Too Much Yarn

Testing Typepad

This is a test for domain forwarding.

I renewed this domain. I really want to keep this blog. Facebook, Instagram doesn't cut it, but it needs additional time from me. I think it's good that I journal my thoughts - it keeps me in check that I'm acquiring yarn faster than using them, right? It allows me to talk about what I'm knitting, right?

OK - I need to find out how to get photos on here without Flickr as I've closed that account (or I got out of the pro plan). The Typepad App hasn't been improved to pull photo in, or has it? I'll give it a shot soon.

Hope someone is still here...

Hello, is anyone there?

So it's been over a year since I last posted.. although, I haven't stopped knitting, nor acquiring yarns.  Are you still reading my blog?  Please comment so I can decide if I should...

Let's start with old news - I'm on a yarn diet again!  I'm seriously not buying any new yarn in the month of March.  Because, on April 6, I'm going to join 2 friends on the Minnesota Yarn Shop Hop - even scheduled a day off already.  There are 15 or 17 yarn shops this year.  I doubt we will hit all of them, but we will try to hit as many as we can in one day.  And that's why I'm only checking out needle cases and stitchmarkers this month!

Currently, I'm working on 2 projects (at least).   The first is a gift for my neighbor.  She lost her son last November and I've been wanting to knit her a shawl.  This is the one I finished.  The pattern is Project Peace 2017.  The one I made myself look like this:

 

It's totally her colors, but I am changing the green to a shade that she likes more.  So I have about 14 rows left.. I must finish, right?

 

Then, I signed up for my first ever Craftsy class - I really just want the pattern so I'm not quite following the lessons, although I am learning something new watching the videos.  This is Romi's High Sierra Shawl.  Yes, I bought 4 sets of the yarn  - they were only $23.50 each set with the 5 mini skeins and a full skein at 50% off, but when they arrived, I was disappointed that they're a bit too thin for me.  So I went stash diving and found these - Frabjous Fibers Queen of Hearts in Too Much Pepper and Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere in Jocelyn (don't remember where I acquired that - seems like an unusual name - must be a one of a kind).

I'm in the midst of the Lesson 3 (class will be out on Thursday), but I'm ahead of the game...

Romi's 6th annual Mystery Shawl will start in April so I must finish this PLUS, Dream In Color is starting a Mystery middle of March.  Clues are released every 2 weeks for 3 times.  That pattern is Hike The Yarn Trail.  And I'm using these 3 skeins of Dream In Color Smooshy with Cashmere!

So... please comment to tell me if you would still enjoy reading my acquisitions and startitus problems...

I am still making cards, but more knitting than cardmaking.  Also, I've planned a Knitting Tour of Ireland in September.  There are 4 of us from Minneapolis plus 3 from Nantucket who is joining the 9 Night Southern Ireland Knitting Tour.  Would you be interested?  I started following Carol Feller and completed her very first Mystery Shawl.. maybe I'll show you the next time I blog - hopefully, this  month!

We are in the middle of  a Winter Storm  - so lots of knitting tonight!

 

 

October Happenings

Since the last time I posted, I have finished 1 pair of socks, cast on 1 pair of socks. Cast on zero shawls, finished 1 shawl and is currently binding off another shawl. My knitting and blogging time has been taken over by making cards and a puppy.

I won't post too many photos as I'm blogging from my phone now. I am attending Vogue Knitting Live next weekend and should have lots to talk about.

I'll show you my puppy, who is now a little over 4 months. He has not learned to love yarn yet!

Here is Kevin, at 8 weeks.








At 15 weeks.

Then, he got into my knitting. This is my Skipping Dots Shawl. He bit into the edge of my shawl. I can see teeth marks on the needles.









I ripped back 10 rows. Thank goodness it was just garter stitches. I picked up the ridges using another needle and then, just pulled out the original needle and started frogging. Unfortunately, I picked the stitches on the wrong side so the stitches were backwards. I had to flip it forward before knitting. The gray yarn was broken into 4 balls. I knitted using what was left in a bigger ball and used up 2 of the small balls.


This was a loose cake as I was knitting from the middle of the cake. Somehow, he had a ball in it. With the encouragement of my knitting group, I detangled the mess. I got it all in one ball with no broken pieces!


So with all the work in detangling, I had to use this. I knit the edge with a little of the blue. May I add that I was just an inch from finishing when this happened! I'm binding off now and have not taken a photo. I can't wait to wear it but not looking forward in weaving in all the ends.

And I have to add that this is all my fault. I left my project bag (no top - like a basket) on the floor! It will remind me of Kevin when I wear it.

