Knot A Podcast: Episode 52

Knot A Podcast: Episode 52 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

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♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up!


Show Notes: "Holiday Rush"


WiPs:
♥ Frances the Sock Wearing Fox
♥ Moderne Log Cabin Blanket

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Spun Right Round BFL in "Love Bug"

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Halloween Spooky Sampler by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Knot A Podcast: Episode 51

Knot A Podcast: Episode 51 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up!


Show Notes: "Short One"

FOs:
♥ Rainbow Twist 1
♥ Rainbow Twist 2

WiPs:
♥ Frances the Sock Wearing Fox

Spinning a Yarn:
♥ Spun Right Round BFL

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Halloween Spooky Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Knot A Podcast: Episode 50

Knot A Podcast: Episode 50 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up!


Show Notes:  "Big Things"

FOs:
♥ Blanket O' Doooom
♥ Hitchhiker #4...out of handspun!!
♥ Sockhead-like hat out of Yarntini Sport in "Vintage Stripe"

WiPs:
♥ Frances the Sock Wearing Fox x 2

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Orla Kiely Train Case to hold my spinning
♥ Cat's Pajamas Crafts stitch markers
♥ Moonrover SW Merino
♥ Gourmet Stash -punis sampler and Lo-Lo Bar
♥ Malabrigo Nube and Rasta from Eat.Sleep.Knit

November 2013: wrap-up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds
May: 1,112yds

June: 452yds
July: 453yds
August: 169yds
September: 781yds
October: 815yds
November: 780yds

Year To Date: 8,820yds or 5.01 miles

Kittens, I did actually knit a bit more than that in November, but I was sloppy this month and forgot to check the partial tallies on several of my projects.  Instead, they'll go in with my December numbers and make it look like I was even more productive and amazing!  I slagged off on cross-stitching this month which definitely increased my knitting productivity.  Onward to December. ♥

Knot A Podcast: Episode 49

Knot A Podcast: Episode 49 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.


♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up!


Show Notes: "Public Shaming"

♥ There are a few days left to enter the DDD raffle if you are so inclined!  You could win 3,6, or 12 months' worth of free yarn on her sock or worsted base.
♥ Subversive Socks is a fun new pattern book release.  I was mistaken about the pattern numbers in this book.  There are 14 of them for $16.95.  These are some of my favorite patterns from it.

FOs:
♥ Scooby-Doo Sockhead-like hat

WiPs:
♥ Vintage Sockhead-like hat
♥ Blanket O' Dooooom is back in rotation!  Mentioned the Bear Claw Blanket and Modern Log Cabin.

Queued Up:
♥ Fruit Stripe Gum Socks --  mentioned Lollipalooza!
♥ Frances the Sock Wearing Fox

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood batt: the end is near!

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Halloween Spooky Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Chinese circular needles
♥ Pretty Purly stitch markers

2013 Crafting goals: revisited

I'm not going to lie, kittens.  I went off-track from my crafting goals pretty early on in the year and then neglected to recheck them to remind myself what all it was I wanted to do.  Earlier in the week I started to wonder how I had done on my goals...had I even made some this year?  It turns out I had, and  I was not alone in this line of thought.  I felt the time is right to revisit my goals and see how well I have done with them.

All of this is prep-work for my 2014 craft goals...of course.  You all know how I love that kind of thing.  I have a few more weeks to refine them and smooth out the rough edges.  Hard to believe the end of 2013 is nigh, isn't it?

So.  Let's review, shall we?

Crafting Goals for 2013:

♥ Work on Giftmas crafts throughout the year, preferably one every other month.
   - 2 pairs of adult socks
   - 1 pair of socks for each of my children
   - a custom designed "wolfie" doll for The Girl
   - a Batman doll for The Boy
   - small ornaments for family and teacher gifts
   * I have most of the yarn on-hand already for these projects.

> NONE OF THIS ONE HAPPENED.  NOT EVEN A LITTLE.  I'M JUST NOT A GIFTMAS KNITTER.  0%  accomplished


♥ Knit 4 pairs of socks for myself out of existing stash.  At least 2 should be self-striping.

>  I MANAGED 2 PAIR: 1 WAS SELF-STRIPING.  50% accomplished


♥ Knit my winter coat. (This will be a 30 point project due to the amount of work and complexity. Point system to be detailed later in this post.)

> I DREW DIAGRAMS AND THOUGHT ABOUT IT...DOES THAT COUNT? NO? 0% accomplished


♥ Knit The Husband's socks before he leaves on his business trip. He has US size 13 feet: hold me, kittens.

>BUSINESS TRIP WAS CANCELLED.  SOCKS WERE STARTED TOP-DOWN.  NEED TO RIP AND RESTART TOE-UP.  0% accomplished


♥ Design a Shiba Inu toy and write up pattern.

> NOPE. 0% accomplished


♥ Finish Goodale sweater plus at least 2 others from stash.

> GOODALE. CHECK. POMME DE PIN. CHECK.  3RD SWEATER...LIKELY NOT FINISHED BY END OF DECEMBER.  67% accomplished


♥ Finish The Boy's wide stripes blanket.

> NOT FINISHED, BUT COULD BE.  ~90% accomplished


♥ Finish the queen sized bed quilt.

> NOPE.  DID DO A LITTLE MORE QUILTING HERE AND THERE.   55% accomplished


♥ Start new king sized bed quilt.

> NOPE. 0% accomplished


♥ Cross stitch 2012's Dessert of the Month sampler and start on 2013's Woodland Sampler.

> 2012 DESSERT SAMPLER.  CHECK.  2013 WOODLAND SAMPLER.  NOT STARTED...YET.  THIS ONE IS VAGUE AND COULD BE EASILY DONE BEFORE THE END OF NEXT MONTH. 50% accomplished


♥ Only purchase yarn that has been earned with the "points system" to help keep stash in numbers low this year.  The system is a little rough, but I think it could work.

> AHAHAHAHAHA.  POINTS SYSTEM WAS A DEFINITE FAIL.  I STASHED SUPER HARD EARLY ON.  I DID GET BETTER THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR.  0% accomplished



There are a lot of zero percents on that list and no one hundreds, but it does look like, overall, I managed to knock out some large goals I had wanted to accomplish in the year.  If you add what I wanted to get done with what I had actually gotten done...I've been pretty productive.  It's looking good so far.  Maybe I can turn one or two of those into 100%ers. ^_^

If you made goals, have you revisited them, kittens?  How have you done?  Did your focus change over the course of the year?

