Books & Hooks

Wedding preparations are getting really busy-- just over a month left now!!

But amid all the hub-bub of bridal showers, moving, fittings, bachelorette parties, and general preparation, I've found time for my hooks.

First Love
Yarn: Knit Picks Palette fingering in Mulberry
Hook: H

Little Star Dishcloths
Yarn: Sugar'n Cream scraps & the like
Hook: I keep switching between G and H, though I like H best.
True Love
Starting this one as soon as First Love is finished!

I've also found time for new books. One was suggested by a follow Yarn-Along-er, the other by a co-worker.

Thieftaker, D.B. Jackson-- pre-Revolutionary War era

Movement of the Stars, Amy Brill-- mid 1800s

I'm enjoying the historical angle of both books, though they are from two different eras and have completely different story lines.

Linking up with WIPWednesday & Yarn-Along!

Goal Setting

July Goals:

• Finish the knit poncho that I didn’t finish last month
• Make at least 5 craft show items (to beat last month’s total of 3)
• Start on commissioned hat
• Beat my dishcloth total from last month
• Use at least 2000 yards from stash (down from last month because I know I’ll be really busy this coming month and I dont want to be too optimistic)

I'm a planner. I've made these July goals to guide my crafting for the month, and they are a bit lighter than my normal monthly craft goals because I know the next 2 month will be busy. However, I find it is still worth it. I just need to hold myself more accountable to checking back every once in a while to make sure I am staying on track.

June In: + 2618
June Out: -3448
June Total: -830 (not as good overall as previous months)

I love my stash of yarn, but I don't want to move it all. So the idea is to use up as much as I can, and start fresh in my new apartment. Hopefully it will work.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

FO: Rainbow Sampler

As promised, I present my finished baby blanket.

In a rush on Monday night, I decided to forego the puff stitches & border on this blanket:

yep, it's really bright

and simply finish with the rounds of granny.

The pattern is Rectangular Sampler Blanket, and it works up to a decent sized baby/lap blanket. I was working it as part of Underground Crafter's CAL, but didn't finish in time for the contest, and was also impatient.

My reason for stopping before the border was 1) because I knew if I didn't end it, I wouldn't finish and 2) I wanted to gift it ASAP. A friend of mine recently had a baby! and I wanted to give her something. It was spontaneous, hence the hurry to finish.

I'm pleased with how it turned out, all happy & rainbow-y. About 1000 yards of yarn went into it, and the rounds were starting to get long. I think if I work the pattern again, which I'd like to do, I would have more planning, and try to keep the colors down to 2 or 3, like the pattern recommends.

Linking with Tami for FO Friday!!!

Thinking about the Future

It's  December, and I'm thinking of goals for the new year. Right now, I live with my parents, in the room I grew up in. It's tiny, and my yarn overwhelms me. But in less than 9 months, I will be moving into a new apartment with my new husband!!! However, I don't really want to start married life with a whole slew of WIPs and lots of yarn that I will never use.

I really want to get a head start on my craft show stock, something that I NEVER do. Let's face it, we all have goals that we never follow through on, or that remain incomplete for a while. Truly, I want to make it a goal to get through all of my Lion Brand Homespun yarn before I move out of the house. I definitely need a count of how many skeins I have-- I bought 9 skeins a few weeks ago, but am not sure where that puts my grand total. It takes me about 3 hours to crochet an infinity scarf, and some days I've been able to make 3-- especially when I'm sitting through several hours of lecture. Though, without hours of lecture in the coming semester (*me* lecturing, instead of me sitting through someone else lecturing), and more hours of lesson planning, it might not be as easy as I want it to be.

However, I do plan on keeping track (to the best of my ability) of my "Cold Sheep" progress. I joined the Cold Sheep group on Ravelry, and they are an inspiring group. The Nov-Dec "Cold Sheep Along" is helping me keep track of my stash reduction. BUT, it's only been one week since I last bought yarn. At the beginning of this year, I stopped buying yarn, and I believe that lasted about 6 months. i'm not really sure if there is a best method to solve my yarn-buying problem, especially since I work fall craft shows.

