Working Down the Stash

As always, a goal is working down my stash... I don't know how I acquired quite so much yarn, and so I am trying to get down to the point where I mostly just buy what I need for projects and then only have a few skeins lying around in case I need to quickly make a gift or something.

Today, I started a blanket for project linus (it will be my January charity project, as per my goals in the Busting Up The Stash Group on Ravelry). Because someone mentioned that crochet takes up more yarn than knitting, and because I don't particularly like having to border blankets in knitting, I decided to crochet this one. I'm using a size J hook, and crocheting six rows of red, two rows of white, and on and on until I am finished. There is something about it that reminds me of Little Orphan Annie, but what I like about the bright red is that it is appropriate for either boys or girls. Of course, now I am worried that I won't have enough yarn to finish it, but I don't mind buying a skein or two to get 10 out of my house. The logic is slightly fuzzy, yes, but I am not only the princess of yarn, I am also a princess of rationalization. I can rationalize almost anything -- especially yarn purchases....

Birthday Yarn

Last week was my birthday. All of the people from work chipped in and got me two skeins of yarn. One is the Misti Alpaca handpainted chunky in a color called delphinium (I have always wanted to try Misti Alpaca) and one is a Jo Sharp Kid Lustre Alpaca in a bright fuchsia. I love them both. Of course, I returned to Modern Yarn in Morristown to purchase the rest of the Jo Sharp that they had in that dye lot because really, how much can one do with one skein of it? Not much. So now I have four of them. I want to make something other than a scarf or a shawl, because I feel like that is all that I do, but I don't have enough to make a sweater with it. I am thinking maybe fingerless gloves, but it's always like a hundred degrees in my office.

With the Misti Alpaca, I am making the Sunday Market Shawl, but I did 30 across and there wasn't enough yarn. I'm now trying 15 across. And if that doesn't work, I will probably give up on this pattern and seek to make something else. Today I had to convince one of the givers of the yarn that it's really okay that I started something and ripped it (I didn't confess that I got all the way through the ball of yarn).

Today, I also had to entertain questions about my row counter. It's a question I get more than just about any other. I get asked how it knows to switch. I have to say, "Um, because I move it." People don't get that. They assume that it's going to move all on its own, and I have to explain that no, what I'm doing is actually making the creation process less automated by knitting by hand. People are funny.

Whackadoodle

One of the women at work keeps calling other people in our office “whackadoodles.” I’d never heard of it before, but I want to make her a whackadoodle. What do you think one would look like? Post your pattern links here or in response to my post on Ravelry. The winning pattern suggester will win a prize (to be determined – I have to decide on the prize yet…)