Well, at least there are the Exceptions...

I went visiting to Maryland this weekend, and was dragged to a yarn shop . . . and, well, what could I do??

The good news is that I restrained myself and only bought this, two pairs of socks' worth of yarn. And not only that, I'm planning to give one of them to my Yarn Aboard sock pal. AND I've been good all this time AND the only exception I've used has been for my Sundara yarn Petals Collection club (which really, barely counts, since that was signed up for well before this started), I figure I'm still doing fine . . .

Right??

Project Spectrum Meets Summer of Stash

Lolly's (now famous, mentioned in IK!) Project Spectrum has been a great stash-busting opportunity for me. I have made projects for each month so far, and only had to buy yarn once. I had a lot of choices for July's color, purple, because it seems I have bought a lot of purple yarn. I talked about my options on the blog last week, but I thought I would share the story along with the stash-busting FO here.


In the Winter of 2004, I knit this sweater, the Serendipity Sweater from Suss Cousin's Hollywood Knits using a bag of Crystal Palace Labrador I had purchased on sale. I finished knitting the entire sweater, but the sleeve caps were too small. So the whole project was put aside for the day that I would rip out and redesign the sleeve caps.

In the Summer of 2005, I moved from Richmond to Philadelphia, and this UFO moved with me. So in the Summer of 2006, the Summer of Stash, it was time to be honest with myself and admit the truth. I would never fix the sleeves. This two-year old project would never be finished.

It was time to repurpose the purple yarn, and quickly, too, as the end of July was drawing periously near. I hunted around the house for oddball throw pillows, and found one that fit the back piece of the sweater. I ripped out the cardigan fronts, the sleeves, and the shaped portion of the back, knit thick yarn on US11s furiously for two days, and I had a new pillow!



In other stashbusting, I have found more purple yarn that I am releasing to my crochet-ing friend who loves purple, and I am giving away my copy of Hollywood Knits. Leave a comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Winner will be drawn at random this week.

naughty knitter

the road to hell is paved with good intentions

.... i think i'm a KAL flunkie. i seem to just gain and gain, barely losing grams, ounces, yards or meters ... or miles! what's a girl to do when someone tempts her with free yarn?!
any smart knitter would do as i did, ... snatch it up, and start knitting or crocheting it, use it up before anyone notices.

my weakness this time?



muench's string of pearls . 6 balls of worsted wt. red hot sizzling sparkling cotton, perfect for another chickami.

i cast on a couple of nights ago, and am knitting with ball #4. it should only take 5 balls + a smidge of #6.

if i were really sneaky, i wouldn't be posting this until it's finished!

i also ended up with about 10-12 cakes of classic elite's rockland cotton. this is an aran wt. cotton, each cake has about 173 yds. my initial plans for this yarn was to crochet or knit more washcloths, potholders, dishcloths, and hotpads ... in other words ... chickens and cows!



why did i let myself slip with these new (to me) yarn acquistions? well, because my stash is primarily wools. and it's summer. and i want to knit, or crochet, with cotton. there. i said it!

Summer of Stash

Good news and bad news. Bad news first naturally, I fell off the wagon, and in typical fashion, I did it ALL the way. I recently went to Denver for a work trip, and like most places that actually have a winter season (with snow and everything) the yarn stores are plentiful! My intention was to get some yarn for a bridal shower gift for my best friend, knowing full well that just the right yarn is probably lurking at the back of my stash pile as I type, cursing me and whispering naughty things about me to the rest of my neglected yarn. Ah well, I did manage to find some yummy things, and the diet was busted. I'm still completely in support of those who are going strong though, but now even more empathetic to those who've been bitten by the "buy me" yarn bug once again.

Good news...I'm consuming yarn on the other end of the spectrum too, by actually using it. My last FO is a pair of Fetching hand warmers from this Summer's issue of Knitty. I liked knitting these enough to want to make several more pairs, and with just the right yarn, they are a One Skein Wonder.




Happy Knitting everyone!

Shrinking Stash!

I have posted a lot in my own blog, but keep forgetting to post here. So, a quick update on my de-stashing!

First of all, Wavybrains posted a while back to say what she is learning from this De-stashalong, and I keep meaning to do the same thing. Since the house is still, and I have more podcasts downloading now, I thought I'd follow like the sheep I am.

• I've learned that I really am picky about the yarn I actually knit with. I prefer yarns that feel good as I knit them .. I -love- cotton, and soft wools. I'm not-so-much for scratchy wool, and there are some novelty yarn I just can't knit with despite how pretty/fascinating/unusual they are.
• However, despite that pickiness, I am easily drawn to any yarn that is pretty/fascinating/unusual.
• I don't so much like knitting a plain-old-boring square. I have one that is -still- sitting, waiting to be finished for an afghan I want to make. I cannot bring myself to knit on it. I love the yarn . the color, the feel, everything. I just don't want to knit a boring square anymore.
• I love the process of knitting far more than the finished product in most cases.
• I love to knit in public. I take my knitting with me anywhere, and I simply don't care what people think when I pull it out and start knitting away. (Though, more often than not I get compliments on my work, and questions like 'Is it hard to knit?' and 'How long have you been knitting?')
• I have pattern envy. I don't have a lot of money right now to spend on books and patterns and such, but there are so many I want to buy!