So far, the best method I can think of to effectively reduce my stash and still build up my craft show merchandise supply is to stick to my yarn budget. Like, really stick to it. And to do that, I really need to watch sales and clip coupons. Even though the *really* good sales tend to happen around this time of year (especially on yarn) if I only buy yarn with Michael's and JoAnn's coupons-- which would be 2 skeins of yarn a week, at the most--I think I would be keeping under budget. And it's also a matter of knowing my stash, so I can buy yarn that will be the most helpful for my projects. (If you're wondering, my current yarn budget is about $10 a month-- but I'm also working minimum wage/part-time, and going to school).

A List-- because lists are easy to look at--

1. Use 250 yards a week (minimum)
2. Make one craft show item for every personal item
3. Make one afghan square for every skein of yarn finished
4. Keep within monthly yarn budget

I'm not sure if I do better when the goals are broader or narrower. (I shall re-assess in 3 months)

Warm Ears!

I've been super busy with the end of the semester (I think this happens all the time, but more so with school stuff) but I have been squeezing in some crafting time. My last craft show of the year is on Saturday, and I've been trying to make a good selection of child and baby sized hats. I really love crocheting for little kids, and I can't wait to see what they think of my creations. Between school and crafting and wedding planning, I can honestly say my life is not dull.

And!! One of my bridesmaids just got engaged, and will be getting married next winter-- she just asked me to be in her wedding, so the excitement just keeps on going!

I fell off the stash busting wagon on Cyber Monday, when I bought a bunch of pretty yarn from Knit Picks, but I am still trying to keep track of my yarn 'weight loss'. The scarf for Bro #2 got rid of 300 yards or so, and I used up an entire skein of Vanna's Choice on 2 child hats.

I'm also working on moving unwanted stash out of my room, because I am anticipating the move, and who really wants to move stuff that has no purpose. Basically, anything I don't want to use is being bagged up for a trip to my church for the fourth graders. Because of all the busy in my life, it's hard to find the spare time, but I totally believe that if you want to, you can make time. For each skein of yarn I donate, I've been trying to make an afghan square to donate too-- the fourth graders love seeing what the 'adults' make, so I try to have a couple of squares in with the yarn. 

If you come back on Friday, I'm going to try my best to get up photos of all the hats I've made. It's really exciting, because I tried a couple of new-ish designs. :)

Linking up with Tami for WIP Wednesday and Ginny for Yarn-along!

Busting that Stash

Since I last counted 2 Thursdays ago, I've finished 9 more infinity scarves. A huge variety of colors, only because it is absolutely impossible to guess what will sell well. And because I am not a "storing-up" kind of girl, I usually make all my scarves in the few weeks before or between shows. I'm a terrible procrastinator, I know.

And Blogger is being really silly about photo uploads, so I have to send you hither and yon to look at my photos-- my "Cold-Sheeping" project page!

My yardage countdown:
In: 0 yards (WOOOO I had self control this week!)
Out: 1665 yards (9 scarves x 185 yards each)
Total lost this week: 1665 yards.
Total yardage lost since I started counting: -1022 yards!

Wow, that makes me feel better about this whole counting thing. When I can see progress, everything is better.

I'm also super excited because I've actually finished a few other things this week!

I finished a Christmas present for my aunt, a circular rug-- 3 strands of yarn held together- 2 of them white cotton, 1 yellow acrylic.

And I've started my brother's scarf, using these two yarns:



Linking up with Tami's WIP Wednesday and Ginny's Yarn Along!

Stash Bash-- off the Wagon

New Homespun- Hiding in the trunk of my car!

I've fallen pretty far from the Stash-bashing Challenge that Tricia started earlier in the year. Just this week I bought 13 skeins of Caron Simply Soft for a wedding afghan (mine!) and 9 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun for craft show items.

Yes, this is hiding in my car too.

But I have been making something close to progress in the moving out at much yarn as I bring in. I've made these four scarves since Sunday. They are all in Homespun- from top to bottom: Cherry Blossoms, Painted Desert, Olive, Mixed Berries.

