Sheep Shots

Labels: ancient history, kfys 2007, stash busting

The projects are tallied and it's official! This was a banner year for yarn useage (even if the yarn tally over there ===> doesn't reflect it.)

In 2007, I completed 245 projects (many were quite small), and knit up 27.77 miles of yarn (46.92 pounds of the fuzzy stuff!) which is the equivalent of 429 50 gram balls! Wow!

Here's what all that yarnie goodness became:
1 adult sweater
54 hats
4 scarves
6 baby hats
3 afghans
23 children's sweaters
8 pairs of booties and children's socks
1 shawl
57 face/discloths
14 pairs of mittens
2 Christmas stockings
37 afghan squares
12 toys
1 teddy bear sweater
1 baby dress
3 Christmas decorations
2 egg cozies
2 purses
2 dog/cat sweaters
1 cat mat

Amazing!

I think I'll go to bed now.

You wanna see pictures? Scroll through the old posts!

Labels: kfys 2007, yarn diet

I just tallied up the "good" yarn I bought (with good intentions of knitting it all up) during my enforced Yarn Purchasing Slowdown (AKA Yarn diet). Now, mind you, I had projects in mind for all of this yarn.

I added some Encore (6 balls, leftover from 3 tiny sweaters and a blankie), some legitimate stashable yarn. Leftovers become stash once the project they were purchased for is complete.

(stay with me, please)

I added 4 BAGS (10 balls each) of On-line Linie 121, Summertime, 2 yellow (daffodil?), 1 deep red-orange (grenadine), 1 navy (midnight).

Nope, haven't broken into 3 of the bags, and except for the one ball that I swatched and machine washed and dryer dried to ensure wash and dryability, the 4th bag remains untouched as well. This stuff was going to be baby rompers and bubble suits and maybe a blankie. It was so cheap inexpensive that buying by the bag (of 10) rather than the ball (like 3 or so of a color) made a lot of sense at the time now.

I added some Lily Cotton Elite (3 balls) in a color called Mango that looked much better (or rather, much more appropriate) on the screen than in real life.

There was a bunch (40 balls total in 11 colors) of Filatura di Crosta 501 (superwash merino) that jumped right into my shopping cart at Elann (and put me over the top for my 3rd $50 credit) that will eventually be knat into sweaters for the upcoming munchkin, but for the moment remain totally untouched.

And I got the last whack of Lion Cotton Ease in the old bright colors: 7 balls of Cherry red that was destined to be a Wallaby sweater for the munchkin (do I detect a theme?) until I discovered that the munchkin-Mom is not at all fond of red (in the same way that I am not at all fond of pink).

That which I have not knit (pristine, unbroken skeins) is 92 95 balls!

(Isn't this how food diets generally go? I know it is for me!)

Of course, during that 9 months, I knit up (net) 12 3/4 pounds of stash (there was more, but it wasn't official stash). Put another way, 6.31 MILES of stash, representing 77 balls of yarn. And that's not counting the new yarn that I bought and knit! It also excludes some Red Heart that I am making into hats for Ship Support and two toddler sweaters that I am making at the request of the Older Kid for a coworker who lost a lot of stuff in a house fire last wekend. That will all be used up in the requisite 3 Months From Purchase.

Oh, and I added at least a half-dozen books and several Addi lace needles.

I would be hanging my head in shame if I weren't so damned proud!

You'll be able to see the official tally on the side-bar on October 5.

Labels: kfys 2007, yarn diet

I am happy to report the finishing of an object (eyes left). That makes 6 completed fair entries. What? you say? There were 6 a couple of weeks ago

Okay, so I found patterns I like better and finishing I did better, and well, just so much more enterable and winnable (are those words?).

So, this is Child cap. It's also knit from well aged stash.

So there!

Labels: fair entry, kfys 2007

I've updated the sidebar Yarn Countdown to a disappointing 8 balls used since June 5.


The thing is, I have been knitting up a regular storm. This past month's car knitting has been facecloths for a "blitz" TBA soon at a blog many of you admire. Feel free to cast on.

I got a Jump Start, so to speak, since I am privy to the blogwriter's innermost early morning thoughts. (And let me tell you, sometimes, it's scary!) So, I know what's coming, and I'm prepared!


