alone as a crop top).

I always liked the idea of adding a fabric bodice to the crochet top, so that's what I did! I used this pretty Liberty of London print which I picked up at B&J Fabrics in the garment district here in NYC. Liberty fabrics are big in ready-made fashion this year, and it was a good choice for this top because the material is light and flowy enough to have the airy drape I was aiming for. (A heavier fabric might have been a bit stiff, creating poofiness. And poofiness is not my friend, especially around the abdomen area, if you know what I mean.)

I made one modification to the pattern: when working the band at the bottom, I crocheted it back and forth (instead of in the round), leaving a space under the arm where I made a button closure:

Why do this? If the band were worked in the round and the fabric stitched directly to the crochet portion, the sewing thread would likely break when the top was pulled over the head. Since sewing thread doesn't stretch the same way as yarn, the thread would just pop at the first sign of stretching. Then later on the thread would unravel and the shirt would fall off your body, most likely when you were off at a day-long event with lots of important people, and it would be a complete catastrophe. SO, the button closure gives more wiggle room for taking the top off and on, and it also creates a break in the sewing thread so that it won't be pulled taught and snap. Disaster averted!

Special thanks to my mom who helped me rescue this top from Unfinished Projects Land - she was sick of witnessing my procrastination on this particular item, so on a recent visit to her house she sewed up the fabric bodice for me, and all I had to do was hand stitch it to the crochet top while lounging on her back porch. (Mom - you're officially invited to my place for a month to help me finish everything else I have lying around!!)

egg timing

2009-05-25T10:55:00.000-07:00

I am now officially crafting in complete and utter disregard to the calendar, and I don't care!

On that note, I've been hard at work on some more Ukranian Easter eggs, and I finally have photos to share. (Coming soon: an alpaca sweater I'm finishing up just in time for summer. Next up, probably some Thanksgiving decorations or Valentines or something!)

Ok, usually I follow patterns to make really traditional designs, like these eggs my mom and I did in recent years.

But this year I played around with some non-traditional designs of my own, like this crochet-inspired doily egg.

This egg was a result of teamwork: Anthony drew the tattoo-inspired ship, and I waxed it up.

I played around with some simple line designs, too.

And Anthony got super calendar-rebellious with this one!

And back to a little more tradition. Playing around with my own designs rather than following patterns definitely gave me an appreciation for the amount of planning and design work that goes into the more elaborate eggs. But, I like the idea of taking an ancient technique like this and using it to make modern, reinvented designs. I hope to play around with some more looks over the coming months, but we'll see where my fickle crafting ways lead me next!

my moment with martha

2009-04-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Something really exciting happened last week. Really, really exciting. Like, I-can-now-die-a-happy-woman exciting.

I got to be on the Martha Stewart Show!

A friend got a bunch of tickets to a taping of the show, and invited me to come along. It was a special crafts-themed episode, and everyone in the audience was asked to bring a craft they'd made.

Since it's Easter season, and since I know Martha has a thing for Easter eggs, I decided to bring a Ukranian egg I made a couple of years ago:

Before the taping began, the audience was corralled in a waiting area, and producers came around to look at our crafts. Everyone buzzed in their seats, waving their projects wildly in the air, hoping to be noticed. Next thing I knew, a producer came over to talk to me, asked to take my egg backstage, and a few minutes later I was being fitted with a microphone to appear on camera and show off my craft!

After hyperventilating, I dug around in my purse for lip gloss, texted my mom to tell her to turn on the TV (the show was LIVE, people!!), and took my seat up front.

Do not drop the egg, I told myself. Do not drop the egg. For the love of Martha, do not drop the egg.

And before long, the egg and I were safely on set with Miss Martha herself, Rosie O'Donnell, Martha's daughter Alexis, and her friend Jennifer Koppelman Hunt:

(I'm the blurry purple one on the left. Really, I swear it's me.)

The ladies asked me about my egg, how it was made, how long it took me, etc. Rosie was really into it and during the commercial break, Rosie and Alexis cornered me to talk eggs. I invited Rosie to come over to my place to learn the technique anytime. I'm still waiting for her to call.

If you'd like to watch a video of the segment, go to Martha's web site, and click on the "audience chat" segment in the video box at the right of the screen. (It's the box that says "The Crafts Show", and you have to click "next" to get to the "audience chat" segment.) Just don't blink or you'll miss me - I'm only on for about 50 seconds!