 

Now, they don't quite cancel out all the yarn I brought in this week, but it is a start.

In: 9 skeins @ 185 yards= 1665 yards
Out: 4 scarves = 740
Total: + 925 yards in stash. (not counting the wedding blanket)

That's all I have right now. And yes, the yarn will stay in my car for a bit. Probably until I have used 5 more skeins, then the new nine can replace the empty space in my yarn bag :)

Really, Truly Attempting.

I have no idea what my total stash measures at. There is yarn all over my room, maybe half of it loosely kept track of in my Ravelry stash. Lion Brand Homespun yarn moves so quickly through my stash, it's hardly worth tracking.

But I am going to start to attempt. Wednesday, I bought 4 skeins of Homespun. At 185 yards per skein, a total of 740 yards. One skein was used up nearly immediately, half of it in a commissioned scarf. The rest was used to start my Ripple Mania CAL piece, a blanket of Homespun leftovers. Also used up this week was an older skein of Lion Brand Tweed Stripes, in colorway Orchid-- another scarf. 144 more yards gone. My Pearl Wrap was finished, using up 1.5 skeins of Knit Picks Stroll Fingering (693 yards). It still leaves 231 yards remaining, but I can figure something out.

In: 740 yards
Out: 185+ 144+693= 1022
Overall: -282 yards this week!!

WOOOOOO I think that is some form of progress!

Holiday Stashdown Challenge Week 23

I'm still participating in the stashdown with Marie, even if most of my projects right now are commissioned items for other people. I'm still working mainly from stash, which I think is a major accomplishment (or a testament to the amount of yarn I have...) so I'm definitely stashing-down!

Chocolate cupcakes: Zero calories

On the menu this week... cupcakes! Last year, I made a ton, and they are still featured in my cover photo on my Facebook page. They are quick and fun and colorful! When I remembered last night that they were on my commissioned item list, I found some yarn and got straight to work. Well, straight to work meaning I assembled my materials, popped a bag of popcorn, and snuggled on the couch for the new episode of Castle. I know, who makes popcorn when they want to crochet? But, Mondays are my long stressful days at school, and I wanted something semi-healthy to snack on (Because I'm cheap and don't like buying campus food). Even including the food setback, I was able to finish 3 bottoms during the episode of Castle, and one more before I went to bed. Not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least it was a start.

More half-finished hats

Another bonus, I got paid this weekend! I saw both my cupcake lady and my boyfriend's sister this weekend at the retreat, and got paid for my services. All nine of my creative hats were delivered (and are out of my room!!!) and well received! I can't wait to see the response from the kiddos at Christmas time! As a college student, on a college student budget, getting paid is awesome. But, since my stash has overwhelmed me (temporarily, I hope) I will not be buying any more new yarn until I absolutely need it.

I'm still thinking about and working on some Christmas gifts, but with 3 craft shows all within a  5 week period, I really need to focus on those as well as the ever-growing list of commissioned items. I am thankful though. All this work means I practically have a job that pays me to do what I love: knit and crochet.

I really really want to have a proper gift crossed off the list next week, so stay tuned!

What to do?

I have three mostly full skeins of Bernat's Jr. Jacquards yarn in colorway Big Deal Teal. I have no idea what to do with it. Here's what it looks like:

Why do I have it, you may ask. Well, it's story time. Not too long ago, I was optimistic about both my knitting and crocheting skills. When I went grocery shopping with my mom (she shops at a Meijer-it's a Midwest thing) we always browse the general merchandise first. This yarn was clearanced out, and I said sure, pick some up for me. Over a year later, it is gifted to me for my birthday. (At my house, Mom buys us stuff ages in advance, so she never has to worry about birthday/Christmas shopping because she knows she has stuff that we picked out. It's a great system, except when things get lost in her closet, or when we no longer want the thing we picked out.)

See that fingerless glove? Yeah, for some reason I thought it would work in this yarn. It doesn't, at least in my mind. I really like the yarn, but don't know what to do with 3 skeins of it. Crochet totally ruins the point of it, but I am a much faster crocheter. The end point: does anyone have a suggestion for me?

