I've been sucked into knitting lately like it's going out of style. I'm casting on multiple projects, joining KALs and buying yarn like I just don't care. It's been fun. My spinning mojo hasn't been quite there but I'm ok with that. I enjoying spinning here and there when I feel like it.
I've had an overwhelming feeling that I need to scale back my commitments a bit. I've promised a few large lace shawls to family members with no deadlines but then I added a few deadlines to other projects so that I can get them done in a reasonable amount of time. I've also been participating in an awesome subscription club through Wooly Wonka Fibers and knitting along with each of the shipments. I'm a slow knitter so that means my stash is just sitting here waiting patiently for me to give it some attention.
I've been in denial about that stash for a while now. Plenty of people have much larger stashes than mine. I have a great place to store my yarn with even room to grow. Problem is that I have a ton of gorgeous yarn and I want to knit it all. I am friends with a few wonderful dyers and my LYS kicks ass with great yarn. I want to make sure that I keep supporting them but at the same time I need to stop feeling so overwhelmed.
Taking a year off and knitting from my stash only is a very real possibility but I don't like being strict with myself. My only splurges in life deal with knitting and spinning, taking those away would just suck. But I think I need to start having a stash project on the needles at all times. Maybe instead of 2 WIPs all the time, it could look like this:
Evening Knitting - complicated or big lace projects
Handspun Knitting - this would help with reducing my handspun stash
Stash Knitting - most likely smaller projects to work on during the day
Overlapping with the Handspun and Stash knitting could be projects that are using my LYS yarn for knit nights and/or social knitting projects. I have no idea where to find the time to get everything done that I would like to avoid going on a stash diet. Maybe I should just limit any new purchases to those that are from my LYS and not sign up for any new subscription clubs. I love the Wooly Wonka clubs so much. I can't decide what I want to do next year. I could sign up for just 4 projects over the course of the year instead of the full 8 but I want to see what she has planned for themes first before making any decisions.
There's always festivals and retreats to content with but I've become a more cautious buyer now that I've attended these for several years now. I've also started matching up patterns quickly as soon as my yarn is entered in Ravelry. Not sure if that is helping me or not but I do enjoy thinking about all the possibilities.
After all this thinking and planning, I'd like to just retire and get started. Oh wait, I still have at least 20 years of work ahead of me . . . so maybe all this stash is just my retirement planning for when I'll be on a fixed income :)
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Monday, December 17, 2012
2013 Planning
I didn't have any big goals ready to go for next year so I had to sit down and brainstorm. I came up with all projects and no techniques to learn. I believe this means I have evolved from a process person to a project person. I'm ok with that.
Events - I'm really looking forward to all of the retreats and festivals next year. Here's my short list of definite ones:
Roc Day, Ithaca, January 12, 2013
Vogue Knitting Live, NYC, January 18-20, 2013
CNY Fiber Frolic, Baldwinsville, April 13, 2013
Yarn Cupboard Retreat, Jamesville, April 19-21, 2013
CNY Fiber Festival, Bouckville, June 8-9, 2013
Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival, Hemlock, September 21-22, 2013
Knitter’s Review Retreat, Canandaigua, November 7-10, 2013
Vogue Knitting Live, NYC, January 18-20, 2013
CNY Fiber Frolic, Baldwinsville, April 13, 2013
Yarn Cupboard Retreat, Jamesville, April 19-21, 2013
CNY Fiber Festival, Bouckville, June 8-9, 2013
Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival, Hemlock, September 21-22, 2013
Knitter’s Review Retreat, Canandaigua, November 7-10, 2013
That's a great list but there are still several on the bubble that I'm still considering:
Stringtopia, April 2013
Squam (NH), June 2013?
Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival, Greenwich, October 5 & 6, 2013
NYS Sheep & Wool Festival, Rhinebeck, October 19-20, 2013
SOAR, 2013, St. Charles, Illinois, October 20-26, 2013
Squam (NH), June 2013?
Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival, Greenwich, October 5 & 6, 2013
NYS Sheep & Wool Festival, Rhinebeck, October 19-20, 2013
SOAR, 2013, St. Charles, Illinois, October 20-26, 2013
Northeast Handspinners Association Open House, New Hampshire, November 2, 2013
Stitches East, Hartford, CT, November 7-10, 2013
Stitches East, Hartford, CT, November 7-10, 2013
Weaving - I finished up my first weaving project of the weekend and have my second one all warped and ready for weaving. I'd like to finish up that second scarf and then make 8 place mats (2 separate warps for 4 place mats each). I have the yarn already and just need to have this finished up before my mother-in-law comes back up north in the spring. Should be fairly easy to do if I work a little each weekend on the loom.
Spinning - I finally have my groove back so these goals were very easy for me to come up with:
- Spin at least 1 project each month for the CNY spin-along challenges.
- Spin up the 2 different fibers (Jagger & Hello Yarn) that I received from the Knitter's Review Retreat stash lounge.
- Get started on the mystery/Finn blend of roving that I got back from Salt City Fiber Mill
- Get started on the corriedale fiber that I asked Dana at Unwind Yarn Company to dye up for me.
Knitting - This was the hardest for me to come up with. I know I definitely want to do these:
- Knit along with the Heroines shawl & accessories clubs. Anne is doing a knit-along and a read-along in her Ravelry group. If you finish a project within 3 months of the shipment & post pictures then you're entered to win a gift card. I just love prizes.
- It took about 2 minutes for me to sign up for Clara Parkes' The Great White Bale project. I have no idea what the yarn will be like or when it will be shipped so it's just crazy. I would like to knit up the yarn when it arrives so that I can provide feedback and participate in the chat area she's got set up. Other than that it's just one big unknown for me next year.
- I have 2 small lace projects (Levada & Swallowtail) that I promised my mother-in-law I'd knit up for her. She purchased them and decided that lace isn't her thing. I'd like to get these done by February when I see her again but April/May would work too if I get swamped.
- Gift yarn projects. I have been given gorgeous yarn and I'd like to finally get some on the needles.
- Yarn Cupboard KALs. These are just fun.
- Stash lounge yarn. If I haven't used it by the time the next retreat arrives it will go back to the stash lounge.
- Color work hat kit for my son
- Lace shawls for my female family members that specified what they would like (mainly kits)
- Baby projects for my BFFs baby-to-be. We should know the baby's sex by the end of this month!
Oh - and I have a family and a full time job. Piece of cake, right? I'm fine with not accomplishing everything. I just need goals in mind so I can easily pick the next project when it's time and not feel overwhelmed. It's going to be a good year!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
2012 Wrap Up
I'm working on my goals for 2013 so I thought it might be best to review the goals I set for this year and see how I did. For 2012 I divided everything up into 3 categories: Buy, Make & Learn.
Buy - This was an easy one. The kits came and I mainly focused on buying spinning fiber and tools. No problem there at all. I shop like a champ!
Make - I didn't do so well with this one. I made the cardigan for my mom and a few Knitspot kits but I didn't make a cardigan for myself. I have been trying to lose weight so I'm waiting until my measurements are stable before attempting a fitted project for myself. I did knit lots and lots of projects this year with almost 14,000 yards according to my knit meter stats. I still have a large wrap on the needles which should be done before the end of the month so that's even more yardage. My best friend is pregnant so I was willingly sidetracked for several baby projects.
Learn - I had quite the list:
I think I almost have a good handle on what my goals will be for next year so stay tuned.
Buy - This was an easy one. The kits came and I mainly focused on buying spinning fiber and tools. No problem there at all. I shop like a champ!
Make - I didn't do so well with this one. I made the cardigan for my mom and a few Knitspot kits but I didn't make a cardigan for myself. I have been trying to lose weight so I'm waiting until my measurements are stable before attempting a fitted project for myself. I did knit lots and lots of projects this year with almost 14,000 yards according to my knit meter stats. I still have a large wrap on the needles which should be done before the end of the month so that's even more yardage. My best friend is pregnant so I was willingly sidetracked for several baby projects.
Learn - I had quite the list:
- Steeking - nope but I have a class at Vogue Live in NYC next month to learn this
- Navajo plying - by far the coolest and most satisfying thing I learned to do this year
- Gradient spinning - nope, not sure I want to do this now
- Alpaca fiber spinning - yes!
