How Many Do You Have???

Helllooo my fellow crafters...
Today's post is all about "stash" confessions!

OK, I'll start... I have more yarn that I care to admit! But... for some reason it still isn't enough. One of my very favorite things to do is to find small, independent yarn stores and go for a visit... and, by the way, I have a few indie yarn-store-visit posts I'm working on. The thing is, when I visit these cutsie little stores my creative gears begin to turn, and I am seduced into the idea of yet another project. I can't help myself. I need, need, need to buy enough yarn for said project because you never know when you're going to get back there. It's really all about being prepared. Really.


I am not the kind of girl that starts one project and sticks with it until it is finished before I start another! Oh, no. I need to have a few things going so I can choose which to work on according to how I'm feeling. Do I feel like I want to take the time for a lot of color changing? Or am I feeling lazy and want to veg out with long lines of color? Or am I feeling really lazy and just can't deal with any color change at all? It's all about the choices :)

With that said... Are you like me and have many projects going on at once... or do like to start and finish before moving on?

Above is my granny square I started over the summer, and with all that color changing, it's not the one I go for when I just want to hang out in front of the TV, or listen to the kids read their 30 minutes a night. I also have this one going...

The colors aren't all that exciting, it's Shaker from Lion Brand Home Spun, but it is super fabulously soft and will match everything it gets thrown on. I have, however, hit a road block and can't seen to find this particular color of yarn to finish. I've looked at 3 different Michaels stores only to find an empty bin labeled "Shaker". UGH! Oh well, that's OK because...

... I just bought yarn is some fabulous colors to make this...

I can not take credit for this picture, as I found it on Tangled Happy , who... follow me now... found it on Moogly. It is a free pattern, so I thought I would share the fabulousness here. Isn't the internet fun? When I saw this pattern I loved it immediately and off to the yarn store I went. My reasoning for this is it's a smaller baby blanket and it would be easy to travel with... Hey what ever you have to tell yourself in order to rationalize, right? I haven't started it, but I'm ready to go.

I've also been thinking about a ripple. Oh, how the world is my oyster.

Happy days,
Nicky

I ran out of yarn... again!

Now that school is out, as I am a "non-traditional" student, meaning I'm too old to be a "traditional" student ( I'm 39), at Aurora University in Illinois, my plan for the summer is to finish up some crafty projects I started, but ran out of time to finish. I have two whole months to do what ever I want!! I am so excited. I will cook, and clean, and crochet, and read, all sorts of things that I put on the back burner while I was in school.

First on the list... finish already-started crocheted afghans.

I started the "Painted Desert" afghan over Christmas break, then school started up again and I never got around to finishing it. It's pretty big, 6.5 x 5 feet. I wanted it big enough to snuggle up with my kids and not leave any body parts uncovered. Last week I finished the body and decided that it needed a border... I love to crochet, but I'm not very good at it. This is my first, of only four afghans to date, that I put a border on. Before this, I only knew one stitch, the half double crochet!

This is now my border and I couldn't be more happy. It just "finishes" the blanket. I thought I would finish it yesterday, but I only had about three feet of the border to finish and I RAN OUT OF YARN! UGH! This didn't happen to me just once, but twice. I went to Michael's to get a skein of yarn to begin the border, one would be enough, but then I decided to go around the body three times instead of two... darn borders. Back to Micheal's I go. Today I will finish for sure!

I'm not sure if this combination of stitches has a name, but I see it every where. I learned this stitch when I began making granny squares. This afghan I started on spring break. I thought my magic hands would finish it in a week. All I can say is... HA.

The afghan above is number two one my list of things to finish.. and completed afghan number 5.

Welcome to Pick A Stitch

Helloooooo.

Have you ever tried to tuck your crafting gene away in order to get on with the rest of your life? If you're like me, the need to be creative brews from deep within! I've tried to ignore it, and have been successful for a week or two, maybe even a month... but then I see something awesomely artsy and before you know it I have bought every book about it, and supply needed to complete that awesomely artsy something. My craft lab contains vast amounts of art supplies that would rival even the most well stocked Hobby Lobby!

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and needlework is no exception. Many years ago (in a land far far way... no, just kidding) my grandmother owned a needlework store called Pick A Stitch in downtown Naperville (Illinois). We're talking in the late 70's, early 80s. A very adventurous lady she was, although I didn't realize it then, but she was following her passion in hopes to spread the love of needlework. How cool would it be if she still owned her store today?? I'd be in heaven!

My love for the yarn runs deep, just as it did with Dodi, and you could say I'm kind of following in her footsteps...with the help of technology. So, today I am joining the other talented, domesticated divas who also share the love of knitting and crocheting, by introducing the new-and-improved, technologically updated version of Pick A Stitch. If we all can't all meet around the big table in the center of the yarn store, at least we can gather around our computer screens, coffee in hand, and ravel in all the wonderful yarn goodness this magical internet brings together. I hope this blog finds you well, and offers you some encouragement, a little inspiration, and at the very least, lots of laughs.

I welcome you to leave many comments, and share your yarnish and fiberful experiences with the rest of us. Here's to a wonderful beginning... coffee cups clinking...

xoxo,
Nicky