Knot A Podcast: Episode 48

Knot A Podcast: Episode 48 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up!


Show Notes: "Finding A Balance"

♥ Wool People 6 just came out!
♥ Check out Jenna's "Frances the Sock Wearing Fox"!

FOs:
♥ Dirty Socks

WiPs:
♥ Sockhead style hat
♥ Make A Wish

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood "Neon Tetra"

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Halloween Spooky Sampler

Sew-cial Events:
♥ Noodlehead's Open Wide Bag tutorial

Knot A Podcast: Episode 47

Knot A Podcast: Episode 47 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there. Please remember to give my videos a thumbs up and help with my search engine ranking.


Show Notes: "Focus, Kitten."

♥ Michelle is looking to raise funds to set up her dye studio in a commercial space.  Have a look if you'd like to enter a raffle for a chance at a skein of worsted or fingering weight yarn a month for 3,6, or even 12 months!

WiPs:
♥ Spooky Socks - improvised design.  US size 0 needles (2.0mm) and Knit Picks Felici sock yarn.
♥ Make A Wish- Joji Locatelli.  US size 4 needles.  Skein Merino Cashmere Fingering in "Hush."
- Using the Knit app to track my rows on this one.

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood center pull batt in "Neon Tetra"

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Heavier beads for my Trindle
♥ Nest Fiber BFL

October 2013: Wrap-up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds
May: 1,112yds

June: 452yds
July: 453yds
August: 169yds
September: 781yds
October: 815yds

Year To Date: 8,040yds or 4.57 miles

I am slowly but surely knitting away yardage this year!  October's was very hard earned: it was all fingering weight projects or toys.  Two things that go slow and it seems like they use so little yarn for the effort put in.  As the weather cools and I continue to work on my time management, I hope to up my monthly yardage just a little.  I can totally end the year with at least 10,000yds knit, right?

How about you, kittens? Have you all been productive with knitting...or are you maybe focusing on other things like reading or other crafts?

Knot A Podcast Episode 46

Knot A Podcast: Episode 46 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

I forgot to wish everyone a happy Halloween!

♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there.  Please remember to give it a thumbs up to help with the search results!


Show Notes:

 FOs:
♥ Princess in Disguise by Emily Bittel. 3.5mm (E) hook.  Lion Brand Martha Stewart Extra Soft Wool blend.
♥ Lucy's Owl by Rachel Gallagher-Miller. Mystery worsted yarn from an Etsy show with Knit Picks Swish in a purple and yellow colorway.

WiPs:
♥ Knit Picks Felici "Spooky" socks.  US size 0 needles.  Using an idea similar to the Vanilla Bean Sock recipe.  (Might even be the same, but I haven't looked at the pattern for that one.)

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood center-pull batt in the "Neon Tetra" colorway.

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Halloween Spooky Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.  I plan to copy some other people's ideas for modifications to change this one up a little.

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Threads Thru Time Turkish spindle

Knot A Podcast: Episode 45

Knot A Podcast: Episode 45 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there.

♥  Oh my stars, kittens!  Kate just started a podcast.  Go check out her first episode over on YouTube!  ♥


Show Notes: "A Tale of 2 Owls"

The show is really content light today due to a shorter time between recordings and really focusing to get things done.  I have two finished objects to share with you plus a little spinning and some cross-stitch.


FOs:
♥ Two Lucy's Owls!

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood center-pull batt in the "Neon Tetra" colorway.

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Halloween Spooky Sampler from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 44

Knot A Podcast: Episode 44 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Today I talk about the new USB mic I purchased to help with sound issues, show off some WiPs, a little spinning, a little stitching, and talk a little about the Little York Fiber Festival in Preble, NY.



♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there.


Show Notes: "Testing...."

WiPs:
♥ Lucy's Owl
♥ KP Felici "Spooky" socks.  Still debating cable and lace patterns for these.  I may be over-complicating things.

Spinning a Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood center-pull batt

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Finished Dessert Sampler
♥ Started Halloween Spooky Sampler!

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Went to Little York Fiber Festival where I bought some lovely rambouillet, some merino/suri alpaca, and a few things from Spun Right Round who is local-to-me.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 43

Knot A Podcast: Episode 43 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

It's that time of week again, kittens!  Thank you for joining me!


♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there.



Show Notes:

♥  First I would like to express my sympathies to those who received zero warning from Blip that their shows would no longer be continued and were left with no way to let their viewers know.  At least the first people affected were allowed two weeks to finish things up!


FOs:
♥ Little Coffee Bean Cardigan once again...now with buttons from Charming Zakka on Etsy!
♥ Finished my second Color Affection

WiPs:
♥ Started a second, larger Lucy's Owl as a big brother gift for my neighbor's son.
♥ Vanilla socks out of KP Felici in the "Spooky" colorway.  I may use Emily's Vanilla Bean recipe for these.  Still not sure.  This is my first time using such small needles and Addi Sock Rockets to boot!

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Finished Pigeonroof Studios merino in "Magnolia."
♥ Working on Hanks In The Hood "Neon Tetra."  This colorway she did for KnitPicks looks nearly identical.

And Now for Something Completely Different!:
♥ I played around with a dyeing tutorial I found thanks to Amanda.   I simmered my yarn on the stove in an inexpensive roasting pan and used McCormick Food coloring with some Kool-Aid colors on top.

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ I'm *THIS* close to finishing up my Dessert Sampler.

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Turkish Spindle from Subterranean Woodwork.  Go check out his sold listings!  So swoon worthy.

Knot A Podcast Episode 42

Knot A Podcast: Episode 42 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

I've started playing with the editing process for the show a little bit.  I hope it's not distracting or tacky.  If you have any strong feedback, please let me know. ♥


♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ You can also find the podcast on YouTube if you'd prefer to watch there.


Show Notes:

♥ Thank you, Heather, for the mention on your podcast the other day!  It was pretty thrilling to hear my little corner of the internet mentioned.

 FOs:
♥ Little Coffee Bean Cardigan
♥ Pomme de Pin took a second dip in the dye bath and is finally complete.

