home improvement - recycling the old

top of old bookshelf = new book shelf on wheels = easier to clean the dust bunnies & cat hair tumbleweeds
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

home improvement - in with the new

ikea Expedit bookshelf (to match the other, bigger one)
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

home improvement - diets of sorts

new & improved work table
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

what started out as a little cleaning turned into some quick home improvement. we were only suppose to do make some room in our storage unit for one of my art pieces that is coming down mid july, do laundry and clean the house this weekend. well, all of our so-called stuff was in piles all over the place, and cleaning meant shifting things around into neater piles. the designated work table was so piled high with various projects, and supplies, it made it difficult to use for anything other than shelf space. even the kitchen table had crap on it, which the original set up of the work table was suppose to clear the way for it's intended use (eating).

we decided we needed to do something about all the piles other than just shifting them around, so we recycled an old bookshelf, bought a new one from ikea, and made some shelving to go on top of the work table & in the bedroom. amazingly, after all that, there was space on the work table again to actually do work on.

in addition to the yarn diet, i think i will go on a book diet as well. no more buying new books until i read some of the ones i have. i've been slowly selling off books i don't think i'll ever read again - like the complete works of aristotle. it was a nice two volume set, and hard to see it go, but desperate times called for desperate measures. how could i justify keeping something i've had since my class in 1994 that i haven't read since then. did i really think i was going to read all of aristotle's writings?

i've also decided not to renew my communication arts subscription. i simply don't have time to read every issue. the one that i use the most is the design annual, which i may pay more to get from the bookstore, but would still save money and space by doing that.

next step is a garage sale...oh the horror. sitting around for hours...when we could be making art. at least i have knitting now.

out of control

yarn stash
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

in the cabinet above the fridge

yarn diet

yarn stash
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

it's official. a yarn diet, must i go on. despite being a relative newbie, i have done nothing to stop my stash from growing out of control. it was the same with beads when i was making jewelry. i get obssessed with it, and buy more supplies than i have the time to use. yarn is especially hard to say no to because it feels so nice, there's always some other variation of color you don't have, and you think that because you could knit just about anywhere, that you could knit up a storm and use it up. thinking about yarn and all the lovely things i want to knit makes me happy (or so i think - read stumbling on happiness - to get the full story). there was a crazy sale at black sheep knittery that just kept going and going, and an anniversary sale at a mano. thank goodness i didn't go to the yarn lady bag sale. bad bad bad!

i am not knitting up a storm, although i did do something crazy (no, really) yesterday and knitted while in a traffic jam. a woman in my stitch n' bitch group mentioned knitting at stop lights, and i laughed thinking that was crazy...i've succumbed. yet, my yarn stash grows exponentially, and is rather lonely hidden in crazy places around the house like the cabinet over the fridge.

i'm going to follow the popular knit from your stash diet (so she says!). really, i will be strong. no new yarn. sock yarn doesn't count, and one get out of jail card.

sock

a wee sock
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

last thursday, i took a class to knit this child's sock from a pure & simple knitting pattern at a mano yarn center in venice. it was a challenge, but easier than i thought. just finished the one sock yesterday morning. can't wait to go sock happy. i'm the poster child for socks. with poor circulation, i often wear socks around the house, even in the summer. and of course, i love knee socks. my mom discouraged me shaving my legs through my awkward years, even though i so desperately wanted to shave what seemed like stark & black hairs that are actually imperceptible--i'm asian, we don't have much hair. i wasn't happy at the time, but i have less "maintenance" to worry about.

lucky for me, my cousin liz just had a baby. our friend austin has twin babies, and amy, mike's sister, is pregnant, so there's no shortage of babies to make socks for.

leg warmer (s) - wip

leg warmers
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

kind of odd to be knitting these in summer, and i wasn't sure about the combo colors being such high contrast, but i think i like 'em. i grew up in the eighties, and fondly remember having rainbow leg warmers with hearts on them.

toolbox - wip - top view

walnut with honduran mahogany inlay
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

finally glued up. it was a little nerve-racking, since a good amount of effort and time got me to this point. seams aren't perfect, but they will do. box joints look cool, but they are a pain in the ass to do. i've heard you can buy special blades that cut them all at once. i did mine one at a time with a simple dado on a table saw. there were lots of practice cuts to get them to fit not too loose & not too tight. oh, and did i mention the sanding? there's always sanding. whether it's jewelry, plastic or wood. if i got paid for the time i spent sanding...well, i could pay my credit card bills.

the little cut outs on the insides are for the inserts that will divide up the box into compartments. i'm working on a tray that will sit inside the box on top of the inserts made of the mahogany. the handle consists of three layers of wood--mahogany sandwiched between walnut. the sides that will connect the handle to the box will also be mahogany & walnut face glued.

