How much am I actually spending on yarn?

Hello, my name is Tammy and I'm a fiber addict. And not the cereal kind.

I love Blue Faced Leicester. I love Merino. I love silk. I love mohair. Camel. Yak. Angora. Mink!

Any kind of luxury fiber makes my little heart go pitty pat. Yes, I can hear the gasps at the thought of how much I actually spend on yarn. I'll admit it...a lot.

I could tell you stories about how natural fibers don't aggravate the psoriasis on my hands like acrylics do (true by the way), tell you I think I'm worth the indulgence (true again. Why work so hard if I can't indulge my hobby?). But the truth of the matter is...I'm an addict.

And nothing gets my blood pumping like a good deal on my favorite yarns.Sometimes the stars align and I get the good deals. Not often, I'm usually the one who buys just before something goes on sale for half price. But not this time heh heh.

Last week, I was haunting Discontinued Brand Name Yarns. It's a great site but because they're a liquidation site selection is always hit and miss. If you sign up for their email list they give you codes to save even more money! *happy dance*  This day, armed with my 33% off code, I was cruising the site and landed in the hand painted yarn category. I think my heart actually stopped for a beat or two when I saw Hand Maiden Marrakesh, a silk/camel blend. I didn't even notice the color, I just hit 'add to cart'.

Take a breath, it's all good. Then I saw Hand Maiden Silk Lace right beside it. O. M. G! Get the defibrillator! I couldn't hit 'add to cart' fast enough, wanted to scoop those before someone else saw them! Picture the seagulls in Finding Nemo...mine, mine, MINE!!!!!!!!

So now I had them in my cart. Whew. Still didn't know what colors they were, that part didn't register. But I added my discount code and needed revival again. $17 for the Marrakesh. Regular retail? $42. That's right, FORTY TWO DOLLARS!!!!! FOR SEVENTEEN!!! Already riding an adrenaline high, I checked the Lace Silk. $15. Regular retail? $40! I had to hold my happy dance to check out. Even with the shipping, which is more than reasonable, I still got these luxury skeins at HALF PRICE!!!!!! SCORE!!

I didn't think I'd ever come off the endorphin high because as anyone who knows me will tell you, I have a love affair with Hand Maiden yarns. We sneak around behind my husband's back so he doesn't know the true extent of our union. Me and Mini Maiden? That's a weekend rendezvous in Paris to me. 

So with my deal in the bag, now the came the hard part. Waiting for them to arrive. 

While I did, I became curious how my favorite yarns stacked up price wise to regular yarns available in places like Michael's and Hobby Lobby.

For those who don't know Hand Maiden is a Canadian Company. Check them out. They're awesome. They also do a more economical line called Fleece Artist. And by economical I don't mean cheaply made. Hand Maiden to Fleece Artist is like a BMW to a Cadillac. Both luxury cars, one's just way more fancy. That's what they're like.

So, I went to the Hobby Lobby site and looked up Kroy Sock Yarn. This is considered a good quality yarn, 75% wool, 25% nylon for long wearing. $5.99 for 1.75oz/166 yards. Sounds reasonable. High wool content...don't know what kind of wool and for non yarn geeks, the breed of the sheep does greatly effect the quality of the wool, but there is a high percentage. 

Popped over to Colorsong Yarn who only carry Hand Maiden/Fleece Artist yarns and looked up a similar sock yarn. Blue Faced Leicester Socks.  80% BFL wool/20% nylon for long wearing. Pretty close, although BFL wool? Is divine!!!! So soft and squishy you can't believe it's actually wool. I love it. But I digress...$19.95 for 4.06oz/355 yards.

At a quick look that seems very expensive compared to the Kroy, but let's break it down.

Kroy - .04 cents/yard, $3.42/oz

Fleece Artist - .06 cents/yard, $4.91/oz

In my head two cents a yard more for something that I won't just enjoy but will absolutely, crazy stalker love is worth the investment! And with the bigger skein from Fleece Artist you can do hats and shawls and mitts, oh my!

So as you can see, I've found a new way to validate my love of luxury fibers

Hello, my name is Tammy and I'm a fiber addict.

