Stash

I have a stash! Okay so it's only 6 skeins. LOL I will probably never be one to have a huge stash - the main reason being finances. I just don't have money to spend on yarn that will just sit there for a long time. I wish I did though!

Also I really prefer to pick a project first and then buy the yarn to go with it. I'm just not good at buying yarn without knowing what it's for - how much do I get is one issue. The exception may be sock yarn, and if I do end up with any sort of real stash it will probably be composed mainly of that. It's easy to know how much sock yarn to buy.

So anyway, other than a million half used balls of Sugar & Cream or Peaches & Cream cotton yarn, some leftover thread from crocheting doilies, and I believe I have a skein of Red Heart for Kids yarn that I didn't end up needing for Lindsey's scarf, here's "my stash":

Dyeabolical Yarns - Alter Ego Merino Sock Yarn
Color: Neapolitan
I just received this last week. I bought it from DyeabolicalYarns.etsy.com. I actually had it in my cart a few times before Christmas, and then deleted it right before finishing the order. I wanted to wait to see what I would get at my LYS a few weeks ago first. I didn't see anything like it so I got home and bought this. I just love the colors. Not sure what sock pattern I will use for this yet.

Knit Picks CotLin
Color: Fiesta Pink
No idea what I'm going to make with this 70% cotton 30% linen yarn. I was placing an order from Knit Picks and just decided to throw this in my cart and try it.


Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted
Color: Chianti
Bought at my LYS, 2 skeins, to make Fuzzy Feet from Knitty.com



SWTC Tofutsies
Color: #800?
Bought from my other LYS, not sure what pattern I will use this with yet either.


Plymouth Boku
Color: Olives
When I bought the Cascade 220 from Patternworks for the felted bag I'm making, I also threw in this - it came with a free pattern for a very small felted purse.


I'm so proud of my little stash. :-)

I'm almost finished with my socks! I need to finish them by Thursday, the end of January. It will only have taken me 3 months from start to finish. LOL A full month of that time at least was spent with the socks "on hold" either waiting for help when I was stuck or waiting for more yarn to come in at Knit Picks. I don't plan for my next pair of socks to take that long! I just have 3 rounds of the toe then kitchener it together.

I was going to finish the socks last night but by the time I got the kids in bed I was way too tired to do anything but watch TV. My husband left to go out of town for work yesterday and wouldn't you know it, I woke up with a sore throat. So not only will I be shouldering the whole load of taking care of 2 active little girls and homeschooling my son, but I'm sick on top of it. Then I was up 8 times with my youngest last night who came down with a cold late in the day yesterday.

I'm also almost done with my felted purse and the other project that shall not be named since it's a gift. When I finish all those I will post pics. Then I will start swatching for my next pair of socks. I can't wait!

Sigh

Back to your regularly scheduled knitting....

I'm so disappointed that the Packers lost last night. Sadness in Packerland this morning. Hats off to the Giants though who deserved to win, and I hope they crush the Patriots in the Super Bowl. What a horrible game. They couldn't move the ball and they couldn't stop the Giants. Except for the 90 yard TD by Driver the whole game was miserable. But, life goes on. We didn't expect this season to go the way it did, we had a blast, it was a great ride. Too bad it didn't end better but what can you do.

So, what am I working on right now? I actually didn't knit at all this weekend. I had my nephew's birthday party on Saturday and then my sister watched my kids so my husband and I could go out for awhile. After all that I was too tired to knit. Yesterday I didn't get a chance while Allison was napping and then last night was the game. I can't knit during a Packer game especially one like that. :-) Other than that though I think I've knitted every single day this year so I'm still keeping up my resolution to knit at least 5 days a week. Of course it's only January 21 but hey. :-)

I'll be working on my second sock hopefully tonight. I ran out of yarn after a few rounds of the foot. I knew I would since I had to use some of the second ball for the first sock. Then Knit Picks was out of that yarn for awhile. I got another ball last week. Obviously it's not the same dye lot but it looks about the same, and the sock will either be in a shoe or just worn around the house so if it doesn't match exactly that's okay.

I'm almost done with my felted purse. I just have to bind off, do Icord for the handles, and then felt it.

I'm working on a gift for a friend. I don't think she reads this blog but just in case I'm not going to say what it is. Just something small.

I also have a ballband dishcloth that's been in progress for over a month now. I really don't like working with cotton yarn, even using bamboo needles as some have suggested.

