Order out of chaos.

03. December 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: yarnporn

I’ve done a lot of organizing over the last couple of months as I’ve created my new work space at home. I’ve worked on making myself a space that feels warm and inviting, where I’ll enjoy spending time, and where I can have better access to the things I want to use and the books I like to read. The closed off, dark navy room has now become an airy cream room with fresh green accents and plenty of light. I’m drawn to this place and, stocked with plenty of storage, an old TV and DVD player, a recovered futon and a neglected chair and ottoman, I feel comfortable knowing that this space is all mine. It’s an interesting mix of knitting, design, and tech — probably a rather accurate reflection of me as of late. It’s a relief to finally have my go to reference books at hand — design, web, ux, testing, and let’s not forget my knitting books and patterns. Finally! Having a place of my own where my things belong and can be kept out of reach of others makes me incredibly grateful. I’m even finding that having my stash of yarn more accessible makes me far more likely to reach for something I already have, rather than buying something new — definitely a step in the right direction (although I can make the case for insanity by doing it right before Rhinebeck. We will discuss that foolishness later).

So far, I’m really appreciating being reunited with my stuff — not to mention my sanity.

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Froggeddaboutit.

02. December 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: gifts

While I’ve been organizing my Christmas To Do list, I pulled out all the half finished projects, hibernating WIPs, frogged bad ideas, barely started and almost completed pieces and bagged and collected them in a big basket in my work space. As I get the time, I’m even starting to slowly make my way through that basket — either to repurpose the good yarn/bad ideas, or finish some of the good ideas and regift. Very promising, since Christmas is less than a month away.

And then sometimes, you just hit a black hole.

IMG_4500A couple days ago I pulled out a skein of fingering weight Alpaca, which had started almost three years ago as a lace cowl, but somehow I’d gotten sidetracked, and then it got messy, and then I frogged the damn thing since I really hadn’t gotten farther than an inch into the pattern. But three years is a long time for lovely little piece to be left undone, and as I’m looking for easy gifts, I figured it was a no brainer. So I cast on again — three times, to be exact — and kept at it for three inches, until I hit a particularly rough patch (also, sleepy Robin gets sleepy). I had to rework one round four times until I realized where I’d gone astray (a simple matter of miscounting, believe it or not). Finally it was time to move on. Then I caught a look at the picture on the front of the pattern and realized, after all this time, I was using needles that were WAY too big. Seriously too big. Like, a US 7 when a even the US 4 I’ve switched to might still be a tad big.  So, this is now the status of my current project. AGAIN.

Sometimes, stupid Robin is stupid.