friday to-do list: dance in a grocery store!

Music Video: "Haven't Met You Yet" (Michael Buble) from Alec Rivera on Vimeo.

Friday seems like a good day to dance in the grocery store, right?
I don't know if it's the confetti or the giant smiles, but something about these videos leaves me grinning from ear to ear.
I usually don't listen to music like this, but maybe I need to start! I feel like these videos are some kind of guilty pleasure.

So, how about it everyone! Let's find a place to dance in public today?
I can guarantee it will make your day 300% better!

<3
Robbie.

Coming up...

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-Fabric Pumpkins

-Punching (ANOTHER) Rug.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

Vintage Halloween Inspiration: Costumes!

source.

Oh my GAWD!!!! Every one of these pictures is priceless!!!!

What are you going to be for halloween?

<3

Robbie.

Coming up...

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-MORE Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-Fabric Pumpkins

-Punching (ANOTHER) Rug.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

vinyl monday: dire straits.

hey kids!

the pears were incredible. a little sweet, but ohsogooood.

(the really sweet "tablecloth" is actually fabric for a project i'm working on. you'll see soon enough!)

today's vinyl monday is inspired by one of my favorite movies, empire records. this is the song playing when mark tickles the ballerina's feet with the feather duster :-)

it really is such a sweet song :-)

enjoy!

<3

robbie.

Coming up...

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-Fabric Pumpkins

-Punching (ANOTHER) Rug.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

boys and blogs

i'm so excited to share this post with you!!!!

Five years ago, when I started this blog I never would have dreamed to find an audience outside of a few friends and fellow knitters but it has blossomed into so much more than a place to share my finished knits.

I struggled for years with finding my voice; a boy's voice in a girl's world. At least ninety-eight percent of my readers are ladies, and while I love you all, I can't help but feel a little lonely sometimes.

However. lately I've been having a bro-mance every week!!!! There's a new group of boybloggers that I actually relate to, and I look forward to seeing their posts pop up on Bloglovin'.

First, we have Colby. Colby was the first boy to visit my re-vamped Knitxcore blog, and I've been following him ever since. He's a whiz at makes rooms look pretty and taking fantastic photos!

Second, there's Raynor. He's crochets the cutest lil' babes and has really good taste in music.

Third is Reuben. He's half of the House of Humble. He knits and gardens and makes things. The coolest bro.

And finally, there's Steven. He is a web design genius. His layout changes constantly. He always has great tips for bloggers!

I hope that you enjoy these boy blogs as much as I do!

<3

Robbie.

Coming up...

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-Fabric Pumpkins

-Punching (ANOTHER) Rug.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

fruit stand faves: seckle pears!

there's a little fruit stand not far our house that sells mostly local stuff, and every year they get some zany thing i never heard of. last year, i was severely obsessed with fresh cranberry beans. we ate them 2-3 times a week during their sadly short growing season.

this year, there were bushels of the tiniest pears i had ever seen! apparently, they're called "seckle pears" and they are super sweet and super cute. i don't really eat a lot of hand fruits because the size is too intimidating. a "premium-sized" apple could take me over an hour to finish. i'm not a sickly little waif, i just don't like to eat fruit quickly. that being said, the little bebes are the perfect size for a more timid fruitavore.

i found a recipe for honey roasted seckle pears, and they're currently in the oven! i can't wait for them to come out! they smell fantastic :-)

what is your favorite autumnal fruit/veg?

<3

robbie.

Coming up...

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-Fabric Pumpkins

-Punching (ANOTHER) Rug.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

punching a rug.

This is my punch rug sampler for my Crafts class. I ripped a Missoni print, because Target let me down and I have zigzag fever!!!

The loops had to be 3 different lengths, thus the shaggy sections. If I had had my choice, I would have made it all short or long loops, without the awkward medium sections.

Most other people made little pictures, but I'm happy with my "abstract" rug.

This sampler was just practice for a larger, Charley Harper inspired rug that I'll be working on next. I'm really excited to get moving on a new project :-)

<3
Robbie.

Coming up...

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-Vintage Halloween Inspiration

-Fabric Pumpkins

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

vinyl monday: lawrence welk.

Isn't that the worst picture? I should have taken them earlier today.

My grammy used to live across the street from our house. She would go to the VFW and have a screwdriver at dinner, but she always made it back in time to watch "The Lawrence Welk show". She would dance around the living room and sing every song. Watching Lawrence Welk with her is definitely one of my most cherished memories.

I still catch it from time to time, and I'll make Dave watch it with me. It's horribly cheesy, but I think he understands how happy it makes me.

How couldn't you love this?

Book Report: "The Alchemist".

The pages “The Alchemist” held a wonderful fable about personal growth and the acquisition of material dreams. It seems as though everything Santiago ever wanted was right under his nose all along, and that the journey he had taken to attain it saw him grow not only physically, but mentally and spiritually. While the idea of spiritual growth is not a new one, Coelho found a way to package it into a less desperate looking binding. People who would not have regularly read a book like this came to appreciate the life lesson. That being said, I felt that the book seemed overly sentimental and simple. For the most part, when people read, they like to figure a few things out on their own. I know I do.

I feel as though the story lacked a certain subtlety in reference to its message, and that has probably fueled my reaction towards it. The repetitive nature of certain “lessons” throughout seemed to steer the book towards a mass-market appeal that turned me off, just a little. “The Alchemist” seems to be a self-help book with a clever story mixed in; a mystical but motivational piece about following your dreams. There are tons of books just like this that people brush off every day; The Secret, The Power and anything by Deepak Chopra have been ridiculed by intellectuals and written off as “new-age”, while this book which shares the same message has found its place between to John Cheever and E.E. Cummings .

