Confessions of a Yarn Hoarder - Day 2

Figuring out how to start and where to start debunking!

I've accepted the fact that I  have yarn. Lots of yarn. Lots of tools, needles and just plain yarn type stuff. *more sighing* I've also accepted the fact that once again I have to make my yarnstoragesystem work better for me. NO! Not as a way to hide the stuff so Big doesn't see it all.... but as a way to make it more manageable and useful to allow my creative being a chance to be free!  Okay, okay...Yes. I brought my OCD out of the closet today!  But seriously, a little organization will make it easier for me to use my stuff and the organization of it will just make all of me happy! Add the extra bonus of hiding it better from Big and it's a WIN-WIN!!
Only problem is that I'm having a very hard time starting this whole debunking and reorganizing the yarnstoragesystem. I'm motivated *how could I not be with the bonus of hiding it from Big?!
I've been spending hours and hours online (Pinterest) looking up ways to make the whole process easier. Ha. Killing time, avoiding the whole situation.... that's the truth. That's the confession; I can't start. I don't know where to start which makes me basically shut down. I'm stuck. I need a quick kick in the pants to get my butt out of this rut and get moving!
So? What do I do.......
head back over to Pinterest and the good ol' Internet! Someone somewhere has obviously been in the same situation as me ~ maybe not with as much stuff as me, but I know they have got to be out there! Research! That's what I'll call the time I've spent online!! *Just another manifestation of a problem... justifying it.  Believe me, I see my own pitfalls here! I'm my own worst enemy and I know the next time I move the bag of yarn, WIP's and whatnot away from the chair in the living room to vacuum... I'll remember why I'm doing this.
So here's where we're going to start..... oh? You didn't know you were going to do this as well? Ha! You most certainly are!!
Today is officially Day 1! Re-organizing and debunking the yarnstoragesystem AND the yarnimplementtoolstoragesystem (yes.. those are all one word) NO MORE talking about it. More action!
I've picked a small place to start; Patterns! Paper patterns more specifically! I'm going to debunk and de-clutter those paper patterns using the following criteria:
1. IF I have an electronic version of the same pattern I will toss it! *recycled and/or gifted of course!
2. IF the paper version is one that I have a WIP attached to, it will go in the bag with the WIP.
3. Any duplicate paper patterns will be tossed.
4. ALL patterns will be placed in the appropriate section of the notebook... i.e. baby, blankets, clothing, etc.
5. The three notebooks of paper patterns currently on the shelf will be condensed into no more than 2. *gotta give me some room for my obvious obsession with these patterns!
6. I will play LOUD music while doing all the above!
7. I'm going to try and work in baby steps. One small project at a time so tomorrow I will address those books.

**I seem to debunk and declutter every year... sort of a Spring cleaning if you will. Today the sun is shining, it's warm outside so I'm opening the windows to get a breath of fresh air in here... which hopefully will inspire me to get on the ball and get this stuff done!

Confession of a Yarn Hoarder

I'm totally defending myself here ~ alright.... I'm making light of the fact that I have a yarn stash. A serious yarn stash. I've defended myself many times by saying things like 'it's not that bad', "I don't have as much as others', but my favorite is "it's under control."
I have yarn and/or yarn tools everywhere! Everywhere! I even have yarn catalogs beside the bathtub!  ~Hey! It's for when I get a chance to take a bubble bath and I want some reading! *do not tell Big that there are order forms inside those catalogs!  There is yarn in the bedroom ~ where I'm sure it isn't supposed to be. I have yarn in the living room and GASP!  I found some in the kitchen this morning! I laughed right out loud when  I opened up the cupboard and found this.....
How funny is that!  How amusing to find a lovely little blue yarn ball peaking out of a coffee cup?   Honestly,  I have no idea how that got there! Truly I don't.  Last time I saw it it was sitting on the computer desk waiting to be test knit into fingerless mitts. AND why oh why was it in my coffee mug? Hmm... I'm thinking that Boy must have moved it because it was obstructing his computer screen view. It's seriously funny to find yarn hidden in the cupboard!  Which totally makes me wonder..... do I have a yarn problem and I'm just afraid to admit it? Yikes. Probably.  Big certainly thinks I have one every time I drag him to the yarn shop!  Boy Wonder definitely does, he periodically bans me from storing yarn in the living room because he's usually the one getting yelled at for moving it!
I don't know. I thought it was all under control, the yarn was organized, stored away (out of Big's prying eyesight anyway!) and I don't have too much.  Seriously! I must not have too much because I just had to buy some the other day!! Shh.. don't tell!
I've talked about this before HERE and again HERE and that's just in the last few months. So... I think we can safely jump to the conclusion that I have might have a problem.  Which then we may safely jump to the question... whatcha gonna do about it? Well....
ORGANIZE IT of course! Ha-ha! I seriously think that had I said the words... purge some of it... I would have had my local friends on my doorstep within the hour! Sorry girls. Not happening yet!
I've decided that today will be the start of the newandimprovedyarnstoragesystem! Yes. Please read that as all one word! Over the next couple of weeks I will be organizing, re-organizing the yarnstoragesystem to make it more efficient and dreamy! Stay tuned!  This of course means that there will be yarn everywhere and I may be in trouble with Big and the Boy. They are going to have to see the complete stash. Sigh. It's a necessary evil I'm afraid. Big will be made aware of the extent of the yarn stash. My yarn budget may be taken away, BUT.... if this works he will never see it out in the open again AND it will be much easier to shop the stash!! AND the best of all... if Big doesn't see it.... he won't mind so much next time we go to the yarn shop???
Keep your fingers crossed that this works!!
oh... did I admit the true reason for doing this? I think I did... I'm totally doing this to make it all more manageable and accessible!

