Another sewing project, and more!

I made another knitting needle roll-up case, this time for my straight and double-pointed needles. Prior, they were all just jumbled in a drawer, and a pain in the butt to dig through. So, I headed over to Jo-Ann (where they are having an awesome sale, btw) and went a little nuts in the fat quarters. I did have the project in mind, though, so in addition to looting all their cat-themed prints, I got fabric for this:

(I haven't snipped all the threads yet)

Ta-da! It holds all my needles! With some room to add more needles, as I like bamboo straight needles in anything over a size 5. Less than that, and I break them. The back has batting and is quilted like the other one I made; it gives it just enough structure and support. And now I have an empty drawer to organize all the fat quarters I seem to be amassing.

You probably noticed all the Knitpicks needles in the bottom row and are wondering, "Knitpicks? But Nancy, weren't you just hating on them?". Well, yes, however, I must admit that one product of theirs that I have been very impressed with is their nickel-plated DPNs. Sharp, pointy, sturdy, don't bend - they are awesome. I'd buy DPNs from them any day.


I put the Everlasting Bagstopper to the test on Sunday, and boy does it stretch! To the point where it is hard to carry if the stuff is too heavy and stretches it down to your knee, or past it. If I ever make another one, I will make it about half the length.


And a third thing. Does anyone know how to frost a cake? I suck at it. Yes, I have tried warming up the frosting and the cake is always completely cooled before I try to frost it, but for some reason, I just can't frost a cake! I have a special spreader and everything (thank you Cutco wedding registry). When I try to frost across the top of the cake, the top if it just rips off. And then the whole thing just goes to crap. This also happens with cupcakes. This is very bad, as I love cake. It doesn't stop me from eating said dilapidated cake, but I plan to have kids, and I heard that they have birthdays, and at these things called "birthdays" they eat cake, and I would really like to make it for them, because I am too damn cheap and stubborn to call Baskin Robbins. I know I can master this, but I need serious guidance:




It looks like someone has already chewed it up. If anyone out there has cake frosting tips or advice, I need it! Help!

New Yarn and Fiber Shop in ABQ!

I was wandering through Old Town over the weekend and a shop sign caught my eye - Fiber Chicks. I went in and sure enough, it's a new LYS in town!!! Yay!!!!!!! They have only been open a few weeks, but they are very friendly, and the best part is that the owner wants to know what people in ABQ want to knit and crochet with, and will look for a distributor to get it in the shop! I have already put in a request for Malabrigo. So, please do go check out the shop and let her know what you like to knit with! They (it's 2 ladies that co-own it) also carry some roving, and are working towards carrying more local fiber than you can normally find around ABQ (which isn't much). Anything other than Fiesta would be appreciated by many, I am sure! I chatted with the owner that was there, for a while, and her husband is an architect in town who went to school with one of my bosses, which was very cool.

Needless to say I made a purchase. I got some beautiful mercerized cotton to knit this bag for groceries. While we do reuse plastic bags in our house for trash and when we scoop cat poop, the grocery store bags are flimsier than they were in years past, so I am converting to taking my own bags, not for the social message or any shit like that, but simply because the grocery store bags are crap, and if I can't reuse them, I don't want to just chuck them in the landfill without being able to repurpose them.

So, go forth and visit Fiber Chicks! It's in Old Town, in the little plaza just south of La Placita, off the SE corner of the main plaza. A very cool spot and hopefully to become a staple for the fiberistas of Albuquerque.