The Agony and the Ecstasy...

What a beautiful Friday afternoon for a jaunt into Spokompton to see the fabled Paradise Fibers!  The morning started off rough with snow snow snow snow snow... And was still snowing when I left work at 9:30am.  Yes, I do work early in the mornings, but thats neither here nor there at this point.

So when my ex wanted to drop off my daughter at 11 am, and we had the rest of the day to goof off and dawdle around, I proposed a question to her:  "Would you like to go to a huge yarn store in Spokane with me?"  And after hemming and hawing, my daughter said "Ok".  It may have taken some bribing of buying her own yarn.  She knows how to work the system already!

So I looked up the directions on Mapquest (BTW, never use mapquest for Paradise Fibers!  It puts  you at an adult warehouse in the skeezy part of town :-/ even using the actual address...) and after driving for too long trying to find the place, my hubs called wanting to go to lunch since we were in Spokane.  So we went to his work, found the CORRECT place on Google Maps, had lunch, and went to the fabled yarn store!

Now where the agony part comes in:

We were there all of maybe 2 minutes when I noticed a familiar sight.  The shelves upon shelves upon shelves of yarn were stored upon BORDERS bookshelves!  Granted, the shelves were turned around backwards so they could be labeled easier, but still... Stab right through the heart.  Headed back towards the front counting as I went... about 90% of the store is outfitted with former Borders fixtures.  Tables, shelves, the CD waterfalls, pylons, even slat walls!  Some of them still had the bright orange SOLD stickers on them.  For goodness sakes, their CHECK OUT counter was the former Border's Customer Service Table!  Still had the music ID panels on it!  At least our Borders took those off long before going out of business LOL!  But I did discover quite quickly, the pain of the realization was next to nothing... Was more of a "OH MY GAWD!!! They're going to fantastic use for my second favorite thing!!!"  Kind of like how it took 6 months for me to get my reading mojo back... It hurts less the longer you've taken to get away from the pain.

But the Ecstasy!  Oh the ecstasy of yarn!  Yaaarrrrn!!  Ok, I may just be a yarn zombie in disguise, but yarn is so much fun!  They have more yarn packed onto one floor than I have ever seen before!  And all sorts of brands.  Elspeth Lavold, Frog Tree, Colinette Jitterbug, Kollage, Louet, Cascade, and lots lots lots lots more.  They even had an upstairs for the spinning wheels and spinning supplies.  And Oh. My. Gawd.  So much stuff to look at!  It did help me narrow down my desired spinning wheels though.  Seeing them in person helped me visually because the size is not really comprehensive when you're shopping on the internet.  The pictures make them all look the same size, when in reality, one is super tiny and the other is not.

So now the Hubs has decided I need to take a spinning course (that Paradise Fibers happens to offer) which familiarizes you with the wheels and parts, and should help me decide which one I want to find myself using frequently.  I don't know if Hubs is thinking this through.  I think he's thinking if I make my own yarn that I won't have to buy more yarn.  But then I have to build up my spinning fiber stash so I can make all the pretty yarns to use... And that in itself is just as expensive as buying all the pretty yarns...

And so, my shopping excursion ended with buying some more sock yarn for myself, and a skein of worsted weight PINK yarn for K.  I avoided spending more money on needles I don't need, but the desire was great.  Almost made it home with some Addi Turbo Lace needles in sock sizes.  Almost made it home with Sox Stix.  But in the end, my rational mind won the battle of the "You don't need this, you already have plenty at home" argument.  Amazing!

And so, I conclude, that Paradise Fibers is a dangerous place for a yarn and spending diet, and that I must leave in order to be at work on time this morning!  Everyone have a wonderful weekend!

Oh for the love of yarn!

I hate falling in love with yarn I can't afford.  Its like wanting the car that has all the upgrades until you look at the price sticker and have a heart attack.

I have fallen in love with the Hazel Knits Club exclusive color ways.  Which, BTW, you can purchase if you're enrolled in the upcoming clubs.  The hard part is deciding which one I just can't live without.  I want them all! ALL I SAY!!  Because they are that awesome!  I just wish I had two hundred or so dollars to spare for said yarn.  I can save up... That's a moot point.  But it doesn't flow with the "have it now" mentality we all have.  And besides, now we're needing to save up for other upcoming items.  Like a new, bigger car for me, or say... new baby clothes.

