Flash Your Stash

I thought I would start with where I hide/stast my yarn. Looks can be deceiving...

....and now for the stash! Silky wool and Manos... Knitpicks and Koigu sock yarn...
Various Rowan yarns...
yarns from recycled thrift store sweaters...
Noro yarns...

KnitPicks Palette...

Odds and ends of Knitpicks...
Cotton-ease...

Brown Sheep yarns...
Debbie Bliss Yarns...
and finally the WTF pile of fun fur, cotton, acrylic and general question marks.Hope you enjoyed my stash!!

Shock and awe

Last night I got home and started getting my stash ready to photograph. Holy Crap!!! I have a ton of yarn-much more than I thought. I store it all in one 2-shelf unit so I didn't think there would be much there. I was wrong. It sprawled across the floor and getting back into the bags and boxes was a chore. It got me semi-inspired to knit but I didn't knit at all last night. I tried to find my next project and think the cabled socks from Sarah Dallas Knitting may be it. It would be a stash buster with leftovers from the Ribbed Cardigan and the Zig-Zag Scarf. Maybe I will start tonight.

Two more movies to add to the chessy movie list: Critters and Two Much ( I am so embarassed by that one). I do watch up-to-date movies too. Don't get me wrong. I have also seen Crash, Walk the Line and History of Violence.

Getting ready to flash

Tonight is the night I am taking pictures of my stash in preparation for Flash Your Stash on Sat. With a couple of hours to myself I can safely lay out all my yarn without getting ridiculed by hubby (who is often an enabler-see below) and step-son. i could either go crazy with the pictures or take just one or two. in the grand scheme of things, I don't think I have too much of a stash but with the 2 week old Knit Picks order still on its way I may be kidding myself.

I cast-on for the scarf from the Kint Kit hubby bought me yesterday and put it in my car. I think I can get these done quickly. Chunky yarn and big needles. Overall though I am lacking inspiration. I worked about 5 rows on Clapotis last night during American Idol but other than that-nothing. We watched "Roadhouse" and I realized how many horrible movies I have watched lately. We fill out our Netflix list with cheesy movies that we can watch while the new releases have a waiting list. Not every one was terrible but here is the list of those I have seen in the past couple of months that didn't quite make the grade:

Roadhouse
Moving Violations
Weekend at Bernies
Weekend at Bernies 2
Young Guns II
Red Dawn
The Village ( I have to put this on because hubby guessed one part of the ending and I guessed another. Too predictable)
Teen Wolf
All of the Police Academy movies

I know there are more but I am through embarrassing myself.

From my hubby...

Tonight was weight-in night. (down 3.2lbs!! It is amazing what tracking you meals will do.) My husband dropped me off and an hour later was waiting for me in the parking lot. Out from the back seat, he pulled out this: He bought me a project to keep in my car for those times I have a few minutes to kill. He thought it was perfect because everything I need is included and it comes with its own container to keep it in. As you can tell by the orange sticker, he perused the clearance racks at Target while I was in the meeting. I have such a great hubby! He knows the way to this girl's heart is through yarn.

All signed up!

I finally signed up for the One Skein Secret Pal. (as if I need more single skeins but I couldn't resist!)

Felted and Dried

Here is the French Market Bag in all it's glory. I like the width of it but I am wishing it was a bit deeper. Here are the stats:

French Market Bag from Knitty

Yarn: Lions Brand Fisherman's Wool dyed with Kool-aid

Needles: size 7

New Level of Knitter

Have I become a knitter that needs to take a project everyplace I go?

Little League started this week and I was thinking about the knitting I could do during the game. First of all, I am an avid baseball fan and have NEVER brought anything to distract me from a game (expect for Stitch n' Pitch). I often think of people who bring books, etc to games as anti-social. Second, knitting is a no-go anyway since I volunteered to keep the scorebook during the games. Something I have done for about 3 years but this year I am regeretting it because I could be knitting.

This morning, as I was 45 minutes early for a meeting in Tacoma sitting in my car listening to the radio, I hoped a project would just magically appear in my car-Ready for me whenever I had time to spare. Even my husbnad suggested putting something in my car. I already usually have 2 projects at home- one for upstairs, one for downstairs.

Has all this brought me to a new level of knitter?

FO pics

I finished 2 projects this weekend but not the 2 I had intended.

