1st resolution for 2007

It's been a while since I've written a post. There are lots of reasons but none that are very interesting. I have broken the silence because I read the coolest thing on Lori's blog which she got from Wendy's blog and it goes along with the cash flow issue I've been trying to resolve.

Knit From Your Stash 2007

Here are my rules: (you can read Wendy's rules and Lori's rules on their blogs)

1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 -- a period of nine months.

2. I will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:

2.a. Sock yarn does not count. I am trying to learn to knit socks that really fit.

2.b. If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that I really and truly do not have the yarn for, I may buy yarn to knit that gift.

2.c. If I am knitting something and run out of yarn, I may purchase enough to complete the project.

2.d. I get one "Get Out of Jail Free" card -- I am allowed to fall off the wagon one time.

3. I am allowed to receive gifts of yarn. I will not solicit such gifts if it is not my birthday.

This will be very difficult for me. Right now, I am trying to resist the urge to go out and stock up on yarn before the end of the year. I'm not going to make any promises. It is holiday time and I will be out of town on vacation where I can visit stores I don't have here and there is some overtime money in my next check. I'll keep you updated on what I make from my stash.

I finished 3 scarves for the Red Scarf Project

I completed 3 scarves for the Red Scarf project. First is the Windy City Chicago scarf.


Then I made the Fun Fringe scarf.


And the Touch of Whimsy scarf.


I have two more scarves in progress and will post more info when they are completed.

International Scarf Exchange

I received my scarf today. It was so exciting to come home and see the box on my porch. I took the package inside and calmly opened it so I wouldn't possibly cut the scarf while trying to get the tape off the box. Lyndsey-Jane wanted to make sure nothing fell out on the box's trip from the UK to the US. My scarf is a lace scarf made of 100% alpaca in a lovely purple (my favorite color) with red and blue highlights. There were also two boxes of chocolates in there. And I love chocolate.

Thanks so much Lyndsey-Jane for my beautiful scarf.

Many Red Scarves will be mailed in January

I've been working hard on scarves for the Red Scarf project. On Thursday I finished a crocheted scarf. It's the Windy City Chicago scarf from the little box of scarves.

Then I went to the Michaels yarn sale on Saturday afternoon and bought some Patons Shetland Chunky Tweed and Patons Classic Wool. While watching two movies and about 4 hours of Tivo I managed to get 3 scarves started.

And I have more red yarn to make more Red Scarves, one of which will be the Irish Hiking scarf using Patons Decor. I almost forgot, there's the Touch of Whimsy scarf which I work on at lunch time.

The Scarf is practically in the Mail

I'm mailing the scarf off to my secret pal tomorrow morning. The chill is already in the air where she lives and I wanted to get the scarf in the mail so it can keep her nice and toasty. I don't want the scarf to be lonely during the long trip (outside of the continental United States) so I picked up some other goodies.

At a local Sheep and Wool Festival I found tiny sheep figurines and some llama roving from a local artisan group. My secret pal not only knits she spins yarn. From reading her blog, she's tried many different fibers but I don't remember seeing llama.

Since I live in Michigan and my pal doesn't, I decided to include some Michigan items. So I picked up a 2007 calendar with picturesque scenes of Michigan, Cherry vinaigrette salad dressing (Michigan is known for cherries), foil wrapped milk chocolate cars (she has children and I live in the auto capital of the U.S.), chocolate covered Michigan cherries (who doesn't love chocolate), and fancy chocolate covered chunky pretzels (sweet and salty) from a local Michigan shop.

And while picking up the tissue paper (a blue, green, and yellow print) which coordinates well with the color of the scarf, I found some stretch gloves in green with cream trim and a matching pair in solid cream. Then in the next aisle, actually a few aisles away, I found some butterfly shaped post-it notes in green and blue. I didn't know if I could fit the scarf in the box with everything else. I couldn't so I had to get a bigger box. And soon it will be on its way to ------. Can't tell, it's still a secret.

I almost forgot. Here are the scarf details:

• Pattern: Farrow Rib Scarf from the little box of Scarves
• Yarn: Cascade 220 Quatro in colorway 9432, 100% Peruvian highland wool
• size 9 needles (I think)
  
• 4 skeins including the fringe, which I included in the package as an option
• Measurements: approx 7.5" x 102" (she did request LOOOONG)
  

My respirator has been unplugged

I have lost the battle in Sock Wars. I was taken out by assassin Mlle Udah who used a pair of pink and yellow socks to deal the fatal blow.