The 'not enough money' though may will change soon though, because I got a job, finally. It's part time, and will probably only pay for my car-payment and insurance, but that means more spending money! Yay!!

I finished my first booga and I think it looks pretty good. I'm afraid I felted the heck out of it, but it looks cute, and I lurve it. I'm already working on another one for Brandon, our friend/houseguest and my knitting flunky, out of some blue/black kinda-tweedy wool/angora I have .. I had a bunch of little balls of it and I've already used up two. When this is done I might make a couple more for gifts for people .. Booga's are fun!

I also used up an oddball of pink-pastel eyelash yarn making a scarf for my neice Savannah.
Very blurry picture of how open and airy it is. I love this scarf .. I should make my own!

Look how long it is .. I think it's at least 5' of pink fuzziness. Granted, my photo skillz aren't so great, but you get the picture.

I have had to purchase yarn, but it's all for the Yarn Aboard II swaps, not for me, so I am perfectly justified in it, because none of it is staying with me. Granted, being on Ebay and looking at all the yummy handpainted sock yarns and laceweights and stuff was very, very tempting, but I need to wait. And I can wait. There's only what .. 6 weeks left? That's enough time for 5 paychecks!! Wahoo!

Also, while my stash is decreasing .. I am as well. Hubby and I joined Weight Watchers around the same time as the SOS KAL, and I have lost 10.4 pounds in a month. I'm the incredible shrinking knitter! Soon I'll be able to justify making sweaters and such for myself once I'm at a healthier weight.

Giving it all away . . . . .

I took two big knitting bags full of yarn to my SnB meeting last night and returned with only my WIP. What a great feeling. I said goodbye to some bargain and gift yarn that just isn't my cup of tea. I also made the painful decision to part with 3 huge Redheart skeins that were gifted to me by my MIL which she inherited along with an afgan in progress from HER mother. Ladies, as the Mason-dixon ladies say in their book, if you are feeling a bit peckish, FINISH the WIP's or allow for their demise in your will so that your kin can dispose of the yarn without feeling disloyal. I decided to turn the afgan wannabe into a shawl and gift the remaining yarn. Much of the yarn (2 cotton crochet threads, 6 random skeins, 3 red hearts) went to knitters knitting for Warm Up America. This felt good after my recent purchases to discard some yarn weight! Highly recomended. Also if you need an excuse to use up Sock Yarn check out Sock Wars! (Thanks Midnight Purls for the heads up about Sock Wars!)

Feather and Fan

Two skeins of Cascade 220 plus a little bit extra for the contrast colors will get you one Feather and Fan Shawl.


The Feather and Fan or Comfort Shawl (as it is sometimes appropriately called) had been on my To-Do list for some time. This is a great stash busting project because you can use odds and ends, mix colors, or make it as big or as small as you wish. For the whole scoop you can check out my blog which has moved since the last time I posted. Happy Stash Busting :-)

My mother has gifted me

Mom called from her local Michael's store. She found 17 skeins of Suede in a moss green and wondered if I would like it for my birthday (in August). I explained how I was on a Yarn Diet...but if this was what she wanted to get me for my gift, well, I would be grateful. She also mentioned 80% off other yarns...so knowing my mom, I may have more skeins coming to live with me than I have used in this SOS. Sounds like good news/bad news to me!

I broke.......

Last week, I spent two days working up at BMFA, getting sock club out. While there, Tina had several boxes of yarn that she had to get rid of. Colors that didn't take well, or items that didn't sell well. Anyways, the first day I brought home a shopping bag of yarn, fibers I have never used before. On my way home I thought about the sock yarn she had. No one seemed to be interested in it, the colors were not ones I would use either. But, if several strands were combined, they would make some great socks and vests for CIC. I told Tina about my idea, and the rest of the sock yarn came home with me. I have given some of it away, in fact probably half of it is gone now. AND I started on a vest for CIC right away.

I have learned this summer that I can curb my spending quite easily. Having the incentive here has helped a lot!! I haven't quite gotten as many projects done, but I am feeling good about the stash, and not too overwhelmed. I am going to try to continue this stash-busting into the fall. The only yarn that I absolutely need is for an afghan KAL at the lys, I have the yarn for the corner squares, but not the inside squares. I will go to the KAL this week, but will put off buying the yarn until after Labor Day.

Finished Green Gable!

I finally finished something this summer! Green Gable. But, I can't take a picture because it's soaking in a bucket with vinegar and water to stop the dye bleeding. Hoping to have that all resolved today so it can be blocked and photographed.

Now working on Magknits Ballet Camisole. This one is slow going, even though I'm using 6's the yarn is a sport/dk and I can knit for an hour and only do an inch.