WiPs:
♥ Color Affection

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Been working on chain-plying the final .5 ounces of my Pigeonroof merino in "Magnolia."  I can't wait to see what it does once it hits the water.

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Finished 10 of 12 months on my Dessert Sampler; the end is in sight!

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Quaere Fiber

Fall 2013 Crafting Plans:
♥ Finish Blanket O' Doom!, knit Joji's "Make a Wish," and knit several pairs of socks both for me and for the children.
♥ Play with yarn dyeing.
♥ Finish up my two current spinning projects and work on another 2 4oz projects.
♥ Work on a project bag commission and finish quilting a languishing top.
♥ All the cross-stitch! Dessert, Spooky, Autumn, Kawaii, and Woodland Samplers.

2013 Stashdown: Q3

Kittens!  This latest edition of my Stashdown efforts is much more upbeat than the last one.  Check this out!

Please click to see the full size, easier to read version.

While still bringing in a few skeins of sock yarn (plus a little to finish off my Pomme de Pin), Q3 was widely successful this go 'round with 4 times the amount of yardage out as in!  It's been more than 2 years since I've had that good of a yards out/yards in ratio.  I'm pretty pumped about it.  I did do a fair amount of destashing to get such a high ratio-- especially some ahem bad feelings yarn from a certain emo dyer-- but the yardage came from quite a few finished projects as well.

I'm hoping to finish strong in Q4.  I will not be able to undo my monstrous stash in numbers from the first two quarters of the year, but I can make a good sized dent in them by the end of the year.

September 2013: Wrap-up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds
May: 1,112yds

June: 452yds
July: 453yds
August: 169yds
September: 781yds

Year To Date: 7,225yds or 4.11 miles

September was a much more productive months after August's heat!  We have been so lucky to have relatively cool weather this fall.  It's still been warm but beautiful enough to want to work with wool.  Thanks to some small, heavier weight projects my yardage knit was way up this month.  It's amazing how much non-sock projects can bank up and in less time.

I have big plans for the fall including at least one sweater, a few pairs of socks, and finally trying to finish up the Blanket O' Doooom.  In cross-stitch I plan to finish my Dessert Sampler, complete my Spooky Sampler, and get the Autum Sampler from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery out of the way.  I have a few sewing and quilting projects I need to work on and finish as well.  I'm going to be busy; Wish me luck!

What do you kittens all have planned for the fall?  Is it full of yarny goodness or something else?

Knot A Podcast Episode 41

Knot A Podcast: Episode 41 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Kittens, it's that day again!

♥  Please join us in the Ravelry group!
♥  You can also find the podcast on YouTube.

FO:
♥  Pomme de Pin--though it will get another layer of dye before all the ends get woven in.  It could stand to be a tad bit darker.

WiPs:
♥  Niles & Cleo were frogged.
♥  Another handpun toy was attempted and frogged
♥  Little Coffee Bean Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith
♥  Color Affection by Veera Valimaki

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ 2012 Dessert Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery :  8 of 12 months are complete!

Stash Enhancement:
♥  Ply: Issue 2
♥ Trailing Clouds
♥  Two if by Hand
♥  Another Crafty Girl

Knot A Podcast: Episode 40

Knot A Podcast: Episode 40 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Happy Wednesday, kittens!

♥ Please join us in the Ravelry group.
♥ You can also watch Knot A Podcast on YouTube.


FOs:
♥ Hermione's Everyday Socks

WiPs:
♥ Color Affection
♥ Lucy's Owl
♥ Grandmother's Favorite Dish Cloth
♥ Niles & Cleo

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Dessert Sampler

Stash Flash:
♥ Moonrover yarn

Knot A Podcast Episode 39

Knot A Podcast: Episode 39 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

WiPs:
♥ Hermione's Everyday Socks

Future Cast-ons:
♥ All the stripey Halloween socks!
♥ Make a Wish by Joji Locatelli
♥ Niles and Chloe by Jennie Lamond

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood center pull batt

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ 2012 Dessert Sampler
♥ Soon to start: Halloween Spooky Sampler

Knot A Podcast: Episode 38

Knot A Podcast: Episode 38 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.



It's a really short one this week, kittens!  But it's full of prizes and some crafting content too.  Are you all excited for Back to School season?  I know I am; it means a clean(er) home and more time to get my craft on.


♥ Please swing by the Ravelry group and say hello!
♥ The YouTube channel is finally up to date and ready to go.
♥ This is the one year birthday for the podcast.  The first episode was recorded on 05 September 2012.  I had no idea at the time that I would keep doing this for a year.
♥ SiTs 2013 is ov-ah!  There were three prizes to compete for and the winners are: $10 pattern/s on Ravelry-post #13 by phoenixfire, 2 Ball Sock sack- post #37 by Raeknitsnwa, and the Vesper "Rainbow Love" colorway- post #38 by rosebob.  Congratulations, ladies!  Everyone did an amazing job during the blazing hot summer months!  There were 41 pairs of socks completed in our small group; that's quite an accomplishment.  You all are sock knitting rock stars. :D

FOs:
♥ 2013 Kiss Apples

WiPs:
♥ Still plugging away on my Hermione's Everyday Socks.  I'm just over the half-way point on sock #2.

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ I finished my Summer Sampler and have moved on to my neglected 2012 Dessert of the Month sampler from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.

Next on Deck:
♥ A birthday surprise for my daughter.
♥ A sweater for me out of some Skein.

August 2013: Wrap Up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds
May: 1,112yds

June: 452yds
July: 453yds
August: 169yds

Year To Date: 6,444yds or 3.66 miles

It's that's time of the month, kittens.  Time to see how much I knit.  Between Sock it to Summer, the sticky weather we've been having, and my love affair with cross stitch still going strong...the answer is, "not much."  With the cooler weather coming and plans to cast on a sweater mid-September, I'm sure my numbers will be up again for the fall and winter.

Knot A Podcast 37

Knot A Podcast: Episode 37 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Hello, kittens!  Welcome to the final bi-weekly episode.  Starting next week, we go back to weekly shows!  School will be back in session and I will have considerably more crafting time--and sanity--so show should also be heavier on content again.


