I like taking photos of the stuff I donate just because I forget how many things I actually make, and it's fun to go back and remember color combinations and styles. My mother-in-law mailed me some leftover cream and tan that I was able to match up with some other stuff. These are two blankets that will be donated to the VA hospital.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:11 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I am knitting the hardest thing I've ever knitted before.
It sucks.

I have wanted an Aran sweater for a long time, so I started making one. So far I have done eight rows of pattern, four one day and four another. Four is actually too much for one sitting, at least at this point when I haven't really memorized any of the segments of the pattern yet. I have never had to concentrate so hard on a project before.

The pattern isn't available anywhere online, but I found a work-in-progress photo on knitting blog. She had let it sit for over two years and made it her New Year's resolution to finish in 2008. I wonder if she did.

I resolve to do two rows a day.

I also found a hilarious official photo of the sweater. No, I am not making the beret. Or holding a paddle.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:43 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 But---but--the beret is so JAUNTY!! You know,those patterns were varied,clan by clan, so that when the fishermen wearing them fell over board and washed up on shore they could be identified... You could make up your own crazy pattern for "Clan Grok " --we'd be none the wiser

Posted by: MaryIndiana at December 30, 2008 02:34 AM (p105G)

2 So you've accepted the ultimate challenge at last! It sucks. But it will rock when you're done. I have wanted an Aran sweater for a long time, so I started making one. And when the rest of us want something, we just buy it. Oh, you "crafty" folk! But---but--the beret is so JAUNTY!! I agree with Mary. Be like us lazy people. Buy a beret and paddle - and pose! How did you find the pattern? You could make up your own crazy pattern for "Clan Grok" Maybe you could do that after you're done with this first sweater. Gulchwear could be your next project.

Posted by: Amritas at December 30, 2008 02:52 AM (HGaLd)

3 I totally think the paddle adds that little bit of, I don't know, firmness to the look.

Posted by: airforcewife at December 30, 2008 05:08 AM (Fb2PC)

4 I made a sweater of what looks like the same pattern for my husband many years ago. He loved it, but I really didn't knit much after that. Hard, very hard, but in those days I had more spirit to try something like that. I think it wound up in the dog's bed after quite a few years.

Posted by: Ruth H at December 30, 2008 09:50 AM (Y4oAO)

5 I found your blog a couple of weeks ago and love it! I must be a weirdo, but I love aran knitting--it's intarsia that drives me mad. The beauty of aran is that it's repetitious, so once you figure out where the pattern is going, you won't have to hover over your book. Good luck with it! Please keep up with the groking/blogging, I've added you to my daily reading list!

Posted by: Valarie at December 30, 2008 02:46 PM (6uT+v)

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MaryIndiana requested a post on unfinished knitting projects. Some people won't start a new project until the old one is finished; others constantly start projects and move on to something more exciting before it's finished. I believe I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

I have knitting ADD. I wasn't always that way; I used to only do one project at a time. But in the past few years, I have needed variety. So I always have a few things going at once. I only have a couple of truly unfinished projects. I started a sweater two years ago that I know will be to small for me. I hate to rip out the entire back of the thing, but I know I can't continue it, so it has sat for two years. I also started another stuffed animal back when I was teaching knitting classes, but with no baby to get excited about, that project petered out too. I started myself a DNA scarf that is about a third finished, and I started a double knitting scarf for my mother that takes more concentration than I would like and has sat there all year. Yeah, it was supposed to be her Christmas present. And I started an Aran sweater that takes even more concentration than mom's scarf: I tried to do a row while watching TV, and I spent 45 minutes knitting and then unknitting the row. Can't talk or watch TV during that project.

OK, that probably sounds like a lot. But by knitter standards, that's not so much. I will finish the scarves and the Aran eventually. Probably the stuffed animal too. One day I will get brave enough to rip out that sweater and start it over.

But I say with pride that I do not have any mate-less socks in this house.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:33 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I finished my first Primavera sock on the plane out to Seattle and started the second.

I am fantastically happy with this project, but the second sock will be put on hold for a while while I start a very fulfilling project to fill a need. Cryptic, I know. But I can't wait to write about it later.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:29 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 You have inspired me, you know. You and that sock-knitting blog you linked to a week or two ago. I have now decided that I absolutely MUST learn how to knit so that I can learn how to knit socks. I'm giving my first sock a try; started last night. I'm sure my first set will be terrible and probably unwearable, but it will be a learning experience.