First, the ribbed Cardigan. I finally put the zipper in. I started Saturday morning at 8am and by the time I went to step-son's Baseball game at 11, it was done. My anticipated number of "oh shit!"s needed get this done never happened. It is amazing how following directions and taking your time can make a project easier. I wore the sweater yesterday to my mom's birthday brunch
at Etta's where my brother works the grill.

The lining for the Counterpane bag never really got off the ground. Aside from Sat. AM, I didn't have any knitting/sewing time until later in the evening and that is no time for me to start cutting and sewing. I did, however, finish the French Market Bag. I felted it last night ans it is drying as we speak. I used to make felted bags all the time. It was nice to do another one but at times I lacked to motivation to knit countless rounds.





Clapotis is still going. With that being to only project on the needles, I am ready to start something new but lack the inspritation. A new Knitty should be out soon and One Skein is on it's way. I am sure between the 2 of those, something will hit me.

It's sew time!

I keep telling myself I need to set aside some sewing time this weekend. I really want to get the zipper in my Ribbed Cardigan and the lining in my bag. All of a sudden, my schedule got busy. Beer festival tonight, little league tomorrow at 11AM and brunch Sunday at 11:30. My most productive hours are in the morning. by 3pm my drive is gone. Maybe tomorrow AM I can bust out the lining before the game and see how it goes. Monday, the blog should have pics of 2 completely finished items!

C'est fini! (almost)

The French Market bag is nearly done. Just 2 more handles to work on. Should be done tonight or tomorrow.

My KnitPicks order has shipped so "One Skein" is not too far away!

Hubby has Thurs & Fri. off and this morning decided it is the day to paint the kitchen. He started at 7am by ripping off the rest of the backsplash that the contractors missed. That was followed by taping off the cabinets and wall. He was so into it, he nearly forgot to feed and cloth his child who was reading quietly in his room. I am sure I am in for a surprise when I get home tonight. I was so ready to get to work by 7:30 when the talk of taking the microwave shelf/stove fan off the wall.

Knitting Pics

After a couple off topic posts, I figured I should get back to knitting. Currently, I am working on the French Market bag, perfect mindless knitting. Made out of Kool-aid dyed Fisherman's Wool. I am just about finished with the body. Only a few more rows to go.

My other project is Clapotis. This is in KnitPicks Gossamer in Carribbean. For some reason this pattern is my favorite. Easy, fun and wearable. This one is lace weight. The colors here are a little off. It isn't quite as bright but it should be good for spring/summer.

April 1st is "Flash Your Stash". Look for pics of my ever-growing stack of yarn then!

What to do?

So last week I placed an order online for some make-up (foundation, powder, and concealer) and then cancelled it the next day. The order was still pending so the cancellation went through-or so I thought. monday night I came home and saw a package in the kitchen. The concealer was shipped to me. I checked my order online and it said it has been cancelled. I checked my credit card and nothing had been charged. I called CS to see what happened and they were closed. Last night I called CS again. They guy on the phone told me the order was cancelled and they didn't show anything being shipped or billed. Basically, he told me they had no paper trail for the item being sent and that they have no knowledge of me having the item so what I do with it is up to me. If I send it back I get reinbursted for the shipping. If I don't do anything, they would never know. What do I do? This is $20 Bare Escentual concealer. Is Karma going to get me or are they sending me the first one free so I get addicted? Why is this keeping me up at night?

American Idol night so I had a good 2 hour block of knitting. I worked on the body of the French Market Bag as I watched Barry Manilow coach everyone. Has he had major work done or what? He has the shiny over stretched look to his skin. To think I used to have a cruch on him in the Copacabana days.

Next Sweater?

Last night at Purly Girls, Molly had Lara on. I would love to make this sweater. I just have no idea where to find the pattern. It's Debbie Bliss but aside from that, I am stumped. Anyone have an extra copy?

I have set time aside this weekend to finally finish up the ribbed cardigan and sew the lining into the Counterpane bag. I was alittle sidetracked with the house stuff going on. I need a couple of un-interupted hours to get this done. It reminds me of an old roommate who sewed. We would always ask her how many "oh, shit!"'s until she was finished. I am predicting 3 "oh, shit"'s for me on these 2 projects.

