Yarnapalooza Winner Lucky #13!

So much for triskaidekaphobia. Friday the 13th is Shanzi Pruitt's lucky day! Congratulations, Shanzi: you're our Yarnapalooza Winner #13.

Suddenly I'm a knitting fool. I don't know what's come over me but I'm living, breathing, dreaming knitting this week. Work continues on the baby sweater. I think I'll be at the divide front from back point on Saturday which means I'll get to introduce a complementary color. I can't wait. I tracked down what I think will be the perfect yarn for the purpose and am eager to see how it works.

The cataloguing/organizing continues after a ten day break. I found the Fiesta La Boheme -- Alaska colourway -- that I'd purchased to make a shawl for someone extremely special and fell in love with it all over again. I think I'm going to cast on for it next week.

And then there's the Outback Mohair still (now and forever) in progress. And I'm almost embarrassed to admit that my embargo on sock knitting probably won't last the month. I'm missing it terribly but this time I'm going to cast on something bright, colorful, and FOR ME!

To be continued . . .

Laptops, Storage, Step Socks, and other less important things

available from Brookstone

I've been sorting through all of the terrific comments about how to organize a stash. You guys are brilliant! (Scary, but brilliant!) I have lots of stuff crammed into dark blue Rubbermaid trash cans in the basement and while it does the job of keeping yarn safe from marauders, it doesn't 1) please the eye or 2) make finding what I need easy.

I've been doing the Ziploc thing since I started knitting again in 2003 and can't imagine life without them. Those humongous bags can hold a ten-pack of something gorgeous without splitting a zipper. (More than I can say about 2003's jeans . . . ) I guess the ideal solution would include Ziplocs as the first line of defense and then something big, relatively solid, and transparent. I think I'm going to go room by room and see what can be commandeered into service and what has outlived its usefulness. The closet in the guest room is a perfect example. I used to store my "I'm a published author" clothes in there. (As opposed to the tee shirts, jeans, and truly hideous pajamas I keep in the bedroom closet.) Well, the thing is I don't much go to conferences any more and I can't remember the last time I did an autographing. (2004 maybe?) It seems to me that the guest room closet might be just the place to stow my stash. (And did I mention that Goldisox put together one of those "California Closet' deals for me in there with all sorts of shelves and baskets years ago. This is truly starting to sound like the way to go.)

A new laptop should be arriving some time today. I almost feel sorry for the poor thing. I wonder if the laptop grapevine let it know its probable fate.

This is not a paid advertisement but if you haven't tried Austermann's STEP yarn get out there immediately and treat yourself to a skein. No, I didn't see much difference when I was knitting with it but OMG once you wash it, it turns into something close to angora! Beyond soft and gorgeous. I feel like stealing Goldi's socks right off his feet.

I managed to squeeze in an hour of knitting yesterday and loved every single second of it. I have maybe 2/3 of a ball of Outback Mohair left and I figure I'll keep going until I have just enough left to cast off. Since this is for me I can forsake the fringe unless, of course, I rummage through eBay and pick up a random hank or two.

Did you read what I wrote: "rummage through eBay and pick up a random hank or two." Isn't that how I ended up with all of these bits and pieces in the first place? Isn't rummaging through eBay the first step on the path to major stash enlargement, something I'm trying to avoid.

Pretend you didn't read it.

I'll try to pretend I didn't write it.

The Day After . . .

One of the Outback Mohair shawls circa 2003

I was no sooner released from Sock Bondage when the What's-Next monster swooped down, grabbed me by the throat, and sent me rummaging through mountains of yarn in search of my next adventure.

I'll admit I didn't have much of a brain for thinking and/or planning so I was delighted to stumble on a 1/3 completed Plymouth Outback Mohair shawl I'd begun easily three years ago during my Mohair Madness phase and then discarded.

Yes, there was a time when I believed I would only knit with mohair 24/7/365. I was utterly besotted with the stuff. I loved it so much I knitted long strips of mohair and all things sparkly and glittery and draped them over the lampshades in my office while I pretended to be Colette.

Okay, so it's embarrassing. I admit that. But what knitter hasn't glommed onto some fiber or another and fallen so hard for its wonderfulness that he or she was ready to forsake all others and cleave only unto [fill in the blank]. It's all part of our affliction.

Anyway, there was the partially finished scarf, still on my trusty plastic Susan Bates #15US circs with two extra balls of leftovers at the ready. (That was the point of this shawl, if I remember correctly: I had so many various bits of leftover Outback Mohair from other projects that I decided to use them in a shawl-of-many-colors for me.) We were going out for the day yesterday (and thank you, everyone, for the wonderful birthday wishes!) and that meant lots of in-car time which meant lots of glorious knitting time while we listened to Anthony Bourdain read from his bestselling Kitchen Confidential. (Word to the wise: never order fish on Monday.)

This was the perfect driving project: already in progress, nothing taxing to the brain (k1, yo, k to end of row; rinse and repeat), and immensely satisfying.

All in all, a wonderful day.