Domestic Geek

The Yarn Harlot was in town last night and I had an amazing time. She was so funny — I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I'd share the pictures I took last night, but THEY SUCK! Once again my crappy camera decided it was going to be unable to focus. Also, I must've accidentally changed a setting, because the pictures are SMALL! I am so done with that thing. I also closed my eyes in the picture I had taken with Stephanie. I really wished I had asked Marcus to borrow his for the evening. I hope she comes back next year after her new book is released and I can try it again. By the next time, I will be making socks!

I made some good progress on my Mistake Rib Scarf I'm working on. I'm into the 2nd skein, so over 50% complete! I tried working on a dishcloth, too, but trying to follow the pattern with so much fun and excitement around me was impossible.

I'm so glad I finally decided to get off my duff and join the knitting world. Of course, Ravelry has been a huge help to entice me to leave my comfort zone and put myself out there.

Today I need to do some housecleaning and some much-needed web work so I can get Domestic Geek back up and finally finish the header I've been working on for this blog. I'll try to sneak in some time on my clogs, though, and read a little bit of Things I Learned From Knitting (Whether I Wanted To or Not) that I got signed last night.

I didn't fall off the planet, just been busy and so not in a blogging mood. We got insanely busy the last few weeks at work and I was putting in some much needed OT. Also, my wrist got all jacked up and I had to try to stay off the internet and let it heal.

I've got tons of projects on the needles and hooks. I need to buckle down and actually finish something so I can show it off. I've got another knit bag in progress, a scarf, knit clogs, a crocheted hat and a dishcloth. There is also a couple of afghans in my closet I'd like to finish and the good old crocheted popcorn garland that I will finish before next Christmas. Lined up right behind is a crocheted top that I really want to get started on (I even dreamed out it last night) and I got a kit of Booby Socks at the SnB at Purls of Wisdom down in Parker last Sunday. I am finally going to make myself learn to knit socks because these are so cute! The proceeds of the kit are being donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Center. Kelly wrote up a nice post about the Booby Sock Kits over on her blog if you'd like to read more about them.

The Yarn Harlot engagement at Tattered Cover is only two days away! I'm excited because I've actually got some knitting friends now and it's going to be a blast. I even bought a Yarrrn! t-shirt at Jinx for the occasion.

I'm really wishing I had gotten back into my yarn crafting a long time ago. I am having so much fun hanging out at yarn shops and going to Stitch 'n' Bitches. Starting next Monday, I also moving to 2nd shift at work (3-11pm), so the days will be filled with creative pursuits. I can't wait!

Last May I participated in The 30-Day Organizational Challenge on the OrgJunkie site and got my craft room in order. I was so proud of how it looked and I kept it clean and organized for quite awhile...until I needed to get to some fabric. My fabric stash is crammed into a couple of plastic totes and some drawers and unfortunately, I can't find what I need when I need it. Around Thanksgiving, I needed a particular fabric that I knew I had, but just couldn't find. I dumped all the contents of the totes and drawers out into the middle of the floor in a panic. It's mid-March and they are still there (and I never did find that fabric I was trying to locate). It was the one straw that broke the whole proverbial camel's back. Ever since then, my room became once again the dumping ground for anything that didn't have a home.

I decided I needed to deal with this right away and while searching for fabric organizing solutions, I came across these neat little acid-free plastic fabric bolt organizers. They're available in two sizes for both full cuts and fat quarters. It would be a little pricey to get enough of those to deal with my current stash, so I'm looking into some other plastic alternatives. It's a shame they don't sell those at quilting stores in 10 packs or something.

Over on one of the groups I belong to on Ravelry, the message was posted that the Yarn Harlot is going to be at The Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch on April 4th. w00t!

If you have no idea who the Yarn Harlot is, she is Canadian Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. She writes a blog called Yarn Harlot and has authored many books on life and knitting. I just love her blog...go check it out.

I totally missed her visit last year when she was here. I saw it on the news, though. I decided, while watching that news segment, that I would learn to knit no matter what and would see her next time she comes to town. I did and I will. Yay!

I drove to the Highlands Ranch Tattered Cover one day after work a couple of weeks ago to see where exactly it was. Turns out there is a yarn shop in the same shopping center called String, A Knitting Boutique. It was an awesome store, the woman working there was so nice and I found the most beautiful royal blue alpaca yarn. Now I have to decide what I want to do with it (after I roll it, of course).

OK, self, when a shop owner apologizes for her ball winder being tied up by another customer and her not being able to wind your hank you just bought and you say, "That's OK, I'll wind it up when it get home" — DO IT! Seriously, wouldn't you have rather been knitting for those two hours it took you to untangle the mess you made trying to knit from the hank? I originally didn't do it because I thought for sure Marcus wouldn't hold the hank while I wound (like my dad used to do for my mom). Turns out all I had to do was ask.

Along those same lines, self, shouldn't you have learned that same lesson when you frogged the knit bag you were making when you decided it was going to felt smaller than you wanted and should start over? Really, you just wasted a good hour untangling that mess. Who knew already knitted yarn tangled so easily? How hard would it have been to wind it up as you frogged instead unraveling all and trying to wind after you'd already knitted 12 rows of the new bag?

I'm thinking a ball winder of my own wouldn't be a bad investment. There are several on Amazon as well as being stocked at many of the yarn stores here. Anybody have any advice on yarn winders? Which ones are crap and I should steer clear or is the one you own totally awesome? Advice is greatly appreciated!