Free At Last!

Free
Now that's an interesting word, isn't it?  It can be "free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last"; it can be "candy, ice cream...all free today";  It can be "...if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed".
But today, for me, free is - free from the clutter and disorganization coming from scattered skeins, balls and piles of YARN. It also means I am finally realizing that, although this is not literally true because I've already paid for it, I just may have free yarn for the rest of my life! Yes, it is time for what they call on those reality shows - The Reveal!!! If you need a refresher on where this all started - here you go.

Welcome to my home yarn shop

We'll start our tour with a full view

From My Yarn Shop

Along the top are baskets with leftover bits of yarn, 

From My Yarn Shop

odds and ends, extra needles and hooks, etc.,

From My Yarn Shop

and the swift my dad made me. It's seasonal neighbor is the "yarn ball snowman" Brendyn gave me for Christmas which I totally adore!

From My Yarn Shop

All this sets on a selection of dresser scarves my Busia (grandmother) made which I gladly took from her house after she passed away. I'm still trying to decide if I should put my yarn ball winder up on top with the swift but I've been using it a lot lately so it's not an urgent question.

Now for the detail, the organizational part that I've struggled with for years. I was given some sage advice which, when I heard it, made the most perfect, logical sense and I grabbed onto it like it was one of the Dead Sea Scrolls. "Think of how you choose your yarn for a project. Is it by color? by weight? by fiber? Organize with the end in mind." Why hadn't I ever thought of that before? All my vain attempts at organizing had failed because of this tiny nugget of wisdom had eluded me. So with that in mind and having the storage solution in hand, the rest was easy. Since I have branched out beyond acrylic and cotton I realized weight then fiber type are usually my initial thoughts for a project. Here is a walkthru of the shop. . .

First, animal fibers (wool, alpaca, camel, etc.) and animal fiber blends; bulky and worsted on the top. . .

From My Yarn Shop

moving to sport and fingering/sock weight on the bottom

From My Yarn Shop

Next is plant fibers (cotton, rayon, bamboo, etc.) and plant fiber blends. Most of these are worsted weight so I didn't see a need for further categorization. On the far right is the man made fibers section. I couldn't get a good photo of this because of the window behind it but it also uses the "heavy to light weights" organization. You get a better view of it in the first picture.  You'll also notice books scattered in as well. No real organization to those yet except maybe by height ;-)

From My Yarn Shop

And finally, the yarn waiting to be re-born....sweaters! The top left silk and silk blends, next cashmere and cashmere blends. Wool and wool blends ranging from "really soft" (i.e. merino) to "kinda scratchy" (i.e. Shetland). At the bottom are the cotton and rayon blends that either feel really nice or have a cool color.

From My Yarn Shop

Well, that's the tour of the shop. I feel very good about it being done. And although the shop is done, there is still yarn in other parts of the house. I'm doing my best to find it good, loving homes. I have a few people who have offered to take most of it but I'm prayerfully considering where it goes. I would hate for someone else to end up in the same situation and have their hobby and joy become an anchor. My hope is that it will be divvied up within a month or so.

May God Bless Your Stitches,

nance

Gaming for Knitters!

I saw a large cardboard display at Game Stop today and just HAD to share with my yarny friends!

The video clips I saw makes this look like a wonderland of knitted fabrics, crocheted snowflakes, tufts of giant wool "snowballs" and chunky yarn lassos; twisted cord and crochet chain enemies; and at one point he says, "the ground feels like.....pants!".  One reviewer said the game is geared for the younger folks, won't let you die and is more fun played with a friend. Sounds totally like my speed....maybe a gift for Sydney's birthday!

More Kirbys Epic Yarn Videos

And to follow up on the Office Party. . . I did bring knitting along and it attracted MUCH attention right off the bat! Good and bad I guess; Good because I was able to evangelize the yarn crafts and I found out our Senior Director (Martyn, from England) used to knit as a child. Even though he and I have gotten along well for years, yet another connection (yeah!). Bad because I'm uncomfortable being the center of attention for anything and I'm not a very good conversationalist....unless I'm evangelizing about yarn, so I guess overall a win-win. And the food was excellent too :)

May God Bless Your Stitches,
nance

Yarn Storage (aka My Little Yarn Store) - Intermission

I know you're anxiously awaiting the grand opening of my new "yarn store" but alas it's still not quite ready. Really crazy work stuff and another round of bronchitis have zapped my energy.  I did make it to knit-nite last Friday and was so glad I did. I owe huge thanks to my bestest yarny friends for their prayers, encouragement and love! It was a few hours of bright spot in an otherwise overly stressful five days of work. The craziness has now ended, successfully I would say, bronchitis is responding well to the meds and I'm getting my energy back. Christmas knitting continues and if I can finalize who's getting what [that is realistically achievable] before the weekend I'm hoping to do the final sorting and shelving of yarn this weekend. 

Big surprise yesterday - when Sydney and I got home from dance THE CHRISTMAS TREE WAS UP!!! branch-fluffing, being my department, not yet done but without warning Allen went into the attic and brought down all the Christmas stuff and put up the tree! I think this is the earliest it's been up in a decade - Allen said it was up about this time last year, my friend and I are less certain.  But whatever, we have snow, we have tree, we have many presents finished, we have a new yarn store.....life in the natural world is good.  Worship nite at the Karl's on Friday...life in the spiritual world is good too!

