New York Fashion Week Gets Crafty

See, needlework IS cool....not that I needed any verifcation or anything. But, if someone wanted to send me one of Anya Hindmarch's needle kits (pictured above), that would be cool. I'd d like that.

And I call myself an Angeleno

I have lived in West Los Angeles my entire life (save for 4 years of college education in Arizona) and yet I did not know the magic of World on Wheels.

I'm embarrassed but I'm coming clean today.

Todd was going to be in Minneapolis for Valentine's Day (oh, the perils of long-distance love) which left me dateless. Randomly I thought I needed to get a group together to go roller skating. (I'm telling you, living inside my head is not for the faint of heart.) A quick search on the Google lead me to World on Wheels, the only skate rink in Los Angeles.

So. Much. Fun.

We only skated for about an hour and a half (with copious amounts of breaks) but holy wow was it a workout. And the people watching? Fantastic. The kids who skate are nothing short of amazing. We're going to go every week. No, I'm not kidding. Its that much fun and its that much of a workout in a this-is-too-much-fun-to-be-burning-calories sort of way. Free this Saturday? We'll be there at 7pm. I'm not kidding. Regina was just pricing out skates on lowpricedskates.com and yes that really is a website.

A few things to note:

If you're at San Vicente and Venice & you see a Ralphs, you're in the right place. The skate rink is around back. And yes there is a bowling alley right above it. Seriously, does it get much better?

There's a disco night on the last Saturday of the month. (I can't be there this month since I'll be in Florida but I will remind you for the March date since I will be there.) There's also a goth night. Sinful Thursday is apparently the place to be but I hear its so crowded that you probably won't skate. Personally, I'll go one week just to see it since I keep hearing about it.

You think you can't skate. Don't tell me that. There were people of all ages, sizes, and personalities on that rink. There were people alone, people in groups and a few couples.

Want to come skating with us? Drop me an email or leave a comment. We'd love to have you join us. The more the merrier!!

And a huge thanks to Catherine, Laurie Ann, Russell and their respective entourages in making this Valentine's Day one of my all-time favorites!

A Life Lived on Her Terms

I bet a few of you are wondering what would get me to Minnesota in the winter; it was a funeral. But, don't be too sad. This little lady lived just one month shy of her 99th birthday. No, that's not a typo, Ruth was 98 years old when she passed last Tuesday.

Ruth Dahlke was Todd's gramma. I took this picture of the two of them back in September 2006, the first time I met her and the rest of Todd's family. For a woman, for a woman born when she was, for a woman from a small town, Ruth lived life on her terms. She even planned her own funeral. I was lucky enough not only to be a part of the family's goodbye, but to witness an entire town say goodbye to this woman.

If you want to learn a bit more about Ruth, read on....

From the Fairmont Sentinel

Ruth Nellie McCarron, the daughter of Peter J. and Julia (Whitney) McCarron, was born March 2, 1910, in Sherburn, Minn. She graduated from Sherburn High School in 1927 and attended Mankato State College, graduating in 1929 with a teaching degree. She began her teaching career in East Chain, where she taught for two years. Ruth was united in marriage to Vern "Cy" Dahlke on March 30, 1931, in Rockwell City, Iowa. They made their home in Sherburn, where Ruth continued teaching elementary school for the next 30 years. Cy passed away on Dec. 24, 1967.

During her lifetime, Ruth was an avid golfer, bowler and bridge player. She greatly enjoyed coffeeing with her friends and following her Twins and Vikings. She was especially proud to be mentioned in the book, "Daughters of the Game," which chronicles the first era of Minnesota girls high school basketball. She also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ruth was a member of the Methodist Church and the Sherburn American Legion Auxiliary.

Those left to cherish her memory are her two daughters, Carron Klukow of Sherburn, Minn., and Deborah Danielson and fiance Steve Swift of Fairmont, Minn.; grandsons, Todd Klukow of Minneapolis, Minn., and Nicholas Danielson of Minneapolis, Minn.; granddaughters, Trudi Detert and her husband LaMar of St. Michael, Minn., and Courtney Danielson of Brooklyn, N.Y.; great-grandchildren, Brady Paul and Makena Ruth Detert; sister, Celia Forstrom of Fairmont, Minn.; sister-in-law, Doris Krumwiede of Sherburn, Minn.; nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.


Ruth was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Vern "Cy" Dahlke; six brothers, two sisters, five sisters-in-law and three brothers-in-law and other relatives.

Do you live on a Crafty Planet?

I had to break my rule about going to Minneapolis in the winter this weekend. (More on that in a later post, hopefully tomorrow...) But, besides spending time with clan Klukow, I had the pleasure of visiting Crafty Planet.

Oh. Mi. doG.

I don't think I could ever live in Minneapolis (please see previous posts on respiratory issues) but I could live at Crafty Planet. Its in the North East side of Minneapolis (apparently pronounced Nor-East), just a stone's throw from downtown. When I asked Todd to take me I didn't realise it was on the exact opposite side of town from him. Of course, I could have guessed this as he lives in SOUTH Minneapolis and Crafty Planet is in NORTH EAST Minneapolis. Whatever, we were on a craft mission...distance is no obstacle.

