I’ve made it a tee tiny bit farther on my KBC Mystery Socks . I had to restart the toe so many time that I’ve gotten comfortable with Judy’s Magic Cast On. That’s an upside, right? I love the color, it’s KBC’s Margarita w/Salt. It’s a very lovely lime green that I’m sure the current camera I’m using doesn’t quite capture. I should take come pictures out in the sunshine. I love this KAL, I’ve learned a new way to cast on, two new stitches and according to Clue #2 I’m going to learn more. This will be my second pair of socks. I wish I’d made more before this so that I’m more familiar with sock knitting in general.

I’ve received some yarn from sock clubs lately and I think the colors are kinda fun, although I’m going to redye one of them just for laughs.

Pardon the fuzzy pictures, I have a hard time taking good pictures with this camera.

All For Love Of Yarn - fingering weight

I’ve browsed through my stash again and I really need to get going on some more socks 🙂  It’s time to fire up some Stargate Atlantis and knit my little heart out.  I may even cast on another pair of Mystery Socks because I want to learn how to do it on one circular needle.

Keaton doesn’t seem too impressed with that idea. He’s more impressed that he fits in so well with the color scheme of my bed.

I finished Stashbusting Afghan No. 1.  It came out really nice and Sunshine claimed it as hers. She wrapped up in it and declared that it was warm and comfy.

That really pleases me that someone wanted something I had made. It’s acrylic yarn so I don’t know how comfy it *really* is, but I imagine it’s rather like me wrapping up in my grandmother’s afghans. I have several in my house made by her. Some of them were made specifically for me and others I got from my mother who decided she didn’t want hers anymore. They are made out of acrylic yarn and Grandma had a nice sense of color.

When I got divorced I took some time off work just to mourn. I had been working very hard to hold things together, move into the new house, get it furnished and outfitted so my children and I would be comfortable (I had left almost everything that wasn’t personally mine behind), and I was exhausted mentally and physically. The kids were with their dad and I wrapped up in one of the afghans that Grandma had made just for me, laid down on the couch and cried the whole weekend. The afghan made me feel like I had a permanent hug in place and was more comforting than a bag of chips and a lot of chocolate (although I applied those forms of therapy as well). That will be one of the main memories of my grandmother. She was always crocheting and I’m pretty sure everyone in the family has more than one of her afghans. She had made so many that she always knew how many skeins it would take. I still have the crochet hook she gave me when she taught me how to crochet and it is the hook I use when I make an afghan. I hope that my children someday remember the things that I made fondly and don’t view them as dust catching eyesores that they keep out of guilt. My mom has crocheted a blanket or two but it was never really her thing. My children also don’t seem to be interested in needlearts. I’m hoping that I’ll have a grandchild or two that wants to learn since our family seems to want to skip a generation for these things.

I also finished a little gift for Meli who is moving into a new house. She’s one of the two readers of this blog (Hi Meli!) so she’ll know about this and will just have to wait until after Moving Day 🙂

The decluttering continues. I’m going through piles of papers and throwing things out. How do I manage to accumulate so much paper?  How long do I really need to keep old bills anyway? Yeaarrrg. I’m off to buy a shredder for this mountain of paper and I’m going to have a great time making piles of tiny pieces of paper 🙂

I got this from The Yarn Harlot’s website and since I didn’t seem to have anything of my own to post lately (I’m really hampered by not having my camera) I thought I would reprint something she wrote and then instructed us to pass on to the people in our lives that love a Knitter: This was posted Dec 23, 2006 on her blog.

Dear Muggle Non-knitter who loves a knitter,

I know that shopping for a knitter can be hard if you are not a knitter. I understand. You have two shopping days left (assuming the gift occasion is Christmas.) and your knitter will have a birthday as well. I’d like to help you. Please know that even though I have written this and your knitter has printed it out (perhaps multiple copies) – that we are not judging the gifts from previous years. The small appliances and countless bathrobes have been wonderful. We’re all just ready to move on.

First, take a really good look around your house. Even though you may not be very interested in the wool arts yourself, try and recall the times you have seen your knitter with wool.

1. Did you see one of these?

This is a ball winder. They can be procured from all reputable yarn stores and if your knitter doesn’t have one…they would like to.

2. How about one of these umbrella type action things clamped to a table? Perhaps in the dining room?

This is a swift. There are metal ones and wooden ones. Swifts hold skeins of yarn so that your knitter can wind it into a ball. Your knitter would like to have one, and more than that? You want your knitter to have one. Swifts replace the family member who has to hold the skein for them. (That might be you. If you buy this, then you can go back to whatever your hobbies might be.)

3. Your knitter wants this.

Yarn. Buy yarn. I hear muggles say it all the time “But she has so much yarn. I’ll get her something else.” Hear me now. Your knitter has a lot of yarn because she LIKES yarn. Yarn is always a good choice. Go to a yarn shop, not a regular store and tell the nice people there that your knitter has lots of yarn, and that you would like to get some good yarn. They will help you. Yarn stores are just like other stores, and you don’t have to be afraid to go into them.

Further to that, if you go to the yarn store that your knitter goes to, then they will know him or her and probably be able to point you in the direction of whatever they almost bought last week. (Along with what they already bought.) If you still feel freaked out about the yarn store….two words. Gift Certificate. Yarn stores have them.

4. Audio books and something to listen to them on. Your knitter will love this. Seriously. Ever tried to knit and read? Well, no. You’re a non-knitter. Sorry. Still…I’m sure you can imagine that all “hands free” activities are going to be popular with people who don’t have their hands free.

5. Further to that…How about a headset for the phone? Your knitter would love to be able to spin or knit without getting her neck all crinked to the left like that.

Got a smaller budget? Gave a bunch of your money away? Need small things for the stocking? Knitters need the following, in pretty unlimited amounts. Even if your knitter has some of this stuff, don’t worry. She won’t have it for long. These items are temporary.

– Tape measures.
– darning needles
– Batteries for their digital cameras (your knitter likes to take pictures of his knitting.)
-Stitch markers.
-wool wash.
-ziplocks…of any size. (Big ones are good for stash management)
-small scissors.
-stitch holders.
-row counters.
-needle gauges.

All of the above can be procured in the aforementioned yarn shop, which is, as I have said, very friendly and nothing at all to be afraid of.

Now go forth and shop brave muggle, and we won’t talk about the time you bought your darling knitter a bathroom scale. (I know. Her other one was broken. I’m sure it all made sense at the time.)

Remember the magic words. Yarn Store. Go there. Ask for help.

Good luck, and please, when you see your knitter Christmas Morning? Wish them the happiest of all possible holidays from me and my family.

Posted by Stephanie at December 23, 2006 1:46 PM