i had some problems with rip-sawing it ( used a table saw & band saw to saw a 6/4 board of walnut into 1/2" thick boards ), but after the planing, it came out to be a little less. it's a thinner box, but i like that it is not as heavy, and looks somehow more crafted with the thinner walls. well, i won't be carrying around anything heavy in it.

toolbox - wip

toolbox, sideview
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

danger

so i'm back on track ( sort of ), going to my woodworking lab to finish my tool box ( with only 4 more classes left ). ben, my instructor for the woodturning class, was there as the lab tech (subbing for adrian). he helped me glue up my box (finally), and passed on some freaky info.

last sun, i noticed one of the other classmates, a man in his 40sish(?) -- most of my classmates fall into this category, but there are 4 women in the class not including myself -- had a blood-stained bandage on one of his fingers. i thought maybe he hurt himself turning his bowl. a mini-lathe is not as dangerous compared to the other woodworking machinery. there's not an exposed blade, although one of the hand-outs we received on bowl-turning, was all about crazy exploding bowl accidents that happened to experienced, professional bowl turners, and the benefits of wearing eye protection. i wondered what had happened. i did not want to think about the band saw that we use to cut down our green wood into cylinders before turning. that is probably the most dangerous thing in this class. this is the machine they use to cut bones.

well, i found out tonight that he did cut himself on the band saw. freaky! as if i weren't nervous enough about losing fingers every time i use the thing, although lately, i really have been wanting to get one for home use (a mini - one). the blade cut to the bone, and the guy had to go to the hospital for stitches. he came back several hours later to finish up the class. crazy! he could have lost a finger. maybe i'm just "sensitive", but if i almost nearly cut off a finger, i would not be coming back to class, not to mention it probably hurt. i would hate to lose a finger - i use them for so many things...knitting, drawing, typing 80 wpm, playing the piano...

automatic cat box: a review, sort of (1 of 3)

petSafe Simply Clean
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

I haven't figured out how to post three photos with one blog entry from flickr...so bear with the repetition...

so after much complaining about having to clean the cat box so often, we broke down and bought an automatic cat box. both mike & i did extensive research online - interestingly, there's a site devoted to reviewing cat boxes ( http://www.litterbox-central.com ). the copious amounts of information and mixed reviews made it difficult to pick one.

there was not a single machine that was the end all, be all of cat boxes. many people complained that the automatic boxes were not much better than having to manually scoop poop. some cats wouldn't use the box, the rake would get stuck, only certain litters worked well, etc. people raved about the litter robot, which came close to being the holy grail of cat boxes, but for $300, it had to be the shit (no pun intended) to justify forking out that much money. we weren't convinced. in the end, we settled on a less expensive model - the PetSafe Simply Clean. there were fewer complaints lodged against this one than the other models in the same price range.

so here is my experience:
this machine does not come with a cover -- our simple cat boxes had covers, which keeps the litter from going everywhere. sure enough, though the cats quickly took to the new box, they got litter all around it using the thing. henry has a thing about cleaning things, and he spends a good 5min aftewards, burying his "crap," kicking up plenty of litter in the process. mike found a top that happened to be the right diameter, and cut it to fit over the box and rotated the bottom to match up with the opening. that helped keep more of the litter inside.

we got this white plastic tray thingy with a gridded insert that you could pull the insert out to dump the litter that fell through the square openings. the tray didn't fit that well around the box, and litter would go on the floor around it. i got a shopping bag and laid it down underneath the box and the tray to catch more of the litter. then one day, henry decided he would pee in the tray (or maybe he just missed?).

something else disturbing was also happening. the darker grey round part rotates. there's a slanted conveyor belt that brings the poop up as the container rotates, and poop falls into the turquoise container to the left, which can be emptied. we put the machine on a timer so it wouldn't be constantly running. that was all fine. the problem was that the litter was getting soaked and stinking up the house, and not all of it was going up the belt and into the alotted bin. i ended up having to scoop (and quite unsuccessfully) often. i was afraid maybe the rake was breaking up the clumped litter, and squishing it underneath. the ammonia smell permeated the whole house. i was constantly adding new litter and trying to scoop out stinky, damp litter.

we had bought three different litters to try. mike thought that maybe it had to do with the litter. the first one we used was the tidy cat (with red top). i have always used tidy cat multiple cat (blue top), and it has been great at keeping the odor down. seems this wasn't working so well with the machine. the problem wasn't that it wouldn't clump. it clumped, but somehow, the clumps would get broken up when they hit the rake. not sure what the deal was, but it was rank. i was relieved when we used it up. the next litter was scoop away. this one seems to be doing much better. for the first time in weeks, our place does not smell like a cat box. it is day 4, and machine and litter seem to be in harmony.

