found it made it

Ummmmmm. Hey.

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:41:00 +0000

Hello Internet Friends, I just remembered that I have a blog!
I'm sorry that I never blog, never finish any projects, forget to reply to comments, never read your blog etc. etc.
I am definitely not going to change.

Here's What I've Been Up To Lately
I crocheted this and also the chainless foundation changed my life:

Here's the pattern, including the instructions on how to make a chainless double crochet foundation

which you must learn.

I crocheted this and just finished it today:

Here's the pattern (pdf), I was stash-busting so I only had enough yarn for one which is pretty impractical but someone said I should put backing on it and use it as a potholder which is a pretty great idea because I always just use a dishtowel which is not very proper or grown-up of me.

My child is still alive and in good health so props to me and her dad for that:

And finally, anyone who knows me IRL knows how much I despise winter and spend most of my time hibernating and crying over Parenthood so you can imagine how happy seeing these buds made me:

Later, bitches.

NEW YEAR

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Happy New Year foxes, from us to you.

Christmas was delightfully hectic, we spent a lot of time traveling. The eve with my in-law's extended family in Arkansas before heading back to Tulsa that same evening.

Arkansas boonies

Christmas day was spent with John's family in the morning, and mine in the evening.

Spawn and I had a delightful end-of-the-year road trip to visit my sweet Gramma in Missouri. We drove through Joplin, it was the first time I had seen it since the tornado and it made me sad. When I was a kid, we ate at the CiCi's Pizza all the time, and now it's gone.

Joplin, MO

Webb City, MO

Missouri boonies

Roadtrip buddy

Random unpaid product endorsement, E's hat is crocheted using Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation yarn. I'm a huge fan of Debbie Stoller in general and this yarn is no exception.

Let's talk New Year's resolutions. Mine is really vague and general in that I strive to maintain my status of incredible awesomeness. I feel like that's a good goal. What's yours?

Happy Movember!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:13:00 +0000

I hope your mustache attempts have been as successful as mine.

JEEZUS, can you guys believe it's almost Christmas? Now that Spawn is old enough to loosely comprehend the situation ("Yaaaay Kissmas tree!!"), I am forced to confront my aforementioned Holiday Grinch-iness and it has not been pretty.

Spawn: "What's that?"

Grouchy Mama: "That's Santa, some fat dude people pretend to believe in...?"

I was raised by ultra-Pentecostals who thought Santa was a one-way ticket to hell, so I'm not really sure how this whole Kris Kringle business works.

Too smart for Santa

This year I am attempting to crochet a kajillion snowflake ornaments, because I'm a masochist. My neck hurts. I've mostly been using this pattern from Crochet Geek & whatever random crochet thread lurks in my stash, although as some thoughtful person kindly pointed out in the comments, snowflakes only have six sides so I've actually just been churning out funky looking flowers. I've never worked on such a small scale before, but now I'm hooked! (BAHAHAHA I'm hilarious) But seriously, it's way easier than it looks, it just takes some getting used to.

Pre-blocking

My pal Google says that store-bought fabric stiffeners aren't really up to snuff, so I made my own starch by boiling cornstarch and water together. PRO-TIP: Don't try to make this crap in the microwave, it just turns to plastic. After dipping the snowflakes in the mixture, I pinned them to a piece of aluminum foil and left them overnight. Easy-peasy (if you're not a lazy microwave abuser)!

Post-blocking

I've also been working on my cowl pattern using Lion Brand Hometown USA Yarn. This is the first one that's turned out really well; I used a larger hook this time & exactly two skeins of "Oklahoma City Green" (REPRESENT), and it's entirely double-crochet so it comes together pretty quickly.

What are you making for Christmas?

WHATEVER

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:09:00 +0000

I can't sleep, as per usual,
so I'm contemplating lesbian fashion over boxed wine.

I took this picture of El today (Hipstamatic), I'm definitely the luckiest mom alive.

Oh Hey, I Have a Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:45:00 +0000

Dear Internet, my sinuses are trying to kill me, please send wine.

During my e-sabbatical, I have learned the Crocodile Stitch.

It took me hours to figure it out, and to be honest I haven't made any projects with my newly acquired skill, but I CAN CROCODILE STITCH DAMMIT. I used this tutorial by Yarn Muse with great success, I like that she recorded a video as well as typing out the instructions, sooooo you should probably check that out.

