Damn you, JoAnn Fabrics!

First it was the dressmaker’s dummy and the Ott lights! Now this!

It’s as if they’ve read my mind. Two weeks in a row, they’ve put the items topping my studio wishlist on sale for “can’t-pass-this-up” prices.

Don’t they know we have a wedding to pay for in 25 days!? They taunt me with their sales fliers. Evil, evil Joann’s. And I think my mother is in cahoots with them — because she called me to tell me the dressmaker’s dummy was on sale, and again she called me last night to tell me about the cutting table! It’s a conspiracy, I tell you!

Let’s see… folding cutting table, normally $99.99… on sale for $54.99… and I have a 40% off coupon that’s good through 9/15. Can I (or should I) really pass up a $100 cutting table for under $35?! Hehe.

I don’t know why this is, but knitting and cats go together. Probably 90% (or more) of avid knitters that you meet share their home with one or more pets of the feline variety.

I sometimes feel like an outcast from the knitting community because… well… I’m allergic to cats. (I know, I know… it’s quite a tragedy!)

I love animals. I’m a not a “dog person” or a “cat person” — I’m just an animal person, all around. I’d love to have a cat. But unfortunately, my sniffley nose and watery eyes don’t cooperate with that. (Though I’m convinced I’ll eventually “outgrow” this allergy. I keep telling myself that.)

HOWEVER… I have the most cat-like dog you’ve ever met. Our dog, Gracie, is a pug/beagle (”puggle”) mix that my fiancé and I adopted from a rescue organization. She’s our baby and I wouldn’t trade her for the world.

My friend Erica (who has two cats) has commented on how cat-like she is. And yes, as the photo shows, her cat-like tendencies include curling up on my lap while I knit.

Unfortunately, she also enjoys chewing up my bamboo knitting needles if I leave them within her reach. (Something I’m sure a cat wouldn’t do.)

Anyway, I just wanted to share a cute picture of my knitting buddy with you. (You can click the photo to see a larger version.) Not every knitter has a kitty-companion.

I picked up a copy of At Knit’s End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much at the library yesterday and I’ve been reading through it.

I just hit a passage on page 20 that made me giggle:

I am pretty darned sure that knitting with wire was not a knitter’s intentional artistic act, but instead the desperate move of an obsessive knitter trapped in a town with no yarn shop … but five hardware stores.

Yup, think I’m going to really enjoy this book.
Incidentally, I’ve never knit with wire before. I’ve seen some projects done with knitted wire, though, and they’re pretty neat!

I’m a shopaholic. I admit it. (That’s the first step…) I particularly love shopping online. Amazon, eBay, small independent shops… I love ‘em all.

Due to my online-shopping addiction, the last week or so has been very good for mail. I’ve gotten lots and lots of crafty goodies delivered to my doorstep.

Just look at that haul (in the picture)! That was only one day this week. The UPS and USPS man have been kind enough to surprise me every day this week with more fun projects to start. Heehee.

I’ve ordered a ridiculous amount of things from Sublime Stitching recently. It started with a beginner kit and a few patterns, and has quickly escalated to a collection of over 20 patterns and assorted things to embroider on (tea towels, aprons, a banner, etc…) Who knew embroidery could be this fun?!

I finished my first embroidery project last night, actually (will post photos later) and I picked up some baby onesies to embroider next (gift for my cousin). I just have to wait till I can get some t-shirt stabilizer so I can work on them.

Then there was a package from Pattern Works. Bet you can’t guess what that yarn is for…?
Ok yah, you guessed it. It’s for a Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf. Yah, I’m a total goober, but I had to have one! The yarn, for those who might be curious, is Encore Worsted in ‘Butternut’ and ‘Burnt Sienna’. Now I just have to pick up a circular needle to knit it on (I never seem to have the right size! *sigh*).

Let’s see… what else?

Oh, I got a price tagging gun (from eBay). It’s the type that you can attach hang-tags with. I’m planning to put that to good use when (if) I get my Etsy shop up and running.

JoAnn’s is having a sale on Singer dressmaker’s dummies. I’ve been wanting one forever. (I even did the whole duct tape dummy-thing in the past.) They have the real deal on sale for $99 and if you hunt around online, you’ll be able to find a free shipping coupon-code too. Needless to say, I finally have my dummy on order! I can’t wait for it to get here. I already know the first garment I want to sew and fit to it!

I also finally went out and bought a thread rack last night. I was so pleased to finally get one of these. It’s such a little thing, but it’s really more efficient. I was keeping my thread in two different plastic bins. The problem was, I couldn’t really see the colors I have AND those bins took up space on shelving. Now I can much more easily see the colors of thread I have AND I can put those bins to better use for holding other sewing/crafting doo-dads.

So anyway: JoAnn’s has dressmaker’s dummies on sale for $99. Sublime Stitching is having a 10% off everything sale. So GO SHOP! Have fun!