The Way Things Are

I've always been pretty good (I thought) at making sure I have my stash updated in Ravelry.  This faith has meant that if I'm shopping and I run across something I know I've considered buying before, I can run a quick check and find out if I just considered it or if I actually pulled the proverbial trigger.   This has paid off handsomely in the Rock and String booth at more than one fiber festival.

I've recently been giving the stash a bit of a toss and a tidy, doing some spring cleaning and finally enacting my plan to actually use the "stored in" field for Ravelry stash to match skeins to bins.  The theory is that this will make it easier for me to put my hands on a given bit of yarn if I’ve a mind to. 

This was the scene going in:

I've run across one or two things that weren't listed in Ravelry as I went, but not so many as I'd feared.  A yarnbox monthly subscription from 2016 here, a random bit of sock yarn there, but really, I was feeling pretty proud of myself.

Until.

I picked up a gorgeous gobstopper ball of self-striping yarn with the fantastic colorway name of Gimli, Son of Gloin.  Confident and pleased, I searched my Rav stash to locate the entry so I could update which bin it's in. 

Wasn't there.  Hunh.  Well, I must have missed entering it.  No harm, I know the shop, and since they're on Etsy it's easy as pie to find the order details so I can fill in the date purchased, etc.

Off to Etsy I go and happily type “Gimli” into the “search your purchases” field.

I bet you can guess where this is going.

 

 

Apparently, not only did I not put dear Gimli into my stash the first time I bought the yarn in 2019 (nor his tall boyfriend Legolas neither), I also failed to add it to my stash the SECOND time I bought it in 2020.   A year ago.

You will note I did not realize that there were two of them in this house until I saw it in my order history.

Somebody really needs to do something about the way things are over here.

That's How We Essay

My post on Project Polygamy last week sparked some interesting conversations.  Several people mentioned that they get anxious, stressed, or just don't like having a lot of projects on the needles at once.  We all agreed at the end of the day though that the number of projects one is comfortable with is, as one of the grand dames of quilting would have said, a Personal, Private Measurement.

Which is to say, your mileage may vary, and that's okay too.

I did realize later that calling it a “treatise” was stretching the matter a bit.  I certainly laid out the problem, but my actual argument amounted to a screencap of Marvel’s Loki saying, “You’re not my real dad!” to Thor.

And that is how we essay here at chez woolly.

In other news, after all that protestation, the sweater that started it all is little more than a wee bit of shoulder shaping and some back-neck action.

I know it doesn't look like much, but there's a sweater in there.

The temperatures dropped again, like they do -- just in case the fruit trees were starting to get their hopes up.  It was cold enough that I decided to work on my Cosy Stripes Afghan...while buried underneath my Neat Ripple Afghan.  It was like that.

Of course today, now that it's Monday, it's back to lovely out.

My handy-dandy spreadsheet tells me that I'm 35% into the stripes.  I'm waffling back and forth on whether to do the edging.  I think I will -- or at least that's the direction I'm leaning, because the Cosy Stripe pattern doesn't make for a tidy edge.

I'm also now more than half done with my third Hitchhiker.  I joined the second ball on Saturday.  If it had been a little warmer, I might be closer to done, but Sunday required serious blanket time.

I've worked a bit on Carl's socks too (I don't have a good, current picture though.  It's still pretty brown, and looks like a sock.  Use your imagination).   I need to get him to try it on, as I'm not convinced about how I've handled the decreases and heel flap.  I may be taking the whole thing back and trying something new.  I've decided to be mellow about it.  I want them to fit him, so I may have to do some tinkering.  All part of the process.

In acquisition news, I got a 9" 1.5 US (that's 2.5 mm) circular needle to play with.  I think that may be the only common way of knitting socks that I haven't tried.  Out of DPNs, two circs, and magic loop, I tend to prefer the two circs.  I decided to give the one 9" circular a try to see what that's about.

Seems like that might also be a good way to do fair isle mittens too.  Although I'd need to get some US 3s... well anyway, socks first.

I might have also gotten some yarn.  There might have been a bit of a Knit Picks... incident.

Maybe.

One of the colorways is "Faun" and the other is "Turkish Delight."  I couldn't not.  And no, that isn't all I bought.  I had to qualify for free shipping didn't I?