Still trying to come up with a sweater idea for my Knitpicks Sierra. I originally bought it for Knitty's Starsky, but I don't think I want to make that anymore. I want a pullover with this yarn, any nice, not overwhelmingly cabled bulky sweater ideas? Book, free, magazine, I don't mind.

More hats

This week I finished 4 hats- 2 Lolas for my daughter and her friend and 2 fruit hats for Jeanne's breastfeeding awareness initiative.
27 FOs down

The main things I've learned this summer are that I want to reduce how much "stuff" we have in our house and I have much better self-control than I'd thought.

I used an exception

Actually, I swapped and used an exception ;-)

Im not going to visit my aunt this summer as it turns out, so I decided to join some friends in a trek to Flying FIngers yesterday. The store is moving from Irvington, NY to Tarrytown, NY and they were having an in store only 50% off fiber sale.

I was rather restrained, especially when compared to my travel companions ;-)

And I already have them earmarked for a project, which is now #4 on my list.

I'm also almost done with another "from stash" project! This is a 1 piece baby cardi (the only seaming is the hood!) made from (so far) 2 balls of Cotton tots. I think I will need to break into a 3rd ball to finish the 2nd sleeve, but we'll see. If I do, I will probably use that and the full ball I still have to make another, 1 size smaller, as I have plenty of babies due to friends, and this is such a nice easy knit. (and yes, most of my knitting this month is abiding by Project Spectrum colors)

As wavybrains has pointed out, I am certainly learning more about my choices, amungst other tings. I have absolutely discovered a love of knitting baby stuff, but I have also discovered cotton is not as awful to knit with as some tried to convince me. I find that I am a combo knitter - Process AND Project. I love knitting just to knit, but I also enjoy completing a project!

I did also receive my July STR shipment, but I joined the club before I joined SOS, and it was all prepaid so it doesn't count. Details of all this stuff on my blog

-=Dani

What are YOU learning?

I thought I would post at the end in Sept. all that I've learned by doing SOS, but then I realized that I have already learned so much that I wanted to share and hear what you all have learned. Deb's post made me remember that we all came to SOS for different reasons. I joined because I was discouraged at my expanding stash, and because I had reached a point in my knitting where I felt stiffled by the stash. I have realized that this may have been because of how little I knew about myself as a knitter and how much I was letting the almighty bargain controll my knitting. What I have realized by slowing down and doing SOS is:

• I am picky about yarns. Very picky. I do not like yarns that spilt, yarns that fuzz, yarns that don't show texture and stitch definition, and yarns that make it hard to see stitches.
  
• I like cottons, and wools, and high-quality blends. I hate mohair, cheap acrylic, novelty yarns for anything other than accent. I'm not a fan of fingering/sport weights and really really chunky stuff doesn't do it for me either.
  
• This pickiness is NOT a bad thing and leads to better projects and a happier Wavybrains who actually enjoys what she is making.
  
• I am very process orienated. It is ffrustrating wanting to make something and not having the yarn in the right amounts or weights for that project.
  
• To that end, it is a lot of fun picking out the right yarn for that project and designing and making that project my own.
  
• Yarn bought for a specific project tends to get used up a lot faster while the odds and bargain balls languish regardless of how good of a "deal" I got.
  
• High quality yarn gets used up way faster than low quality stuff that is a pain to knit with.
  
• My skills at swatching and switching yarns for a project have vastly improved out of sheet neccesity during SOS.
  
• I like using up odds and ends, but honestly my bargain hunter nature is not as fullfilled as I thought by having to constantly come up with projects to use up an odd amount of yarn I got on clearance or had left-over or got gifted.
  
• Too much of creativity by neccessity makes me feel stifled. It is freeing to have the right amount of yarn for what I want to do in a fiber and weight that makes the process a joy for me.
  
• In the future, I think I will be more a project by project yarn buyer. This is much more satisfying for me.
  
• This means taking a different approach to bargains: coming up with a project and then searching for the right yarn at the right price.
  
• I like having multiple projects on the needles (right number seems to be 3-4), but projects left too long stress me out
• I need a variety of projects--BIG long projects and many small projects and any future stash needs to reflect this and not be all onesie-twosie projects
  
• I LOVE trying new things: socks, mason-dixon, sweaters, vests, baby projects, dying yarn and I can't let my stash get too far ahead of what my next phase may be. This summer has meant turning many yarns bought during the "scarf" phase into more complext projects with mixed results.
  

I feel so grateful (despite my few "slips") for SOS. I have grown so much as a knitter by having this time to focus on what I have and by seeing what you all are up to. What have you learned about yourself as a knitter so far? Chime in on comments or do your own list!!

It didn't end up using as much as I thought it might, but I've finished my first Booga. I knitted it using two types of wool I've had sitting in my stash, and went though 1 skein of each, more or less. And since I managed to finish this in like, 3 days, I have no doubt I can finish several more pretty quickly and use up even more stash. I've already test-swatched and felted those swatches of the same yarns knitted together rather than striped .. not sure how much I like it ... and another type of Alpaca/wool I have on hand .. which will make beautiful Boogas. In fact, I'm about to start one for Brandon .. well, tomorrow. For now, I must sleep.

