More Maira

Dan Andreasen

Seen Art?

National Picture Book Week

The same hard-charging elementary schools that encourage early chapter book reading also offer Art Appreciation classes and Metropolitan Museum field trips. Maybe Art Appreciation could include the informal appreciation of picture books.

ISLAND RETREAT - cabinet transformation

Come see what happen to this unwanted mid-century cabinet!

It had a horrible moldy cardboard backer which I replaced with hardwood flooring
 leftovers from our entry room project the month before, along with the new work surface.

Believe it or not but these fancy shelf corbels are actually resin books ends
from a local home decor store and they were discounted to boot.

Many salvaged molding pieces were used to accent the finished

product along with an applique to the face of the top drawer.

This also covered the dated routering in the drawer

as well as the molding trimming to the 2 side doors.

If you look closely I actually turned the whole cabinet upside down.
This made the large drawer more accessible, then shifted the position of

the smaller drawer as well as the glass door.

We purchased 2 dark wood saddle stools from Craig's list to finish things off.

We love eating meals here now.

Shared this transformation at:

Dolls made by Akinna Stisu (design from K and J Dolls)

For more dolls visit Akinna Stisu's blog: http://akinna-stisue.blogspot.com

Benedict XVI is the most revered criminal of the 20th century

Benedict XVI is basking in majestic glory at the Vatican as the world watch him canonize 6 saints (he “read” the Mass in Latin), appoint 24 new Cardinals and conduct a well-dressed all-men ecumenical service all within 7 days.

Seeing him adulated in his new colorful garbs and papal tiara make it impossible to believe his words of “apology and sorrow” for his criminal role in the cover-up of the Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions committed by the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army of the 20th century. Benedict XVI is the most revered criminal of the 20th century. His words of apology are a mere fart into victims’ faces as he wields his superpower by appointing 24 Cardinals who will perpetuate the worst injustice on earth through the Sacrament of Penance and who will act as the perfect conduit (with diplomatic immunity) of the corrupt trillion dollars of the Vatican Bank.

Read the full article in our sister weblog Benedict XVI Ratzinger: God's Rottweiler
http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/10/benedict-xvi-is-most-revered-criminal.html

Compare the CRIMES and their VICTIMS in America

Victims - Attackers - Responsible Leaders

Pearl Harbor - 3,000 victims - 170 planes - Admiral Yamamoto

WTC & 9/11 attacks - 5,000 victims - 19 Muslims - Osama bin Laden

USA Priest Pedophilia - 12,000 victims - 6,000 priests - John Paul II & Benedict XVI & Opus Dei, the new Vatican Trinity

Eva Ibbotson, Children’s Book Author, Dies at 85

ERIC MOLINSKY'S Iphone sketch blog

video

Unpopular Science

Christoph Niemann's "Abstract City" Continued:

• The Haunted Household

• Come Rain or Come Shine

• Good Night and Tough Luck

• New York Cheat Sheets

• The Boys and the Subway

Bride and Groom: wedding present

These Bride and Groom were made by Serena. They're a wedding present. The crochet pattern is available in my shop: kandjdolls.etsy.com

Dear Blog

Image Courtesy House Beautiful

Dear Cape Cod Designs Blog,
I am sorry for the neglect. I am just so busy elsewhere. I promise I will nurture you in 2011 when I have my act together. I have great things planned for you. In the meantime, here is a pretty picture, featuring your favourite coastal blue colours. Be back soon,
Take care,

Dora the Explorer Dolls

Dora the Explorer made by Seberu on Ravalry. On her Ravelry page are more photos.

If you made a Dora the Explorer doll: Dora has her own page on Ravelry. You can create a project and share your photos.

I'm selling my Dora the Explorer doll. A new shop is setup where I sell the dolls I made in the past year on Etsy: kandjdolls3.etsy.com (like Kair-Lan, Dora and Hello Kitty). Some I sell on e-Bay (like my Halloween dolls).Three dolls are already for sale and more will come soon. I'm selling them because we are moving country.

Greenpixey's Elf boy

Greenpixey on Ravelry made this Elfy Boy. The pattern used is Elfy the Elf. Ain't he a darling? I like this one a lot.

Benedict XVI is a pathological liar to claim Latin as the Holy See's "official language" because he does not speak Latin

The Holy See is the last all-male monarchy on the planet and it is using its medieval strategies of Latin to wield its powers in the 21st Century. After the world has seen the crimes-against-humanity committed by the Popes and the Vatican all over the world, the latest which is the Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions committed by the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army, this privilege of Latin as its "official language" must come to a final end. The United Nations also must stop recognizing the Vatican -- a building and a garden -- as a "political" country. The Vatican is not a "secular government" but a religious building made of all-male selected Opus Dei priests and it must not claim powers like other secular countries in the world.

Read our coverage in our sister weblog: Benedict XVI Ratzinger God's Rottweiler
http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/10/benedict-xvi-does-not-speak-latin.html

Benedict XVI does not speak Latin at all. He may have taken a course in Latin as a seminarian in order to be able to “read” the Mass in Latin. But he cannot converse in Latin. He does not know how to write a letter in Latin.