i also picked up this colorful plastic mat that is much better at catching the litter and seems to be keeping the cats from tracking it all over the house.

i didn't want to believe it, but i was starting to think we wasted our money last week, but since changing the litter and getting a new mat, things have been much improved.

automatic cat box

The pattern in the litter from the rake reminds me of a zen garden ( except for the occasional poo instead of rocks ). So is a zen garden just a big cat box? in a way, the cats are expressing themselves.

automatic cat box - close up photo

petSafe simply clean

close up of zen garden cat box.

working with wood

woodturning
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i turned this green ( meaning from somewhat freshly cut lumber ) bowl, my first bowl, on sun. if you look close, you'll see a couple dents where the gouge snagged. i thought i had cleaned it out, but didn't notice until i started sanding. it still needs more sanding, but i'm quite satisfied. if i drill a hole in it, i could use it for a plant.

at this very moment, i should be in the woodworking lab i signed up for to finish my tool box, the last project of the intro class i signed up for in the spring, but was unable to complete. it's been over two weeks since i've been to the lab to work on the tool box. once more, i have taken on more than i should have. i really enjoy the woodturning. it's a very immediate satisfaction, which is what i really need sometimes, but i feel too impatient with the other woodworking since i have enough long-term projects. so i am procrastinating. i got as far as packing my car. very sad. and of course, the longer i wait to go to class, the worse it will be when i finally do go. i've already forgotten some of the things i need to know to finish the darn thing. maybe thursday...

i took the class to learn how to use power tools. there were things i wanted to make. my friend aviva commented that she couldn't deal with the scary power tools. she's met many a woodworker with missing fingers. the noise they make is definitely not reassuring. i try to be cautious but not over think it. here is a list of the tools i have used, ordered by (in my opinion) potential danger:
1. table saw with dado blades
2. band saw ( also used in the meat industry to cut bones )
3. router
4. radial arm saw
5. chop saw
6. jointer
7. drill press
8. planer
9. lathe
10. various sanders

leg warmer - wip

one leg warmer
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i started this last week, and finished one of the leg warmers from a pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, using a merino wool (GGH Maxima) paired with a silk/mohair yarn (kid madil seta). It looks a little smaller than the one in the book and fits snug, but stretchy. i may try another pair with more cast on stitches in a different color.

knitted fo

rolled stocking cap , brown sheep lamb's pride worsted in limeade
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

i finished my first knitted object, done in the round. i don't know if i did it incorrectly, but decreasing seemed to create these rather large holes at the very top, even though i tightened it. the simple pattern was from knitting pretty -- not crazy about the way it was decreased - so will investigate other hat patterns.

weekend edition: part 2 photo series

my latest art piece -- these days ( not sure about the title, but haven't thought of something better ) -- made it into the irvine fine arts center's photo series show ( a southern california regional juried exhibition ). up from june 10 - july 14. the opening was on sun.

waking up at 7am to go to a woodturning class, even though once i'm there, i love it, leaves much to be desired. don't ask me why i signed up for an 8am, sunday morning, all day class. maybe it was the dream of making my own knitting needles, chopsticks and cool organic bowls or working with wood with a not so scary tool that could cut your fingers off or that it wouldn't require a tool that would take up a lot of space or maybe i wanted to try something more sculptural. i don't know how long i'll stick with it, but i've been itching to do something with less analytics and more feeling/intuition.

the day's assignment was to make matching candlestick holders from specs. i was getting so into smoothing down the wood, i screwed up from the start and went too far and didn't leave enough left for the square base. the second time around, i reached almost to the end when the spindle gouge slipped and chipped off a huge chunk of a ball. so annoying. i know i really should be more zen about it. i really do enjoy it. it reminds me a lot of ceramics, what with the rotation and all. with fast results, it can be satisfying and fun, but when you've spent some time trying to match some class assignment, it kinda sucks to have the whole thing screwed up at the end from one slightly off movement of your wrist. must find an art project for the leftovers, tests, & f-ups of art projects.

i left early to go home and shower and get ready to go to the show. aviva, who came with us, loved the show and bought two pieces. i was somewhat surprised and excited by the turnout, and received positive remarks about my piece. irvine fine arts center has good sized galleries. my work seems to be getting bigger. it's great to have a space that gives it some breathing room. the project was cramped in the last space - bc space gallery.

