A Little Yarn On The Side

August 1, I started with this: At the end of the "dead heat" stashdash, I am left with a bit of yarn I didn't get to, some remnants from finished projects, and two projects not actually finished: which is probably farther than I really thought I would get in just two months.  I haven't had a chance to figure out my yardage yet, as I've been busy rounding up this for our next challenge.  Starting today and running until the end of the year, instead of emptying a basket of yarn, the idea is to fill a basket with finished projects.  Lots of people have cute little baskets to use for this challenge, but I need 44 projects by the end of the year, so I scrounged in the garage for the biggest "basket" I could find.  Since I have 4 whole months, a wee part of me was sorry I couldn't find the big box our chest freezer came in.  But I suppose this one will have to do.  I am kicking off this challenge with a crafting weekend.  That's right--for the...

I am down to 16 WIPS. For some, that might be overwhelming.  For me, having once been around the 40-WIP mark, this is almost knitting monogamy.  One project was actually started yesterday, so I was down to 15.  Without trying.  Remember when I worked for months just to get DOWN to 14?  Having these crazy finished project goals for the year might not be so crazy after all...........

I just finished the Rosemary and Thyme scarf, which gives me 67 projects for the year.  In order to get to 111 projects by the end of the year, I should be averaging 9.25 projects each month, which would mean that I would be ending August with 74 projects--7 more than I have now.  Oops. Thursday kicks off the next Ravelry "stash dash" challenge:  FILLING a basket with finished objects between September 1 and December 31.  I think I'd better go find a REALLY big basket..................

This scarf was inspired by the wonderful smell of herbs in the summer (in spite of the fact that I can't seem to keep thyme alive).  It is worked with a seed stitch border at the bottom and on the sides to prevent rolling, which will be listed as "ss" in the pattern.  Stitch markers are highly encouraged This can be done with any yarn/needle combination.  For my scarf, I used a DK weight mohair blend with size 8 needles. Cast on 31 stitches. Work 4 rows of seeds stitch border as follows: Border row 1:  K1, [p1,k1] to end Border row 2:  slip stitch as if to knit, [p1, k1] to end Border row 3:  slip stitch as if to knit, [p1, k1] to end   On the last row , work 3 stitches as established, place marker (pm), work 5, pm, work 15, pm, work 5, pm, work remaining stitches NOTE: The number of stitches in the center panel will vary slightly as you work.  No need to panic, unless perhaps it has doubled in size--then feel free to panic slightly. ...

6 (okay, 6 1/2 counting today) days left in the "dead heat" stashdash, and my basket is not so much empty...........   Not so much even close.  All the fun fur is pretty much used up: for 3 niece scarves and one doll scarf. Two scarves are getting close to the half-way mark, (or already half-way if I only had some pygmy friends). 6 days--do I accept reality and try to get ONE of them done, or keep deluding myself that I could finish both of them even with the pesky  wonderful bounty from the garden to deal with?

*  When one gets desperate enough for finished objects, Fun Fur stops looking so silly *  Putting velcro anywhere on the inside of a purse is evil *  The more you hate the very sight of a finished project, the more people will complement you on it. *  I'm apparently never going to learn that trying to knit with wool in August is miserable *  Buying yarn on a regular basis made me feel like I was knitting faster than I actually was. *  Knitting is pretty darn slow at times--like when one is playing on Ravelry instead of knitting......

I didn't garden today. I didn't can anything today. We didn't have company today. I didn't even make coffee today.  I CRAFTED!!!!!!!!!!!!! To be fair, I did start with a little mending.  Andy had ripped 3 holes in some pant he uses for camping, and my sewing machine actually has a mending stitch, which is really just short rows of stitching side-by-side, which sounds simple but until I saw it, I actually would never have thought about this being a good way to mend anything.  With small holes, it can blend pretty well, but with three big tears, it's noticeable--though perhaps not as noticeable as Andy flashing everyone at a campsite.   Then I decided to tackle some of the quicker projects in my "dead-heat" basket, so meet Niece Fun Fur Scarf #1: and Niece Fun Fur Scarf #2: which has to be a little bit longer than the first one as the niece in question is older and taller, and while I had 3 skeins of Fun Fur in the colorway "confetti," no tw...