Stash update

I’m not quite sure how to summarize my 2011 in terms of yarn. I used up a lot, but I also bought a lot. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep track of what I bought, so I don’t know how it stacks up against what I’ve used up. I think it may have gone up, because I did a lot of sock yarn buying. But here’s what I do know:

Used up: 57.30 skeins/8,571.00 yards
Given away: 24.50 skeins/5,157.50 yards

TOTAL GONE: 81.80 skeins/13,728.50 yards!!!

I’m starting 2012 with:

442.1 skeins/98,497.1 yards
OR
55.9642 miles of yarn.

That’s excluding a bag full I put on Ravelry just yesterday.

I better get knitting!

Happy Year to you, 2012!

(That’s me modeling my latest hat. What you aren’t seeing is the back where I crossed one of the cables to the left instead of the right. It looks like a cable that tried to escape. Oops.)

2012. I love when the year turns over. Fresh start, new slate. For some reason, I’m especially loving the fact that 2011 is over. It was a stressful year work wise, but I made it through. Now if I can just get caught up on everything and get organized! Everything else in my life went well in 2011 – the kids are good, my husband is fine. I even did a triathalon with Craig. But still! 2012. A New Year (with a capital N and a capital Y).

I’m going to have simpler goals for 2012 than I did for 2011. And they are….

1. Knit/Craft/Sew from stash. For the entire year.
2. Exercise – I still need to refine this goal, but to be honest, I’d love to lose about 8 pounds.
3. Clear the Clutter – physically AND mentally.

#3 will be the hardest in terms of mental clutter. I’m not quite sure how to do it, but I know this is going to be the year I let things go, etc. etc. In 2011, I made a goal to appreciate the things around me more, and I truly think that I attained that goal. I feel incredibly lucky to have the kids and husband I do. We’re a good family unit. Sure, I gripe about needing to buy new tires for Pablo, new mattresses for us and Lainie, and property taxes (where will all this money come from?!) but I’m so fortunate. Our jobs (knock on wood) haven’t been affected by the recession, except for raises. So, we’ve managed to keep plodding along.

But enough of that gobblety gook! Geez, you’d think I was happy or something.

Middle of the Year Review

Let’s review my lofty and idealistic goals from the beginning of 2011:

1. Cold sheep as much as possible in 2011.  I have a lot of wonderful yarn and I need to knit it up.
2. Keep track of the yarn I use, both in yards and skeins.  I would love to end the year with a substantial decrease in the stash.
3. Buy no new knitting books.
4. Finish my WIP’s, both knitting and otherwise.
5. Post more on this blog!
6. Make more stitchmarkers and post them on etsy.  I do enjoy making them.
7. Keep reading – from stash, and more classics.
8. Go to the gym 3 days a week.
9. Plan dinner menus weekly and continue to try new main dish recipes.
10. Track the progress on my goals on a regular basis.

Of course there are lots more, but this is it for now.  I am looking forward to 2011!

This isn’t a goal, but to remind myself:  this year I want to appreciate what I have and try to be less cynical about the world and the people around me.

1. I continued down the yarn bingeing  buying path until the end of February.  So, I’ve been cold sheep (with the exception of one purchase to make a gift) since late February: 5 months.
2. I’ve been faithfully keeping track of yardage and skeins that leave my stash.  It’s quite motivating!
3. Buy no new knitting books.  FAIL. 
4. I have been working on my long standing WIP’s, both knitting and otherwise.  I am pleased with my progress on this goal.
5. I haven’t touched my stitchmarkers since the day of the Madison Knitter’s Guild event that was held back in February.  FAIL.
6. Reading – I’ve bought less than 5 books the whole year.  Doing good on this goal.
7. Gym?  FAIL. 
8. Dinner Planning?  FAIL.
9. Life observations:  I do appreciate what I have and think about it quite a bit.  As to the cynical bit, the jury is still out…

Oh dear.

It’s almost the end of July and I have not been keeping up with this blog.  I have not been tracking progress on my goals.  I have been knitting, though!  I finished a bunch of projects between May and now.  And I’m finally, finally, working on my Big Sack Sweater.  It’s my oldest WIP, started in 2008.  Ready for a viewing of my latest and greatest?

From top to bottom:

1. Not Noro Scarf
2. Lainie’s cardigan
3. The Almighty Stashbuster Blanket
4. The Ugliest Orange Bag Ever! (For Lainie, if you were wondering) – I even lined it.
5. Blinded by the Fuschia Hat and Scarf (for someone who is getting TOO big)
6. Bibs for my new niece, Kaylie

All of these items were knit with stash!  6/30/11 totals:

• 36.10 skeins used – 5,583.00 yards
• 12.60 skeins given away – 2,469.50 yards

TOTAL:  48.70 skeins - 8,052.50 yards GONE!  I have already surpassed all of 2010′s total.  Now if I can just be productive in the second half of the year, we might see some serious stash bustage.

2011 Stashdown Report

Okay, I know Jim Thome has nothing to do with yarn, or my attempts to lower my stash.  But can you see Mr. Thome’s forearms? Delicious!!  He should still be with the White Sox…

Drum roll please!

YTD:

17.70 skeins/2,897.50 yards knitted

10.10 skeins/2,609 yards given away

TOTAL GONE:  27.80 skeins, 5,506.50 yards!  For someone who only used all of 13 skeins last year, this is progress.  What I haven’t tracked is how much I purchased so far this year.  From January 1 – February 25, I was freely indulging.  Since then, I’ve had 1 purchase, which I netted out by giving away yarn I wasn’t crazy about.  So, I can’t really tell you if I’ve decreased my stash overall, but I’m still feeling GREAT about what I’ve knit.  Onwards!