This is Martha cruising around on-set during a break.

Now I know that after all this, what you really want to know is, how can I make an egg like that myself?? Well, I'm working on a Ukrainian egg dyeing how-to, so check back soon for a fascinating step-by-step!

salt n peppa here

2009-03-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I have been woefully lacking a good salt and pepper dispensing system. I've had a lousy pepper mill forever which I hate, and I've been using salt straight from the supermarket container it comes in. For, like, years. So not fabulous.

Why would I ever do such a thing, when there are so many cute salt and pepper accoutrements available? I finally picked some winners this week: an aqua pepper mill from Anthropologie, and the cutest-ever salt cellar from Fish's Eddy.

I have a gigantic crush on this pair. I mean, a tiny little lamb to hold your fleur de sel? I can't stand it. I have to go cook something right now.

I also acquired a few other happy-making kitchen accessories recently: bowls, owl trinket box (and pepper mill) from Anthro, and perfect-sized tea cups (and salt cellar) from Fish's Eddy.

If you haven't heard of Fish's Eddy, it's only the most awesome dishware store in the world. It's all plates, glasses, mugs, and miscellaneous cute dining things -- a mixture of authentic vintage, vintage reproductions, and the store's own original designs. No trip to New York City would be complete without a visit to this fine establishment. (It's located, lucky me, just a couple blocks from my new office, and I am developing a serious lunchtime-retail-therapy issue with this place!)

Finally, this delightful little juicer guy joined my collection this week as well. My mom and I picked him up at an antique shop in Pennsylvania a few years back. He was stowed away in her china cabinet until I snagged him on a recent trip home, and smuggled him back in my suitcase. I love his adorably psychotic cross-eyed stare.

currently coveting: pepto pink?

2009-03-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

I thought any interest I once had in pink walls went out when my parents finally let me repaint my all-pink childhood bedroom. Yet I am mysteriously smitten by these blushing beauties which have me totally thinking pink:

above images from the home of dave alhadeff via design*sponge

above images from Domino via sfgirlbybay

This is not an easy color to pull off with any sophistication, so I'm really admiring these spaces. Um, but I'm declaring a 30-day waiting period before I paint anything pink at my place...

quilt gallery

2009-01-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

While I'm sharing pictures of past creations, I thought I'd also post some of the quilts I've made.

I started quilting a looooong time ago. My mom is a quilter, and I think I first started playing around with it when she was making a log cabin quilt for my little brother. My mom says she doesn't remember this, but I know I didn't make it up... when I was a wee crafty lass (I'm thinking I had to be about eight years old), my grandma gave me a book of upholstery samples. I cut out all the little fabric swatches in the book and sewed them together to make a doll quilt. I remember that I pieced together the little top, layered it with batting and a backing, and started machine quilting it in an X pattern (which was the same pattern my mom was using for the log cabin). I never finished the quilting on that project, but I can remember that little unfinished quilt stuffed in the back of my closet for a long time. It has since disappeared, but I sure wish I had finished it and still had it.

Then in high school I got back into quilting. I made a sunflower-themed quilt to take with me to college, and another more traditional sort-of Amish quilt that I didn't finish. (I think that project might still be stuffed into my old closet at my parents' house!)

Sadly there are no existing photos of these early creations, and that's probably for the best anyway. But here are some pictures of more modern quilts I have made in recent years.

made for the first baby of my childhood best friend

made for myself, and this is now the snuggly blanket we use on the couch every day

made for noa, the baby girl of dear friends

made for demonstration on the DIY Network's Uncommon Threads

made for sweet little baby Sophie... see the how-to here!

piece of cake

2009-01-25T17:22:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was browsing through some photos, and realized it's high time I post about some of the cakes I've made!

I got into making fancy cakes a few years back - I always liked baking, then one day I decided to make a really special cake for a friend's birthday party. It was the first time I experimented with fondant and advanced decorating techniques, and the result was very wonky and crazy, but cute. Two other friends who were at that party liked it so much that they asked me if I'd make their wedding cake! I was like, you must be drunk, but sure I'll do it!

