Finally!

I finally got rid of my Filatura di Crosa 501! Yesterday I drove to the post office with my first red scarf, most of my second sewn together, and the last square about 3/4 of the way done. The kids were really good while I sat there and finished knitting and sewing my second Red Scarf in the car at the post office! I mailed both off Priority Mail so hopefully they’ll make it there by the Jan. 31 deadline.

No more 501, and very little Jaeger Baby Merino. Yeah!

Today I brought out my Second Sock Syndrome sock, finished the decreases, and realized it was 2 inches too small! Oops! So I frogged back the decreases, and I’m working on it again.

Next up in the stash documentation, 5 skeins Schachenmayr Catania Color and 4 skeins Schachenmayr Catania.

I must have bought 10 total but I can only find 9. Stash accounted for:39 skeins.

More secrets revealed …

… or, “I just saw ‘Heat’”. One of the jokes my favorite comedian, Jim Gaffigan does is all about seeing a movie way after everyone else and wanting to talk about it then!

Well last night I started on my long TiVo list, which includes our HBO shows and movies as well. I finally got to see “Pride and Prejudice” with Kiera Knightley and it was so good! I think I may have seen an earlier version (I used to have the coolest job in Virginia – I was the audio-visual cataloger for a community college system. I had my own office, my own TV/VCR combo and just randomly threw in videos while I was working. I wish I hadn’t had to move or I would still be there.) but this one was really well done. I don’t know if I thought the actors were amazing or anything, but the camera work was great. I loved the way they focused on their hands all the time. I really enjoyed it.

While I was watching “Pride and Prejudice” I got two more squares done, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish the red scarf in time to mail it today. It’s due by Jan. 31st and I was going to mail it today, so I’m not sure what to do.

In the meantime, I have joined the Yarn Focus Challenge’s Secret Pal, so here are my questions and answers for that:

1. What type of yarn do you knit with most often? soft wool
2. Is there any type of yarn that you would love to try but haven’t yet, such as bamboo, banana fiber (seriously they make it – although I’ve yet to see it in person). Any new fancy type like those you mentioned.
3. In your opinion what is a luxury yarn? Cashmere, angora, alpaca
4. Is there any type of yarn or fiber content you dislike or would prefer not to receive? I don’t like anything too acrylic-y but other that that, no.
5. What type of garments do you most often knit? Sweaters (or at least I start them!)
6. What types of knitting books do you enjoy? Pattern books and magazines.
7. What is a color you like but rarely or never buy yourself? green or purple (not pastels, though)
8. If you were pregnant and had to name your baby a fiber, what would her/his name be? Silk.
9. Do you spin? No.
10. What is one fiber you’ve never spun? N/A
11. If someone in your family or a best friend had to describe you in one word, what would it be? Opinionated.
12. Please tell us one odd thing about you. I like things to match.
13. What was your favorite cartoon when you were little. Josie and the Pussycats.
14. Do you have animals? If so, please name them and tell us a little about them. No, except my kids.
15. And last but not least, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Vancouver, Canada, Washington, D.C. or San Francisco, CA

And finally, skein #30 in my ongoing art / stash management project, one skein of Opal sock yarn in a red/black combo.

Degrassi spoiler ahead!

I got into Degrassi last year, not when I was in high school, but I am still hooked. I haven’t been as into it this year, but I still watch it. So I was watching last night’s episode, deciding that I think it would be nice if Liberty and J.T. got back together. To quote my friend Michele: “… And then he died!” Can you believe it? They couldn’t just send him off on a singing tour and get him hooked on cocaine like Craig? I guess they’re not getting the baby back either. It was so depressing, I’m not sure if I want to keep watching.

I had TV time because BR took the older kids to Muir Woods, his old stomping grounds. So for some reason I got motivated to pull out all the stash I have outside of my yarn closet. It’s scary how much there is! I was going to just post one stash photo a day (for approximately the next 400+ days ) but this stuff is kind of small, and it would take forever! So without further ado, my stash outside my yarn closet!

My handdyed yarn, a nice mustard and green color. Unfortunately, I measured it wrong pre-dyeing, and only have 110 yards, rather than the 330 I thought I was getting. As Barbie says “Math is hard!”

More handdyed yarn, also 110 yards. I have no idea what I’m going to do with this.

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock mill ends, because it was “tangled”. I even gave up untangling it.

One of my two colors of Yarn Pirate sock yarn. This one is “Shiver Me Timbers”.

Debbie Bliss Cotton DK black yarn, 10 skeins.

2 of the 3 skeins I have of Wildfoote sock yarn in black

1 skein of red/black Wildfoote sock yarn

1 skein of Rowan DK Marl in licorice. It’s kind of scratchy, so I haven’t found a use for it yet.

