AfricanKelli

Oy, I have so much work to do and I just want to be at home crafting. There are days of domestic bliss and others of domestic yearning and frankly, I’m not sure when I became such a stay at home and do it yourself kind of gal, but I’m beginning to make myself sick.

Anywho… to know me is to know that I am slightly obsessed with shoes, bagel shops and purses. Oh, the purses. I love them. I covet them. It is completely unhealthy.

I’ve taken to knitting purses recently and just decided to make personalized baby bags for two girlfriends who are expecting this fall. I got the idea from Martha, but was later inspired by Sparrows and her love of Amy Butler. I purchased a pattern this weekend and will start my first sewing-by-pattern project later this week. If things go well, I hope to evolve to creating these. Tell me a girl who wouldn’t LOVE receiving one of these thoughtful, cheery bags as a gift? And I have tons of African fabric from my adventures. I cannot wait to dust of the sewing machine…

~AfricanKelli

An excellent Memorial Weekend was had at my house, solo. I even managed to thank my roommate’s boyfriend for serving in Iraq. That was about as patriotic as the day got.

I painted, I knit, I baked, I planned recipes, hit the market and then cooked. It was a productive three days. As for the baking, apparently when Martha says, “use parchment paper” she means it. I tried her cookie of the month for June without the paper, the cookies ran together into one large clump. I cut them apart carefully, but they did not come out of the pan nicely. The softball team is going to get mixmatched squares of chocolate double chunk. Something tells me they won’t complain.

The most exciting news of the weekend was the purchase of my very own digital camera. It something I’ve saved and budgeted for, which makes it that much nicer. And I shopped online beforehand, making the BestBuy salesboy lower the price to the web special — essentially I got the larger memory card for free. Yay!

Be prepared for an onslaught of photos, at least until the new toy high wears off.

Weekend projects/activities captured:

Garden pots replanted. I found the cute red chicken pot in Nicaragua.

Succulents and marigolds abound.

Shopping:

I finally made it to the new Ikea. I love these canisters! And while they were a pain to carry around the giant maze of a store, they look so nice and make baking that much easier. My mom is going to pick up a couple more for tea bags and other odds and ends.

The fam:

Speaking of, there’s the lovely lady. And my shiny, post-middle-of-the-day-run face.

And, finally, a gratuitous photo of the family dog, Dharma. Dharmie is the real queen of the castle.

~AfricanKelli

I started painting my condo this weekend. I thought with my roommate and her boyfriend out of town, and three days of essentially nothing on my plate, it would be the perfect time to patch nail holes, clean baseboards and touch up a few walls.

It seemed simple in theory.

Yesterday I spent nothing short of four hours painting a few walls. Tiny walls. Walls that really do nothing. They are in a hallway and face a closet. I thought it would take a few minutes, not an entire afternoon. Three doors, four walls and a ceiling later, I realized you cannot start a painting project thinking you are only going to “touch up” a few things here and there. The walls, they were cream, now they are a sparkling white. I am very pleased with the results, even though I can barely walk. My hamstrings are picketing and threaten to pack up and move out everytime I get too close to the blue tape and brushes soaking on the kitchen counter.

This morning, I’ve called in reinforcements. My brother is coming over to finish a few other walls that are within reach. As I started prepping them this morning, I realized this project is completely out of control. I need to hire someone to paint the vaulted ceiling and to repair the water damage from this winter’s storms. There is no way we are going to finish today, tomorrow or even this week. The repairs have just begun.

On a positive note, you wouldn’t believe how much cleaner and nicer walls look with a fresh coat of paint. I replaced a few rugs and am headed to Ikea today (for the first time!) to purchase new airy curtains. A new couch is on its way next weekend and my 2005 home renovations are getting off to a great start.

My legs and lower back may be a little upset today also because I spent two hours crouching in the garden yesterday. (Crouching Gardner, Beautiful Garden) I planted salvia, marigolds, succulents, aloe vera and other annuals that look colorful and cheery around the roses.

If I have the time, I plan on hitting Best Buy this afternoon too. It is about time this web site had a digital camera. I hope to post photos of this project gone awry soon!