Hanging in there

I finished my second baby sweater today, out of yarn I bought last Spring, and my next project is going to be a vest out of some Aurora 8 I got in February in exchange for my leftover Olympic Knitting yarn. This is pretty good, I think.

My goal for Summer of Stash wasn't so much to work through as much stashed yarn as possible--though the people who have been zooming through the yardage are darn impressive. My goal was simply not to buy any yarn for the duration. I needed the extra incentive. And so far, except for the Sundara yarns Petals Collection club which I was already signed up for, I have not bought any yarn since a week or two before Memorial Day, so I'm pretty happy about that. I got a little carried away at the beginning of the year, and I feel a little more under control now! The fact that I'm using up some yarn in my stash is just a bonus (grin).

Now, if only my lace project would move along faster so I could use up some of my lace yarn...

--Deb
www.chappysmom.typepad.com

Confession of a Yarnaholic

Okay! I'm really not doing too bad in the buying yarn. Till I went to Zellers and picked up some Bernat cotton for dish cloths. Did I need it? NO!! The reason I bought is because I joined a dishcloth swap and some of the ladies like purple. Did I have purple in my stash. No!! Do I have other pretty colours that I could use. YES!! It was on sale so I didn't pay full price. Can't wait till fall I have seen alot of things that I'd like to buy...

Which bring me to point two. How is the stash busting going? Not to great. With temps up to and including humidexs of 33C and+++++ its way to hot to knit. Even with a/c! GASP!! I maybe going on with this challenge till Christmas.

I did complete the blue poncho and just have to sew it up. The kids sweaters need to be finished as well. Hopefully it will cool down and I can do them. I am doing a bunch of dish cloths though and may start some scarves for Christmas gifts to get them out of the way.

Hope everyone is doing great. Love reading all the posts!

Leigh Ann

Still Plugging Along!

Hello all!

I am still using up the stash and really learning about planning projects better. Joining this stash-a-long has given me a whole new perspective on choosing the right yarn and the right projects. Here's a couple shots of recently completed items:

Fair Isle Toddler Hats (I've done 3 of these, but only 2 pictured here):




Booga Bag

I look forward to catching up on what everyone else has been up to!

Some Serious Stash Busting!

Check out my latest creations!

I've been finishing stuff!

Check out what I've finished so far during my Summer O' Stash Diet:

Will I run out of yarn before Labor Day? Well, no... but it sure feels like it sometimes!

Men Ruin Yarn Diets

On the heels of my, "I am never running out of hand-dyed yarn again" spiel, I was determined to walk the straight and narrow. Salads and water so to speak. But, then, I had to have DH drive me to the LYS because my car was broken and I needed size three circs if I was to retain my sanity over the car thing. Well, DH has not been in many LYS and does not show that much interest in stash. BUT, he has made it known that he wants a manly cardigan for Christmas. So, imagine my dismay when the following conversation took place.

DH: "Oh wow! I love this yarn"
Me: "Yes, that is good stuff. Plymouth Encore is a good weight, and it's washable."
DH: "I want this for my cardigan."
Me: "Ok. I'll buy in October or so."
LYS owner/enabler "Oh those are the discontinued colors. Last I have. 10% off for you!"
DH: Is there enough for a cardigan here?
Me: No--
LYS: "Here is the last bag of that color right under the bin. This would be enough."
DH: "Should we get all 14 balls?"
Me:"I'm on a yarn diet. I should wait. My SOS friends would want me to wait."
DH: I want THIS yarn.

You see where this is going right? All 14 balls of the discontinued colorway 425 came home with us at an amazingly good deal after some haggling. DH is thrilled. I consider it "his" yarn and not stash but it is sitting there, mocking me. DH's christmas present is now out of the way, but the guilt. I totally get the person who posted earlier about getting others to buy yarn for you--it is such an easy way around the no-yarn rule that part of me wonders why I didn't think of this sooner. The other part of me says that those 14 balls are going to totally ruin my "after" stash picture.

Men Ruin Yarn Diets

On the heels of my, "I am never running out of hand-dyed yarn again" spiel, I was determined to walk the straight and narrow. Salads and water so to speak. But, then, I had to have DH drive me to the LYS because my car was broken and I needed size three circs if I was to retain my sanity over the car thing. Well, DH has not been in many LYS and does not show that much interest in stash. BUT, he has made it known that he wants a manly cardigan for Christmas. So, imagine my dismay when the following conversation took place.

DH: "Oh wow! I love this yarn"
Me: "Yes, that is good stuff. Plymouth Encore is a good weight, and it's washable."
DH: "I want this for my cardigan."
Me: "Ok. I'll buy in October or so."
LYS owner/enabler "Oh those are the discontinued colors. Last I have. 10% off for you!"
DH: Is there enough for a cardigan here?
Me: No--
LYS: "Here is the last bag of that color right under the bin. This would be enough."
DH: "Should we get all 14 balls?"
Me:"I'm on a yarn diet. I should wait. My SOS friends would want me to wait."
DH: I want THIS yarn.