I bought a ball of Tofutsies from my LYS to make another pair of socks, and I also have some sock yarn coming from Etsy for another pair. Not sure which yarn I'm going to use first, or which pattern I'll be doing. I haven't decided yet. I just bought some Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted Weight yarn also from my LYS to make a pair of Fuzzy Feet. Haven't started any of that yet.

So that's about it! Pictures hopefully in my next post. Happy knitting!

WAHOO!!!

We interrupt this knitting blog to bring you breaking news......
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THE PACKERS ARE IN THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AND IT'S COMING TO LAMBEAU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!GO PACK GO!!!!!

Relaxation

I sent a friend of mine this picture and she said....

"I WANT A DOG'S LIFE!!!"

I totally agree with her (especially on one of *those* days!), don't you????



And a close up.....



Hope your knitting makes you this relaxed! :-)

More Podcasts

I recently found 2 more knitting podcasts that I love:

Knit Naturally

Gwendolyn's Gifts

Edited to add: I forgot about one more new knitting podcast! I've listened to 2/3 episodes so far and I think it's great:

Stitch It!

I also just finished listening to all 12 episodes of a podcast that is no more :-( called Unwound. It is too bad because it was a GREAT podcast! I love the "Listener's Poll" she had each week and people could call in and leave a voice message with the answer to her poll questions. She would play those responses as part of the podcasts. ANY PODCASTERS OUT THERE LISTENING???? I would LOVE it if someone would start doing the same thing on their podcast. It was so interesting!

Speaking of podcasts, I also listen to some that are not knitting related. First, I used to sew about 10? years ago or so (you can read about it on my neglected sewing blog here) and I started to get back into it about a year ago, then lost interest again. Well now I'm wanting to sew again so I've been listening to some sewing podcasts to get inspired.

Stitch by Stitch with SewMommy (Connie has been a good friend of mine for years, I love her new podcast!)

Sew Forth Now

Material Mama

Grandma's Sewing Cabinet

Miss You Sew Much (only 2 episodes but they were good, wish they would do more)

And two aviation-related podcasts (I'm fascinated by this stuff, I love to fly! "Betty" is full of funny and interesting stories.)

Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase

Fly With Me

What is your favorite podcast?

New Year's Knitting Resolutions

Here are my knitting resolutions for the new year:

1. Make 6 pair of socks.
2. Make matching spring ponchos for my girls (pattern suggestions welcome!)
3. Learn to cable in the first half of 2008.
4. Learn to do either intarsia or fair isle, sometime in the second half of 2008.
5. Knit at least one item for charity.
6. Learn to use dpns, at least do one project with them.
7. Knit 5 times a week (would love to knit every day but I think that's impossible).
   

Things I do NOT want to do in 2008:

1. Make anything without a pattern (I LOVE following patterns!)
2. Design my own pattern (I am not that talented.)
3. Do a lace project (will probably be a 2009 goal).
   
4. Spin or dye my own yarn (Although so many knitters seem to love this, I have NO interest in these things! Maybe someday I'll look back at this post and laugh, but for now it's not for me.)

I may think of more, but that's it for now. I also want to crochet some, maybe some thread coasters to give away here on my blog for fun. :-) I want to get back into sewing more too. There are NOT enough hours in the day!

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I finished the heel flap on my second sock! I have not been bit by Second Sock Syndrome. I guess I want to finish this so I can make a pair of socks with regular sock yarn. I want to use something much more colorful next time. I really like this Knit Picks yarn and I like the color too, but I am itching to knit with something brighter.

For the purse I am making I am using Cascade 220 Plum Heather which is also a muted darker color similar to my sock yarn. I picked up the stitches along the sides and bottom this afternoon, not sure if I did it right, but I'm going to move on to knitting the sides and see what happens. I know felting hides some mistakes so I'm hoping that is the case for my first felted project. :-)

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For Christmas I got 2 knitting related items - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's book Yarn Harlot, the Secret Life of a Knitter, and a knitting pattern a day calendar. The calendar offers a free online second calender so I chose the Stitch and B---- calendar. Two for one, yea! I also got some money from my dad which I plan to use at my LYS to buy sock yarn. When am I going to do that you ask? Well...........my husband is giving me a day out by myself for my Christmas present. Hopefully next week one day will be the day. I plan to visit my 2 LYS's, go to the library, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, and who knows what else. I can't wait!

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Happy New Year!!!