We've told the grandparents involved, and now we tell the world... Hubs and I decided to add a third child to the mix.  Nothing YET, but its in the plans to start trying in the near future!  One child is super excited, the other... well... he says that he's the baby, and no having more unless its a robot.  Well guess who will have his heart broken when its not a robot :(  But he has been asking why our cat isn't having kittens.  And why we can't just put her parts back in so he can have a kitten from her.  And how are kittens made?  And how do they come out of her tummy?... Oh the joys of having a curious 5 year old!  But in order to satisfy his baby wants, he wants a baby cat.  A good healthy way to satisfy the baby rabies.  

On crafting fronts, I finished another pair of socks!  Don't know if I will try to sell them, or give them to K who is begging for them.  We shall see!!!!

 And its hilarious, there is a reflection along the top of the sock blockers of the corner of the ceiling!  I spent almost an hour gazing at it trying to figure out what the reflection was!  They were fun to make, but I did get bored towards the end, so I made them a small size so they would be done quicker.  Fits child size 4 to women's size 6-7!  Now on to 2 more sets of socks I am making.  Another "just to challenge myself" and one for a friend who requested hand knit socks.


As far as gardening news, I just received my last shipment of seed packets for the year.  I want a million bajillion tomato plants!  Ok, not really.  I just want to try out new breeds to see what I like and what I don't.  I also want to try canning my own tomato sauce and maybe making spaghetti sauce this year!  Save money... Or try to anyway.  We are such spaghetti fiends here that we're going to need a lot!  Which reminds me, instead of buying yarn, I should be saving up to buy the canning pot to use on our stove, since we need a specific one.  Oh the joys of being American.  Want want want...  Time for me to get my priorities in order!


Ok, off to get my priorities straight.  Maybe just my house straightened.  Either way, I'm off to save the house from itself!  Have a wonderful week!
  

And there went another month... Where do they keep going?!

Oh February, where did you go? I missed you!  How could you not stop and talk to me for a while?!  /feelings hurt.

The shortest month of the year just FLEW by, didn't it?  I know I barely noticed it as it sped by.  The only reason I did take notice is because it was time to start my seeds for the garden!  So exciting... for me!  I have been working on a few items this month, tho none have been completely finished.  Oops, Oh well.  Life got in the way this month!  I have been working my rear end off on my computer classes and trying to get as close to a 100 percent as I can.  Doing good so far, and just hitting the midterms next week.  With work, seed starting, school, sick kids, animals, I don't know how I have even found time to sleep!

So what have I been working on?... Several things really.  Excuse me while I bust out the camera and the projects to show you. 

Being a good boy with his bone.

Being a not so good boy with a case of the troublesomes.

In the mean time to keep you entertained, here is a picture of Dozer keeping the seedlings company.  He is totally obsessed with the lights/dirt set up.  No clue why.

Please excuse the laundry basket in the background.  Its laundry folding day.  He absolutely adores chewing on his bone beside the set up.


As well as laying there being a punk beside the set up.  He had to go to time out not too long after this pic because he thought that popping the lid off the lower tray and eating the dirt (aka broccoli cell) was acceptable.  Hopefully he didn't get any of the seeds, or mommy will be mean and nasty.  That was my only packet of broccoli. :(

Other than that, on towards crafty things! A few items I am working on currently "working" on...

1)  A pair of gloves... with half fingers.  I found this pretty pretty pretty yarn called "Einstein Theory of Kermitivity (R=bT²) A very pretty variegated greens color.  This will be my first time attempting to make them with half fingers, as well as my first attempt at the mini-honeycomb pattern.  Not bad, but these gloves will definitely stay with me once finishing.  I noticed i messed up on the pattern for quite a few repeats toward the beginning, and I don't want to rip back so far.  Granted, I've only got one half way done.  There is still time to make #2 perfect... Or not so perfect.  Either way.

