A Little Yarn On The Side

It's hot, it's smoky, it's dry--so I'm of course thinking about Christmas.  More specifically, Christmas ornaments.  I'm VERY excited about 2013 and trying for 365 ornaments.  I really want to push myself to try new things, so they won't all be knitted mittens or felt mittens--I need to branch out to at least SOMETHING besides mittens.  Growing up, my mother made lots of felt ornaments, and I've always wanted to try them, but just haven't ever gotten to anything besides mittens.  So when a sale came along online: There's only 6 of them (thank heavens), but they're cute and certainly things I couldn't come up with without help.  The cutting lines are printed on them: which is probably going to be the most challenging part, but I do have one year.  And valium. I also bought:  a beaded cross stitch ornament, which I debated about--believe me--but I think I could do this in one year. There are beads involved--which is always crazy...

Never underestimate the determination of a type-A knitter: 2 washcloths and two tribbles later, I have now used up a whole CONE of dishcloth cotton yarn, and have one more entry on my "all used up" tab on Ravelry. Now, on a new yardage-burning high, I've become a bit of a knitting schizophrenic.  What can I work on that will increase my yardage fastest?  The epaulet sweater is in worsted on size 8 needles, so it got some attention yesterday.  I decided to disregard the pattern and knit the sleeves in the round, which leaves a visible line on the sleeves as I'm working in garter stitch and there's a clear line where I now switch from knit to purl, but I'm not sure I could do a seam that would be any less noticeable, so I can live with it.  I think I've gotten past the "interesting shaping" part that I was curious about and am now in the "boring all-garter-stitch" part, so I worked on it as long as I could stand it, then cast o...

So, I have finished my 12 washcloths for the year, but I am now working on number 13.  Why, you might ask--for the fun of it?  Because it's a new pattern?  Nope--it's to try to finish off that cone of yarn, which will give my tally an 800-yard boost in one shot.  There is also a wee bit of motivation to get my hands on that cardboard cone inside for some sort of Christmas tree decoration, but 99.9% of my reason is the yarn tally.  I am nuts.  Truly and certifiably.  But it IS 800 more yards.......which would really help right now, as my latest knitting obsession, is a shawl with blasted lace weight mohair yarn on size 4 needles and 540-yard balls of yarn.  A good idea for NONE of my goals for the year.  So, of course, I'm doing it.  At least I'm also embroidering some napkins: Two years ago I had embroidered  7 napkins to match our plates and some placemats I made several years ago: The original idea was, of course,...

To make up with an inexcusable flirtation with the new lace shawl, I made another wine towel--which looks like the last 4 so I didn't take a picture--which brings me up to eight of twelve towels finished.  Then, while I made the 12th washcloth, I set up Jeeves to pump out 4 new stand-alone lace ornaments, which adds to a "12" I've already completed, but will look nice on our tree anyway.  Two years ago we bought a huge 9-foot tall tree to go in our entryway, and while it's a lovely tree, dividing our ornaments between 2 trees requires some creativity--especially since I refuse to buy packs of ornaments.  For years I've brought ornaments home as souvenirs from travel, and Andy and I have continued the practice.  I also have a wonderful collection of ornaments from a girl's ornament exchange party that has gone on for simply ages with my book club friends, and we also have a great collection of ornaments people have generously made for us, so ther...

Ravelry has all sorts of different ways for how to see one's stash.  "By weight" I can take, but it takes either a brave knitter or a really stupid one to sort "by yardage."  Almost 5,000 yards of just ONE lace yarn.  I think I need to lay down now...........

The seventh embroidered towel for the year is in progress: and now that I have THREE completed "12s," I'm starting to feel like this might really be doable.  Of course, it feels very weird to have my cross-stitch goal achieved before the machine embroidery one--but then again, it feels weird to even have a cross-stitch goal.  Normally, I think my goals would generally involve staying AWAY from such a slow hobby.  It's not that there's anything wrong with cross-stitch, it just doesn't really work as a hobby for me because I'm always thinking of the next project, which is hard enough with knitting as this sort of foolishly-forward thinking has generated a 10-year stash of knitting.  As the cross-stitch is going to take AT LEAST 10 more years to finish--and probably much longer--my desire to look at the next cross-stitch project would simply do me in.  One more of these babies and I'll have a lifetime supply of them.  I probably do already, to be h...

Bob:  We're here at the end of the 2012 Ravellenic Games with Ms. Sutton, who finished her third knitting games with 9 medals--certainly a personal best.  Ms. Sutton, how are you feeling after such a performance? Toni:  Well, I'm certainly pleased to have gained 9 medals--that's exciting.  I was, of course, trying to finish a few more WIPs and would have liked to have reached 10 medals, but with work and the garden and having company for several days during the games, I'm pleased with what I did get done.   Ron:  Now during the last part of the games, you did branch out into some other hobbies as well--finishing your 13th thread for the year on the never-ending cross-stitch and some new embroidered Christmas ornaments and towels.  Was that a strategic move or were you having trouble concentrating? Toni:  I think I was starting to lose a bit of steam in my knitting, and nothing is more motivating to me as a knitter than to remind myself that...