Owning Up

One of the perks about being on Ravelry is being able to see what other yarns people have and what they think about them. It is great to do a search on a yarn and see what it's being used for. It's made me think about putting my stash in the database so I can better know what I have.

I have big (58 qt) plastic storage containers in my closet (at least 8 that I can think of off the top of my head) that are stuffed with yarn. I have 5 stackable hat boxes in the corner of my room, stuffed with yarn. There are two dresser drawers, a big box in the garage and a comforter bag in my son's closet stuffed with yarn. All different types- acrylic, cotton, wool, novelty. The thought of actually cataloging it and owning the entire thing freaks me out.

I've decided to start small.

Here is my small collection of Baby Ull. I have plans for this. I'm going to be making more of the Zombie wristwarmers and a pair of Hot Rod socks for Hubby. The only thing I need to make the socks is an orange color and I'm going to dye some Knitpicks Bare with Orange Kool-aid to get the color I want. Then I'll be able to start those.

Here is my small/medium sock yarn collection. By my count I have enough sock yarn to make 18 pairs of socks. This isn't counting the one pair I have waiting in the queue, and the one I already have on the needles. (Or the Socks that Rock, Chapman Springs cursed yarn that I have hidden in the back of the drawer, waiting to be frogged for the 3rd time.) Considering I bust one pair of socks out a month, I have more than enough for the next year. I had so much fun dyeing yarn, that I have to do it again and that will just expand my collection even further. And even with this, I still feel no need to justify it. I've heard tale of people whose sock yarn collections outweigh mine by 5 to 10 times. I've never seen one that big, but blogs say they are out there.

Now don't judge me, I didn't purchase all of the yarn I own myself. Most of the yarn that I buy, has an intended project in mind. I'm one of those people who, when others find out I like to knit and crochet, gets given yarn that other people don't want/use anymore. This happens to me at least once a year, when I get a couple of bags of yarn. It makes me happy and I always give the yarn a proper introduction to the rest of the stash and put it in it's place.

The agony of waiting

I'm still waiting for my sock yarn that I ordered. What am I going to do if I finish my first pair of Simply Splendid socks and don't have any of my sock yarn to start Assignment #2? Sure I have other things on the needles but I'm feeling a little frantic at the thought. I got my two Sock Technique DVDs from Lucy Neatby today and am so excited about watching them. I just hope my sock yarn gets here soon. It's been raining heavily here today. Maybe the delivery is just held up because they wanted to make sure my yarn didn't get wet.

Son #1 Socks

Here are the smaller version of the socks made for Hubby. My son wants to be just like his daddy so he had to have a pair just like him. I used the same Bernat Camoflauge yarn and size 6 needles. Since the rounds were smaller on these socks, there was a nice striping effect that I didn't get with the first pair. With the first pair, the colors pooled and it was easy to see how you could have an issue if you were trying to get a certain look. So there ya go...

I'm almost done with the sleeves for my ballet top and anticipate having it finished by the end of the week. I may be able to cast on for my Sahara sweater this weekend, if I can be patient and wait that long.

Spiraling out of control

Yesterday I had a little time to myself, so of course, headed to my local yarn shop. I had bought the Sahara pattern from Stitch Diva a couple of weeks ago but hadn't acquired the yarn for it yet. I had searched around for a little while on the internet perusing my options but have not had the guts to drop almost $200 on the Tilli Tomas yarn used in the sample. Yes, it was beautiful, georgeous and completely perfect the way it was made, I'm just not sure if my current skill level warrants that kind of spendage. I might have still bought it if any of the yarn stores I frequented carried it. They had a few of the skeins that I would have used for the trim, but not the Tilli Tomas Pure and Simple. And not in the dark blue I have decided to use for the sweater. I thought that I would see it, feel it, and maybe somehow, justify it to myself. It WAS my 3rd sweater, I kind of understand how it works now. But it didn't matter, because it wasn't available to fondle.

I knew that the nice lady at the yarn shop would be able to help me pick a substitution out that I would still feel good about. The pattern calls for Tilli Tomas Pure and Simple and Tilli Tomas Rock Star. The yarn is just magnificent but...see above. So I decided to go with Berroco Softwist in Midnight Blue and Trendsetter Yarns Sunshine in Blueberry Hill. I think it will still be the beautiful sweater I am envisioning.

I also have completed a little project from Leigh Radford's book Oneskein 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet. I made the Spiral Rib Bag. It came out very cute but it was a little smaller than I wanted it to be. I could have just kept going and made it taller but I only had the one skein of yarn and wasn't sure how much yarn the bottom was going to use. You knit in the round with a 16" circular needle, then bind of the top, then complete the bottom. It was my first experience knitting with such a short circular and was a little uncomfortable at first, but after a little while it got easier. I would have rather used Dpns, but I'm always open to trying new techniques. And I have an enormous amount of needles inherited from my grandmother that I feel I should at least try.

The Adventure Begins

Here is the first mini sock of the pattern Simply Splendid Socks. I learned how to do the Channel Island cast on and it is beautiful. It seems very stretchy and just looks wonderful. I think this will be the perfect pattern for this colorway also because I think any fanciness would get lost in the colors. I'm using Socks that Rock Mediumweight in colorway Chapman Springs and two size 2 circular needles. I contemplated going down to a size 0 or 1 (because my gauge is a little loose) but I used size 1 with my last pair of socks and it's just so dense I didn't enjoy the feel of it. Sure they may last longer because they won't wear as much but if I don't like knitting it, what's the point?

I like knitting two socks at a time on the two circulars so they are both finished at once. Let the first pair of Simply Splendid Socks for the Lucy Project begin...

Camoflauge

Here are the socks for hubby's size 13 feet. The yarn is Bernat Camoflauge in color "Outback". I used two size 6 circular needles and went from the toe-up using a waste yarn for the heel. They fit his feet perfectly and am rather pleased with the way they turned out. They went fairly quickly (a week?) and were easy for me to pick up and put down at odd spots. Son #1 likes them so much he has asked for a pair of his own. *Sigh* I guess I can knit another pair. :)

I also tried another Dangle Bracelet with purple wire and purple beads. Another beautiful napkin ring. I think I'll start a collection. Hopefully, I'll make one big enough to fit my wrist soon. I have birthdays coming up and I know my friends would love these.

Feet need socks...

At the end of 2006 I started researching sock knitting. I have made it my goal to try different kinds of heels and techniques so that someday, I will be able to knit socks without a pattern. Not just any way of knitting socks. So far, I have decided the best way for me to knit socks is to do two-at-once on two circular needles from the toe-up. The last hurdle for me is finding my favorite way to complete the heel. I have done a pair with a heel flap type heel (see below). I am working on a pair of baby booties with a short-row heel to see how I like that. And I'm making a pair of socks with a waste yarn heel to see how that will turn out.



My first pair of socks took me about 10 days. I started them a few days before Christmas and finished them a few days after New Years. I used http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/ Socks that Rock Heavyweight yarn in colorway: Seal Rock. I had no idea the luxury that would be bestowed upon my feet when I slipped them on. The sock yarn is everything it claims. It totally rocks! I have to wash my feet before I slip them on. I plan on enhancing my stash with many different colorways and filling my drawer with handmade socks. And maybe I'll make some for my family if I have time.