P.S. For the curious, the yarn arrived. Here's the colors... *drool*

P.P.S. Links for the curious:
            www.discontinuedbrandnameyarn.com
           colorsongyarn
           Hand Maiden Fine Yarns

Infinity Scarf Pattern

Well I promised my friends in my Crochet with Us! Facebook Group that I would post the pattern recipe for the Infinity Scarf I'm making so without further ado, here it is:

I used Hand Maiden Mini Maiden in Stardust, which is a wool/silk light fingering yarn that I won’t gush about right now or you’ll be reading all day, with an “F” (3.75mm) hook, but you can use any yarn and appropriate hook that you want. When in doubt, check the yarn label for a hook recommendation but remember that’s just a guide line. Be a rebel! Go up or down a size just to see what happens. Or be really crazy and change by 2 sizes. Heh heh. Damn the man! He can’t tell us rebel hookers what to do!

Pattern is easily customizable. Just chain a multiple of 11 + 4. Want it longer? Just keep stitching. Want it shorter? STOP! J

This is a simple two row repeat pattern. The only tricky stitches are front post double crochet (fpdc) and back post double crochet (bpdc). If you’ve never used either stitch, this is an excellent pattern to learn them and get comfortable with them.

Here we go:

Chain 37

Row 1:  3dc in the 4^th ch from hook, *sk next 2ch, (dc in next chain, ch 1, skip next ch) twice, dc in next ch, sk next 2 ch, 3dc in the next ch,** 3dc in the next ch, rep from * across ending last rep at **, dc in last ch, turn

Row 2:  Ch3 (counts as dc), sk 1^st dc, *3dc in next dc, sk next 2dc, bpdc around post of next dc, ch 1, sk next ch-1 sp, dc in next dc, ch 1, bpdc around the post of next dc, sk next 2dc, 3dc in dc, rep from * across to turning ch, dc in 3^rd ch of turning ch, turn

Row 3:  Ch3(counts as dc), sk 1^st dc, *3dc in next dc, sk next 2dc, fpdc around the post of the next dc, ch 1, sk next ch 1 sp, dc in next dc, ch 1, fpdc around the post of the next dc, sk next 2dc, 3dc in next dc, rep from * across to turning ch, dc in 3^rd ch of turning ch, turn.

Repeat rows 2-3 for pattern.

Easy huh? When it’s as long as you want it, slip or whip stitch the ends together and voila! A simple, yet fancy looking infinity scarf.

Enjoy!

Tamsin Juby

BF Crochet Creations

PS: Share! Share the pattern, share your finished object, make the world a brighter place! But please, if someone asks where you got the pattern, tell them it was from me, or better still, send them here! (but you don't have to, I'm not pimping my blog or anything. ;) ) I like thinking of myself as a skinny Santa Claus gifting the world with probably the only talent I have. Thank you kindly.

PPS: Yes, the “thank you kindly” means I’m Canadian eh.

What to make, what to make, what to make

So I have got A LOT of chunky/bulky weight yarn in my stash. Beautiful, soft boucles in various colors, some thick acrylics and a few odds and ends. I've been searching like crazy for just the right patterns and frankly it's making me a little crazy because I can't find just the right pattern. I want a sweater type garment. Something with a little flare and definitely no turtle or high neck! My neck is only two inches long and anything high necked makes me look funny. So since I can't find what I want even though I'm not entirely sure what it is I'm looking for, I'm going to design my own.

First off. I want to use my bulky yarn. I can't call it chunky because that leads to my darling brother making jokes about alpaca soup as I found out the hard way. :) But since I don't want the sweater to be overly thick I'm going to use a big hook.  Probably M or bigger. With a half double crochet stitch that should make even bulky yarn lacy.

Second, I want an asymmetrical hem. So out comes the scrap paper. 

There. That's the hem I want. 

Now the bodice.... Hmmm.... Something not to heavy. Time to pull out my crochet bible. 

500 different stitch patterns. It's wonderful, isn't it?

So let's try something fairly open.... This one.

Third, make a swatch. This will tell me how many stitches and rows in a four by four swatch.

Now the fun part. Pull out my horribly colored dressmaker's mannequin and take some measurements.

With all this information I'm ready to start. I know right? All this work before I even start?! Custom design isn't easy.  Calculator, paper, pencil. Time to do some math.

Tune in next time to see how all this works out. I haven't a clue so it could be amusing. 

Today I'm going to share some of my favorite sites for on-line shopping, places I get my supplies that have excellent service and reasonable prices. I don't mind paying for what I want but some places just aren't worth the shipping expense to receive the items.