I have been experiencing chronic insomnia the past couple months, which helps explain my disappearance, and whatever this is.

We had a family sticker-party this weekend. Spawn loves stickers, and I love digging hair-encrusted stickers out of my carpet, SO THERE YOU GO.

And basically, life is pretty good.

Mumble mumble, something about Halloween, basically I am waiting until the last possible minute to think about it.

Indie Emporium/Luchapalooza

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Dear Internet:

This weekend marked the fifth year for the bestest craft show EVER, Indie Emporium. It was so rad seeing all my crafty peeps, and meeting some new ones as well! I got to catch up with Christine from weather&noise, and met Erin from Sunshine and Carousels and Holly of Hollyrocks in person (they're delightful). I was cajoled into helping in an iron-craft competition and we totally nailed it and I got a shiny gold medal which Spawn has already put to good use destroying anything we love.

Later in the evening, we walked over to Elote to catch part of Luchapalooza '11 and it was too awesome for words. Lucha libre ("free wrestling") refers to a form of professional wrestling popular in hispanic countries that is characterized by brightly colored masks and rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers (thanks Wikipedia!)

What I Wore:

I had no intention of sharing what I wore that day, which is why I don't have any good pictures, but almost everyone I talked to said something about my shirt because it is epic and lets people know how badass I am.

My boo took these, using hipstamatic.

Basically there's a wolf with lazer eyes juxtaposed over a lightening storm with random eyeballs floating in the sky. I got it from a thrift store last year and performed a few minor alterations to improve the fit. I'm also wearing my beloved jeggings with some grungy black cowboy boots.

What did you do this weekend?

Writer's Block

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:23:00 +0000

I don't have any words, but I have been taking lots of pictures lately.

So here you go, Internet.

This Week in Katie-Land

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:40:00 +0000

Yesterday's outfit theme: Geriatric Heroin-Chic Meets Asian Hooker Circa 1984. Unfortunately, with the exception of my favorite $4 hooker-boots, no pictures, so I leave that image up to your imagination.

I am still working, slowly but surely, through Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. Right now I'm on book 3, The Wastelands and it's damn good. What's everyone else reading this month?

I have made minimal progress on my crochet project. It was going to be a rug, but I screwed up the gauge and now it's all ripply. Ideally it will evolve into a beret at some point; and worst case scenario it will turn out to be a truly heinous doily.

I wish I had something tangible to prove to you what a busy bee I've been lately, but quite a lot of my free time goes into cleaning up after these two dorks.

Currently Consuming in September

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:08:00 +0000

Hoorah, three cheers for fall! So happy to be able to play outside again :)

Currently Crafting:

I crocheted my toddler's "Baby" some delightfully heinous and mismatched booties. Spawn is obsessed with shoes, and every couple of weeks she would realize that Baby's shoes can't come off and flip out, so PROBLEM SOLVED.

My current WIP is something that will hopefully turn into a rug; a desperate attempt to use up the hoard of acrylic yarn I've carried with me throughout the years that I will never use for anything else.

Currently Listening:

If I had to pick a favorite Shins song, I suppose this one would be it,

but I resent you all for making me choose.

Currently Watching:

Up until this week, I have been a Dr. Who VIRGIN. Per a friendly Who-fan's advice, we've started with Season 6 which is a-okay with me because Matt Smith makes my lady-bits tingle.

(Be still my beating heart)

Twiggy Love

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:21:00 +0000

A couple years ago, some high person told me I kinda-sorta look like Twiggy, and ever since then I've been completely obsessed.

Twiggy

Not Twiggy But Desperately Wants To Be

I thought I was doing a fantastic job of channeling her yesterday, but Jess of IROCKSOWHAT commented on my Instagram sneak-peek (me=founditmadeit) that I looked super 90s, so thanks for murdering my mojo Jess.

The shoes are the same ones from my logo pic. They're starting to crack and I'm pretty depressed about it. The jumper-thing I've had for nearly eternity. It originally came with these heinous rhinestone faux-buttons and after not wearing it for several years, I finally got around to replacing the buttons with some that do not have the potential to cause a car wreck. Everyone should know how to sew buttons. Hey, those cool chicks from Threadbanger would love to show you how!

Because of the very real risk of pulling a Brittany, I'm wearing cycling shorts underneath. I think that this is incredibly clever of me.

Also because this happens a lot.

FIN.