Posted by: Leofwende at November 19, 2008 09:13 AM (jAos7)

2 Leofwende, I know the temptation to emulate Sarah can be overwhelming, but please don't neglect your art. I love your self-portraits and would like to see how you'd depict other people. Amaravati already has one Sovereign of Socks. It needs a Princess of Paintings. But never mind what I want. Learning new skills is always a good thing. Best of luck with your first pair! Sarah, Cryptic, I know. And you also know that hint-dropping is a tried-and-true technique to keep your readers hooked. We'll be back every day in hopes of seeing the unveiling of The Project. How do you pick projects? The Primavera sock is on a year-old blog post. (Not that beauty is ever out of date!) Do you mostly find ideas through random websurfing, or is there a pattern of patterns?

Posted by: Amritas at November 19, 2008 11:11 AM (+nV09)

3 Usually through random web surfing. I also pick out patterns much faster than I can actually make the items, so sometimes I have patterns backlogged for years. I saw the Primavera socks by random and thought they'd be a good fit for this particular yarn I had. There is a clearinghouse of patterns called Knitting Pattern Central, which is a good place to start a web crawl.

Posted by: Sarah at November 19, 2008 11:44 AM (TWet1)

4 what kind of yarn is that? So pretty!

Posted by: Mare at November 19, 2008 11:52 AM (APbbU)

5 The photos are nice, but your readers should know they do not do the sock justice! Can't wait to see what needs you're filling!!!

Posted by: Guard Wife at November 19, 2008 12:42 PM (eb8pN)

6 Thanks, Amritas. I have done a few paintings since then; I just haven't gotten around to posting pics of them. Knitting/crocheting is something I can take with me on the bus to and from work. Oil paints? Mmmm...not so much. Next year, when I'm no longer working a long bus ride from home and when my husband is deployed, I will probably do a lot more art. But for now it's only here and there.

Posted by: Leofwende at November 19, 2008 01:41 PM (jAos7)

7 Leofwende, D'oh! Didn't occur to me that you can't paint and commute at the same time! Nor can you simultaneously commute and Photoshop. It's odd that I forgot about the mobility factor, since I insist on maximum productivity. Just sitting on the bus doesn't sit well with me; I have to do something. Unfortunately, what I do isn't as visible or as beautiful as Sarah's Primavera sock. Or your paintings. Do post some more; I look forward to them.

Posted by: Amritas at November 19, 2008 03:32 PM (a1nQd)

8 how many single socks do you have around the house waiting for a knit mate?

Posted by: airforcewife at November 20, 2008 06:45 AM (Fb2PC)

9 That's my only un-mated sock. And the mate is half done anyway. Now unfinished scarves and sweaters, that's a whole nother story...

Posted by: Sarah at November 20, 2008 11:01 AM (TWet1)

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In sock knitting news, I just want to be this girl. She makes beautiful footwear.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:25 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I haven't put any crafting up in a while because, well, I haven't made anything blogworthy. I have spent most of my time crocheting wheelchair afghans for the VA hospital. But, what the hey, I thought I'd put a photo up.

I also have been working on a Primavera sock since I left for San Antonio. It will travel with me to Seattle this coming weekend for the next SpouseBUZZ live. (Which totally snuck up on me. Yesterday AWTM said, "See you next weekend," and I had no idea what she was talking about.)

Tomorrow I am hosting a Yarn Event at our Michaels, where we make blocks for Warm Up America. I have made several blocks in the past few weeks. Hopefully we'll have good turnout.

Posted by: Sarah at 12:45 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Comrade Sarah, You are always in search of "common ground," and we on the Left also seek it, even with the likes of you. We support all those who make peOple's crafts. The letters "PC" are almost as beautiful as "BHO." We prOgressives admire your willingness to work for nothing. It is a shame that other Omericans still insist on being paid and that we had to remove the word "require" from Our plan for universal voluntary service. In the spirit of bipartisanship and cOmprOmise, we only have two suggestions for you. First, correct the spelling of "Warm Up Omerica." Second, use this pattern. We will see you in Seattlegrad. The peOple's eyes are everywhere!