Ice Yarns

They're in Turkey but anytime I order, I have it shipped DHL whose price is more than reasonable considering I get the product in three days. From Turkey. I know right? I order from the U.S.A. and it takes two weeks to clear customs. But three days from Turkey. Weird.

Some examples of yarns I received from Ice Yarns

Sign up for the newsletter. They have Tuesday Promotions and Bargain sales that have UNREAL pricing. I highly recommend buying from these sales and you'll get your yarn way cheaper than anywhere else, even with the shipping costs.


www.iceyarns.com/


Expression Fiber Arts

Chandi is hilarious! She is also extremely enthusiastic about her product and her craft. She is in Alaska and product has to travel from there to California before proceeding to Canada (Doh! Don't they know Canada is in between?) so be prepared for it to take awhile. Patience! Customs also seems to like to really examine her packages but they do finally arrive with "yummy goodies" as Chandi would say.

This is Autumn and I both modelling the shawl I made with the Yak/silk blend in Calico that I purchased from the May yarn club Chandi runs. Surprise yarns! What fun!!!!


www.expressionfiberarts.com/


Urban Yarns, Vancouver

These are the people who sold me my first Mini Maiden yarn and started my obsession. Nice people to deal with, their packages are wrapped in tissue paper and a personal card that's a joy to receive, just like a parcel at Christmas! I live in Eastern Ontario and it only takes three days for parcels to arrive. That's pretty efficient. Their pricing is right on target and their selection is really good. If you order something online and they've run out, they will call you to see if there's a substitution you'd like just so they can get the package on the way quickly. Super nice people to deal with.

www.urbanyarns.com/

Colorsong Yarns

They carry Handmaiden/Fleece Artist yarn only but...they have clearance sales. Woohoo! Bob and Nancy are great to deal with and they have a HUGE selection of my favorite yarns. They also have discount codes for various knit and crochet alongs on Ravelry which can also help save money. Again, they ship from the states so it can take up to three weeks to arrive, depending on how long customs holds up the package, but that is not a fault of the company. I think border services just don't like the word "yarn" on the package. It seems to make them suspicious for some reason. WARNING: If you order over $100 in product, you will have to pay duties and taxes when the package arrives. Better to keep your spending under this threshold or it'll hurt.

Yarn and sliver I purchased from Colorsong Yarn







colorsongyarn.com/


Mr Yarn

I have one thing to say....BULK DISCOUNT!!!!! That takes me to my happy place. Add their more than reasonable shipping and the fact that they seem to be the only people who can get across the border quickly ( must be the Mr that gets them through fast :) ) and they are one of my go-to places to shop. They have a nice selection and their stock is always rotating so check back often.

www.mryarn.com/

So these are my standard places for now, but I'm always shopping around to find other suppliers with unique items. Where are your go-to places for supplies?

My head is spinning!

Ever since my learn to spin kit arrived I've been obsessed.

Such a simple concept, but there is a trick to it. My first hand spun yarns are quite thick. I was scared to draft the fibers too thin.

And my twist was all over the place. Some places very tight, other places barely a twist at all. But this helped me learn exactly how much spin is required to keep the fibers in a yarn. Not much.

But I had so much fun learning. Finally I stopped being so scared and really drafted the fibers, playing with just how thin to draw the fibers to make a thin yarn that I could ply. Plying is when you take two strands of hand spun and spin them together to make a thicker yarn. But if your strands are thick to start with you end up with super super bulky yarn.

So I grabbed more fiber and concentrated on getting it as thin as I could. That yarn is hanging to dry right now.

My spin is still inconsistent but the thickness is much better. I'm excited to crochet this up when it's done drying. But in the meantime, I received a delivery...Kid Mohair Sliver. Sliver is animal fiber that has been cleaned, combed and carded and in this case dyed, all ready to be spun. I ordered fiber from my favorite company, Fleece Artist/Handmaiden Yarns. I just love their colors.

Look at those colors! Makes me do the happy dance.

Each hank is silky soft with such a beautiful sheen and halo. I had heard that because it's so silky it can be harder to spin but far be it from me to avoid things just because I'm new at it. I like jumping in with both feet. So I grabbed the blue and got to work.

