soon to be on hiatus.

Who would have thought that the first week of class would be the most stressful? The last two days have been spent at the studio – all day and all night. I’ve decided to throw with porcelain this semester, and rather than buying it for $23 for 25lbs, I thought I’d try and make it. A colleague and I got a recipe from our professor and off we went, thinking it wouldn’t be too difficult. The process started at 1:30 PM yesterday and wasn’t complete until 2:30 PM today. Yup, that's right. It took over a day to do. We screwed up a few times, had to mix a powder that turned into a gel with the same qualities as lard, and haul 100 pound bags of powder clay up and down from the shelves surrounding us. But overall – totally worth it. I'll never do it again, but it was a good experience to have. I’ll get some pictures as soon as I get back from vacation.

Hawaii here I come!!

classes.

Yay! First day of school picture!

My only class on Tuesday and Thursday is the Major Studio for ceramics. I get my own 7 x 7 space, complete with kick wheel and shelving space. I'm hoping to print of a few inspiring pictures and bring in a plant to make the concrete space a little less depressing. You'll see pictures as soon as its set up!

Today is my first photography class and a materials analysis course dealing with the chemistry of glazes. I don't think I could find a more perfect course for me...

inspiration.

... for my next ceramics project

Also, today is my last first day of school. This makes me both excited and extremely nervous. Yikes.

lazy sunday.

Slept in this morning and the only plans for today are to knit and watch the Vikings game. My only problem with our football team is the mascot. Seriously, he looks like trash. Wash your hair.

food.

I’ve been in the cooking sort of mood lately. Around every two months I make a batch of 16-bean soup and freeze it in small containers that I can take to class. Well, I had finished my last Tupperware a few weeks ago, so it was about that time. It’s a really simple recipe – a bag of beans, a few chopped vegetables, tomato sauce and spices. I’ve been experimenting by adding soy chorizo and chili powder, super yummy.

The corn and tomatoes were grown at the Brodd Family Compound this past summer and have been waiting patiently in my freezer to be added into some recipe.

The first time I made the soup, it only filled half the pot. After adding so many extra veggies and “sausage” to the mix, it almost boils over my soup pot.

The finished product!

Today was sunny and a glorious 34 degrees out, so Brent and I took a stroll around Lake Calhoun. In the distance, there was a group of snowkiters enjoying the weather with the downtown skyline in the background. Looked like it required way too much concentration to be enjoyable.

We ended the day with a yummy spaghetti dinner with potato rosemary bread with Boursin cheese . My brother brought this cheese to our Christmas get-together, and I’ve been eating it ever since. I may be slightly obsessed with it. And by the looks of it, Brent is too.

legwarmers, plus some.

As promised earlier - the legwarmer pictures.

With one already completed, I'm not super thrilled with they way it turned out. I cast on a little too loose, so the bottom is a bit bigger than it needs to be. The only other time I've used a rib stitch was to make a hat last winter, so it took a few times to get used to "knit two purl two" again. I might add some buttons or weave in a contrasting color - something to spice them up a bit.

Below is a picture of my dinner from last night: Falafel spinach salad with a roasted pepper vinaigrette dressing, black bean and cheese english muffin sandwich, and a side of beets. I buy the Fantastic Food falafel mix rather than preparing my own, it's a super convenient vegan alternative.

crafting.

So I've been on winter break for the last three weeks, and rather than wasting my time watching trashy TV, I decided to craft as much as possible. I wanted to make a few clips because I've been sporting a super short haircut for the last year so hair accessories are my new best friend. Using a little bit of felt and embroidery thread, I made my first hair clip!

I found some sequins in my mom's craft room (the mecca of all craft rooms, mind you), so that's where the inspiration for clip #2 came from.

According to this accessory report, bib necklaces are all the rage. Rather than paying $100 for a decent, well-made necklace, I thought I'd give it a try myself. I started with a paper pattern to define the shape of the felt backing, then picked out the beads and buttons to fill in the interior. I didn't think the whole thing through from start to finish, so there are a few parts I'm not too happy with, but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out. The only major problem: it took NINE HOURS!! If I do it again, I'll definitely simplify the design. Maybe bigger beads? We'll see...

A close up...

Stay tuned for pictures of the legwarmers that I've been working on.

first post.

I decided to set up a blog in order to keep track of a semester's worth of work. I'll be taking a few studio classes in Spring, and would love to get your comments. Soon that building above will be my home for five months, and I couldn't be more excited.