A kitty named Bedelia.....

So....as I have somewhat previously alluded to, I have a bit of a "stash" problem.  Well, it's not really a problem so much as a "storage" problem.  Acquisition is the first step in the project process, followed by "What might this want to be?"  Sometimes, the yarn is rather stubborn and won't talk for some time despite your best efforts to introduce it to an appropriate pattern.

Enter the "stash-buster."  These handy little patterns are designed to make something useful (usually a last minute gift ) and use up some of the recalcitrant fibers that you can't seem to part with and thus, free up space in the stash for further acquisition.  It's a vicious cycle.

Most of these patterns use around a skein of yarn, take a short period of time to knit, and produce a pretty nifty finished object -- which makes them ideal for gifts. That is where this little gem came in.

Bedelia is a little gift for a new baby girl.  I think she turned out pretty well.   Her ears are a little sideways, sort of "Skippyjon Jones" style.  And she made use of a few bits and pieces of some great yarn that wasn't enough for a full project.

Waltzing Matilda...

This is Matilda. 

She is an Ashford Travller.  Ashford is a New Zealand company, but I don't think she takes offense at the association of her name.  I first met Matilda at a fiber festival in western NC.  After a short conversation, she agreed to come home with me.

Matilda, or "Tillie" as I have come to call her is a castle style wheel.  It's more compact than a traditional Saxony wheel that one usually sees in fairy tale productions where some poor maiden is being coerced to spin straw into gold.  Tillie is built for travel at a svelte seven pounds.  She is curvaceous and sturdy.

Tillie and I have spent a bit of time over the past few months getting to know one another.  She's a little wary of the dogs, who both seem to be regularly suspicious and negligent by turns despite the fact that she has resided in either the living room or the library for almost a year now.

We're also learning to work together.  So far, we've made this:

And this:

And also these:

We're still learning.  I look forward to the says we work well together.  Tillie hums as she works.  I find it soothing to listen to her songs as we create together.

Poor little neglected blog......

It's not as if I don't think about it. It's right there on my "Favorites" bar after all. So I see it every day that I am on the computer. Fortunately, I am spending less time at my home computer. And more time actually doing other things....like spinning and knitting and cooking and playing with the dogs and sometimes (though not as often as I probably should) cleaning house. Not really a determined act to simplify things, just sort of a choice to do the things that are more important right this minute.

More to come....eventually.

Progress? (ahem)

In looking back to New Year's 2011, I am taking stock as to how it went with the resolutions for 2010.



I did learn to spin. The singles are getting more consistent and looking less like the middle from a golf ball. I hope to continue to improve and find the best method for me. In October, I added two new spindles of differing weights to see what that would be like. And although I am lusting after a particular wheel, I have not actually taken the plunge and made the investment in it yet. Spinning has also widened my circle of friends. It's easy to talk to someone for the first time with a common interest. Crafters aren't shy about asking questions about that pattern or this fiber or whatever project. I continue to be amazed by the talent in abundance around me.



Pictures are improving. They don't get posted any quicker, but at least they exist somewhere.



My stash is not currently growing....much. I don't tend to cruise the interwebs as much as I once did, probably because I am fed up in general with my computer. I work with one all day, so I tend not to spend time there when I could be doing something else. Like knitting or spinning.

I did feel better about my finishing this year. There are still a few UFOs floating about, but at least I am being honest with myself about them. It's not a race. To make sure that the FO is its best, I find I have to be in the right frame of mind to put on the final touches. Those just don't come around as much as they probably should.

The queue....well that's probably the weakest progress. I find that my queue is where I put the dream projects. Some of those patterns have no business being there because of the skill level required, the yarn I don't have, the impracticality of the garment, etc. But on another level, I put things in there that may not end up as a final object. Some are in there just for inspiration.

I don't think I will make any new resolutions for 2011. After all, it took until now in January to get this posted. For now, I think I will continue to work on these and try to enjoy the process more.

With an explosion, the yarniverse begins.....

Speaking of, there has been a bit of an explosion in my project queue over the last month or so. I made the mistake of visiting a new city. Well, not really new as in brand new in existence -- rather a city that has been around a while that I don't happen to live in full-time. While I was there, I visited a few yarn shops and ended up with some practical souvenirs for my stash. (I guess I fell off the yarn diet.) The new projects popped up as a justification for the purchases in large part. A few of these are on the needles and in process. Progress pictures of these will show up shortly.

Spring break!

The weather is finally lightening up a little here. Actual sunshine and temperatures above freezing. Unfortunately, this is not helping further my progress on the KIP. Add to that a new project with a deadline in two weeks and you can see how not a lot of knitting has gotten done. For now, this is just a placemarker post. More knitting to come.

Noodling along...

Winter seemed to loosen its icy grip a bit today in our corner of the universe. Although the cold weather has helped my knitting production, I was happy to see the sun for a little while today. We are also supposed to have a better-than-average weekend as well.

I just looked over the resolutions. One month out and I have already fallen off the yarn diet somewhat. Last weekend, I visited a LYS and came out with some new stash fodder. Almost all of it was for gifts to be. I have managed to finish a gift in plenty of time to take pictures (although I haven't yet -- that would be too easy!) and start a new project. But the year is still young and I have time for improvement.

On a separate note, I do feel like I have improved in using Ravelry. It is very useful for keeping track of the patterns I like and intend to knit. Keeping the yarn and the pattern together is also helpful. And it is encouraging to see that I do finish some things (even if it is not as much as I would like.)