Author: TwinkieChan

I snapped these pics on the night of my first book signing here in SF! Unfortunately, I no longer use the popcorn boxes because they took up a lot of space to transport! I also failed to take a picture of the various candy rings and brooches I included in the gift bags as well! Pictured are my mini book (which I do plan to put up for sale on Etsy), a thank-you card (that looks a lot like the thank-you stickers I use when I ship goodies to people…I considered writing messages inside of them, but then decided to leave them blank so you could re-use them as your own thank-youcards!), a sticker (these were supposed to be temp tattoos, but my temp tattoos did not arrive in time…I also plan to turn this design into a tshirt), a button (it’s a cupcake made of yarn … this is a small part of a drawing I made of a yarn banana split and I’m not sure yet what to do with that art), and a juicy ball of handspun yarn! I had a lot of fun shopping for yummy handspun for my gift bags, but unfortunately, I have run out and have to stop including them in the bags because it gets really expensive! 😛 Hope you liked the peek into my gift bags! I will keep trying to make them for my Seattle and Portland signings but since I’m flying and need to stuff them in my suitcase, don’t be mad if I run out! 😛 Locals have one more chance to pick up a gift bag this Sunday at my signing and crochet class/hang-out at ImagiKnit from 4:30-5:30pm. I’ll be doing a cupcake demo and helping you with any questions with your projects or any basic crochet questions! Then at 5:30pm I’ll be signing books. If you buy a book on Sunday at ImagiKnit, you’ll be entered into a raffle to win a Yummy You scarf :). Should be fun. Please come out! I’ve never given a class or a workshop before! Eep!

So last weekend, Hairy and I trekked to L.A. to celebrate Sanrio’s 50th Anniversary! The party/exhibition took place in a giant airplane hangar and included an art gallery, pop-up shop, mini golf course, verris wheel, photobooths, and free food like Yogurtland fro yo, Pink’s Hot Dogs, and Beard Papa cream puffs. There was a really long line when Hairy and I arrived in the back, and when I asked a guy at the door where artists should line up, he just told us to go through the side door he was standing by. This was cool because we bypassed the line, but was a little uncool, as we discovered later that we didn’t get the chance to check-in and get tickets for for the food carts or a free gift bag! Doh! I’ll put the rest of the pics under a cut, so that I don’t blow up your blog readers with 30+ photos!

This Sunday, I will be at ImagiKnit from 4:00-5:00pm, giving a crochet cupcake demo/class/hangout times! Then at 5:00pm I’ll be signing books. Please come visit at my most favorite yarn shop in the Bay Area. I could sit there and stare at yarn for hours!! YARN NERD! Also, if you come in on Sunday and purchase a book from ImagiKnit, you will be automatically entered into a raffle to win a free Yummy You scarf! If you’d like to sit with us and make a cupcake, please bring your hooks and some different fun cupcakey yarns. Of course you can also purchase hooks and yarn at ImagiKnit as well! If you have basic crochet questions, I am happy to answer those if I can as well! Hope to see you there!!!

I need to upload photos from my epic (Ok, I need to start using an alternative to the word “epic” … how about “bitchin”?) L.A. week/weekend, but in the meantime, please check out my contribution to Gala Darling’s “I want to be …” series about people with interesting/unique occupations! This is probably one of the most detailed articles you’ll ever read about my adventures in turning a hobby into a career. Click on the pic of me biting a blinged out crochet hook to see the article! p.s. I am signing books tomorrow/this Tuesday at Books, Inc. in Berkeley at 7pm. Come say hi, East Bay! Free gift baggies while they last! 🙂

I made an awesome scarf for the Sanrio 50th Anniversary celebration! I also made 3 copies of a simpler version with only 5 characters, and everything sold out already. The venue/event was AMAZING. I don’t have my camera cable with me, so I will post more photos when I get home! And here’s what I made the night before in the hotel to wear: I was going to make a whole top and wear it with black bloomers, but I didn’t realize how much yarn a top takes! I only make scarves! HAHa!! So I could only make this weird boob cover, and then I wore it over an I’m Your Present dress. I feel like I look 50 years old in this picture. Tonight is my last LA book signing. It’s at Stories in Echo Park on Sunset. We rented a projector and a screen so we could run my Power Point presentation :).

