How Shopping Drove Me to Drink, and Other Stories

Yesterday I went over to Nanaimo intending to do a quick in and out at Fabricland, the world's crappiest fabric store. (When there is only one fabric store in town, Fabricland will have to do.) They were having a 50% off sale, so the store was jam-packed, complete with their famous half-hour line-ups at the till. That experience, combined with long bus rides (where the driver announces with complete lack of irony that Nanaimo is the land of many malls), blowing snow and just missing the ferry back to Gabriola, led me to totally abandon my attempts at a healthy lifestyle. I went to the nearest mall and got a $2 slice of pizza and a single can of beer, which I drank in public, contrary to all laws and ladylike behaviour. When I finally got home, I had zero desire to cook supper, so I dined on popcorn and trail mix, washed down with a fairly decent pinot noir.

Then I went to read in bed with Ann Hood's Knitting Yarns, which surprised me with some very entertaining writing, particularly Taylor Polites' story of knitting for his chihuahua.

I have been amusing myself with small crafty projects as I plan the next big embroidery. Here's the beginning of a collection of pillows, made with an old floral sheet and thrift store doilies. I think I'll make some nice plump tassels for the corners of the rectangular one. I used a scrap of thrift store lace trim on the square pillow, and decided after I was finished that it was too white. Instead of taking it apart, I just brushed the trim with diluted tea and let it dry. Instant aging!

I've also been finishing my test quilts for Sherri Lynn Wood's book project. I have promised not to blog about them until her book comes out, when all the testers' quilts will be posted on an online forum. The need to share is driving me crazy. Maybe I can cheat and post a very small detail. (Update: I did post a picture, but instantly regretted it. It's good to know I still have some scraps of self-control.)