♥ YouTube Channel is almost up to date.
♥ Please come join us in the Ravelry group!
♥  Sock it to Summer ends on Saturday, 31 August, 2013.  You have until I lock the thread Sunday morning to get those entries in.  So far, we have 40 pairs of socks in the running for three prizes.  Yup.  I added an additional prize for up to $10 in pattern/s on Ravelry, a handmade 2 ball Sock Sack bag, and a skein of Vesper Sock yarn in the "Rainbow Love" colorway.


WiPs:
♥ Hermione's Everyday Socks
♥ Little Apple to make more Kiss Apples

Spinning a Yarn:
♥ Finished the Spun Right Round "hodge podge" yarn.  It's ready to be sent off to its new home.

Stitching Corner:
♥ Summer Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Future Plans:
♥ Finish up languishing WiPs to make room for new cast ons!
♥ Start Halloween Spooky Sampler and 2012's Dessert of the Month Sampler
♥ Participate in Must Stash's Handspun KAL
♥ Participate in Joji's 3 month long KAL

Knot A Podcast: Episode 36

Knot A Podcast: Episode 36 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Kittens, everything got done too late last night to post up.  So here it is early on a Thursday instead.  Enjoy. ;)

♥ Come join us in the Knot A Podcast Ravelry group!
♥ SitS 2013 is almost done!  You have until I lock the thread on the morning of 01 September to get those entries in; there are 32 to date!  That's a lot of socks, y'all.  (And the picture of the finished Sock Sack is coming.  By making the bag more sturdy, it's taking much longer to turn the pieces.)
♥ YouTube channel is slowly coming along.  Uploading there can be a real pain, but I'm plugging along at it.
♥ The Autobiography of Jane Eyre on YouTube.
♥ Thug Notes on YouTube.  Seriously, watch this!


WiPs:
♥ Hermione's Every Day Socks - First sock is finished and past the ribbing on the second.  I am using US size 1 needles for these and Fancy Pants Yarn Spiffy in the Hummingbird colorway.

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Hanks in the Hood
♥Pigeonroof Merino (4 of 5 plied)
♥ Hodge Podge yarn as a gift for a friend.  3 different colorways of Spun Right Round Polwarth.

Stitching Corner:
♥ Over 3/5 of the way done with my Summer Sampler!  "Complicated" wasn't the correct way to describe this one.  Maybe "more involved" would have been more accurate?  There are more colors in each square and a few that almost all or all of the squares are stitched in full.  Not more hard, just more work...if that makes any sense.
♥ Resisting the urge to start on Halloween Sampler right away and looking forward to Autumn Sampler.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 35

Knot A Podcast: Episode 35 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

♥ Ravelry SitS thread -  there has been an amazing amount of participation so far!
♥ Podcast birthday is coming up on 05 September.
♥ YouTube channel for Knot A Podcast is slowly being updated.

♥ Flourless chocolate cake recipe I used as the base.
♥ I used Jeni's ice cream base with Glutino cookies for my Cookies and Cream ice cream filling



FOs:
♥ Pomme de Pin

WiPs:
♥ Blanket O' Doom
♥ Hermione's Every Day Socks

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Pigeonroof
♥ Funky Carolina
♥ Hanks in the Hood batt

Stitchin' Corner:
♥ Summer Sampler continues

July 2013: Wrap-up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds
May: 1,112yds

June: 452yds
July: 453yds

Year To Date: 6,275yds or 3.57 miles

It was another slow knitting month, kittens, but I did  get a lot of spinning and other crafty things accomplished during that time!  And while the yardage was not impressive, I managed to finish two projects in that time.  So all-in-all, I'd call July a successful crafting month!

Just one more month of the summer heat and we'll be heading back into the crisp days of autumn.  Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

Knot A Podcast: Episode 34

Knot A Podcast: Episode 34 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

"Alligators, Socks, and an FO.  Oh my!"


Kittens, I'm unsure of why the video ratio is weird this week; I did not do anything differently than I normally do.

...

I'll try to figure it out later.


♥ Please join us in the Ravelry group!
♥ SiTS is still going on until 31 August; who doesn't want prizes for knitting socks?
♥ Milky Robot's IndiePop campaign.  Go check it out and maybe give her some help?  She has two weeks left to earn money to get her business back up and running.

FOs:
♥ Hitchhiker--  The text says "37 points and 3.5g left over."

WiPs:
♥ Pomme de Pin Cardigan

Next on the Needles:
♥ Niles and Cleo --  From summer 2009.  How time flies!
♥ Socks made with my FancyPants Fiber yarn. Any ideas of what I should do with it?  Come tell me in the Episode 34 thread!

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Older club colorways from Hello Yarn.  Yum!
♥  Tutorial on how to braid fiber.

Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Pigeonroof Studios Merino in "Magnolia"
♥ Funky Carolina Corriedale in "Ferguson"

Stitcher's Corner:
♥ Summer Sampler from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Knot A Podcast: Episode 33

Knot A Podcast: Episode 33 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

It's hard to believe it's already July, kittens!  Hope you all are having a good one so far.


Show Notes: Episode 33

♥  Please join us in the Knot A Podcast Ravelry Group for Sock it to Summer!  There are 14 lovely entries so far and two full months left to get a pair entered for yourself!

♥ Discussed Blip's other shoe dropping.  In a much earlier show, I discussed why Blip was rejecting new podcasts.  Now, they're actually removing all single-camera content producers from their site.  Hopefully, all podcasters using Blip will find new homes and stay with us.  I would hate to see anyone have to drop podcasting because of it.  :(


WiPs:

♥ 3rd Hitchhiker is still in the works but almost finished!
♥  Pomme de Pin is making slow but sure progress.  At this rate, I might finish before SitS is wrapped up.

Spinning A Yarn:

♥  Still working through my Pigeonroof Studios merino with Team Must Stash Podcast and Team IG Spinners for Tour de Fleece.  It's been a lot of fun so far, and I just rounded the halfway point on the braid.
♥ Discussed possible next spinning projects.

Stitcher's Corner:

♥ Finished my Springtime Sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery, and am now working on the Summer Sampler.  I'm quite a bit behind, but I'm confident I can catch up and finish by the end of July.
♥ Plans to (finally) start my Woodland 2013 Sampler and work on that until the Autumn Sampler releases.

Stash Flash:

♥ 4 Loop Batts totaling well over a pound.  I went a little crazy.
♥ 3 Extras of Mochi--for a total of 16oz-- so I can knit a lovely stripey sweater!