Redemption

I just finished reading Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying.  What a great book.  I think it will become a classic of African-American literature (if it hasn’t already – it was written in 1993, which seems like just yesterday).  A powerful book, with such simple language.  My faith that there is good, redeeming fiction has been restored.  By the way, I got rid of the last two books.  I skimmed to the end of Not Between Brothers and gave up on Bill Clinton’s book entirely.  I think at this point in my life, I have to concentrate on the most important things in my life and “donate” my time to them – my family.  Raising kids to be good people – hopefully happy and normal – and giving them a stable, loving home has to be my priority.   Spending my time thinking about the things I could be doing to help the world/less fortunate at this point only serves to make me feel like I’m failing.  I am trying to accept that I have limits to my energy – both mentally and physically.  But I digress…

My next book will be a classic!  Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck.  Has anyone read it?  Is it any good?

Knitting is kind of at an impasse right now.  I started two new projects and have lost my mojo to work on either one of them.  Same for stitchmarkers.  Hopefully, a 3 day weekend away from DeKalb will help.  I’m going with Craig and the kids and my 17 year-old nephew to ski up in Wisconsin.  I won’t be skiing (too cold) but I will be hanging out with Lainie at the pool and wherever else we find to go.

Have a great weekend!

My Regia/Opal/German Sock Yarn Addiction

I just spent the better part of an hour searching the internet for Regia sock yarn on sale.  I love that yarn.  It’s scratchy, sturdy…but what am I saying?  I already have enough sock yarn to knit 78 pairs!!!  (BTW, LittleKnits has Aslan Trends sock yarn for under $10.00/skein, mmmm…tempting)

Sigh.  I am obsessed.  Regia on sale.  Opal on clearance.  Good sock yarn at even better prices in the right colorways.

What is your favorite sock yarn to buy/knit/hoard?

P.S. 33 stitchmarker sets made – 67 to go!

Stuck

These two books are kicking my hind end.  They’re not bad books, but I can’t seem to get through them.  The top one is an epic novel in the style of James Michener.  I have no idea why I purchased it. (I bought it years ago) It’s 628 pages of the beginning of Texas (battle between the Anglos and Mexicanos) and then the Anglos and the Nemenah (Comanche) Indians.  So, you’ve got two main characters:  this guy who was born in Louisiana, grows up and goes to Texas, marries a wealthy Mexican woman, and fights/doesn’t fight for the Anglos in their war of independence of Texas (think Sam Houston, Stephen Austin, etc.).  The other main character is this Indian who crosses paths with the other main character, kidnaps his son, scalps a bunch of Anglos, tries to figure out the future for the Comanche (doomed, of course).  Blah blah blah…I’m almost to page 400, and there’s a lot of historic detail, but it’s like mud to wade through.

The other book appeals to my idealistic nature:  a book about what you can do to change the world.  Lots of different ways – through service, money, etc.  By rights it’s a wealth of information (plus a bunch of “my presidential library in Little Rock”, “my Foundation”, and “my office in Harlem” name dropping by the author) but it becomes overwhelming.  Overwhelming because I think a lot of the things people are out there doing is inspirational, but I don’t have the time to volunteer.  My volunteering really has to be for my family at this time.  I want my kids to turn out to be normal, confident, smart, good person.  Is that selfish?

So, what to do?  I made a challenge to read 52 books this year (1 more than last year) and I am mired down with these two.  Maybe I’ll skim both to the end and call it a day. 

I think my next book should be a “classic” (as that was another goal I set for 2011), but will it be enjoyable?  Should reading be about always reading what’s enjoyable?  Or should it be to grow your knowledge and experiences, even if it’s not something you particularly enjoy?

2011 Finished Knitting (so far)

Hi there!  Long time no see.   My husband erased the damn editing software we had for pictures, so I’m trying to upload pictures from flickr.  So far, it’s small!

Now it’s big!

That’s better.

Man, that’s a pretty ugly hat.  It’s a bit big, but he likes it.  Who says 10 year olds have to be fashionable?

This scarf is 100% pure silk.  It was the first time I ever knit with silk.  The blocking was a piece of cake!

So, I’ve been pretty productive for 1.5 months, don’t you think?   I’ve also been buying yarn, or should I say, “enhancing the stash”.  I found sock yarn, people!  I am already on my second pair of socks for the year.  Pictures soon to follow.

I got accepted to be a vendor at the Madison Knitter’s Guild Knit-In on March 19th.  Jess and Casey from Ravelry are going to be the keynote speaker!  I am so excited.  Make sure you click on the link - I am listed as a vendor (stitchcandy).    I just started making more stitch markers – nothing like waiting until the last minute to put you in a rush!  I have 12 sets done…88 more to go!

Ack, children biting at my ankles to get onto the computer…one wants to go to the Liv doll website, the other wants to do minecraft…

2011 Goals

1. Cold sheep as much as possible in 2011.  I have a lot of wonderful yarn and I need to knit it up.
2. Keep track of the yarn I use, both in yards and skeins.  I would love to end the year with a substantial decrease in the stash.
3. Buy no new knitting books.
4. Finish my WIP’s, both knitting and otherwise.
5. Post more on this blog!
6. Make more stitchmarkers and post them on etsy.  I do enjoy making them.
7. Keep reading – from stash, and more classics.
8. Go to the gym 3 days a week.
9. Plan dinner menus weekly and continue to try new main dish recipes.
10. Track the progress on my goals on a regular basis.

Of course there are lots more, but this is it for now.  I am looking forward to 2011!

This isn’t a goal, but to remind myself:  this year I want to appreciate what I have and try to be less cynical about the world and the people around me.

Happy New Year, everyone!