Sixteen completed facecloths!

(That's a lot of car-time!)

But the thing is, mostly I used two cones (one pink the other blue ) and an odd bit of natural that I found un-speadsheetable. (Is that a word? It is now!)

Why, you ask are these yarny bits not on the spreadsheet? This is one of those times that The Rules of Spreadsheeting TM come back to bite you in the butt! Broken balls=not on the spreadsheet. And yet, those 16 face cloths amount to about 1600 yards (nearly a mile) knit up.

And Balls Purchased For Specific Projects=not on the spreadsheet also. So the yarn I bought for Anouk (6 balls of Elann.com Sonata) didn't make it to the countdown (that's about 800 yards not counted), but also didn't inflate the total, so I guess it's a wash.

When I add the +/- 1000 yards from the spreadsheet to the 2400 yards I'm not counting there, I come up with (ta dah) 2 miles of knitting in June. Not so shabby, huh?

And Now For the Confession: I have bought a lot of yarn in the past couple months. Yeh, yeh, I know I showed it off. Do I feel guilty? No, not really. All (okay, most) of (okay, some) it is for planned projects. I have several cute baby things in mind, and, of course, more Mittnz.

But some days (yesterday, today so far) I look back over my shoulder at the stash and wonder what's going on. If anyone has seen my mojo, would you please send it back? I can't seem to settle on a project.

Anticipation: The Other Half pointed out last night that the fair is looming ever closer. I wonder if it's possible to finish even the basics in time and to hell with the fancy stuff.

Note: this need to enter 10+ is self-imposed. One need enter only 1 item in 1 category. I have 7 weeks left to complete everything I want to enter! Better get cracking.

Movie Review: We rented Freedom Writers last night. Based on a true story. Hillary Swank is excellent as a white bread teacher in an inner city school. The kids are really good as well. Sort of To Sir, With Love set in California. Patrick Dempsey (Dr. McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy) is in serious danger of becoming type-cast as a self-centered jerk! Yep, he plays one in this movie, too. Nope, I don't find him (or that type) appealing.

Labels: kfys 2007, movies, yarn diet

Here's my Keep Me Honest post.

There aren't a lot of projects currently on my needles (just 4 when I got up this morning) to start July and this evening I finished one of the four.

In the photo, left to right: 1) Anouk (from Knitty.com) in Elann Sonata (100% Mercerized cotton), 2) a facecloth in Peaches and Cream, and 3) Veronik Avery's Bear Claw Blanket (my variation) in sock yarn (doubled) from IK Spring 2005. You're seeing: 1) a nearly FO (just 2 more tabs to knit, then the sewing together and the blocking, 2) more than 1/2 finished, 3) about 30% done--I've completed one block, nearly completed the second. Two more blocks, then all the bands to go.


And here's what I've been doing in the car this month.

Facecloths. In cotton. Lots of them.

These were all knit from my stash, and none of the cotton yarn is spreadsheeted, because the pink and blue are the remnants of huge cones. The natural one peeking out in the middle was less than one ball that was already started. So no total reduction, but lots of stash knat up.

I haven't reported and reviewed in a couple of weeks, so there are 4 movies to discuss.

Breach is one of those psycho thrillers that make you say: not believable. Then you remember. It really happened. Good one!

Miss Potter is charming and sweet and sad and happy and it was one I'm glad we rented.

Deja Vu--Denzel Washington. Need I say more? Another scary psychodrama. Another good movie. It will make you think. And at the end, you'll say, "Oh. Yeh."

Then the was The Painted Veil which, like many of the movies based on Somerset Maugham's books, is hard to follow and very intense. The scenery made it more than worthwhile.

So, 4 movies, and not a rotten apple in the basket!

Labels: fair entry, kfys 2007, movies, yarn diet

After I finished up the Ship Support squares and sent them off, I decided to do some more square knitting, but this time in cotton.

I absolutely love knitting with pink (also wearing and sewing)--that was sarcasm, in case you missed it--so I cast on for the next worthy cause (TBA next month on Rabbitch's spot).


Janice tells me that she really likes the hominess (or homliness, you decide) of the plain, ordinary basic, corner-to-corner cloth. I, on the other hand, enjoy the challenge of a little lace.