Baby's got Back

Does more knitting time equal a bigger butt size? In the past year, I have gained 10 lbs and at the same time my knitting has increased. Initially, I thought knitting would keep my hands busy while watching tv so I would not snack un-necessarily. Now I think I watch tv and sit more. Not that knitting is the only factor in my ample ass. We get free lunches at work and are encouraged to eat at the casino locations as a quality control measure. Most days lunch is delivered to our desks. This is no light lunch. Burgers, pasta, pizza, some salads and appetizers. We have tastings for new menu items and our weekly meetings always include food.

As I was going through the clothes in my closet this past weekend, I noticed even my "fat" jeans were getting near impossible to zip. Time to refresh! I lost 20 lbs on Weight Watchers before my wedding in 2003 and gained nearly all of it back. I still goes to meeting religiously but something happens the moment I walk out the door. I forget the basics. So, my new goals:
1. Bring lunch every day possible.
2. Work out 20-30 minutes before any knitting occurs. (this is a tough one)
3. 1 lb lost = $2 for yarn fund
4. Write everything down.

As much as my husband likes the extra bulk to grab, it is time for me to refocus and get my ass into shape ( and into the skinny jeans that have been sitting in my closet for a year).

Another Secret Pal to Join...

http://www.oneskein.com/secretpal.asp

Oh so tempting! I ordered One Skein with my KnitPicks order. I cannot wait to knit some cupcakes!

Bobbi Bear

This weekend was all about painting and moving everything back into place after the carpet had been installed. Our once ketchup red spare bedroom is now a calming shade of "stucco".

My nights thought were spent finishing Bobbi Bear. This was a quick project and perfect for some leftovers I had from a sweater I made.

Baby Bobbi Bear
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Chestnut
Needles: Size 8

I have started a new clapotis using single stranded lace yarn. I have made one double stranded but I thought this would be better for the spring/summer. I am sure I will be complaining about the repetitive-ness soon.

I caved...

Yes, after visiting KnitPicks about 5 times today, I finally gave in and bought enough sock yarn to last me a while. For some reason I keep buying it to make Clapotis. I have 2 already. How many do I need? Anyway, I also got One Skein too but it is on backorder. I love the cupcakes in that book.

More shopping: I stopped by Joann's to get some Polyfil for the Bobbi Bear and also walked past the best fabric for the lining of the Counterpane bag! Now to just find time to set aside and sew that and the zipper into the Ribbed Cardigan.

Future Buyer's Remorse?

KnitPicks has some of their sock yarn on sale. Just yesterday I told my husband to tell me "no" when I want to buy yarn. I already have more then enough. But then I see the sale and One Skein for $12.95. What to do? I was thinking of knitting socks for xmas presents but that is 10 pairs. I think I would get bored. Mother's day! No, my mom wouldn't wear them. I am so tempted to buy something. I have already cancelled an online order for make-up because I could not justify spending $100 on foundation, powder and concealer when I can by my whole make-up collection at Target for $30. Why is this any different?

I have buyer's remorse and I haven't even bought anything. What happen to the days when I would buy new clothes every week and they would sit in my closet with the tag still on for months and it didn't bother me?

SP Package and a day at home

First- I got my second package from my SP6. LOVE IT!!!! 2 Skeins of Silk Garden, a skein of Manos in a color I looked at the other day, Knitting notecards, a Fresh Linen scented candle and a card from my SP. I heard she/he is under the weather and I hope they are getting better. Thank you so much!

The contractors have left for the day and here is the result:

We have bare floors in the kitchen and the living/dining room. The refrigerator, oven and dishwasher are now sitting where our tv and couch were last night. Dinner out for us... The carpet and kitchen floor will be here tomorrow. Then tomorrow night we move all the bedroom stuff into the living room. Fun times.

That extra time at home left me mucho knitting time. I could not hear the tv over the banging and drilling so I opted for a good stand-by, seen 1000 times movie- Dirty Dancing and knitted the day away. I seamed the Counterpane bag and am hot to trot to get the lining put in. I started a Bobbi Bear last night and am half way done with the head. What a great way to use up leftovers and a welcome change from the other things I have worked on.

After this exciting day, I am looking forward to getting back to work. Hubby has Thurs/Fri off so he is on carpet duty for the next couple of days.

Carpet Time

As I type, contractors are here. The carpet has been torn up and now they are screwing the floor down. No more Squeeks!!!!! I am sitting downstairs quietly knitting away on a Bobbi Bear. I can't hear the tv too much and trying to watch "The Village" with closed captioning is not working well. I cannot wait for all of this to be done!