I did find a few knit scarves that could be good. This pattern, or maybe this pattern-- or should I just do something baby-ish?

I really want this out of my stash, but in a good way. I want to make something that someone will appreciate!
Linking up with Tricia's Stash Bash!

School interferes with Crafting.

The first week of school can be so chaotic. Trying to figure out the time it will take to get to class, making sure you are taking all the right classes- it's nuts. Monday, I ran around campus, trying to get papers signed, making sure I was still on track to finish my degree in time. It all worked out, but it was an exhausting day. Tuesday I had 2 classes, and was out at school for 6 hours. Even with all the chaos, it looks like I have a good semester ahead of me.

Because of the chaos, I have been trying to keep my projects small and travel worthy. I have been working on making Lucy's Star Decoration work for my purposes, and so far, so good. It's an excellent little project for little bits of leftover yarn.

The other thing I've started working on (despite my long list of WIPs) is a Rapunzel hat. This is part of the hat order for my boyfriend's sister. Her oldest daughter is 7, and very much enamored with "Tangled". I've seen numerous designs for this hat, and am attempting my own.

I'm reading quite a few things right now, as I am trying to balance my school work with pleasure reading. Still working on Lady Almina, as well as Theology of the Body for Beginners, plus working my way through the Granny Square Book to fill out my Autumnal Afghan more quickly. The other two books are for my politics classes. One for Religion and Politics, and the other for Comparative Politics. I am thrilled about neither.

I'm linking up with Ginny and Tami as per usual this week- be sure to venture over there!

Bashing the Stash!

I love seeing Tricia's Stash Bash post every week, and try when I can to post one of my own. This week I actually have a few things to share, and I'm excited!

First off is a small crochet basket. I made it holding 3 strands of yarn together and using a large hook (either K or N, I cannot recall). I definitely want to make several more, and will be making them bigger than this first one. I just retrieved a bag of reclaimed acrylic yarn from one of my basement yarn bins (oh, the places we all hide yarn!) and will definitely use it to make more baskets. This one has a base of dc, increased to 36 stitches, and then hdc in a spiral until it is the size desired. I added handles by working 5 or 6 chs, skipping that many stitches below, twice, and working the number of skipped stitches into the chain when I came back around. There are probably a million patterns for something like this out on the web, but I'm just going from my knowledge of crocheting in the round.

My second stash-bashing project is also crochet, but on the opposite end of the spectrum from the basket: lacy snowflakes worked in a light fingering/baby yarn. All of the patterns today are coming from Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs. I have yet to decide if I will repeat any of them, but as this project is also part of my Holiday Stashdown, I will probably repeat a few. Plus, I discovered more white yarn in my stash that is not destined for anything else-- more snowflakes! :-)

That's all for today! Be sure to hop on over to Tricia's to get more stash-bashing ideas!

Progress!

I can see progress in my Stash-Bashing! (Though if I showed you pictures of my room, you would'nt believe me)

Over-dyeing yarn to make it new!

Earlier in the week, I solar-dyed a leftover skein of yarn (so it would not look the same as the first project made with it), and just yesterday, I matched another skein of yarn to a Holiday Stashdown project.

I haven't purchased any new yarn since my large-ish order from KnitPicks and my purchases of Vanna's Choice for the Autumnal afghan, and even that yarn isn't staying in my stash long. I think right now, the only yarn I don't want to "break into" is my Bare yarn from KnitPicks. I will dye and use it if I cannot find another suitable yarn for the project, but right now, I think I should be set.

From here on out, any yarn I do buy will be for the hat orders that I have coming in for the holidays. 9 hats for E's sister, another for E's godson (E offered to pay for it, since he wants an extravagant design) 2 baby dinosaurs for my friend L, and one cousin found out she's expecting a Christmas baby, and is planning on placing an official order soon. Most of these I should be able to make from stash yarn, and I will make those first, but some I already *know* will require craft store visits. (yes, such a tragedy)

I am actually enjoying working from my stash, as it is making me become more creative with my crafting. It is also forcing me to do a bit more knitting than I am used to (because crochet is my first love) as knitting helps me to use up yarn in a more efficient manner.