May God Bless Your Stitches,

nance

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone (in the US)! No office work today or tomorrow for which I am truly thankful at this moment. Even though I'm not doing the cooking today and all I have to do is show up with my family at my sister's, I was up at my usual time (thank you SO much body clock!) I have been thru all my emails, read my favorite blogs and checked a few happenings in the "yarn lovers community".  I think I am almost half done with my Christmas gift knitting (yarny friends know where to find pictures).  Some Most of it has been very challenging. On someone's blog a few weeks ago a question was posed to the reader - "what new things have you learned this year?" I thought I would be able to come up with a little list....but it just kept growing! Perhaps the next post I'll share them.  Right now, it's time to take advantage of the quiet house and get on with the project cast-on yesterday. As I remember the things and people for whom I am thankful, the greatest thanks goes to my Lord and Saviour today and everyday.

The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. 2 Chronicles 5:13

May God Bless Your Stitches,

nance


P.S. Tomorrow I start the yarn storage project!!!

Spring is Sprung

I'm finally feeling spring and it's not just that my allergies have once again made a mess of my respiratory system and I'm treating another round of bronchitis...really, it's not.  I know I'm feeling spring because I want to make fun, warmer weather things with yarn.  I'm still leaning heavily towards knitting.  I look at it as a season, the crochet season will return again in time.  So today I'm feeling a little springy and and a bit flighty so here are my random thoughts on Spring and knitting. . .

1. I haven't knit a real pair of socks since I finished the Christmas rush and I'm itching to get back to them.  I got a small fix of them (pun intended) making two pairs for a friend's baby out of Christmas leftovers.  They were adorable and I'll try to get a picture of her in them soon.  For now, all you get is the picture from the pattern. I've also recently made her pink leg warmers (my own design, aka just winging it)...coming from a "dance family" there were a must!  I feel very honored they were used in her first portrait along with the tu-tu from Auntie I'm told.
2. I'm currently working on a pair of short-shorts for Sydney to wear for dance class out of a pale blue I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby.  Only a couple rows of ribbing for the waist and those will be done
3. I want to make a hat for a dear friend who's having surgery next week, just to cheer her up.  I've knit many winter hats lately but this should be fun for spring...need to find the right pattern and yarn soon.
4. New babies now, new babies later - how does one get to make all the projects queued up when something (or some ONE) new always comes along? New baby socks (same pattern as above but these are the actual socks), forgot a picture of the matching hat but it was adorable too.
5. I'm in love with sock yarn, corriedale sheep (well really just their fiber/yarn, don't know any of the sheep personally), double knitting and the prospect of making Folk Mittens.
6. I'm really looking forward to seeing my friend Jim this Friday and watching him shear his Alpaca herd...company of Luann and Sydney are part of the bonus package!

God bless your stitches,
nance

Sometimes you just have to admire another's creativity!

What does warmth LOOK like?

Hats!

In my last post I mentioned not being able to focus on anything so I made hats. . . lots of hats.  I wanted to share the joy of my inability to read a pattern for several weeks. 
First was Allen's hat, 100% wool left over from Leigh's Christmas socks

From 2010-02-04

Then Sydney's hat

From 2010-02-16

Then my headband/earwarmer

From 2010-02-04

which became another hat for Allen because of my inability to measure gauge or my pig-headedness to just NOT.....but does it really matter?  Can we just move on now?
So at this point I still have no hat.  January in the midwest requires one to have a hat, unless you're a 12 year old boy who would rather just complain about how cold it is....but I digress.  Following the completion of the mitten/gloves, it was finally time for MY hat; my thick, warm, cozy, keep-every-part-of-my-head-and-ears-warm hat.  It became my latest knitting nightmare.  Now, when I make mistakes, choose not to read a pattern, choose not to measure gauge, etc. I get frustrated but there's no sense in getting upset or angry because it's my own fault.  But when I do use a pattern, and I do measure gauge and it still comes out wrong, then I get a bit testy! Ok, the gauge thing I'll take partial blame for, I did measure but measured in seed stitch but the pattern said (see, I did read it, just not all of it) to measure in stockinette even tho the only thing done in stockinette is the earflaps, go figure.  So I have the lady at the local yarn shop order the pattern book for me.  Her website says she carries Sundae yarn so I don't bother asking her to order that.  When I went to pick up the book and buy the yarn I find out she doesn't keep it in stock, but she can order it for me. Sigh.  Long story short, I opted for three strands held together of yarn from Dollar Tree in just the right colors.  Once finally vindicated that the pattern was indeed incorrect I was able to move on and finish the hat.  But alas, as you may have guessed because my gauge being unknowingly off, it was too big...another sigh.  Now my husband can be the best maker-of-lemonade ever...he says he likes the hat and will add it to his collection and procedes to wear it around the house the rest of the evening.  I did forego the 6 inch pom-pom the pattern called for.

From 2010-02-04

Of course with all the wrinkles ironed out I just HAD to make one for Sydney!

From 2010-02-16

(bad picture from cell phone as she left for school!)
So with one final attempt I actually finished MY hat!  No, not the one I imagined for myself but I love it, it fits AND its keeping my head and ears very warm. . . :-) 

From 2010-02-16

(panda is for modeling purposes only, the hat is MINE!!!)

God bless your stitches,
nance