Tomorrow morning, Hairy and I are driving to L.A. to make it in time for my reading at the Urban Craft Center in Santa Monica at 7:00pm! Then I’ll be at Stories on Sunset Blvd at 8:00 on Friday! Neither of these signings will include crocheting a project together, so if you are a non-crocheter: don’t be shy! We’ll just be chattin’ and watchin’ videos and lookin’ at peektures! So you might have heard me talk about the gift baggies I’m giving away at my signings. I’m not sure if I’ll run out : / but I’ll still at least have some free stickers and buttons for those interested! I’ve been trying to include mini books in all my packages. I always wanted to print a little mini book filled with tiny patterns, and I managed to write it and draw it this week, and I started putting it together late last night!!! I’m gonna try to make a few more before I go to bed, too. They were fun! I FINALLY used this little paper cutter I bought like a year ago! The mini book is called “Sugar On Top: 5 cute ways to crochet frosting and whipped cream.” If people are interested, I will also put them up on Etsy when I get home. I think they are pretty darn cute! The finished gift baggie! It included a pretty ball of handspun yarn that I shopped around for on Etsy, my mini book, a sticker, a little thank you card for people to use, a 2 inch with a new design I drew on it, and also a little candy ring or candy brooch. I hope people had fun tonight in SF. Can’t wait to see you all in L.A.!

So I REALLY REALLY REAAAAALLLLLLY wanted to make a short music video to promote my book. And thanks to good friends, this dream became reality. Behold. You will never be the same. Bay Area folks: please come to Booksmith in the Haight tomorrow/Tuesday night (Nov. 9) and celebrate the book with me! We’ll have cupcakes, free gift bags (while supplies last), a Yummy You pop-up shop, and a Yummy You raffle to giveaway three scarves! I am also creating a POWER POINT PRESENTATION including never-seen-before sketches of my work, embarrassing teenage photos, and more! Word. I am also signing books in LA, Portland, and Seattle, so please check out MY LIST OF TOUR DATES and come say hello!

Sorry these are pictures taken on my phone of my tv… hehe….but I had to share with you this awesome fluffy polka dot dress that Juliette Lewis wears in this little funky movie called Meet the Hollowheads. I was working while it was playing on TV so I didn’t fully pay attention to the plot, but what caught my eye was the cool aesthetic of the whole thing. It was shot in 1989, but it was supposed to be futuristic, so the clothes are TOTALLY BOSS. Today, I’ve been working on a cute mini-book/zine of short patterns to put in my book signing gift bags. Think about 3 inches x 4 inches. I’ve never made one before, so we’ll see if I number the pages correctly and am able to print them out cute-ly! I’m excited if they actually work, and I will probably sell them for like $3.00 on Etsy if they turn out ok!

I’m making mini yarn balls out of delicious handspun yarn to put in my goodie bags for my book signing on Tuesday at Booksmith in the Haight! Please come check it out at 7:30pm! Not only will I have goodie bags for everyone while supplies last, but I’ll have a mini slide show, a rare Yummy You pop-up shop if you want to purchase Yummy You goods, and also we’ll be raffling off three different Yummy You scarves! I think you will get a free raffle ticket with a purchase of my book from Booksmith. We’ll have lots and lots of fun! Come say hi! The next morning, Hairy and I will be driving to L.A. where I’ll have a signing on Wednesdsay in L.A. at Urban Craft Center on their Etsy night! And then Friday night I’ll be signing at Stories Cafe, also in L.A. Remember for all my book tour dates, please check out TwinkieChanBooks.com!

Celebrate Sanrio’s 50th Anniversary! One of the secret projects I’ve been working on are special scarves for the 10-day celebration in LA among a huge group of other awesome artists! Check out these parties that my pals at BubblePunch are hosting! Here’s info about the NERD PARTY on Saturday, November 13th in Santa Monica. I will be going to this! Here’s info about the Kitty In Pink retro 80s prom on Saturday, November 20th in Santa Monica. I REALLY want to go, but I have a book signing/workshop at ImagiKnit back here in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon 🙁 so I don’t know that I can make it back and forth in time to be perky and personable at ImagiKnit. Locals should check out my ImagiKnit event, though, Sunday November 21st, at 4:00pm. It’s my favorite yarn store in the Bay Area, and we’ll be working on making a cupcake patch together! But I digress!! Sanrio!