2013 Stashdown: Q2

So here it is: Quarter 2 of 2013's Stashdown efforts.  This year I am tracking all four year's worth of numbers and seeing if any trends pop up.  So far...I'm not getting much out of them.  But I find this fun in a weird, nerdy sort of way.

(Click the image for a larger, and easier to read version.)

Why I ever try to make plans is beyond me: it seems as soon as I say them, I act in ways that guarantee that I can not get the outcome I was aiming for.  Early on in Q2, I bought a bunch of yarn again...had April been like May and June, I would have had little or no stash in at all.  I do not count fiber for my Stashdown efforts--neither in nor out.

I'm amazed I am not busting out all over the place with yarn here.

June 2013: Wrap-up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds
May: 1,112yds

June: 452yds

Year To Date: 5,822yds or 3.31 miles

Sorry I'm a little late with this one, kittens.  It's been a crazy last few days, and I forgot about the post writing thing.

After 8 months of really high knitting output, this month's number is a bit of a let-down.  But considering I cross stitched an entire sampler in that time...it's pretty easy to see how most of my crafting time was spent.  I didn't do too badly for stolen moments in the car and watching podcasts.  And it's probably best that I accept that until the weather cools down, I'm likely not going to be knitting all that much any way.  I can still hope to do a little better in July.  In the sweltering, humid heat.  Where are Spring and Fall when I need them?

Knot A Podcast: Episode 32

Knot A Podcast: Episode 32 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

This week I tested out my theory that it's more comfortable to talk and podcast from a real chair and not my desk one.  This would be TRUTH.  I should find a way to make this happen more often; it felt more natural to chat while seated like that.

Please come join us in the Knot A Podcast Ravelry group!
Sock it to Summer is in full swing.



Show Notes:  "The Dog Days of...late spring?"


FOs:
♥ Amineko Cat for my "toy box."

WiPs:
♥ Hitchhiker by Martina Behm.
♥ Pomme de Pin Cardigan by Amy Christoffers.

Spinning a Yarn:
♥ Pigeonroof Studios Merino in "Magnolia."  The first 1.15oz resulted in ~69yards of chain-plied yarn.

Stitchin' Corner:
♥ Spring Sampler by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery
♥ There is still time to sign up for the Summer Sampler at the introductory price ($12.95 vs the usual $16.95) and add to the 400 person goal!  They're just over half-way there.  Come join us! :)

Stitchin' Saturday

It's really interesting to watch it grow, isn't it, kittens?

Knot A Podcast: Episode 31

Knot A Podcast: Episode 31 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

It's that day again, kittens!  This is the last week that I'll be doing the weekly podcast for the summer.  I'm going bi-weekly until at least the end of July...maybe until school gets back in after Labor Day.

I only just noticed the text snafu during the final watching.  LOL.  So sorry about that.


Show Notes:

♥ Come join us for Sock it to Summer!
♥  My small destash, if you're interested.


WiPs:
♥ Hitchiker #3
♥ Pomme de Pin, "The never-ending cardigan"

Spinning a Yarn:
♥ Pigeonroof Studios SW Merino in "Magnolia"

Stitchin' Corner:
♥ Springtime Sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Stash Enhancement:
♥ Another Trindle

Picture Post

Remember back when I used to write actual blog entries?  I'll admit to it: recording videos *is* easier for me...but sometimes I miss typing out words and adding pictures to actual blog posts.  (I have several posts at various stages of completion hiding on my dashboard, but I never seem to find enough time to finish them.  Some topics do not work well with video format.  Especially when $$$ is involved for storage space.  Maybe some day I will write up a post about the monetary and other costs of hosting a video podcast.  Oh look!  I ended up on a tangent.)

I'm hoping to fix this over the coming months as I get a better feel for how things are going to flow.  Surely with both of my children finally in school, I can find time to work on my blog?  Right?  Are those crickets I'm hearing?  Or maybe it's laughter at my silliness?

Anywho.

As if I do not have enough on my plate,  I have finally been pushed into starting up the cross-stitch "kits" from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery I had been purchasing and sitting on for "some day."  I am the easiest person in the world to enable, but I could not justify having yet another sampler sit around waiting for Some Day to finally get here.  So I challenged myself: I want to have the Spring Sampler all stitched up before the clues for the Summer Sampler start coming in on 21 June.  This leaves me with exactly 3 weeks to get it done, and based on my first 4 days' worth of progress, I'm not sure if I can do it...but I think it will be close. As I get a better feel for reading the linen and finding my stitching groove, I'm starting to speed up.  Stitching really isn't a quick crafting activity; like spinning, it's soothing and meditative.  I've really enjoyed doing it these past few days when it's been too hot and humid to touch wool.  Productivity and non-sweaty hands for the win!

So what do you think, kittens?  Will you join me in stitching this summer?  (If 4OO people sign up before the sampler ends in July, we'll all score a bonus pattern for being early adopters.  They're already 1/4 of the way to the goal.  You know you want to!

Please??)

May 2013: Wrap-Up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds
May: 1,112yds

Year To Date: 5,370yds or 3.05 miles

Kittens, it's hard to believe it is that time of the month again. Where did May go?!

May was another respectable month yardage wise...despite hot, sticky weather, a love affair with spinning, and starting a cross-stitch to occupy my time, I stayed over 1,000 yards for the fourth month in a row.  I'm batting 4/5 for 2013!  (I find it impressive, anyway.)  I'm hoping I can keep up the momentum for June: I plan to finish my Pomme de Pin and Color Affection,  knit 1-2 more skeins on my blanket, and get a good start on my husband's long languishing socks.  Should be a busy one!

Knot A Podcast: Episode 30

Knot A Podcast: Episode 30 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Sorry for being a day late, kittens.  Yesterday was rainy and overcast, and my four year old managed to contract pink eye.  I spent most of yesterday at the doctor and running around doing related errands.  Fun times.


Show Notes

♥ You can find me as Wit on Ravelry, or SewKnitpicky on Plurk,Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.
♥  Reminder that Sock it to Summer is starting on 01 June!  The Rules/chat thread can be found in the group.