All that and time to knit

Last night I got home from work on a mission. Get every non-essential item out of the living room. We moved serving dishes, knick-knacks, book shelves, tables and more downstairs to get ready for the new carpet. Then I hit the bedroom closet. First the floor and the 3 garbage bags full of shoes! I had no idea I had that many. I really only wear 3 or 4 pairs on a regular basis. I started to pack up clothes and then I realized that I can't pack everything. I need clothes for work this week and something else to wear besides the paint stained sweats I had on. The closet packing stopped there. They aren't doing the bedrooms until Friday anyway.

We hit the kitchen next. We are also getting new kitchen floors and that means moving the refrigerator and taking off the doors to fit it through the doorway. So it was clean out the fridge/freezer night. We had chicken with sides of frozen vegetables, 4 potstickers, various olives and marinated vegetables in bottles and I washed it all down with a Hard Lemonade I found at the bag of the fridge. Tonight should be an even stranger food combo dinner night as hubby and I have more frozen veggies with frozen shrimp and step-son has a hotdog. Who knows what else will show up on the table?

After all that- I did finished the Counterpane bag. Just need to sew it together and line it. A project to do while i sit and what our floors get torn up tomorrow? I think so.

I noticed that all my projects lately have been varigated yarn or multi-colored in some way. Maybe it is time for something solid...

Knitting Away and New Carpet!

Good News: I have finished 1 and a half sides of the Counterpane bag. I am not sure how much I like this but with the right lining it could be really kitschy retro. I also have the bottom of the French Market Bag done and started the body of the bag. This is mindless knitting, perfect for movie watching. I started on Sat. while watching the Wedding Crashers followed by Auto Focus. Odd movie mix, I know. Good news with a bad news kick: We are finally getting the new carpet to replace the water damaged/moldy carpet. They are coming on Wed. to do the living/dining room and Thurs. to do the bedrooms. This means we have to pack up and move everything. I started a bit this weekend and we only have larger stuff left in the living room but the bedrooms are going to be terrible to go through. No Purly Girls for me tonight- just a night spent with boxes, dust and a potential sore back. I am taking Wed. off though to be at home whent he carpet is installed that equals more knitting time!

Forgive me husband, for I have sinned!

I ventured out to the local yarns shops this weekend and once again went without a pattern in mind. Which always means I buy more yarn for the stash and no determined purpose. Sorry honey, more yarn to store...

First stop was Acorn Street. It was packed full of yarn and the staff was very helpful. I think I will definetly return again. I was just in awe of the amount of yarn. I had to walk around the small shop at least 3 times to take it all in. I picked up a wristcuff pattern and some 40" size 2 needles for more socks.

Next stop was Wooly Monkey. They were having a 30% off sale so I waited to buy yarn there. I wasn't too impressed. The shop is in an old house and their selection isn't much. I did find some black (yes, a neutral) Cascade 220. Again, for no project in paticular, you just never know when you might need 4 skeins of black yarn.

Side note to lady in the shop: Next time you child has a running nose, give her a damn Kleenex instead of having her sniffle every 10 sec and wipe it on her arm. Not only was it totally annoying and distracting but gross and inconsiderate!!!

Back to yarn: Next stop was The Fiber Gallery. Jessica and Molly for Purly Girls work there. They also had a big selection. If I ever need Lamb's Pride, that is where I am going. They had a basic shawl pattern that I liked so I picked up some Silky Wool for that and some yarn for the Wristcuffs.

All in all, it was a great eye-opener to some of the Seattle yarn shops.

All of this was followed by a trip to VegFest. Where for $5 you can sample a TON of vegetarian products. We have been going for about 5 years and always find something new even though we are not vegetarians. Too full for dinner, we headed to the Pacific Rim Brewery for a couple of beers. $3 a pint- can't beat it!

I also started on a French Market Bag our of the kool-aid dyed yarn. pics to come soon......

Zig-Zag Done!

Last night I knit a few more row or my Zig-Zag scarf and called it done. Proud to say I am actually wearing it today and the length is good. I think I will add the leftover yarn to the Amazing Technicolor Blanket. Here are the details:

Zig-Zag Scarf from Scarf Style
Yarn: KnitPicks Merino Style
Needles: size 6

I also did some kool-aid dying and here is the finished product. I used grape, green apple?, and berry blue. It reminds me of an easter egg. This is screaming to be used for a felted bag.