Cheers,

AfricanKelli

Who knew you could find YARN on eBay? This could be my new financial kryptonite.

I’m thinking pretty Christmas scarves, or beanies. Hand dyed wool from New Zealand. Yay!

Saddam Hussein, dictator, killer and just a bad guy, is worthy of having his nation invaded and being photographed in his underwear.

Robert Mugabe, dictator, killer and just a bad guy, is worthy of nothing more than a few random news pieces in foreign media. Mugabe has ruled
Zimbabwe with a clenched fist since the early 1980s. He’s taken land away from white Zimbabweans to give to blacks. He’s single-handedly ruined their economy by closing white-run farms that exported valuable goods to nearby countries. He’s made his country so unstable and unsafe that there is relatively no tourism, even though it is home to one of the world’s most incredible natural wonders – Victoria Falls.

His elections are a joke, his government is humorous and yet, Zimbabweans, they are not laughing.

I wonder what will happen when these other old, miserable dictators (Fidel Castro and Kim Jong-il come to mind) die? Have they trained their prodigal sons to take the helm?

You may argue that this war wasn’t about oil, but when there are evil men killing their own people in many areas of the world who go without such an invasion, your argument loses strength.

~AfricanKelli

My friend Alma and I had planned on spending “holiday” in Thailand this December. We’ve been trying to convince our conservative families that two women traveling alone in a tsunami ravaged district wasn’t a terrible idea. We told them to ignore the Hollywood movies. She’s not Claire Danes and I am certainly not that Kate girl. If anything, it would be more like Laverne and Shirley hitting the Golden Triangle.

We wanted to be there for the tsunami anniversary, to take mosquito nets and water filters and compassion to an area of the world still suffering even though it is once again out of the limelight. We were going to pack our public health knowledge next to our patience and document our quick trip for an international health magazine when we got back.

Then I read this, and frankly, I’m not going anywhere. I’m no travel chicken. I love the adventure of being in a foreign place with nothing more than a few dollars and smile to find a hotel room, a good meal and a safe taxi driver. I enjoy the challenge of bartering in open markets and ordering off of menus that are written in script. I like packing a small backpack full of used clothing I plan on leaving behind with people who need it more than I do.

I know that I could have an excellent time in Thailand or Bali, but until they get their judicial system in line to prevent these sorts of cases, they’ll more than likely miss my tourism dollars. I can’t believe how fictional this story seems or the rage Ms. Corby must be feeling. Can you imagine spending 20 years in prison for something you didn’t do? Now, take away the comforts of spending that time in an American prison (where she would go for maybe a year in the US) and make it a damp, dark, awful Indonesian prison. Maybe I’m letting Hollywood get the best of my imagination, but I can’t think of much worse.

~AfricanKelli

I am having one of those afternoons where I can barely keep my eyes open to look at the computer. It’s been a hectic week. I’ve completed seven freelance articles, scheduled two others and have a meeting for another magazine tonight. (Not to mention what I get an actual paycheck for. I did a lot of that this week too.) Really, what I want to do is curl up in my bed with my most comfortable pajamas (the flannel pants and Dashboard Confessional t-shirt I don’t let anyone see me in) and fall into a deep, dreamy sleep. And considering I have a harder time sleeping in summer months — and yes, it is officially summer in
Phoenix since the temperature raced past 100 — I would love to lie down and read. I’ve just started “Lovely Bones” and so far, so good. Or maybe watch CSI, order a pineapple pizza and stuff myself silly with dairy and carbs in the same sitting.

Considering the bridge of my nose is pounding and I feel like a high school percussion section is practicing inside my skull, reading for pleasure wouldn’t be so pleasurable. Neither would dealing with a pizza delivery man. I don’t even think those little packets of peppers they bring with the pizza that I love so much could make me smile.

If Tylenol helps me regain my sight through this miserable headache, I would love to knit during Grisom commercials. I’m getting antsy to finish the beanie and start on summer birthday projects. It seems nearly all Ya Ya’s were dropped some time in July. Okay 3 of them. But that’s three out of seven and I don’t have to knit myself a birthday gift so it is 50% in one month. (Yes, engineering sort, I did that math correctly.) That requires a touch of planning. I’ve got one done (the poncho) and two to go. Oy.

