The Best of Spring Day 1.

In celebration of Spring and a gorgeous sunny 65 degree afternoon, I decided to make some Mango Salsa with some ingredients I had laying around. This is a pretty standard recipe, but I'll list all the ingredients anyways.

Chop all of this stuff up, throw it in a bowl, and let all the flavours combine for an hour or two in the fridge:

2 Mangoes (peel it first!)

2 Avocados (scoop & chop)

1 English Cucumber (take the seeds out if they're big)

1 Tomato (maybe 2, I only had 1 left)

1 Poblano Pepper

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

2 Chipotle Peppers (for heat instead of jalapeno since the Poblano was a dud)

1 Handful Chopped Cilantro

Juice of 1 Lime squeezed fresh

A splash or 2 of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

A Pinch of Sea Salt

This makes enough to feed a group of 8+ as an appetizer.

After mowing the lawn with the reel mower it was nice to take a break with some tortilla chips, this mango salsa, and an ice cold beer.

Happy Spring!

xoxo

char

A Jaunt to SAM

Yesterday afternoon, I went to the Calder exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum with my friend Chrissy. We saw some amazing mobiles that cast the most beautiful and delicate shadows on the walls and floor. There was also an entertaining film showing the artist performing Cirque Calder! I'm now inspired to make moving art and knit strange creatures.

Anyhow, the day progressed to us ogling over all the neat knick-knacks in the gift shop We then went to a Vietnamese restaurant where I had a yummy Vietnamese Bouillabaisse for lunch while watching white billowy clouds moving across a blue sky. Our last stop was at a fancy chocolate store where I picked up a present for my Love. Although the day was a little windy and chilly, it was bright and sunny and a reminder that Spring is just around the corner.... which is where the inspiration for my doodle came from.

Watercolor and ink... to be the background for a collage that is in the works!

Stay tuned.

Happy day!

xoxo char.

Hers & His Scarf Set

I was recently asked to donate something handmade for my favorite 2 1/2 year old Owen's school auction. After much debate, I decided on a His & Hers Scarf Set in my favorite chunky alpaca yarn. I completed the packaging with some new tags that will be tucked into the ends of the scarves for some shameless advertising.

Here is how to make my favorite scarf:

This scarf is made in a seed stitch.

Gauge: On size 15 needles 2 stitches = 1 inch

Cast on 13 stitches (or any odd # of stitches)

Row 1: Knit 1, Purl 1, Repeat to end of row

Row 2: Repeat Row 1

happy knitting and happy new year!

xoxo

Lavender Filled Sachet

Today I made a prototype for my organic lavender filled felt sachets. Currently, I'm rethinking shapes and sizes. This one is about 2.5"x4". Ideally, the edges will be pinked into a zig-zag... or if i leave the edges straight a border of bright ric-rac will be sewn around the pouch.

A Trip Down Memory Lane via Old Sketches...

june 2001, charline packs up a suitcase and moves to nyc.

she misses her friends and spends a lot of time thinking about them.

she makes some new ones that she adores;

but she never forgets about all the fun times she had with her old friends

from snowboarding trips to masquerade balls.

I spent some time this afternoon looking through old sketchbooks and journals. There were a lot of illustrations that shocked me, made me laugh, and even made me tear up a little.

Above are some of the sketches from over the years and miles.