10 skeins of Crystal Palace Breeze. This is a very acrylic-feeling yarn that is way too Superman blue for me. I wasn’t happy when I received it, which is probably why it was my last yarn purchase, in late November.

So far I have 29 skeins of yarn documented, which I hope is my yarn that is not in my yarn closet. Of course that doesn’t count WIPs and a bag or two of odds and ends (which includes two full skeins of sock yarn that I’ve frogged a couple of times already). This is definitely making me rethink wanting to buy more yarn anytime soon.

Yarn Focus Challenge

I had a lot of TV/knitting time today since DL had to stay late at school (imagine, school until 5:30 on a Friday!), and you’re not going to believe what I found: more of that *&()($@# Filatura di Crosa 501! Not much, but I swear it’s multiplying.

After finishing my 4 hours of ’80s videos, I watched yesterday’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and really enjoyed it. I still don’t like Meredith, but the other characters are interesting. I’ve started “CSI” (I used to watch it in the middle of its run but they lost me when George was buried alive. This most recent episode sounded interesting so I taped it.) and “The Knights of Prosperity”. I really like that show! Last week was hilarious when they picked Tom Sawyer as their theme song. Unfortunately, the show following, “In Case of Emergency” is horrible. They picked a lot of somewhat well known actors (I guess the “Weekend at Bernie’s” franchise is over, so Jonathan Silverman is free for this stinker), but the show is just lame.

Last week I was lamenting to BR how much I used to enjoy the Food Network and how lame the shows were now. He told me that apparently it is really popular with college students now, and they’re aiming towards that audience. It’s too bad because I remember watching it a lot when I first got cable, but now I rarely watch. This week I taped something that was supposed to be about cookies, and got “Dinner: Impossible”. It was actually entertaining! They give a chef 10 hours to get a wedding catered. I’m not sure it would be the food I would have wanted at my wedding (we had an amazing brunch at ours), but it was a fun show and it kept me on the treadmill for 20 minutes while watching it. Oh, how I miss watching “Korn” (the Japanese artist, not the band) judging on “Iron Chef”.

So while I’m doing all this television watching I am working on all of my stashbusting KALs. I’m currently in 4: The Original Stashbusters; Stashalong; Stash and UFO Bust-along and Rebekah’s Yarn Focus Challenge #2.

I’ve been doing great at stashbusting, but not so great at finishing projects. I had been doing well on my stash sweater, but got stalled on that, and haven’t finished my Sock-ret Pal/Second Sock Syndrome II sock, or the other UFOs I have. In fact, I’m not entirely sure how many I have, but it’s not that many. I think once I finish my red scarf #2 I can move on to the three socks I need to be completed by 2/28, the chemo cap I need by 3/15 and then I can work on my UFOs and sweaters for the Sweater-a-Month KAL.

In an attempt to organize my stash enough to get it smaller, I’ve decided to start focusing on the yarn that I have and taking stock of it. So I’m going to take pictures as I clear out (organize, not knit it up yet) my yarn closet. Here is skein #1 to show you:

Angora Valley Yarn Fly Super Sport in “Hott”, 1 large skein sock yarn.

I also have my Red Scarf #2 project, and accompanying yarn. This includes 1 skein of Jaeger Baby Merino that somewhat matches my Filatura di Crosa 501 yarn. When that project is done I’ll be down approximately 3 skeins of yarn. So here are my running totals:

Stash yarn accounted for: 1 skein

2007 days without buying yarn: 26 (I’m starting Jan 1st, but I haven’t bought yarn since my last fateful Little Knits purchase in late November where I ended up with more yarn I’m not all that fond of.)

The Eighties Revival

How does 4 hours of ’80s videos sound to you? There wasn’t much left on my TiVo except “We Are the ’80s” – four hours worth! And the scary thing is that they were all really good! Even Scritti Politti!

I finished “24″ from Monday. Don’t worry, I won’t give out any more spoilers. (Although I thought I was being a bit cryptic last time.) It was pretty good. As long as they stay off the whole “we just detonated a nuclear bomb and have 4 more” aspect and on the actual characters, I’m fine. When they talk more about world destruction, they lose me. It’s too hard to be entertained by MacGyver working for the government when you’re really worried about the future of the world.

