That's it Stash...I'm Taking You Down!

Dear Stash,
It's time we had a talk. You are getting bigger than I like. You are taking up too much space. I need to get working on you and reducing you to a nice small pile! I keep looking at you and shaking my head at the size of you. How did I let this happen to you? I wasn't paying enough attention to your size and have been adding to your girth. I have a ton of patterns, quite a few people who would love something knitted and I will make the time to work you into a much leaner stash. I'm sorry I was lazy about working on one project in - one project out. No more waiting! Projects out - no new yarn in!

I love this time of year! Just love it. I get energized and want to get things done. Who needs New Year's Day, I have Fall. Happy I am, as I organize, organize, organize! Putting up the gifts from the garden into the freezer and jars. Clearing out paperwork, clothes and anything that is hanging around that we don't use anymore...then I look at my stash. It's contained in boxes - by fiber. In a tote for the things I want to make for Christmas this year. A few clear zipper bags hold projects that are hibernating and a few skeins are just hanging out.

I do not need to add to this stash. I've even gone into my favorite yarn shop and walked back out without a single skein of yarn following me home for 3 shopping trips! Enter the Mary Maxim Tent Sale. Came out of there with 2 new book - Son Of Stitch 'N Bitch by Debbie Stoller, and Knits for Children & Their Teddies by Fiona McTague and 2 count that just two skeins of Mary Maxim Aloe Sock Yarn in Sandstone...come on give me a break - they were $1.97 each. A pair of socks for $4? Of course I'll buy a couple!

Then, there in the back of the Patons Shetland Chunky: a fantastic dark blue, a wonderful deep red and a happy dark green skeins...I could have sworn I heard them call my name. Been looking for a sale on Shetland Chunky to make my hubby and his best friend, Joe, a sweater each. Gonna take hubby this weekend to pick which of the three colorways will be for Joe and which will be hubby's. Once I buy the yarn for those sweaters I'm on a serious yarn diet.

Oh, yeah, that's right, I was talking about my taking my stash DOWN! I buy yarn for a specific purpose...(see paragraph about) even when the yarn is on sale. If I don't have a project in mind I don't buy it regardless of the price. Looking at what I have on hand, I'll be happy knitting away this Fall. Sitting outside in the early morning and knitting. In the evening, sitting outside knitting. In the house knittin'. I have too many projects I want to do. Instead of buying yarn on sale for a project I had better work on my projects I already have waiting. To me my stash is huge...to a yarn stasher elite, my stash is very small...it's all in how you see it.

One. Two. Three...jumping into my stash...if I don't come up for air soon send some chocolate!

August

Don't know what it is about August. The sun has shifted a little south. Fair is a done deal. Still going through stuff: cleaning, oiling, restocking the tack box and the like. School for the boy starts soon - sure am gonna miss having him around all day. Cleaning, organizing, rearranging, going through my queues on Ravelry and my "what to knit next" notebook. Tidying up things in general.

I look forward to the fun, lazy last days of summer. It's my recharging time I guess. Some use New Year's Day for a fresh start...I use August/September as the start of my "new year". Maybe it's a carry-over from the anticipation of all things new at the start of the new school year. Really should have become a teacher.

I find myself re-accessing my knitting project list: finding different patterns for the yarn I have and really want to use up. The yarn that was started in a sweater for Bailey is being re-knitted in a Wonderful Wallaby for Sophie.








Bailey's new sweater will be in a turquoise, black and white colorway into a Wonderful Wallaby too.The reindeer seem to like it too.


The sweater made for Jolie is now going to Zoe. I am finding a combo of yarns to make Jolie another sweater. Looking at my stash I feel the need to organize, organize, organize it! So stash diving I go: I may not come out for months so send chocolate and hot, sweet tea!

The "Duh" Moments

The "Duh" Moments hit most unexpectedly. While in the middle of the row. When someone calls. When you're watching the news. Or while you are ripping out a project to fix the same mistake you've made 3 times already.

"Duh" 1 - While counting the 5 stitches at the start of the 40th row on the on Wonderful Wallaby..."duh" you have stitch markers - use them and there is no more counting the 5 stitches at the beginning and ending of each row.

"Duh" 2 - Can't read the chart for colorwork? Ummm - enlarge the graph on your 3-in-1-printer. See that was easy!

"Duh" 3 - If at 1st - 10th or even the 15th time you've cast-on and work on a project and no matter how you read the pattern there is a definite mistake - "duh" the pattern has a mistake and it's not your knitting!

"Duh" 4 - Post-it notes were made for a reason. You have them in your knitting kit. You could place the Post-it where you stopped in the pattern or write a quick note as to where you're at. Trusting your memory just isn't gonna work when the grand kids, the boy, dogs, goats or others need your attention and it's days before you pick the project back up to work on it.

"Duh" 5 - Getting gauge? NO? Did ya ever think to go up or down a needle size?

"Duh" 6 - No matter what: you'll get a smack in the back of your head and many more "duhs" while working with fiber!