March

There's a to-do list sitting next to me listing off the things I need to do before going to Chicago in two weeks.  So much has happened since August.  I've had the opportunity to do so many amazing things, create with some amazing folks, and visit amazing places.  My mother is an archivist.  It's no wonder I'm hopelessly nostalgic.  I've made a pact with myself to start documenting my creations whether they be through craft or community.  It would be preposterous to try and count the number of times I have rolled my eyes before flashing a smile at my mother's camera.  And now when I go to my parent's house one of my favorite activities is to go through old scrapbooks full of those pictures.  Some memories I can't distinguish from photographs, but maybe they don't have to exist as separate entities.

It's rainy today in Oakland and I'm sitting at my newly set up desk thinking about which items on my to do list are going to take priority first.  If you're traveling to Chicago for Chicago Zine Fest, I hope to see you there.  If you live in Chicago, be sure to stop by!  I'll be tabling with my perzine Swearing In Cursive and most likely talking a lot about knitting.

Things I knit in January and February of 2014:

1. CustomFit Cardigan

2. Snoflinga

3. Spin Cycle Kerchief

4. San Pablo Cowl (2)

I've been engaging in many conversations about what I'm doing and why (as someone in their twenties, I feel as if this type of conversation is somewhat obligatory).  What I want to share is that I'm going to do as much work where I am currently as I can.  Part of this is documentation.  Hopefully we'll be seeing more of one another.

Tofu Scrambie

This is my first recipe post!  I love looking at aesthetically pleasing recipes and wanted to create one for you all!  This is an adapted recipe of a tofu scramble that comes from Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food by Alicia C. Simpson which is an amazing cookbook that has delicious recipes for biscuits, gravy, mac and cheese, etc.  I hope you enjoy!



I love serving tofu scramble with hash browns and, of course, ketchup and sriracha!

P.S. This took a long time, and not just because of the photo editing.  I don't know how you food bloggers do this all the time!!

Portland Zine Symposium And Coming Home

So, as I've mentioned practically ONE HUNDRED TIMES, I flew up to Portland last weekend for the Zine Symposium!  I had racked up enough miles flying home during college that I got the flight for free.  I woke up early, early, early on Saturday morning, took a shuttle to the airport, and got into Portland at around 8.  I was astounded at how cheap their public transportation is ($5!! For a WHOLE DAY!), had a lovely breakfast at a place called Junior's, and then headed over to the Symposium.  I hung out all day going to several workshops and checking out all the tables.  I finally met the lovely Amber of Fight Boredom Distro in person got to see Maranda and Neely again (we met in San Francisco earlier this year!).  Corina, the creator of Portable Fortitude as well as many other beautiful illustrations was such a sweetheart and right by my roommate's table.  And Kione's hand made sign was too cute not to photograph!  I wish I'd taken more pictures of tables, but I felt intimidated asking.  But I'm working on it!  And hopefully I'll be a little bit more outgoing for the SF Zine Fest and East Bay Alternative Book And Zine Fests coming up soon!

Sunday I explored Portland as a tourist visiting Fat Fancy, Powell's, and several yarn stores.  And on Monday I hung out with a new friend/QT who I'm remaining in close contact with.  n_n  Portland was gorgeous and I definitely want to visit again soon!  I was so intimidated to travel solo, but having folks to hang out with once I was IN Portland made it a perfect experience!





And these last photos are some things I've been up to since I got back.  Porch hangs, Hedwig (who missed me a bit... :3), and crafternoons with Scout and Emil!

Episode 6: You Can Never Have Too Much Yarn

Double Chin Knitting Episode 6: You Can Never Have Too Much Yarn from Double Chin Knitting on Vimeo.

I hope you enjoy this week's podcast!  I did a little bit of editing and even though it took a bit longer to get onto Vimeo, I'm really happy with how it turned out!  :)  Tonight I'm going to bake some muffins since I start school tomorrow and it'll be good to have snacks during class.  I hope you're all having a great Monday!

Finished Objects:
Noro Baby Cardigan (only sort of finished...)
Knitted Wit 2 At A Time Socks

WIPs:
Jekyll & Hyde Socks

Swearing In Cursive Issue 1

I finished my first zine!  I'm so happy with the way it turned out and hope to be making another one in the very near future.  It's titled Swearing In Cursive and I write about my experiences with having a phobia, accountability processes, and my relationship with the internet.  The pages are full of found illustrations and cursive type.  And, as if I haven't already spouted this out enough, I'll be at the Portland Zine Symposium and hope to do some trades.

The pictures above are from my zine workspaces, both the digital and cut-and-paste side of things.  I also finally photographed the yarn I dyed with black beans and the hat I knit on my road trip up to Eugene, OR a couple weeks back.

On Tuesday I leave for LA for a wedding and then I'll be back for a split second before heading off to Portland!  I'm hoping to record an episode of Double Chin Knitting tomorrow but we'll see what happens.

Buy Here!

Bitten By A Travel Bug

 These are a few pictures of the many I've taken since the beginning of July!  July has been treating me very well thus far.  The last four pictures are from my house's anti-patriotism July 4th extravaganza (with some queers).  It was such a great party for so many reasons!  The people were all great, even the people I didn't know were such a joy to be around, the drinking wasn't excessive, and the food was delicious!  I didn't get a picture, but I made vegan mini corn dogs.  Yum.

Last week I road-tripped up to Eugene to help my roommate sell hats for her family's business at the Oregon Country Fair.  I wish I could go into more details about my experience, but I don't want to bore you.  The politics of the place were tedious and exhausting, but I made some money, which I wasn't expecting, and I got out of the house.  Hedwig was happy for me to be home and, unexpectedly, the next month is also going to include a lot of traveling for me.

On July 30th I'll be headed to LA to see my family and attend a wedding and on a whim I've decided to head to Portland for the Zine Symposium from the 10th to the 12th!  If you or anyone you know would be willing to house me for a night or two, I would be extremely grateful!

Take Care!
Mckenzie

Episode 5: Socks! Socks! Socks!

Double Chin Knitting Episode 5: Socks! Socks! Socks! from Double Chin Knitting on Vimeo.

If you are familiar with Downtown Berkeley, there's a sign for a store that says "Hats! Hats! Hats!" and every time I see it I chuckle.  That's where the inspiration for the name of this episode comes from.

Finished Projects:
Terra Shawl
A Loved Thing

On The Needles:
Jekyll and Hyde Socks
Toe-Up Knitted Wit Socks