Trinket for Gramma

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:06:00 +0000

Hello dears, my foxy grandmother is celebrating her 82nd birthday this week and I made her a knick-knack, because my Gramma is a knick-knack collecting fiend. Not in a creepy way, just in an "Oh, that's an attractive knick-knack collection" way.

This little wreath is easy-peasy to whip up, if you'd like to give it a try. This is a super project for beginning crocheters, or if you're looking for a quick stash-busting project. If you don't know how to crochet, you should learn because it's hell 'a badass and you can whip out crap like this in no time. I started with a small plastic wreath I got from Michael's two years ago. I was going to make Christmas ornaments for everyone, but f*ck that, Christmas stresses me out. Tightly crochet around the wreath using SC stitches, and if you want to get fancy and use a picot stitch on top of that, be my guest.

COOL, so now comes the fun part. Dive into your secret bauble stash and pull out any kind of Victorian femme crap you can find; lace, buttons, ribbons, whatever. Grab your trusty hot glue gun (mine is named Sarah) and get gluing! For my version, I used a bit of lace and burnt the shit out of my fingers trying to haphazardly hot glue that ric-rac flower.

Et voila! If you can find a way to make this less kitschy,

THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

Skorts Are The New Black

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:54:00 +0000

I am suffering from a wretched bout of allergies and I can either 1) take a much-needed nap or 2) drink wine and bitch about it on the internet. Obviously I have chosen the latter.

My friend Matt Beard was gracious enough to take some delightful photographs of my favorite SKORT. He did a fantastic job, despite having the most awkwardly un-photogenic model in the blogosphere,

so three cheers for him!

My wee progeny decided to join us. I gave her my phone in an attempt to bribe her into good behavior.

The Details:

The t-shirt from back in my waitressing days. I probably got it from Ross. No one cares.
The yellow skirt-y thing I picked up at a garage sale and I wish I had 6 more in every color. You can't really tell, but it is in fact not a skirt but a voluminous pair of pantaloons. Good for cartwheels.
My favorite purple witch heels came from China, I got them new for $10 off E-bay. I choose to believe that they were not actually made by child slaves, please don't correct me on this.
The belt used to be my mom's in college :)
My husband bought me the super-fly clock necklace from an antique store in Clinton, Missouri and I'm deathly allergic to it (and anything else made of nickel) but I just hairspray the crap out of it (Pro-tip! I use clear nail polish on earring posts containing nickel) so I can wear it for a few hours at a time.

I need a haircut.

Crafting with Spawn

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:28:00 +0000

Spawn (age 2) and I did our first craft project together! I'll try not to get all weepy on you. I found a phone book (what? these still exist?) on my doorstep last week so we cut up the Yellow Pages to make a collage!

It's all wrinkly because we used Elmer's washable glue. I can be a pretty gullible parent sometimes, but there is no way in hell I'm handing my 2 YO a paintbrush loaded with Mod Podge because that stuff does not wash off. She was very excited about the pictures of things she knows (i.e. glasses, dog, car, tree, etc) so I declare this project an epic win!

Pardon me while I get all sentimental, all you non-breeders, but it is so fantastic watching this smelly little blob turn into a person with her own idiosyncrasies and desires.

What are some of the crafts you and your wobbly progeny first tried?

Stickin' It To The Man: How To Feel Pretty for Uber Cheap

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Today we are going to talk about beauty hacks on the cheap. Obviously this post will only appeal to those that a) don't live with their wealthy parents and b) aren't famous, so sorry to exclude all of the underage pop-stars that read my blog.

FACT: There is no miracle cream. I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS, but those damn Olay commercials get me every time, so you're welcome for the reminder.

One of my favorite skin pick-me-ups is applying a home-made face mask that I can easily tailor to fit my skin's mood. Sure, I could go out and pick up a $6 "green tea clay masque" from the drug store, but the chemical list on that stuff is a mile long so thank-you-but-no-thank-you.

Totally Legit Food Items That Belong On Your Face

Yogurt
Honey (It's antibacterial! Oooh!)
Avocado
Egg
Olive oil
Oatmeal
Baking soda*

*NB baking soda is super legit, it makes a brilliant facial exfoliant that does not kill fishies and 1 tbsp baking soda + 1 tbsp shampoo = The Best Clarifying Shampoo In The World

There are 80,325 different homemade face masks you can make out of kitchen ingredients to address any number of dermal afflictions, but my current go-to mask is usually some sort of honey-olive-oil-concoction.

