Spring Cleaning

I have been trying to use up some stash yarn for swaps and for the Great Cowl KAL. But the more I went through the stash, the more it looked like the craft room had exploded. Today I managed to get most of the stash contained. Still not organized very well, but feels good to have things in boxes/bins, and not just strewn across the floor!

I've also been putting loose patterns in a 3 ring binder. Eventually I'd like to add dividers to make it easier to find certain types of patterns, but one step at a time!

Going through the yarn stash also meant going through some unfinished objects. Since the Great Cowl KAL is over (more on that next time), I decided to start by finishing a cowl from a KAL last fall. Just need to pick up stitches for the button band. Now that I've done button holes a couple times I'm feeling confident that this won't take too long to finish. I even have the buttons already!
Also have a shawl to finish, and then contemplating another shawl for a new KAL.

Still more spring cleaning to do in the rest of the house, but right now I'm ready for some more knitting!

Happy Spring

I attended a lovely Spring Equinox ritual over the weekend. We were even out to be outside, though the rain started just as we were finishing!

My swap partner also received her package over the weekend, so here is the picture as promised:


A birdie, 3 bunnies, and some green fun fur in the back of the basket (there is a use for fun fur novelty yarn!)

How are you celebrating spring?

Someting New

I have been participating in a few swap groups on Ravelry. Swapping has been a fun way to use up stash yarn and meet people from all over.

Most recently I participated in a Spring Equinox swap, which gave me a chance to knit something other than cowls and shawls. I just mailed off the package to my swap partner this morning, so you'll have to wait until next week for a picture!

I also received my package today:



It's a different style of hat than I normally wear, but I'm enjoying it. And, since I live in Portland, I love that my swap partner "put a bird on it." A good reminder to try something new and experiment with new styles.

What have you tried recently that was new to you?

Yarn Overload

So, my post this week is a little late. Last weekend was the Rose City Yarn Crawl. 19 local yarn shops in 4 days...

My adventure started Thursday afternoon. I was downtown, and able to visit Angelika's Yarn shop for the first time. From there I took the streetcar down to Dublin Bay Knitting Company. They had yummy homemade cookies, and a trunk show by Sweet Georgia (and one skein of sock yarn wanted to come home with me ;) From there I walked down to Urban Fiber Arts. This time I was tempted by a skein of Alexandra's Crafts sock yarn. Also found out I had filled up my Supportland punch card, so I scored a $25 gift card for next time (apparently I shop there more than I thought ;) Then I got back on the streetcar for a quick stop at Knit Purl and then caught the MAX to For Yarn's Sake. They had a trunk show with Abstract Fibers, and I picked up a skein in the special Hopworks colorway (are you noticing a pattern here?)

Friday I was at work until 5, and the train was running late so I didn't make it to any shops. But made up for it Saturday! My other half was kind enough to do the driving, and we started at Kathy's Knit Corner. Fun to see the trunk show by 3 Fates, but I managed to resist buying anything (I had gotten several skeins of her yarn at Crafty Wonderland, and haven't used them all yet). Then a stop at Knitting Bee to admire the Scrumptious Luxury Yarns, another stop at All About Yarn, then Northwest Wools and Wool N Wares. Next was Wynona Studios where I picked up a skein of their hand-dyed yarn. Next were stops at Make One and Yarn Garden. Then on to Happy Knits where I picked up a couple of mini skeins to use for their Bertie Lou blue bird pattern. We ended with stops at Twisted, Gossamer and Close Knit. Tried to stop at the Naked Sheep, but couldn't quite make it before closing. Definitely a marathon day and yarn overload!

Sunday morning we made a stop at the Naked Sheep, where I tried out the Bar-Maids scrub and lotion (and picked up a mini lotion bar in Little Pumpkin). Then ended the crawl at Yarnia, where I bought a pre-made cone that made me think of Easter. Also found out I earned a Supportland reward for $10 off my next purchase there (apparently I buy too much yarn).

After successfully making it to all 19 shops, I headed to work for a half-day (have to pay for all those purchases somehow!)

I didn't win any of the fabulous shop baskets, but did get a message that I won the Bar-Maids drawing at Naked Sheep for a free class! Looking forward to checking out their spring class schedule and learning some new skills. And looking forward to knitting with my new yarn, and the patterns I collected at the shops.

Have you participated in a yarn crawl? What was your experience?