You see where this is going right? All 14 balls of the discontinued colorway 425 came home with us at an amazingly good deal after some haggling. DH is thrilled. I consider it "his" yarn and not stash but it is sitting there, mocking me. DH's christmas present is now out of the way, but the guilt. I totally get the person who posted earlier about getting others to buy yarn for you--it is such an easy way around the no-yarn rule that part of me wonders why I didn't think of this sooner. The other part of me says that those 14 balls are going to totally ruin my "after" stash picture.

Back from vacation & checking in

Hi all,

Well I'm back from my vacation. This was one of the exceptions I had listed but I'm happy to report that no yarn came home with me. I went to one shop in Sandpoint that had some local yarn, but after thinking about it I decided that I'd really only be buying it because I could, not that I really needed and/or wanted it. At which point it was easy to resist. I'm hoping some of that will stay with me long after the summer!

Before I left I managed to get 2 of the 3 rooms where yarn is stored inventoried. So here's the status of the inventory to date:

264,409.26 yds of yarn!

Plus since I initially didn't inventory the content of kits (though I do plan to go back to that), the following kits:

5 cardigans
2 pullovers
2 vests
6 hats
3 mittens
1 hat & mittens
7 scarves
1 shawl
11 socks
4 novelty items
1 pillow
4 purses
1 throw

To date, I haven't finished any projects, but....

I have otherwise destashed 10,274.7 yds of yarn (with another 2850 sale pending), the 2 pullover kits and 1 of the cardigan kits. Which I feel pretty good about even if it is a drop in the bucket!

So I'm hoping to finish the inventory at least this coming weekend!

Mary in VA

The only sane thing to do.. . .

It was a tragedy of the highest order. I was watching Gilmore Girls Season Five Finale on DVD and it looked like the show and the felted slippers I was working on would finish at the same time. My lovely self-dyed yarn was looking fabulous and I could not wait to felt and see the results. Then---disaster. I ran out of yarn with a ROW AND A HALF LEFT (plus bind off). I cursed. I considered ripping back on both slippers but, I need to make sure that there is enough to cover the foot (these are ballet slipper style). I paced. I considered my options: save the project for september, have two different sized slippers, burn the silly things. Chocolate was called in. Then, I did the only sane thing one could do under the circumstances: I ordered more yarn. Back on the wagon now, but the process of ordering more yarn was sorely tempting. I stuck to only the yarn I needed to finish the ROW AND A HALF. I now have a running list of yarn I want in Sept. once the current projects are knitted. Anyone else out there starting "wish lists" for future projects?

i fell off, but it was a goooood fall !

apparently, a silk screened ball of yarn is just not enough satisfaction for this yarn girl. i was bad. i was so bad ! but, i didn't care! i had no exceptions because i wanted to go cold turkey. i thought, "i'm tough! i'm going to do what no one else is! i don't need no stinkin' exceptions !"

but, i have no other outlets of retail therapy. i don't shop at the mall, i don't buy anything that i don't need. all my money goes towards rent, bills, gas & groceries. THAT'S NO FUN !

i would be the absolute worst drug addict, but my addiction instead is yarn. this is how the story goes ....



it all started with these buttons. all my knitty-girlfriends took a little roadtrip to a semi-local yarn shop. i could not go because i was working that day (did i mention i do work in my LYS and have resisted day after day after day!)? my knitty-girls are very good to me. they brought me back these three little fishy buttons. and that was it. i had a taste of what was elsewhere, and i had to go and see what else there was .....



how was i to know there would be such temptation ? i mean, i had only read about how absolutely scrumptious malabrigo is on bloglandia. they had all these lovely colorways, but mostly dark and earthy tones ... easy to pass up. but, then i made the mistake of touching these two hanks of little lovely, and i felt how incredibly soft it was ... and i didn't care that i was violating my diet. i know it's going to pill like crazy, but again, i don't care ! it's going to feel like heaven, wrapped around my neck come winter, in a simple seed stitch.

i also partook of the sock yarn section. oops.



my justification? ... solid colored sock yarn! it seems the world is swimming in handpaints and self-patterning yarns ... sometimes a girl just wants to knit lace and be able to see the lace pattern!

is there more? why, yes!



but, this is not in violation ... tools are definitley allowed. this hook is by laurel hill, distributed by bryson. the packaging says "forest palmwood", made in vietnam. the wood is smooth and dark, and i gave it a test drive at the yarn shop and decided it would not split my stiches. i'm an avid crocheter too, and i'm always happy to try out new products ... especially the aesthetically pleasing ones.

i'm not here to brag or show off. this is my first KAL. how am i doing? well, not so good apparently. i could offer many excuses ... like ... no exceptions, it's hotter than hell here, i was weak. but, it is what it is. maybe i'm not the best candidate for a KAL?

do i pledge now to not stray again until labor day? do i reset my clock to redeem myself? do i just go and cast on that malabrigo and knit it up before everyone has read what i've done?!