So I compromised with a little garter lace. All the hominess of granny, with a little prettiness thrown in.

The yarn is Elmore-Pisgah Peaches and Creme, color Strawberry & Cream that has been aging in the stash since

I swapped for it (or bought it--it's been so long that I no longer remember).

There's lots left, and since the lacy patterns require full, rapt attention to the line-by-line patterns (Leisure Arts Dishcloths From the Heart), I am making plain for car knitting and fancy for knitting at home.

Yes, there's lots left from this 1 pound cone!

I really detest this shade of pink!



Mittnz Update: No, I have not made more (but I have patternz picked!).

These Mittnz are from Jean in TX who knitz for CIC (Children In Common).

She reports that they are double stranded (for extra warmth), which explains the tweediness.

Are you inspired yet?

Labels: charity, kfys 2007, mittnz

All I needed to finally declare this sweater an FO was the buttons.

I had them for weeks. So what was the holdup?


Needle and Thread and Inspiration, I guess.

So one more completed fair entry.

The details: Yarn is Kroy 3 Ply (the old stuff) in Honeysuckle Rose. (The color on my monitor is pretty accurate.) Pattern is Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Sweater on Two Needles; Pratically Seamless from Knitter's Almanac--it's the February pattern.

This yarn is amazing! Of course, being wool/nylon sock yarn, it is machine washable and dryable. I did a warm water soak and spin and could easily have dressed the lace to make the sweater big enough for a small toddler. I think that I might pass that tip along to the future wearer's mom. I didn't want it that big, so I tossed it in the dryer and it went right back to infant-size.

I've had this yarn in the stash for a good, long time, so I am claiming it as Knit From Your Stash.

Labels: baby things, fair entry, kfys 2007

This is the big weekend, so I will be working nearly non-stop from early morning Saturday until mid-morning Sunday. I am hoping for a bit of sleep during.



But I couldn't go another day without showing and telling the latest acquisition:

It's from Smiley's.

Sock yarn in natural and navy to combine with red and yellow from the stash for a lap robe, some ack in a reddish heather and white for Ship Support hats and Christmas stuff, some red Cotton Ease to go with the white ack, and some Mango cotton for (probably) a child's sweater.





And this little number is the Vine Lace Baby Hat from Knitting Daily. Side view and top view in the same sock yarn as the sweater.















Don't forget to put a can of peas (or something) out for your letter carrier.

Labels: baby things, fair entry, food programs, kfys 2007, yarn diet

After showing the tulips (and they are in their glory today!) earlier, I thought I'd give my Gentle Readers a glimpse at the beauty beast that reigns within the house.

Yes, I am a slob. Why?

I claim that old proverb about "clean desk, empty mind" and creative genius and such like.

But I really do need to clear off some of the stuff I'm not currently using.

On that desk, along with the yellow blankie and its pattern are a stack of patterns and magazines and catalogs (but it isn't a big stack) scissors, empty knitting needles, a hanger, and a bunch of other stuff including my kitchen timer. Ah ha! That's where it got to!



And speaking of the yellow blankie, it (actually its yarn) stayed on the timeout chair for less than 24 hours.

I picked it up and cast back on (this time on needles 2 sizes larger) and got past the point where I had frogged while watching movies (reviews below) this weekend.

I've completed one repeat (of 11) and feel "on track" for the fair. (Fifteen weekends away!)


And speaking of The Fair (we were, I know it), the EZ February sweater is complete except for the buttons (I had to order 2 more because 1) I made the sweater longer or 2) I put the button holes closer together than the pattern directs. You decide.) I'm planning booties to match and maybe a hat.

For those readers who know my dislike for wussy baby pink, I give you the actual real color of this wool. (It's showing up true to life on my monitor!) I told you it wasn't pink!

I'll post a final shot when the buttons are sewn on.

Knit From Your Stash Update: I think that the yarn diet may be officially over. I have ordered from my three favorite vendors very recently (actually only replenishing that which was knat, but still). (For those keeping track, they would be Smiley's, Webs, and Elann in no particular order. I buy what I want/need from whomever has it at the best price. )

Seeing that "Fifteen Weeks" until the fair in print (actually checking it off on my tiny calendar) is what prompted some of the buys. Having nothing (and I mean nothing) suitable for the Christmas knits got me on board for some plain white ack and some cherry red Cotton Ease. A lap robe pattern I want to knit got me to the sock yarn (navy and off white to combine with some yellow and red that I already have), some bright and cheerful washable stuff, that terry stuff that Elann had in full bags.