This is the hank untwisted so you can see the color changes and I can start working with it. First I drafted off a chunk of fibers.

That's the leader on my drop spindle and the chunk of fiber. You'd be surprised how much fiber is in that little piece.

I didn't add any fiber. This is that one little piece drafted out to start spinning. And I personally didn't find the Kid Mohair any harder to work with than the regular wool. The hardest part is pre-drafting the fibers.

 

 

So away I went. I'm still building my stamina for drop spinning so I can't spin as long as I want to ( which is just about forever :) ) but I gave it a good go and here's my results for the evening.

The color in that shot is atrocious. This early pic shows the glowing blues much better, though it also shows how rough my hands are right now. This is not the fault of the fiber but of my nasty psoriasis. I find acrylic fibers aggravate my condition and I have been working with acrylics quite a bit lately.

So tonight I'll spin some more. I should soon have enough to ball. I may make a second strand and ply the two so that the subtle color changes in this yarn will really stand out. Or I might leave it a single ply and just keep spinning until I have enough to make myself a shawl. I'm so excited at the possibilities!

Is there something you do that makes you anticipate the future when you'll have time just to play?

Hello!!!!!

So I disappeared for a bit. Between battling the plague and spring rush at work I haven't had a minute to do anything but crochet. :) I did however find a minute to order a drop spindle spinning kit on Etsy.

 

It came with everything I need to try spinning yarn and I was so excited to get started! 

First thing I learned...you could use a third hand when starting. And don't let your cat help. But I persisted and made my first handspun by me yarn!!!!

 

Okay, not bad for a first attempt. Found out I don't have muscles where I should though. Who knew spinning could be a workout? Bonus!!!

So before my second attempt, I learned more about drafting your fibers BEFORE starting to spin so that they're the thickness you want. Duh. That made sense. I also learned don't take the tension off your spun yarn until after you've soaked it. The soaking sets the twist otherwise it just unravels.

So armed with new information...take two...

Here's the little ball of spun fiber. I love how it shines in the sun. Okay I think I'm getting this now so I go for a big batch since I've now figured out how to join fibers although not completely smoothly yet, at least I can do it. So I spin until my shoulder gives out, put it away for the next day, do the same thing again for four days and here's what I got...

 This is my handspun yarn on the spindle. Took it off and put it to soak for fifteen, then hung to dry. When I checked it this morning it still wasn't quite dry but here's a picture of what it looks like.

Next step will be to use the yarn in a project. This is just a single ply and I have every intention of making a fat ply of colored yarn wrapped with a skinny ply of the natural wool. But since I'm not an expert yet that could take awhile....

Having such a good time learning though. Did you ever take a notion to just LEARN something? Just for the fun of learning? Or am I the only learning geek out there? :)

The journey of discovery

So much of what I've learned started with a thought. So lately my thought has been spinning because of course I'm obsessed with yarn. So let's start with a basic Google search...

This seems like a good place to start.

www.instructables.com/id/spinning-yarn/

OMG! That is so awesome. Alright now I want to spin with a drop spindle. Let's see if I can make one at home. Hello Google...

This is perfect! It will allow me to try it out without buying a thing!

oneinchworld.com/blog/index.php/2011/12/how-to-make-a-drop-spindle/

Now I'm thinking of all the perle cotton thread I have that I can blend together to make thicker, multicolored thread. I'm so excited!

I have images of this dancing in my head:

www.copperandbirch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/drop-spindle.jpg

And now I see my favorite yarn company, Fleece Artist, has roving dyed in their colors! Oh I so know what I'm doing tonight. Time to make a drop spindle and learn how to use it.

See this is why I have such a hard time staying on task. My brain is always leaping to the next exciting thing. Do you ever have problems focusing because there's just SO MUCH you want to try?

Designing for this dummy

So I thought I'd share my process for designing. It's not hard or complicated really.

First, I get ideas from random things. Pictures on the internet, something I see in the store or on the street, or maybe just some random thought. Last week I was obsessed with figuring out what motif I could use that would easily lend itself to many uses. Finally I settled on the triangle. You can put it together a million ways for a million designs. So I went cruising Pinterest to get some ideas.

www.pinterest.com/tamsin5/motifs/

Well now I really had some ideas. Next, I need to design my own triangle pattern. I might get inspiration from others but my work has to be my own. Crochet is the only thing I'm any good at so it's a point of pride with me. I could spend hours drawing, trying to put together the stitches and then crochet but I'm more a fly by the seat of my pants type. So I grabbed some yarn and started stitching.