And I also watched “The Class” on Monday. I do enjoy that show. I was a bit more hooked when Sara Gilbert was guest starring, but I still enjoy it. It can be really funny. Last night (watched today) was “Dirt”, which is really entertaining. I love having shows that get me hooked so I can walk on the treadmill while watching them (and sometimes knitting too) and not pay attention to the time. The last show I remember doing that with any regularity was “Buffy” when it ended.
So I did get more knitting done. I’m nearing the end of what I think is my last ball of Filatura di Crosa 501. I have made 5 squares and I’m on the 6th. I am really enjoying this project within a project and the stashbusting prospects. I just may end up making squares from the other lone balls of yarn I have just to get them knit up and maybe I’ll turn them into a quilt or something. For now, I’m enjoying garter stitch, increases and decreases.

What, no TV?

Thank God for satellite. I couldn’t stand to watch Bush discuss the founder of the Baby Einstein Company on the State of the Union today. Sure, my kids are addicted to “Little Einsteins” but I’m sure if it weren’t around, it’d be something else.

So I start flipping the channels, and I almost missed “Dirt”! I just love that show. I know it wasn’t that loved by the critics, but I really enjoy it. There is nothing else on tonight.
While I’m busy watching repeats and the “24″ I missed last night (the guy from ER is his *brother*?), I’ll be working on my 501 squares. I’m up to 4 and I suspect I’ll make 5 by the time I run out of yarn. It will be so nice to be done with that endless yarn.

Knitting with Phyllis at work!

So, any other The Office fans out there? I’ve started a knitalong so that we can keep up with all the potholders that Phyllis is knitting with her coworkers at Dunder-Mifflin! If you’re interested in joining, let me know here or at

I’m also working on my endless Filatura di Crosa 501. I found a stock of it today (it doesn’t look like much, but remember I made a sweater and socks already and I’m done with this yarn!) so I’ve been making squares that I’ll either sew together as a scarf or a sweater. We’ll see. 

Silence …

I am finally getting to the most recent Grey’s Anatomy.  What is up with everything being on Thursday these days? And you know The Office will always be priority #1!  Anyway, one of my specialities/interests in my Masters’ program is the use of silence in sound design.  There was a great example of a use of “silence” (there was actually a soundtrack playing, but there was no speaking, so it’s sort of silence but not necessarily in a sound design way, more of a script way, but I digress …) when Christina goes in to see Burke and each of them refuses to speak to the other in order to not give up control in the relationship. I wonder if Kaja Silverman would love this episode?!

I’m still not sure what is going on with the red scarf #2. I will probably keep knitting it, but won’t even try to send it in because it’s really not manly enough for the Red Scarf Project. Before I started knitting with the Schachenmayr Micro, I started a square/entrelac/modular/short row/something with my endless supply of Filatura di Crosa 501. If you recall, I already made my Katrina Rib and my Primary socks out of the 10 skeins I owned of this yarn. It was everywhere, and appeared to be breeding like rabbits! Now, I go to make something else out of it and it’s disappeared! So, I’m making square number two, and we’ll see where it goes. My most recent thought was a sweater-y thing made out of sewn squares (My “Coat of Many Colors” a la Dolly Parton) which will work with the fluctuating collection of this yarn.

Here it goes again …

I’m doing great on my Second Sock Syndrome sock. It’s almost done, I just need to finalize the toe decreases and then I’m done! Of course I need to do my Sock-ret Pal’s socks entirely, but that will be next.

I’m also working on my stash sweater for the <a href=”http://sweateramonthkal.blogspot.com”>Sweater A Month KAL</a>. I hope I can get it done this month! I’m focusing on those two projects so I can get more done. I hope it works!

I’ve been busy with TV as well. Mostly I’ve been watching movies on TV, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a new “The Class” on Monday. I was laughing out loud, so I consider that a great show. I taped “Dirt” and “Boston Legal” last night, but I had to go to bed early because I have an eye infection (no knitting either ) so I’m not up to date on those. I’m sure “Dirt” will at least keep me on my treadmill for 40 min., even if it’s not perfect. Does anyone else think of that OKGo song every time they’re on the treadmill? Okay, it’s just me …

Undone (The Sweater Song)

I’m doing great on my Second Sock Syndrome sock. It’s almost done, I just need to finalize the toe decreases and then I’m done! Of course I need to do my Sock-ret Pal’s socks entirely, but that will be next.

I’m also working on my stash sweater for the Sweater A Month KAL. I hope I can get it done this month! I’m focusing on those two projects so I can get more done. I hope it works!

I’ve been busy with TV as well. Mostly I’ve been watching movies on TV, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a new “The Class” on Monday. I was laughing out loud, so I consider that a great show. I taped “Dirt” and “Boston Legal” last night, but I had to go to bed early because I have an eye infection (no knitting either ) so I’m not up to date on those. I’m sure “Dirt” will at least keep me on my treadmill for 40 min., even if it’s not perfect. Does anyone else think of that OKGo song every time they’re on the treadmill? Okay, it’s just me …