Apparently, Japanese crafty-types like to make their own scrubbies for the kitchen sink.  And the bathroom.  And their faces.  And everything else!

1. DSCN4111, 2. Japanese tawashi book, 3. Bear Tawashi 2, 4. Tawashi scrubbies in cabin, 5. 978-4-7747-5118-4, 6. 978-4-05-605157-5, 7. 978-4-277-17210-3, 8. tawashi flower, 9. Tawashi - scrubbies, 10. 978-4-8347-6460-4, 11. tawashi, 12. 4939459804029

I was alerted to this trend in the latest issue of Craft.  And so… I now present…

My Very First Tawashi!!!  (Extra exclamation points make this feel more authentic, don’t you think?  And I’m not sure how to pluralize “tawashi,” but I actually made two…)

I made a plain blue one and an orange one that was begging to have a leaf added to it.  They now reside prettily on the windowsill above the sink.  And are just aching to get egg and cheese ground into their fresh, acrylic fibers.

These were quick to make and quite satisfying.   Thanks again, Narumi!

…which is on my bed. :)  How about some yummy crafting in bed?

I found this tray at the Quality Thrift Store for $2.98, and it’s solid walnut.  How awesome is that?  So it has become my Portable Crafting Room.  Perfect for corralling all those little bits and pieces, and perfect for moving from dining table to couch to bed… while you watch things like election results, ya know. :)

From the tray, can you guess what’s on my mind?

With Halloween, the time change, and Election Day behind us, are we ready to talk about Christmas yet?

Nothing like a little spray paint to bring cohesion to the disparate.

I also organized my spice shelf.

And the dishes.

A Mouse House, party hat, Beki’s fabric mixed with some of my own, some little patchwork for another (different) Autumn wreath, and the other usual suspects.  I had to borrow Emily’s birthday present to photograph it on my desk.  I just love it so much!  It definitely reminds me of some adorable handmade houses I’ve seen around, and it makes me want to make about a dozen of these little ornaments.

Happy Hump Day, everyone!  It’s an exciting Recycling Day here, and it’s Project Runway Finale Night!!!!  Is anyone else watching?  Who do you think will win?

The one I found here and talked about here.  And despite the progress I seemed to be making, I’m about to unravel about half of what I’ve done.  Oh, well.  At least it’s a pretty heap lying there on my desk.  And it will be a pretty finished cardigan some day.

By the way, the lesson learned from this is that one absolutely must move his/her stitch markers up with each new row.  Every row.  Really.  You must.  Or you will see crooked increases several rows later and then proceed in smacking yourself repeatedly.

Doesn’t Desk look so neat and tidy this week?

Knitting needles of all sizes, knitting patterns, and rogue balls of yarn.

In case you missed it yesterday, I’m giving away an almost-yard of fabric.  Just comment on yesterday’s post.  I’m closing comments tomorrow morning, and I’ll announce the winner. 

Happy Wednesday!

can best be described in a picture.  This is me trying to make my chores look pretty or interesting or delightful or something.  A freshly knit dishrag, my favorite secondhand dishes… And yet, 2 hours after I snapped that picture, those dishes are still sitting there with a few less suds keeping them company.

Gustav’s dreary leftovers (combined with the power of a coffeeless Derrick household) made this morning a bit of a bust.  But my dear husband brought me coffee at lunch, and now I’m ready to enjoy the cool effect of the weather.  And perhaps get something done!

No more procrastination and no more complaints from me!

Whew.  Yesterday was tough.  But everything turned out quite okay in the end.  I even had a “date” with my dear friend Anna.  So, moving on…

I recovered my ironing board the other day because it was dingy, and the padding was so worn down that the metal frame was leaving imprints on everything I ironed (not clothing… let me not fool you.  I rarely iron clothes! :)).

First, I removed the old woven cover.  I took the foam padding and used it as a guideline to cut two pieces of cotton batting and one piece of cotton fabric.  (I actually layered these as I cut them out to save a couple steps.)  Anyway, I cut about 3 inches wider than the foam padding all the way around.  This was unnecessarily wide, and I had to trim a bit to make everything fit.

I saved the nylon string and cinchy-thingy from the old cover that made it fit around the ironing board.  Then I sewed an overcasting stitch around the perimeter of my new cover (a serger could do this better, but a serger I have not).  I didn’t even bother to fold over the edges (you know, since I didn’t have an ironing board to press them on), though that would have made for a nicer finish.  Then I wove the nylon thread through the stitches (kind of time-consuming, but super easy) with a tapestry needle.

Finally, I layered the old foam piece, the two pieces of batting, and the new fabric cover onto the ironing board and smoothed it out.  This was a little tricky, and I realized that I [still] made it much larger than necessary.  But it worked.  So I cinched the nylon thread as tight as possible and used the plastic cinchy-thingy from the original cover to finish it off.

And voila.  It was actually much simpler than this reads, took about 30 minutes, and saved me at least a few dollars.

So what’s my Work in Progress?  Cleaning the iron so I don’t ruin the ironing board again. :)  And then finishing my submission to this.

And packing.

And going to Kansas City.

Um.  Why am I on the computer right now?

*Reminder- The Giveaway I posted about last week will be over tomorrow night, so please enter if you want to inherit some hand-embroidered napkins.  You still have a pretty good chance of winning!*

Happy Monday, everyone!  You know you must be growing up when you actually enjoy the start of a new week instead of dreading it with your life.   [Edit: Having been interrupted about 50 times while trying to get this post up, my attitude has changed.  But being aware of said change, I’m determined to make this a joyful Monday, dadgumit.]

The coasters above were a birthday gift for Heather that I made on Friday.  They were quick to whip-up, and I used felt as interfacing.  I got the idea from Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.  Fabulous book.  I didn’t really follow the pattern- just guessed at the directions.

So Eric, a good friend of ours here in Tulsa, has decided to make his own cleaning products as he runs out of his old ones.  This is not only environmentally conscious, but incredibly economical.  Here’s an excerpt from an email he sent me:

“The advantages are HUGE: MAJOR cost savings; a healthier, toxic and chemical-free  home; and the stuff actually works. (Did I mention it was WAY cheaper than regular household cleaning products?!)… It’s a great way to get rid of everyday carcinogens and harmful chemicals. So far, I’ve tried the glass cleaner, bathroom/toilet cleaner, and laundry detergent. Once you try the laundry stuff, you’ll never go back. I also can’t get over how cheap all of it is.”

Here’s a site he linked to that has lots of great recipes for cleaning up your act.  I’m going to make the laundry detergent today since I just ran out.

And if you live in Tulsa, you can find the rather obscure Washing Soda at Reasor’s for about $2.50.

Finally, my husband is also having a giveaway at Movie Zeal.  Seriously.  If you like movies, check it out.

I know, it’s a Friday.  I shouldn’t be talking about such atrocities as cleaning on a Friday.  But it needs to be done.  Evan’s family is coming to Tulsa on Sunday (Yippie!), and we don’t want them to see how we really live. :)  They might try to take our children away.  Kidding.  But seriously, these floors are something nasty, and the laundry is a never-ending battle.  I bathed the babies yesterday, so they’re good to go.  Now if I can steal a few moments to groom myself…

Sorry, no picture today.  Unless you want to see the milk spots on the hardwood floors.