Some Stash Enhancement

Clearly I fail at Nanoblopomo since I missed nearly a full week of posting but since I typically blog once a month or less I'm calling it a win.

Today has been a week of stash enhancement. First, something that has taken it's sweet time getting to me:


That's a sweater's worth of Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Black over Violet that I have been coveting to make Snow White for several months now. It is also some veil motivation as I am not allowed to do anything with it until the monster project is finished. (Please don't ask how that's coming along, it makes me all twitchy). I don't know why but it took a full 3 weeks for this to reach me even though it was sent air mail and shows no sign of being inspected by customs.

Then today I headed to the yarn store to pick up yarn for the swap put on by one of my knitting groups. (No, I'm not posting it). Somehow I also came home with this:


A skein of Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in the Snap Dragon colourway. I bought one of the first skeins of this base back when her studio opened and couldn't resist getting more.

And I also picked up yarn to make some things for Andrew, who had kindly kept me company on the outing. He picked up yarn for felted clogs and mittens.

Alright, back to knitting my swap knits.

One of these days I will write a real post and not a oh crap I better post today post.

Today is not the day.

We went back to the Circle Craft Christmas Market today to do some more Christmas shopping and spent a few more hours there than intended. At least we got a big chunk of our gift buying done. Hurrah for being almost done Christmas shopping before December.

I almost had a falling down over a beautiful decorative doll. I managed to resist but just barely.

I definitely enjoyed the market but boy is it more of an adventure than the smaller markets I usually go to.

Now I must get to bed for there is a busy day ahead of me. I have a house to clean, a 7 year old's birthday to attend and my parents' coming for dinner.

I'm coming in under the wire on this one because I just got back from the Circle Craft Christmas Market. It was my first time going and I have to admit, it was a bit overwhelming. I think I'll be going back tomorrow.

I did manage to buy two Christmas gifts though. I'll post more about it later. Right now, me too sleepy. (And slightly buzzed from the post-craft-show nosh)

Spinning in Progress

As I wrote earlier in the week, I received my fiber for the All Spun Up Spin A Long on Monday. For the spin along, you sign up for however many bumps of fiber you want. The colourway is a surprise but the fiber is not. This was my first time participating and I'm so glad I did. I started spinning in up yesterday as soon as my wheel was free and I finished the singles today.


So far I've really enjoyed spinning this. It is beautifully prepared, a stark contrast to the fiber I've been spinning recently that was full of lumpy bits. The colours are less dark than the pictures and spin up beautifully.

Lest We Forget

A lot of my peers remember hearing stories from their grandfathers who fought in WWII. Neither of mine did. My dad's dad was too ill and my grandfather wasn't old enough. Had it lasted another year he would have gone. He paid for that as an adult. He went out east to find work and no one would hire him. Finally, a manager told him he'd never get a job in Ontario with his German last name as long as there were veterans looking for work.

It would be nice to believe that that kind of prejudice no longer exists but one need only look at the comments on news sites about the last name of the man suspected of the Fort Hood shootings or the violence experienced by Muslims after 9/11. On Remembrance Day I think it is important to remember that these men and women fought and died to make the world more just and less prejudiced. We should be thanking them by not judging others by their last names or what countries they come from whether it's Germany, Japan, Iraq or anywhere else.

Happy Half-Weekend

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, and a day off here in B.C. I personally like these mid week holidays. It makes it feel like two really short weeks which is kind of nice.

I started a new job at work this week. I'm figuring things out but it's a lot to learn and I'm glad to have the extra day to unwind a bit before jumping back in on Thursday.

Tomorrow I will hopefully use some of the daylight to take some photos of my new acquisitions so you will have a fibery post to read.

Big Box of Fluffy

I've been known to occasionally talk in my sleep, usually random exclamations. A few months ago, shortly after I got my Lendrum actually, I apparently exclaimed "big box of fluffies!" in my sleep, complete with arm gestures. In our household spinning fiber is referred to as fluff. Apparently I was having a good dream.

Anyway, the reason I was thinking of this is because when I got home today, our mail box was stuffed full of packages containing fluff, the All Spun Up Spin a Long fiber and roving from Frecklefaced Fiber. No pictures yet unfortunately because of the lack of light, perhaps this weekend. I'm expecting a couple more packages.

FO: Tilted Duster

Pattern: Tilted Duster by Norah Gaughn
Source: Interweave Knits Fall 2007
Yarn: Berroco Peruvia 6 skeins
Modifications: None

I'm really happy with how this turned out and how it fits. I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it. It is a pretty easy knit and a lot quicker than you'd expect from a long sweater. It only took me as long as it did because it spent a lot of time in hibernation. I think I actually spent about a month's worth of knitting on it.