Elsie kindly asked if I might contribute to her “Tricks and Treats” guest-blogging series on her site, and of course I jumped at the chance to do anything having to do with that little lady! Check out TWO tutorials I created over at her blog! Sorry I posted it so late here. I’ve been out all day! At first I wanted to make Mummy Mitts… but then I thought it might be too complicated for crochet beginners, so then I wrote up a Daisy Headband project, and then I couldn’t decide between the two, so I sent both to Emma, and both got posted so you get double the fun! 🙂 Here are two extra mummyriffic photos: The flower head band looks like this and is SUPER EASY to make! I have actually been wearing it a lot, but I didn’t want to post any photos until the tutorial went up! Instead of doing anything Halloweeny today, my cousin, his bestie, Hairy, and I drove to Napa Valley to go sparkling wine tasting at Domaine Carneros and to eat dinner at Ubuntu, with a spontaneous stop at Chandon. It was a pretty delicious and decadent day. Hairy and I were going to see Saw 3D, and the boys were going to go clubbing, but everyone ended up kinda sleepy and there wasn’t a late enough movie for us to catch. Oh wells!

You know me. I’m really more of a dog person… Heheh, hope you guys had a good Halloween! I went to dinner with my family (non-Halloween related) and then out with my cuzcuz, his bestie, my bestie, and Hairy to the Castro, had some champagne, bopped to some music, saw lots of guys in their underwear, saw some other more Rated X Stuff, ate more food. Successful evening!

I snapped a Photobooth pic of my yarn wall earlier today. My craft room is still totally not where I want it to be yet. This is a long process!! I need to buy more shelves. I have too much STUFF, but I need it and use it and can’t be rid of it! Also, I painted my nails rainbow today. I rarely take the time to paint them as evidenced by what my friend Kera calls my “crack ho nails,” always chipped and in a horrible state. I feel like when you work with your hands, it’s hard to sit down and take a moment to wait there for your nails to dry. Anyway, a few ladies were talking about rainbow nails on Twitter, so I had to give it a try!! I was bummed that my beloved Orly “Blue Collar” blue nail polish seems to be different now. The formula seems thinner, and the color is much darker :(. The yellow “Spark” is AWFUL. SO uneven even after three coats. The pink is still uneven, too. Time to find a new favorite blue nail polish.

I feel like if I hosted my own TV craft show, I would wear outfits like this: DollyBeast had an online garage sale, and I snagged this kitty top and giant glasses from her. I think I have to lose 10 lbs to fit in the sweater properly. All my stuff is hanging out the bottom! AHAHAH. She’s donating money from her sales to a non-profit, so check some shizz out!

I drew the winner on random.org! Thank you so much everyone! I always feel so badly when I see all my friends enter and there can only be one winner. I will super duper try to have more giveaways!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to those who participated  🙂 🙂 Click the pic for a slightly larger version. Sorry this is so last minute! I’ve been swamped with secret projects and custom orders and trying to put regular items back in the Etsy shop! I’m making this a quickie 12-hour giveaway so that I can try to mail this out by Tuesday so the winner can have it by Halloween! Eep! This giveaway is for a super duper cute pumpkin playsuit by I’m Your Present and pumpkin/jack-o-lantern fingerless mitts made by me! I would say the playsuit is a size medium, 36/37″, bust28/29″, waist38/39″ hips. I’m a bit big in the hips, so while this mostly fits me, it’s a bit big on the top. I bought it in 2008 and wore it once to take product photos, and it has been hiding sadly in my drawer ever since! Please give it some love! It is a very cute light-orange/peach color. I made the mitts to go with the playsuit, so while it’s not a perfect color match and the mitts are slightly darker than the playsuit, the mitts are definitely still a lighter, peachier orange. The mitts are made of a soft wool/acrylic blend, with a wool stem. The face is 100% wool felt, that I adhered with washable permanent fabric glue and also stitched around in black thread for security. These two make a super cute set! To enter: just leave a comment in my blog, telling me what your favorite Halloween treat is! For an extra chance to win, link to my giveaway on Twitter or your own blog, and leave a separate comment in my blog (so that I can count two of your comments). At 2pm on Tuesday, October 26, California time (PST), I will draw a random winner through random.org! Have fun!! Enter quickly!! Tick tock!!

Click the pic to shop!

So I got this invite in my email the other day to join Levi’s Shape What’s to Come. I was like huh? What is this thing!? I was in the throes of prepping my second book promo video (by the way, I also revamped www.TwinkieChanBooks.com to include tour info) so I did not really explore it. Then, I read about Elsie being an ambassador for this site, so I was really prompted to check it out! Ladies, you should come check it out with me! It looks to be a community for like-minded women to help mentor and inspire each other in areas from fashion to youth advocacy. It’s still in beta testing right now, and I can’t wait to see how the community grows! I just made my profile last night!

It’s pretty tough, amirite!? The “bling teeth” photo I stole from Shrinkle. Also she recently posted her blog entry about Comic Con, which included my all-time favorite photo of the two of us. Happy Friday!

