Cherry Cola Socks with a Triple Twist

Another pair finished. This pattern is Triple Twist by Monica Jines, and the yarn is Woolly Boully Meanie in colorway Cherry Cola. Both came from the Loopy Ewe. Loved the pattern. Since it was a 72 stitch cast on and size US 1 needles, it took longer than usual to finish. I wasn't crazy about the yarn. This is the first time I've knit with a nylon blend, and I found it a little squeeky. But the colorway is gorgeous.

I immediately cast on the Log Cabin Socks from Handknit Holidays. Completely different knit--48 stitch cast on with size 5 US needles, I knit this much in only a couple of hours. I can probably finish one sock per day. I'm using the suggested Cork yarn, the result of a bad few months on ebay scrounging around for this stuff.

That's all I have to show you--no new yarn cause I haven't bought any, surprise surprise!

Book #4 You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again
Ravelry Stash count--114

I fell down

So here I am, going on about how I was going to reduce my stash this year, and then this happens:

This was my shipment from the Loopy Ewe (last sneakup). Dream in Color Smooshy in Butter Peeps, and bellamoden sport in Prague.

Then there was this:

That's Koigu KPPPM in colorway P713. I got this in a swap with the lovely Linda on Ravelry (said goodbye to some Sundara silk).

And finally,
Five skeins of Wollmeise. Yes, I hit the jackpot. I ordered from Claudia direct, and she has some gorgeous new colors. From left to right: Franz, Rhabarber, Miss May, Vincent, and Johannisbeer und Brennessel. This photo doesn't do the colors justice--they're just stunning.

Also in the package was a sample skein of worsted weight, and gummi bears. Mmmm.




So there you have it.

Also finished are the garter ribbing socks in Claudia Sport Short:



I must remind myself to stop knitting patterns with right angles. I can't explain it, but it just doesn't sit well with me. They don't bother me when they're finished, but for some reason, knitting a squared sock pattern seems wrong to my brain.

I know, I know. Don't even try to understand.

Ravelry stash count: 115 oh dear.

One week already?

Since my last post?



I was intending to do a few posts, but I kept saying to myself "wait until..."



So, I guess I waited!



The lotus cardigan is complete.



I did a fantastic job seaming it, if I do say so myself. So I tried it on, a little loose in the bust, but acceptable. Looked in the mirror...Oh...my...god.

See that peplum? That pretty much doubles the width of your hips. It was not at all a flattering look. I'm not sure that a smaller size would have helped much either. So the finished sweater has been put away. I love it, but I can't wear it.

I finished the bellamoden socks too!



I love this color palette.

And I've nearly finished some Claudia Handpainted sport short in Peppermint Mocha:



That's my new Loopy Ewe mug I got at last week's sneakup. There was another sneakup last night, which I did not partake in. Apparently the Wollmeise went in a flash, and more than a few people got upset that skeins were snatched from their cart before they checked out. I can sympathize, but I don't have to put myself through that stress (more on that in a few days). None of the other yarns in the sneakup grabbed me, so I'm passing this week. Shocking, isn't it?

Before I forget,

Book #2 Suburbanistas
Book #3 Shopaholic and Baby

And it snowed.

Today must be my lucky day!

Look what I found on my way home from school dropoff!

Gee, wonder what I'll spend it on.

Facing Your Fears

So I finished the Lotus Cardigan on New Year's Eve, and since then it has been sitting in a plastic bag neatly folded and waiting...



Waiting to be seamed. Which I've never done before. Well, I did once. My first sweater, knit with acrylic yarn, trimmed in fun fur, in a gauge so loose it looked like crochet. Yep, I tried to sew that one up, but then the complete horror of the project hit me, and that project "went away."



For a while I was thinking of sending the cardigan to my mom, because I knew she would do it for me. She'd even knit up the neckline and add the button (without asking). But then I thought that now is the time. I've accomplished a lot as a knitter in the past 3 years. Time to take the next step.



I pulled out Stitch N Bitch, my go-to book for knitting basics, and looked at the section on seaming. It was very brief. The pictures were pretty clear. Could it be as simple as that?



So I sat down with a honking tapestry needle and worked for an hour, and lo and behold, I attached the sleeve to the body. And it even looked good! Not great, but it was a fine, fine attempt. I'm very happy with it, and hope to have this sweater finished by the end of the week.





In the meantime, I finished a pair of Cardigan Socks. The pattern is from Anne, of Knitspot. Anne is the maestro of stitch patterns. Everything she works seems so complete and balanced. I like these socks a lot. The yarn is BMFA Socks That Rock Mediumweight, in colorway Lovers Leap. I think that color is discontinued, but I bought a bunch before it went away, since it's such a perfectly true red. I'm very pleased with the finished pair.





Next up is a pair of Garter Rib (Charlene Schurch) socks, knit in bellamoden sport. The color is Fahrenheit 451 and it comes from the Loopy Ewe. I loved how this yarn looked on the skein, and it looks exactly the same knit up. These socks are going fast--they'll be done by the end of the week.





I've pitched a few more yarns from my stash!



Ravelry stash count--110



and,



Book #1 Living the Good Life: How One Family Changed the World from Their Own Back Yard

The Truth about My Stash

Well, it's a new year, and time for new beginnings. It's time I faced reality about my stash, and get it down to a reasonable level.
Here's the stash I look at all day. This is next to my knitting chair. The basket is filled to the brim with sock yarn. To the left is a bag of Wollmeise (9 skeins maybe?), Another bag with a sweater's worth of Miss Priss, and there's even some hiding under the side table to the left.

Now if this is all the yarn I owned, it wouldn't be so bad, would it? Nah. That's a tidy little stash there. But there's more. Lots more.

Over the summer we bought a new coffee table from Pottery Barn. One of its features are deep drawers--the perfect size for holding yarn. So here it is:

But wait--these drawers are double sided, so lets take a look at the other end:

And if that weren't enough (and truly, did you really think that was all?) , There's a plastic bin from my upstairs closet:
And finally, a small pile of Rowan Cork that was banished to the basement following one of the world's worst ebay transactions in history.

There. I've said it. That's all of it.

And it's way, way too much.

So here's my plan for 2008. I've added every skein of yarn onto Ravelry, and the current stash count is 113. I'd like to get that down to 80 by the end of the year. I've already destashed a pile of it on the ISO/Destash forum. I'm listing everything slightly below retail to get it moving. Even the rare indie stuff. I'm not too concerned about making tons of money, but I've already brought in over $200.

Part 2 of the plan is that I can buy new yarn only if I use a gift certificate, or if I used money I have earned by selling other stuff. I can also accept gifts of yarn. This will be easy for the first few months since I've accumulated a nice paypal balance, and I got some great gift certificates for Christmas, but those won't last all year. It's going to get rough over the summer.

Part 2 is also going to apply to purchasing books. I've got a queue of over 50 books to read that I've received from paperbackswap.com. That can easily last me the entire year.

And speaking of books,

#57 Wives behaving badly

#58 Cover the Butter

#59 Four Seasons in Rome

Which leads me to my last resolution. Read 60 books. That's up 10 from last year, but I did get to 59.

So there you have it. Three tidy resolutions that will save me money and reduce the clutter.

1. Reduce Ravelry stash from 113 to 80

2. Buy yarn only with money earned from decluttering, or as gifts,

and

3. Read 60 books.

I'm ready. Are you?