I had planned on doing a FO post for the Tilted Duster today but the rain prevented me from taking any good photos. Maybe tomorrow. So instead I am copping out with a 5 interesting facts about Megan post.

1. As a child I had an imaginary country instead of imaginary friends. I was queen. It was accessed via Patterson Skytrain station and was called Skatchina
2. I am afraid of stairs
3. I once auditioned for a reality tv show as part of a school project. I got an A
4. I've never watched an episode of the Simpsons and am strangely proud of that
5. I learned to knit so I'd have something to do on my long commute

On Stash

A thread was recently revived on Ravelry about stashing and materialism. Someone pointed me in the direction of a post I made early in the thread over a year ago in which I stated that I didn’t really ‘stash.’ Obviously it’s safe to say that’s no longer true.

Let me say right off that I don’t feel one bit bad about my stash. It brings me inspiration and comfort. There is a reason why I have nicknamed the craft room the “Room of Happiness.”

I studied consumer culture as part of my degree so I am quite well versed in the academic theories surrounding materialism and conspicuous consumption. I won’t claim to be immune. In fact, I don’t think anyone in North America, knitter or not is immune. To a point we are all vulnerable to comparing what we have to what others have and many who make a deliberate effort not to consume conspicuously are actually practicing conspicuous non-consumption. That is, in my opinion, just another way of using your consumption, or lack thereof to define you. While conspicuous consumption may be far more prevalent in modern times than it ever was, humans have been defining themselves by their possessions for hundreds of years. We’re simply more aware of it now.

It is not wrong to have stuff. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with hanging on to stuff either so long as it isn’t causing you or others undue harm. My great-grandmother was extremely poor as a child. She married at 16 so that she wouldn’t be hungry anymore and throughout her life she filled her house with possessions. Those possessions brought her great happiness because she remembered when she had nothing. Yes, she was absolutely hoarding but her house was kept clean, her children and husband were always fed and clothed and no harm was done.

I’ve found that my stashing has highs and lows. There are times when I’m buying a lot (like Sock Summit or the great yarn acquisitions of January) and there are times when I don’t really feel a pull to buy yarn. I’ll likely continue to buy yarn and fiber. Some will be used immediately and some won’t. I’m okay with that.

Bet Progress

Back at New Year's I made a bet with Andrew. If I finished 3 sweaters and 10 pairs of socks, I got an Addi Clicks set. If I failed, he got two pairs of socks. We later changed the terms and agreed that any sock yarn project counted and the veil also counted as a sweater. Here's the progress so far:

Socks and Sock Yarn Projects:

1. Japanese Vines Scarf
2. Baby Yours Sweater
3. Monkey Socks
4. Lacy Rib Socks
5. Leyburn Socks
6. Entangled Stitches Gloves (95% complete)
7. Argyle Socks (40% complete)

Sweaters and Veil

1. Owls
2. Tilted Duster
3. Veil (90%)

I'm cutting it close but it just might be doable. And perhaps the desire to win the bet will be the motivation I need to power through the end of the veil

Dear Buttons that I bought Yesterday

Where the heck are you? I dutifully bit the bullet and seamed the sleeves of my Tilted Duster and planned on finishing it tonight. I went to Dressew yesterday to buy you and put you in the yarn room. Why is it then that when I went to get you today to sew you on to the sweater you are nowhere to be found? I know you are here somewhere so please stop hiding. I do not want to buy more buttons, especially since if I do you will no doubt reappear the moment the last button is sewn on.

Please reappear. This is really not amusing. It is rare that I actually get something finished and do not like you standing in my way.

Love Megan

Day 2

I can already see that this post a day thing is going to be a stretch. After all, the only post I managed to make yesterday was from my iphone. I do like a challenge though so we'll see what happens.

I'm nearly finished the Tilted Duster. I just need to sew up the sleeves and sew on the buttons and it will be ready to wear. The seaming is taking forever though. Ugh. My plan is to finish tomorrow. I'm also almost finished the first Entangled Stitches glove, fingers and all.

The downside to all this knitting productivity? I'm almost out of 'loophole projects.' I'm not allowed to cast anything on until the white behemoth is complete so soon I will be forced to just finish it. Not that that's a bad thing.

Mission: Possible?

I've decided to attempt nanoblopomo. Given the lateness of this first post I don't have high expectations.