hey meg! your eunice socks look so nice! and they inspired me to post pictures of my own just-finished socks:
toe-up knee highs, knit using the provisional cast-on toe and short row heel detailed in wendy’s generic toe-up sock recipe, and even though i knit them one at a time, these seriously flew right by. i think the variation in the noro made them a lot more visually compelling than the average sock.
crucial info: i used noro silk garden sock, and some plymouth yarns happy feet that i hand-dyed a sort of muted teal color and size 2 double pointed needles. i kept these so simple – i didn’t even bother with jogless stripes, i just made sure the color changes were on the inside of the calf. did a few rows of increases for the calf, then decreased for the ribbing and finished with a decrease bind-off to keep ‘em flexible. so fun, so fast. and seriously, so stripey!
the days are going to get steadily warmer here in providence (up to 61 degrees on friday?!) so these aren’t going to be in steady rotation just yet. but they are going to make riding to work so much more pleasant when the weather does actually get cold. i secretly can’t wait!
granted, my main priority right now is holiday knitting. but it doesn’t mean that i’m not still peripherally aware of the massive destash that i promise will happen…after christmas. still, for the moment, it may be helpful to some of us to learn from the wisdom and experience of others. so:
from twist collective: ask the problem ladies: jostled by stash. no “stash only” yarn diets – i love this advice!
and a few projects that actually really make me want to dig deep into my suitcase of yarn:
this knit banana. of course. also, this womb.
as discussed at a knitting night a few weeks ago, this hot water bottle cozy is kind of amazing. i do not actually own a hot water bottle, but this pattern makes me want to. a hot water bottle and knit cozy would also make a really nice winter holiday present, just sayin’.
i am also considering making some of these little hearts to attach to my christmas present wrapping. (um if i haven’t mentioned that i LOVE christmas, consider yourself warned. i love it so much. it’s my favorite time of year. i will talk about it nonstop until january first.) you might suggest to me that these are more appropriate for valentine’s day, but i say nonsense. or, i say that i will use them for both.
french press cozy. i have a french press. so why not?
and these are called bunny nuggets. i think the word ‘nuggets’ is a little sick, and that alone makes me weirdly want to knit these. also, they are cute.
you might be noticing that these are all sort of ‘novelty knits.’ here is my logic: when i think about things that i am going to wear, even one-skein projects like a hat or cowl, this is when i get excited about buying new and exciting yarn. it is not a time when i get psyched about the idea of using a leftover half skein of wool-ease. a french press cozy and a banana are knits that i don’t really want to invest money in, and therefore make a lot more sense for stashbusting.
enjoy your monday! be good!
i know i have talked about my yarn stash before. i know i have talked about it almost obsessively. i have taken pictures of smaller fractions of it. (never of the huge suitcase full of yarn in my closet. even i have a point at which it becomes too embarrassing to own up to.) but i’m going to continue talking about it. and look, here’s another one of those suggestive photos:
but i promise you this time i am really trying to tackle my stash problem head-on. i am going to get this under control. i have been organizing my yarn, winding it into neat, stackable cakes when possible, and trying to actually think about what i can realistically knit with it. i am also considering photographing each yarn and adding it to my stash on ravelry. here is a question: do any of you find that to be helpful in making sure all that yarn gets used up? i’m wondering if i add the yarns to my online stash, will it a) publicly shame me into using up said yarn, b) remind me about my yarn situation while i’m browsing patterns, thus motivating me to choose patterns that will use up the yarn i already own, or c) at the very least, satisfy my weird compulsive organizing tendencies?
here is my current crafting situation: i have just used up most of a skein of sheep shop company’s sheep one to make a pair of mittens. these will be photographed and put on etsy soon. stashbusting! i am also using two skeins of sock yarn from my stash to knit myself these legwarmers. i also just received an etsy order for a pair of socks and a hat from a dear friend from high school. i am also helping two people with the sewing of their halloween costumes, and still knitting my own halloween squid suit. this sounds like a lot, huh? it kind of is, but i’m staying pretty well on top of it.
and of course, even as i type this, i am planning to go yarn shopping not once but twice in the next two days. this is because i am knitting this sweater for my brother and this sweater for my sister. christmas knitting! but of course, i do not already have the appropriate yarns for these sweaters, and i cannot let my siblings down, so i really HAVE to buy more yarn. but then i am really committing myself to the elimination of so much of my yarn. really really really. this is so out of control that it can’t wait to be a new year’s resolution, and will have to be an october 8 resolution instead. feel free to make an october 8 resolution for yourself as well. after all, it’s almost the weekend, and almost a three-day weekend (if you get columbus day off, which i do), so i can’t really think of a better time to get started on a new resolution.
i like these days when i feel about two steps away from taking over the world. good good things.
