Finally organized my stash

Some of my stash
Originally uploaded by ndjen04.

A few weeks ago while cleaning my closet, I found this great sweater storage/hanging shelf contraption that I had used while in college and it is perfect for storing my current stash of yarn. And it makes Mom happy because it is now organized and in one spot - beats having plastic bags all over the place. I also created an Excel sheet to keep track of what yarn I have, how much, and what it is currently being used for. I've found that I often will be in the store, find yarn that I like, think that I have something similar at home and then realize that what I have will not be enough or isn't right for the project I had in mind. Or the opposite happens - - I think that I don't have it, buy it, and then I have too much (although, is there ever a such thing as too much yarn?).






In other news, I finished my first sock!!! This picture is a little fuzzy, but tomorrow when I have more energy, I'll take a new one. And then of course I will cast on the mate for this one. I really want to start another pair to work on, but my goal for this week is to finish the few projects I already have started before starting anything new. So far I have been doing well, but we shall see how long it lasts.

For now it is bedtime.

EDIT: I re-took the picture this morning under better lighting conditions. Now you can see the texture of the ribbing and it's just a better picture than the one I had up last night.

First Pair of Socks

First Pair of Socks
Originally uploaded by ndjen04.

Finally got around to uploading my pictures. Don't have many yet, but here is one of my first sock, taken a week or so ago. Currently, I am almost done with the foot and am getting ready to shape the toe. The end is in sight!

Socks made with Plymouth Sockotta on #2 DPN
K3, P1 ribbing for the leg and the instep, stockinette stitch for the heel and the sole

Procrastinating

I tweaked the blog a little - changed the colors here and there, added a site meter and a "favicon" (the picture that appears in the address bar and tabs if your browser has that capability). Also new to the site is a graphic to the right with my current WIP's (works in progress) and the 2007 FO's (finished objects). A couple weeks ago my mom asked me why I keep starting new projects when I have a whole bunch that are unfinished. Of course the goal would be to have more finished that on-going projects, however, I have a rather short attention span when it comes to my knitting. Yes, I love all the projects I am currently knitting, but sometimes I just need a change of pace (or yarn or size of needles or pattern). To add to that, I have so many more project ideas floating around in my head. Thankfully Thursday I will be returning to CT for 10 days of relaxation (and knitting!).

Okay, so I am a bad blogger... No pictures just yet. Saturday and Sunday I did not have a chance to photograph my knitting - But I did organize and inventory my yarn stash!. So I figured I'd bring the camera with me back to Boston. Of course when I opened the bag, I realized that I did not have the USB cord to transfer the pictures to the computer. I did take a bunch, but unless they are magic jpegs that can teleport their way from the memory card to my hard drive, my blog will have to be boring for another week until I go home on March 1. Yet another thing to add to the list of things Jen has forgotten this week. (that's a whole other story - I won't bore you with the details...)

In knitting news, I've turned the heel on my first sock and am about an inch and a half into the foot. So far so good. While decreasing the gusset I ran into a few issues. Usually when I knit on DPN's I carry one stitch from the previous needle to the next one as to prevent any "ladders" or gaps between the end stitches on the needles. This pattern specifies the number of stitches for each DPN and I kept getting ladders and a few times I dropped stitches. After a few rounds of getting frustrated, I decided to do things my way. I marked off the beginning of the round with one color marker and used other colors to mark off the end of each needle. Now I can carry the stitches around and still keep track -- the first 13 sts after the beginning marker are "needle 1"; the next 33 are "needle 2" and the last 14 are needle 3. As long as I know which sts are which, does it really matter if they are physically on one needle? Didn't think so. I know this sounds a little confusing. If I had a cord for my camera I could show you a picture...

I promise to be boring no more!

Ladies and gents, your wait is almost over. The batteries for the digital camera are charging and by tomorrow morning I will be able to capture my wonderful knitting creations to post here for the world to see.

In other knitting news, this past Tuesday before the "big storm" hit New England, I picked up some sock yarn and itty bitty needles so I could venture into the world of socks! Yay! So far it has been going extremely well. I only ripped it out once (knock on wood) and that was the first attempt and about 10 stitches into the first row. The smaller gauge yarn and tiny needles have taken time to get used to. I probably should have bought the shorter double-pointed, but out of force of habit and because of my sheer excitement, I wasn't thinking and bought my usual 7" bamboo DPNs. Ah well, I've gotten used to them, so it's not too terrible. Of all the things that knitting has taught me over the last 17 months, patience, persistence, and adaptation have been the three most important.

Also, I have joined the Knitter's Review Forum. I highly recommend it or something similar for anyone who knits - from beginner to the most advanced. Sharing your ideas and experiences with fellow knitters is an invaluable intangible tool to add to your knitting bag; not only can you help others, but more importantly you might learn a thing or two!

Although, I must confess... if I had spent half as much time knitting as I have spent at the computer this week, I might have had at least one of the 6 or 7 projects done that I have on my needles... Maybe that revelation is a sign that I should stop posting and get back to my knitting a bit before bedtime. Good night all!