Slightly Broken...

There hasn't been a whole lot of knitting at Chez Hedgehog of late due to a string of being slightly broken.  Nothing is seriously wrong, but I've had some aches and pains that don't seem to be caused by knitting but are being aggravated by knitting. First it was some shoulder issues of unknown origin, with a dull/sharp ache that lasted a couple of weeks.  And then last night I managed to jam my right hand pinky (a.k.a. the finger I use to tension yarn)  so it's puffy and sore today and promises to be uncomfortable for a few more days. 

I'm carrying the same pair of socks around that I've been working on for the past month, the Windsor blue ones. I'm working on the heel flap for sock 2, which I know is dreadfully exciting. The navy blue socks sit in a Piddleloop bag on my desk at work, wistfully hoping to be worked on again some day. Of course, that would mean needing to buy yet another set of size 0 dpns. Mine are all still missing. I have an entire cuff before I need to get to that though so I don't really have an excuse. 

I did make my first big knitting splurge for 2012 last night. I keep a running total as part of my checkbook spreadsheet tracking how much I've spent on yarn and yarn related type things. There's been a fair amount of wool investment over here in the past five years. It'd be nice if there was some kind of tax break on crafting materials but as yet, there is not. 

Usually when I say splurge, it involves me, a yarn store, and too many wool fumes. This time it was a fairly orderly plan and an IKEA shopping cart. 

The Philosopher would like my yarn out of the giant bins that it currently resides in. He argues, rightly, that it's not visible nor particularly attractive to be stored in that fashion. Also, he dislikes having a huge pile of underbed tupperware stacked up in the livingroom.  

Unfortunately, I can't use open storage. If I still only had Gypsy, that might be an option, but Pyewacket is a yarn thief. Yesterday I found a skein in the bedroom that should have been at the bottom of  a bag that is in the livingroom, underneath a few other things in said bag. She doesn't tend to destroy skeins, just carry them around. Still, I'd rather not have to play 52 skein pick up/dust/wind/clean every evening, so my solutions will have to be covered and sealed.  

Enter IKEA tubbery. 

Yes, I'll admit I have a love affair with storage containers. At my first post-college job, I was a receptionist for financial planners. We had a horrendously messy supply closet. After being granted some miscellaneous expenses funding, I stocked up on tubs at Walmart and spent a blissful Friday afternoon hauling everything out, sorting, and labeling EVERYTHING.  I remember one of the accountants popping in a few times, first out of concern, then out of interest, then later hoping that she could take me home to organizer her house. But come Monday, there was not question whether or not we had Post-It Notes, pens, staples, etc.  When they moved offices about a year after I left, I'm told that moving office supplies was the easiest part.  

We bought twenty small clear tubs, four medium sized tubs, and two shelving units. (Yes, this means I now technically own 9 bookcases.) Because of how long it takes to drive out there, my commute, and the 40 minutes it took us to wander around and find everything we needed, we were one of those people checking out three minutes before they closed. Fortunately, when you only have to scan one item and count it 20 times, rather than 20 different items, check out goes a little faster. 

I'm hoping to get the yarn sorted into it's new home tonight. The old tubs are going to be our storage tubs, so they'll be pressed into service elsewhere almost immediately.  

Pictures to follow!