Stash Bustin'

I am making a real effort to clean out the yarn storage and get rid of all the the stuff I am pretty sure I will never, ever use. The only problem with that is I might use it! If I get rid of something now, I might realize a month from now that I really, really needed that after all! So, rather than 'get rid of', I am 'making use of'. Now, please understand that this will be a long-range project and do not expect instant miracles. There's some goode stuff in that back room and some of it begs to be knitted as soon as it's dug out of a pile. Case in point:

I think it's acryllic, maybe. Probably. But it is definitely green. I did it with the knitting loom I found while cleaning out. Start to finish-about 2 hours. Not even a whole ball of bulky wieght yarn. So I haven't got very far down the path to cleaning or organizing the stash, but I have a new baby hat finished. And a little yarn used up. And I re-discovered that set of knitting looms I don't remember buying.

Sucker

I am. I know I have a soft spot for critters and I don't have a problem with it. I didn't know it's hereditary, but apparently it is. See?

So I gifted the Tot with a stray kitten. It was very enchanting the way her eyes lit up when she said "He's mine forever?" My heart melted and the only hesitation I had was the part where we had to tell Daddy. Hmm. His only misgivings are kitty messes in the house. Other than that, he's kind of a sucker too.
He's a bit fond of the little black fur ball too. He will not admit to anymore than 'fondness', but he is taking our new baby to the vet for me.

And since the Tot was occupied with hew new friend, I got to knit. Still having a good time with the Schafer, but I took a break from little bitty needles to finish up the sleeveless sweater I started right after Christmas. It's from the Vogue Quick Knits book and made with Knit Picks' Vacation in Melon. (it's really orange) That's the yarn my awesome brother-in-law got me for Christmas. It's knitted on US11's or 13's. It went really fast and I should have been done with it ages ago-way before it even got hot enough to be going sleeveless. Should have, would have, could have.............the finishing was horrible though! This is a very splitty yarn and it was held double throughout, so there were like a billion ends to weave in. It's drying on top of the washer now, and it weight about a ton when it was wet. I may put in the sryer for a few minutes to speed up the drying. It's Tactel and Nylon with a little cotton and acryllic, so I don't think a few minutes is going to hurt. Maybe it will even out the stitches a little too. Maybe I can get the husband to take a picture of me wearing it. This pattern had wonderful shaping-which is good since such a thick knit sould look really bulky if it's the wrong shape. It hangs very nicely too and clings a little where it should. Depending on how it comes out of the dryer and whether or not it's dry enough in the morning, I plan on wearing it with either a khaki skirt or black pants tomorrow. I really, really, really hope it'll dry fast!!

Sweet Anne

I got the Schaefer Anne about a week ago and the first thing I did (after putting it on the ball winder) was head to Hobby Lobby and bought all the size zero needles they had in stock. Straight and circular. Oh come on, they were on sale at half price. What knitter wouldn't have made the same choice if put in my position? Besides, I ended up with only three or four sets of straights and a couple of pairs of circs. In size zero anyway. I also picked up a few US#1 and 2 circs. I might need a couple of extras since I have all this sock yarn that needs to be knitted up. The Anne needed to be knitted right away, emergency-like. You know how it is. This stuff is unbelievably soft, with a little bit of shine to it. Of course I don't do good pictures, so you can't get the full effect of the gorgeous mix of pinks and a little touch of orange, but trust me, it's totally worth $27 a skein! If they don't have any at the KnitHappens online store, call them. Nice people. They pick good yarn. I actually wanted something else when I called, but they didn't have it in stock, so I said, "just pick me something pink for socks". Variegated, solid or hand-paint? I don't care, as long as it's pink. I ended up with color #937. Hey there color 937, I think I love you! I'm using one of the men's patterns from Vintage Socks book-gentlemen's half hose. I think I will love my finished socks too!