Katie-Approved Super-Magic Honey and Olive Oil Face Mask
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Nutmeg (optional)

1. Mix the ingredients, resisting the temptation to put any of the mixture in your mouth.

I usually practice my monster-face

2. Carefully pat the super-magic onto your face. Be sure to avoid the eye-area. For this step, you should probably hide in your bathroom because you will literally look like a monster and small children will cry.

3. Kill 15 minutes. Experiment with that Nair you bought years ago and only used once, sing a couple show tunes, practice your monster-face in the mirror, you get the idea.

4. Wet your skin with warm water and gently massage the mask in for a couple seconds, that nutmeg will exfoliate the dickens out of your skin, and then rinse thoroughly.

This recipe can be adapted for all skin types; the version I use is great for my acne-prone dry skin because it helps unclog pores and the olive oil moisturizes. If you have really oily-skin, feel free to skip the olive-oil, and if your skin is really sensitive you should probably forgo the nutmeg.

SO, I have shared some of my DIY beauty secrets with you, now what are some of yours?

This Is How I Feel About You, Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:18:00 +0000

Yarn Pr0n

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:28:00 +0000

Let's look at knitting porn together, in a totally non-creepy way.

I'd smack that.

(Via)

These crocheted necklaces from Etsy seller Irregular Expressions are super rad.

Spud and Chloe FTW! This is just one of many gorgeous patterns they have featured on their blog.

This does not need a description.

(via)

These can be found on my yarn-obsession Pinterest board. Have I mentioned how much I love Pinterest? Because I do. It is still hotter than Satan's balls here in the great Mid-West, and Pinterest keeps me occupied when I'm not doing this:

(via)

Fallberry Mitts

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:12:00 +0000

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had started the Fallberry mitts, this is exactly how far I've gotten:

As this was my third attempt, I have determined that those tiny size 2 needles can go f*** themselves because I am not enough of a god damn masochist to spend months knitting in the round with them for a pair of mittens. Also I drop f-bombs like a sailor while knitting and the people in the coffee shop gave me odd looks last time I attempted to work on them.

It's all good because Spawn is going to be an engineer when she grows up and will buy me 8,342,017 pairs of mittens if I want.

This used to be a toy drum.

I can't get it back together.

Currently Consuming in August

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 15:26:00 +0000

Because what kind of American would I be without my stuff?

Currently reading: The Gunslinger by Stephen King. As a bit of a pop-culture naivete, this is my first interaction with any of Stephen King's work. I'm hoping to finish The Dark Tower series before next year (I'm slow!).

Currently crafting: After putting a few hours into my Fallberry Fingerless Gloves, Spawn pulled all 42 teeny tiny stitches off the needles in an act of unintentional ruthless destruction. I have yet to cast-on again, and in the meantime I'm working on a t-shirt mod, which is slow going because I'm a masochist and am stitching by hand.

Currently eating: Little Caesar's Hot n Ready pizza. Because there was a mutiny when I tried to make my family eat delicious healthful chicken noodle soup WHICH I SO LOVINGLY SLAVED OVER during a heat-wave.

Currently listening: This week's episode of APM's The Dinner Party Download features Actor Don Cheadle ("The Guard"), a segment on unusual waffle toppings, and music from The Shakes.

Currently watching: Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry David and I are soulmates.

Currently contemplating: This article from CNN, "Beauty hype: Why we buy anyway" All of you Mad Men fans already have a grasp on the outrageous and effective marketing schemes perpetrated by our $10 billion beauty industry. I still have no idea whether or not I should be using an eye cream, although apparently I can definitely pass on the antioxidants.

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:13:00 +0000

Spawn has started getting up at 5:30 AM and I have nothing positive, relevant, or non-violent to share with you.

Everyone Loves Express!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:02:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
My dear readers, I dare you to find anyone who doesn't like Express. Clean, classic, and stylish; their clothes are long-lasting staples that fit into anyone's wardrobe. Now, we all know how hard it is to find a pair of good women's jeans because not all butts are made equal, but with such a great selection of Express jeans, they've got you covered (no pun intended). I've spent my morning ogling their fantastic selection and these are my top picks:

I have a confession. Though oft derided, I cannot get enough of jean leggings ("jeggings")! They're my version of yoga pants, and my go-to wardrobe staple.