Posted by: kevin at November 08, 2008 01:28 PM (gpO+N)

2 I'll be there, too. Looking forward to it.

Posted by: Leofwende at November 09, 2008 08:48 AM (cZoqf)

3 Dang! If I had read this earlier, I would have gone!

Posted by: Green at November 09, 2008 09:12 PM (6Co0L)

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Crochet, where have you been all my life?

I got a simple dc pattern from one of the ladies in my charity group, and this was a great way to use up all those little golf-ball-sized leftovers. And they crank out quick, in about 40 minutes or so each.

I was a woman possessed, figuring out color combinations so I could use every last inch of the yarn.

UPDATE:

As requested, here's the pattern.

With F or G hook and baby yarn, chain 4.
Row 1: 15 dc in fourth chain from needle (first 3 chains counts as 1 dc): 16 dc. Connect with slip stitch (on this and at the end of every row)
Row 2: 3 chains, *2 dc in next stitch, 1 dc in next, rep from *
Row 3: 3 chains, 1 dc in same stitch, * 1 dc in next 2 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch, rep from *
Row 4: 3 chains, 1 dc in same stitch, *1 dc in next 3 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch, rep from *
Row 5: 1 dc in each dc,
Row 6-9: repeat row 5

Posted by: Sarah at 08:29 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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I am going to keel over and die at how cute this knitted bat is.

Posted by: Sarah at 07:34 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 It is cute! Color me surprised at a cute bat. I followed your link thinking that last shot may have affected your brain ;>) but.. it really is cute. They just look precious hanging there.

Posted by: Ruth H at October 05, 2008 08:33 AM (FAgoX)

2 AWWWWWWW!

Posted by: Green at October 05, 2008 10:24 AM (6Co0L)

3 Those are too cute!! I love the little heart-shaped buttons to keep their wings closed when they are upside down.

Posted by: Guard Wife at October 05, 2008 11:45 AM (eb8pN)

4 Sarah, Just sitting here thinking about the preemies who will be going home from the hospital all nice and warm because you cared enough to make caps; well, it makes me all misty. You have such a kind, loving heart that you should not be worried about what kind of mother you will be. "Her children rise up and bless her". Like so many others, I'm praying for you and your husband.

Posted by: Pamela at October 05, 2008 01:28 PM (bo2vh)

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I have wanted to make socks with Cascade Fixation for a while now, so I was delighted to receive two balls as a gift. I searched for patterns online and came upon this one. I tried a gauge swatch, but it was waaay off. I thought maybe it was because the yarn was stretchy, so I just went up a needle size to be safe and got moving.

While I was working, I thought the sock looked small, but I decided to stay in denial. I knitted the leg, heel, turn, gussets, and decreases before I began to panic. I tried the sock on and found that it was tighter than panty hose. No good.

Ripped out the whole thing.

I had to cast on 52 sts instead of 40 to get a sock that fit. This woman who wrote the pattern must have slender legs and feet! So I started knitting Friday morning and had 17 rows done when I boarded the plane.

A man across from me asked what I was making. Then he said, "OK, we've got four hours to Vegas; I want to see how much you can get done!" So I started working. And I worked and worked and worked. I wanted a break, to read or to nap, but I felt all this pressure from the guy in the seat across from me! It was so silly. He drove me to knit for four hours straight.

At the end of the flight, I held up the work for him and he disappointedly said that I hadn't really gotten that much done.

Yep, knitting is slow.

Five hours of work:

Half a sock. Dark photo taken in our "ghetto fabulous" hotel, as Guard Wife called it.

I came home and finished the sock on Monday and started the second last night.

Three cheers for knitting for myself!

Posted by: Sarah at 08:38 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Heck with that guy! I'd like to see *him* knit that much in four hours! That sock is really cute - I really need to try doing a sock pattern, so far I've only done one knitting project, a really simple scarf.

Posted by: loquita at September 24, 2008 11:10 AM (sPO/s)

2 Eh, what do random airline passengers know, anyway? ;-) Looks great to me! :-) (And he should know better than to dis someone holding knitting needles ;-)

Posted by: kannie at September 24, 2008 11:31 AM (f+LJo)

3 I'd like blue ones please; size 9. Oh, can you put the no-slippy-grippy stuff on the bottom so I don't fall? Thanks I think it's great and I'm super proud of you!

