Non-knitting

Laura followed up on a request I made from her to show me how she stores her cross-stitching threads and such, and wrote this great post, so I thought I would reciprocate.

Everything related to my cross-stitching is contained in this Sterlite storage container that fits under my bed. Not very glamorous, but it has been very practical and I really haven't found anything better.


Lets take a peek inside, shall we?



This is my current work in progress. I started it *years* ago and really feel inspired to finish it for DH's birthday in June. Most of the cross-stitching is complete except the white stitches in the fifty stars. I have put off doing the stars because 1.) there are so many of them and 2.) they are mostly comprised of partial stitches. It will be a bit time consuming, but actually the entire project has been very time consuming since most of the work is in blended stitches. The overall finished projects always look better, but boy are they a *lot* of work.

This is my current stitching cloth "stash" and a few accessories/tools. As far as the stitching cloths, unless I've purchased a kit I love, I only now knit on linen or evenweave. I just don't like the look of the Aida and really don't enjoy stitching on it at all. The knitting accessories include my frame kit, some hoops, needles, magnets, finger protectors, etc. The only thing I really use though is the frame kit.



The stack of patterns includes some I like and quite a few I don't, but most of them holds a memory of something I've stitched and given away, so I doubt I'll ever part with them. Isn't the stack of completed projects shameful? I wonder if anyone else has a stack of projects like this that just need a good cleaning and framing.



This is all the floss I currently own. Obviously most of it is in bags in numerical order, but I am in the process of transferring everything to the cardboard bobbins because that system is much simpler for me. I wonder how long this transfer is going to take? Maybe I could wind ten or so a day? I probably should go purchase more cardboard bobbins and another container though.

In knitting news (for those knitters who stuck it out), the Debbie Bliss Matinee Coat for my sisters 3-day old baby is blocked and ready for seaming, the VLT Handsome Triangle shawl is really coming along nicely, I've pulled out some yarn to start on a pair of socks for DH, and I've got to get with it and finish a square for Julie.

However none of that will be happening on Sunday since we're going to see the grandkids play t-ball, get a re-cap from the step-daughter about their trip to Hawaii, and then go out for sushi dinner to celebrate her purchase of a bigger home (maybe a baby is being planned?), and her new job. We are so proud of her and have lots to celebrate! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend too!

What I'm Up To Wednesday

First, thanks for all the compliments on the Spartan Pullover Sweater and thanks for pointing out the obvious that this was my first sweater project, that I succesfully completed the fair isle & that the sweater is even wearable. Maybe I will attempt another sweater soon after all!

I've calculated that I knit about a sock a month currently, so when I saw that there was a Sock A Month Knitalong, I knew it was going to be something I could succeed at!

I signed up immediately (the first day) and to my utter astonishment and elation, a frequent commenter here, Karen, is my team leader. Isn't it a small knit blogger world? I've decided to knit the Sugar-Free Diabetes Walk Socks again. I knit them once before and really liked the stitch pattern, but I knit them the first time in sockweight yarn & this time I wanted to knit them in worsted weight yarn as the pattern suggests. The pattern suggested Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, but since I have none in my stash & I'm trying not to buy much before I go to Stitches West, I searched to see what suitable alternate in my stash might work. I spied quite a few skeins of Berroco Pure Merino in the cabernet colorway & figured it would probably work just fine. So far, so good!

In other news, I did receive the jewelry I ordered from Heather. Everything was better than I even hoped for. I placed my order on Wednesday afternoon & had it in my hands on Saturday afternoon. I was definitely expecting beautiful jewelry, but just look at the fabulous packaging with the jewelry pouch, care card, Dove chocolates, (because chocolate goes with everything) and FREE earrings! You can't tell by the photo, but they are the prettiest delicate pink color.



When I opened the jewelry pouch, I found my beautiful necklace. It was even better than I'd hoped & I'm so thankful that I found Heather and her etsy store.

The necklace is named "nora" and I noticed that she has another one in her etsy store (Twisted Lily Designs) available for purchase along with a lot of other beautiful jewelry. If I weren't trying to save money for my Stitches West trip, I'd buy the other "nora" and give it as a gift to someone.

On Thursday I'm meeting Laura (a frequent commenter here) at a local yarn store. We had discovered over time that we both lived fairly close to each other & so obviously a meet up was in order. She has knit some absolutely beautiful items (and is working on a gorgeous afghan for her mom), but not only does she knit, she also stitches (cross-stitch). I thought this was quite ironic since I gave up cross-stitching last year when I started knitting. She has shown me through her blog that you can make time for both.

So, just for you Laura, here's what I WAS working on & set aside over a year ago. Thanks to you, I've pulled it out of the closet & may finish it.