Shop 'Til You Drop

This weekend, instead of doing a lot of homework and having a little bit of fun, I had a lot of fun and did a little bit of homework. I much prefer it that way. On Saturday, I had my Eunny Vest class where we learned to cut steeks. Disentangled has already written an excellent description of the class, and since my swatch didn't turn out as pretty as hers, I'll leave it to her explanation. As usual, there was a lot of giggling and being snarky and a little of our knitting Jedi master, Dave Kraft, lambasting the latest Rowan offering. A good time was had by all.

Afterwards, Dis, Cora and I went fabric shopping for our newest venture - Dis and I are going to learn how to sew! I was told that sewing is the new knitting, so I guess I'm just the ultimate sheep...baaaaa!!! The truth is that I always wanted to learn how to knit, and when J learned, I asked her to teach me. The same goes for sewing. Maybe I'm a trend-setter, not a trend follower. Yeah, that's the ticket. The sad part is that I don't even know how to sew yet, and I already have a fabric stash. I couldn't decide between three different fabrics, so naturally I got them all. Since we're starting out using quilting fabric, it's much cheaper than knitting at this point. I'll be doing three projects for around $40. This fabric is going to be a simple A-line skirt with probably a bit of lace peeking out at the bottom.

On Sunday, the same ladies accompanied me to Alpine for a little yarn shopping (aren't I just the little domesticated gal?) Lori's Frames Fibers and Frills has really become one of the San Diego area's better yarn stores. I had several Christmas projects in mind, as well as a hat for my husband and a beret for me (from the latest IK - what a great issue!), and she had just the perfect yarn for everything. I got a lovely tealy blue tweed for my beret that will go perfectly with my dark navy blue coat (for those chilly SoCal days ;), and this lovely combination for a scarf for my mother-in-law. I need to start making ugly Christmas presents so I don't always hate giving them away so much. That being said, though, why does alpaca yarn feel like cashmere in the hand and like prickly heat on the neck? Hopefully, my mom-in-law isn't as sensitive in this area as I am. She lives in the icebox better known as Chicago, so maybe it won't matter, since the itchiness seems to dissipate in the cold. Despite the crappy photo, the scarf is turning out lovely, and the colors, which range from plum to olive green, are lovely together.

That's about all. Thanks for your entries in the contest. We'll be announcing the winner tomorrow!