We walked in and it was sensory overload.

Crafty Planet doesn't just have yarn, they have fabric. They don't just have all the Sublime Stitchery patterns, they have all the Subversive Cross stitch. They have EVERY craft book I own, have heard of and some I've never even thought of. They have classes and nice people who work there. It was overwhelming. I've already asked Todd if I can go back when I'm in town for HIS BIRTHDAY. He agreed. He's good like that.

But, for those of you who won't be visiting the Metro Area anytime in the near future (pictures here), as the nice owner man told me when he was ringing me up "You can always shop us online!" Now, I doubt they have EVERYTHING I saw online, but they do have the fabric I thought I could wait on. (Isn't that handy!?) Seriously, they have every bolt of fabric I've seen and coveted IN ONE PLACE. They have stuff Michael Levine doesn't! Its upsetting, overwhelming even. They have monkeys and robots and skulls and knitting needles and wood and designers and just, its too much. I love it there.

Crafting Guilt

"How much did you pay for that yarn?"

"How many hours did you put into that?"

"Sewing is not a cheap hobby."

"How much did it cost to buy all the supplies for this?"

How many times have we heard these questions?

Do you ask triathletes how much they've put into their bikes? Or, how much someone spent traveling to Asia? How long did someone prepare for a marathon? I don't. I think its tacky. Unless of course I might have general questions if you've made something or gone somewhere and I'm just dying of jealousy and I want to price out if I can afford to do it. And the curiosity questions, the can-I-do-what-you-do questions, always flatter me. But here, I'm talking more about the accusations and the second guessing which I've never understood.

On Friday night, after fighting with my mom's Singer over a HEM, a straight seem for crying out loud, I decided I would buy a sewing machine. (I know, rockin' single girl life over here.) I knew my approximate comfort level for cost and timing.

And then something happened.

Regina & I were talking with Russell at the Sewing Arts Center last night about machines. And after settling on a machine I could afford, Regina said something that really struck me.

"I really want a lifetime machine."

How many times have we bought cheap knitting needles only to never use them again because they broke or splintered or even bled onto work? One one project alone I bought THREE different sets of needles before I broke down and bought the nice ones I should have started with in the first place.

I mean, its only crafting, right. Cheap supplies should be fine. Its not like food; its not something you need.

Or is it?

I don't do therapy. My medications don't allow me to drink away my problems. When I'm upset or oxygen-impaired I make something. So then why is buying a new crafting tool considered such an extravagance? Why do I feel fine buying a new computer but I feel I have to justify a new sewing machine? What is this guilt, this need of justification to spend on something we love to do?

I don't know.

I do know that I worked on these machines in class and sewing was fun! Its still not easy, but its learnable. On the home machine threading could take up to an hour...getting even stitches could take equally as long and all that takes place before even working on whatever. But working in class, assuming I was paying attention, I could thread the machine in under a minute and have something complete in just a few hours. And I can make something fun and its mine and no one has one just like it.

So I bought it. The new machine. The one most definitely not in my first price range but the one I really wanted and feel happy and comfortable with and one I won't be looking to replace in a year or two...one I can grow into and make things to torture all of you with.

The he!! with the guilt, this is going to be fun.

Arts & Crafts Project

Before Christmas I signed up for sewing classes at the Sewing Arts Center. But, I didn't really want to wait for class. I have a sewing machine at home and I even live with a sewer. So really, why wait?

On an outing to Michael Levine I picked up some random fabric...stuff I loved but I had no idea what I'd do with it. Except for one skirt I knew I wanted to make...one of the Amy Butler Barcelona skirts. Obviously, since this would be my first home-sewn garment, I knew I'd have to keep it simple so I went with the classic A-line style. Three pieces and a zipper, nothing too complicated. I mean, my mom has sewn me dresses and costumes for years. She completed not one but TWO home ec classes and got As in both. She took one look at the pattern and said, no problem.

Until she saw my fabric.

For those of you out there who wonder why I pay for lessons when I live with a sewer, wonder no longer.

"Why did you pick this?"

'cause its funny.

"There's a house in your fabric."

Yup, and trees too.

"Why did you pick fabric with a house and trees? This makes the skirt more difficult. Why didn't you just buy a solid fabric."

Because I can buy normal at the Gap.

"Ok, next time we sew, no landscapes."

Mom would tell me what do to and then wander off. I'd do whatever that was, go find her and then make her come back to tell me what to do next. I can't say I learned anything but I will say we had fun. She might have originally complained about the fabric but she was amused with the final product.

"Where will you wear this?"

Work?

"Really?"

Yeah, why?

"Wear it tomorrow. "

Mom, its December. I can't wear a cotton skirt when its like 50 degrees out. Its cold.

She was awestruck that I actually wore the skirt to work yesterday. Hey, it was in the 70s, completely appropriate to wear.

Though, I might have forgotten to tell her not only did I wear the skirt to work but I took pictures of myself in it in not one but two different bathrooms with both my camera and my phone.

Some things are just best left unexplained.