Meet Lilly!

As we have already discussed, machines hate me. I don't buy new gadgets - when I find something that works, I stick with it until it flees from my presence or commits technological suicide. So it is with some trepidation that I am posting about my latest bit of technology.

See how cool we are, using our dog-earred copy of Watchmen
to show you how small she is.

This is Lilly (short for Lilliputer), our new Netbook. Phineas has been advocating getting a netbook for some time since it suits both of our needs for working from the road - small and lightweight (half my current laptop), inexpensive, long battery life (7hrs), internet, and other basics.

And she is shiny too!

Right now I am sitting in front of Lilly, writing this post. See, here I am writing a post and photographing myself with Lilly's built in web cam:


She arrived this afternoon and Phineas has been playing with her since then. So she wouldn't be a lonely 'puter, Phineas also bought her some friends - a Blue Tooth mouse and some kind of external back up memory thingy that is equally lilliputian. I am threatening to call him Tiny Tim since he is crippled (no keyboard, no monitor, just a brain). Hmmm, Brain might be a good name also. And we could call the mouse Pinky. But I digress.

Anyway, I was not looking forward to lugging my laptop to London. And this way, perhaps I will even be able to update you from the road since Phineas has shown me that I can pop the memory card from our camera right into Lilly. I am really liking Lilly so far. It's usually at this point that something goes splat. So cross your fingers that Lilly survives her first trip with me.

Spain on the Brain: Planning

So, with just 5 days until I fly off to London for work, our plans for vacationing in Spain have really come together. Although it was not initially our intention, Phineas and I ended up deciding on a whirlwind itinerary including lots of stops over a 12 day span - London, Bath, Barcelona, Granada, Seville, Madrid, and Toledo. We are even taking an overnight train to get from Barcelona to Granada in order to squeeze it all in.

The Alhambra, Granada

Here are the things I am looking forward to:

Tapas - I might as well be honest here: Phineas and I generally let our stomachs be our guide when it comes to travel. What could be more exciting and satisfying than wandering from bar to bar sampling the tapas and wine?

Art - I am in desperate need of an art-fix. Our last vacation (Asia), really only had one significant museum stop. So, I am looking forward to the vast amount of great art at the many museums and churches throughout Spain.

Rambling - I love trips where we spend most of our time walking around a new city admiring the architecture, browsing in shops and soaking up the culture at the local establishments. Phineas is very good at getting me to pause and watch life go by rather than just racing from sight to sight.

The Alhambra - This is the sight that I am most looking forward to visiting. Hopefully, I have not built it up too much.

Stunning, no? I think so.

Anyway, that is the plan. Since I have been swamped with work, Phineas has done the bulk of the work with finding hotels, coordinating transportation and researching where to eat. I am in charge of arts and culture for this excursion. I hope this will be the first of many visits to Spain!

Alteration Sunday!

Since I am leaving for London on Sunday and will be away for 2 1/2 weeks, it seemed silly to start work on a major project this past weekend. Instead, I decided to use my Craft Lounge time to finally deal with the growing pile of clothing that needed "editing" before they could be worn out of the house again.


I'm pleased to report that I was very productive. Here is the rundown:

• one pair of trousers for work now fit at the waist/hips again
• one pair of stretchy fold-over waist pants are now smaller (waist again) and are no longer un-sewing at the crotch
• one hoodie sweater no longer has a hole in the underarm
• one black shirt with beading is now tapered attractively
  
• one orange tee shirt is also tapered at the waist
• one long sleeve v-neck no longer is too long in the vee (this required a little creative sewing - taking it up at the shoulder, while not messing with the sleeves)
  

I'm feeling rather pleased with myself about this. I now have 6 pieces of clothing which had fallen out of the regular rotation because they had little things wrong or were too big. None were items that I couldn't live without, so if I botched them it wouldn't be a disaster. However, it's nice to have them back in the mix - especially the pants! This brings my total number of wearable work trousers to 5; that's up from 3 just a week ago.

I'm still having serious issues with RTW (ready to wear) pants. I tried on 20 pairs of pants last week, 3 purchased on line and 6 or 7 more on Saturday. The final outcome is that I kept exactly one of the on-line pants. Thirty pants, just to find one!

I can't help wondering if I am getting pickier the more I sew and if all sewists go thru this. Should I just buy RTW pants that don't fit perfectly with an eye to altering them? I don't know. I hate the idea of buying something that doesn't really fit well, but I need pants. What's a girl to do?

More Fluff

Well, the 45 meringue cookies that I made disappeared in 7 days. I am fairly certain that I didn't eat them all myself, but I couldn't swear to that in a court of law.

Since Valentines Day was last weekend, I decided that a second batch - with my suggested improvements - was in order. So, back to the kitchen I went. This time I added 2 oz each of dried cherries and chopped walnuts. I also reduced the baking time substantially. Last time I nearly scorched the cookies after mis-reading the directions and doubling the baking time.

This time the cookies came out much softer and chewier, and also much more dense than the last batch. The recipe made 10 fewer cookies this time. Sadly, this upped the calories from a skinny 28 to a less svelt 49. That said, as you can see from this photo, I haven't stopped eating them. However, I do miss the crispiness of the first batch, even if they were, technically speaking, overdone.

Anyway, in the next batch I make (and there will be a next), I will add just 1 oz of each of the additional ingredients and increase the oven time a bit. I may also cut back just a bit on the chocolate chips. With any luck, there is still a happy middle ground out there.

Showers of Happiness

I spent the afternoon of Valentine's Day at KK's baby shower. I liked the timing of the event for purely philosophical reasons: the arrival of a baby as the ultimate expression of romantic love. What better day to celebrate? On the flip side, a V-Day baby shower could also be seen as a cautionary tale for those with romantic plans in the evening. (tee hee)

KK opening my gift, with the ever-helpful Miss Beansprout there to assist

I finished the tote bag on my day off and just had a few finishing touches to complete the morning of the shower - attaching the tag and Stainguarding the bag. I am THRILLED with how it came out. Here are some final pics:

A little embellishment on the outside

My favorite outside pocket

Look at all the pockets!

This project really came out well. I'm not sure whether this has more to do with my increased skill level or with the pattern. I have never used a Butterick pattern before, and I found the directions and markings very clear and straightforward.

Some of the features that I really liked about this bag are:

• the length of the strap - really long so you can wear it slung across your body
• the number and variety of pocket styles both inside and out
  
• the ample size - lots of room for pampers, wipes, etc
• style - it really doesn't scream "diapers!"

In fact, I may make a non-diaper version of this bag for myself in the future and will only make changes to the inside pockets (fewer and smaller).

On the Street

Seen outside a bead and jewelry store on Sixth Ave in NYC.
Naturally, it was Phineas that spotted it.

WIP: Baby Bag

Armed with matching thread, I began the "sewing" part of the diaper bag project last night.


One of the things I enjoy about sewing is that there are many "aha!" moments, especially with a project like this. You start with a square of fabric and fold it here, then gather it there, and finally sew it to that other piece and - voila! - it's a pocket! There is a moment of "OH! So that's how it goes!" that hasn't yet gotten old.

Anyway, last night I made pockets and attached velcro. Maybe you can see it a little better below.

After my jacket and pants, I'm happy to have a one-size-fits-all kind of project. This project is all about taking a few 2D squares and turning them into a 3D bag - a jigsaw puzzle of sorts. I really love how it is coming, even at this early stage.