SABLE

I found some post-its at the CGOA convention which had SABLE written on them. SABLE stands for Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy. It is my goal and I think I'm on the road to achieving it. There are 8 shelving units in my basement for my yarn stash. Each has 5 shelves which are 36" wide. I began seriously organizing it a few weekends ago and was amazed at what was down there. Being the anal retentive person I am, I created a spreadsheet to keep track of it.

And since I know you want to know what I've got, I published it on Google Spreadsheets. There are tabs at the bottom for "Current" projects, items I have "Started & Stopped", projects for which I have all the "Materials Gathered", and the beginning of my "Stash". I put the link over in the sidebar to the right and I'll add it here for the sake of completeness.

My Own Little Yarn Store

CGOA ready to go

I am ready to mail off the 2 binders containing my swatches and my answers to a bunch of questions. I can't believe I'm finally ready to mail them off. Yesterday while reviewing my work, I realized I did one of the swatches incorrectly. Then I realized I didn't answer all of the parts to one of the questions. Boy am I glad I went over everything one last time. It will go in the mail tomorrow and arrive at CGOA with only a few days to spare.

Finally....the last swatch is done

I just finished the last swatch I need to do for CGOA. It's pinned to my ironing board to cold water block it a bit. The CGOA gives you a year to finish the requirements for the Basic Stitches coures. I procrastinated for a long time doing other projects and not really starting it. Now I have until October 27th to finish everything and send it in. This is the last of the swatches, yeah ! ! ! !

Socks of Doom - Part Deux

I received the unfinished socks from my target's target's target Robin, early last week. Early this morning, I finished the Socks of Doom. I was a few yards short of yarn to finish the toes so I searched my stash and came up with the yellow sock yarn I used for the toes. The socks are destined for Australia tomorrow morning on the way to work. I also picked up a Michigan magnet to include in the package. Now I just have to write a quick note and wrap it all up.

ISE3 scarf for my pal

Here's a picture of the scarf so far. It's about 64" long. I want it to be at least 72" long not including the fringe.

Round 2

Round 2 of Sock Wars has begun for me. I received the socks in the mail from Robin. She's my target's target's target. Robin hadn't gotten very far on her socks but I was easily able to pick up and continue knitting. Hopefully, I'll have a few days to work on them before a pair of deadly socks lands in my mailbox.

ISE3 scarf is so close to being done

It's roughly 62" long excluding the fringe. I just need to bind off and add the fringe and then I'll be done unless I decide to make it longer. Maybe. Maybe not.

[Edited to Add]
I originally wanted the scarf to be 72" long. So I decided to go ahead and knit some more using a fourth ball of yarn.

Sock Wars Update

My target sent me her mailing address. I sent her socks off on Tuesday morning on the way to work. Her death is imminent. My assassin is working on the socks which will mark my death.

Socks Wars Round 1

I have completed my socks. The next step is to mail them to my target. But alas, Yarn Monkey has still not gotten out all the dossiers. My target doesn't want to give up the mailing address. So I must wait for her to "play fair" or for Yarn Monkey to send my dossier. Hopefully, I'll be able to survive to knit another pair.

Impatient

I can't wait for Sock Wars to begin. I was hoping to get my scarf done for the International Scarf Exchange (ISE3) beforehand. But alas, it is only about half way completed.

Now, I'm just waiting for yarnmonkey, the hostess of sock wars, to send out the pattern. Then the war begins. I don't want to be sleeping when the war starts but it's almost midnight and I have to go to work tomorrow.

A watched clock never rings and a watched email account just dares the Comcast gods to kill the connection. I think I'll go to bed and check in the morning, unless I have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or get water in which case it would be ok to check, wouldn't it.

Goal Setting

A week ago I posted the following:

My goals for this week are to finish the Baby Surprise Jacket, the crocheted bear for the Mother Bear project, at least 10 more inches on my ISE3 scarf, and at least 2 more swatches for my CGOA coursework. If you plan it, it will happen... right?

Well it didn't happen. Almost, but not quite. I did not get my CGOA swatches done. Not good. But I did get everything else done. Very good. So now I'm behind schedule on my CGOA stuff and Sock Wars starts on Friday. I forgot to swatch using the yarn I selected so I'm doing that now.

