Ah, schoolwork!

It's coming between me and my needlework! And that's a very dangerous position to be in!

I have, however, begun to inventory my yarn and thread stash. I had no idea I had so many types of yarn and thread -- and a lot of them are by companies that are no longer in business or have been bought by other companies! That means the skeins are different sizes than what's already in Ravelry. ARRGGHHH!

I've also put a few of my magazines into my library on Ravelry. Should have started with books -- I have fewer of them. The main problem here is not only do I have so many magazines, books, leaflets, etc., someone has to have already posted a pattern (or maybe it's just a project that used one of the patterns) from the book, magazine, etc. in Ravelry. HISS! SPIT!

Oh well. I'll just keep slogging away at it. It will all get done . . . someday.

It finally came!

My invitation to join Ravelry! I am so stoked about this! I spent most of the afternoon and evening looking around and entering information in the website. There's just so much to see and dream about.

Spent part of the evening working on Janelle Schlossman's Textured Squares Dishcloth. I had an unopened skein of Lily's Sugar'n Cream in Delft Blue that I wanted to use with size 8 knitting needles. I did well until it was time to bind off. Silly me, I had taken my work downstairs to watch some TV. I should have come back upstairs to sit in front of the computer and review a video on binding off before I attempted it. So it's done now but it looks a little weird and I don't really like what I did in the binding off.

The best part about knitting is that it takes considerably less yarn than crocheting. I decided to make another Textured Squares Dishcloth with the remaining yarn in the hopes that I will be smarter at the end of this attempt and watch the video before I bind it off.

I'm still here . . .

. . .but I'm on this weird knitting kick recently. I have this incredible stash of yarn and thread that I've collected over the past mumble-something years and I've decided since I'm low on $$ right now that I might as well start using it. I find that I start knitting something -- a scarf, a shawl, a dishcloth -- get about 10-20-30 rows into it and decide I don't like it. Maybe the needle size is wrong for that yarn or I really don't like the color or something. So I frog it. RIPP-IT, RIPP-IT, RIPP-IT! So now I have several skeins of yarn all undone because I frogged whatever it was I thought I was going to knit. And this is following the pattern instructions! GRRRR!

On a happier thought, I requested on July 16th an invitation to Ravelry, the knit and crochet community people keep talking about. At this point there are only 374 people in line before me and 2243 people behind me. Since the "before me" number hasn't changed since Friday afternoon I'm hoping that my invitation will come later on today, tomorrow at the latest.

In the meantime, I've been cleaning house in between working on my grad courses. It's amazing what all I'm finding stashed here in boxes all over the house. I found 3 more bags full of yarn in the master bedroom closet as well as a large plastic sweater box cram full of crocheted doilies and granny squares in all different colors I had made almost 10 years ago. And those were just the things I could get my hands on easily. There are two rows of boxes stacked about 4-5 high in that closet as well as what's up on the shelf overhead.

I keep thinking if I could just get all these UFOs in project bags I could just pick up the next project bag on the way out the door and run with it until I finished that project. Then I could go on to the next one. Yeah, right. Who am I fooling more -- me or you? I have so many UFOs right now I'm NEVER going to be able to die.

Hooks and needles

I spent some time yesterday entering all my crochet hooks and knitting needles into an Excel spreadsheet. I was amazed to find that I own more than 50 of each! Even so, I don't have one of every size available so I persuaded hubby to buy me a couple of pairs of bamboo knitting needles while he was out running errands -- No. 13 (9mm) and No. 15 (10mm).

I dug out an old skein of American Thread Co. Dawn knitting worsted in 100% virgin wool - rainbow color - to practice my garter stitch by making a narrow scarf. I've always loved that yarn - all basic colors. My sister and I used to cut it up in long pieces and leave them on low bushes so the birds would take them for their nests. It was so much fun to spy a bird's nest made with the yarn woven into it. I wonder if kids still do that?

Anyway, the bamboo needles are great. They're light in weight and make the most wonderful clicking sound. Soooo relaxing! Aluminum needles can make a sound but it's just not the same.

Lite Blue Doily

That's what I'm calling it even though it's #6 on page 8 of Magic Crochet Gifts. I found this 1985 booklet in a local Half Price Books this week. What a find! And everything has the international symbols!

I also picked up several back issues of Interweave Crochet and Crochet!

And I couldn't resist a copy of Stylish Scarves Made from Stunning Yarns: Easy Knit Stitches and Techniques for the Yarn Enthusiast by Carri Hammett. This book starts you out with the simplest scarf knitted in the garter stitch and progresses different fibers and techniques. All of the projects have a generic yarn description as well as the listing of the specific yarn used in the demo photos.

Knitting

After long saying I would never knit, I have finally actually completed a couple of knitting projects. I never seem to be able to remember how to do various things (like purl or bind off) so I bought a copy of Coats Knitting Made Easy CD from Hobby Lobby. I like being able to replay certain sections over and over so I'm sure I've gotten the technique.

Of course it doesn't help that this means I have to buy more yarn or more knitting needles. I have scads of knitting needles inherited from various members of my family plus a couple of handfulls I've purchased over the years, intending to learn how to knit. So there I was in Hobby Lobby AND Michael's today, buying more yarn. OK, I already confessed to hubby that I bought more yarn today -- I just didn't tell him I bought another pair of rosewood knitting needles (clearance - US$9.99) and 6 balls of Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Cotton (on sale - US$1.29 each). At least all of the yarn I bought today was either already on sale (US$3.39) or on clearance (US$1.00)!

Now I just need to set aside a large plastic box somewhere so I can stash my completed Christmas gifts and still find them to gift them this year!

Small oval doily

I started out with good intentions to finish this doily full size but had some problems with it so it finished out only 2"x5.5". It was crocheted in pale jade Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Cotton (#10) with a Susan Bates USB1/2.25mm aluminum hook. The picture is really bad. :(

I have a tiny Waterford desk clock that would look nice on it so I think that's how this one will end up on a small desk shelf somewhere.

Exuberance

Another doily (item #10) from the January 1995 issue (#43) of Decorative Crochet. Once again, it's crocheted in Aunt Lydia's Classic Crochet Thread #10 white and edged in lilac. It was part of a larger runner of the motifs but I decided to make it into a smaller doily.

Sweetheart

This crocheted "Sweetheart" is from the February/March 2007 issue of Crochet Today. It's done in Southmaid 100% cotton thread - size 10 - color cardinal - with a Susan Bates USB1/2.25mm aluminum hook.