A naye yor, a naye leben*

Sunday is International Clean Your Bedroom Day (if by "International" you mean "my house"...and I do), and yesterday the project du jour, once the laundry was taken out and the toilet swishied, was to clean out from under the bed.

No wait. You don't understand.

We have a custom built bed (if by "custom" you mean "your husband built that himself, didn't he?"...and I do)**, and there is right about 18" of clearance under our bed. My husband and I are both quite tall, and therefore so is our bed. This is made of logic. In any case, 18" deep by Queen Size wide and long = a hell of a lot of space to keep a hell of a lot of junk, and a hell of a lot of dust.

Man, was that an adventure.

So anyway, we threw out or made the decision to donate (as appropriate) a bunch of stuff we'd long since forgotten that we own, and we vacuumed out 3 metric effing-tons of dust (approx. by weight). My Harry Potter legos, I am pleased to report, are now put away upstairs, where I could conceivably play with them; AND I went through my "second string" (hahahah) yarn stash.

As mentioned earlier, I really started knitting ca. 2004-5. And, as many have done before me, I went through an acrylic stage (much like a larval stage, only with more petroleum by-products.) As my taste in yarn, let's say "matured," all the acrylic got shoved under the bed, in three banker's boxes and a big plastic tub, as the "good stuff" (read: natural fibers) took pride of place on my yarn shelf.

People, I was ruthless.

I mean, I found one unfortunate yarn that clearly wanted to be Lion Brand Homespun when it grew up... only it wasn't nearly so classy, if you are picking up what I am putting down. And sweet baby Buddha on a cashmere rug, it looked like a moldy peanut butter and jelly sandwich had been extruded (not spun) into yarn.

It was too terrible to even take a picture of. I care about my readers, and do not want to put them off their collective lunches.

Once the dust settled, and I do mean that quite literally, I am left with just the plastic tub, and that only about two-thirds full. The rest is going to a local thrift store, and may the gods bless whoever ends up with it. Everything I kept I could conceivably imagine myself knitting someday, and really that's all I ask of my stash.

Having gotten rid of so much yarn yesterday (and I don't mind telling you, even though it was all acrylic, and mostly awful, it was a bit wrenching), I received a sort of karmic reward in the mail today.

Aw, yeah.

Okay, I grant you that I actually am the one that ordered that box from Knitpicks, but even so the timing was pretty darned sweet.

What did I buy? I hear you asking. Well, I will tell you. I got a box of joy.

(Or more specifically, the new Chroma, in both weights, and some pretty charcoal grey Andean Treasure to make myself a scarf to match my new red coat. Not all of the Chroma is mine, alas. But I may have squeezed it a bit, you know, just to check and see if it is ripe.)

---

* A Yiddish phrase meaning "New year, new life."
** I actually adore the bed my husband made for me, both despite and because of it's... unique qualities.

Here We Are Now, Entertain Us!.... Yeah!*

So, I made the first of my three goals for the month.

At the end of every Wednesday in November, I was either at or above the projected word count. I decided in early November that if I made this goal I would:

1. Be more likely to actually finish, and
   
2. Get a neat treat-reward-thing

Only, I never quite got around to deciding what that reward would BE. So, suggestions? What's some really yummy, decadent, luxury yarn that isn't so expensive my husband will have an apoplectic fit if I suggest buying it during the Month of Christmas? What would YOU want your prize to be?

My reward for finishing NaNoWriMo will be to get the T-shirt, and of course the satisfaction of having really DONE it. And of course the reward for successfully completing NaBloPoMo will be... thirty more posts than I had when I started. And did I mention satisfaction for stick-to-itiveness?

ETA: Okay, I've just made a decision. My other reward for finishing NaNoWriMo will be to donate $10 to the cause. Whaddya think, Koren? You with me?

*With apologies to Nirvana.

SOCK YARN!

Sorry, I didn't mean to shout.

We had a nasty storm two nights ago that knocked out our internet. AND THEN IT NEVER CAME BACK! It was traumatic. Happily Koren (who is indeed a very cool friend) rescued the blog and posted for me.

