Knitting Away

I organized my stash and that felt great and now I am knitting from it. I love making little mindless things that I can do while the kids play. I have made quite a few washclothes lately and I adore them. I just pick a stitch pattern and go. I can make one in an hour or so. I think I've also memorized the Calorimetry pattern, I've made a few and have some more to make. People love them and they are easy. A great combination!

I finally finished the first Knuck for my DH, now I have to start the second one. That is my last christmas obligation (I know it is the end of February...)

My big WIP is the Elfin Lace shawl that I am doing as a KAL with some friends from my knitting group. I am so far behind!!! One person (Robin) has finished the main part and has picked up the stitches on one side for the edging! I am on repeat 5 of 28 (and yes each repeat gets longer...) I am blaming my kids! Robin's son is away at college so she can knit complicated patterns at home every evening, while I have a 4 yr old and 2 yr old to play with. That is my story and I'm sticking to it! :)

Stash organization!

Yesterday I put all my yarn in one place and organized it, even the cotton and old acrylic from the beginner days. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I put a movie in (Notting Hill...love it) and went to town.

I am donating 17 skeins of yarn to the kid's daycare as they use yarn all the time for crafts. And I am actually throwing away yucky scraps! I found maybe 3 skeins of wool I didnt' love, I bought them as seconds and the colors don't speak to me. I'm not sure what I will do with them.

I organized the yarn by projects I have in mind and put them in bags together with a note naming the project. So now I have a huge rubbermaid tub full of "project yarn" and 2 rubbermaid tubs mostly full of "other" yarn, 3 small totes full of specific yarn (sock, undyed and peace fleece). Now when I started I didn't have the project yarn tote. Somehow my yarn has multiplied without me being aware.

It is great to see exactly what I have. For a long time I bought yarn in 1-2 skein "lots" to use for cloth diapering, but now my olders is potty learned and the youngest is in spoises, but I still have a lot of single skeins. But now I have plans for most of it! Can we say sweater vests? :)

I learned that I have a lot of great yarn and some fun projects ahead of me. I hope I remember this the next time I am tempted at my LYS or my fav online store ( www.littleturtleknits.com )

Now I am off to my knitting overnight trip! :)

Stash Knitting?

Did I mention something about Stash knitting? I must have been delusional! I need to update my point totals WW. I think I have purchased 6 skeins of yarn this year. In my defense some was one sale, some was to help someone destash and one skein was needed for a sweater vest for my daughter (I checked the stash first).

The kicker is this weekend I am going to Berea, KY with some knitting friends for an overnight visit. I've never been there, but apparently it is very crafty and I will probably HAVE to buy something :)

So much for Stash busting!

So I can crochet?!

Who knew? Not me. I made a Petal Baby from a pattern from http://hyenacart.com/CozyStitches/ . It was really easy and I love it. I am going to make many more!

In other knit from my stash news, I need to update my totals because I bought yarn (I also gave some away, but alas the points do not even out). I was a member of the Irish Baby Knits (and others) yarn of the month club and I have one skein of a cotton chenille. Well I couldn't do much with it, so when 2 skeins went up for sale I had to have them. Now DD will get a sweater :)

I also finished a sweater vest for DS, but it is soaking in wool wash. I will post pics later after it is blocked, but I must say it is cute.

Knitting Goals for 2007

There are a lot of stash games and UFO games going on right now and while I think they are a good idea I don't know if they are exactly for me. I am definitely participating in the one at WW (http://www.woolywonder.com/forums/) , but the knit from your stash for an entire year (or even 9 months) is just too long.

1. I want to knit more this year!
   
2. I want to buy yarn with projects in mind and FOLLOW THROUGH with those projects.
   
3. Knit for fun, not as an obligation (this fresh from a knit gift giving frenzy)
4. Knit something for my kids. I don't remember the last things I knit for them. They are only going to be small and easy to knit for for a little while! :)
5. I also want to learn to take better pictures of my knitting, I take lots of pics of FO's but they are terrible (see below)!

Here is a picture of a beautiful mobieus scarf I made for my friend Channon. boy this picture does not do it justice.

So, how many people are making knitted gifts this year? I decided this summer to make my mom, step mother, and Mother in law shawls. I picked their favorite colors and dyed the yarn myself and started. My goal was to be finished by December (HA). I wanted to pick different patterns for each of them (similar but different and still equal is my gift giving goal for those 3). I wanted one triangle, one rectangle and one farose shawl, similar but different.

Mom's is the leaf shawl by Evelyn Clark, a triangle shawl, knitted in an orange/brown/tan yarn that I handpainted. I used Henry's Attic Kona and it is so perfect for Mom. Okay, I finished it in August. Great I thought! I have months...

Fast forward to now. I am finishing my Step Mothers shawl tonight (I need to bind off). Her's is the Flowerbasket shawl by Evelyn Clark...another triangle shawl. Yeah I tried to make it a rectangle shawl and quickly realized that I was going to run out of yarn, so another triangle shawl. Her is turquoise, green and browns, her fav colors.

So that leave my dear MIL. I will hopefully dye her yarn this week and I am going to make a farose type shawl from INKnitters, definitely less lacy, but I hope she won't mind. Hers will be browns.

I will try to post pics of them soon because I am very proud of my dyeing :)

Everyday Cardigan by Peace Fleece

I started this in April and finished it last month (right before Halloween). To be fair I really didn't work on it too much during the summer, who wants to knit with Wool/Mohair yarn in the hot humid summer? Well not me :)

I love love love this sweater! I jused about 5 skeins of Peace Fleece Father's Gray. It is gray with flecks of green, so full of depth, this pic really doesn't do it justice!

I would definitely make this sweater again (and I probably will after the Holidays), but I hated weaving in all 20,000 ends (a slight exageration). I did learn that I love seaming (who knew).

Tommorow the knitted gift saga! It will involve a lengthy discussion on fairness in gift giving between moms, step moms and mother in laws...

Well, just what the internet needs, another knitting blog! Let's start with a meme from Theresa. A little get to know you...

1. FIRST NAME? Melissa
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? It has been a long time, I'm not much of a crier.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yeah, it's pretty good for a lefty
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Honeybaked ham
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? no
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? no
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? cinnamon life
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? ?Cherry Garcia
14. SHOE SIZE? 7.5
15. RED OR PINK? red, cranberry to be more specific
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I am sometimes unreliable
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? my college friends
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? white top and red fleece pants (AKA jammies)
20. LAST THING YOU ATE?taco soup and corn bread
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The dryer
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? purple
23. FAVORITE SMELL? right now, kookuburra wool wash
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my best friend Lynda
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Their smile
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? yep
27. FAVORITE DRINK? alcoholic? beer. Non-alcoholic? COFFEE.
28. FAVORITE SPORT? college football...Go buckeyes
29. EYE COLOR? hazel
30. HAT SIZE? umm???
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes
32. FAVORITE FOOD? dark chocolate
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? winter
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? molten chocolate cake
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND??
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Everyone
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? nothing, it is plain blue
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? tivoed Grey's Anatomy
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? DH saying my name
44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Italy
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? being able to find something positive in almost every situation
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Ohio
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Theresa called me out :)

So this is a knitting blog? Welll I am Melissa an average knitter, but I love to knit. Some might say I am obesessed with it (and they would be right). I have projects planned for months maybe years in advance (but something always pops up and I have to break into the schedule).

I am currently working a shawl for Christmas for my stepmom and have 2 more shawls planned for Christmas (and 4+ pairs of slippers and a few hats and maybe a child's sweater...)

That is all for now, I need to figure this blog thing out! :)