A Little Yarn On The Side

Last weekend, I put the borders on the birthday quilt, and thanks to everyone's much appreciated input, I've decided to quilt it with a simple ("simple" being not elaborate, not "simple" as in "I can't mess this up," because I can and have repeatedly in the past. Incidentally, it only took me one really disastrous quilt to realize one should quilt from the inside out rather than vice versa--I consider that a triumph of personal growth over stubbornness) stitch-in-the-ditch pattern and to let the zig-zag of the music notes be the real focal point. So, this afternoon I laid out the backing, the batting, pinned the top on--smoothing everything repeatedly (OK, that one took me about 3 project disasters to learn--sometimes stubbornness wins), pinned militantly, turned around to set up the sewing machine, and I swear, they must have radar. To be fair, she does match the quilt rather nicely. This morning I realized--this is a gift for a birthday tha...

I've got this much yarn left on the alpaca cardigan before I get to say I've used another skein, but it's really REALLY close and in the interests of not having to wait until 9:00 for an update, I'm going to call it close enough . I am rarely a precise knitter, which explains a lot of Neandertholish sleeve problems.... 42 balls used for the year and ZERO purchased!!!!!! Excuse me while I do the Dance of Smugness.....

...there are just ones that people haven't learned to brag about properly. Victory 1: It is April 14 and I have not purchased any yarn or fabric since 2007. Victory 2: April has been designated the "Month of Works in Progress" and I have not yet cast on a new project. Victory 3: It is April 14 and our taxes are done and filed!!!!!! (Okay, that has nothing at all to do with knitting, but it is fabulous nonetheless) So, maybe it's okay that I've mostly ignored my "A" and "B" rating system in favor of the alpaca cardigan. Look! I just divided for the sleeves!!! It could be done in May! Wow, good thing too--it might get down to a bone-chilling 60 degrees over Memorial Day weekend. Actually, this is Idaho, and snow is even possible on Memorial Day weekend--we like to keep our options open. And even better--I've almost used up another ball of yarn! I'll soon be scratching off another 122 yards--putting me over 5,500 yards so far this...

Remember these from yesterday??? Today we hit a bit of a snag. The pattern said to start the toe decrease about 2 inches before the desired length of the sock, decreasing every other row--which I did (I know--that surprised me, too). The result left me with a sock that was still one inch too short. Now, not every project has to be perfect, but when a sock is already made of a scratchy yarn with dubious merits as a foot covering, THEN develops pattern problems...... Not exactly what I was aiming for this month, but to be fair, it is no longer a Work In Progress. After that episode, I did not feel I should be allowed around other yarn, so I resumed work on a quilt for a friend's upcoming 50th birthday. I finished the main part months ago, and had been trying to decide what sort of decorative quilting to do on it, but after putting the sashing on it today I don't know--I think I like it plain. I don't know if it's just because I find it soothing after getting my ass k...

See all the progress I've made? Me neither. Twelve days in to Work In Progress month--the month when I was going to finish 5 or 6 projects because they are so close to being done and I am still spending most of my time with the new alpaca cardigan that I wasn't going to cast on last month and the Lady's Circular Cape. Finally out of frustration I made myself work on this: It's a cuff-down sock made with the discontinued Magic Stripe sport weight yarn from Lion Brand, and there was a point in time when I was totally enamored with this sock. I found the yarn on clearance for an insanely low price, and rushed home to cast on--thoroughly overexcited because I had never made a sock in red or black before. Obviously when it's a matter of clearance yarn, it does not take much to excite me. That was a little over a year ago. Ours was a passionate affair, but fleeting. I have finally made it to the toe decrease, will be rewarding myself with a chocolate martini for h...

Last night I did a couple rows on the EZ baby surprise jacket--labeled an "A" project for this month, then went right back to the Lacy's Circular Cape--certainly NOT labeled an "A" project for this month. You know, as a child I actually did my homework. If the teacher said, "Read chapter 8," I didn't go home and read chapters 5, 7, and 10. What happened to me??? Oh, and to answer Danielle's question, last summer I organized The Stash and listed everything (well, almost everything) on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. I list amount, a description, what it's made of, the color, weight, total yardage, what project it was destined for, the start date & end date, the recipient, whether the yarn is feltable, washing & care instructions, and the cost of the yarn (or fabric--it's in there as well). When I start a project, I use the "fill colors" to change the line for the yarn/fabric in use to lavender, and when it...

The chenille blanket is finished! And yes, it does look exactly like the one I made back in November, though perhaps it's a few rows longer. The count is now 2 WIPs frogged, 2 thrown in the trash (don't worry--it was really cheap acrylic yarn), and 1 finished. And.... ----drum roll please----- I have used up 3.11 MILES of yarn so far this year!!! (It sounds SO much more impressive in miles) Luckily, even I have the sense to not total up how many miles the entire stash would be--there are fun experiments and then there's downright insanity. Let's just say that crossing a state line would not be unthinkable and leave it at that.