Posted by: Susan at September 24, 2008 01:09 PM (bwlsC)

4 Wait...they let you on the plane with knitting needles? TSA must be slacking off... ;D

Posted by: Marine Wife at September 24, 2008 05:52 PM (yv1Wh)

5 The guy must have been drinking. Just because it's okay to take knitting needles on planes doesn't mean they won't hurt if you get jabbed with one! It's cool to see the finished product! The photo of the one @ G-Fab made me have a nasty flashback involving that hole. Ick!

Posted by: Guard Wife at September 25, 2008 06:35 AM (/kc/Y)

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Finished.

After two more hours last night and another hour this morning, it's done. And either I'm the worst crocheter in the world, or something was off on that pattern. I specifically chose it because it sounded quick: 126 rows, piece of cake. I had to actually crochet an extra 50 rows just to get the length right. Not as quick as I'd hoped.

But done.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:58 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 It looks great! You do fantastic work, even if it wasn't quite so cake-like.

Posted by: Stephanie at August 01, 2008 07:41 AM (hooJk)

2 Sarah - Its gorgeous

Posted by: keri at August 01, 2008 10:26 AM (HXpRG)

3 Maybe it was a gauge difference? Like you had a smaller gauge so it took longer than you thought it would? Oh, I also scrolled down to an early July post and saw how you had the yarn in separate bags. That's a great idea, I'm never that organized with multiple colours anyway, however long it took, it looks great.

Posted by: Denise at August 01, 2008 01:29 PM (vEC+I)

4 Denise -- Yeah, what I mean is that something was fishy with the gauge. I hit the width spot on, but the height was way off. 4 inches should've been 10 sc + 11 rows, but for me it was 10 sc + 15 rows. I didn't know you could hit the width so perfectly and be SO FAR off the height.

Posted by: Sarah at August 01, 2008 01:36 PM (TWet1)

5 Beautiful!

Posted by: A Soldier's Wife at August 01, 2008 03:59 PM (jA2RX)

6 That looks lovely! What a wonderful gift.

Posted by: Guard Wife at August 02, 2008 11:49 AM (F5iCn)

7 That is strange. Maybe the pattern meant it to be double-stitch or something, but was written wrong. Yay for finishing, though, regardless. Afghans take forever sometimes.

Posted by: Emily at August 04, 2008 09:06 AM (jAos7)

8 That's happened to me before where my gauge was fine going across but was off on rows, but that was in knitting. I don't even measure gauge on rows, I just measure length now. Anyways, the afghan looks great!

Posted by: Tania at August 05, 2008 10:28 AM (KfVPZ)

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Well, I put in a seven-hour workday today. I started crocheting on the wedding afghan at 9 AM, stopping only for lunch and the occasional email. Seven hours and a ton of blurry TV later, I've completed 25 rows. That's eight inches. Man, I kinda figured I'd knock this thing out today, but I still have another four or five inches to go.

That's enough, people. No more weddings or babies for the rest of the year. I can't handle any more of this race-against-the-clock knitting.

Posted by: Sarah at 11:34 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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There is no wrong way to knit. The only rule is to not drop a stitch or do something that will cause the knittery (thanks for the term, CaliValleyDude) to unravel. How you hold the sticks, where you hold the yarn, all of this is irrelevant. I rest my needles on my thighs and move the left one around the right; I think the only other people in the world who do that are the people who learned knitting from me. Which is actually quite a few people, I am happy to say.

I've heard stories from people who've gone into highbrow knitting stores and the ladies there want them to change the way they hold everything. That makes me mad. There's no wrong way to do it.

(This post prompted by this post.)

The only wrong way to knit is to take on making two wedding afghans a month before the weddings. And realizing that you now have a week to finish the remaining thirds of both of them.

Posted by: Sarah at 07:34 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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OK, panic set in last night.

I should be working on that mess of an afghan, but it seems like such a pain in the neck to pick it up, untangle all the baggies, and start doing row after row of single crochets. My hands kept reaching for these instead.