So this is what I made for them: my first wedding cake ever! I still can't believe my friends trusted me with this responsibility, but it was a great challenge and I really had fun with it. It was butter cake with passion fruit buttercream, covered in white fondant with little polka dots. I made the topper by covering styrofoam balls with fondant. A friend and I drove this cake (with the five tiers unstacked) from NYC to Pennsylvania in a heatwave. We loaded the cake boxes into his parents' minivan, covered them with dry ice, then covered the whole heap with a bunch of blankets. I was a nervous wreck that the cakes were going to overheat and fall apart, but they were cool as cucumbers when we arrived at the wedding site. I can't believe we pulled it off.

This was a little baby shower cake for a boy-to-be.

This cake is silly, but it's still one of my favorites. A giant chocolate D for my friend D. This one was chocolate cake with white filling, Hostess-cupcake style.

A girly birthday cake for a friend. I've never gotten into writing on my cakes, but I love adding an initial whenever possible.

A simple cake was requested for this wedding, which was on a boat. From what I hear, it survived the waves intact! (The cake that is, not the boat.)

For some rock n roll friends, a peppermint patty-inspired wedding cake: chocolate cake with mint chocolate ganache filling. This one was totally over the top - that's silver leaf applied on the fondant, with a beaded metal branch thingy I made on the middle tier.

That's me, the proud baker! It really is fun to show up at a party with a big crazy cake.

historic stitches

2009-01-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

(Photo from Crochet By Numbers, Todd A. Paschall)

Happy Inauguration Day!

What are you going to do to mark the day?

Me, I'm going to work on my version of Todd A. Paschall's Barack Obama crochet portrait. You can get the pattern free by emailing Todd through his web site and requesting it.

I started this project a month or two ago, and put it aside when all that colorwork became a bit challenging. But to celebrate the beginning of this hopeful new era, I'm going to pick it up again and try to make it work. Yes I can!!

Happy January 20, everyone!!

happy little acorns

2009-01-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

Helloooo there! I've fallen into a bit of a blogging black hole the past few weeks, but I'm still here, crafting away. I'm finally getting around to posting some pics of a batch of ornaments I made for an ornament swap I participated in this year.

I've got woodland creatures on the brain, so I came up with these little cameo-inspired felt acorns. I kinda thought they looked like little French guys wearing berets - and I tried to embroider a sarcastic French face, but that didn't work out so they're just all sincere and smiley.

The best part is that I used ALL stash materials, mostly wool felt left over from the stockings I made last year. I'm the first to admit that I'm not always great at using up my leftovers, so these were a real victory for me! I ended up sewing them all by hand just because I was too darn lazy to get off the couch and use my sewing machine. It was relaxing and very satisfying to see them pile up as I finished each one. It's been a long time since I've produced more than one of any craft thing, so it was a nice change of pace.

christmas crafts from the past

2008-12-28T09:09:00.001-08:00

I'm visiting my parents for a week at the old homestead, and this year my mom unearthed a holiday decoration I haven't seen in quite a while - this ceramic Santa diorama I made when I was eleven (!), back in the mid eighties.

That was back in the ceramics craze, when my mom, my Aunt Lee and I used to go to a local ceramics store/studio to paint every week. I loved going with them for a solid evening of brothers-free quality time, and we made many masterpieces over the years.

This might be one of my favorite surviving relics, though. The elves and the tree are a music box - wind them up, and they spin in circles as The Christmas Song plays. Also, there's a blazing fire, and a little mouse hiding in the background. I think it's not bad for an eleven year old!

Happy Holidays, everyone!!

xoxo,
MCR

live shopping success

2008-12-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun doing the Etsy Shop Live event last night! It was super cool and unlike anything I've ever done. Basically, Christina from Etsy and I sat together in front of a web cam, which was broadcasting us live on Etsy.com. Lots of people logged in to watch the broadcast, and they were able to post live comments in response to what we were saying. As soon as someone would type a question or comment, we could respond verbally over the web. Crazy!

I shared about 25 or so knitted and crocheted items from Etsy that I love. There are so many talented stitchers on that site, it blows my mind. In case you missed the broadcast, here are some of my picks. I think they are all just so inspiring, I want to bury myself in a giant pile of yarn and never come out till I make one of each of these:

What an amazingly clever idea - a tiny crochet terrarium inside a glass jar! Designed by the always fabulous Pepperberry. On her Etsy site, you can buy the completed terrarium, or the pattern to make it yourself. I want a whole series of these on the windowsill at home, which would be just perfect because we don't have enough light for real plants to live. (I know... sad.)