August Happenings

I decided to name my post after the month I post because it seems I've been blogging once a month - sometimes less.  I do think of you almost every week but the last 3 weeks has been horrible at work.. Actually, this week was improving as we finished our project. We were a month behind and had to catch up in one week.  So needless to say,  working 60 -70 hours a week took away my knitting and blogging time.  But.. I'm here now.

So, it's August and it's the month I get to finish socks.  It is the 17th today and I  have finished 2 pairs and almost to the heel of the 3rd pair.  The first pair is Ampersand by Kirsten Kapur.

The second is one of my unfinished Monkey Socks (and now, I have one left that I have to finish).

And this is where I'm at with the third pair:

I haven't bought yarn - not even online yarn!!  But I bought a new car.  My dream car was a CRV.. I drove a CRV from 2002 until 2016.  I'm comfortable in it and it was big enough to haul my baskets when I sold Longaberger baskets, and other stuff.  The only issue with it is that I was unable to hide a lot of yarn with the SUV window peeking in the trunk.  So I decided to go for a sedan.  Well, really, it's because I would like a better fuel efficient car.  I read about the 10th Generation Honda Civic - I drove my first Civic in 1986 so it's just cool that I'm driving a Civic again 30 years later.  I did totaled my 1986 Civic in a rollover.  I would have waited for the hatchback, but it may not be in the US for another year and again, you can't hide yarn.  So good bye to my CRV, who's seen his share of yarn:

and hello to my Civic, who will be seeing hiding a lot of yarn.

Also, as you know, we lost Chip, our miniature Schnauzer back in March.  We've been studying different breeds of dogs and I just like Schnauzers so we are going to have another Schnauzer.  We're picking him up before the end of the month.  Here he is at 3 weeks:

After he had his haircut, he seemed to have lost his browns and is more silver..

I've seen some videos of him.  I'm quite excited.. Now, to teach him to enjoy yarn, knitted items and not to chew anything I knit!

 

Too Much Yarn

Hello!  Hello! It's been almost 3 months since I last blogged.  I was in Alaska for a couple of weeks and yes, I have yarn stories to tell... but today, I have to confess something to you that you already know - I have too much yarn!  I decided to list my Mithril for sale.. I know I have them so I listed them.. Then, when it was time to ship, I couldn't find the skein.  It took me days and well, it was in the bin that I thought it would be.. What was I looking for???  Anyway, this is the state of my yarn!  These are bags and bags of yarn acquired in the last year that I need to sort into bins.

My Bugga has overflowed into an additional  2 bins.  But I haven't bought Bugga for a while - ok - since last month!

  

I've been knitting shawls but need to put them aside so I can catch up on my socks for the August SKA month.  And I haven't done any mitered squares on my blanket. When it gets cooler, I think I will get back to it.  But here is the state of the rest of the yarn.

 

Please don't give up on me.. I do want to continue blogging.  I knit so I can show to you what I've finished...

 

 

 

Yes, I had been knitting!

Shepherd's Harvest (aka Minnesota Sheep & Wool Festival) was last weekend.  And yes, I added to my stash, but today, I want to talk about what I've been knitting.  Since the middle of March, the Romi Mystery Shawl basically consumed my knitting time.  So I'll show you the progress pics as I was not able to share until April 29.  I finished my shawl first week of May.  The yarn I used was of course, Bugga!  One was a Nudibranch (club) and the other (purple) is one of the Orchids.

The border took a lot of yarn.. Luckily, I had a mini skein (10 gr) from a swap that I could use.. I also decreased the number of repeats from 33 to 32.

This is a Queen sized bed.

Then, I cast on these Girl on Fire by Cookie A - a club pattern.

Bugga in Fierce Snake.

Then, someone got me to pick up my crochet hook...

using Hazel Knits mini's which I've collected:

No, I'm not starting another blanket or socks or shawl.  This is a leg.

This is his butt.

This is his belly:

And this is the headless hippo!

I have to make the head, which consists of 10 motifs (mostly pentagons).

I also started a shawl with this coveted skein of Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock yarn. I bought it as The Yarnery when they  had a trunk show a few years ago.

So far so good...

There will be a border that I'll most likely add with blue yarn...

Next time, I'll show you more items I'm casting on and what projects I'm bringing on my trip to Alaska.

 

 

 

Meeting Romi (again)...

Two blog entries in two days?  Don't worry - it won't last!

I first met Romi in February, 2013 at Stitches West and also at a dinner with the Rominettes.  I was star-struck.  Such a talented designer, such grace, and yet, she's as down-to-earth as can be.  She's a mom and she's a knitter, just like us!  This time, I was able to get more personal by taking the Lace Surgery class from her, and again at a breakfast with 12 other Rominettes.

My Lace Surgery class is awesome!  Without telling you how to fix a problem as I would prefer you to take the class from Romi when you have the opportunity, I would share with you some photos...

