Distraction Plan#1: Hey Look What I Got!

No real WIP Weekend Update this weekend as the knitting was not that exciting. I finished the two sides of the Doctor's Bag after getting my shipment from WEBS and I am now reknitting the bottom. Should be seeming next week. The apricot sweater is progressing nicely as well.

What I will distract you with are my new purchases. Now this has been over the course of a few weeks I just neglected to blog about them. So here they are:

Weekend Knitting I have wanted for a while and got for 40% off at Michaels, The Interweave magazine which I have to make the Half Dollar Sweater, and the Fast Quilts for Fat Quarters Book because I am taking a quilting class so I might as well start the hoarding and collecting early.

The highlights of my recent purchases were the Phildar Magazines which I got for 40% off and were received really quickly after placing the order. Items I plan to knit are:

I also got Finishing Techniques for Hand Knitters which I think is an excellent resource. I have other finishing books but each one has their own unique perspective on things. I figure if I get two or three new ideas from it, it is worth being in my collection. This one has a section on lining jackets, zippers and taking care of garments. Yeah you can get this on the internet or from a variety of other finishing books but I like the presentation in this one.

Confession time...I have very little news to share on knitting because I have been doing this:

Amy Butler Clutch from In Stitches

My excuse is that I started my 16 week beginning sewing class this weekend. I temporarily have to bug for sewing. I think it may go back into hibernation come Monday but for now, I hope to finish this bag this weekend.

Things I am Thankful for in 2006

• I am thankful for my friend V who let me spend this gluttonous holiday with her and her family. The food was excellent and she prepared it using my first sewing project - the apron. Here are some "America's Next Top Model" shots for you.

No, she does not normally practice ballet while cooking.
The camera makes people do crazy things

• I am thankful for all the food that we were blessed to have on this day. I was especially thankful that V's mother cooked greens which is a very southern, african american food that just rings in the holidays for me. She made a good pot of collards and candied yams to go with it. MAN!! I am hungry again just thinking about it.

I could only get one set of models to look at a time


Look at all that great food and that wasn't even half of it!

• I am thankful for all my family and friends that presumably forgave the fact that I was so late in calling them for the customary well wishing on this holiday of thanks. I am so bad at this that I have to call my brother today, the day AFTER Thanksgiving because my cell phone ran out...or at least that is the excuse and I am sticking with it!
  

• I am also thankful for yet another year of good health - minus the two months of bronchitus that I am still not over - and the great things that I have accommoplished both in life and craft :O)

• Last but not least I am thankful for all you who read and comment so often in my blog. It is amazing that you can build such a community nowadays without ever meeting those you begin to know and love as cyber family and friends.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and look forward to reading about all your holiday treats.

Material Girl

...and I am living in a material world as I am a collector. Of what you say? Of just about everything. Not to the extent that people will see newspapers piled to the ceiling when I die (it would actually be more like magazines anyway), but I do have a sizable collection of things that are either past or present hobbies/loves/future careers. I will give you a peak into the madness. Please be warned that quantities viewed in pictures are only a fraction of the true extent of the problem..I mean collection

You all know I stash yarn...I am a knitter for God's sake! I would not be able to hold my head up in blogger land without a stash bordering on S.A.B.L.E (Stash Accumulation Beyond Life Expectancy.

So I guess I also have C.A.R.E.S (Cookbooks Approaching Ridiculous Eating Standards). Here is a small glimpse of my cookbooks and magazines that I acquired during my desire to be a cook. I loved cooking but it just did not pay the bills.



P.A.L.M.S(Photography Love Accentuating Material Stashing). Here is a little of my photo magazine and book collection. PDN is such a great trade magazine. I took classes after college and continue to take classes on and off to improve my skills. I have been kicking around the idea of going back to get my Associates/Bachelors in Photography. Still thinking on that though.



So there should be no surprise that I have contracted F.A.U.N.A.S (Fabric Acquired Under New Addiction Stimulus). Since I am rapidly approaching the end of my sewing class, with only one more class to go, I thought I would show you a WIP picture of my sewing.

Look at those stitches...on a curve no less!! Given I was sewing as slow as a molasses after my debacle on the second day of class but man am I proud.