For this week, I set these goals. By Friday, add 10 more inches to my ISE3 scarf and do 4 CGOA swatches. On Friday, Sock Wars begins and that is my focus until (1) I complete my pair of socks and send them off or (2) I receive a pair of socks in the mail and the fun is over. Since it starts Friday, the odds are the earliest I will be assasinated is Monday. Every day when I come home from work I won't want to check the mailbox. It can only mean the end of the game. Wish me luck.

P.S. I got gauge with my Sock Wars yarn. I went up a needle size to do it, but I did it. Yeah! ! ! !

Baby Surprise is ready for a baby

I finished my Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ). It was designed by Elizabeth Zimmerman and can be found in her books Knitting Workshop and The Opinionated Knitter. Click here to see a pic of my BSJ before I sewed the shoulder seams. The entire jacket is knit in one piece. I used Caron Simply Soft in the Baby Brights colorway.

Pierre for the Mother Bear Project

I finished my first bear for the Mother Bear Project. He's crocheted using Bernat Satin Yarn and a size G hook. Click here to see how he looked before he was stuffed. My friend Pam, named him Pierre. Pierre is about 15 inches tall and is happy to be going to live overseas with a little boy or girl who will love him. But Pierre would like a friend to travel with. He's never been on a plane and wants someone he knows along for the ride. Not that he's scared or anything. Pierre thinks it will be more fun to travel with a buddy. So I need to make another bear, maybe a girl this time.

P.S. I mailed my box of 50 caps for Caps to the Capital today. And the Baby Surprise Jacket will be completed this weekend. I promise.

I had a productive weekend

This weekend I managed to get some more household chores done which were on the list. Since it was a normal weekend and not a dedicated housework weekend I didn't force myself to work too much.

On Friday, I went to the LYS to get a 2nd opinion on my ISE3 scarf. It seemed a bit tight with the size 8 needles and I wondered if I should go up a needle size. Well, each of the two employees in the store had a different opinion. One said it was fine, the other thought I should go up a needle size. Both said, if I thought it was too tight I should change it. So I did and now I have 9 inches done. Yeah!!

While watching a movie Saturday night, I started a crocheted bear for the Mother Bear project. The bear is knit or crocheted in one long piece from the toes up to the top of the head and down the other side. During that one movie I got it all crocheted except for the scarf. The bear is a beigy color with dark green pants and a light green sweater. This project was featured on an episode of Knitty Gritty on the DIY Network.



I also pinned the seams of my Baby Surprise Jacket together so I can seam it up. Here's a picture of it before I pinned it.



My goals for this week are to finish the Baby Surprise Jacket, the crocheted bear for the Mother Bear project, at least 10 more inches on my ISE3 scarf, and at least 2 more swatches for my CGOA coursework. If you plan it, it will happen... right?

Sock Wars Update

The yarn, needle, and gauge requirements for Sock Wars was posted today. Another trip to the yarn store was necessary. Instead of your average sock yarn, DK weight is the name of the game. Yarnmonkey says she did this since a lot of newbies enlisted.

Here's a pic of the yarn I bought. It's Lola by Schaefer Yarn. It's a handpainted superwash merino wool. I hope the recipient likes the colors as much as I do. They're a little out there but I thought the bright colors would encourage me to knit faster.

100% of my goal

I did it! My goal for Caps to the Capital was 50 hats by Thanksgiving. I completed my 50th hat less than 10 minutes ago. It feels so good to be able to help 50 newborns. Most of the hats were made with Patons Decor, some with TLC Essentials, some with TLC Lustre, and a few with Bernat Satin.

Yarn Shopping was Fruitful

This yarn is Cascade Yarn's Quattro in colorway 9432. It's a blue and green mix. I'll use it to make the Farrow Rib scarf for my ISE3 pal. The pattern was part of the Little Box of Scarves. Quattro is 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. I hope my secret pal will like my choices for her.




Patons Decor is one of my favorite yarns to use for charity projects. It's 75% acrylic and 25% wool. It feels great and it's machine washable. I'll use this yarn, colorway 1714, to knit the Elaine scarf for the Red Scarf Project. The pattern was found in Sally Melville's Book 2:The Purl Stitch. I chose a machine washable yarn because I was afraid my scarf would go to a young college student who would inadvertently put it in the washer. With a non-washable wool it would felt. And back in college I know I didn't want anything hand wash only or dry clean only.

ISE3 has begun

I woke up this morning and was excited to find my secret pal information for ISE3 in my inbox. In anticipation of the event I had started a scarf. It's a nice one but the color isn't going to look right on my secret pal. So, yippee, I get to go to the yarn store today and pick out new yarn. I love shopping for yarn at the LYS. Today, I'm going to go to ...have you any wool? It's close to my house and they have great staff working there.