Someone gave me a ton of that Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn, you know the stuff with the shiny string wrapped around it? I personally find it kind of a pain in the neck to work with, so I thought I'd use it all up by making simple granny square blankets to donate. And I really like how they turned out.

I am not one to get attached to my donated projects; I have never looked back after giving away the little caps. (OK, I did get a little wistful that I had already donated the American flag hat and then Sis B goes and has a preemie on July 3rd.) But I am really attached to these little blankets, like I don't want to give them away. I could just keep them around to have on hand when one of my umpteen friends has a baby. But that's not in the spirit of charity. Still, it will take a lot of willpower to drop them off on Wednesday.

Anyway, I've been wrapped up in the ease of just picking them up and going to town that I forgot that I only have less than a month to finish two adult sized afghans! Mercy me. I worked another four inches on the intarsia mess yesterday and today, but I really need to get my behind in gear.

I hid all other projects from myself.

Posted by: Sarah at 09:09 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Those are soo pretty. I like the shiny stuff, and blue and yellow are two of my favorite colors. Good job. Maybe you can keep one of them, your favorite?

Posted by: Sara at July 08, 2008 11:49 AM (SZeN8)

2 Woohoo, much easier than that Intarsia blanket. And very cute. Do you mind if I ask how you got in touch with the group you donate to? I'm thinking something like that may be a good motivator to keep up crocheting and improve my skill when I don't have specific projects in mind for myself.

Posted by: Emiy at July 08, 2008 01:52 PM (jAos7)

3 Nice blankets! I keep itching to do a single granny square blanket but have wanted to see the finished project. I love crocheting baby blankets and have to admit to keeping quite the stash of my favorites, even after giving a few away. It's just so much easier to know they're at a good home. Mine!

Posted by: Darla at July 08, 2008 08:35 PM (tIKcE)

4 They're beautiful! I see why you don't want to give them up.

Posted by: Green at July 09, 2008 03:44 AM (6Co0L)

5 I have so much admiration for your knitting and crocheting skills! I've only just started crocheting and can only do the simplest of granny squares..All of the pictures you've posted of your projects are great inspiration!

Posted by: Maria at July 09, 2008 03:57 AM (2rnKP)

6 Dude, make yourself happy. It's the little things. Keep one of the blankets carpe diem!

Posted by: Kate at July 09, 2008 07:27 AM (JIGe1)

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Last night I set aside the afghan, plunked myself down to listen to SpouseBUZZ Talk Radio, and grabbed my needles. Normally at this time of the week I would already have several preemie hats sitting around, but this past week I've been straying from my norm and making preemie blankets. So I only had one hat, and not a very cute one at that. I whipped up a hat for little Crush last night.

Now I just need to track Sis B down to send it to her; she was traveling away from home when she gave birth! As if deployment three days ago, a custody battle, and a cancer scare weren't enough excitement in her life...she decides she needs to c-section out a preemie in another state. Silly girl.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:35 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 That is the CUTEST hat EVER!!! It's PERfect!!!! Thank you!

Posted by: Sis B at July 06, 2008 09:33 PM (1Ek1Q)

2 Knit hats are way cuter than crocheted hats. I should learn how to knit, just for that.

Posted by: Emily at July 07, 2008 09:51 AM (jAos7)

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It seems I've got myself a full-time job now. A friend of mine is getting married in August. I had too many babies to knit for up until now, so I am just getting started on an afghan (View image). I spent the entire afternoon making 2376 single crochet stitches. And this is the first thing I've made in a long time that isn't for someone who reads my site, so I can actually talk about it!

Other projects, not so much.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:16 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Ha, Loqi, I had that same thought last night after I turned off the computer. Oh well, I think all yarnwork is knitting in my head!

Posted by: Sarah at July 02, 2008 02:20 AM (TWet1)

2 What a pretty afghan! That will make a gorgeous gift, Sarah.

Posted by: Guard Wife at July 02, 2008 01:38 PM (ccp31)

3 I bow to your endurance! I am an avid hooker and love to whip through a rare baby blanket on occasion but sc stitch after stitch just ties me in knots! (Have I ever mentioned I have an extremely short attention span? Ooh, pretty butterfly!) I have completed ONE adult 7' x 6' afghan for my honey, after much bullying and begging. It only got finished cause he flew home from his 1st tech school post boot camp for his grannies funeral. I did it for granny. Happy knitting!