You know! I don't need to explain to any of you, do I?

I'm pleased with where I am (I updated the sidebar yesterday). I've gotten below 500 balls and 50 miles (my hoped-for benchmarks). I'll add in the newest acquisitions after the fair. WIPs do not count as stash. (My stash, my rules.)

Movie Reviews: Majesty abounds here at Casa Sheepie. We rented the two hot "royal" movies this weekend.

Helen Mirren rocks as The Queen! It is no wonder that this film won so many awards. No matter your feelings about the Princess of Wales, it's worth seeing. If you are a Diana-phile, you'll be outraged; if you are not, you'll understand, maybe. Mirren's acting is superb. If (and I have no doubt that it is so) there is a bit of fact in this telling of the story of Diana's death and burial, I can't help but wonder about many Americans' obsession with the whole British Royal system. Good freakin' grief!

And then, there was Forest Whitaker's perfomance in The Last King of Scotland! Oh, my, merciful, lord! Fantastic!

See them both!

Labels: baby things, fair entry, kfys 2007, movies, yarn diet

If I were a person inclined toward swearing, I would be swearing a lot right about now!

I spent a good long time confessing to the breaking of the yarn diet (for a good cause) and ::poof:: the post and the pictures. All gone! ::sob::

And so, dear readers, I will attempt to reconstruct, but it will not be easy to re-achieve that particular level of wretchedness. Please bear with me.

And I have a sore throat, too.


Sale At Webs. 'nuff said?

Let me digress.

I have knat up all of the ack, all of the blends, all of the superwash but a smallish stash of Annabelle Fox DK that I am holding for a toddler size Aran.

My wardrobe and stash being somewhat drab neutral, I was immediately drawn to the wonders of the On Sale Encore and bought some.


Then I hit Elann to suck up some of the On Line Summertime (machine wash/dry flat) in shades of grenadine, daffodil, and marine. I swatched and gave the swatch a cycle through the washer and the dryer to see if it could take that treatment. I am happy to report that it came through with flying colors (that was not a pun).

Summertime knits up into something that feels like stretch terry. It's lightweight and really soft.

But 4 bags?? ::ahem::


Dulaan Challenge: I issued a challenge to the Dulaan group that i am part of (of which I am part?) to complete one more *anything* by May 1." (Challenge was issued on/about April 25.)

Then I took for-freakin'-ever to pick out a pattern and yarn.

Here's mine. Pattern by Norma, Manos del Uruguay Almost Solids combined with the leftover mohair from the recently completed shawl. There was about 1' of the mohair left when I cast off.

And now, I simply must get started on the fair knitting because, dudes, it's only ::eep:: four months away. ::eep::

Labels: Dulaan, kfys 2007, yarn diet

The weather was glorious! High above 70, clear as a bell.

I had a meeting in the state capital, which meant that I drove longer than the meeting. But it was interesting and informative and I am very glad I went! I was expected! (There was a visitor badge with my name printed on it.)

It's beginning to smell like spring in eastern Pennsylvania. Not the manure-spread smell (which I don't find objectionable), but the damp, freshly turned earth smell. Yummy!


I made some nice progress on the latest Dulaan sweater this evening. There's about 2.5" left of pattern before I start the ribbing. Then, I'll do the sleeves.

Yarn's going to be tight, but I have a backup plan in case I run out. (It involves some dark blue washable wool and the cuff and hem ribbing.)

Once this sweater is done, I am planning to pack up everything I've finished so far for Dulaan and get it into the mail.

I have officially removed the last of the Pinguoin yarn from my spread sheet and I'm below (just a hair, but still. . . ) 49 miles of yarn.

I looked briefly at Elann's newest yarn offerings (lovely, lovely Rowan washable wool) for something to jazz up the Tomten that's on the needles. Fortunately, the color I wanted most is already sold out.

::whew:: It's very, very pretty.

Next up: two baby presents.

After that: Fair entries!

Labels: Dulaan, kfys 2007