Archives for "Yarn Stash AKA Love"
Handspun Happiness Courtesy of Amanda!
OMFG!!!! I finally got Amanda’s (@jbee42) handspun! There was a postal strike here so I had to wait a little longer but it was SOOOO worth it!!!! The second I opened the package and out spilled the most squishy beautiful red yarn… well… I squealed loud enough to startle the little one :)
I immediately grabbed my camera and took some pics. Man, I still can’t believe that Amanda just decided to send me some of her handspun. I seriously don’t know how to thank her. Honestly. I’m so taken aback by her insane generosity and kindness that all I can think of doing is paying it forward. That however will be a separate post because now… my friends… let’s oogle and awe over how awesome this handspun is :)
Isn’t it just delicious??????? Now… what to make with it… hmmmmm :)
TweetHow I Plan To Bust My Stash
Ladies and Gentlemen… my stash:
Now, I know it may not seem like a lot to many people… But to me, little old me who lives in a tiny little bungalow with zero room… It’s a lot of yarn. My little shopping spree at Michaels really put my stash over the edge for me in terms of “holy crap, I have no more room!”. I’m at the point where I will have to buy furniture to hold my yarn. There isn’t anything wrong with that by the way. I just have a hard time justifying buying new “make do” furniture. I know that we’re not going to stay here forever and I REALLY want to buy nice furniture when I can really have a craft room. Not a “well, for now this can be your office, but if we have a baby, it’s gonna be the baby room” room. I just can’t get comfortable in my “office”. That’s why I haven’t put any pictures up or personalized past painting it.
Also, it’s getting really hard to come up with “excuses” as to why I NEED more yarn. I’m not one to hide my purchases from the Hubby, so because of that… I get the “are you kidding me? Don’t you have yarn JUST like that already?!” I don’t usually argue back. Because really, to him… yarn is yarn. He doesn’t understand that feeling you get when you walk into a yarn store and you lock eyes with that one skein of the most perfect blue in the most softest merino ever. He doesn’t understand that to me, yarn is my drug. And you know what… that’s ok. He knows that knitting makes me happy, but at the same time, I can understand his frustration when all he sees are little piles of yarn all over the house.
So… the stash busting. I am officially on a yarn diet, but I have “allowances” :)
- I’m totally allowed to purchase SOCK yarn for the 12 Socks Challenge
- I’m allowed to purchase yarn for gift making if I REALLY dont have something in my stash that “will do”
- I’m allowed to purchase yarn if it’s a ridiculously awesome deal, because then I can play the “I’m saving money” card :)
Now, I have some steps/guidelines for myself so that I can bust through the stash quickly and reach my end goal which is… well, buying more yarn! lol
- Catalogue all your yarn on Ravelry – Done! My Stash on Ravelry
- Pick projects that will use up the bulkier yarn that you have multiple skeins of
- Don’t get overly ambitious with projects. Speed is of the essence!
- If you can’t find something to make for yourself with stash yarn, then think of making something for someone else as a gift or to donate to charity.
- Have fun!!!!
I think that I’ll be able to bust through my stash pretty quickly. I do have my sister’s bday as well as xmas coming up, so I’ll have to be smart about it. My goal is to have 70-90% of my stash knit up by my birthday at the end of October. Cause we all know what I’m gonna ask for right?! :)
My first stash busting project is this shrug using my Stitch Nation Full O’Sheep in black. Originally I wanted to make a Vinelle cardigan but I didnt like how the yarn was knitting up for a cardigan.

Free pattern on Lion Brand site
From there, I’m not sure what I’m going to make :) but I will for sure be working hard over the next little while trying REALLY hard to exercise my butt off for this yarn diet :)
TweetI’m Officially on a Yarn Diet… I’m Not Kidding
Man oh man… today I got to go and spend my $100 gift card at Michaels. I tried to be smart about it. Instead of going bananas and just grabbing whatever amount of pretty yarn I fell in love with at the time … I decided to buy for specific projects :) So… Here’s the damage and my new projects :) oh and sorry for the crappy pics. iphone + fluorescent lighting = le crap!
I bought 6 skeins of Stitch Nation Full O’ Sheep in black so I can make Vinelle (rav link) – by Kristin Alexandra I can’t wait to start this.
I also bought 4 skeins of the same Stitch Nation yarn so I can make French Press Felted Slippers by Melynda Bernardi (the blue is more of a teal, but again, crappy iphone photos)
I bought some Bernat Satin in purple to make a hat for my friend Anne.
And… I got some Patons Kroy for my next pair of socks for the #12socks challenge on twitter :)
Not bad for $100 bucks huh? mind you, I felt a little raped after seeing the SRP for the Stitch Nation yarn as 4.99USD on her site yet Michaels took $7.99CDN for each ball. I know it’s only $3 roughly mark up… but still :)
NOW…..
