Post-Christmas Stuff

Christmas is over for another year.  It's time to unwind and de-stress from all the self-imposed Christmas goals and deadlines.  I don't know why I put myself through it each year, trying to have a spotlessly clean house, the best homemade cookies - 12 different kinds - the perfect gifts, and all the social outings, and I don't think I'm going to do that to myself anymore.

I had planned to make up a bunch of neck warmers for my knitting group ladies, but I ran out of time, and so rather than add any more stress to my life, I gave them each a nice hank of Malibrigo, the very yarn I had intended to use for their neck warmers, instead.  (Heck, they're knitters, aren't they?  They can make their own stupid neck warmers!)  Actually, it was a bit of a bust - I really wish I had completed the projects and I feel bad that I didn't - but at least I got their colors right and they all said nice things about me. 

Looking at other blogs, I see a lot of folks posting their annual intentions/resolutions list ("I'm going to write the Great American Novel and then in my spare time away from my busy medical practice, I'm going to feed all the homeless orphans and build designer bird houses" or some such nonsense).  My  list is far more simple and is not in any particular order:

• Attempt to learn to crochet.  (Got a project that incorporates crochet and I'm having a doozie of a time with it.)

• Try to keep the house clean.  Well, cleaner anyway - at least keep the filth down a bit.  That may mean I don't have as much time to knit, but some sacrifices must be made on behalf of the local health code.

• Knit down my stash.  Not ALL of it or anything that drastic, but I no longer have a place to store my pretties since my daughter moved back home and took back her room (which was my former stash location).  It really sucks, but at least now I've got a really good idea on what my inventory is.  I'm starting with my bulkier yarns and trying to use them up first and then work my way down to the skinnier yarns (they take up less room than the fat yarns).  I see lots of new sweaters in my future...

• Attempt to get better at focusing on the current project at hand and not putting it down when it gets boring.  Yes, I am so totally guilty of that!  The lure of the new patterns and exciting yarns call to me, but I must be strong and finish what I start before moving on to the next project.  At least that's what I'm telling myself - I'll let you know if it works.

• Most important, spend more time with my family, who absolutely mean the world to me.

May your New Year's Resolutions be simple.

When the Bleeding has Stopped

I got a big jug of vinegar and have successfully stopped the bleeding on the red cabled cardigan.  I'm now waiting for it to finish drying so I can seam it up.  The process went something like this:



Daughter to my husband: "Uh, Pop - what's up with Mom?  There's this big pot on the stove and Mom just put her new sweater in it.   And the place smells."



Pop:  "Not sure, I think she said something about boiling her sweater.  I don't ask too many questions about what she's doing -  it's safer that way."



Daughter: "And the place smells like...pickles?  What is that smell?"



Pop: "It's vinegar."


Daughter: "What?"


Pop: "Yeah, she's boiling her sweater in vinegar."


Daughter: "Huh?  Why...(looking around)...uh, nevermind."



Pop: "Exactly."   




All goes to show you - they CAN be taught!

Stuff

Found out yesterday that my daughter is moving home.  This week.   Like Thursday.  We knew she would be moving home sometime this month, but were not prepared for it being this quickly.

Her room had been converted over to a storage area/knitting/sewing room/guest room/cat sleeping area.  Don't care that much about upsetting the cats, but I have no place for my knitting stuff (left the sewing stuff in the closet - she doesn't really need a closet, does she?).

I now realize that I have a LOT more knitting stuff than I thought I had.  A lot more.  I have to go on a yarn diet until I have more space to store it.  That sucks.  But, I will take the opportunity (see how I can spin this into a positive thing?  Almost scary!) to go through my yarn and get rid of the stuff I don't really like.  If I'll never use it then why am I holding on to it?  Get rid of it and get something I like.

The other plus to this (besides my daughter coming home - yeah! I won't be the only female in the house anymore!) is that now I finally have all my knitting stuff in one room.  Can't get to it because of all the other junk, but I can almost see it... 

Bleeding...

Went to do a quick wash & block for the pieces to the cabled carti (finished them a couple of days ago) and lo and behold, the beautiful cranberry red that caught my eye in the store has bled all over! 

I washed again - same thing.  Wash water that looks like something out of a homicide scene.  So I got out the vinegar.

One vinegar soak down.  Then in the rinse the red kept coming out - I figured that I didn't use hot enough water. 

Went for soak #2.  Used the last of my vinegar.  Son of a.... still has red dye bleeding out.  I have NEVER had bleeding problems like this before!  Worse part is that I still have 6 skeins of this stuff left. 

Going to get a 5 gallon jug of vinegar tomorrow and look up some new swear words.