Now what can I tell you about my secret pal without giving too much away. She may be reading my blog, ya know. She's a she rather than a he. She lives in a cold climate so I'll make a scarf to keep her warm. And she's got a really nice blog. I can't post the address or everyone would know who I have. Once I pick out the pattern and the yarn, I'll post a pic.

P.S. In the afternoon I received an email from the person who gets to knit a scarf for me. This is so exciting. And she's got the greatest email address "Secret Knitter". I think she may do a lot of swapping. What do you think?

Following the Rules

It's Labor Day weekend. I have three days off from work and I scheduled two more off. What can I do with 5 days off? Crafting for 5 days would be lots of fun. But the dishes would continue to pile up in the sink. The dust bunnies would continue to grow into giant mutant rabbits. And the vast amounts of stuff accumulated in my house would still be there (sometimes I think it multiplies when I'm not looking). I gotta set some rules.

Here they are. Each day I must work on household chores (there is a list of them) for at least 6 hours. I am only allowed to craft (there's a list for this too) after dinner or after 8 o'clock. Depends if my 6 hours of work are done by dinner time. Sleeping late does not get me out of doing the requisite amount of work each day.

And when I do craft I can only work on certain items. I signed up for the CGOA's Masters of Basic Stitches course. You get a whole year to complete 21 swatches and answer 18 questions. I have one month left and as you can see on the sidebar I am less than half way done. This must get completed on time. My goal for Caps for the Capital is close to being done. I am allowed to work on this because it's a good take along project. It's amazing how much you can get done while waiting in line or for your meal to be placed in front of you, or while every gabs at the table after finishing dessert. And lastly, I am allowed to work on my Baby Surprise jacket an Elizabeth Zimmerman design) since it only needs to be seamed and the buttons sewn on. I first saw it on Smokin' Hot Needles blog.

I had such good intentions. I had to go to work on Saturday morning at 6am. But they weren't ready on time so I tried to go back to sleep, tried again later, and eventually went in at 10. That threw me off and I took a nap when I got home at 3pm. So I didn't do any chores and I went over Karen's for dinner and movies with her and Brent (aka Pez). I did get 3 caps made while at Karen's. Today though, I did really well. I worked for over 6 hours on chores, crossed several items off my list, and I finished three more swatches for my CGOA coursework. Yippee ! ! !

Tomorrow is the last day of the Michigan State Fair. Karen, Pez, and I are supposed to go. To stay on track I need to get some stuff done before I leave the house and after I come home. Hopefully, I can do that. Well I know I can but will I do that. Only time will tell.

Tuesday and Wednesday will probably be productive since my friends will be back at work. No distractions. I might actually achieve my goal of a clutter free house by the end of the year after all. Several more weekends with rules will be required for that to happen. Wish me luck.

Gotta Focus

I have a problem. I am easily distracted. Very easily distracted. I want to work on the next project even when I'm not done with the one I'm currently working on. Or rather the several I'm working on. Just check out the works in progress on the sidebar to the right. There's a lot of stuff in that list. And that's only the stuff I am even remotely kinda sorta actively working on. At least the ones I'll admit to. There are really more than that.

It's not like I don't enjoy working on the current projects. They're great and I want to get them done. Really I do. If I didn't, would I track their progress? Let alone track it publicly. For all the world to know I never finish things. That would be like failing a test on international TV. Did I tell you my parents were both educators so failing is not allowed? Especially publicly.

Yet, I am anxious to start a new project. While attending the MI Fiber Festival I bought a kit to make the Fiber Trends Huggable Hedgehog. It's so cute. Isn't the hedgehog cute? You gotta admit he's cute. I really want to start it. Wouldn't you want to start it? And it's felted so it knits up big and it should be fast. Right? I can finish it over Labor Day weekend with no problem. By the time I add it to my works in progress list it will be done. So I should just go ahead and do it, right. Where's an enabler when you need one?

But I have so many things already in progress. And they're all scattered on and around the sofa in the living room. It's a large sectional sofa and there's no place for guests to sit because of all the projects. What's a girl to do?

Accidental Meeting

Back in May I went to Borders to buy a knitting book. There were at least three books on the list. All of them were on the shelf. I had a coupon. I didn't buy any of them. Do you want to know why?

