Progress in Janary, Ready for February!

Well, I've inventoried all my unfinished items (over 50), counted all my yarns, listed them by weight, and got everything reorganized. I haven't added everything up yet, but I plan to calculate how many miles of yarn I have accumulated.

In the meantime, I have finished four UFOs, am working on three others, and dove into the stash to start a belated baby blanket for a friend:


Finished item # 1, Norah Gaughan's Hex Coat from "Knitting Nature." Not a good shape for a heavy person, as I can now attest, but I can wear it around the house to stay warm.

Finished item #2 - Weird-colored greenish socks with red, green, and blue stripes. The color threw me off the first time, but they grown on me.
Finished item # 3 - Regia stretch socks for my husband. His first pair of handknit socks. He has many sweaters, but I didn't think he'd wear socks. But he loves them!
Finished item #4. Easy elongated stitch/garter stitch scarf made with a strand of GGH microfiber eyelash and a strand of Brown Sheep Naturespun Fingering. Warm and soft.
Works-in-Progress (WIPs):
WIP #1. Norwegian Hat in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. It will soon be too warm to wear, but I plan to finish anyway.
WIP # 2. Basic Black Socks in a vertical lace pattern. I had to frog the original pair I started because it was too small, but I'm back on track with a basic toe-up sock #1.
WIP #3. This beautiful Douceur et Soie scarf/stole was put aside, but I didn't remember why. It wasn't until I noticed that I was knitting an error in that I realized I had made another much further down - likely the reason I set it aside in the first place. Too difficult to frog the brushed kid mohair, I will probably just fix the most recent error and leave the other.
Baby Blankey in Henry's Attic Cotton Bouclé. Simple checked knit purl design. A little bigger than necessary to allow for shrinking during machine washing. Maybe not the best idea to give white for a baby, but it is cotton and washable. It is meant to be used.

Stuff I haven't even started yet. . .

Sock yarns (13 sock UFOs are hiding in the tote)

Variegated yarns and handpaints

Half of my UFOs

Confessions of a Stashaholic

It is a new year, and I actually have a resolution. I MUST deal with the massive amounts of UFO's (unfinished objects), yarn, fiber, and fleece in my studio. I am a fiberholic - now I must take steps toward rectifying my situation. Lucky for me, doing so only involves using up that mountain of yarn and fiber. I don't know if there are 12 steps, but here they are:

1. Admit I've got a problem. Boy, do I. I could knit enough to clothe a small nation, spin my way around the world, dye every color of the rainbow, felt a moderate-sized home, and still not use it all up.
2. Inventory. This may take a week or two, and it will be painful. But it must be done.
3. Commit. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I can. I CAN
4. Prioritize. Finish unfinished items? Decide on new starts? Which yarn to spin first? I feel a panic attack coming on.
5. Persevere. The mountain will seem insurmountable. Keep up the pace. I won't give up.
6. Solicit the help of others. Family, friends, electro-shock therapy. I am seriously considering joining the Stashalong at http://www.stashalong.blogspot.com/.
7. Avoid temptation. Don't make matters worse. Stay away from the LYS (sorry, you've been enabling me). Choose "no mail" or at least "digest" from the sales lists - if you're on digest, the really good stuff is usually gone before you can respond; the rest isn't worth it. Avoid the online sales. Etsy is not your friend.
8. Divest your assets. This is why I won't "unsubscribe" from the lists. They can be your friend. Sell that stuff. You can actually make money from the stash you will NEVER be able to use, even if you live to be 100.
9. Be creative. That is kinda the point, isn't it? Knit something you've never knit before. Felting uses TONS of yarn and goes quickly! Try some weaving - again, a sure-fired, stash burner.
10. Give it away! Share your talent and your stash. Make a beautiful shawl for your mother-in-law; give your long, lost aunt a memory; felt your niece an amazing teddy bear with a WARDROBE. They may never understand what it takes to make that gift, but you do and they'll appreciate the effort and thought. And for those that would understand the effort, skip a step - give them the good stuff and they'll love you for it.
11. Celebrate success. Give yourself a treat at the end of the month - no, not yarn. A pair of ebony needles perhaps. A photo album of all your now finished items. Set of blocking wires, or a second if need be. Or maybe a weekend off knitting? Doesn't sound like much fun to me, but who knows?
12. Keep a record. I know I always regret not having a picture of my finished projects. I'll want to remember the long difficult journey I'm just starting.

And off I go. . . Pics to follow.