John Paul II could not speak Latin either. He spoke 5 languages and could say a few words in other languages, but he could never converse in Latin. All his encyclicals were translated by a handful of Ltin scholars at the Vatican. And these Latin scholars do not converse in Latin among themselves either.


Compare the CRIMES and their VICTIMS in America

Victims - Attackers - Responsible Leader

Pearl Harbor - 3,000 victims - 170 planes - Admiral Yamamoto

WTC & 9/11 attacks - 5,000 victims - 19 Muslims - Osama bin Laden

USA Priest Pedophilia - 12,000 victims - 6,000 priests - Vatican Trinity: John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Opus Dei



See our related articles

Benedict XVI and Jon Sobrino. Did Christ speak Latin?

So how can the Vicar of Christ make Latin the "official language" of the Mystical Body of Christ? http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2007/08/benedict-xvi-vicar-of-christ-and-jon.html

Faith, BLESSED NEWMAN, prayers, Christ-CRUCIFIX never protected children and can never bring justice to victims of John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/09/blessed-newmanprayers-crucifix-of.html

Benedict XVI Ratzinger, God’s Rottweiler is barking and mauling people’s minds again – by doing what he does best – that is pointing attention away from his own personal guilt and personal crime and the Vatican’s own accountability – by laying the blame on the Devil -- and by putting the entire burden upon Christ suffering on the Cross. In Rome at the spectacular closing ceremony for the Year for Priests, he blamed all the sins of pedophile priests on the Devil. See Benedict XVI and Eve: affiliation with the Devil. http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/06/benedict-xvi-and-eve-affiliation-with.html

Vatican Bank Under Investigation for Money Laundering http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/09/vatican-bank-under-investigation-for.html

The Vatican is not a Country as other European Countries. It’s an artificial State created by Mussolini in 1929. With its wealth, its diplomatic service, its influence on political parties, its willingness to exploit its treaties and privileges, the Vatican seems determined to consolidate its position in the corridors of power of the European Union. Hence, the visit of the Pope to England is one of the first step to this consolidation with the EU. http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/08/vatican-is-not-country-as-other.html

The Winner

The winner of last weeks raffle is Andrea from Austria. She receives the Little Witch doll and book. Before I forget: I am moving to England. All my dolls have to stay in Thailand and I plan to sell them. If anyone is interested please let me know.

Sneak peek

I'm working on a new kind of product for eleventh monkey, here's a sneak peek. It's a lot of work, with tiny details that take long hours, but it's fun and I'm very excited about it.

I wish there were more hours in the day, or that I was so much faster at stuff than I currently am, or simply that I had the power to stop time and take 2-hour naps in between 2 minutes. If only...

Free Amigurumi Witch crochet pattern for Halloween

Little Witch

Free Amigurumi Pattern

K and J Dolls

Pattern designed by Sayjai

p.s. The book in the background of the photo above is "Witch Craft" by Quirck Books. It contains a larger "Jazzy the Good Witch" pattern designed by me. The book is available on Amazon. The Jazzy the Good Witch pattern is also available in my Etsy Store.

This pattern can be made using any yarn you wish. Choose a hook size that matches the yarn.

For materials I used: 

• 3.00 mm hook
• 4 ply yarn (cream, black and red)
• Mohair yarn (red for hair)
• Polyester fiberfill
• Two 5 mm black beads for eyes or other eyes as desired
• Tapestry needle
• Sewing needle and thread for attaching eyes 

Size: Little Witch is 4.5 inches/ 11.5 cm high

Abbreviations:

ch = chain

sc = single crochet

st = stitch

sl = slip

rnd = round

tog = together

Notes: This project is working in continuous rounds, do not join or turn unless otherwise stated.  Mark first stitch of each round.

Leg (make 2):

Rnd 1: With black, ch 2, 6 sc in second chain from hook. (6)

Rnd 2: Sc in each st around, changing to cream in last 2 loops of last st. 

Rnd 3-4: Sc in each st around. 

For first leg, join with sl st in first st. Fasten off.

For second leg, do not sl st in first st. Do not fasten off.

Head and Body:

Rnd 1: Hold legs together with upper inner thighs together. Insert hook in the center on innermost thigh of first leg, pull out the loop from second leg, sc in same st  (do not count this st just for connecting legs together), sc in next 5 sts on second leg (mark first st), sc in next 5 sts on first leg, changing to black in last 2 loops of last st. (10)

Rnd 2: (2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts) 2 times. (12)

Rnd 3: (Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) around. (18)

Rnd 4: Working in back loops only. Sc in each st around. 

Rnd 5: (Sc in next st, sc next 2 sts tog) around. (12)

Rnd 6: (Sc next 2 sts tog, sc in next st) around, changing to cream in last 2 loops of last st. (8)

Rnd 7: (Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) around. (12)

Rnd 8: (Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) around. (18)

Rnd 9: (Sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st) around. (24)

Rnd 10-13: Sc in each st around. 