 2) My Feb KAL socks for Sock Knitters Anonymous.  They are a pattern called "Ivy" by Kate Blackburn.  I am using some Knit Picks sock yarn called Stroll in Sprinkle Heather.  I used to be all about this yarn.  Don't know what happened, but as of late, I am despising the Knit Picks brand.  It pills and fuzzes something terrible.  Guess I've been spoiling myself with indie dyed yarns.  The pattern itself is pretty nice, I'm enjoying the easy repeats while I watch myself some seasons of "Num3rs".  I may or may not have a crush on David Krumholtz and Rob Marrow.  The socks are a little over half way done, and I've been using my yarn box from Etsy I purchased myself for Christmas, and OMG how i love it!  Look how they fit inside, all nice and folded up!  Couldn't help but post a picture of the yarn box in its closed and pretty state.  I purchased it off of Etsy from WoodnGoods by Belle who is also on Ravelry and tempted everyone with her beautiful boxes!  It keeps both Dozer and Raisin out of the yarn as I am knitting.  I wonder if I ever blogged about the fiasco with Dozer back in Sept/Oct... The reason I got this yarn box in the first place!  *wanders off muttering about the dog*


 

3)  I started another shawl named Vlad, in the colorway "And then Buffy Staked Edward, The End" also by Indigodragonfly yarns.  Same makers of the Theory of Kermitivity.  This particular yarn is Merino/Cashmere/Nylon combo and so soft and pretty to work with.  Has some lovely shine to it as well.  Between Indigodragonfly and Hazel Knits I am all about indie dyers now.  Have to support my peeps!  

Other exciting news from the month of February!   I have signed myself up for some "Yarn Clubs" this year!  I was able to nab me a seat on the Indigodragonfly club.  Signed up for the full year with the Mystery Skein as well.  Glad I was able to within the first 24 hours of the club being open, because by hour 48, it was over 75% capacity!  In less than a week its over 90%!  Sheesh!  So exciting to see the colorways, and they'll probably be easily resold on Rav if its something I don't happen to like/feel attatched to.  Pffft, like that really happens.  I attatch myself to OTHER peoples yarns when they're up for sale... Why wouldn't I like my own.  Oh, and I also signed up for the Hazel Knits yarn club for the month of April.  Happy birthday to me!  I love how both clubs do the pattern and goodies with your purchase.  Can't wait to see what they all have!

Ok, there is your month long update!  Maybe since its a leap year I can squeeze one more blog into the month of February!  Here's hoping!

 

Me thinks I need a second blog!!

And why is that you ask?

Because, my yarn is being set aside soon to be replaced by.... Gardening!  Yes, it is the time of the year to plan out new garden vegetables, and to begin some seedlings of the slow to sprout variety.  I know, I know, I should be beaten for setting aside my yarn.   The great thing about gardening, is there is time between when things sprout to when they're ready to go to the garden, and then lots of time between going into the garden and harvesting.  But there are also plenty of weeds to deal with too!


Oh man I'm so excited about this whole thing.  I even offered to make up some flyers to distribute for the community garden I'm a part of.  Silly me, why would I ever offer that?  Because I've taken some Microsoft Office courses this semester, and am feeling pretty good about them, thats why!  I have made one, waiting for Hubs to get home to look at it and give me his opinion.  Then I might be making more!  Maybe more simplified ones!  AAANNNNDDD I'm going to hand them out around our neighborhood since we're all in townhouses with zilch for yards!  Maybe even see about handing them out at the local apartment buildings, posting them in gardening centers, etc!

Yeah, I'm being overly excited about it this year.  Yes I do have all my vegetables planned out for this year.  Yes, I may even have a "chart" already in development for placement of all the veggies.  And I may even be attempting to mix flowers into it this year as well, to lure the pollinators into my beans, peas, cucumber rows.

 Me?

Crazy?

Naaaah!!

So whadda ya think?  Should I start a second blog about gardening?  Since gardening and knitting are so different a subject?  Weigh in!  I need opinions people!  

Oh!  I forgot! Here are the pics of my finished socks!  And man are they comfy!

And so ends another month...

Gosh, I am amazed at how the month just flies by when I'm not paying attention!  I can't help but think, where did the time go?  Can't I just have a week of it back??

You may ask what I've been up to this last month that has had me away from the blog.  Apparently not so much that the excuse sounds good, but enough to make me feel like I've been doing more than I have...

Recent projects this month:

I finally sat down and finished my dad's socks.  You know, the pair that was supposed to be for Christmas that will now be for his birthday.  They turned out nice, and I really like them!  Its a pattern called "Masonic Lodge".  No, I did not have to stay in a locked room and only knit them at night under an oath of secrecy.