Solutions (sort of)

What did I do yesterday to solve my scarf problem? I avoided it all together. I set it aside thinking, "Maybe we just need to take a break."

We watched "Walk the Line" last night and I worked on the Counterpane Bag, although not very much. Too much counting for a movie knit. Does anyone else want to have Reese's hair from the movie? It is perfect-big but not too big, wavy but not curly. If I only wanted to spend 2 hours in the morning to get ready.

Anyway, back to the scarf. This morning I read a comment from Rebecca suggesting I keep knitting. That lit the fire under my butt and I continued to knit thies morning. Thank you Rebecca for the jump-start!

When to stop....

I am at the point with the Zig-Zag scarf where I could stop. I had a major inner dialogue last night and this morning about it. I would like to stop but would I wear it more if it was longer? Will I wear it at all? Is it even worth adding another color repeat? What would I do with the leftover yarn? I should just knit until I run out but other projects are calling... I could cast off on the next row or knit for anouther 48. Hopefully by the end of the day I will finally make up my mind.

I realized the other night that I have 2 very odd color combination projects going right now. Nothing neutral for me! Then I looked at what I am wearing today. Dark brown pants and a teal sweater. Hmmm...Surf and Turf? Just like the yarn for the Counterpane bag. Last Saturday I wore jeans with a yellow tee and a pink and black fleece. Zig-Zag scarf? No wonder. Neutrals? Nope. I don't even have a pair of black pants. Maybe it is my artist background but it is all about color for me. (as you can see). I should challenge myself with a cream sweater but I think I would end up dying it with kool-aid.

Field Trip?

Last night at Purly Girls, we were talking about yarns store in Seattle. There are 9 of them. I realized that I have only been to 3 of them. Ever since my LYS closed, I have been hitting 1 or 2 of the Seattle stores periodically. The thought occured to me that maybe I need to take a field trip to the other stores and check them out. A couple got some not-so-great reviews as far as customer service but that still leaves 4 or 5 stores to hit. Maybe this weekend?

Too embarrassed to whip out my acrylic last night, I worked on the Zig-Zag scarf and made major progress. I think I am just about done even with the frogging of 3 repeats due to my lack of counting ability.

It is cold here this morning and as I was reaching for my Clapotis I got the inspiration to make another one. I have 2 and I wear them at least once a week. By far the most worn scarves I have. I have the yarn already so after the zig-zag comes Clapotis #3.

Slightly off plan

Ok, so I said I wasn't going to start anything new until the Zig-Zag scarf was finished. I lied. After getting the acrylic and a copy of Handknit Holidays from the library, I started the Counterpane Bag.

I cannot believe I was so excited to start something in acrylic. It seems to be a quick knit but I not sure if I have enough yarn to do all the repeats. I think I can do at least 4. I have one skein per side.

Off-Topic: I am proud to say that after a couple years of not seeing any Best Picture nominees, I finally saw Crash on Saturday and was moved. It was a great film!

Warm Feet

I finished my socks sooner than I expected. I guess an hour of knitting during American Idol helped with that. I really like these. They were quick and a good change of pace.

Loopy Socks from KnitPicks.com (made without Loops)

Yarn: KnitPicks Sock Garden

Needles: size 3 magic loop

I only have one project left on the needles, the Zig-Zag scarf. I had time to work another repeat last night. I think I will finished this before starting another project.

Not much to say

Not too much going on today. I should finished my second sock in by the weekend. I have a HUGE urge to go buy some acrylic yarn. I know I could be tried and hung for saying that. TLC has a Brown/Turquoise mix that I like and I have been insipred to make a bag with it but like most I really am not fond of acrylic. The color is sucking me in. I have the Joann's coupon in my purse so we will see what the day brings.

I have been elected at work to be "Julie from the Love Boat" on a trip to Lake Tahoe in June. We are taking our best customers there and I am now the event coordinator. I have scheduled golf and fishing outings and a welcome reception.

I hope nothing like this is in my future....


UPDATE: I literally went to 3 Jo-anns and a Michael's looking for the ever elusive "Surf and Turf" TLC Yarn. I don't think I have hunted that much for any type of yarn. I finally found 2 skeins and picked them up. Now I feel like a fool for hunting down an acrylic.