Sticking to my Resolution(s)

Remember when I said that my New Year Resolution was to shop my own stash first?  To see what I had in the yarn condo PRIOR to purchasing anything new for a project?  Yeah? Well..... I DID IT!!  I stuck it to my New Year Resolution!!  Not only once!  But twice!!
I've done it twice in the past two weeks! Go me! *I did however purchase a skein of yarn for a project ONLY after starting said project with one yarn and deciding I didn't like it... that counts, right?
I'm sure it does. It must! It has to!
You decide... look at the top picture... lovely right? Nice orangesicle. Looks warm. Just lovely. Um yeah... now look at the next picture.  Rainbow!  Sparkly!  It's Plymouth Yarns Stiletto.  Much lovelier!  Right?!!   Right!!! AND it's got a better name!
The top mitten was the first in the test knit and I was totally going to make the second mitt... until.... Oh Hello Sparkly, rainbow sock yarn!!  You can't really see the sparkles in it, but if you check it out HERE you can see them a lot better. *NOT where I bought my yarn, but it's the best picture of it*
What was I to do? Of course I was going to stick with the orangesicle color and finish that pair, but oh how I had to have a pair made out of the Stiletto! I like it so much I might even make  socks out of this lovely stuff!
I gotta give it to me on this one.  I did stash shop first!  I did!! I know, I know, not exactly what I meant, but... how about I make it up by making a pair of fingerless mitts for Boy Wonder ~ totally from the stash?

I started these today! An easy peasy pair of fingerless mitts for the boy made COMPLETELY from the stash! Some Cascade 220 Superwash (black) and some Berocco Comfort (red). He likes this one and is giving me the stink eye so I'll get off the computer and complete the second one!!  So looks like another total win for ME!!

Starting Toe-Up Socks

I've been trying to convince a friend to turn her current sock obsession into two at a time, toe up socks and today she asked for help! Yay! My skills of persuasion or maybe my incessant babbling about it? Either way (insert evil laughter) now she's sucked her in! Bahaha! She's going to try it today and I have a feeling she's going to be hooked!!  I've even managed to draw Big into the project ~ he had to help me with a quick video this morning to show TW how to get started!

Big's 1st Pair *before sewing in ends!

When I was home this summer (Michigan!!) I spent time with my favorite Aunt Gaily (she's the bestest) and she has been after me for quite a while to try making socks, but I pretty much tried to ignored her because I've always thought socks were a pain! I mean really! Spend hours on making one sock and then have to do it again? Pffft.. not happening. BUT Aunt Gaily's powers of persuasion coupled with the fact she knows me all too well... I ended up doing it.  I not only did it once, but now I can't quit!! My family is rockin' their socks!! Or? I'm rockin' their socks? Either way,  Two at Once, Toe Up, Magic Loop Socks is the only way I'm making socks from now on! Not only can I make two at once (duh! Read the title huh?), they fit so perfectly! AND it becomes a project with the recipient of the socks because I can't make them without said recipient being somewhere nearby! Ha Ha! Now neither Big nor Boy can give me crap about bringing knitting with me (wherever we go) because I'm usually making socks for one of them! Go Me!!
The pattern is pretty easy to follow - once you've done it, but if you do what it says exactly it works out okay! There are a couple of parts in it that are a bit trying and you may need to just see it. That's why I had Big help me this morning ~ we needed a quick video to help TW get on her way! I also needed a blog post so I'm putting it here for all to see as well!
**excuse the poor video - I've got to train Big to do these as well as the Boy :) 
I'm not knocking any other way to cast on - especially Judy's Magic Cast-On because she really does rock! AND her cast on is really cool, but the way my Aunt G showed me and how this particular pattern says to do it... well... it's a lot easier for me!

Hope this helps! AND you don't get too obsessed with sock making!