- Using a drum carder - nope, don't have the time for this so it will stay in storage
- Woolen spinning - nope but it's still something I want to learn
- Long Draw - Abby Franquemont tried to teach me this quickly and I did practice a little but I need lots more practice.
I think I almost have a good handle on what my goals will be for next year so stay tuned.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Finishing Vacation
I normally take the week off for Thanksgiving with my excuse being that I can have time to gear up for the holidays, get the house together for company and get some projects done. What I actually do is knit or spin like crazy and catch up on my TV shows that started up in the fall. It's one of my favorite vacations of the year.
First up was finishing my shawl from Sivia Harding's class at the Knitter's Review Retreat. It turned out much better than I expected. I second guessed every decision I made but overall I think it will be my most versatile item to wear. It can be a shawl or a scarf or a cowl type thing based on how I feel like wearing it. Here's a couple horrible pictures of me trying to model it:
A close up of the edging body and top border:
Not bad overall. I can see how designers end up spending a ton of time swatching. I could have kept trying ideas over and over again.
Next up was my first hand spun project. Other people have used my hand spun in knitting or weaving projects but I hadn't tried it out yet. Probably my inner perfectionist trying to tell me it wasn't good enough. I grabbed some yarn that I loved and was far from perfect and figured it was time to dive in.
A close up of the bottom edge:
I used a pattern from Ennea Collective called Posies Shawl that is meant to be knit in hand spun. I love that.
Overall I'm extremely happy with what I was able to accomplish. I'm working on a set of color work mittens from my other class at the retreat and they are coming along nicely. With all of this finishing going I might actually have some time to spin although I am getting another weaving lesson tonight so who knows!
First up was finishing my shawl from Sivia Harding's class at the Knitter's Review Retreat. It turned out much better than I expected. I second guessed every decision I made but overall I think it will be my most versatile item to wear. It can be a shawl or a scarf or a cowl type thing based on how I feel like wearing it. Here's a couple horrible pictures of me trying to model it:
A close up of the edging body and top border:
Not bad overall. I can see how designers end up spending a ton of time swatching. I could have kept trying ideas over and over again.
Next up was my first hand spun project. Other people have used my hand spun in knitting or weaving projects but I hadn't tried it out yet. Probably my inner perfectionist trying to tell me it wasn't good enough. I grabbed some yarn that I loved and was far from perfect and figured it was time to dive in.
Overall I'm extremely happy with what I was able to accomplish. I'm working on a set of color work mittens from my other class at the retreat and they are coming along nicely. With all of this finishing going I might actually have some time to spin although I am getting another weaving lesson tonight so who knows!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
2013 Subscription Clubs
Life has calmed down a bit so I'm going to try to blog more. Let's see how long that lasts!
I have 2 clubs that I love and I wanted to share. First up is from Wooly Wonka Fibers. I have loved her Shakespeare in Lace themed clubs for the past 3 or 4 years. Her yarns are outstanding and have so much depth. The patterns introduce me to new designers and I like the different styles. For 2013 the theme is switching to Heroines and I'm all in. There's an accessory club with 2 shipments being socks and the other 2 being shawlettes. The shawl club will have 4 shipments as well. All the details for the club is in a group thread and she has information on the inspiration for each shipment. I signed up for both clubs and hope to participate in the knit alongs and read alongs throughout the year. I am really looking forward to the first shipment and reading the first book!
The second club that I just renewed this morning is from Anne Hanson of KnitSpot. She has 2 clubs that run for 6 months at a time. Fall in Full Color is exactly how it sounds with mainly accessory patterns and gorgeous colors. It runs from August to January. Bare Naked runs from February to July and has a range of patterns with undyed yarns. I did a single dose for the first FIFC then double dose for BNK and back to single again for FIFC 2012. This morning were the early bird sign ups for BNK 2013 and I decided to go pattern only. Overall I enjoyed the colors more than the undyed and I want the chance to use yarn from my stash. I'd also love to spin the yarn for a specific pattern so I'm hoping this will prompt me to do so. I'm going to see how this goes before deciding what to do for FIFC 2013.
I am not planning to sign up for any more yarn or fiber clubs for next year since I have a lot on my To Do list but I will be open to the idea if something wonderful comes around. I wanted to share my favorites because these are the one I will continue to sign up probably for years to come!