Posted by: darla at July 02, 2008 05:08 PM (tIKcE)

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I babysat this afternoon for my neighbor's 7 year old daughter. While I was there, I taught her to knit. And the most wonderful words came out of her mouth: "This is more fun than playing with my Nintendo DS!" Ahhh, heavenly.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:54 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I ran out of white-white, so I decided to try one that was more Americana looking, and I think I like it the best. We're gonna have some patriotic preemies around here!

Posted by: Sarah at 04:05 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Last Saturday was world-wide Knit In Public Day. AWTM caught sight of some ladies participating. I was supposed to join in with a friend here in town, but, well, last Saturday turned out to be a little busy.

I plan to celebrate Knit In Public Day (Observed).

Here's what I've been working on. I have been commissioned to make a blanket for a dear reader, and Charlie has taken a shine to it. Any time I leave the room, he curls up with it. Happy Baby Shower; hope you like dog hair!

Also, I've only made one, so I need to get a move on. The 4th is coming up, and preemies need to be swathed in red, white, and blue.

I have also been working on super-secret projects for a couple of you barefoot and pregnant bloggers. You know who you are. And no, I won't say what you're getting. But the best thing about getting to know people via blogging is that you learn all these little tidbits about them that come in handy later, like when you want to make something special that only they will truly grok.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:35 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I made the pumpkin version last fall, so yesterday I tried the peach.

These preemie hats are too darned cute.

And I got some great suggestions on yesterday's post that if I have too much yarn, I can give it away, either to newbie knitters or to a good cause. While both of these ideas are admirable, well, I don't think I'm that big of a person. You see, I will spend hours and hours and hours making stuff that I just give away. I make tons of preemie caps, squares for HCC afghans, and gifts for friends, but handing over an unknittedup ball of yarn to someone else? Ouch.

At one of my knitting classes, a woman didn't buy her own yarn. She brazenly asked me if she could just use mine. I had this crummy, old, ugly ball of faded brown acrylic junk in my hand, and yet I went, "Um...well...er...uh...o...kay," and slowly handed it to her. It was crap yarn! It was ugly and awful. But giving it away? It hurt my heart. I would've gladly made something out of it and handed it to her for free, but I have a severe selfishness problem with giving away unused yarn.

Sis B, I'd rather hand you ten bucks to go pick out your own yarn! And FbL, we too make blankets for the VA hospital here in town; I was just going to start one soon. The problem is, a lot of the yarn I have is not stuff that is good for these projects. I have used up most of my washable acrylics on HCC squares; what I'm left with is fancy wools and sock yarn and a ton of baby yarn to be made into preemie caps. But I'll dig.

Maybe I can convince myself to be a big enough person to give away yarn.

Maybe.

Doubtful.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:27 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 That hat is amazingly sweet. It could only look sweeter with a teeny, tiny head tucked into it. I cannot WAIT to learn how to do this type of knitting magic!!

Posted by: Guard Wife at April 29, 2008 08:43 AM (GPWZ1)

2 adorable!!

Posted by: awtm at April 29, 2008 12:54 PM (f726z)

3 I love your preemie hats! How sweet the little peach hat is!

Posted by: sharona at April 29, 2008 01:26 PM (BeRta)

4 Very cute! And you make such wonderful stuff, I wouldn't feel bad at all about not give it away.

Posted by: Butterfly Wife at April 29, 2008 02:46 PM (YkizZ)

5 *heehee* Perfectly understandable.

Posted by: FbL at April 29, 2008 09:49 PM (rW1/8)

6 I have *got* to get a picture of Emma wearing her preemie hat sent to you . She is wearing it now!

Posted by: Kate at April 30, 2008 03:41 AM (576n8)

7 I had to giggle! Has Erin told you about ''my stash?''

Posted by: debey at April 30, 2008 06:09 AM (nNfOh)

8 Good thing my apt is small or I'd have more yarn, too. Just need to finish some other projects so I can get on with a Soldiers' Angels crocheting project that I promised to help with.... Love your blog! I haven't been here in a while and wondering why not. Duh.