I have been web/blog surfing and finding new sewing ideas but of course this requires a machine. I hope to squash my urge for a machine by using my mom's old White Sewing Machine until I decide if this is a permanent addiction. But the true addiction is the fabric.



Such wonderful colors and patterns. There was a 30% off sale at my local craft store and I bought these beauties, along with In Stitches by Amy Butler which has seemingly easy patterns for the beginning seamstress. I should break out my badge now for my support group

"Hi my name is NubianCraftster and I have a problem. I am a chronic collector..."

Umm...Maybe I Will Stick to Knitting

So you know that post a few weeks ago where I talked about being a Perfectionist as it applies to me. You know where I worry about doing things because I think I will not be good at it. Well...my fears of sewing were slightly confirmed. For reference in this story here is the pattern, maybe not so aptly names Kwik Sew (I wonder if this will be like the Lion Brands One Hour Scarf that took me a week plus when I first started knitting).

(Here is the specific pattern I am attempting to do)

Now to compound my Perfectionist nature, I am also competitive, a bit of an overachiever and very rule oriented. Now don't get me wrong, I am flexible and creative in my own right, but before I go adding my two cents to inventing the wheel, I want to do it right the first time, you know the way it was intended and then expand from there.

Anyway, back to the sewing. So the class is quite full with only one teacher for 12 deeply dependent students. We got right to work on the pinning of the pattern, then the marking of the pocket and then the cutting. This is where my sewing actually ended because the next hour and half was spent felling kinda dumb.

The teacher showed us how to thread the bobbins which was pretty cool, but when it came to my machine it was different, so she threaded it for me. Then she threaded the machine which was far more loops around this and that for me to have caught on anyway. Next I began to sew, I put my fabric in and slowly pressed the peddle. I WAS SEWING!!!! For all of 4 stitches because subsequently my machine jammed and ate my fabric. I was horrified!! My fellow student turned around and within seconds figured out my error and lowered my pressure foot. But by then it was too late. I called the teacher over who was already pretty overworked with the students and she began to fiddle with it. About 5 minutes later I was told to ditch this machine for another one and start again.

Well remember that whole thing about the teacher doing all the threading? Well, I proceeded to wait for another 30 minutes for her to get back to me for help. She set me up and wallah....I had to pressure foot on this machine (guess I can't have the same error if I don't even HAVE a pressure foot this time). So we quickly find a foot, she threads my machine, I run a line of stitches and the class was over. 2.5 hours of sewing resulted in a cut, pinned and marked pattern with 4 stitches on a practice piece of fabric.

Man, talk about trailing the pack. I felt like I hit every hurdle at the Olympic race. BUT!!! I tell myself that this is BEGINNING sewing, I am supposed to make all these stupid mistakes..right? RIGHT?!! Given I think I should be sewing quilts like Kaffet Fasset by now, but in the world of realistic expectations, I now know PRESSURE FOOT DOWN!!!

So I licked my wombs and consoled myself in the fact that I am a damn OK knitter.

Bad Blogging Does NOT a Bad Knitter Make

So I have not been as diligent in my updates. Everytime I see another bloglines update from my fellow knit bloggers, I feel a little guilty. However, I am reading their blogs while trudging away at the Sunrise Circle Jacket. I finished the Left Side on Wednesday at my SnB meeting and immediately casted on for the right as I am now obsessed with finishing. Besides I need to finish this jacket soon cause the weather is getting chilly, so much so I kinda wanted a scarf around my neck during the night tonight. However, I am in Southern California for Pete's sake and I feel a little silly having a scarf on in September.

I am also not a very good polygaknitter. My green mimosa is calling out to me for seaming which I promised myself that I would do this weekend. Actually that promise doesn't really count because there was no one to keep me accountable...hee hee.

I am also a lazy sewing crafter, because instead of doing a little hand stitching for my bag, I decided to get a Singer Stitch Sew Quick at Target for $14.99 to do the hard work



In conclusion, I have no knitting pictures or real knitting content but like a true knitter I am putting the knitting first! So I declare...Bad Blogging Does NOT a Bad Knitter Make!

Come back soon for some finished pictures...or at least some better WIP pics