Oh it's another Saturday Night...

And I ain't go nobody. I got some money 'cause I just got paid. Oh how I wish I had someone to talk to, I'm in an awful way.


What am I doing instead? why I'm cleaning fabric in my bathtub and hanging it to dry in my kitchen, isn't that what normal college kids do? That is a fat quarter set of Soul Blossoms by Amy Butler btw.

I really should leave the house sometime soon.

And Just like That...

It took around six months (more like five).
Obsessively buying fat quarters.
Screwing up my first attempt at free motion quilting within minutes then taking it apart in hours.
Feeling really sad that people didn't like my blocks.
Thinking I broke my machine.

But now, now I can officially be called a quilter.


I should let the quilt speak for itself.

Craft-a-long

On my facebook for the new year I posted this message "

In order to start the new year creatively, I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment. In return, you must re-post this and send handmade gifts to the first 5 people to reply. (All gifts will/must be sent in 2011) Let's make stuff together!"

and I am happy to report that 11 days into the new year I have already finished my new project yay! Sorry for the terrible pictures I only have my phone which refuses to focus half the time but it's just a cute little brown hat for my twin/co-worker Ben in a lovely tweedy brown.


Also ignore the fact that I can't take a picture without making a stupid face.

2011, the year of the quilter?

This summer I took a sewing class where I made some cute little pouches:
After this the next logical stop (of course) was to buy a sewing machine cheaply off of craigslist. So far I've spent around twice as much fixing/cleaning it than I have buying it. It is a total beast and frustrating at times but I love it. In the about six months plus I've been quilting I've been buying fabric, and quilting accessories. For Christmas I wanted fabric:

From my sister.

And I have been getting sewing accessories for Shannon (my sewing machine)

A walking foot to help with quilting.

I've still been knitting and spinning. But now I am trying to become a quilter. I love looking at them and how intricate they are. I love that you don't need a pattern and can kind of just go for it and try to figure it out as you sew. I love that it is pretty free form.

I am about to finish my first quilt that was supposed to be a Christmas present, she'll get it soon (ish)

My second quilt I'm working on is a rainbow quilt. I'm predictable even between crafts.

<3Annie

November is done

I failed at nanowrimo. Pretty miserably. But I did like the story I started. Maybe in the new year I will read it over do better. Wish me luck during finals week.

NaNoWriMo

In a fit of recklessness (which is what this is all about right?) I have with some enabling by my roommate decided to join National Novel Writing Month. Since the last time I posted on this blog was about me trying to write more it seemed appropriate to post this here. I will also attempt to make more posts. I'm spinning something delightful now and have been taking pictures stay posted.

I have no plot, no characters, considering something that I was already writing but I don't want to be that vapid. Just a want to write more in my life. And write somewhat recklessly.

Join me in my implausibility NaNoWriMo website

Sundays are for writing

I'm going to start trying to write more. On this blog and in general. For the next three weeks I have determined Saturdays are for crafting (more on that later) and Sundays are for writing. and packing....

Writing includes:
blogging
Writing short stories
Working on long stories
reading? (maybe although it is technically not writing I should do it more and I am out of days of the weekend)

So tonight I am updating my blog with nothing more than letting you know I will be writing... silly Annie.

Random Act of Kindness

For those who've known me for a while know that I really wanted a spinning wheel but really just couldn't afford one.

For those of you who follow me on twitter/Facebook know that I've been extremely excited about something for the last few days and now world I can share with you....

No friends your eyes are not deceiving you that is a spinning wheel. In my living room. Sit down let
me tell you an amazing story.

On Sunday my friend Sarah came up from South Dakota (she was here for a wedding on Sat) We went to the MIA (Minneapolis Institute of Art) a free museum in south Minneapolis. While we were there I had my spindle out and was walking around while spindling business as usual. At MIA they have these great little things called "art carts" which are maned by volunteers and have art that you can touch and play with and talk about with the the people.

While I was walking and spindling one of the volunteers stopped me and asked what I was doing. I said that i was spinning yarn on a drop spindle. They said  they had a native american drop spindle but didn't really know anything about it. I looked at it was able to explain a little bit about it.

One of the Women Beverly who is absolutely wonderful mentioned that she used to spin on a wheel but but never on a spindle.

I mentioned that I really would love a wheel

she asked if I was interested.

I said yes, but with my budget being what it is there is no way I could afford a wheel even one on the lower end of the pricing spectrum.

And Beverly's response was that her wheel had been sitting in her basement for years now without being used. and when she got home she would take it out and look at it and if everything seemed to be in order I could have it.

I could have it, as in she would give it to me.

I gave her a hug. and now this morning my roommate and I drove across town to her house and picked it up.

I am completely blown away by her generosity and that she would give a person that she just met something as valuable as a wheel. and just completely floating on air I OWN A SPINNING WHEEL And it is wonderful and beautiful

It is a 1973 Clemes and Clemes Traditional Wheel it has been wonderfully maintained. Beverly ordered it directly from Clemes and Clemes in 1973 and had it shipped to her. And back then they didn't sell these wheels as kits oh no they shipped them in giant barrels This is it next to my roommates car to give you a size comparison

I think I need to replace the drive band but otherwise it is in excellent condition. Now i just need to learn how to spin on it!

And not only is Beverly a wonderful kind person but she is also a great artist. I'm positive i will be knitting something for her soon.

I am nothing if not consistent

So I'm participating in the Tour de Fleece right now (more on that later) But yesterday when I went to get some icecream with my friend I brought my spinning along and we had the following conversation in the car:

Me: It's spinning up a lot lighter than the roving is. I kind of like it.
Her: Yeah, that is kind of strange. But it's good that you like it.
Me: But I think I already own yarn this color though.
Her: well there are only so many shades of rainbow a person can own
Me: This is true

guys... I really like rainbows....

my roving yoinked from the original etsy posting I bought it from.

I've come to the conclusion...

That I am not white.


I know, duh Annie look in the mirror. Clearly, you are not white. But I've grown up with the notion that I am a "White washed" Asian Kid. Based on the people I grew up with and the experiences I've had. And while it's easy to group my identity into that of the a person who is not a person of color. I think that by doing this I am denying not only my person of color experience but the experiences of other of persons of color like me. Just because it's not the standard narrative of a person of color and maybe there isn't a "standard narrative" It is a narrative and a legitimate one at that.


Not only all of this, but I've sort of come to the conclusion that many of the experiences that I take for granted are simply not those of a "white persons" a lot of the habits I have, I learned from my mother or other situations that arose from being a person of color. And recognizing that i the first step of reconciling identities.

(Sorry for not posting for so long)