So these are variations on the same theme, trying out how the stitches connect and the triangle grows. Once I have an idea how this is working I have to see how they look joined.

 

Okay so far so good. I have a plan. But since I have an idea what yarn I want my final product to be in, I grabbed some left over and started working in that. Big surprise, its Mini Maiden by Handmaiden Yarns. Its like my favoritest yarn ever. Seriously, I'd marry this yarn and have it's babies.

 

Looks a lot different huh? That's why it's important to do samples in the yarn you want to use. Sometimes a whole project can be ruined by using a fluffy yarn when a smooth yarn is called for. Or a variegated yarn when a solid color is needed. But I'm not displeased with the look so I press on.

So that looks kind of cool. Time to roll production. Ball up a skein of working yarn. Mini Maiden in Pinata.

Such a beautiful spring color! It just makes me smile to look at it. And using it is always a joy. The intensity of the color shocks the eyeballs and makes my heart sing. And the feel! Its soft and smooth and silky and wonderful. So now I'm working away with this yarn and we'll have to see what the end result is. I've been known to change patterns mid project so don't be surprised if all this designing was for nothing. 

Do you ever spend hours on a concept only to scrap it once you're into the thick of it?

They trained a Ninja!!!!

I'm making progress on my organization of the stash! Not quite on schedule but I'm pleased so far.

 

So last night as I was sorting the top basket of the rack, I heard a noise. I figured it was the cat, looked around, but I didn't see her. So I went back to sorting, bent down to load up my small suitcase with the next batch of yarn to be balled and what do I see?

Apparently those neat balls of yarn make a very squishy, comfy bed. I just can't figure out how she snuck in there. That's the third shelf up and she's not a quiet, coordinated cat. The yarn must have been teaching her ninja skills. The real fun started when I had to try and pry her out of there and she did not want to go.

So this is my next mini stash to clean up:

And here's a better shot of my progress so far:

 

It does look so much nicer like this it inspires me to push on despite the sneaky plans of cat and yarn.

Tamsin

 

Yarn...the substance, not the tale. The tale comes later.

Since I'm so obsessed with natural fibers, I zipped over to Wikipedia to see what they had to say:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarn

Natural fibers

Cotton being spun

The most common plant fiber is cotton, which is typically^[3] spun into fine yarn for mechanical weaving or knitting into cloth. The most commonly used animal fiber is wool harvested from sheep. For hand knitting and hobby knitting, thick, wool yarns are frequently used.
Other animal fibers used include alpaca, angora, mohair, llama, cashmere, and silk. More rarely, yarn may be spun from camel, yak, possum, qiviut, cat, dog, wolf, rabbit, or buffalo hair, and even turkey or ostrich feathers. Natural fibers such as these have the advantage of being slightly elastic and very breathable, while trapping a great deal of air, making for a fairly warm fabric. Also the "yarn" can be made out of the Cameron tree.
Other natural fibers that can be used for yarn include linen and cotton. These tend to be much less elastic, and retain less warmth than the animal-hair yarns, though they can be stronger in some cases. The finished product will also look rather different from the woollen yarns. Other plant fibers which can be spun include bamboo, hemp, corn, nettle, and soy fiber.

My adventure started when I heard there was mink yarn. Mink!!! So I went searching and found some. At the same store I found llama and alpaca so I got some of those too. The mink was lovely and very warm but I have to say....it smelled. It still smells and I've washed it a couple times. I'm hoping eventually it'll stop smelling because it really is soft and warm. The llama and alpaca were mixed with silk and so delicious. They're still some of my favorite yarns to work with and they sent me on an obsessive search for more luxury yarns.

Then I discovered Mini Maiden by Handmaiden Yarns. O.M.G. The colors! The feel! It's a silk/wool blend that is so far beyond amazing and quickly became my favorite go-to yarn. Just feast your eyes on the colors I have coming:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/322711129521210377/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/322711129521210375/

(thought I'd slip in a link to my bolero made with Mini Maiden  https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/183735155/brilliant-bolero? )

The pictures don't capture the glow of the yarn that the silk gives. There's so much depth to the color that you wouldn't believe it. And because I love their colors so much I have used several of the Fleece Artist/Handmaiden yarns and I've loved every one of them. And they don't even pay me to say that!!!

