Favorite Things...

Everybody has a few favorite things...those things we treasure and hold on to, choose to use over something else, and simply do not want to share with anyone, for fear something dreadful may happen to it. At work, I have a most favorite pen, just a simple pen, but it writes very smoothly, and has a fine point. It doesn't leave my finger's all ink-y, and has one of thos cushiony doo-hinkies to make it more comfy on my finger. I don't share this pen with anyone...I have a couple share-worthy pens with gawdy rubber bands around them and no caps to prevent them from being swiped off my desk and tucked into a purse or pocket.

I also have a favorite cup to drink from, its an insulated cup with straw and keeps my water cold for a couple hours. I'm thinking of crocheting a snuggy for it, just to give it a touch of personality.

In my kitchen, I have a couple favorite utensils - my wooden spoon and my metal spatula. My favorite frying pan is cast iron and I use it for most all my cooking. I have different sizes, and treasure all of them the same. Most are several years old, ones my mom used when I was a kid. I don't allow anyone else to clean them...they require special cleaning that does not use soap.

For my crochet, my most favorite thing is my Jimbo crochet hook. I also have a couple Turn-of-the-Century hooks I really like, but my most favorite is my Jimbo. Its an I in size, and is very comfy to hold and work with. The TOC hooks I have are G & H in size. Tied with my Jimbo Hook is my Yarn Winder.  
My crochet cave is one end of our reclining love seat, and is right next to a built in book shelf. I am hoping to budget in later this spring a new Jimbo hook in a size L or M for a 2-strand flannelghan I'd like to make. I don't think I could pull it off with a 
metal hook I have in my not-so-favorites collection. They are all just too heavy.

So, what are your most favorite things??

Yarnies


Whats a yarnie you ask?? I'm a yarnie.  Its very simple....I like yarn.  Doesn't matter the textures, the colors, the fiber, the thickness, or even the quantity.  I just like it all.   It doesn't really matter to me where it comes from, all sources are good ones:  a specialty yarn shop (aka LYS, Local Yarn Shop), a craft store, a general store, an online shop such, a yarn weaver, a thrift shop, a yard sale, a basket at mom's house, or even the mail box.  In fact, the mail box is my most favorite place to find yarn because there, it's usually gifted, swapped, or RAOK'd from another yarnie.  (RAOK'd = Random Act Of Kindness) 
Us Yarnies are a community of people all our own...other people just don't get it.  We are the ones found lurking in the yarn section of any given store with even the smallest of yarn inventory; touching it, feeling it, looking at it with dreamy eyes, wondering what it could possible become once you've purchased it.  And yes, we need what's also known as a yarn fix. Sometimes you can get your yarn fix by doing any one or more of the above things, but sometimes more extreme measures are taken for more severe fixes...that only a yarn purchase can cure.  Yarn fixes can come on you in a blink of an eye....did you see a scarf made with soft-as-silk fiber, or in a color you just have to have added to your stash? Maybe you have a project and need special yarn to make it, or maybe, for no real reason at all, you just have to get some yarn to get your creative mo-jo going.  Or maybe, just maybe, you have stumbled upon a yarn sale that you just can't pass up.  Whatever the reason, yarn fixes are hard to resist. 
Lets back up...What's a stash you say??  Well, I haven't met a yarnie yet who doesn't have a yarn stash - anything from a basket or bag, to a hidden box, to a closet or even a whole room filled with yarn that's not being used, but patiently waiting to be picked for something beautiful to be created from it. Stash usually consists of new yarns, partly used yarns, and barely any left yarns.  My stash, by the way, is in several places: the attic tucked away in a cubby hole, under the window seat bench, a basket full sits on the enclosed porch, and in 2 under bed boxes in one bedroom, and in 1 under bed box in our bedroom.  And that doesn't count the yarns that are with my WIPs baskets. (Work In Progress) 
Yarnies are usually a creative people.  We crochet, knit, braid, and embellish with our yarn.  There is a whole blog-land of people that do creative things with their yarn.  There's even one website dedicated to organizing yourself with yarn - projects, stash, patterns, and there's oodles and oodles of groups you can join to talk about your yarn!!  
Yep, talking about Ravelry.  Which is where I recently found a yarn I was in search of that has been discontinued by the manufacturer.  Its a varigated yarn, and was purchased over 2 years ago from the LYS near me when I lived in Virginia. I had bought it to add to my stash, for a yet-to-be-decided project.  I picked it with other coordinating colors to make an afghan for my Mother In Law. I was able to search other Ravelry users' stash and found 2 skeins of it.  Yipppppppeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Both ladies were kind enough to send me what they had and I was able to find 1 lonely skein at a LYS. (how can anybody leave just 1 skein of yarn on a shelf??)  This gives me plenty of the otherwise unavailable yarn to finish this: 

Its so nice to be in the company of other yarnies...we are a connected group.  If you can't find a particular yarn, somebody, somewhere, has it in their stash, or knows somebody else that does!!  
I have met many yarnies over the past couple years, mostly on the internet, at Crochetville, Ravelry, and in blog land.  I've even stumbled into them (literally!!) in the yarn section of the local craft store. 

Ponderings....
The holidays have been over for a month now, and we now struggle with the day to day hum-drum of cold and gloomy winter, all while waiting patiently for the first signs of spring.  This has been another cold winter, and for some up north a bit from where i am, its been very, well, lets see....white and fluffy!  Its funny to me how we get through each season and phase of the year...we anxiously wait for something and anticipate all the good that will come from it, but then once its here, we don't seem to be satisfied for very long and then start getting anxious for the next season.  Funny how we do that.  