Posted by: Lisa in DC at April 30, 2008 06:16 PM (7NvA/)

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Knitters with a big stash will completely grok this:

So that's where I am today. At least in my head. Remembering how I felt when I bought this stuff. Remembering what I planned on making with it. Remembering all the emotions I was sure I'd feel when the projects were finished. Beating myself up for never getting around to starting the projects. Beating myself up for not even winding the yarn yet. Beating myself up for beating myself up for all the projects I wanted to make but never got around to.

My friend learned to knit and crochet right when her husband left for Iraq. A year later, she had a serious obsession. She made her husband come over to my house to see my stash so that hers would look small by comparison. Her husband was a bit stunned by my skein collection; my husband just shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

I've been making a conscious effort to use up yarn I already own, but somehow the stash keeps growing. Sometimes is grows slowly, as when I find one lonely ball of mustard yellow on sale for 60 cents that can be used to make HCC squares. Other times it grows in leaps and bounds: one of the ladies in my charity group has been ridding her stash of yarns that bother her arthritic hands, and every two weeks she brings me a new big bag of yarn for me. So even though my stash is growing mostly due to free yarn, it's still starting to overwhelm me.

It takes several hours and about 1.5 oz of yarn to make a preemie cap; thus, bags of yarn every two weeks will take me ages to work through. But somehow I have this stupid mental image that I will use up everything I own someday, and then dust my hands off and go buy more.

Working through my stash is like digging in sand.

Posted by: Sarah at 08:02 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 327 words, total size 2 kb.

1 I'm this way with my scrapbooking supplies. (Note to self: organize and put away your scrapbooking stash before Sarah steps foot in this house!) Oh, well. That's what hobbies are about, I suppose, and as inexpensive as the supplies can be, they mulitply fast!

Posted by: Guard Wife at April 28, 2008 10:02 AM (BslEQ)

2 I promised myself a while ago that I would not buy any more yarn until I had all of my projects with specific yarns completed. So ABW and I walked into the thrift store the other day and found a HUGE bin of Rowan wool yarn for $1.75/skein (brand new, with tags). We went a little crazy. And I felt guilty the whole time. There was a point right before I got to the register that I almost put them back. But I couldn't part with the scrumptious colors I picked out, even though I had no current ideas for the yarn. Hey! Maybe I'll make some wool soakers with the pattern you sent...(I already have three projects on the needles that haven't been touched in weeks). Argh.

Posted by: Erin at April 28, 2008 10:52 AM (y67l2)

3 Well... there's always junior knitters who may or may not be pregnant and may or may not be headed into a deployment and may or may not lust after yarn every time they enter a hobby lobby or michael's who may or may not appreciate your passing on some of the stash to them. Not that I know anybody who may or may not fit those criteria. Nope. Nobody.

Posted by: Sis B at April 28, 2008 11:18 AM (0ZS+T)

4 To Erin's defense she really did almost put it back. I told her to keep it. I couldn't let her put back her measly couple of balls of yarn when I......gulp.......bought 34. (but some of mine were only 75 cents a skein!) No excuse, no excuse..... just don't ask me to count my needles..... I'm off to knit...wait....I'm cutting quilt squares.....tomorrow I knit.

Posted by: ABW at April 28, 2008 11:50 AM (Y3JJK)

5 Shoot, Erin and ABW, no need to gulp...if I had been there, I would've fought you for the yarn myself. I sure don't need 34 new balls, but I would've taken them in a heartbeat, and maybe punched you out if you tried to get me to share.

Posted by: Sarah at April 28, 2008 11:53 AM (TWet1)

6 I've been talking to a company that may be donating yarn to Soldiers' Angels. When I talked to the crochet team about it, the team leader was so excited. She said that most of the knitters and crocheters (who usually make blankets for the VA) are retired and can't afford to buy as much yarn as they would use if they had the opportunity. So... perhaps I could help you find a good home for all that yarn...?

Posted by: FbL at April 28, 2008 12:58 PM (rW1/8)

7 OMG, can I just say that I hate you all. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. I lost my whole stash in the stupid Nor'Easter flood on April 07' and have been aquirring some stuff here and there. If I saw that sale I'd beat you all off with a stick for that yarn. There's too many knitters here in Philly to really be able to get good sale stuff, it's always picked over.

Posted by: Mare at April 29, 2008 09:44 AM (EI19G)

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