I've worked with angora and mohair which both are delicious but can be really difficult to frog due to the fuzzy fibers. I just read a tip that says throw it in the freezer for ten minutes and it'll be easier to frog so I'm going to try that next time. I love the fuzzy halo but have always been aggravated by the difficult frogging so I avoided them. Hopefully this trick will let me work with them more.

I've found a company that sells buffalo yarn and that's next on my to try list. I used to work on a buffalo ranch and I know just how soft and fuzzy their hair can be and I think it would make stellar yarn. But first I have to work it into my budget :)

Possum? Really? I wanna try possum yarn too! And Qiviut. Cat, dog, wolf, rabbit....so many natural fibers to try! I can see this is going to be an adventure. I'll keep you posted on what I try.

Happy days :)
Tamsin

Squirrel !

There's a Disney movie with a dog that is completely me. He rushes up to a person and says " Hi there! My master made me this collar so I can communicate with you. Squirrel!" as he's totally distracted by a squirrel running by. That's me. Only usually its shiny.

This is what my straightening of the yarn stash was completely squirrelled by (and yes I do believe squirrel can be an adjective...if that's an adjective...darn it all now I have to research grammar.):

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/bfcrochetcreations?ref=l2-shopheader-name

That's right. I opened an Etsy shop. Just about had a heart attack doing it, but its an enormous step towards what I want so I needed to do it.  I only have one listing right now but I have every intention of getting some of my projects up over the course of the weekend, and filling in my Etsy page but I had to get something offered for sale or I was going to chicken out. That's the problem with chasing your dreams; you may want them with every breath you take but that doesn't mean its going to be easy. And your biggest opponent? Is yourself. I'm learning to push past the fear and just believe. What's the worst that will happen? I'll lose a little bit of money and never sell a thing. So what? I'll have great presents for everyone I know.

The support from all my friends has been amazing and has encouraged me to keep moving forward. Couldn't do it without you guys.

But if you want presents, you'd better hope I don't sell a thing. :)

Tamsin

Contemplating the Future

I started this blog about three times, trying to find a way to express my thoughts as I work my Mon-Fri job and realize I really, really don`t want to be doing this three years from now. Don`t get me wrong, my boss and co-worker are wonderful people and amazing to work with but...its not my dream. What I want is to be working in the fiber arts field. No expression has ever spoken to me like do what you love and you`ll never work a day in your life. I want to do what I love. I want to spend every day with yarn and crochet and knooking. I want to wake up each day eager to work. Because if its working with yarn, its not work at all.

When I`m working with a favorite yarn I often find my stitches slowing just so I can watch the play of color as it blends and changes, or shifts when the light hits it. This pleases my heart.

When I get a few rows done, I have to hold it up, just look at the magic that`s happening as I create this fabric, the drape, the shapes, the flow. This soothes my soul.

Crochet does not have to have a purpose. It`s enough that it is. It`s enough that it soothes and heals the stresses of the day. It SHOULD be indulgent and sensual.

I have such a love for luxury yarns. Not because of the price and prestige that`s often associated with natural fibers, but because of the sheer JOY of working with them. You will never get the sheen of silk from an acrylic yarn no matter how spectacular the acrylic is. You will never get the springiness of wool, the softness of Alpaca. Even viscose from bamboo has a feel to it that is amazing. When you work with natural fibers its not a craft, its an experience!

I don`t think I can put into words how it feels when you finish a project in a spectacular yarn, one you love so much you`re almost sad you`re done because that means you`re not working with it anymore. But here`s the best part...you can always start another. It never really ends because you can always make more things!

And when you wear what you`ve made, or gift it, or sell it, its such a thrill because you`re sharing your joy. That yarn you couldn`t stop touching because its sooooo soft now comforts someone else, brings a little joy and beauty to their day. And when they wear it, someone else sees it and it brings joy to them as well.

And that`s what I want to do. I want to help people to experience the joy and thrill of discovering what beauty there can be in taking something so utilitarian as crochet and creating something that pleases your heart and soothes your soul.

That`s my dream.
Tamsin

Day Four of the siege....

The yarn is fighting back. They found an ally for their horde and she is formidable.