About midway through the sock, I ran out of yarn.  You know, no matter how much you plan, you never plan on something like that when you order yarn.  I thought I had enough yardage, to find out that my former favorite yarn distributor makes only 137 yards in this particular weight yarn.  WTF.  Really? Even with 2 skeins, that is only half a pair of socks.  Apparently their whole approach is "make them buy more, spend more".  Thank you, I did not need that. 

On a side note, I now have enough yarn left over I could potentially make him a hat as well.  We shall see if I feel particularly crafty.  Hats usually knit up quick unless I have 4 other projects going.  For that matter, same with socks.


For project #2, which is still in progress, I cast on a pair of socks for myself for the Sock Knitters Anonymous KAL (knit-a-long).  Yes, I've become a huge Ravelry-er.  Its my version of Facebook crack.  Except you have patterns to knit and crochet.

The socks I will make mine (maybe) are a pattern called Clover.  I chose to make it in a verigated orangey colored yarn.  It was on clearance and I stocked up because I fell in love with it. 

Clover is a lacy pattern with "tight" cabled pillars down the middle of the lacy parts.  I have fudged up on them, but without looking inch by inch over the length of them, I doubt anyone would notice.  And if anyone did notice because they're scrutinizing my work, they would hear from me just what I think they should do with the time they waste scrutinizing everyone else.  Oh, sorry, guess this isn't soap-box-a-thon.  

Then the last project I've been working on is my son's double-knit hat.  He wanted one just like his dads, in red and black.  Well its been a work in progress since oh, November.  Its taking more time to make because a) his head is so dang small compared to his daddy's, and b) well I've been side tracked by other things, and c)  I'm working at work and now at school too, so its been a bit of a struggle to find a happy balance of knitting, school/work, housework, kid work, etc etc.  But I've finally started on the decreases, so when I do sit down and work on it, it should be finished in no time.


Oh, yes, I have started school again.  Going to go for the Medical Administration Field.  Or really any administration field.  Right now I'm taking all online classes for the Microsoft Office Professional suite.  Power point, word, excel, outlook, access.  With a side of accounting thrown in.  Busy work, but its worth it to expand my job outlook right?  At least thats what I keep telling myself.


Throw in a visit from my brother from Oregon into January, and that is my month in a nutshell.  Busy, busy, busy.  And here comes February around the corner.  Jeez, where does the time go?!  If anyone out there ever creates a device that either sends you back in time, or slows the time down around you so you can get more done... Or even a cloning device, I'd greatly appreciate the chance to use it first!


Everyone have a great rest of the month!

Happy New Year!

Ok, so I started off the New Year a little late with a new post... 

A new year is a time for "resolutions".  Things we promise to do for the new year, which may or may not come to fruition.  Everyone attempts them, and some actually finish what they try!  Me:  Not so much.  Every year I say "I'm going to lose weight, get in shape, wear make up and do my hair every day", yet not much of that ever happens.  Yes, I lose weight for a little while, then gain it back.  Wear make up and do my hair every day for a month, then decide its too much work.  Etcetera, etcetera.  My resolutions?  To use the stash that I have to make things rather than buying more (gonna be tough), and to buy more products locally/semi-locally rather than via giant corporations (not so tough in the yarn/craft market), and of course the ever "Save money, don't spend money" resolution (ha!).  I'm not going to worry about my weight just yet.  My pants still fit (mostly).

Well this year on Rav, someone posted a "Get Real for 2012" thread asking people to go thru their stash, add up how many yards of yarn they have, and try to figure out how much knitting/crochet it would take to get thru the stash in 1 year.  Well it really is a wake up call as to how much  yarn one has, and realistically how much does one really need?  And yarn is like food for some people... You never can have enough!  I know when a new colorway comes out in my favorite yarns I do the "Ooooh Pretty! I can make *insert project that may not come to be here* for *insert family member* with that!"  I have foot tracings of just about everyone in my immediate family with the intention of making socks for EVERYONE!  A lofty little goal, but someday it might happen!