The story of Santiago’s journey seemed like an afterthought, and after finding out that the author wrote it in less than two weeks only further proved my suspicion. While the core of the story, and its intentions were virtuous (as a fable should be), it seemed as though Coelho had written an outline of points that he had wanted to discuss and then wrote the story around them. This is most prevalent when reviewing the dialogue of the Alchemist towards the end of the story. Most of the dialogue between the Santiago and the Alchemist is disjointed and generally doesn’t flow with the rest of the book. I understand that the Alchemist is teaching Santiago the importance of his place in the universe, but it just fell short. Each time the Alchemist spoke, I found myself skimming quickly to the next end-quotation mark.

I was hoping that this book wouldn’t have been as transparent as it was, but it wasn’t the worst thing I have ever read either. If I felt someone I knew was in need of encouragement and could not find their way around a more complicated piece, I would suggest this. It was a quick and thoughtful read; it just left me personally unfulfilled. I didn’t really think that much about it after I put it down.

<3

Robbie.

Coming up...

-Punching a Rug

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!

dudecore: it's 60 degrees today!

Retro Read-a-long: "James and the Giant Peach"

We all know how much I love books and Pip, so I was really excited to join Meet me at Mike's Retro Read-a-long!!!!! We're reading "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl. It has been ages since I've taken the time to enjoy some classic kid-lit, and I'm the most happy that this is the very first selection. I love Roald Dahl!
I found this copy on Ebay for less than $5, and it's in wonderful shape. I'd go dig it out and tell what year it's from, but I really don't feel much like getting up. The pictures are dreamy! You should join!!!! I'm sure it will be super fun!
<3Robbie.

Coming up...

-Punching a Rug

-Book Report: "The Alchemist"

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!!

Inspiration Tuesday: 90's hip-hop.

Today, A friend sent me a Salt-n-Pepa video on facebook, and I first I just giggled. However, once the initial randomness of the situation faded, I found myself watching tons of nineties hip-hop videos on youtube and have come to the conclusion that nineties hip-hop was AWESOME.

It was colorful and exciting; it demanded attention. It was bubbly and infectious. How did I not realize how close it was to my crafty aesthetic? Who doesn't love a gem sweater and a leather jacket with an eight ball on it?

I remember sitting on the front step while my sister and I taught our little brother the words to Skee-lo's "I Wish". I remember going to the skating rink with the girl next door, Bernadette, who always wore a white tee shirt with a picture of Tweety bird on the front in backwards jeans. We would backwards skate to Bel Biv DeVoe and eat gross pizza. The smell of "Exclamation" and burned crust takes me back to that place. I kind of miss Cross Colours and all that came with it.

Anyway this era shaped my childhood and for that alone, it's an inspiration. Ya dig?

<3

Robbie.

Coming up...

-Retro Read-Along

-Punching a Rug

-Book Report: "The Alchemist"

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!!

vinyl monday: devendra banhart.

Hey! Look!

VINYL MONDAY IS BACK!!!!

I still feel awful, but not blogging isn't helping out. So, I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so hopefully some things will get squared away. It's been the worst month.

I'm currently reading 425 books at the same time, so I don't fall behind in any classes and I have this crazy punch rug thing to work on but all I really want to do is sleep.

I joined a retro read-along, that I can't wait to share with you and I'm wrapping up "the Alchemist" and I really would love to discuss that as well!!!!!

<3

Robbie.

Coming up...

-Retro Read-Along

-Punching a Rug

-Book Report: "The Alchemist"

-A Work in Progress: Bird Mask.

-and maybe a finished sock?

...Stay Tuned!!!!!

halloween preview

I have a bajillion halloween craft ideas swirling around in my little head that I can't wait to share with you!

This is the beginning of a costume I had planned years ago, and never gotten around to. Dave painted the mask for me last night but it still needs a few more coats. (I have no business painting things, really). There's actually still a ton of work to do before I get to show-off the FO. I promise it won't look so scary. I don't really like scary things.

The timer just went off. Our Dolly Parton chicken must be ready!

STAY TUNEDDD!!!!!!

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-Hurricanes and He-Man

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug Maybe a Failure.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more

My Day in Pictures: 9/7

Sorry for the unintended hiatus!

School and being sick had kind of overwhelmed me.

In addition, I still cannot access my photoshop program. (ugh!)

Today, I thought I would just share a few photos from my walk/bus ride/class.

I just kinda snapped quick photos along the way, so it's like a little walking tour or something.

I had to get up at 9 to make sure that I could make it to the bus on time. HOWEVER, the bus was over a half an hour late. So in turn, I was late for my crafts class. I arrived sweaty and 15 minutes later than everyone else.

Luckily, we started making punch rugs today and it soothed the stressful morning just a little. There's something about repetitive movement that just kind of puts you in a trance state. I was in punch rug nirvana.

I stopped by Borders (it's closing!) on the way home, and picked up a few paperbacks I'll probably never get around to. The mall is directly across the street from my house, so I popped in there too. Bath and Body Works has hot chocolate scented candles!!!! Of course, I scooped up a handful. I'm totally reckless when it comes to home fragrance.

I'm actually going to light one right now and lay on the couch before my head explodes!

Have a good night!

<3

Robbie

Coming Up...

-Hurricanes and He-Man

-The Never-Ending Braided Rug Maybe a Failure.

-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Acrylic Stash-busting + Vintage Craft: God's Eye

...and much more