I have 2 clubs that I love and I wanted to share. First up is from Wooly Wonka Fibers. I have loved her Shakespeare in Lace themed clubs for the past 3 or 4 years. Her yarns are outstanding and have so much depth. The patterns introduce me to new designers and I like the different styles. For 2013 the theme is switching to Heroines and I'm all in. There's an accessory club with 2 shipments being socks and the other 2 being shawlettes. The shawl club will have 4 shipments as well. All the details for the club is in a group thread and she has information on the inspiration for each shipment. I signed up for both clubs and hope to participate in the knit alongs and read alongs throughout the year. I am really looking forward to the first shipment and reading the first book!
The second club that I just renewed this morning is from Anne Hanson of KnitSpot. She has 2 clubs that run for 6 months at a time. Fall in Full Color is exactly how it sounds with mainly accessory patterns and gorgeous colors. It runs from August to January. Bare Naked runs from February to July and has a range of patterns with undyed yarns. I did a single dose for the first FIFC then double dose for BNK and back to single again for FIFC 2012. This morning were the early bird sign ups for BNK 2013 and I decided to go pattern only. Overall I enjoyed the colors more than the undyed and I want the chance to use yarn from my stash. I'd also love to spin the yarn for a specific pattern so I'm hoping this will prompt me to do so. I'm going to see how this goes before deciding what to do for FIFC 2013.
I am not planning to sign up for any more yarn or fiber clubs for next year since I have a lot on my To Do list but I will be open to the idea if something wonderful comes around. I wanted to share my favorites because these are the one I will continue to sign up probably for years to come!
Friday, November 16, 2012
Re-Org
I have been slowly running out of room for my yarn stash over the last year. My knitting and purchasing frequency hasn't changed but I'm spinning now and that handspun quickly makes my stash grow. A while back I tried to shop for a larger cabinet or a companion cabinet for the one I already had with no luck. Everything was either too expensive or not appropriate for yarn. I got some suggestions from Ravelry and then waited until I felt I could make a good decision.
I finally ended up buying some storage cubes from Target and cloth drawers. My husband convinced me to get 2 so that I'd have room to grow. I'm very happy that I did.
That middle cabinet is what my original yarn storage consisted of. It was packed full and finding anything was a challenge. The two side units are a total of 24 drawers that are wide enough and deep enough to make storing yarn easy. I spent most of the morning organizing and labeling but the good news is that there are several drawers that are empty! I was even able to use 3 of them for fiber braids and that allowed me to actually put the lids on my 3 bins storing my fiber stash.
I still have some work to do but already I'm feeling better. I was worried that I would forget what was in each bag but I picked up some dry erase board labels that slide on the handles. This one is my favorite:
Any yarn that I've received as a gift goes in this one so I can prioritize actually using it so that eventually I won't be an ingrate :)
I'm doing the same for subscription clubs, KR Retreat yarn, charity yarns, sweaters, afghans, handspun categories and random sock yarns that don't have projects assigned. This has freed up the center cabinet shelves but I haven't completely figured out those yet. I may use these labels at tags in my Ravelry stash eventually.
Overall I am very happy now that I can organize easily anytime the mood strikes me and I'm grateful to have such gorgeous yarn in my stash. Now I just need to win the lottery so I can quit my job and just knit & spin all day!
I finally ended up buying some storage cubes from Target and cloth drawers. My husband convinced me to get 2 so that I'd have room to grow. I'm very happy that I did.
That middle cabinet is what my original yarn storage consisted of. It was packed full and finding anything was a challenge. The two side units are a total of 24 drawers that are wide enough and deep enough to make storing yarn easy. I spent most of the morning organizing and labeling but the good news is that there are several drawers that are empty! I was even able to use 3 of them for fiber braids and that allowed me to actually put the lids on my 3 bins storing my fiber stash.
I still have some work to do but already I'm feeling better. I was worried that I would forget what was in each bag but I picked up some dry erase board labels that slide on the handles. This one is my favorite:
I'm doing the same for subscription clubs, KR Retreat yarn, charity yarns, sweaters, afghans, handspun categories and random sock yarns that don't have projects assigned. This has freed up the center cabinet shelves but I haven't completely figured out those yet. I may use these labels at tags in my Ravelry stash eventually.
