Mason and I carved our Halloween pumpkin this weekend (really early, I know). We have a lot of fun with it, but it can always be really stressful, especially when something goes wrong.
Some tips on how we do it:
1. Draw your stencil, or print one out.
2. After cleaning the pumpkin (inside and out), tack on your stencil. Use a spare tack or needle to punch holes into the outline of the part you want to cut out of the pumpkin. The idea here is to create a “connect the dots” kind of thing.
3. Remove the stencil once you’ve completed your dotted outline. Extend the dots, using a knife to create a smooth-lined outline.
4. Begin removing the parts of the pumpkin you want the light to shine through. (If you want these fully cut out, use a knife and cut out the chunks. If you don’t want the parts completely cut out but still want the light to shine through, simply scrape at the pumpkin skin until it’s the thickness you want.)
5. Light a candle, place in pumpkin. Replace top of pumpkin and enjoy.
SPENCER FINCH
2 hours, 2 minutes, 2 seconds (Wind at Walden Pond, March 12, 2007), 2007
44 fans, wood, computerized dimmer board
93 inches tall, 14 feet in diameter
I recorded the wind at Walden Pond using an anemometer and here re-created that wind, both its speed and direction, using a programmable dimmer.
The maximum wind speed was 8 mph and the prevailing wind was from the south and southwest.
This is a portrait of Bob Milne. I made it after listening to a story about him on Radiolab. He can listen to 4 symphonies simultaneously in his head!
ASK AMY POEHLER!
Next week, on Friday June 15, noted comedian, actress, writer, and Dakota Fanning impersonator Amy Poehler will be speaking at New York’s 92nd Street Y in conversation with Indiewire’s Caryn James. Got a burning question you’ve always longed to ask Amy? Just submit your question to our ask box! We’ll compile the best Amy Poehler interrogations from the Tumblr audience, and she’ll be asked those questions onstage and on video. Then we’ll post her answers in animated form for your viewing pleasure. If you want to attend the event in the flesh, get your tickets now. As an added bonus, one lucky and eligible question-asker will get two free tickets to the event. Ask away!
These are a few of my favorite views from the past year.
It seems so strange that it’s almost been a year since my friends and I drove across the country and back.
**If you ever have the chance, or ever have the longing to go on a cross-country road trip, go for it. Seriously, stop reading this right now and leave. It’s relatively inexpensive if you have a few people to split gas with and camp out at KOA’s. Some have free cookies, guys.
Hi guys! So I think I’ve finally recovered from the sickness of death. But during said sickness, I got to knit a lot and re-watch some Battlestar Galactica. I also “discovered” an amazing new show, Portlandia. It’s awesome and everyone should watch it. Seriously. Watch it.
But while I was knitting, I tried a new stitch—the herringbone stitch. It’s really pretty, and really annoying if your stitches aren’t loose enough. But all in all, it’s pretty easy and it’s a nice change of pace from the regular knit and purl stitches.
For the bow:
What you’ll need
worsted yarn
size 9 knitting needles
tape measurer
scissors
yarn needle
bobby pin
What you’ll need to do
a. Cast on 16 stitches (for the herringbone stitch, you have to work in even number stitches)
b. SSK (slip slip knit) across the entire first row
c. P2TOG (purl two together) across the entire second row
d. Repeat steps b. and c. until piece measures the length you want (mine was about 6 inches)
e. Cast off, and using a yarn needle, move excess strands from both loose yarn ends to meet in the middle. Pinch the knitted piece down in the middle, creating a bow. Wrap excess yarn around the center and knot yarn in back.
f. Cut off excess yarn. Slide a bobby pin through the yarn on the backside. Voila!