I need a nap. And maybe a hug.

The bright side is, I have a cute new shirt to wear tomorrow for jeans day. And with a three-day weekend, I’m bound a determined to get writing, reading, gardening, baking and knitting done. I might even treat myself to the June issue of MSL.

~AfricanKelli

Hmmm… what do we have here? A lovely big box bookstore retailer? I wonder what fantastic items could be purchased at this store?

Oooh! I know! I know! How about that great looking copy of Destination I Do! In all seriousness, this is the first time anything I’ve written has been for sale on a newsstand and it is a great feeling. Look! Right there! A magazine I’m the editor of is nestled among national giants published in New York and Paris! Okay, maybe not so much on the Paris, but let me enjoy the moment.

I am tempted to ask the clerk to make some room for my book on the “new release” table near the front door. What clerk you ask?

How about this Adam Brody wanna-be who looks less than thrilled to be holding a copy of a wedding magazine? Yes, that clerk.  That’s right buddy, smirk, because these babies are going to be flying off the shelves. I’m smirking too.

~AfricanKelli

In my freetime, I am a freelance writer and editor of a couple magazines. The topics of such media have varied with time. I’ve worked on everything from Infection Control Today to Modern Car Care to Child Care Business. I was actually editor of a magazine called EndoNurse — for the endoscopy professionals of America. I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

Then came something I enjoyed writing about: weddings. As a bachelorette, of course I’ve got a thought or two on the topic. And I’ve been in more weddings than you could imagine. A girlfriend and I joke we are the Bouvier sisters perfected.

Destination I Do is something I’m exceptionally proud of, because it was created with a friend and it features other friends. It is a beautiful magazine and I know that those who read it are looking forward to one of the most special days of their lives. It sounds cheesy, but I haven’t been in a wedding yet that didn’t get me a bit misty. I full out cried at the altar at Mini and Jason’s and swore in front of the minister at Bec and Matt’s.

If you are in a Barnes and Noble in the next few weeks — I hear copies are going fast — peruse the newsstand and see if you can’t find a copy of DIDO.

~AfricanKelli

Good grief, this is becoming a knitting blog. I know, I know. I am sorry. There were once witty politics and fun jabs at famous people. I haven’t lost my verve so much as I’ve become a touch too well read by the parental sort. And believe it or not, they don’t appreciate my making fun of the president’s bedroom behavior. (Or lack thereof. Again, my apologies Laura. You look refreshed after your whirlwind visit to the
Middle East. That alone says it all.) The good news is, I’m in the process of cajoling a lovely web designer to create a new africankelli home where anonymity and cattiness will abound! Stay tuned.

In the meantime, back to the mundane world of yarn and purling. Oh, the purling.

I am in love with this woman’s blog. She is British and keen and very creative. I’m also a fan of this Australian illustrator who sews what she draws. Her designs remind me a bit of Hello Kitty meets Strawberry Shortcake. What a fun lives they lead! They are fellow BackTackers.

I am currently working on a beanie for my friends in La Quinta. They purchased a Mini Cooper and I’ve promised them a hat to match. It will be yellow with white racing stripes and I cannot wait to hand it over. There may be a small problem with the size. I think I purchased a circular needle that was too big and the beanie may end up looking more like a capped tube top. Eh. They’ll love it anyway.

The only other knitted gifts I’ve given have gone to Meg in Salt Lake (a lovely Irish purse in varying shades of green) to Min in Mesa (a purse in a heavy Navajo red and black yarn) and to Amanda for her work in England (a black poncho.) They each owe me a photo of said project (ahem) so it can be posted.

Here is the hat in process:

 I love yellow.

Here is my version of heaven (a box full of yarn, needles and books of patterns!):

Apparently children are not supposed to sit in the knitting box. Thank you lid warning.

The next thing I want to conquer knitting are mittens. I’m going to dust of the sewing machine this weekend for the BackTack project and I’m also interested in learning how to sew aprons. I think those would also be well-appreciated and used gifts. Any suggestions or guidance on these is well needed!

~Africanknitter