It’s official, I’ve reached my yarn limit.

I didn’t think it was possible. I really didn’t. But today, armed with cash in hand, I set off to the yarn store. They are having a last-four-business days of the year sale, and you got to draw a token for a percentage off your purchase. Excited all day for my lunch hour, waiting to what I call going to the candy store, I set off at lunch. The possibilities seemed endless. I walked in the store, the smell of wool, cotton, alpaca, bamboo, cashmere, silk in my mind filled the air. In reality it just smelled like a store. But still in my mind it was the smell of all the yummy fiber the yarn was made from. I started looking in the bins, checking out the shelves, looking at the samples. Oh Malabrigio, hmmm, I have a bunch of you un-knit at home. Next. Oh Scrumptious! Wait, I have 3 skeins of you at home. Shibu Knits! Oh how I love you….um, yep, have that too. Madelintosh. Yep. Dream in Color. Got it. Wonderland. Yep, got it. I did find a few brands I didn’t have. But I didn’t really like it. Could it have actually happened, could I actually have too much yarn! To much luxury yarn! To much cheap yarn! To much to much to much! I ended up buying two skeins of sock yarn, I have a ton of it, somewhere in a bin someplace. And I haven’t knit socks in ages, so I’ll make myself some socks, as I contemplate the fact that my life must be actually complete now when I’ve reached my yarn limit.

Oh and next yearn I’m not buying one skein of yarn!

And so it was done….

I sometimes regret the projects I chose, sometimes because I bite off more than I really wanted to choose, sometimes in the end it’s because the item just didn’t turn out the way I wanted, sometimes I was just caught up in the cast-on moment. I feel that way to a degree about this finally finished object. It was fun, it was a challenge because boredom quickly ensued, and it was fidgety, and I really hate fidgety. But looking back, when I finish a project I often ask myself will I do it again. Um, Yep! It turned out so much fun, and the kids have already had a blast playing with their blocks which were actually made for the baby sister (due this week).

But on Wednesday night when I finished this project, the words above are what I uttered. Reading one way the blocks read the names of the families three children, on the backside is the entire alphabet. They took up an entire conference room table…and if you ever had any question about what city I work in, you now know.

So the end story of this post is knit what you love, knit what you want, but don’t be surprised if it changes along the way.

The Brain

I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts recently, I have several I really enjoy, I have several i sorta enjoy and am not sure I’ll continue with, and I have several I feel somehow obligated to listen to. One I’ve been listening to though and do thoroughly enjoy is the Hidden Brain. I always learn something new and interesting, and really how complex our brain is. There was one about this man who hit his head diving into a pool and developed Acquired Savant Syndrome.  It was fascinating to listen to. Hidden Brain – Stroke of Genius Podcast.

Not that I want to get hit in the head, but I could use some acquired savantness with my knitting, if I could figure out a way to never sleep but just knit all evening and night, then go to work, and make beautiful finished objects along the way, I’d be thrilled. I spend so much time thinking about my knitting, planning out my knitting, but not knitting near enough because it is truly an obsession. I guess that’s what you do though when you are obsessed with something you think about it more than you actually do it.

I wonder if there’s ever been an acquired savant knitter?

Is this thing on?

It’s been a very long time since I posted anything, in fact about 3 years. I doubt anyone is still out there, I wouldn’t expect they would be. But I need a voice. I feel I have no voice any longer. The sad thing is as a friend, I kinda am crappy. I have very few interests in common with anyone, other than knitting. And not one of my “in person” friends is crafty. They probably don’t have the time. I probably shouldn’t spend the amount of time I do on craft projects. But the fact is they keep me sane and I need some sanity in my life. The last three years haven’t exactly been easy. I won’t bore you with the drama of my so called existence, but I lost my mom in January and honestly it’s put me in a tailspin. She was the one person that I could always count on for a fun conversation, or an interesting conversation. She was probably the most significant and important person in my life, and she’s gone. It’s been a difficult thing to cope with. Especially with my other life stresses, which I won’t discuss.

