Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Gulp

I made some fairly ambitious knitting resolutions this year. I wanted to knit 12 shawls, 15 pairs of socks, and try to use up 15000 yards, primarily from the stash if possible.  Ambitious, but totally doable, right? 

By the end of March, I had knit 3 pairs of socks, 3 shawls, and about 3000 yards, all from stash.  Not too shabby, eh?  I had this Knitting Goals thing in the BAG, people.

And then this happened...


Yup.  I totally drank the cross stitch Kool-Aid.  I have become a cross stitching fool.


I signed up for The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Springtime Sampler.  And the 2013 Woodland Sampler.  Aaaaaaand I might maybe have bought another of their patterns too. So yeah... I didn't just drink the Kool-Aid, I gulped it down and wiped my chin off on the sleeve of my merino and silk cardigan. Knitting Goals?  Pshaw!  I've got plenty of time, right!?


Happy Stitching everyone!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Pushed over the edge

I'm trying to knit from stash as much as possible this year.  I wouldn't call it Cold Sheeping exactly.  Maybe Tepid Sheeping?  Anyway, as anyone who has developed a, um... healthy interest in knitting can attest, refraining from buying yarn can be... challenging.  The colours, the fibers, the sales... it can be hard to resist. 

Enter the yarn club.  Pay your money up front at the beginning of the year, then receive shiny new yarn at regular intervals throughout the year.  I'm not saying it CURES a knitter of her itch to buy yarn, but knowing you've got a shipment coming in a few weeks definitely takes the edge off, which can be pretty handy in a pinch.

Way back in February (you know... 'round about the last time I wrote a blog post?  Ahem), I received the first shipment of the Cookie A Sock Club.  It was a lovely skein of Indigodragonfly MCN sock, in the colourway E Pluribus Nom Nom Nom.


Lovely, isn't it? What a pretty thing.  And as soft and squooshy as frolicking kittens on a Spring morning.  Just perfect.

Only, well... there was a snag.  Turns out I had remarkably similar yarn in the stash already.  A few skeins of it.  And here's the kicker: I was embarrassed that I had "So Much Yarn" in this colour in my stash. Really.  I've been squirreling yarn away for YEARS, it's invaded practically every nook and cranny in my home, but THIS skein was pushing me out of my comfort zone.


There was only one thing to do, of course.  I had to get that yarn out of the stash ASAP!  Denial  balance had to be restored at all costs!

The club yarn has been knit up into one of the 2 patterns for that shipment, the Ernie Socks, and they're now safely tucked away into the Gift Box.


The green Hazel Knits (top right) is being knit up into a lovely shawl by Corrina Ferguson, Evadine.  And the Springtree Road yarn (bottom left) will most likely be cast on with next.

Me?  Too much yarn?  Pshaw.

Happy Knitting, Everyone!