It's Really Not a Problem...

I seriously have a problem. An addiction. A big one. AND sometimes an expensive one.
There. I've said it.  I've admitted it.  That's the first step in recovery right?  Admitting you have a problem?  BUT does it count when I really don't think it's that much (not much) of a problem?  It's just yarn!  Seriously!  How bad can it be?! There must be people out there who have more than me.... yeah, yeah... yarn stores do, but how about real people?  *Uh oh.... that's another issue on the addiction scale ~working with my limited experience in yarn addiction;  (yes, please feel free to insert a snort here)  the justifying of your problem could be considered not a real admission of said problem.  Which would then imply that maybe (just maybe?) I'm not quite ready to admit it?  
Whoa! Wait!! Stop laughing!  Admission of the problem is the first step! I've said I have a problem. I've admitted it to you.... haven't admitted it to myself yet... my husband would agree that I have an issue with yarn, but...... if I keep it in check and organized, he's not so very worried. Can't be that much of a problem then right?
Who am I kidding? IF you look in my dining room; there is yarn. The den area? Yep more yarn. The living room? Sure. It's a great place to knit. The TV lives there after all. My bedroom? I'm not sure, but maybe? The bathroom? Nope. Definitely not!! The office upstairs? Um.... well.... yeah! That's where all the yarn lives in my house!  Except the stuff I'm working on and that has to be wherever I am at the time!! ~ yeah... justification of one's problem is another sign of a bigger issue... sigh.
How about organization? I do that fairly well. I have most of my stash upstairs in the office/craft room. All organized ever so lovely-ish in it's baskets & bins. I know, I know... no matter I sugar coat it. I have a lot of yarn. Loads. Buckets. Bins. Lots!! But isn't it pretty? Isn't it lovely? Don't you want to just look at it?

I posted this a while ago, but I think it's worth doing again. Yep. I think it's pretty sweet ~ don't you?
I purchased the four Antonius storage frames (around $10 each at IKEA) and then purchased the baskets separately. There are a couple of fabric baskets - toward the bottom and some plastic bins too. Originally I thought that this was going to be more for my craft storage (read fabric) but my yarn was outgrowing it's other home(s).  I even have some lovely (wicked lovely!) inserts inside some of those baskets with little dividers! The whole thing was a bit more than Big wanted to spend but it keeps the yarn (most of it) all in one spot so I think overall he's pleased. I know I am!!
So......... organization is the key here! Keeps it out of the way of the family (and the cat and the dog and the kids) and therefore one can assume that if it's hidden... well.... it's NOT A PROBLEM!!

When a Crocheter Knits

My crochet friends are wonderful friends, don't get me wrong, but........ Do not believe your crochet friends... ever!! Never!! They tell fibs. Big ones. ALL the time. Oops. Wait... let me rephrase that a little bit! I have two friends that strictly *cough* crochet. They said they can't knit. *insert a little whine here...* "I don't know how. It looks hard. Two sticks? Really? I can't do that!" ~ those are just a few of the whines things that I have heard them say.
Um... yeah... so don't believe when they lie to your face say they can't knit. They probably can.

V's KNITTED washcloths.

My friend Miss V way out West in Tennessee said she can't knit. Doesn't know how. Whatever. *insert eye rolling*. She knits. She knits like crazy! She made & sold knitted washcloths at a craft fair last year AND she knits these crazy scarves by the bazillion! Her grandmother-in-law sells them to her friends as fast as V can make them!  Not only is she knitting away... she's making some money at it!  Can't knit huh? Oh yeah... to add to her list of already growing transgressions... just yesterday she asked me to clarify a pattern direction for her. NOT a crochet pattern mind you..... A KNITTING PATTERN! Yes, V.. k1, p4 for two rows means you k1, p4 all the way across a row and then return, therefore doing it x2 rows. AND THEN.... she says she has to by circulars. Oh really?
My other crochet friend... who by the way is the crochet expert in our local knitting group * did you catch that? K N I T T I N G group! Anyway... (yes you can insert eye rolling here) Miss M is not only an expert crocheter, she lies. Lies like a rug. She knits. I even caught her with dpn's. Oh my.
The other night, Miss T and her children were here for a visit. She decided that she was going to 'mess around' with knitting needles. *insert snorts & eye rolling* Mess around? Lies. Completely. Mess around meant that she was bored with not only knitting, but purling as well. AND guess what? Even more lies! She made ribbing! Mmmhmmm... ribbing. 
So... me being the superwonderfulnicehelpfulfriend (yes, all one word) I decided instead of her distracting me with her cute kid so she could knit in relative peace; I would show her cables. That stuff is hard! Right?! NOT. Miss Thang herself gets it lickety split! Yeah... Miss I don't know how to knit............

