A Little Yarn On The Side

OK, yes, there are several projects still on the needles, and it might look bad to be starting two NEW projects, and this is indeed a new lace stole, but since I did finish the retirement shawl, this isn't so much a NEW project as a REPLACEMENT project. And this is the June Project of the Month, which I really needed to cast on, so that's fair. So really, I haven't dived off the cliff into the great WIP abyss again, but it might not be too distant from the great state of Denial.....

I decided my nephew's blanket is large enough, so I've started the decreases, and I'm about 4 rows away from using up my 35th skein of yarn for the year, which is the most excitement garter stitch projects can offer. Even though he prefers sewing, Theo did consent to being my knitting sidekick for a couple hours yesterday: He's such a gracious little animal.....

Formerly on this blog, I have accepted personal responsibility for the outrageous size of my stash, and it has occurred to me that this is really not the American way. Here, we blame McDonalds for being fat, banks for the mortgages we can't afford, and the government or our parents for just about everything else. What a fool I have been! So, to clear things up once and for all, here are my NEW reasons for my overly-large stash: 1. Red Heart, for their horrible scratchy acrylic yarn that was all I could find during my formative knitting years. I was permanently scarred and hoard natural fibers out of the fear of returning to those Red Heart days. 2. My parents for not planning our family vacations around a 500-mile trek to find natural yarns in the acrylic-dominated 70's and early 80's 3. Sunspots 4. Visa - if they hadn't given me a large credit line, I wouldn't have felt required to use it. 5. Juan Valdez. Coffee should come with a label warning the drinke...

While he refused to help me with the washing & blocking process, Theo did decide that the new shawl needed the all-important "furring" step: which coincided almost exactly with the moment I decided the shawl was ready to be picked up & folded away. That did cause a bit of a rift with Theo, but a little catnip goes a long way.... Not even chocolate makes me look that...contented. Why isn't there people nip? The shawl is "Faroese-Style Lace" by Myrna Stahlman, which can be found in this book: which is one of my FAVORITE knitting books. I've made at least four of the shawls in this book, and have plans for at least three more. LOVE this book! Today's knitting project has been the simple & mindless blanket for my nephew: who is not simple & mindless, thankfully. I haven't decided exactly how big the blanket will be, and I'm now thinking maybe more rectangular than square. It' just garter stitch with two rows in each color, a...

Priscilla gave me the That was a nice surprise to find this morning. The rules are: 1. List 7 things you love 2. Link back to the person who gave you the award 3. Pass it along to 7 other bloggers. So..... I love: 1. My husband 2. My friends 3. My cats (obviously) 4. Hosting unique parties--murder mysteries, Academy Award parties, pajama parties 5. Jane Austen books, though not most of the new "adapted" movies 6. The Harry Potter audio books 7. Agatha Christie novels And I will pass the award on to: Jess Daniele Robin Suna new knitter, Jen Jill and Dana

The shawl for my mother's retirement is done! And the fact that it's an entire year since she retired is really just being nit-picky (or should that be knit-picky?) Theo is, of course, thrilled.... I guess sometimes just having finished something is reward enough...

I pulled out June's Project of the Month bag, and it's a pair of socks!!! Obviously, I'm highly excited--but then again, I'm excited about ANYTHING new lately. Still, I haven't made socks in a while, so this is exciting. May's Project of the Month, cotton washcloths, could be considered quite a success. This is dishcloth number 13 I believe. Sometimes I'm very, very thorough. And..... The edging isn't quite done, and this needs to be washed & blocked and I know white on white makes a lousy picture, but I've had some problems getting a photo and Theo did find me out as soon as I got the pictures snapped. Changing sheets is one of his favorite games: Which means house guests have probably wondered about the enormous amounts of hair in the bed, but they're always polite & don't mention it. The kitty wake up calls, however, have been discussed a few times. Good thing we don't tell them about the mouse that was turned loose in the...