So, maybe I should do this blogging thing again. I don’t know. I’m not really sure of anything right now. Let me tell you something more fun. So there are a lot of babies in my world right now. Several co-workers, and my nephew and his wife are expecting their first, a little girl due in December. I haven’t even started knitting for her yet, I need to soon but first I have to finish the ridiculous project I started for a coworker. And the blanket for the other coworker. But i’m knitting blocks for the entire alphabet. It’s been a fun project, but now I’m to the sewing of all these dang blocks together and it’s taking an eternity. I think I’ll never actually be done. I’m honestly thinking of calling in sick just to get it accomplished!

I’m not sure what in the world ever possessed me to do this. But once I finish it, I can finish the other blanket, start on the projects for my new great-niece, and then maybe one of these years I can actually knit something for me.

I may be in the most grumpy phase of my life.

 

I Knit the Mona Lisa

And I still can’t believe how it turned out. Illusion knitting is simply amazing. But alas, I’ll let you be the judge of that.

 

 

The pattern is by Steve Plummer and his world of Illusion Knitting is absolutely amazing.

Blankets, Bonnets, Booties, and Bibs

Yep. That’s all I can think about. Well and little sweaters and toys and anything baby, but since they don’t start with B they can’t be in the title to this post. I found out last week. that I’m going to be a Great Aunt! My nephew and niece-in-law are expecting their first baby. And before you expound about how there’s now way possible I’m old enough to be a Great Aunt, I wholeheartedly agree. But then Paul was born when I was 14 so its true, I’m not old enough. But he is old enough to be a dad.

Now my plans are changing, do I knit my coat or do I start on the plethora of baby items I’m itching to knit. I know there will be at least two blankets, booties are needed, and bibs of course. I love the bibs I knit. They are very simple but very practical, I Love Stockinette Baby Bibs.  Its a free pattern. Its simple, you get to practice short rows and an i-cord edging. And they are easy to dress up.  I have made 9 of these, using the cheap balls of cotton from Walmart or Michaels. My favorite picture though is this action shot.

7 Bibs

Since they are very practical gifts, I plan to make them quite a few. But first the blankets. Then when I know what sex it is, I’ll make an appropriate item of clothing.

I’m currently working on at work the Sunny Cables and Crowns in a nice light brown color, perfect for boy or girl and the modern earth-tone baby. And since my nephew and niece-in-law are studying the Swahili language I’m making them the Safari Parade Blanket. Yarn is ordered. Can’t wait to start. Although still debating if I start that or knit my coat, decisions, decisions.

 

Time

What is Time? Its an illusion. There is too much. There is too little. Its also the name of one of the songs I love from one of my favorite groups, Elephant Revival. Although I am rather annoyed with them that they haven’t come back to St. Louis in way too many months!

 

My biggest problem with time is that I’ll never have enough to knit (or crochet) all the different patterns I want. Each pattern is a quantity of time, and at the rate I’m queuing patters on Ravelry I will need to work non-stop until I’m 176 years old.

Speaking of patterns I want to make I think I just found possibly my first non-blanket crochet pattern I want to make, its a cute shark pencil case. I’m not sure I can accomplish it, but I’ll never know if I don’t try.

I of course currently have two crochet blanket projects in the works. Knitting I have a purse for me, an illusion blanket on the needles, two shawls, and I really want to start knitting my winter coat. Of course all of this desire to do nothing but crafting comes at a time when there is little to no time for crafting. I have many personal commitments coming up and work has just turned into a war zone. The good news is I’ll probably have lots of overtime which will relieve some financial stress, the bad news is I will not be finishing or even making progress on my current projects. But I always manage to steal a minute or two and keep yarn in close contact at all times so for the moments in which I’m about to go bonkers and implode, I can calm myself down.

Maybe I should knit or crochet myself a clock! Then I’ll always have knit time.

Current blanket I’m crocheting at home is looking like this. I don’t like the square with the popcorns, but I think its because I just haven’t gotten used to crocheting them yet.

And to catch everyone up on what I was doing during my blogging break I share this blanket I knit this spring for a co-worker. I absolutely love how it turned out, and she loves it too, which is just frosting on the cake, or sour-cream on the enchilada.