*high-lighted text is a link*

Learnin' Something New

How to incorporate a lesson for the home school kid AND a little knitting time for mom? Hmm... how about a new cast-on!
Said kid was sitting at the table, working on an assignment and I was at the computer typing in 'stretchy cast-on' when I noticed kid peeking at what I was doing. I reminded him to get working and I just kept at it too. When he heard my frustrated grunt (probably more like a bad word) he pops up and says.. "Mom! I can show you how to do that." Okay Boy Wonder, go for it. He did try and he ended up grunting like me, way too frustrating. We kept at it for a few minutes but pretty soon we were laughing too hard to accomplish much of anything.
I know, I know,  the kid was all into helping me because it kept me distracted from making him get his language assignment done, but.. sigh... it sure was fun! AND how often do I get a boy to be completely interested in what you're doing?  In my house, that's pretty much a big never.
Boy and I ~ tossing the language assignment aside ~ plugged away some more and came up with a cast-on that seems to be stretchy and is fairly simple. Thank goodness for you tube videos or we might still be goofing of! In the end we decided that we should make our own YouTube video using me and my knitting as the actor and Boy as the director! **If you listen closely you can hear him yawning!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEZa0XsALaA&feature=my_favorites&list=FLoUQdToma8NlIfs9MjYVp9g

Warning! It isn't a wonderful video and I leave a few things out.. like when I'm saying... "you wrap IT around.." Wrap what? Sorry.. you wrap the working yarn around. I had a limited time budget with this video ~ Boy Wonder was ready to go back to his work after boring ol' knitting!

New Year Resolution(s)

Now that Christmas is over and all the racing around finishing up of things is over... it's time to start it all over again!! Oh boy, oh boy!! No... I'm not really doing a happy dance ~ just trying to figure it all out so next year I'm not rapidly trying to finish up seventeen bazillion things all at once!
I've often thought and tried (not that hard obviously) to get started on Christmas projects right after the holidays. Right during that lull in January which lasts through the end of winter and uh oh... oh no~ somehow it's Fall once again and I haven't gotten much (if anything done). Now the crunch time starts all over again and it really is time to start thinking about what to make the family for Christmas. *Sigh*  No matter what my intentions are, it never seems that I have enough follow through to get me ahead of the game.  I make resolutions. I do. I try to follow them ~ Hey! I even write them down on paper so I won't forget.... now what did I do with those papers? Geez.......
Everyone around me seems to have their stuff together and never seems to be as frazzled as me at the end of the year ~ how come!? How did they do that? They either fake it really (really) well or they make resolutions at the beginning of the year and STICK TO THEM. Like I said... how do they do that?
Every year I start out the same way. I say I'm going to stick to my resolutions. I make them, I do. Every New Year ~ just like everyone I know!  I plan it all out and I try. I do.  I work really well on them for about a month (sometimes two) but then... pffftt. They're gone. Like a puff of smoke ~ gone.
So why should this year be any different? Because it ends with a 3?   How about just BECAUSE. My kid loves that one, let's try that... Just  B E C A U S E.
Better yet, how about because I want to.   Really. I want to be ahead of the yarn game and have all my stuff in a group.  I want to make things for my family that I know they will love AND not have to run around like a reindeer at the very last minute trying to make things!
How about I start simple? Yeah... that might be a good idea! Why not start with a resolution that isn't impossible to keep... I mean c'mon. I can't possibly start knitting up things for the family for next year now can I? What if the GIL's favorite colors change? What size is the Grand going to be anyway? Do my parents really need seventeen (or thirty) more hand knitted dishtowels and washcloths? Probably not a good idea to make a resolution I couldn't possibly keep. Right?
I think I shall start small. I could even start right here and right now.  I'm going to try... I really will....  Here goes...
a good resolution for me to make and that will have even a small hope of being kept......
I will (try?) shop in my own yarn stuff first!  I will try my hardest to not immediately head off to the yarn store for inspiration~ I'm pretty sure I could find some in all the yarn I have at my house.
What do you think? A good one huh?   I think I might be able to keep it AND an even bigger score here... I'm thinking Big will agree!!  I think he would totally agree with shopping the yarn stash first!
 Let's start with that then ~ a resolution that will (maybe?) stick. I'm not even going to write this one down! In fact.. I'm going to implement it right now! I'm thinking of another pair of socks to make, this time with some sort of pattern on them so I better get heading off to the yarn condo to find just the right yarn!
*IF I look there first and I don't find something I like.... that means I get to go to the store, right? Right?  This may be harder than I think........

Christmas is Complete

Merry Christmas Everyone!! This little guy was more happy with the wrapping paper and eating it than anything else! I made him the bat-hat (pictured below) but obviously it's too big. Oh well... he'll grow! In the meantime it looks like it works pretty well for his dad.

Jax's dad wearing the bat-hat! This is all pretty funny because the hat I made for my son (Jax's dad) didn't really fit him so it went to my brother, and the hat I made for Jax didn't fit him so it went to his dad. Follow all that? Ha-ha! All it means is that I now have to make one more hat for my son so he doesn't wear out the bat-hat!

The Capitan hat I made for GIL 2 (granddaughter in-law #2) sure looks cute on her! I whipped up her mitts while driving from Detroit to home so they  took less than 4 hours to make! I like using bulky yarns and big needles!

I made the Shatki hat in this lovely pink for the DIL! Aren't the girls cuuuuute? I think so!

 

Even the teenager GIL seems to like her hat! This is the Shroom hat pattern I found over at knitty.com
 

Judging by these pictures I think my Christmas projects were a huge success!

 

**if you click on the high-lighted text it will take you to either Ravelry.com or Knitty.com where you can find the patterns **