My destashing

I haven't been knitting much lately because we moved and I have been away from my computer for a while, but also because it is so HOT! I usually knit at night when it is cooler and during the day I can get the house organized... a little... day by day... It is not easy with 2 under 4 kids...

= Yesterday, I opened my stash moving boxes though; 3 of them and I was almost able to make it all stay in one big container! Notice that I said almost because as you can see on the right of the photo, there is still some yarn in that plastic bag! LOL

I still have some serious destashing efforts to do...

But at least, my thread cotton cohabits now with the rest of my yarn and I have a whole closet in the Office/Craft Room to store my yarn and stuff! WOOHOOO!!!

= Anyway, right now, I am working on another Picovoli, modifying the pattern a little. As mentionned in my SOS Goals, at the beginning of the summer, I thought I would have to use an Exception for getting the yarn for to make that top, but instead I decided to use some Bernat Baby Yarn that was in my stash for about 2 years and to make my Pico a winter top that I like to call my Cami Pico! :) See it here...

= Talking about Exceptions, I "only" used my "joker" twice: First time, and as it was for getting the yarn to make my Tempting II along with the Sexy Knitters Club (it was mentioned in my Goals but I haven't cast on yet though...) and the second time... well, the second time I just couldn't resist to that sale online... $1.47 per skein of Caron Simply Soft!!! I got 8 skeins of Copper Kettle color... but let's say that was my exception day for July, OK? [grin]

But I am thinking about making my Tubey with that yarn and that was also mentioned in my SOS Goals previously, sooooo... I think I am being pretty much faithful to my SOS commitment so far! YAY!!! ;D

= BTW, when I wrote my SOS Goals, I didn't know I would be moving in another house. Back then, I wished I could get rid of the cardboxes containing my stash that were sitting in the hallway and the living room, and I would have a Craft Room... That was summited under "My rewards"... Well, it was exactly what I had in mind but I can tell that my 2 wishes have been granted in advance and I am not going to complain, right? LOL

Happy Summer and Happy Destashing to all! :)

Isabelle aka Tricotine

I nearly caved

Well, I'll be a bit more honest: I planned to cave, but my LYS didn't have any of the yarn I needed. The good news is that I managed to go into my LYS and resist every single yarn they did have, including some truly wonderful sock yarn. (details on the near miss are on my blog)

We're Halfway There

Half of the summer is gone, and I've used up 53 skeins and completed 23 FOs (including this H2O hat). Only 7 weeks left; stay strong everyone!

More FO's from stash

A cloth for my bread basket:



The Baby Hat from One Skein:



A poncho for my daughter:



The Embossed Leaves Socks:



The Flower Basket Flower:



Lu

ETA: The yarn for the Baby Hat is Inspirations Yarn "Decaf". The pattern for the poncho is one of the free patterns from IK, Mini Poncho by Meema Spadola, but I casted 28 sts instead of 32 to make it smaller.

WIPs are from stash

I have cast on the fronts for my Noro jacket and have found an error in the set up for the cables on the right front, but from the picture and what I felt it should look like I have corrected this without too much trouble. I have not looked for errata, so it might be in there.

The second try at Jaywalker is coming along nicely though I think that ten rows of ribbing was to much. And I now know why there were that many stitches for that. If I do it again, and I just might, I will do the ribbing shorter and with fewer stitches and then increase the number of stitches for the pattern. On the other hand I am well pleased with my increases. My knit front back looked unsymmetrical and now I am knitting in the stitch below before the last stitch and after the first stitch on each needle and that looks good to me.

As the summer progresses, that lure of new yarn is calling - but must resist. I went to the LYS to use one of my exceptions - purchasing another skein of hemp to finish a project. They have luscious yarns. I explored for a long time, but just escaped with the one skein and a pattern. It was tough though. I tried to justify, no one will know, I want to make this shawl and I don't have any laceweight - but I was strong.

Has everyone seen what Shelly is doing? She wants everyones sock yarn scraps to work on a modular blanket. I am sure that some people have some extra bits that they want/need to destash.

Teresa

475

I am down to 475 balls of yarn from the 498 I had when I started this. That means that I managed to get rid of 24 balls of yarn since Memorial Day, not bad!
Some of them, I knit, some I gave them away.

I was on vacation for three weeks and I knit up a storm, but I have one photo of show you guys for now:



It's the Mountain Stream Scarf in Koigu, a present for my mom.

Lu

Thinking outside the box...

I have been REALLY good about knitting up yarn from my stash. Some of what I have been using is over 15 years old. I have decided to give much of my acrylic to my school/students, so that is a weight off my shoulders. The teacher has asked that I wait until the custodians are done with the summer cleaning of her room. LOL, she must have an idea of how much yarn I'm gifting to her!