WiPs:

♥ Pomme de Pin
♥ Amineko Cat
♥ Hitchhiker
♥ Color Affection
♥ Blanket O' Dooooom


Spinning a Yarn:

♥ Spun Right Round Polwarth in "Jaws" colorway.  ~90yds from 3.85oz.  The final video lost all of the green to the blue.
♥ Pigeonroof Studios Merino in "Magnolia" colorway.  Still being spun from 4.5oz.  This one looked much less green on camera as well.


Stitchin' Corner:

♥ Spring Sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.  Cosmo floss kits and linen can be purchased from The Workroom.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 29

Knot A Podcast: Episode 29 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Show Notes


♥ Sock it to Summer Ravelry thread is here in the group.
♥ Pomme de Pin
♥ Color Affection
♥ Finished yarn!  Great Adirondack Yarn Company BFL.
♥ New Spin #1: Spun Right Round Polwarth.
♥ New Spin #2: Pigeonroof Studios Merino.

Knot a Podcast: Episode 28

Knot A Podcast: Episode 28 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Onto the show notes!

Ravelry Group - Thinking about participating in Sock it to Summer?


FOs:
♥  So Fluffy, I'm Gonna Die!!
♥  Baby "Unicorn"
♥ Sewing FO!  Sock Sack by Ramona Rose.


WiPs:
♥ Yet another Hitchhiker.  These things are addictive.
♥  Minimal progress on Blanket O' Doom.
♥  Planning to hit Waiting Room Socks and Pomme de Pin pretty hard in the coming weeks.


Spinning A Yarn:
♥ Still working through Great Adirondack Yarn Company BFL



People/Yarn/Blogs I mentioned:
♥ Becoming Art
♥ Hey Porkchop! MsMcPorkchop  (Or as I lovingly refer to her: The Other Amanda)
♥ Two If By Hand
♥ Whatcha Swatchin'
♥ HansenCrafts miniSpinner
♥ Spindles
♥ PomPom Quarterly

Knot A Podcast: Episode 27

Knot A Podcast: Episode 27 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Sorry it's up a day late, kittens.  Life happens and all that jazz.

My week was pretty quiet.  I'm still chugging away at compressing all of the old KaP episodes and need to track down the first 6.  They're hiding on an external hard drive.

Come say hello in the Knot a Podcast Ravelry group!


FOs:

♥  "Dooooooooooooom" - Hitchhiker by Martina Behm.



WiPs:

♥ Another Hitchhiker scarf; they're like potato chips!  Soft Like Kittens yarn, dyed by Annette.
♥ Small progress made on Pomme de Pin.


Spinning A Yarn:

♥ Still working through the Great Adirondack BFL from last week.  Spun ~1.2/3.9oz so far.


Stash Enhancement:

♥ Mentioned Voolenvine's Podcast, "Yarngasm."
♥ Spun Right Round
♥ Three Waters Farm

April 2013: Wrap-Up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

April:  1,251yds

Year To Date: 4,258yds or 2.42 miles

The yardage is slowly snowballing, kittens!  At this rate, I may hit a 1 mile month some time in the summer.  Pretty exciting stuff...for me, any way.   I like to see that number go up; the higher it is, the less idle my hands are.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 26

Knot A Podcast: Episode 26 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Kittens, I just realized that the last episode has the incorrect episode number on it.  There are apparently two "Episode 26"s according to the title screen. ;P

This week is still pretty light on content.  One of these days, I will finish a project so that I may cast another one on.  I really am as sick of these same 3 things as you all are.




Week in Review:

♥ I managed to snag a spot on the Hello Yarn Fiber Club wait list!  #37/200, baby!  I hope I may get an invite before the end of this calendar year.
♥ Still sorting out getting the podcast hosted and iTunes ready.  Lots of work behind the scenes.  Many a cuss word has come out of my mouth...and many a chocolate square shoved in.
♥ I think I've decided what my first KAL/prize winning opportunity will be!  How does "Sock it to Summer" sound to you all?  Swing by the Ravelry group and the thread for this episode to let me know!


WiPs:

♥ Waiting Room Socks
♥ Hitchhiker
♥ Pomme de Pin -  Promised Vertical Button Band "tutorial" from Welford Purls


Spinning A Yarn:

♥ Finished the BFL respin from last week.  My knitty knoddy should be a 1.5 yard and the yarn wrapped 18 times.  It's about 27yards?  After it dries, I'll see how many WPI it is.  I'm guessing bulky+.
♥ Started a new BFL spin on my Schacht spindle (I believe mine is the 1.1oz) and with fiber from Great Adirondack Yarn Company, Inc.  Going well so far.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 25

Knot A Podcast: Episode 25 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

It's a really long one this week, kittens.  I tried to edit out as much as I could!   I really do want to keep these on the short side so it's easier to watch them.





♥ Knot A Podcast Ravelry Group

♥ I'm experiencing some growing pains and trying to figure out how to deal with it.  Trying to get the podcast onto iTunes is looking like it will cost some money--and quite a lot as time goes on--and I need to figure out exactly how I feel about that.  Thoughts are always welcome--tech savvy I am not.  Looking to go the VideoPress route, but doing the math with my file sizes is making me seriously unhappy.

♥ Sunday I took a sock yarn dyeing class at The Village Yarn and Fiber Shop in Rochester from Jennifer of Holiday Yarns.


FOs:

♥ 5 skeins of sock yarn from my class.  YOWZA.  These came out way more blue on web cam, and my pinky melons came out very orange looking.  Hmph.

WiPs:

♥ Blanket O' Doom
♥ Hitchhiker
♥ Pomme de Pin


Spinning A Yarn:

♥ Nice drop spindling video tutorial from Knitting Blooms.  Thank you, Lisa Marie (theyarngoeson), for telling me about that!

♥ Respinning my first yarn to improve it.  Going really well so far!


Stash Enhancement:

♥  A lot, kittens.  A. Lot.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 24

Knot A Podcast: Episode 24 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Sorry this is a couple days late, kittens.  Recording did not happen until yesterday, and things are still pretty confused here.  I haven't felt super ambitious to do much the last few days.  Today's show notes are going to be pretty short for that same reason.



♥ Ravelry Group
♥ Taking a dyeing class on Sunday!  Hopefully I'll talk about it next week and have some pretties to show off!