Personal Ponderings....
Usually with each new year, comes thoughts of new ideas, new goals, and improvement from last year...pondering what to do to make this year different than years past.   So far, I've been on the hunt for a better job, to be full-time, and offer benefits. So far, I've been on 2 interviews within 1 week, and sounds hopeful....so please keep your fingers crossed!!  


House Ponderings....
I have also pondered about some projects I want to get done for this new year...but one in particular that is right now, just wasted space....fixing up the basement so it can be use-able space....such as a section for storage, a section for escaping, and maybe a section for exercising.   Yep...i said escaping...kinda like the man cave/woman cave thing.  Wouldn't that just be awesome to have a space where you can just escape and be left to your own creativity??  Hubby is pondering furniture refinishing for a hobby and the basement would be a perfect place for it.  He also has a couple buddies that stop by from time to time, and it would be cool for them to have a place to, well, just be guys. A couple game tables, TV, a couple chairs....well, now, that is a project that will have to take some major pondering so that we do it just right.  


Crochet Ponderings....
I've also been pondering about my crochet projects I've started and patterns I'd like to try.  I'm starting Kylee's blanket over...just not happy with the way its turning out.  I think I will weave in the ends and give it to her for her baby dolls.  I truly love the starburst ripple pattern designed and written by RoseRed.  I am on my 2nd one, which is a gift and I think I'm going to do Kylee's in the same pattern, but with the same bright colors as before.  


Progress on the Yarn Hunt....
The manufacturer has discontinued that color, but there is a yarn shop about an hour away that says she can still get it from the distributor...so we will see.  They had 1 skein left in their stock, and mailed it to me, so that will get me a bit further.  Its still sitting in a bag, patiently waiting.   

Progress...


Just wanted to share the progress of my WIPs for this week.  


The Star Round Ripple...

and Angel's Granny blanket...

I would've gotten at least 3 more rounds done, but...i have to weave in my ends because they were driving me batty, just hanging in there.  Thats the only downfall to making a granny ghan...there's too much space between the shells to secure the ends when changing colors, so you have to weave them in.  This took way too long for my liking, so I will weave in the ends as I go for the rest of this project!!  

And a newbie for my desk at work...

      

I love the look of bright colored granny squares finished off with black... now to make a pencil caddy...will have a can to crochet a cozie for after dinner tonight!!  


I also got part 1 of a swap gift done for a friend, have another item to make before i send it out.   Can't share the pics with you until she gets it...don't wanna ruin the surprise!!  


I do have a slight dilemma....
The yarn I'm using for the Star Round Ripple is mostly from my stash...the white and the varigated is yarn I bought over 2 years ago from a LYS in Onancock, VA.  I only bought 2 skeins of both (total 4) and thought it would be enough to accent.  I have enough to maybe do 2 more rounds in the variagated and 1 more round in the white.  I don't want the completed project to be dominantly burgundy or yellow...so do I try to get more of the varigated or....do i try to match the blues in the varigated and add a few rows of the solid blue?? I checked out Plymouth Yarn's website, and they still make the varigated color.  ( Color #7144 )  
Here's a closeup ... 

Opinions??  

New Year...New Things!!  


Seems I start out every year trying this blog thing, and do pretty good until the warmer weather sets in.   Hopefully this year will be a bit different.  


This will be mostly an online album of projects I've got going on and ideas for more projects.  


Over the past couple months, I've become more active on Ravelry, and I've been visiting other blogs.  Check out the list of really creative people doing really creative things with yarn, thread, and fabric.  


Stop in from time to time...can't promise I'll have new posts every time, but I'll try.   


Here's whats on the hooks so far:  

A star ripple designed by RoseRed (for sale in her Etsy Shop)

This is for my Mother-In-Law and is done in Plymouth Encore (white and varigated) and RHSS in cornflower.  Will also be adding Vanna's Choice in dark red.

This is for my step-daughter Kylee, and has proven to be a challenging pattern.  It will be a lap-size afghan when its completed.  

This is the lap-size afghan for Angel, the oldest of my 3 step-daughters.  I will continue the granny stitch in the purples, aqua, cream, and lime green colors until it's large enough.  

And this is for Kaitlyn, the middle step-daughter.  The other 2 like the funky bright colors, Kaitlyn is more her own person with the colors she chose!  Its actually coming along much nicer looking than I anticipated.  I really like the effect the varigated black/gray/white gives it.  Brings some excitement to it!!  

~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~   ~ ~ ~ 

I'm also working on a cowl hoodie for my mom.  She is a very tiny woman with health issues, and really can not take the cold at all when she needs to go out and about.  I'm doing it in Loops & Threads Impeccable, color is "true blue", sorta a dusty light blue color.  Just doing it in DC so far...may get bored and throw in the X DC stitch or add some of a contrasting varigated I have a partial skein of in blues and green blended together.  I re-arranged my desk at work and its in need of some yarn therapy, so I'm itching to make a granny square tissue box cover and a pen/pencil caddy to warm it up some.  Hopefully will get those done this weekend.  I'll post pictures when I get them done.  

I have so much on my "want to do" list...today I made magic yarn balls out of scrap yarn and "not such great colors" yarn I had in my stash.  I want to make a scrap round ripple like Debi Y .  Here's what I have from my scrap balls...

Both light and dark sage greens, pinks, purples, dark red, white, navy, mustardy yellow, and brown, all wound into big cakes.  I think it will be fun just watching how it all stitches together!!