Still, I had a moment of weakness where I needed some new yarn. I have already been bribing my daughter to purchase yarn for me, then giving it to me for my birthday. This was getting tough. As I was moving some of my stash, I came across an older book which I purchased to knit items for my two children. The book was for ages 1-3...and my kids are now 14 and 16. A swap was made...and now that book will belong to another wonderful knitter and I will be liberating a wild skein of Opal yarn. It's my FIRST Opal...and I didn't purchase it...I feel like a person that has been refreshed!

I'd best get back to knitting my older yarn!

Stash Reduction the EBay way

Well, I bought this yarn a while ago. I thought it was cool, and felt neat, and wouldn't it make a fabulous scarf?

Well, it probably would have, but I couldn't stand knitting with it. Lesson learned. But I still had three balls of this crap-tastic novelty yarn I wasn't ever going to use.

It's now on its way to some lucky person in Texas. I've shipped it off today. It's out of my stash, for good. And I have a selection of eyelash yarns I'm considering doing the same thing with. Or I might just send it on to a charity. The newest Knitty Gritty (New episodes have started, yay!) mentioned a few charities that accept yarn donations.

Two Sweaters Finished!

I haven't posted for a long time, life has been intervening in the form of spotty internet service.

But, I finished my Soleil, it's washed and blocked. It's also in an odd color (for my wardrobe), a kind of slate blue that needs a white skirt or shorts. Unfortunately, the last thing my hips need is a white skirt or shorts, so I'm not sure what I'll wear it with besides jean shorts.

I also finished my Everyday Cardigan that had been sitting unseamed for a couple of months. Or should I ask: if I haven't sewn on the buttons, is it finished? I have the buttons, just waiting for it to dry.

Hoping to have photos on my blog this week, will post when I do!

And now: True Confessions. I loved my Soleil so much that I decided I wanted to knit more summer tops. Unfortunately, unless I make summer tops out of Wool of the Andes or Cascade 220 (YUCK!) I needed to buy some yarn. So I bought one sweater's worth of Hempathy. I LOVE this yarn! And it didn't sit long in stash, I'm already halfway through a sweater. Here's the justification......................I went more than two months without buying, it's not like the yarn will be sitting in the stash black hole, I'll finish it this weekend and have the whole summer to wear it. When I finish it I will work on stash yarn--Knitpicks Sierra. I still need to find a pattern for it, any and all ideas welcome!

Signs you've entered yarn-buying withdrawal.

1. You get weak at the knees at the sight of Red Heart Super Saver Yarn.
2. You leave your purse at home, but stop by the yarn store anyway just to fondle the stuff.
3. You pass a Yard Sale sign and your heart skips a beat because you thought it said, "Yarn Sale".
4. You start offering to knit things for people if they'll just buy the yarn.
5. Your kids have to remind you that you said you weren't buying any yarn.
6. You spend hours trying to think of a really good excuse to buy more yarn.
7. You mentally re-do your budget to see if *maybe* you can find the money for just a little yarn.
8. You skip the monthly knit night at the LYS for fear your willpower won't survive it.
9. You're actually very sad when your sister decides she doesn't need you to knit some baby socks for an upcoming baby shower, after all. (See #4)
10. You recognized yourself somewhere in this list.

One Month and Two Weeks . . .

. . . since I bought yarn that didn't comply with one of my very limited exceptions. I finished a laceweight shawl made with yarn from the stash (pictures on my blog), and a lace capelet also made with yarn from the stash. Although this is not the most efficient way to use up stash yarn (lace takes me a good long while), I've been enjoying it.

Last night I cast on for Hedera from Knitty, using (you guessed it) yarn from the stash. But not just any old stash yarn; yarn I got from a swap I did during the Summer of Stash -- I swapped out yarn I simply would not have used for yarn I thought I actually would use; and now lo and behold, here I am using it! Will wonders never cease?

Plus, I've been managing not to use the exception most likely to lead to my fall off the wagon: yarn for my SPs. It turns out that going shopping in my stash (akin to going shopping in my closet when I get bored with the same old, same old clothes) yields some pretty interesting stuff. We'll see if I can keep it up, though; the quantity of non-leftover yarns is decreasing somwhat rapidly.

In the meantime, though, I find myself eyeing the Sugar 'n Cream yarn; so many people here are making such great things out of it.

Hey, anyone know if I can make a dishcloth/washcloth out of mercerized cotton? What is "mercerized" anyway?

CeCe finished

My CeCe is finished and I have worn it already. It is just what I wanted. Now I need to get my photographer to snap a pic and I will finally try to post one.

Also finished is the first sleeve of my Noro cardigan. I have not cast on for the fronts yet.

Ripped: my yellow jaywalkers. Restarted with less stitches and a different sock yarn. Now I am afraid the fabric is too loose, but will keep it up for a bit.

Exception-al summer

Just returned from my trip to the States, where my two exceptions were valid: (1) a Knitpicks order for a Skully due the Oldest Teen and a pair of knee socks due me, and (2) anything I could find while thrifting.

The Knitpicks order was made and is in my stash, waiting until I get a few projects off the needles, but all I found while thrifting was acrylic, so I refrained.