Some of my knitting photos on Flickr have been added to a group called Knitting Art. I was extremely flattered to be asked to have my photos added. I was chatting a bit with the creator of the group, Sifis, who is the 3rd generation yarn shop owner in Greece! How cool is that?! Sifis was kind enough to send me some yarn so I could make myself a shawl. Can I just express how incredibly rare it is now a days to see random acts of kindness like that!?!?!? He doesnt know me from a carton of milk, but insisted on sending me some yarn so I could keep knitting. Man… I’m still floored by his kind generosity! I will for sure have to pay it forward!
So, after I got back from Michaels today, I see this on my desk:
I immediately called out for my friend Sue who’s office is conveniently beside mine. We both sat there as I carefully opened the package… once I got the top of the box off… I see this….
Its 6 balls of some extrafine, superwash, %100 merino!!!! Sifis had asked me what color I would like, so I said blue like the greek flag so I could always remember where the yarn came from. Now, there’s WAY more than enough yarn to make a shawl here… so now I’m gonna see if I can make a garment with them. man… today… sure was a yarn-o-holics dream day.
But seriously… the only other yarn that should be entering my house is the batt that Rachel is spinning for me. Other than that… I’m officially on lock down. I’m so gonna need help. lol Actually, to prove that I REALLY don’t need more yarn… I’ll take pics of my ALL my yarn soon. It’s gonna take a while….
TweetIt’s Here! Happiness via mail…
I must admit, I woke up incredibly moody & tired & mildly depressed… Not sure why exactly, but that was me this morning.
I was in a meeting today (luckily a casual one) when the mailroom dude threw a plastic envelope at me. It was like I was watching it come to me in slow motion because right away, I knew what it was…
My order from Rachel aka OnTheRound!!!!!! (insert squeal)
I immediately opened it… carefully taking out my yarn… now, I must admit that I was beyond shocked when what I pulled out was not Rapunzel! So I put my hand back in the envelope, took out a cute pink envelope… and Rapunzel! I was shocked and beyond overjoyed. At first I thought it was a mistake… then I opened the envelope.
Inside was a super awesome chai tea packet (which I love), a hand written thank you note and her business card. Man, what attention to detail! There really isn’t anything like opening a hand written thank you note.
It ends up she sent me an prezzie skein so I could knit something for the hubby so the wrath of me spending more money and buying more yarn wouldnt be as… well… wrathy! lol Just the thought of that sent warm fuzzy feelings down to my toes.
It’s stuff like that (which she mentioned may be part of her plot lol) that makes me want to continue buying yarn from her! So yes, Rachel, it worked!! :)
I’m so beyond grateful and so is hubby. He’s really looking forward to a new hat… mind you, it may not make to his head as I may steal keep it for myself :) The colors are soooo pretty!!!!
Rachel… If you’re reading this… thank you so much for making my day so much better… the package really could not have come at a better time. I’ll be riding this high for a few days … I’m sure of it :)
And now… the pics :) – I tried to emulate my opening process from the office lol!
So, I now sit (well, sat as I’m now posting this much later) in my sun porch with the yummiest cup o’ tea in my fave monster mug… working on mom’s cardigan with the biggest smile on my face. THANK YOU RACHEL!!!!
Please do visit On The Round on Facebook, Twitter and Etsy :)
TweetI Really Must Stop – Confessions of a Yarn-O-Holic
This problem of mine that I call “temptation” got a strong hold on me this morning. You should have seen it! I’ve been wrestling it for days now, but today it found my weak spot and tussled me around like a rag doll. What happened you ask?
I bought more yarn.
EEEK. I’m seriously running out of room and I really need to give my wallet a break. I’m obviously failing at my “finish a project then buy more yarn” goal/rule I’ve inflicted upon myself. I really couldn’t resist though!! But… this… has to be the end of my “just cause I like it” shopping bonanza. The only yarn I shall purchase (until I get my stash to about half) is for gifts.
BUT… let me show you what I bought. I’ve been eyeing this beautiful gold and blue sock yarn from Rachel Jones ever since she announced her 20% off sale. Her stuff rules by the way… you should check out her shop on Etsy.
I kept looking at it… and hitting buy… then closing my browser… then looking again… I was a mess.
This morning I woke up to one of her tweets reminding me (yes, in my mind, she was reminding me personally lol!) to check out the sale. There was one skein of sock yarn left. It was “my” skein. At this moment I started sweating, pondering, pacing… It was only 14 USD.. but it was still money that I should not be spending, especially since I JUST bought myself some Malabrigo. eek.
I kept repeating “It’s one of a kind… you’ll never find it again… you only live once” over and over. And before I knew it…. I bought it.
A calm fell over me… I knew that it was mine all mine! I’m so beyond excited to get it and I’m thinking that I will make myself the Little Arrow Head shawl.
So, ladies & gents… say hello to my latest addition to my overflowing stash… Rapunzel by Rachel Jones:
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