So, I had a total of 5 qualifying entries (I'm sorry, Chelsea!) for the sock yarn giveaway. So, using a nifty-skifty random number generator (too lazy to dig out the dice) I arrived at an answer.

Koren, darling, you are our winner.

(Koren asked me last night, "Should I go ahead and post the sock yarn winner?" and I said... "Um, no....")

Now, truly funny thing about this is that I was totally planning on picking out one of the many nice sock yarns in my stash (or if parting with one was too dear, I'd run to the LYS and pick out one to give away, and then one for me, to ease the sting.)

But, I happen to have some Lion Brand Magic Stripes in my stash, and I know for a fact that Koren covets it...


Call me, and we'll negotiate.

(P.S. I have two colorways -- but only a picture of one of them)

Promised Pictures and Re-thinking My Plans

As promised, I have some pictures of yesterday's yarn acquisition adventure.

However, I think that I need to re-consider my plan about using the yarn for the Chevron Scarf. At the gauge that this yarn knits up, it really would be a Chevrolet Scarf (looks like I was right the first time). There is another scarf pattern in the book that I think will work out just fine though, so it is really not a big deal. Someday, when I am rich, I'll buy the Koigu that the pattern calls for.

In other news, I've made some progress on the Harlot Scarf I'm making for a friend at work. (This is not intended as a slight on her character. The scarf pattern was designed by The Yarn Harlot.) It is looking less like a ball of yarn and more like a scarf with every passing day.

Joann's Trip

We'll pretend that I didn't have a blog post earlier this week that implied (outright stated) that I already have enough (too much) yarn.

Yes.

Anyway, my darling Koren and I went out for dinner and shopping this evening, and of course I came home with yarn. I picked up two skeins of some new Debbie Mumm (!?!?) Traditions yarn and two skeins of one of Joann's Sensations yarns. My plan is to try out the Chevrolet (uh.. no, that's not right. Chevron. Sheesh.) Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I'll post pictures tomorrow, when I'm awake.

A Cardinal Number

Well, how about that, folks? I've made 100 posts here at Woolly Discipline. Now, I know I've been a sporadic poster, and if there is one thing that this past week of daily posting has taught me it's that.... it's probably just as well really.

Wow, how do daily bloggers come up with new stuff to write about?

Moreover, when have they got time to knit?

But anyway, 100 blog posts calls for a celebration, or (dare I say it?) a blog contest!

I shall choose randomly from amongst the comments, one lucky winner who will take home some lovely sock yarn. The rules are as follows:

• While contestants may comment more than once, this will not afford them multiple entries in the drawing.
• The comment that is either the most witty, or makes me laugh the hardest (I'm sure you see how these two need not be synonymous) will receive Honorable Mention.
• I'll be monitoring the comments on this post through midnight on Tuesday, November 13. I'll announce the winner in Wednesday's post. If you were clever enough to leave me an email address, I'll email you too.
• If you don't happen to live in my hometown, I'm happy to mail the sock yarn to you. We'll work out the details as we go along.)
  

Now, since I have three regular readers, one regular commenter, and two or three occasional guests (I'm looking at you, tekopp, "hi!" and goodness, how much is post to Norway?) I'll be interested to see how many commenters crawl out of the woodwork at the promise of free yarn.

Yay for 100 posts!

Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy

Knitpicks, as the entire blogosphere is already well aware, is having a clearance sale. I am really ambivalent about this, because Hey! Sale! 440 yards of gorgeous merino lace weight for a buck ninety-nine. But then on the other hand, discontinued colors. DISCONTINUED, people. This means no more ever.

EVER.

This means that I have to buy it all right now, because what if I want some later? Well, I won't be able to get it, will I? No, I will not. Because, discontinued.

So, long story... well, slightly less long, three buddies and I all went in together and bought a Giant Box O' Fiber Goodness.


My personal haul?

1 Shine Sport Aquamarine
1 Shine Sport Coral
1 Shine Sport Crocus
4 Shadow Redwood Forest Heather
2 Shadow Grape Jelly Heather
2 Gossamer Caribbean
4 Gossamer Blue Jeans
2 Gossamer Sweet Peas
2 Gossamer Leprechaun
2 Gossamer Sunrise

When, in my whole life long, am I going to knit all this up?

WHEN?!?!?