Check out Tricia's for more Stash-Bashing!!

Holiday Stashdown Challenge: Week 11

This week for the Holiday Stashdown, we're reassessing our lists. Over the past week, I spent a great amount of time on my Ravelry queue, looking at patterns I wanted to make. Then, I wrote out my original list of who I wanted to make handmade gifts for. From there, I flipped back and forth between my list of "projects I *have* to make" and "handmade gifts for...". I think I've matched many of them up quite nicely. (note: this list has been *at least* a week in the making.. I've edited it several times already)

The List
Mom & Dad: Autumnal Afghan, various afghan blocks, Vanna's Choice in Honey, Rust, Cranberry, Dusty Purple, Eggplant, Dusty Green and Toffee.
Mom: fingerless gloves, in KnitPicks Felici Hummingbird
Dad: still unknown
Bro #1: that vest that never gets finished
Bro #2: Jayne hat, most likely in misc. acrylic that has been floating in my stash (He recently watched Firefly, & hats for him are a good standby.) If I have time and inclination, I will make him a beard hat.
Sister: Divine hat in easy care acrylic (finished!). Age of Brass and Steam Scarf in KnitPicks Shadow Deep Sea, fingerless gloves in KnitPicks Felici Tyrian Purple (maybe)
E: He wants a beard hat- go figure. Such a guy. Not sure if he will get anything else handmade.

Aunt #1/Godmother: bulky slippers in KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Bulky that I dyed myself, T-yarn rug
Aunt #2: A Touch of Gray, in a in between width (not scarf, but not stole either)
Aunt #3:  button socks in Bernat Jr. Jacquard (it's a sock weight and has some nylon in it)
T (my favorite cousin): Starlight Tunisian scarf (in yellow)(no yarn yet), possibly Smorgasbord blanket BMDAO (T's 5 kids): slipper socks in the yarn they helped me dye last winter (Basic Sock)

Friend B: Slip Stitch Shawl in a scarf size- tried this pattern, realized I hate slip stitches. Now I'm using the Soft Waves ripple from Jan Eaton's 200 Ripple Patterns with a hand-dyed wool yarn.
Friend K: infinity scarf in Lion Brand Homespun- She loved the one for her birthday, and requested another one. (personal pattern)
Friend A: Up to You Scarf (Re-dying the yarn from my first Juliana)

E's nieces & nephews: an activity rug with 6 amis
E's mom & sisters: fingerless gloves (maybe) (3 pair) or scarves
E's dad & brothers: hats (maybe) (5)

Coworkers: Cards with crocheted snowflakes on them. (if time)

And I found this ornament and this ornament that I would also think about making if any of the above ideas don't work out. I also keep finding cute ideas that would be fabulous for scrap yarn, which means I need to stop browsing patterns on Ravelry.

I feel loads better now that I have ideas for patterns, as I had felt a bit disorganized without a completed list. I also have the list separated into sections, where the first two need to get done, and the second two depend on time and inclination.

I hate and love this stashdown. My yarn supply feels limited. I'm trying to avoid placing another KnitPicks order, as it defeats the purpose of this adventure, so I've seeking out dyeable fibers in my stash. So far, I have found a few already dyed fibers that I forgot about, and I'm re-dyeing some others that are leftover from other projects. Yesterday, I figured I would try my hand at solar-dyeing, since it is too hot to use microwave or stovetop. I still haven't checked the results... I also know that I have multiple skeins of Bare KnitPicks yarn hanging out in my stash. Guess what else is going to visit the dyepot in the next few weeks?!

I have just received several Christmas orders for hats, and one of them needs to be done by October, so I'll be putting some of the above aside to work on those orders come mid-August.

Even more Progress!

This week, I've made some progress on my stash-bashing!

Using my current favorite dishcloth pattern, the Tulip Stitch Dishcloth, I used up another skein of Sugar & Cream cotton that I've had in my stash for a while as well as the majority of a skein of KnitPicks Comfy in Macaw. I absolutely loved working with Comfy. It's 75% cotton, 25% acrylic, and it is sooooo soft! If I ordered more yarn online, I would definitely get this yarn more frequently. I can also see it working really well for a summer dress for a little girl.

