A Little Yarn On The Side

Ideally, yesterday I would have had a basket all neatly filled with what I plan to make between now and August 31.  However, on Saturday we went to a Harvest Party at one of the local-ish orchards and wineries, and they had a wonderful variety of apricots that I hadn't tried before.  In general, I don't care much for apricots compared to other fruit as the things in stores are pretty dry and flavorless, but these were quite wonderful, so being me, we bought a box of them.  Which explains why I haven't gotten my basket done this morning either: though I'm thinking I should get a special gold star or something for 18 jars of apricot jam in two days.  And, in case you were wondering, 16 pounds of apricots makes significantly more than 18 jars of jam, making tomorrow "brandied apricot preserves" day.  Maybe I should have made that apricot box part of my basket? Speaking of items for my basket: a pair of socks that I started with a pattern I really...

The problem with being a Type A crafter who feels the need to have goals every year is that those goals are rarely reasonable.   If I were every prone to being reasonable in the first place, I wouldn't have goals for my hobby and my friends wouldn't speak of my crafting room in the hushed tones one only uses when discussing those who have gone completely off their rocker.  So, here we are. I ended the first half of the year with 45 finished projects, just over 29 yards of fabric and 22 balls of yarn used up.  I think I can still make 100 projects, though I find the idea of 71 yards of fabric just a wee bit daunting.  Can I do 12 yards of fabric per month?  And how many pairs of pajamas can two people wear......?

Saroyan is done! It used up almost every bit of the Aunt Lydia's worsted weight denim I was using, which is where the cool cardboard tube came from.  It actually found a home protecting one of my pepper plants from my little helper so it turned out as sort of a win-win.  I did use it and it IS doing something helpful, but it isn't in my craft room.  Which is good, because basically everything else IS.... ...which is why I am joining in a 2-month basket dash on Ravelry, starting July 1.  I have made 45 things this year so far, but it doesn't really feel like I've used up much of my stash, so I thought I needed a little visual reminder.  I'm putting together a stack of things to use up in the next 2 months. I think sewing and I are back on speaking terms after this: I've had a yard of this adorable froggy fleece fabric for several years, and had just taken it out of a shelf to make room for this which is seven yards of some sort of suiting mater...

I have a big, heavy cardboard tube and I am throwing it away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I did sew today..... No, I'm not ready to talk about it..............

Okay--even I have admitted that I won't finish the month at 50 finished projects.  I'm an optimist....and a pretty deluded one most of the time....but I need 7 projects in 5 days when we have plans for most of those days does seem a stretch--even to me.  However, the second beaded scarf might have been preempted by the Saroyan scarf, which is on size 10 needles and is currently half finished and has at least some chance of being finished object 44 before the end of the month.  I'd still be behind, but not quite as far.  These things matter,  at least to some of us............

ONE OF THEM IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which is great, because the next kit just arrived today.  Oops.  I have to say, I still miss having yarn arrive at my door, but having sequins and beads arriving monthly is a great consolation prize. I think I put the wrong hanger on the cross, but since I know that I put the sequins on upside-down, I am not going to change it.  There was a little package of hangers, so I grabbed one, wrestled the knot of the cord into it, managed to stick it on the ornament without knocking off any of the beads, then noticed the instructions said to use the 14 mm hanger versus the 16 mm hanger.  REALLY?  I just got my first bifocals and can't even see the stairs clearly, much less a 2 millimeter difference in something.  They must be kidding.......