 This is what she did. Besides lying to me....

See that? Knitting a border on both ends! Some stockinette stitch, some ribbing and those cables! *the odd shape of the sampler is my fault... I didn't have her count on an adequate amount of stitches... sigh

So my friends - whom I know will not lie about their talents..... do not believe your crochet friends when they say the cannot lie knit.

Do Over ~ Week 4 (Portable Projects with a Cause)

Yeah, yeah I know. It's actually week five. Don't get all caught up in that number thing! It's just been crazy around here. Busy, busy, busy and the weather has been so stinkin' hot that it's not even fun (not much) to even knit. Temps haven't been all that bad, but it's the humidity that gets me. Ugh. Some days all we do is lay around and read a book.  Hm...if I could get the kid to turn the pages for me I think I would be all set!! Right now it's 0646 am and the temp is only 75degrees! ONLY. The humidity however,  is 98%. Gonna be a real nice day. Yeah. Real nice.
Anyway..... it's week 4 of the project! Woot! Everyone is knitting up their blocks and learning some new things along the way! Miss N has already completed her first set of ALL 6 blocks and is heading off to make the second set. What an overachiever!  Miss T~ the crochet queen has been whipping hers out in between making some pretty fabulous monkeys & washcloths! AND she's also 'learning' knitting... more on that later!   Royal D admits that she didn't mind the color work block (#3) and has finished it, but also admits the yarn that was giving her fits.
 Even her kids laughed at her with her when she was done! **Please admire the block to your right... the tension is perfect, the color choice amazing.. yep! It's a nice block! It is a bit crunchy.. but D is right... the yarn stinks!   Such a snob! *me too!! 
 Me? Um... I'm waiting for the Princess' Mommy to finish her block and then I will move forward!  *That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!  Honestly? I really haven't been knitting.  Oh... I've got projects on the needles (multiples) but I keep getting distracted by just about anything else that comes along! Today I WILL make a block four! I will!  It's looking like rain this morning so I might as well settle in and knock it out!
Here's the pattern just to keep you all up to speed~ Once again using those size 8's and washable worsted weight yarn....
Bean Sprouts
*Multiple of 6 sts +5
With A: Cast on 41 sts
Row 1 (RS): With A, knit.
Row 2: With A, purl
Row 3: With B, k2 *sl 1 wyib, k1: repeat from * to last 3 sts, sl 1 wyib, k2
Row 4: With B, k2, sl 1 wyif, *k, sl 1 wyif, p1 sl 1 wyif, k1, sl 1 wyif; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2
Row 5: With A, k2, *k3, sl 1 wyib, k2; rep from * to last 3 sts, k3
Row 6: With A, p3, * p2, sl 1 wyif, p3; rep from * to last 2 sts, p2
Row 7 & Row 8: Repeat rows 5 and 6
Row 9 & Row 10: Repeat rows 1 and 2
Row 11: With C, *k1, sl 1 wyib; rep from* to last st, k1
Row 12: With C, k1, sl 1 wyif, p1, *[sl 1 wyif, k1] twice, sl 1 wyif, p1: rep from * to last 2 sts,
                sl 1 wyif, k1
Row 13: With A, k2, *sl 1 wyib, k5; rep from * to last 3 sts, sl 1 wyib, k2
Row 14:  With A, p2, sl 1 wyif, *p5, sl 1 wyif; rep from* to last 2 sts, p2
Row 15 and Row 16: Rep rows 13 and 14
Repeat rows 1-16 until piece measures 10" from beginning and end with Row 8 or Row 16
** Just make sure your block ends up being about the same size as the other 3 blocks you've made already**~ if you're doing the project with us!

See?! I've already started. Too bad this yarn is that 'crunchy' stuff.... needs to go into the washer!

Which btw is an experiment in the works and fodder for more posts!