WIPs:

♥ Blanket O' Doom
♥ Waiting Room Socks
♥ Hitchhiker
♥ Pomme de Pin

FOs:

♥ Show Off Bag- Made By Rae


Spinning A Yarn:

♥ First attempt at spindling was pretty laughable, no? :)

Knot A Podcast: Episode 23

Knot A Podcast: Episode 23 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Crazy face is back, kittens.

♥ Knot A Podcast Ravelry group.

WIPs:

♥ Pomme de Pin Cardigan
♥ Blanket O' Doom

FOs:

♥ Lunch Sack

Stash Enhancement:

♥ Spindle and fiber from Blarney Yarn
♥ Spinning Class on Craftsy

Future Plans:

♥ Watch class and attempt to spin
♥ Sew a new purse.  The old one is in pretty rough shape these days. I was mistaken and thought I had made the old one in 2010, not 2011.

2013 Stashdown: Q1

I had to give some thought to how I want to present my Stashdown numbers this year...I really like the idea of showing the results for every Q1 I've participated in to date to see if there are certain trends I can discover in them.  Being that this is the fourth year I've participated in Stashdown efforts, I'm starting to accumulate quite a lot of data.

Click for the easier-to-read full size picture.

It's definitely interesting to see all four Q1s laid out like that.  *ahem*  I may have fallen hard off the wagon after all of the effort of making a point system, but I have confidence that the rest of this year can go by with minimal stash enhancement.  We shall see. ;)

March 2013: Wrap-up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

March:  1,100yds

Year To Date: 3,007yds or 1.71 miles

Kittens!  March ended up being a fairly productive month.  There were several days that I did no knitting at all, so I'm really pleased with those numbers.

2013 is off to a good start in terms of productivity.  I managed to knit a good sized chunk of my son's blanket, and I'm hoping to finish that project up before the end of May.  (I can do this as long as I work on it daily and do not put it on hold any more.  1 hour a night; that's all it would take.  I can do that, right?)  I made a good start on my Pomme de Pin cardigan and also hope to be finishing that up by the end of April.  Maybe I can bang out a small project or two as well.

I hope you all have been staying healthy, and your weather is starting to turn lovely.  Here's to hoping April will be kind!

Knot A Podcast: Episode 22

Knot A Podcast: Episode 22 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

It's that time of the week again, kittens!  Vimeo decided not to do a face capture this week.  That's likely for the best, since their habit to date is to make me look like I have rage issues.



WIPs:

♥ Blanket O' Doom
♥ Waiting Room Socks
♥ Dooooom!
♥ Dusty Pine Cone Cardigan


Stash Enhancement:

♥  Dancing Dog Dyeworks
♥  Trailing Clouds

Knot A Podcast: Episode 21

Knot A Podcast: Episode 21 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.




I'll keep the show notes like the podcast this week: short.

Please swing by the Ravelry group and come chat!  I love to hear from all of you.

WIPs:

♥ Doooooooom - Hitchhiker by Martina Behm
♥ Dusty Pinecone Cardigan - Pomme de Pin by Amy Christoffers


Stash Enhancement:

♥ Hello Yarn February 2013 colorway "Mochi"

Knot A Podcast: Episode 20

14March2013 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

It's a pretty short one this week, kittens.  And look at that face.  Oh Vimeo, you continue to flatter me. ;P



News:

♥ None, really.
♥ Ravelry Group


WIPs:

♥ Pomme De Pin in Madeline Tosh Pashmina, Dust Bowl colorway.   I have named it, "Dusty Pinecone Cardigan."
♥ Blanket O' Doom continues to chug along.

Stash Enhancement:

♥ Some more Soft Like Kittens from Annette.
♥ "Mind The Gap" self-striping.   This is a 12 color self-striper--YOWZA.

Knot A Podcast: Episode 19

Knot A Podcast: Episode 19 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Kittens, it's that time again, and I would like to apologize for my tardiness making this week's podcast.  A few things came up, including a sick child.  So thank you for bearing with me and for coming back to watch.  It means a lot to share my work with you. ♥




Show Notes:

♥ I touched on the Blip and iTunes issue.  This week has been rather enlightening for myself as well as other podcasters that have been experiencing the same issues I have.  I realize that I forgot to mention that part of Blip's advertisers' issues were that they wanted "professional" looking podcasts.  Thus, the mention of multiple camera angles, etc.



FOs:
♥ Goodale.  FINALLY!  It is done.  I discuss many things I changed in the pattern and my thoughts on it.  I will update my project notes to reflect these same observances in the near future.
- Apologies for the bad picture and poor video of this cardigan.  NONE of my electronic devices like this color and it makes them insane.

♥ Second Kiss Apple for The Girl's pre-k teacher.



WIPs:
♥ Knucks.  Nothing exciting happened on these.  Just a few more fingers.



Stash Enhancement:
♥ Quite a bit.

February 2013: Wrap-Up

Yardage Totals 2013:

January: 869yds

February: 1,038yds

Year To Date: 1,907yds or 1.08 miles

For being such a short month, February was not short on productivity!  I feel pretty good about what all I managed to work on and even had some finished items to show for it--I even sewed curtains for my living room and still knit this much!  We will have to see what March has in store, but I hope it's just a yarn filled and full of win.

Have all you kittens been working on crafty projects as of late?  Or has the start of the year been non-productive on that front?

Knot A Podcast: Episode 18

Knot A Podcast: Episode 18 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Kittens, Vimeo is at it again: rage face.  This time I actually did rant a bit, so that one might be genuine annoyance.  Or illness.  Take your pick.

I had quite the two weeks, most of it wasn't very pleasant.  Between illness and stolen credit card numbers, we've been pretty busy at Chez Knitpicky.  Add to that my increasing frustrations from trying to get hosted by Blip or figure out how to generate an RSS feed to get onto iTunes and well, this podcaster isn't too happy right now--though I did learn a few other things that will be helpful in the long term.  Maybe next episode I'll talk about why I've been so timid to really come out as a PODCASTER and get into some of the details of all the work it entails.  As is my nature, I want to do this... but 100% on my own terms.  Which means I'm likely going to disappoint and not meet others' expectations.