So I downloaded a link to my stash, added in the yarns that I had ordered prior to Christmas that have not arrived yet, and I got a little scared.  Yes, some of the yarn is Lace weight (800+ yards per 4 oz of yarn), but most is sock weight, that will one day become socks, hats, bags, scarves, etc.  The total for the yardage is over 35,000 yards. For me, it would take using up 740ish yards/week in order to get my stash to 0.  Socks only take 200-300 yards/pair to make depending on length.  Hats, roughly about 150 yards.  There were some people there with over 100,000 yards, and some that were too scared to add it up.  I think I'll be on a yarn diet until I halve this number.


New year is also a time for organization.  My brother decided to drag his stash out of his storage and organize it too... Apparently it was too much to deal with on Christmas day, so he hung out at our house most of the day.  I'd hate to add up the  yardage for him!  My stash consists of 2.5 bins.  Some hanging file folder bin things from Wally World.  Cheap but they work.  I organized it to 1 bin is all sock yarn, 1 bin is all palette yarn (100% wool, non machine washable), and the half bin of lace yarn.  Not bad all in all.  The problem being I have just discovered independent yarn dyers.  They are pricey, but for the size of the hank of yarn, they are completely worth it.  My top 2 right now are Indigodragonfly.com  and Hazelknits.com.  Indigodragonfly is from Canada, and for shipping, its not bad!  US airmail for $7+  (give or take for weight) and it gets to you in roughly 7-10 business days.  Hazel knits is from the Seattle area (semi local) and uses priority shipping which costs $5-10 depending on size of box no doubt.  They also offer free shipping for orders over $120.... No, I have not ordered that much from them to justify free shipping.... yet.  There is the future, of which I'm attempting to save money.  They both have scrumptious colors, and the sock yarn with cashmere in it has the same content base, same price... Gah!  I am in so much trouble, for soon I shall own a bit of each!  So much for the resolution to spend less money, and save more... Maybe I can be saving for  yarn?...


But I'm attempting something new (to me).  Repair rather than replace.  Especially things like work pants and shirts.  I just wore a hole in the thighs of my work pants, and discovered a pair of D's discarded khakis in just about the same shade I'm going to use to repair today.  Make my own patch... yay!  Doing that with the kids clothes as well.  Granted after Christmas and Birthdays, they need no clothes... Sheesh.


Anyhow, thats it for the update right now... Gotta go knit and repair, and watch girlie movies now that the kids are back to school!  Yay!

I'd like to use a lifeline, Regis

Lifelines.  What exactly are they?  If you're on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" then they are a way of narrowing down the answer using different with help.  If you're drowning, its a flotation device thrown to you by a life guard.  But in knitting, what are they?  

Well the answer is this:  They are lengths of scrap yarn you run through the active loops on your knitting needles using a tapestry needle every 10-20 rows to give you a "safe zone" if you mess up so badly you need to rip your work in progress out, you don't mess up or drop stitches when picking them back up.  It is especially useful if you every try lace work and/or a shawl.  There is a  brand of knitting needles known as "Voldeknits", tho any brand of cheaply made cable needles can be considered "Voldeknits".  They are known for having their cables come unglued from the needles in the middle of a huge project such as shawls, in the process dropping (losing) all the stitches from the needles.  A prime example of where lifelines are useful in knitting.

This is true for any sized project, including socks.  I started a pair of socks for my Dad for Christmas.  I am still only 1" into them, because after starting the pattern did I discover either a) I can't count or b) I messed up the pattern right in the gates.  I think its B, but who's to say it wasn't A... Or both for that matter.  Regardless, I wish I would have used a lifeline after starting the ribbing.  It would have been so much easier to rip out.  I did try and add a lifeline with a tapestry needle, but when it came to ripping out, I was finding out how much I caught the yarn i was pulling out... such a pain in the patoot!

I also wish I had used a lifeline in the shawl I tried to knit, but wound up frogging a week ago so I could use the yarn for a hat instead.  I was knitting along, following the pattern when I discovered I messed the pattern up at some point, and couldn't read my knitting to figure out where it happened.  I had used a complete skein of yarn, and was half way through the shawl.  I wound up setting it down in the middle of the row and leaving it for 2+ months.  Until someone asked for a blue hat.  Thus, it is now becoming a hat.

Yes, lifelines are completely optional in knitting as it is in "WWTBAM", but they can be vital!