I’m working on that Etsy update, but I also have to make more of my secret project scarves!! And plan out my talk for my book events. And maybe try to crochet something fun for me to wear at book events. And think of what fun goodies I can include in gift bags for book event attendees!! Workaworkaworka!

Hey hey! We are working on updating TwinkieChanBooks.com with more infos, but I wanted to post a tentative list for my West Coast book tour right away since people are starting to ask, and I want you put dates on your calendars! 🙂 🙂 My first/launch date will be here in San Francisco at Booksmith in the Haight. We plan to have raffle prizes, a Yummy You pop-up shop for one night only, and if I can get my shizz together… little gift baggies for the first X people to arrive! (X = the number I can actually pump out! 😛 ) For most of the events, I will be talking about how the whole Twinkie Chan universe came to be and the philosophy behind my pattern making. At certain venues, we will also be working on a small crochet project together while I talk. At the two craft fairs I will be at,  I will not be giving a talk but just chit-chattin’ with you and signing your books! 11/9/10 – Booksmith, San Francisco, 7:30pm (http://www.booksmith.com/) 11/10/10 – Urban Craft Center, Los Angeles/Santa Monica, 7:00pm (Etsy night!) (http://www.theurbancraftcenter.com) 11/12/10 – Stories, Los Angeles , 7:30pm (?) http://www.storiesla.com/ 11/16/10 – Books, Inc., Berkeley, 7:00pm (http://www.booksinc.net/Berkeley) 11/21/10 – ImagiKnit, San Francisco, 4:00pm This is my favorite yarn shop in SF! Come see the place that makes my yarny senses tingle every time I go in! We will probably work on a project together while I talk. (http://imagiknit.com/) 12/3/10 – Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park), Seattle, 6:30pm We might work on a project during this event as well. (http://www.thirdplacebooks.com/node) 12/4/10 & 12/5/10 – Urban Craft Uprising winter show, Seattle – signing books Saturday 12:00pm-1:00pm, Sunday 2:00pm-3:00pm (http://www.urbancraftuprising.com/) 12/5/10 – Fiber Gallery, Seattle,  4:00pm-6:00pm (http://www.fibergallery.com/) 12/10/10 – Twisted, Portland, time TBD 5 or 5:30pm (http://twistedpdx.com) 12/11/10 & 12/12/10 – Crafty Wonderland, Portland – signing books Saturday 1:00pm-3:00pm, Sunday 11:00am-1:00pm (http://www.craftywonderland.com/) 12/12/10 – Powell’s, Portland, 3:00pm (http://www.powells.com/) I try to vend at Renegade, SF, too, which is December 18-19 but I haven’t decided yet cuz it might be too crazy to cram in!

Thank you, All Things Cupcake for the blog interview!!!

Okay, I am a little re-miss in blogging about some of this stuff, sorry Erika!!!! Anyway last year, Erika sent me some really cute dog collars for Bibi and Bunny. I got cherries for Bibi and leopard print for Bunny. They don’t wear collars around the house (cuz Bibi has sensitive, stinky hound dog skin) and they wear harnesses of various sorts on walks since they are both pullers, so getting a photo of the collars has taken me….well…. since never cuz I SUCK!! AHHHH!! But anyway, now Erika’s Etsy Shop only has a (very cute) Poptart iphone cozy in it…but maybe if you stay tuned, more cute stuff will appear!! Also, my very faithful reader Sylvette Marie makes cute things for your pooch as well! Like leashes and costumes. Check out her etsy shop! Aaaaaand I will share again where I buy Bunny’s sweaters. You get A LOT of choices, and it’s not too expensive. Way better quality than the sweaters I’ve bought at Petco AND everything is custom sized to your dog. They are amazing and I will never buy a doggie sweater from anybody else!!!! RoyalFifi is where it’s at!

Okay, so I went a little crazy on my last order at Refuse To Be Usual. I admit I need a serious shopping hiatus!!! But I really love all the pieces I ordered (including that that strawberry Yum Yums top.) This ice cream dress doesn’t fit me exactly right. It’s a bit big in the bust/armpit area, plus it is WAY too short for me to wear as a dress. I have it on over jeans. But it is so happy and delightful!!! The bows/pearls are pins so you can put them wherever you want. You can’t really see my other accessories in these but my sprinkles necklace is Stoopidgerl and my hair bows are 6%dokidoki. Now I’m going to go cut out some felt while waiting for Hairy to get out of the shower and take the dogs to the dog park!