Rnd 14: (Sc in next 2 sts, sc next 2 sts tog) around. (18)

Rnd 15: (Sc next 2 sts tog, sc in next st) around. Stuff. (12)

Rnd 16: Sc next 2 sts tog around, sl st in first st. Fasten off. Sew opening close. (6)

Skirt:

Rnd 1: Working in front loops of round 3 of the body and head pointed towards you. With black, join with sl st, ch 1, sc in same st, sc in each st around. (18)

Rnd 2: Sc in each st around.

Rnd 3: Sc in each st around, sl st in first st. Fasten off. 

Arm (make 2):

Rnd 1: With cream, ch 2, 5 sc in second chain from hook. (5)

Rnd 2-3: Sc in each st around.

Rnd 4: Sc in each st around, sl st in first st. Fasten off.

Sew arms to body.

Witch hat (black):

Rnd 1: With black, ch 2, 6 sc in second chain from hook. (6)

Rnd 2: Sc in each st around.

Rnd 3: (Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) around. (9)

Rnd 4: Sc in each st around.

Rnd 5: (2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts) around. (12)

Rnd 6-7: Sc in each st around. 

Rnd 8: (2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts) around.(15)

Rnd 9: Sc in each st around.

Rnd 10: (Sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st) around. (18)

Rnd 11: Sc in each st around. 

Rnd 12: (Sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st) around.(24)

Rnd 13: (Sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st) around. (30)

Rnd 14: Working in front loops only. (Sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st) around. (36)

Rnd 15: (Sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st) around, join with sl st in first st. Fasten off.(42)

Hair:

With Mohair yarn (red), cut 30 pieces of 6 “ (16 cm) long. For fringe, hold 1 strand of yarn, fold in half. With wrong side facing, insert hook in free loop of rnd 13, draw the folded end through the stitch and pull the loose ends through the folded end, draw the knot up tightly. Add fringe around.

Sew hat on head. For hair you can do the pigtails or braids as you wish.

Finishing:

Sew eyes 6 sts apart between rnds 10-11 of head. With red embroider mouth.

On FlickR is a group where you can show pictures of your finished doll:  http://www.flickr.com/groups/kandjdolls/

You can also share photos of the Little Witch you make on Ravelry. Click here for the Little Witch page on Ravelry. Ravelry is a social site for knitters.

Copyright 2010 Sayjai of K and J Dolls. All rights reserved. This is a free pattern. You are not allowed to sell this pattern. You are not allowed to distribute or publish this pattern in any form. You are not allowed to alter this pattern in any way. This pattern is provided to you freely for personal use only.

This original pattern is available on the blog of K and J Dolls: http://kandjdolls.blogspot.com

Giveaway - Chance to win this Little Witch and Witch Craft book

I've made this Witch today and I give her away!  Together with a copy of the great Witch Craft book below.

What do you have to do to win this book? You have to buy a pattern in one of my pattern stores. Anyone buying a pattern between the 11th and 17th of October has a chance to win. I will put all names in a hat and select one.

My stores are:

• kandjdolls.etsy.com  ~ Contains my original patterns including Jazzy the Good Witch
• kandjdolls2.etsy.com   ~ Contains patterns based on cartoons like Winnie the Pooh
• de.dawanda.com/shop/kandjdolls  ~ For German customers

So buy any of my patterns online and you might win the book and Little Witch.

You can read more about the Witch Craft book if you follow this link to the publisher (Quirckbooks).

p.s. the PATTERN for the little witch in the photo will be FREE and available soon.

Workshop Architecture + Dance (Barcelona)_Eme3

October 9, 2010 / With Eulàlia Rodrigo (dance) Llum Baraldés (dance), Tea Gambetta (photos), Adrià Lahuerta (video), Jorge Raedó / At the International Architecture Festival Eme3, http://eme3.org/. Collaboration: DHUB (Montcada 12, Barcelona), http://www.dhub-bcn.cat/

Taller de arquitectura + dansa from What is A? on Vimeo.

Video: Barcelona Televisió BTV, programa HOLA NENS, 16 oct 2010 (del minuto 9:15 al 13:22)

Photos by Tea Gambetta: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whatisarchitecture/sets/72157625010810365/show/

A special pillow

In Japan they have the yes-no pillow. On one side of the pillow it says “yes” on the other side it says “no”. Ladies can use it to show their men whether they’re in the mood or not. Before bed, he checks which side she has put up for the night and he knows what to expect.

As a wedding gift for our manager my coworkers suggested I make a very special yes-no pillow for her. One that fits her unique personality better than a conventional yes-no pillow. This is the “yes” side:

This is the “no” side, or rather the "no hell yes!" side:

Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to her wedding because it was on my last day in Japan and I was a little busy. But I hope my pillow was featured during her wedding night...

Weird monkeys

Other monkeys I made when I was still in Japan are the Weirdos. Which have huge bulging eyes that make them look rather weird (hence the name), but still cute in my opinion.

They were mostly going-away-presents for my lovely coworkers. Obviously, I couldn’t leave them without leaving a bit of eleventh monkey with them.

On their backs a little reminder of who made these monkey badges for them, just in case they’ve forgotten all about me in a while.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Japan today, I was even imagining how it used to be prepping for classes. Wonder when this desire to go back to Japan will dissipate.