Sitting on the table was a book I had heard a little something about but it didn't seem to be my style. I decided to thumb through it anyway. There was a section titled "In defense of the warshrag". The caption for the picture on the facing page said "If the Anti-Dishcloth Coalition targets you for making dishcloths, resist peacefully and start singing Bob Dylan songs." I was hooked.

This book was not only about knitting but it made me laugh. Out loud. For long periods of time. In public. The book had to go home with me. It's called Mason-Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne.

I discovered Ann & Kay have a website, Mason-Dixon Knitting. There's a great blog there too, Mason-Dixon KAL (KAL stands for knit-a-long). I started knitting dishcloths warshrags, and I can't stop. Must give them as Christmas gifts since I don't really cook, and therefore don't have dishes to wash.

My house is bursting at the seams with Sugar 'n Cream dishcloth cotton. I keep buying it even though I have enough to last me a few years. Tomorrow, I'm going to the tent sale at Mary Maxim to buy more. There's always another color to buy, another warshrag waiting to be made.

Once I discovered Mason-Dixon Knitting, I found dishcloth patterns everywhere. Criminy Jickets has a wonderful Garterlac dishcloth pattern on his blog. It's entrelac but done in garter stitch. Then I discovered a Monthly Dishcloth KAL Yahoo group and had to join. I need a support group to save me from all this. I've considered cooking so I can create dirty dishes so I can use all my wonderful warshrags .

Many people tell me they're too nice to use. They'll get dirty. wah, wah, wah. Your sponge gets dirty too. When the warshrag gets dirty just throw it in the washing machine. What's the problem? Tell someone you're knitting a warshrag and 9 times out of 10 they say, "you're making what?" which is quickly followed by "why would you want to do that?" Yet, every once in a while someone says "I love those. My Mom always used them" to which I respond "I'll add you to my gift list".

Renee


P.S. This isn't the usual list. The one where your name gets added at the bottom but nothing ever gets made for anyone on the list. This is the list I actually work from.


P.P.S. The Mason-Dixon Knitting book has lots of great items, not just warshrags. There are baby bibs, burp cloths, a cute baby kimono, a nightie, curtains, and more. If you haven't taken a look at the book, you definitely should. It's a great read even for non-knitters.

Interesting Swaps

I signed up for two "swaps". The first is ISE3, the 3rd International Scarf Exchange. It's an opportunity for me to knit a scarf and send it off to someone I've never met. I've selected the pattern and the yarn. I hope my pal isn't averse to fall colors or allergic to wool. And someone out there in the world will be sending a scarf to me. I can't wait. I love gifts. I love surprises. Come join the fun. You have until September 7th to sign up.

The other event is part swap, part challenge. I've enlisted for Sock Wars. According to yarnmonkey, who's hosting the event, "... you will be emailed a top secret file containing the details of your target and a pattern. To kill your target you must knit them the pair of socks in the pattern and mail it to them..." If you are killed you mail your unfinished project and your target's info to your killer. The sole survivor is the winner. I wonder if I am up to the challenge. Are you? If so, sign up by Spetember 8th.

Crocheting caps for a good cause

In July, I attended Chain Link 2006, the national conference of the CGOA, in King of Prussia, PA. During the annual meeting, they discussed a new partnership between the CYCA's Warm Up America! Foundation and Save the Children called Caps to the Capital. Knitting and crocheting hats is a simple, low-cost practice that could save newborn lives in developing countries around the world. We were told "the goal is 500,000 hats (applause from the crowd) but we can do 1 million, can't we? (thunderous applause from the crowd)". The group of crocheters sitting in the room loudly declared we were up to the challenge.

I am constantly making something and find it very satisying to make items and donate them to worthy causes. So when I heard about Caps to the Capital I went right home and searched my stash for stray balls of yarn. My personal goal is to make at least 50 hats by Thanksgiving. I crochet or knit most days in the cafeteria after I finish my lunch. Usually I can complete at least one hat during my lunch hour. The other day I finished two. Please don't tell my boss. You can keep up with my progress by glancing at the bar over on the right.

Hello and Welcome to my Blog

My name is Renee and as you might have guessed Sticky was my father. Actually his name was James, but Dad's college friends all called him Sticky.

I am a craftaholic. Primarily a fiber person. Crocheting is my first love but I am a big fan of knitting. In prior crafting cycles I have done beadwork, teddy bears, porcelain dolls, quilting, polymer clay, and basketweaving.