I'm a sucker for anything custom-made for my girl Blythe. Etsy seller maebug has loads of tiny, fashion-forward clothes for my favorite little style icon.

I think this is just hilarious - seller CraftyAnna does patterns for over-the-top crochet food, like this PB&J set. She's also got more crazy things like a pattern for a turkey dinner with all the fixins. I think these would be great gifts for wacky grown-ups or for kids to use when playing house.

Seller AmyGaines created a pattern to make these fabulously roly-poly russian nesting dolls. Her shop is chock-full of equally cute sculptural crochet toys - you don't want to miss it.

Remember - buy handmade gifts this holiday season!

handmade gifts aplenty!

2008-12-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Is holiday gift anxiety starting to rear its ugly head?

Worry not, because awesome, affordable gifts abound on Etsy.com!

What's more, tonight at 7pm eastern time, I'll be live via the internet on Etsy.com's Shop Live series to share my picks for best crocheted and knitted gifts on Etsy. (Plus, gifts crocheters and knitters would like to receive, so get ready to make your wish list!)

To watch the live webcast, visit this link tonight at 7pm

Thanks for checking it out, and remember: SUPPORT HANDMADE GIFTS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!!

cheers!

i've been hacked

2008-12-01T06:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm super excited that my restyled Ikea wardrobe is featured today on one of my favorite web sites, Ikea Hacker. It's a blog dedicated to personalizing Ikea pieces to make them your own.

Thanks for the mention, Hackers!

top ideas

2008-11-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the finale of Top Design on Bravo. I wasn't, like, totally in love with this show - the whole season was kind of like flipping though a magazine that was okay to look at but didn't really want to make you stop and read the articles. But still, entertaining enough for Wednesday nights.

For the finale, three designers got to decorate an entire house each, and they did some cute stuff - but two points totally sparked my creativity in a big way.

First up was the use of black and white wallpaper. I have really, really, really been wanting to wallpaper a room in black and white, but I just can't get past the commitment factor of wallpaper. Even though it's so pretty and I love the retro flair that it instantly adds. (These two rooms were by Brooklyn-based contestant Ondine, whose style I just loved.)

However, in a recent stroke of pure genius I came up with a pretty good commitment-free alternative: wall stencils!

I ordered this beauty from the UK company Stencil Library about a month ago, planning to do the design in black paint over white walls. The stencil arrived and has been waiting patiently for me to get around to applying it. I am now resisting the urge to start those walls right now and stay up all night stenciling.

Exciting thing number two is this painting that winner Nathan made (the stripey piece on the left in the photo above). It looked like it took him all of 5 minutes to literally dump cans of paint onto the edge of the canvas while he held it at a 45-degree angle. I need a really large piece of artwork to go over the couch and I've been exploring DIY options, so this immediately piqued my interest.

But when he hung the painting so that the drip lines were horizontal, it was pure genius. Would I be a total loser for blatantly ripping him off?

broadcasting live from your computer

2008-11-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for something yarny to listen to tonite, tune in to the Getting Loopy podcast, where Candi Jensen and I will be the guests! We'll be joining hostess with the mostest Mary Beth Temple to chat about the TV show and all things crochet.

The cool thing about this podcast is that it's broadcast live over the internet, and you can actually call in to ask questions on-air - just like a good old radio show (I love radio). So click here to tune in at 9:00pm eastern time, and give us a jingle!

If you miss the live broadcast, you can download the show and listen to it anytime!

happy baby throw

2008-11-02T18:54:00.000-08:00

This little peanut inspired me to finish a long-hibernating project, the Graphic Granny Afghan from the Aug/Sept '06 issue of Crochet Today. Yep, you read that right - '06. I started crocheting these hexagons quite a while back, thinking I'd make a throw for myself. Since then I've moved apartments and I now have different afghan plans, and also, I kind of ran out of patience for making all the little hexagons. I thought baby Sophie might be able to put it to use as a stroller blanket now that the cold weather is creeping in, so I seamed all the motifs I'd made, added a border, and voila!

Hooray for finished projects! I think Sophie really liked it too. (Have you ever seen such a cute smile??)