the brief awards ceremony ended with me placing 3rd. despite my plans for it to be a quick project, a good deal of labor went into it, so it was nice to know that other people will have some connection to it. the price tag is high compared to the other more traditional photo pieces, but i'm really ridiculously hoping that someone will buy it, since i have no idea how i will fit it into our storage space.

weekend edition: part one mike's birthday

mike & i had a full weekend. his birthday was yesterday, so we celebrated by going out to a relatively new restuarant in long beach called Starling Diner. The place is laid back, but nice, and the food was delicious. We started the meal with some scallops on the half shell with a ponzu sauce & shallots.


the crab cakes were the best i've ever eaten. actually, i've only had crab cakes once before, but it was so disappointing, i was reluctant to try again. i'm glad i did.


mike had the seared ahi tuna. both dishes came with mashed potatoes - mine was polenta themed, while his had bits of yummy crab.

we had a light dessert ( plum wine sherbert ) so that mike could eat the ny cheesecake i picked up for the occasion. mike loves anything creamy &/or cheesey.

top ten today

long skinny birthday candles in candy apple green
malabrigo lace weight yarn
rowan kidsilk night in "moonlight"
becoming obsessed with watching grey's anatomy and finding a new show to replace gilmore girls
zebra wood
beacon restaurant
knitting in the round
matzo ball soup
flickr
a freshly vacuumed car

back

time and money are blades of the same double-edged sword. it's rare to have both, and i find myself wavering in my need to balance the two. after six months of pretty much unemployment and focusing on art, i was beyond broke. so i went back, but i didn't want to get stuck spending my time stressing over a job and not having time for art. luckily, i only work two days a week.

my free time has been spent doing the necessary house things and errands, with some time for relaxation and a headlong plunge into craft.

i took a workship on max/msp. it was good to get hands on initially, and i feel more comforable going through the extensive tutorials. i have a project in mind involving facial expressions that i need more knowledge on connecting the electronics with the imagery. as i was learning more about max/msp, i thought that rather than flat photographs, it would be more interesting to have video of me making different faces.

last sun, i also started a woodturning class. so far it's been a lot of fun, and reminded me a lot of ceramics. the class is more structured than my first ceramics class, and maybe it's because i already took ceramics, i don't feel as frustrated ( yet )..as i was with the ceramics. ( i also think about trying ceramics again with a different outlook, but i want to have some general ideas before i get myself back into it ). i'm excited at the prospect of all the cool things i can make -- knitting needles, spindles, nostepinnes and of course bowls.

i've been knitting. started earlier in the year, but would not allow myself the time for the pleasure. started up again and went to my first local stitch n' bitch, which was quite nice, last night at this cute little coffee shop - viento y agua. i started on a cap in a bright lime green lamb's pride. i love the stretchiness of the wool after knitting with cotton. the stitches actually look pretty even. i've come up with a knitting art project that i will enlist my mother's help for. when i was visiting my mom in texas in jan, my aunt commented that my knitting was tight like my mother's. i want to explore the connection of genetics through knitting. are my mother & i both tight knitters because we are type a personalities?

time away

you would think that without a full-time job, a person would be able to do all the things that she wanted to do and complained about not having the time. and yet, i still did not do most of the things i had hoped to, but i was able to focus on making art.

for months, i twisted led & resistor legs and wire. it was/is a long and gruelling process, and after i got about halfway through, i felt that my approach perhaps was not the best, but it had taken me so long to get to that point, i felt/feel compelled to finish rather than start over ( i can save that for another project ).


the process was very repetitive, but i was motivated and spent a lot of time on it. after a few months without progress, i gave myself another project or two that would have some more immediate results.

i discovered photobooth over the holidays, and decided to make something that was about "the moment" in picture-taking and the experience of not worrying about technical aspects but being in the moment. i captured images of myself with a digital video camera - one in the am & one in the pm using photobooth and a script that randomly picked an effect. with most of it automated, i let my body do what i thought would make for interesting images. i also selected and recorded from a list of adjectives a mood. I initially thought the images would be simply put up on a wall with plexi protecting them and arranged like a calendar, but as the project progressed, i decided on a less traditional presentation of a calendar, and that the images should be self-standing.

this project ( These Days ) turned out to be more involved than i initially had conceived, but i was able to finish by early May so that it would be in a show at BC space gallery. it is now set up at irvine fine arts center. opening is june 10.

at the same time, i also started a project involving squares of closeups of inches of a woman's body, and one that will have almost every inch of my own body. this is still in progress.

i was quite satisfied to have been able to complete a project in the time i alotted myself, since i am usually so terribly wrong in estimating how long something will take -- this happened with the neverending led project. after all the work and time put into These Days, i needed a break to do relaxing things.