Melissa Sue’s Craft Corner

Let me just say that I am currently having a war with my camera. It will take photos, but it will not let me upload them to my computer. When I upload them they turn into blank files. My parents are gone until tonight so I haven’t been able to get help. Maybe they can figure out what is wrong tonight so I can upload some photos tomorrow.

The stash has grown by the Peppermint Mocha sock yarn I ordered from The Loopy Ewe and another purchase that I made at the LYS. They recently got a new shipment in of the Koigu and I broke down and bought 2 skeins of a color that I fell in love with. So I have already broken the yarn diet, but I am going back on that yarn diet. Because, remember those photos of my stash I posted? Well, I forgot to mention that almost all of that yarn has entered my home since December 2006. So, even though it may not be as much as some other stashes I have seen it represents a very large chunk of my money every payday as I am still only working part-time.

Now, for this yarn diet there are going to be the following rules:

1. Sock yarn does count - I cannot justify sock yarn as an exception until I have completed at least 1 pair (as I still have not finished a single pair of socks).
2. Gift yarn does not count and I am allowed to ask for yarn for gifts (since if I don’t the family would buy me things I really don’t want unless it is a gift card to a book store).
3. I am allowed to purchase yarn for others, but not if it is for a gift I am knitting unless either I run out of the yarn I am using or I don’t have anything in the stash that will work. I have to also have fully looked at other pattern options that would work with something in the stash with valid reasons why they will not work for the person I am gift knitting for.
4. I am allowed one slip off the yarn diet. This is right now planned for the purchase of a couple skeins of Panda Cotton in some of the new colors that I think my mom and sister will like.
5. I want to stay on the yarn diet until I have managed to get the WIPs down to a pair of socks (both socks of the pair can be on the needles) and one other item. This is the only way I will manage to get FOs. Or I find a full time job which will allow me to budget a certain amount each payday for yarn, but right now since they are cutting hours at work I am not making enough to buy gas, pay bills, contribute towards groceries and still spend the amounts I have been on yarn.

I am asking that ya’ll try to keep me honest to my yarn diet by reminding me of the diet if I mention wanting or thinking about buying a particular yarn and pointing out to me if it seems like I have slipped and not noticed.

Well, got to take the dog out so will chat with ya’ll later.

eta: I fixed some bad typos.

OK, my SP10 hostess asked us to flash our stash. Now I keep telling my mother that I don’t have a lot of yarn stashed in my room so I thought this would be an easy assignment.

Then I started pulling out the stash and realized I have way more stash than I thought. I store it in under the bed boxes due to having very limited space (I live out of my bedroom and since I have lived on my own I have a lot of stuff). I have 3 of them currently, but they were not very full and I noticed that yarns I thought I had were not in the boxes so I went on a yarn hunt. I managed to find all but 2 skeins of black Ultra Alpaca. I had filled up my full size bed before I knew it and still had all the sock yarns to display (plus the cotton yarn was very condensed.

I am really glad that I decided to participate in this assignment because it has allowed me to get my yarns organized and to actually see how many active WIPs I have.

This is my stash of dishcloth cotton. The large skeins are going to be used for the baby kimonos from Mason Dixon Knitting for Natalie and the rest is for dishcloths.

This is the sock yarn stash. Some of this may become other things. There is one skein that I am thinking about turning into a smallish shawl - the Schaefer Anne that is already balled up. The Panda Cotton is for socks for my mom and sister.

The following four photos show my remaining stash, including WIPs. I have baby yarn for a baby boy blanket that I bought just because. Then I have fun fur and coordinating wool for 2 more hedgehogs, plus the stuff for 2 hedgehogs I am currently working on. Then there is some Matrix I got for a $1.00 a ball and there is a pattern on the label for a very open shawl that I have seen made up that I like. There is leftover yarn (fun fur and other types) that I can not seem to get rid of. Then I have some Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria in Navy for a Cozy from Knitty for myself and some in black that I am working up into a Cozy for my mom for Christmas. I also have three bunches of roving - 2 colored and 1 just plain BFL that I am working on spindling up (mom & dad both stated that I am not allowed to get a spinning wheel while I live with them - I will keep working on them, but for now spindles it is so if someone could recommend a good spindle that will work for finer weight yarns I would appreciate it).

There is some Patons Classic Merino and some odd balls that I picked up with a vague idea of what to make out of them. I have enough lace weight yarn for 4 shawls not counting the lace weight I have for the shawls I am already working on. There is also a bunch of red cotton fleece for my sweater, but I am not sure if I will keep working on that since the modifications I had to make may make the sweater too big now that I am on Weight Watchers and have already lost 2 inches in my waist. I will have to think about this for awhile.

I was surprised to find that I have 15 projects on the needles. That has to be changed, so I have kept out the 2 pairs of socks, the baby blanket for my aunt (baby due at end of July or beginning of August), and the baby sweater for Natalie. The rest have been put away until 1 project is completed. Once I complete a project I have to pull out one of the other WIPs until I have completed 3 projects then I have the choice of starting something new or pulling out another WIP. Hopefully this will allow me to get some FOs instead of just WIPs.

Well I still have a bunch to do today so I will let ya’ll go. I do have tomorrow off because I have to work next weekend so I might post again tomorrow, but no promises.

Unfortunately, my sister is unable to handle her very excitable dog right now so he came home with my mom for a visit. He is a year old, miniature Australian Shepard puppy. His name is obviously Phoenix and he is full of energy, which means I spend most of my afternoons playing with him. Then I spend most of my evening catching up on reading blogs, listening to podcasts, and knitting. For there has been knitting, in fact I have started my sweater, the Charlotte’s Web shawl in Koigu, and some squares for the Virginia Tech blankets (sorry can’t find the link right now). Then I have been working on everything else on my needles. I will try to get some photos up soon. Well, I need to get off of here so that I will be able to get up for work. I leave you with a photo of Phoenix with his favorite toy - an empty water bottle.