Hiding behind the dishcloths in the photo above are 2 WIP scarves. One is the Any Which Way Lace that I mentioned yesterday, and the other is my nearly finished Juliana Re-mixed. The AWWL is made from a recycled yarn that I dyed. I think it's a wool/nylon blend, with a bit of something else. Unfortunately, even with all my careful notes, I cannot find the tag for this yarn. It is really soft though, and will make a great gift. The Juliana should be done soon- hopefully soon enough to be shown off!

This past week, I also created a "loose ends" box near my bedroom door, where I have already started putting odd leftover balls of yarn in for donation to my church's elementary school. It is definitely helping me part with some yarn I will never use, as well as helping a good cause- the 4th grade classes make squares for Warm Up America afghans. I made a few squares out of the yarn I am getting rid of.

I'm sort of piggy-backing my participation in Marie(undergroundcrafter)'s Holiday Stashdown with Tricia's Stashbash (which is today!). Marie has been offering weekly prompts which have been super helpful for my organization. I currently have a pile of nearly finished scarves on my bed, waiting for the last bit of blocking and weaving in of ends. If you check back on Tuesday, I'll have a whole list of the patterns I plan on making in the next few months, which should be majorly helpful in decreasing my stash!

Foiled Again!

Thursdays are the day to link up with Tricia's Stash Bash, and I hang my head again, as I have been unsuccessful. Again.

Michael's had Vanna's Choice on sale this week for 2/$5, which is a pretty decent deal, so when my sister mentioned she was going, I gave her a list. She brought 4 skeins home for me, in the fall colors I am using for my mom's Christmas afghan.

But I suppose since the yarn was purchased with a purpose, it doesn't really count. I'm still not entirely sure of the color palette, as I am used to much brighter colors, but I think I will like the end result. (And I hope and pray that my mom does too!)

I shared a bit of what I've been working on yesterday, but that doesn't really cover the variety of what I have been working on in bits and pieces.

• I was originally making a scrap yarn dishcloth, as I had been making dishcloths that use nearly an entire skein, but not quite. That evolved into an idea that was sparked by Pinterest. I figured I could just crochet a longer piece, and instead of sewing on a towel, I would do a chain stitch through both layers of the crocheted fabric. It's a little bulkier than I would like, but for an experiement, it's not too bad.
• Blooms in the Water. I feel like this project is going both slow and fast. I started it in favor of finishing my Juliana Re-Mix, because the weather was so hot. But now, it's just easier to put this project in my bag because it's so compact. The goal is to finish this or Juliana by next week
• Felted blanket (Smorgasbord). When I can sit and just stitch around my felted squares, this is a great project. But I've been so antsy and stressed that I can only work a few at a time.
• BAMCAL squares. They have been hibernating in a bag for several weeks now, though I think the time is ripe to finish it off-- lots of putting squares together, which I dread a little bit.

But I have been cleaning in my room, and there is now a box by my bedroom door for yarn that I will never use. When it gets full, I will take it to the school for the fourth graders. So I suppose my Stash Bash is going both successfully and unsuccessfully- it just depends on the definition of successful/unsuccessful. There has been a lot of movement of yarn out of (and into) my bedroom. But, 6 months until Christmas, and less than that until the fall craft shows! 

Weekend Catch-up

It's been so hot the last few days, and I've been really discombobulated with the wedding weekend followed by the mid-week holiday. But I am catching up today with a combined post for Stash-Bash Thursday and Finished Object Friday.

• It's been too hot to work with worsted weight wool, so my Juliana Re-Mixed has been temporarily on hold. I'm hoping that once the weekend cools down a bit, I can crank out the border in a few hours.
• My Citron has been rescued, and I worked a few rows on it Wednesday evening and a bit on Thursday, but the rows are really long (and I cannot take a good picture of it).
• Because I was at work and it was air-conditioned, I started another scarf/shawl-- Shallow Waters Shawl, by Anastacia Zittel, as part of the Show Your Support JAL over in the CSW group. I'm using KnitPicks Shadows Lace in Summer Blooms and I totally adore the colors. I've always been a pink girl, and this yarn, while being a bit fiddly because it's lace-weight, makes me super happy. This was a spulrge for me a few weeks ago when I was making a KnitPicks Christmas order (they were having a big yarn sale) and I am pleased.