Don't let that cute, innocent look fool you. She's a terror, grabbing the neatly wound yarn and running away with it, liberating it from the constricts of organization.

I'm weary from the fight, wondering if I can indeed win this war. I see my progress but is it enough when everyone seems against me?!

Truthfully, things are going well, kitty cat interference aside.

The sight of all that neatness gives me hope....and tells me I have room for more yarn. Bwahahaha!

The dirty word...

...organization.

Anyone who knows me will tell you my form of organization is more hack and slash than actual organization. But I think if you can reach into the center of a pile and pull out what you want that it's organized! Right? Maybe? Okay so that totally isn't organization.

I'm really trying so hard to tame this horde with organization that I've started the pages for my fiber book.  That's right, a complete list with samples of each yarn so I'll know what I have.

 

Not perfection but better than nothing.

I have to admit this is taking way longer than I thought it would. Waaaayyyyyy longer. It's the tangles that slow me down but I remind myself that's why the yarn is still sitting there and not crocheted into something amazing. I NEED to do this and I can't let myself get discouraged. I have the month...and maybe next month? to get this all together. Keep my eye on the prize and remind myself how much easier it will be when I can walk up to my stash, grab a skein of yarn and just start hooking.

And in the mean time, I need to luxuriate in all the fabulous yarns I do have, remind myself why I love my horde even if they are wild and untamed right now.

Soldier on!

Oh what a tangled web....

I'm making some progress taming the horde even though that progress is just confirming how much more I have to go. But I am determined! This will happen! The yarn will not win!

The yarn is rallying though. Last night while I slept the horde gathered and laid some traps for me.

 

 This is what the horde did.

I persisted but it did slow me down substantially. Little did they know, I just put a tidy skein on the automatic ball winder and untangled this. So multitasking made some progress.

 I want the whole rack to look like this!!!!

I'm pretty sure I know who the ring leaders are in this battle. That would be my luxury yarns because they want me to only love them.

Don't they look guilty? I swear the brown mix Applelaine yarn is whistling. 

As I'm working this project and whipping (or in this case, balling) the yarn in shape my dearest other half utter words that made my blood run cold. "Why don't you just throw that out instead of wasting all that time untangling it?"

WHAT??!!!! Throw it out??!!! NOT my babies!!!!!!!!

I have never been able to throw out even the smallest end of yarn but perhaps he has a point. If there is yarn I'm never going to use I could throw.....donate it. There. I can donate it. Put it up for adoption to be loved by someone else. I will add that step to my plan.

And I think I need to use that Mini Maiden at the front of the luxury yarns. :)

Taming The Horde (spelling intentional)

So like most fiber users I have a stash. A stash that has grown and gotten messier until it organized itself in to a horde. I swear it did.

I was lying in bed one night and I could hear the silk whispering to the acrylic to give it more room. The acrylic complied because it was silk asking after all. But that meant the cotton had to give way. The bulky yarn wasn't giving up its comfortable home, so the cotton went after the baby yarn. There was much scrambling, pushing, shoving and even a few lines dropped over the edge to search for new homes. In the end my horde ended up like this....

Yes I am ashamed I let it get this bad. I should have sent them all to military school at a young age. So my first goal is to sort out this mess, corral the yarn that has run to other sections of the house just to avoid the conflict and get this under control. I have this beautiful rack that I picked up at an auction for $10 (score!!!) and I intend to put it to good use. Who rules this house, me or the yarn???? (Please let it be me.)

So rather than tackle everything at once, an overwhelming prospect if I've ever heard one, I've given myself the month of March to complete it. I'm starting with a mini horde, the outriders if you will.

With my trusty ball-winder, I'm going to whip these bad boys into tidy cakes, ready for stashing in a new, regimented hoard rather than horde.

Wish me luck!

Introduction

Beginnings - they can be exciting or scary or both. But broken down a beginning is just a step. One step. Simple. Don't look beyond that one step, just take it otherwise you'll never go down the path, you'll stand there trembling forever.

Yes I am talking to myself.

So this blog is my first step towards what I want.

Each step is going to be confusing and exciting and aggravating at times I'm sure but the point is its all going TOWARDS something, following along a path with maybe a few detours along the way and shortcuts that aren't shortcuts at all, but all moving in the right direction.

So now to figure out how to do this blogging thing.... :)