Before Surgery - lace swatch with 2 errors: (an extra stitch on the left and the center stitch got offset)

During Surgery.

After Surgery:

A fellow Mystery Shawl knitter in the class:

At Breakfast, with knitters knitting the mystery shawl:

Group photo with Romi:

So glad Kendra from Tokyo happens to be in town to help her mom who just had surgery.

And my treasured photo with Romi!

 

Knitting Queue

I lied.. I did not add all my stash from Shop Hop to my Ravelry Stash.. except for these.  As I find patterns for them, I try to associate the yarn and patterns.  I even added a tag "debrakal" for the ones I want to make from the Shop Hop yarn!  Here they are (ongoing list):

The Amazing Technicolor Dream Cowl with the Knitted Wit Gumballs Kit:

Seuss-A-Fabical using the Frabjous Fibers Cheshire Cat kit

Another shawl, Imagine, using Baah! Lo Jolla Imagine (Amazing Threads Imagine color) and last year's Shop Hop exclusive in a dark gray...

Another cowl, Rising, using the gradient kit I bought from Yarnery:

 

Most of the photos above of the patterned were copied from Ravelry from the pattern pages.  No copyright infringement intended.  These photos are owned by the designers.  I merely wanted to show you what the finished product looks like.

 

MN Shop Hop 2016

First of all, I have not bought yarn (except acrylic) since last November, when I went on a retreat.  I have about 5 or 6 shawls I haven't blocked.  I have 15 pairs of new socks I haven't woven in the ends and worn them.  I have 1 pair of socks with a big hole!

Second of all, I have a partner in crime this time to join me on the Shop Hop.  Debra from Nantucket had a family reunion of sorts in Missouri and drove up here with her husband as they used to live in Minneapolis for over 20 years.  They moved 5 years ago to Nantucket.  To this day, I will claim that Yvonne brought her to me. I bought the skein of yarn from her for Yvonne's daughter - this yarn was part of Romi's Pin and Lace Club for the Flowers for Yvonne's kit.  And the rest is history.  Though I have officially known her in person for 3 days (1.5 days in Nantucket and maybe 1 day+ in Minneapolis), we connect like we've known each other for 30 years.

So, our first stop was at StevenBe...  Here is Steven as Willy Wonka.

This is my haul from stop #1:

I don't remember the company... check my stash on Ravelry for details in the next week.  I'll be adding my haul to my stash.

Stop #2 is Yarnover.  They always have the nicest samples and kits.  From The Yarnery:

I promise to give you guys more details what I plan to do with each purchase in future posts. Those kits were the exclusive Shop Hop yarn.

Stop #3 at 3 Kittens Needleworks.  They're the only shop in town which sells Hazel Knits, but it's not their exclusive this time.  There were a blue and green yarn.  Of course, I picked the blue!

Stop #4 is a Knit'N From The Heart. Smooshy with Cashmere in Fuschia, a Claudia Hand Paints, and an exclusive Shop Hop Dream In Color Jiffy.

We are now in the Eastern suburbs of the Twin Cities.  We headed towards Stillwater, #5.

oops!!  The above should be with this Jilly:

The middle Madelinetosh Twist Light was from Shop #7, All About Yarn

Back to #5... Darn Knit Anyway...

I'm doing so well, don't you think... 1 skein a shop...

At #6 is Lila & Claudine in Mahtomedi,

Still 1 skein...

And then, my home store, #8, Amazing Threads...

And then, we meet our husbands and my daughter for dinner!

WAIT!  Debra went to 2 more shops the next day while I worked hard... Remember, I had just returned from Hawaii on Wednesday.. Spent Thursday with Debra, and back to work on Friday!  Afraid I may lose out on the yarn from Linden Yarns, Debra picked up a skein for me.  On Saturday, I went there myself...  So that's #9

Then, I head over to #10 in Burnsville...Unwind.  this is Smooshy in Piglet... they also had Eeyore and Pooh - you can imagine the colors and are you shocked I didn't pick Eeyore??

One skein...

And the total from 10 shops:

Yes, they add up!!  Real fast!  Also, I got some beads, stitchmarkers, washi tape for card making, and even a necklace!!

I'm knitting Romi's Mystery Shawl and it should be done next week.. I have a Lace Surgery Class with Romi on April 22 - Yarnover!  Another yarn-acquisition opportunity, but really, I think I'm all set - unless I see something unique...  And on May 14 - Shepard's Harvest!

So, the next time, I want to show you what I plan to knit with these!!

Have a nice week.  I'm feeling better with Chip gone, but still miss him a lot!

Oh, this is the tote bag we received and the buttons we collected at each shop.  I missed out on 5 of them.