Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Unpacking the Stash

I'm going through the stash. Some friendly neighborhood clothes moths paid a visit to a couple pair of handknit socks that had been left out over the summer and I want to salad toss everything, vacuum, and make sure that further damage isn't afoot.*

Usually I try to go through the stash a couple of times a year. It's good to sort out yarn that I am no longer interested in, remember what I have, get back in touch with my yarn and spark a ridiculous amount of creative inspiration. I knew it had been a while but apparently full yarn-amnesia has set in. As I opened up bins I kept commenting "what's that? I don't remember buying that." Ravelry helps but I'm finding things that aren't in Ravelry, which means they snuck in here without even that documentation.

Somewhere around mid-July I was staring at the stash on it's many shelves in the living room and all I could think was that perhaps I should just clear it all out. Try again with some new yarn if something particularly inspired me but stop carrying around stash. That this thought occurred was slightly troubling, but also a sign of how overwhelmed I was feeling about the rest of life. It also suggested a need to go through and lighten.

Currently I am going through a Use-the-Yarn-You-Own phase. I get these a lot, most often after I've tossed the stash, so that seems perfectly normal and appropriate. As I handle, vacuum, examine, and re-sort the stash ideas trickle in. That would make a nice hat; these two skeins would make a nice shawl.


I am, of course, trying to finish up some gift knitting and then there's Loopy Academy for the Junior Year Fall Semester and Christmas knitting. So my plans are likely to be slightly delayed as I try and get through all of that. But making sure that knitting is a commute priority (the various games I play on my phone will have to take a pause) should help. And the cool weather outside is inspiring as well. 

Have you tossed your stash lately? 



*Handknit socks; afoot. Yes, I crack me up too.

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Delights at Every Turn

It was recently a birthday at Chez Hedgehog. One of the quieter years for me: AudioGirl and I met up for a mutual birthday meal; the Philosopher and I went to a very nice dinner on the actual day; and then the Incredibly Patient Mother came up last weekend and we ate and drank our way around Chicago: Dim Sum down in Chinatown followed by my first trip to our Cider Pub--Northman! The past year has been challenging in terms of work, personal goals, some health things, etc. and I wasn't up for any kind of big celebration. Time with my boyfriend, mother, and one of my longest friends was exactly what I needed. 

And there have been a few lovely additions to the knitting accouterments from my birthday...


Apparently if one has a sibling who knits and loves hedgehogs, you find her this. It's a lovely felted knitting bag from Sibling-the-Younger and has an aborable little cat pin. I've already got plans to haul it around and see how many comments I get on it! I think he picked it up at Maryland Sheep and Wool-- but it's definitely from Frabjous Fibers. 

Tucked inside were a novel set of knitting needles. I think they are porcupine quills?

I have absolutely no idea what I'll make with them, they appear to be a size 8 or 9 US and very flexible. These might need to be stay-at-home needles, I'd worry about losing one while traveling or sitting on them accidentally on the train. (That happens more than I'd like to admit, no puncture wounds yet but I do have a current tetanus shot!) 

Fortunately, Sibling-the-Elder sent along some knitting books from which I can extract some patterns. She got me Amy Herzog's newest: You Can Knit That; Modern Baby Knits; and the Knowledgeable Knitter. Scheming will abound with my stash. 

And AudioGirl knows me too well. We met up for dinner at Knit1, a yarn store in Chicago that I'd not made it to yet. I'll definitely go back though, they were lovely and the selection was delicious.  As I picked up my X-teenth skein of rainbow yarn, she interjected that perhaps I should peek at part of my birthday gift before pulling out my credit card: 


Isn't it fabulous? It's Knitted Wit yarn that she picked up on her travels. It's gloriously bright and is certain to knit up super quickly as I go "Oh, look, it'll be green in five more stitches." I've already started going through the Ravelry queue. 

And finally, I was on a delivery mission for my friend Catherine and she also sent me this lovely little magnet! 



I feel amazingly understood, loved, and known by my friends and family. I appreciate it more than I can say! 



A Redo

 I started this pair of socks on New Years Eve just before 2020. I finished them in May 2020 , amidst a lot of optimism about what I'd a...