And, good news - you can get this pattern for free here! I modified it by changing the yarn, colors and size - you can easily do the same since it will basically work out fine no matter what you change!

instant creepy gratification

2008-10-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

If, like me, you're starting to feel bummed that you didn't have time to make anything crafty for Halloween, then swing on over to the Jenny S Stitcher & Scribbler blog, where you'll find a great how-to (and very charming hand-drawn illustrations) for making this freakin cute little dangley spidey. Even without the spider, the web-in-a-hoop alone would be really fun and would take like two seconds to make. I totally want to whip one up tonight while I'm watching Top Design!

the elephant in the room

2008-10-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for a while to post this project because it was a present and I didn't want to spoil the surprise - but thanks to a fun little trip to DC this weekend, I got to give this gift to its recipient - the fabulous six-month-old Sophie!

I got the pattern for this cute little guy from Urban Threads, a very cool site that has tons of embroidery patterns for download. I love that just about all of their designs are tiny and super-easy - hello, quick gift! Seriously, in the amount of time it would take you to schlep around to the stores and find something nice, you could whip up a little piece like this which is soooo much more special.

I'm going to post a little how-to on this project hopefully in the next week, so check back soon if you're curious about learning how to do embroidery!

ssssstashbusting ssssnake

2008-10-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

Meet Snakey! I whipped him up on the fly with random yarn that had been hibernating in the craft room.

We took a ride in a cab over to Brooklyn...

...where he met his new friend Dahlia, who immediately understood that he was meant to be climbed all over.

I didn't want to leave his cute little face behind... I almost stole him and took him back home with me!

Ssssssssigh.

must-see stitchy tv!

2008-10-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

I'm very happy to say that at long last, Knit and Crochet Today is finally hitting the airwaves, and you can click here to watch a video preview of the show!

Yep, that marathon taping session we did back in April has been edited into 26 brand-new episodes of yarny fun. The first new episode debuts this week on PBS stations nationwide.

This first clip to be released will give you a peek at what the show has in store. This video is filled with lots of giggly moments, which really makes me smile and remember all the fun I had working with Candi, Kristin, Maggie, Drew, Robyn and the whole awesome crew at Detroit Public Television.

To find out if the show is available in your area, check this list, or check the website of your local PBS station, because new stations are picking it up all the time, so the list may not be entirely complete.

And for goodness sake, if your station doesn't carry the show, please call them up and ask them to add it! You might be surprised - they may just listen! :)

craft the vote

2008-10-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

Jennifer over at CraftSanity (an excellent crafty podcast - give it a listen!) made this super cool apron which she posted on her blog.

Her blog post and its comments led me down a fascinating interweb trail, and I've been having fun perusing other votey crafts online. Okay, Obama-related votey crafts, but what can I say. Check em:

My favorite girl Blythe in a crochet-trimmed tee (bonus points!!) by sewgrandmacathy on flickr.

Obamagurumi!! So awesome. By Ami Amour.

This quilted and embroidered piece is so sweet and beautiful. By miss_glass.

Stunning bean portrait (beans, people!) by monkeycat62.

Want to see a few more? Check out The Obama Craft Project on flickr.

hot to trot

2008-09-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

I was totally smitten with this little horsey when I spotted it at an antique shop in Pennsylvania.... and I'm very happy to report this treasure is now in my living room!!

Planning to hang it in the window this weekend - I think it will make a fun alternative to curtains and a much prettier window view than the brick wall we currently enjoy. Giddy-up!

wine is like a peach tart

2008-09-14T20:01:00.001-07:00

Last week I snuck away for a little vacation to Sonoma and Napa Valleys in California. It was lovely (how couldn't it be?), and it was cool that it seemed like everyone we met was totally into making something, from handmade salumi or the perfect compost pile, to oh yeah - just a little wine.

I sure learned a lot about the wine making process. At the beginning of the trip, I totally didn't understand what made a good wine versus a bad wine. Like, it's all smashed-up fermented grapes, right? I can taste the difference between good and bad, but I didn't know how they got one result over another.

By the end, I realized that making good wine is a lot like making a good peach tart. The most exquisite handmade tart from peaches homegrown with love and the most delicious butter and a delicate hand when forming the dough, versus a partially hydrogenated factory Mrs. Paul's. They may both have (basically) the same ingredients and use a (sort-of) similar process, but the end result couldn't be more different.

We even got to get a little hands-on (feet-on?) experience in the wine-making process, with this guy who actually stomps grapes by foot for some of his wines. I didn't think anybody'd done this since Lucille Ball, but what do I know? I'm just glad I wore my black shorts that day.

And a few more shots I love from the trip...