You usually come here for the show notes, not my personal issues. ;)


♥ Ravelry Group has 34 members!  Yay!  Thank you for joining me.
♥ Knit Picks' security snafu.  The not-really-an-apology from CEO Matt Petkun is here.  I am still undecided if I'll purchase from KP in the future.  I might just pay the few extra dollars elsewhere that hasn't lost my info and then failed to tell me about it for a month.
♥ This is technically from the end because I forgot, but I have caved in and joined Plurk as SewKnipicky.  I am still trying to figure out the interface.
♥ And if you have been having issues with the sound on the podcast, please come tell me in the group or a PM.  I can not fix a problem I'm unaware the extent or cause of.

FOs:

♥ Pirate Patches - super easy crochet pattern that has been amusing my children for the last couple of days.


WIPs:

♥ Blanket O' Doom
♥ Goodale - there is a light at the end of the tunnel!  I should hopefully be showing this off as an FO next show.  Whoo!  And many apologies for how much my web cam hates teal.

Next On Needles:

♥ Hey Girl - new pattern by Chic Knits (Bonne Marie Burns) in this lovely Squoosh I could not pass up and have been sitting on since April 2012.  It's time to cast on some of my less aged yarn, amirite?
♥  Trying to figure out how to use these lovelies that have been marinating in stash since August 2009 (HOLY MOOSE).  I will be opening a thread in the group to ask for pattern opinions.


Thank you for watching!

Knot A Podcast: Episode 17

Knot A Podcast: Episode 17 from SewKnitpicky on Vimeo.

Kittens, I had a hard time focusing this week.  I'm going to blame the last couple nights without proper sleep.  That's reasonable...right?  At least Vimeo did not capture me with rage face this week!

Anywho, onto the show notes!

♥ The Ravelry group now has 27 members, most of them new-to-me.  Thank for watching and welcome!

♥ The podcast was featured on www.knittingpodcast.blogspot.com run by Carla.  Thank you, Carla!

♥ I signed up for a hand-painted sock yarn workshop in April.  So excited to go to that!  Come on, spring! 

FOs:

♥ Commission for my friend from, "Bea the Basement Monster Pattern," by Rebecca Danger.

♥ Birthday gift for The Boy's friend from, "Dot the Dress Up Box Monster," by Rebecca Danger.  I think this pattern could make an awesome Clefairy.

--> 6060 Etsy for safety eyes

WIPs:

♥ Blanket O' Doom

♥ Knucks  (Yes, from Summer 2006 issue of Knitty)

♥ Waiting Room Socks

Next On Deck:

♥ Now that my pattern notes have been found, it's time to focus on Goodale! 

♥ Maybe some more socks for my kiddles?

Stash Flash:

♥ Annettle has a fun podcast, Gentle Ribbing, and a yarn shop, Soft Like Kittens.  Love the bases from what I felt so far...and for the curious: yes, the little chocolate bar was tasty--but sadly, not fizzy.  The "Hokey Pokeys" were sort of like puffed rice.

♥ Mochi Things

The end of 2012 Stash Flash I mentioned...

Kittens, I've been meaning to do so many things and keep not finding the time to do them.  So.  I thought I'd work on the Stash post I mentioned in one of my last podcasts.

The contents of my stash, and my feelings about said stash, have had a long time to develop and marinate.  I started trying to be more mindful of it and track in 2009, when the Yarn Snobs Ravelry group did the first Stashdown.  (It has since moved into a group of its own and become its own thing.  It is a beautiful positive group and I whole heartedly encourage anyone interested to go check it out and join.)  Since that time, I do not believe that I've had a single year where I actually reduced my stash...but I have learned a lot about myself and my stashing habits, which helps me be more mindful.  I'm very much a process person, so not meeting the goal isn't discouraging to me.  I'm also a big ol' nerd and like to collect data...as if that wasn't already clear from my yardage tallies every month or the Stashdown posts I make.  Some day I will compile all of this data into one glorious spread sheet.  Color coded.  With embellishments.  Because that's how I roll.

Ahem.

I wasn't, however, quite prepared for how large a task it was to sort out and photograph my stash.  After moving in June, I bought an Expedit unit, and Target carries bins that fit in it perfectly.  (These bins are like Mary Poppins' bag.  My word, they hold a lot!)  I have 4 of them that at the moment are very full.  The Mister refused to be any where near our bedroom while I was working.  He doesn't want to know the truth about my yarn stash...bless his heart.

For reference, we have a king size bed. (Click for a full size picture.)

I separated  my stash  into sweater lots (far right), sock yarn (back to mid-left) and then other small categories.

There is a better picture of the sweater quantities side.

As you can see, it's quite a bit of stash.  At the rate I've been knitting, I could keep myself busy for several years, at least.  My initial feelings were confused.  On the one hand, this was better than I had feared it could be, but on the other, it wasn't as small as I hoped.  I mean really, they're 4 small 13" * 13" bins: how could they possibly contain all of that?!  I was pleased to discover that while gazing at all of my lovelies laid out on my bed, I did not feel any shame or guilt about the purchases.  I've come to a place where I really do like all of the yarn I own; it's more a matter of finding the time to knit it all and to do so faster than I purchase.

I also started reconsidering what my Stashdown goals have been.  In the past  I've thought the goal was to have only so many sweater quantities, skeins of sock, etc, in stash at one time.  But in truth, my feelings about my sock stash very rarely change, nor do my plans.  I will still make socks: I just may take longer or change my mind about the pattern a few times.  On rare occasion, I fall out of love with a yarn, but it doesn't happen often enough to be an issue.  In the end, socks get made.  The same can not be said about my sweater quantities and other project yarns.   My feelings about color and pattern are constantly changing, which means that often by the time I get to using up a sweater lot of yarn, I'm either out of love with the color or the original pattern I wanted to use...and then I have a difficult time finding another suitable pattern for the yarn.  Sweater lots often become Obligation Knits.  I feel guilty not working with already existing yarn when I get something new that I want to cast on right away.  The same happens with overly-ambitious-gift lots.  I have several from Knit Picks that are languishing in stash and I'm finally thinking of ways to use.

So I've decided to have a new plan: stash as little as I can manage this year while focusing on knitting up sweater quantities.   Hopefully by the end of 2014, I can be down to no sweater lots in stash...then only purchase at the time I want to make a sweater and cast it on right away.  It's a lovely idea; getting there will be the tricky part.  I will have to focus to make it happen.

What about you, kittens?  Have you been giving much thought to your stashing habits lately?  (Yarn, fabric, or otherwise?)