Not much knitting was done (only 2 dishcloths and the better part of a pair of socks), but at least stash enhancement was kept to a minimum. It should still be possible to hit my goal of a reduction of 100 skeins (net) by December 31 (current count, 43 skeins [net] gone).

Week 6 Progress

3 more Critter Knitter blankets. 31 FOs and 8 weeks left.

Proud of myself!

During a few errands, my copilot .. and the person I taught to knit ... wanted to stop at the yarn shop closest to us. We don't whop there usually, as her prices aren't phenomenal .. but he needed something to finish a scarf he made for his cousin.

So we stopped in.

And despite finding several rack on 40%-off sale, I did not by a single hank, skein or ball of yarn. Not even when I saw the mohair I already have one ball of was in the sale bins. And I really could use a few more balls. But no, I was strong. I resisted temptation. And I bought only the ball he needed .. which of course is really -him- buying the yarn. I just pay for it for now and he pays me back.

More at my blog.

Zen and Now

I was feeling really Zen about this Summer of Stash. Four weeks ago, I took my daughter to Springfield (MO) to get her enrolled in college for the fall semester, and investigated a yarn store while I was there. I walked around, petted some yarn, and told the ladies I'd be back in the fall. Of course, it "helped" to have my daughter there reminding me that "you said you aren't buying any yarn this summer"!
I have even managed to finish 2 projects: a Booga Bag (enlarged from original pattern), and a pair of socks for my husband (his first handknit socks).
Suddenly, with several projects going at once (work about an inch on some socks, a round of a circular shawl, 4 rows on a stole, repeat sequence until eyes roll up in head), I desperately wanted to start something new. So I bought a ball of crochet cotton at Wal-Mart, to make the Dutch sampler on the KnitalongSamplerM Yahoo group. Then I got tired of waiting to hear from the people I'd ordered sock yarn from on May 29th (that had been my last yarn order, and I didn't even know about this group until several days later). This was over 5 weeks later, and no word from them on where the order was, so I searched & found another source for the yarn, and ordered it.
And on this rainy Monday, I am out of the knitting doldrums, back at work on my backlog of UFOs.
Pictures & details on my blog.
Julie

Ya know...

I don't wanna tempt fate here, it is only July 9th afterall. There's a whole lotta summer left yet! But I'll be honest, this hasn't been as hard as I assumed it was going to be. (That's not to say it's been easy either! I guess I have just done a decent job at keeping temptation at more than an arms's length *s*)

Anyway, I have finished a bunch of baby stuff, which is helping me work thru the SnC & PnC stash I have (as a direct result of the MD Knitting book!!) Last night, I finished the 1st of 2 burp cloths, and will next be working on the final bib for this set (that needs to go out in Septemeber, but I want it all finished by the end of this month!)



I'm also just about finished with my KSKS pals project bag, that was also made from stash yarn. I expect to felt that in the next day or two, so there's 3 more balls of yarn worked thru!



I wish you all no temptations!!

-=Dani

A Few More Warshrags!

Thought I better prove I am working on "de-stashing".....overwhelmed at the thought initially so I decided to focus on one "stash" at a time.....I have made about 20 "warshrags" since starting the SOS......have about 6 or 8 more skeins of Sugar N Cream to go then I'll start on another "stash"!

Pretty sneaky how this SOS ends J.U.S.T. about the time all the new Fall yarns are in the stores.....pretty smart gals you are I must admit!! Hee! Hee!

Summer Knitty Patterns

Did you see the new knitty? http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/patterns.html Lots of projects that will be great for stash busting.

I have started another stash project from Noro Silk Garden in green-purple. The sleeve turns out great and I love it. Naturally knitting a wool cardigan when it is 30 degree Celsius outside is a bit insane, but it was the only yarn I had that went with project spectrum for July. I have the amount specified for the pattern, but am doubting that it will be enough. However if it is not I will buy more and just consider it an additional exception (1 was the late start and 2 the CeCe yarn). But maybe I will be fine, the cardi is rather short.

Some finished, some knot...

I"m currently working on a Holey Moley. It has already floated the Marias River and been on Lake Mary Ronan. My version will use 5 skeins of yarn...Yipppeee! I have finished the Lopi Felted bag. At last, I have a finished felted object!

I've used up all of the cotton I got to make these dishcloths for my niece, and now I am entirely on Stash. I've started another dishcloth, and have started frogging a square I was trying to make for an afghan, so I can start with the tesellating fish one instead.

I dyed yarn!

I know none of you can buy it, but you all have friends who have friends who have friends & so on, so I'm hoping someone will buy this stuff, because cash is sorely lacking around the Gonzopants household. Self-striping superwash merino, in a weight similar if not identical to STR mediumweight. Pictures & details here.

Vacation Knitting

We've been on vacation and all of the driving gave me plenty of knitting time. Here's what I've accomplished in the last two weeks- 2 large and 5 small Critter Knitter blankets. Rebekah is taking donations through the 15th of this month, so I promise I'll have something other than blankets to post about in the coming weeks. 34 FOs to go before Labor Day.