Overall I am very happy now that I can organize easily anytime the mood strikes me and I'm grateful to have such gorgeous yarn in my stash. Now I just need to win the lottery so I can quit my job and just knit & spin all day!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
2012 Knitter's Review Retreat Recap
I had an amazing time at the 2012 Knitter's Review Retreat this past weekend. It was such a great time that I'm really struggling to get back to normal life and work each day. I didn't take too many pictures but I did just finish uploading my haul into my Ravelry stash.
I checked in and received my goodie bag:
Very cool stuff here and I loved that there were a couple patterns that went with the yarn included. That bag has a zipper top too which I love. I gave the book "Extra Yarn" to my son last night and he actually cheered! We had read it a while back thanks to our library and he loved it - such a nice touch. I did gift the hot pink Lopi lace weight yarn to another attendee because I didn't think I would actually knit it up knowing how much I dislike Lopi yarns in general. Everything else I kept.
For my first class, I took Mary Scott Huff's Sassy Selbu Mittens and not only do I love the project but I love her too. She is a bundle of energy and good vibes crossed with caffeine and crazy fun! I ended up ripping out what I did in class but I'm so much happier with what I have knit now since it doesn't have my previous mistakes. Plus, my picot edge kicks ass!
On Saturday, I was in Sivia Harding's Design Your Own Lace Shawlette. Sivia is so nice and her designs are now some of my favorites. I'm seriously thinking about her pattern only Mezzaluna Club for lace shawls, really beautiful patterns. While I know I will never be comfortable designing my own projects I do feel that I have the knowledge to change patterns when needed. I left her class inspired to make my own shawlette - I'm just not 100% happy with my choices so far. I'm very close to figuring it out though.
Saturday afternoon the market place opened and I got 3 braids of Spirit Trail roving and then debated on a knitting bag from Three Bags Full (I ended up buying it on Sunday). Sunday morning was "yarn church" and I cast on for my "new beginnings" project.
Every year they have a stash lounge where people bring in items that they no longer want and take items out. No money is exchanged and anything left over is donated. My stash lounge haul included some spinning fiber, a silk lace kit and then some yarn for the NNCS mitten campaign. I hope the items I brought found a nice new home as well! I ended up using 4 Wegmans bags to bring everything out to my car. You can see just about everything I brought home with me here.
I don't think I've ever knit so much in a 4 day span before. Pretty much from 8 am to 10 or 11 pm at night I was knitting or chatting with new friends. I was in heaven and I hope that I'm able to attend next year.
I checked in and received my goodie bag:
For my first class, I took Mary Scott Huff's Sassy Selbu Mittens and not only do I love the project but I love her too. She is a bundle of energy and good vibes crossed with caffeine and crazy fun! I ended up ripping out what I did in class but I'm so much happier with what I have knit now since it doesn't have my previous mistakes. Plus, my picot edge kicks ass!
On Saturday, I was in Sivia Harding's Design Your Own Lace Shawlette. Sivia is so nice and her designs are now some of my favorites. I'm seriously thinking about her pattern only Mezzaluna Club for lace shawls, really beautiful patterns. While I know I will never be comfortable designing my own projects I do feel that I have the knowledge to change patterns when needed. I left her class inspired to make my own shawlette - I'm just not 100% happy with my choices so far. I'm very close to figuring it out though.
Saturday afternoon the market place opened and I got 3 braids of Spirit Trail roving and then debated on a knitting bag from Three Bags Full (I ended up buying it on Sunday). Sunday morning was "yarn church" and I cast on for my "new beginnings" project.
Every year they have a stash lounge where people bring in items that they no longer want and take items out. No money is exchanged and anything left over is donated. My stash lounge haul included some spinning fiber, a silk lace kit and then some yarn for the NNCS mitten campaign. I hope the items I brought found a nice new home as well! I ended up using 4 Wegmans bags to bring everything out to my car. You can see just about everything I brought home with me here.
I don't think I've ever knit so much in a 4 day span before. Pretty much from 8 am to 10 or 11 pm at night I was knitting or chatting with new friends. I was in heaven and I hope that I'm able to attend next year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)