Thinning The Nest: Thursday Number 9

Week 9:  All about yarn!

Yeah, so somehow it got to be March 1st already.  And somehow it is also Thursday again.  It keeps creeping up on me and I keep thinking I’ll be prepared, or at least a little excited about having something to say.  Nope.  Still have the blog-writing blues.

So today it will be short and simple.  This week I sold a ball of yarn: 350 yds out the do’!  That was a nice feeling.  For about 5 minutes.  And then I went and spent all that dough on a swapless mini swap.  Oy.  This mini business is turning into a serious problem.  I’ve also been stalking the Random Acts of Kindness Group on Ravelry again.  It’s been surprising me how many things I have right now that I can actually gift to people.  I love the feeling of doing something nice for someone else!  I’m afraid that’s a little addicting in itself, so I have to cool it.  It’s not like I have tons of extra cash for the packages I’ve been sending at least once a week (between swaps, books & RAK’s).  But perhaps the goal of ridding myself of something once a week has something to do with this new obsession.  As a side bonus I am using recycled packaging and recycled tissue paper etc. to wrap and send everything out for the most part.  A clutter-clearing bonanza!  Anyway, I found a very sweet lady who was looking for some Patons Grace.  I happened to have two balls in my stash, one in the “Rose” colorway and one in “Tangelo”.  I loved the colors and would have been happy to use them up for something, but I’m pretty bad with one-skein projects (never can seem to find any good ones) unless they are hats or mittens.  And I’ve got more than enough yarn for those!  So I gifted her those two  yarns as well as a straight needle roll I got as a freebie from some magazine about a billion years ago.  This feels pretty great!

I did get a little discouraged earlier this week when I went on a magazine hunting expedition through the house.  While my yarn is pretty well organized, my magazines are only half-heartedly so, and it is sometimes a challenge to find a specific issue of something when I want a pattern.  The issue in question was Interweave Knits, Fall 2009.  I have become obsessed with the Slanting Gretel Tee pattern and have just settled on the perfect stash yarn for it.  I looked for it in all of my “usual” nooks and crannies, to no avail.  So this meant a lengthy dig through the dark recesses of the sty that is THE GARAGE.  I suited up for extended deep box-diving and held my breath.  It was so depressing that I can’t even begin to describe it without maybe shedding a little bit of a tear.  Boxes and boxes of stuff I need to go through.  With what time?  I know.  It’s disheartening.  But after about 7 boxes, I hit paydirt.  Magazine unearthed!  In the process I also grabbed about 8 fitness magazines from 2008 that were stuffed in the same box, totally unread, and unceremoniously dumped them in the recycle bin on my way back inside.  So it wasn’t really sizable progress, but it was better than just stuffing them back in the box, right?  A little at a time.  It’s all I can do.

And because I can’t seem to find a picture of either of the yarns I RAK’d, I’ll have to leave you with a completely different off-topic shot for the day.  Check out these supa awesome buttons I bought at this etsy shop recently (the shop owner is a total sweetheart)!  It’s totally counter-productive that I bought them, since I have no idea what I’ll use them for, but I had to have them.  They make me happy!

Sugar Skulls!

 

Love….

Love, thy name is Hexipuff.

 

Hexipuffs!

 
Ever since my lovely friend Jess bought me the The Beekeeper’s Quilt pattern and we agreed to knit it together for “however long”, I have been undeniably enamored with this charming little project.  Hexipuffs are smooshy, and squooshy, sweet and cute.  And each one is a little mini FO that you can pat and poke and imagine occupying its future spot in your darling little quilt.
 
At first I thought I wouldn’t dare touch my enormous sock yarn stash.  I mean, that’s for socks, right?  So being short on sock yarn scraps, I scoured etsy, and found someone selling minis.  Then I scoured Ravelry and found another.  A few bucks later and I was in business!  Then I joined a swap at the Sanguine Gryphon Group on Ravelry.  Lucky for me, there was one for newbies that didn’t fill up about 2 seconds after it was posted.  I swear those SG people are fanatics (me included, mwah-ha-ha!).  It’s hard to get in on a destash or a swap because things disappear before you can say “flapjack”.  Sadly, The Sanguine Gryphon is no more in a few short days.  But that’s a big boo hoo for another day :(  I’d say my bank account would breathe a ginormous sigh of relief if it weren’t for the fact that they are dissolving into two new dye studios and I’m afraid that means twice the amount of temptation!
 