It also didn’t hurt that we had a big snow storm which was the perfect backdrop for this blanket. Its the Flower Petal baby blanket by Anne Haas. I actually made two of these, this being the second, and I love, love, love how it turned out. Its also featured on the pattern page on Ravelry which is always a big ego boost!

Nothing is Ever Simple

So I’m glad in life I have knitting and well now crocheting because yarn, needles, a hook, its life at its purest. At work no matter how well I think I have planned things out, something always goes wrong, even on the simplest task. It seems as of late, no one is every happy, no one is ever content. Demanding is the world we live in.

So when these things frustrate me, i just turn to my yarn, needles, and now hook. And I know that in the few moments stolen away from the crazy that I can make a stitch, life returns to simple.

In addition, I seem to get annoyed rather easily these days. For instance I sit near a person that constantly munches on things and the noise is driving me literally insane. So now I have to sit with headphones and Pandora playing all day in order to cope. I can’t handle the chewing noises non-stop, 5 days a week, 40 hours a week. I. am. going. stark. raving. lunatic. mad.

So I turn to my yarn. Just having a basket of it near me is calming. Well that and my desk sheep.

 

That and the daily reminder of my silly dogs.

 

So I hope you find some time today for the simple things in life, some knitting, some crocheting, some spinning, some weaving, something with yarn!

Look Ma I’m Crocheting…Maybe that should be Look Sis

My mother is not a crafty person. In fact I think if you put a crochet hook, a pair of knitting needles, or a sewing machine in her hands she’d use them as weapons. Well, maybe as kitchen tools. Apparently she sewed when she was first married, there are some matching outfits of her and my big sister. However she didn’t keep it up.

My sister on the other hand. Amazing. She crochets, she draws the most adorable characters, she’s a graphic artist, she is a true creator. She also knits, her daughter and I taught her. She has this ability to just see a skein of yarn and see the end object whether its a toy or a garment. She makes the most adorable crocheted characters. I envy that ability. I have to have a pattern, I have no artistic vision. I’ve only ever changed a pattern once successfully, and have only created one thing completely on my own the blanket I made for my cousin.

So I follow patterns. I live by patterns (as yesterday’s post discussed) but I’ve always been a little annoyed at myself that I couldn’t read or follow a crochet pattern. So I determined that I would finally figure it out. Yesterday at lunch I found several crochet blanket patterns I liked, I have so much scraps and partial skeins of yarn I wanted a project that would help use those up. And since I really could use some washable, abusable blankets, it was time to learn to follow a crochet pattern. So I choose to start Graphic Granny Afghan. The last round of the hexagon took me a bit to figure out, and I’m still not entirely sure I’m doing it right. But today possibly in the silence of the conference room at lunch, I can figure it out.  Now to pick out my next crochet project. Actually I think it’ll be another granny square blanket. But I have several in my queue to choose from.

Patterns

How I love thee, let me count the ways, or at least the patterns, and that would be 7,279 patterns in my personal library. According to Ravelry. I seriously love Ravelry. I can add my book to my personal library, or that fantastic pattern I found on Ravelry. And then, and this is really the beauty of it, I can search all the patterns I own whether in a book or in an individual pattern I’ve downloaded and I can search by yarn recommendation, sizes, construction, all sorts of things. Its fantastic!

How I love looking at patterns. To me a pattern is much more than a design to follow, its a map to a new destination, its a dream, its a fantasy. The yarn, the words, the needles, all have to fit together to make the pattern a reality. And its a marvelous journey. I’m constantly looking at patterns, wishing, hoping, dreaming, planning. Honestly, they are what get me through the mundane day of working in an office.

Today, I’m interested in crochet patterns. I’ve never been able to follow a crochet pattern and I feel like maybe its time to force myself into it! So I’ve been searching Ravelry for a basic but interesting shawl pattern that I can play around with. I’m also getting ready to purchase a new pattern to make myself a coat for this year. The Boston Top-Down Hooded Coat. I have the yarn to make it already, I just need to dedicate myself to making it for myself.  Speaking of myself, I did make myself some new shawls since we last spoke. My favorite, because its huge and comfy, is my Illusion Shawl.

So excuse me now while I go look at some patterns, and dream of time at home knitting them all up into beautiful pieces of art.