• I'm trying to eliminate my stash of cotton yarn, as I would rather buy colors as needed for gifts. So scrap dishcloths are flying off the hook!

Not much else to report!

July Goals

#1: Productivity

Hopefully July will see a more productive me. I already have plans for an autumnal block afghan for my mom's Christmas present, plus all the smaller gift items that are on my list. I'm thinking these will be one or two day projects, so they will fly off my hook and fill my "to-be-gifted" bag.
I have placed the majority of my stress behind me, as the wedding is over (and the afghan that went with it!), my summer classes are over, and I have several weeks to preapre for summer camp.

#2 Cleanliness

I hate living in a cluttered mess, even though that is my state of mind much of the time. I want to clear out books I will never read, and make my space more organized. I do not want to be stressed out in my own space. This ties in with productivity, as when I get more yarn projects done, there will be less yarn sitting in piles/bags/boxes around my room.

Both of these goals fit well into my Holiday Stashdown with Marie, and the Stash Bash with Tricia.

#3 New Books!

I need to expand my reading tastes, and have been doing that a bit this last week. I also just need to read the books that I own. I think I will alternate between the two for the rest of the summer, which will hopefully make a dent in my stacks.

Same Song, Second Verse

June's nearly over, and I'm evaluating my progress  of stash bashing so far.

• Finished the wedding ripple- yarn purchased before January 1st, but bought with a purpose, so never really languished in stash. 
• Finished 20 -12" blocks using patterns from the BAMCAL- yarn purchased with purpose.
• Half dozen dishcloths- some using stash, some using newly purchased yarn--oops
• Finished Mezza-Juliana- gift yarn- yay!
• Finished Pretty in Pink Juliana- upcycled yarn from stash
• Finished Eva in Lace- upcycled yarn from stash
• Finished Divine Hat- yarn from stash
• Finished Claret Cowl- upcycled yarn from stash
• many more scarves/cowls!

As I'm going through my Ravelry projects page, I'm realizing that I've finished more than I originally thought, even though I don't feel like my stash is decreasing (probably because it hasn't quite yet)

WIP Juliana Re-mix

This week, I really don't have any huge stash-bashing progress, other than the 6 months of progress so far this year. But room for improvement is good! The Juliana Re-mix above is using yarn that I purchased mid-March, as a celebration for finishing my fieldwork for the semester. I'm trying to finish it so I will be able to move back to more 'official' stash bashing. 

Since the spring semester finishes for me today, I'll definitely have more time to work on bashing my stash again! 

Check out Tricia @ Crunchy Catholic Momma- she's been kind enough to host this stash bash for us!

Rejoining: Stash bash!

It has been a number of weeks since I joined in with Tricia/Crunchy Catholic Momma's Stash Bash. It doesnt help that my focus has been on a small number of large projects either.

However, as I am nearing the end of my large projects, I feel that I can properly join in again with a stash-bashing post.

Confession: I fell off the wagon. I purchased a large amount of yarn in the past month, yarn that didn't really need to come into my room. But it happened, so we move on.

I also actually threw away a chunk of partially unraveled sweater in an attempt to feel like I was cleaning. It did make me feel better.

I unraveled a scarf that was just ugly, and have been working on a few infinity scarves in order to clean up another bag that has just been sitting.

I currently claim that my only problem, my only interference is school. I have less than 2 weeks of summer classes left, but they also consume a lot of my time as I attempt to write papers and read textbooks.

My goals: to finish 3 hats by the end of June, to make 3 more headband bases, to clean up one more bag of yarn- whether it be using it up or putting it in a more permanent storage space- it doesn't matter.

To make this a more happy post, I will show some of my stash-bashing FOs:

A finally finished headband, with an awesome button:

Also, a Divine Hat: