Yarn Cataloguing

Because I have been saying for so long that I would do it, I finally began the Great Yarn Cataloguing Fiesta. I catalogued the first bin of my yarn. It went well. I have headings that include what brand of yarn, what fibre, how much it cost (not something I can always determine), where I got it (city, state, and store, if possible -- which is possible for most of the local yarns I own), weight, length, and its relative thickness (I have a propensity for worsted and chunky yarns). All was going swimmingly, when I opened the second bin and a small, light brown moth flew out. When my heart slowed down and I was able to breathe again, I choked back the desire to scream, rant, and swear in six languages (I only swore in four). I contacted Those Who Know, and was given much good advice:

• Microwave the yarn for 2 minutes, in 30 second intervals
• Freeze the yarn for two weeks, defrost, and freeze again
• Use cedar chip sachets (made from the cedar chips people use for their pets)
• Lavendar sachets
• Sachets of 1 part rosemary, 1 part peppermint, 2 parts cloves

I'm going to try most of these. And I'm going to buy some big zip lock baggies to store any yarn that isn't already in a zip lock baggie.

And hope that I can salvage most of my yarn stash. 'Cause it not only represents a lot of money invested in this hobby, but a lot of time, energy, and thought, too.

Towers of Bins of Yarn

I know I've complained about my stash a lot. I know it is out of control (meaning, my yarn buying habits are out of control), but I thought I had only twelve bins of yarn.

I have thirteen.

I've just moved into a new apartment, and the only place I really have to store anything is in my room. I no longer have access to an unused front room or a basement. Most of my worldly possesions are in a rented storage facility. The rest are in my room. Including thirteen bins of yarn. Honestly, after the unpacking is done, and the furniture is rearranged, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with them. They're so big. Right now they are stacked in several high rise towers, but that is not exactly attractive. Though I wonder, if I just keep in my mind that they are filled with yarn-y goodness, that I'll come to see them as beautiful?

I keep reminding myself that I really have enough yarn right now, and need to start knitting it up and making all those sweaters and things. I think that if I knit up all the yarn for which I've specfically bought for making sweaters, that when I'm finally done I'll have twelve sweaters. I don't even have room for five sweaters! Where am I going to put twelve? I reckon I'll burn that bridge when I come to it.

I have a lot of lace yarn, too. I've only made one thing in lace, and while that came out well, and I want to make more, I am, quite frankly, intimidated by lace making. Or maybe not the knitting itself, but the blocking. I am not the best blocker in the world, and just thinking about blocking a lace piece scares the crap out of me. After all, it took me a few months before I felt I could block the first lace piece I made. I shudder to think of knitting a bunch of lace, and then having it stare at me in its unblocked silence, mocking me while I quiver in the corner, staring at it in uncomprehending horror: How the hell am I going to block this thing?

I am sure I'll get over it.

I'm about to start on a lace pattern in Cascade Epiphany (60% Royal Alpaca, 20% Cashmere, 20% Silk). I was advised to knit a swatch and block it. But I think I'm going to go full balls to the wall and knit it without a swatch.

Sometimes you have to live dangerously.

Two posts in the same week! Two posts on consecutive days! You'd think I was a real blogger!

I was hanging out at Mind's Eye a couple weeks ago, when they got in some gorgeous yarn. I offered to start the sample hat that is in the store to show off how fabulous this yarn is. Here is a picture of the hat.

Isn't that hat gorgous? Doesn't it just grab you? It's Juniper Moon Farms, in the Chadwick line, which is 60% merino and 40% baby alpaca.

Of course, I didn't knit the entire hat.

 Just the ear flaps. But what's really cool is that Lucy (the owner of Mind's Eye) and I knit at the same gauge. Her hat. My earflaps!

Old Projects

In the midst of my move, with all my needles still packed (and a quarter of my yarn stash still at the old digs), I've been working on old, abandoned projects. I finished some hats, and have recently picked up a belt that I was working on, oh, five years ago, for a friend. It's from one of the Stitch and Bitch books, and you cast on 9 stitches of Noro Kenyon, knitting a moss stitch on size US 11 needles, for so many feet (must unpack the book and check how long it needs to be) and then felt it. My friend Steven might like such a belt, so he's the lucky winner. Of course, it is the most brainless and boring thing to be knitting, and I think it is best done in company, because I'm boring myself with it. But Steven will be happy. And I want to knit more things that I get to felt. I've only felted a couple of things, some pot holders/trivets. I used Lamb's Pride Bulky, and loosely knit some squares, and felted them. They came out OK, but I learned that yarns that are silver or white don't felt as well as yarns that are actually dyed colours. My very wise friend Jay told me that's because the bleach that is used to strip any natural colour to make a white yarn interferes with proper felting. I think I packed them into a box that went into storage. Oh well, I can always make more.

My computer at home is not yet set up, so I have no pictures to post, but I will, eventually. I've got my yarn, my clock radio, and NPR, so I'm good to go, at least for a little while.

The yarn is packed. The projects are packed. The needles, straight, circular and double pointed, are packed. The bag of tools (stitch markers, scissors, measuring tape, gauge and needle measurer, tapestry needles) is packed. The knitting books are packed. I'm ready to move. In fact, I've already moved eight of twelve bins of yarn to the new digs. I want to cry: I miss my yarn. I haven't done much knitting in the prelude to moving, the packing, the throwing-out, the trying on old clothes to see if they fit, the rediscovery of knitting books I'd forgotten I owned (fell behind a bookcase). Now all I have to do is remove myself from one domicile to another. Have I mentioned how much I dislike moving? Quite aside from the expense, the mishegas, the agita, it leaves me no time to knit. I spent some time at Nine Inch Needles last night to knit with the boys. I had to dig through a couple of boxes to find a project I could take with me, because all my projects are packed.

This too, will pass.

I probably won't post again til after I've moved. And had a very strong gin & tonic.

It's been a long time since I last posted

It has been too damn hot to knit. I never thought I'd say that, since last summer I whipped up six shawls in alpaca (and bought an air conditioner in order to do it), but packing for my move and a lack of internet at home has made both knitting and blogging just a tad difficult.

Currently on the needles a seven year old project, abandoned and re-taken-up. It's a hat in cotton and I'll post pictures when I can. Meanwhile, the Christmas knitting list has begun, and I know what I'm making (and what yarn I'm using) for a few people on my list. I'm giving out about five things this year, and I've got the yarn for four of them, the patterns chosen, and one of them actually started! The last one I've picked out the yarn, but not bought it yet. Since I'm no longer in school, I'm a little more relaxed this year about getting my holiday knitting done before September, though as it's almost August, I shouldn't get too relaxed. I'll try and post pictures of the yarn and discuss the patterns, after I move.

Oh, and one final thing. Whilst packing, I found my copy of Knitting With Balls, by Michael del Vecchio. I repacked it, of course, but all my knitting books are in a couple of boxes, and are labeled so. They will be the first ones I open in my new digs.

Still Crazy After All These Years

So a while back I mentioned that I went through my stash box and picked up a project I'd begun seven years ago, and put aside. Well, it's done. Hooray! I've even sent it off to a friend. I hope it fits him. Now I want to make one for myself. In blue, of course. But I'm going to figure out how to do  it in the round, because I really hate seaming things.

Here is a picture of the seven-year-hat.

I know, it's very dark. I took several pictures of it, and they all came out this dark, and yes, the flash was used. The main colour is rich purple, the lighter colour is lilac, and the third colour is black.

If I can figure how to make it in the round, I'll be very happy. I've already got the yarn, and it's already cast on flat, because I cast it on when I cast this one on, seven years ago. But this time I hope there won't be a seam.