The Best Laid Plans ...

I took a couple of days off from work last week. I had planned on finishing the main part of the birthday stole with a view to have the border done by the end of the month (in time for the giftee's birthday party).

It now looks like my new target date will be giftee's actual birthday in mid-September as I never even picked up the stole all weekend long.

I have been in cleaning and organizing mode. Since such mood doesn't strike me very often, I have learned to just go with it when it does.

My stash had been ... em ... stashed ... in different areas of my very small apartment - some still in a stack of Elann white boxes, some in my clothes closet (to the point where there was no longer room for any clothes) and more in bags stuffed here and there. I'd had enough of having to dig through various locations to find what I wanted, so I decided that the stash had to be centralized. I have a linen closet which held not linens, but a variety of craft and sewing supplies and my sewing machine. I haven't done crafts in over five years and the only sewing I ever do anymore is hemming pants - which I have been doing by hand because hauling the machine out of the closet and setting it up is too much of a pain.

So, it was clean-up time. All the crafting supplies were unceremoniously discarded (it was more than time ... all of my glues and paints had totally dried up) and the sewing paraphernalia was culled to an acceptable minimum.

My sewing machine has been set up on my desk since it is no longer used as a computer desk (the desktop PC having been replaced by a laptop a few months ago). The machine has been joined by my knitting books - all in easy reach.



I had to clean the machine's insides first, but it is now in working order and I've already hemmed two pairs of pants.

All my yarn has now been relocated to the linen closet:



See the bottom part ... more yarn in two space bags. I didn't have the nerve to inflate them to see what was in there!

Most people have a sock drawer.

I now have a sock-to-be drawer:

There was some knitting done during the weekend. I've had a special request for two baby blankets - both babies due in December. I figured I might as well get started.

It is knitting up pretty fast. Hopefully I won't get sidetracked by yet another project calling my name.

Pay It Forward - Part 2

Thanks to Jennifer and Suzann for joining in.

Please email me your mailing address when you have a moment so I can send off your goodies whenever they are ready.

fromheretoeterknitty AT gmail DOT com.

There is still room for one more - leave a comment here or in the original PIF post.

Pay It Forward

I saw mention of this PIF Exchange while catching up with Grace's blog yesterday and thought it was a wonderful idea, but was too late to join there.

Going through the TV listings early this morning, I noticed that the movie is playing on a local channel tonight. "What a coincidence" I thought (the theme from the Twilight Zone playing in my mind).

As I was clicking my way through my usual blog suspects earlier, I found that Bets had issued the call.

OK, I can take a hint. I joined in and now it's my turn.



This is what the PIF Exchange is all about (copied from Bets' blog, which was copied from Grace's blog, which was copied from JenW's blog, ...you get the picture):

"Here is how it works! I’ll send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange! I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week…LOL… but you will receive it within 365 days, that’s a promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog… No pressure, no hype. The first three people to sign up get a prezzie AND pass on a little kindness."

Any takers?

Sock-in-the-Box

I was shopping at my favourite store last week – the local Loonie store (or Dollar store for my American friends) and found some “Chinese Take-Out” boxes in a variety of colours. I thought they would be great packaging for sock gifting and bought 10 different colours. I’m sure I’ll be able to match the socks to each box when needed.

There was only one birthday-themed box:





A former office buddy is having a birthday at the end of this week and she is getting the Raspberry-Mocha socks I finished last week.



There are no photos of the socks featured in my last post on sizing dilemma because I have not finished any of them. I did find some volunteer "sock assessors". I have determined that the blue socks would indeed fit their intended recipient; however, I thought the Monkey sock pattern did not suit the yarn (it was just lost in the dark colour) – so I have yet again ripped that sock back and the yarn has gone back to the stash for a rest. The pink sock knit on the 2.25mm needles was too tight to fit over my volunteer’s average size foot. The sock knit with the 2.5mm needles was fine in the leg, but loose on the foot. I haven’t done anything yet, but I believe they will also be frogged and the socks will not be Monkeys but some kind of ribbed pattern which is more “forgiving”.

There has been some progress on the birthday stole. I ended up going with my original item knit on the smaller Addi lace needles. I have slightly more than half the pattern repeats completed. I am hoping to get the rest of it done this week and then I can start on the border.



I must admit that I really don’t enjoy working with lace weight mohair … and wouldn’t you know it … I have loads of it in my stash!

Stash Improvement Project:

I just can't help myself.