You have no idea how much these pants fill my heart with sartorial lust. NO IDEA. I am loving this recent colored jeans trend! For those of you that want something a little less bold, they also have these available in grey and white.

Flared jeans are the quintessential denim classic. I personally am a fan of dark wash jeans because they strike me as being a bit dressier, although the light wash version of these jeans is causing me to rethink that stance.

The best part about all of this denim fabulousness? One of you could win a free pair of their women's jeans! Check out the Express giveaway, they're giving away 50 pairs and I would be tickled pink if one of my readers got to snag a pair.
So, what's your favorite jean cut? Can anyone else validate my jeggings obsession? Discuss.

Many Happy Returns, Progeny!

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:44:00 +0000

We had a quiet family celebration last week to celebrate Spawn's 2nd birthday,

and it was quite delightful.

I was pretty sure that her first birthday was just 3 months ago, I can't believe how fast my little bean is growing! She sasses me all the time, and I reminded her not to sit on the kitty for literally the millionth time last night.

Completely unrelated, I also scored this UH-MAZ-ING purse for $4 at the thrift store.

What is everyone crafting this week?

I just cast-on for Knitty's Fallberry Fingerless Mitts in Caron Spa Misty Taupe

and I am very excited about my foxy new gloves-to-be.

Sacha Goldberger is Cooler Than Me

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Quite possibly, you've already seen Sacha Goldberger's series "Mamika", featuring photos of his 91 year old Hungarian grandmother portraying a fantastical super-hero. (If you haven't, you should)

Last summer, he photographed portraits of people both before and after they've been jogging. I have an erratic love-affair with running myself and these gorgeous photographs have captured my imagination and also broken the news to me that I do not look nearly as sexy while out running as I thought I did.

You can see the set in its entirety at My Modern Met, and visit Sacha Goldberger's website which is a fantastically designed site featuring Super Mamika herself as the tour guide for her grandson's work.

The Cowl-ardly Lion

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 20:16:00 +0000

I would like to dedicate this post to all of the WIPs (Work In Progress) lurking in every yarn-ophile's stash. Don't lie to me, I know you have at least 3 or 4.

We Okies have been suffering through highs of 100+ every day this month and I've found myself longing for better days that promise fashionable knitwear and the ability to be outside 45 seconds without becoming drenched in sweat. While wistfully pawing through my disorganized and befuddling stash, I stumbled across a half-finished cowl that I'd started last winter and entirely forgotten about. An hour later, and I am admiring my new favorite impractical accessory.

Tragically, the pattern has been long lost so I can't give credit to the original. I used Lionbrand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick and a size N hook. Basically, you make a connected chain large enough to easily fit over your head, sc the first row through back loop, dc 2nd & 3rd rows through back loop, hdc 4th row through back loop, dc 5th & 6th, hdc 7th, YADDA YADDA until your cowl is as wide as you'd like it. sc through back loop of last row and VOILA you have a fantastic chunky cowl that's so easy to make, you could have crocheted it in your sleep.

HUZZAH, now dig out one of your WIPs and dig your heels in and stitch that sucker up. Then take sexy photos and e-mail them to founditmadeit[at]gmail[dot]com. Happy hooking!

The Life of Katie

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:56:00 +0000

In pictures, because I have literally nothing of interest to say
other than my usual

"STOP PULLING THE CAT'S TAIL"

(I say this at least 25 times every day)

If I may be honest, Spawn and I are stupid bored right now.

We've had highs of 100+ all summer and we are running out of things to do.

Unrelated, the other moms give me weird looks because my kid tries to do headstands in the splash-pad.

How do you keep your tot busy during the summer?

TIPS PLEASE, because we are getting on each other's nerves.

P.S. Who wants to be friends on Google+? Because I'm very lonely over there.

I Love Mathz

noreply@blogger.com (Katie) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:21:00 +0000

Math as art is so beautiful that I could cry.

Soviet physicist Anatolii Fomenko published 30 years worth of illustrations in his book "Mathematical Impressions" that provides a commentary on the myth of light geometry as it interacts with mathematics. His drawings are stunning and intricate, and the analytical aesthetics irresistible.

Each drawing is accompanied by a caption which explains the inspiration for his drawing and often provides a historical subtext for his artwork.

"Mathematical Impressions" is available in its entirety online.

(Via Brain Pickings)