I also discovered that the very talented Didi (creator of Little Red Bicycle; whom I got to meet at Sock Summit 2011 for the first time after “knowing” her for a few years online) had a mini-skein club going.  What better way to support a friend, and a mini-skein habit, than by signing up?  I’ve already received October and November, am waiting on December, and have signed up for another 3 months of January – March 2012.  Everything I’ve received so far has been gorgeous!  I can’t wait to make puffs out of them, and I am just stunned by her beautiful sense of color.
 

October 2011 Mini-skein Club from Little Red Bicycle

 

November 2011 Mini-Skein Club from Little Red Bicycle

 
Finally, after a little contemplation of my stash, I decided there were definitely some fingering weight sock yarns that I could (and should) part with.  I had a few smaller skeins that weren’t enough for a full pair of socks anyway and I didn’t have immediate plans for them.  Nor was I sure they’d look good on a larger scale.  That’s the nice thing about the Hexipuffs.  You can use some of your loudest or even – dare I say it – ugliest yarns, and they don’t look so bad on a small scale.
 
Flush with so many choices, I am working steadily on this project.  I know it will take me years to make enough to fill out a quilt, but each time I finish one I get a tiny spark of satisfaction.  They are the perfect little fillers for when Knittymunchkin is in his high chair eating a snack, or when he is playing independently (however briefly) and I have a spare moment without him clinging to my leg.  They are simple, elegant, and can be put down at a moment’s notice without losing your place.  In case you didn’t already guess…. I love Hexipuffs!
 
Because I’ll be working on this for the rest of my natural life (most likely) I think it would be fun to do a little gallery each month of the puffs that I’ve knit.  I’ve been keeping count and I knit anywhere from 10 – 25 of these in any given month.  So a little retrospective might be fun.  January is just days away (how did that happen?) so I think I’ll start after I’ve knit January’s puffs.
 
Until then, Happy Holidays!  May your days be merry & bright :)

 

Morgiana’s Manifesto Shop Shout Out

Lovely “Chocolate Sea” earrings from the Morgiana’s Manifesto shop
Made with: Silver wire, Shell & Rainbow Jasper

 

Check it out – it’s a shop shout out to my good friend Kasia!  She’s opened her own etsy shop called Morgiana’s Manifesto and I’ve been meaning to give her some props here on the blog since she opened it back in September.  Her shop specializes in “handmade jewelry with a mystic twist”.  And if you visit, you’ll notice that most of the lovely earrings available have names referring to mythical or fairytale ladies of lore.  She sent me the darling pair of earrings pictured above over the summer as a nice surprise to go with my chocolate Lelah (which is still sadly, hibernating).  There are so many attractive varieties to suit every personality (or outfiit) in her shop.  Don’t you want to stop by for a peek?  Soon, she’ll be adding some lovely flower barrettes to the shop as well.  I’d love to get my hands on one of these (you can see a photo of her wearing one on her blog) because who doesn’t need a lovely flower in their hair to celebrate springtime?  Be sure to drop by for a visit and have fun deciding which one’s your favorite! 

 

Hazel Knits Shout Out

Mmmm…… squishity Tulip-y yarny goodness from Hazel Knits

Check it out – it’s a shop shout out to my Pacific Northwest pal Wendee! She’s opened her own etsy shop called Hazel Knits, specializing in hand-dyed yarn and “luxury-with-whimsy” handcrafted stitch markers. And, even better, the Yarn Harlot has been knitting socks with her yarn! You can read about it on the Yarn Harlot’s blog here and here. Now don’t you want to run out and get yourself some? You can sign up for the mailing list on the Hazel Knits blog, and I figure you’ll want to because who knows how long her yarn will last in the shop! She’s doing a major shop update tomorrow (Friday, October 26) with loads of new colors and more of her coveted Sailor’s Delight colorway, part of the proceeds of which goes to Doctors Without Borders. I’m guessing you’ll want to snap that one up as soon as you can because it seems to be her most popular colorway with a gorgeous blend of “garnet, pumpkin, rust, and pomegranate”, evocative of a fiery summer sunset. But don’t fret, if you don’t get there in time, she can special dye you a batch if you send her an e-mail or convo her on etsy.

How sweet are these?

She sent me a sweet little package for my birthday and I got the yarn pictured above in the “Tulip” colorway and these lovely stitch markers to go with it! The stitch markers are almost too pretty to use and the yarn is so super-squishy! I am hoarding it for the perfect pattern. Hurry up and get yours and share in the yarny love!  There will be a new color each month in the shop, so have fun deciding which one’s your favorite!