Friday 11 March 2016

FO Friday 11/16: Ascending the Everest of Stash

Steampunk Tarot
                                                                     


            
   So. 

You know how it is, you get an idea, and it gets stuck in your head and you must do something about it RIGHTNOWTHISVERYSECOND even though it is cold and dark and late ?

You don't ? Sanity must be a wonderful thing.

Well, Wednesday night I had an urge to make a particular pattern, for which I wanted to use a wool/alpaca blend yarn for the 'hairiness'. I was sure I would have something at least sort-of appropriate, and a quick search of my stash listed on Ravelry confirmed it.




I thought it was in the armario, but not exactly where - what shelf, near what, bagged, unbagged ... nope, no idea.

This was the result as seen the next morning in daylight:




This meant I spent a couple or three hours with the delightful job of tidying, sorting out and organizing my stash.

Nope, not one shred of sarcasm there at all. Now it looks like this:




I only had two tubs, so all the 4ply/fingering weight is in a huge bag; all my oddments are in baskets, in color groups; my two longterm WIPs and their yarn are in the big wicker basket, my short-term WIP basket is - GASP OF HORROR - empty right now. The 4 large shoeboxes (Titch takes a size 12 or 13) are full of fat quarters. There was no room for any other fabrics, the cushion forms or all the embroidery gubbins - I have several hoops (some had been my paternal Grandmother's) and a floor frame that I need to find room for somewhere ... the pouffe is already full of Chunky and random bits:




All in all, a very satisfying afternoon - me and the dog singing along to the loud radio pottering through yarn. We are totally not discussing that I now realize I have 19 sweaters'-worth of yarn. As in, 19 separate bags/packs which each contain enough of an individual yarn to make a sweater. We are definitely not telling Titch.

What did I need that Drops yarn for ?

Oh yes - this:


Cornish Dormouse Tea Cosy, pattern by Debi Birkin




















Friday 4 March 2016

FO Friday 10/16: Stash Mountain

Legacy of the Divine Tarot


I do actually have a FO for this FO Friday ... but I know you would much rather I shared with you my recent stash acquisition.

Well, no, not all of this year's, even though the year is still quite new - I'm not prepared for Titch to quite find out the extent. I am, however, beginning to have trouble getting the doors on my armario shut ...it's a good thing yarn is squishy.

Firstly, Titch owed me about 3 trips to a LYS, accumulated over birthdays, anniversaries, doghouse events etc last year ... so on my birthday this year we went to Colchester and I went wild in the aisles of Franklins, who stock not only upscale yarns, but a great selection of various brands, the latest yarn 'releases', and my own personal favorite, the Bargains ... not the tidiest or organized of places, one could trip and suffocate in piles and packs of yarn if one did it right.







I do indeed have a Plan in mind for all of it. Those are going to make an afghan and some cushions for our sofa. Don't be scared of the colors, I promise it will look ... fine. The fun fur stuff is for just in case. Just in case of what, I'm not sure ...

And then at Christmas, my BIL the Cornishman gave me vouchers for the Wool Warehouse. I have become so adult I didn't spend them until this week, and then when it arrived, I waited a whole day to open the box.

Why yes, yes, I am able to eat only one chocolate from a box and put the lid back on, how did you guess ?





























And that is the ingredients for two more afghans, you will admit, a far more random combination of colors.

And since I am hosting Mini Diva's birthday sleepover tonight ....yes indeed, now she turns 13 not so much of the Mini I guess, I need to go and move the fragile things. But given that they are all sleeping downstairs along with the dog who is over-generous in sharing the pungent repercussions of his dinner of tripe mix  ....