The stash not flashed...

Well, I was going to snap some pictures of the yarn stash this evening after Pooh Bear went to bed but it isn't going to happen (sorry Robyn, I'm an SP10 Contest Slacker). Why not? Let's just say climbing up the two flights of stairs to my craft disaster room holds little to no appeal when your are sitting on your couch experiencing false (I hope) labor. Oh the joy! Oh the amusement! Oh wow, that hurt. Better now. Still not climbing any stairs until I have to...

I can tell you about my stash... A picture may be worth a thousand words but words, well, they are worth 1/1000 of a picture.

Seriously, my stash is not all that exciting even if it has enjoyed exponential growth since the beginning of the year. Kind of like my belly.... hmmm. Stash enhancement justification! Katie's First Law of Pregnant Yarn Acquisition: One's stash must grow in proportion to one's pregnant belly. Kind of like men gaining sympathetic pregnancy weight. Pregnant knitters of the world rejoice and unite! You really need that yarn. (I am nothing if not an enabler- don't say I never did anything for you) For those of you who aren't pregnant- sorry. But give me time, I'll be un-pregnant here shortly (please lord, let it be really shortly) and I'll have to come up with the Corollary for Non-Pregnant Stash Acquisition.

Actually, my stash is very easy to visualize: just imagine the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, Baby Cashmerino, and Cashmerino Aran displays at your lys. Yes, the whole thing. Good. Now to that add the RYC Cashsoft display. Toss in a few skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Hand Dyed Cotton and a few of their organic cotton skeins. Got it? Next add around 20 skeins of Rowan Handknit Cotton and 10-15 balls of various "kitchen" cottons. That's about it. Oh, well, you can toss in a dozen skeins of sock yarn: 3 STR, 1 Yarn Pirate, 1 Sea Wool, 5 Shibui, 2 Lorna's laces, 2 Claudia's Handpainted- ok, so that is more than a dozen, technically 14. That's really about it. I mean, I have other random stuff but really- lots and lots of Cashmerino and Cashsoft- I love the stuff.

OK, I need to dash, I have knitting to so and my post from earlier today did nothing to restore my mojo (I had kind of hoped whining would magically make knitting happen) so I need to get my fingers on the needles or the three pairs of booties I am imagining will remain a picture in Last Minute Knitted gifts and three skeins of baby cashmerino in my stash (off white, light blue and apple green in case you were wondering).

It Came from the Stash...

As part of a contest for Secret Pal 10, my group is supposed to confess to the oldest yarn in our stash. Potentially embarrassing, and yet, this was my idea! (See previous post, I won a contest for coming up with the question)

The oldest yarn in my stash is 10 skeins of Aurora 8 in Pink Heather (#732)- at least I think it is ten, might only be nine... I'm too lazy to walk up two fights of stairs right now to check for sure.

Lovely yarn really. I made a hat for my daughter out of Aurora 8 and I liked working with it, not as soft as RYC Cashsoft or Debbie Bliss Cashmerino which I prefer to use but quite nice for a 100% merino wool (at least to someone like me with, shall we say, wool sensitivities).

I bought this yarn while I was taking my second set of knitting classes (Advanced Beginner) back in October of 2005 and it was intended to be a neat little ribbed poncho pattern put out by my lys. As you can see that never happened. I was distracted by baby knits (none for my daughter mind you, gifts for other folks... well, excepting the Albatross but you know that story already). Now ponchos are passe and I have no idea what to do with the yarn (though I still like the idea of a poncho {I hate jackets/coats} and am just a little tempted to just go for it- hell, I'm a mom now so I feel like my fashion card has been revoked by default anyway *sigh* so sad, but I just can't be bothered, although it does bug me that Pooh Bear is usually more stylishly attired than I am).

A few weeks ago I swatched for this cardigan:

from Rowan Classic Mothers & Babies but I couldn't get gauge without needing more yarn and there was no hope of my finding more in the same dye lot so I gave up and ordered the called for yarn instead. Since I needed several more skeins of the Aurora 8 I told myself the cost to get the "correct" yarn wasn't that much more *cough*. (And I bet you thought that swatch was actually for the originally intended project, silly, silly.)

I want to do something with this yarn. I like the color (I've rarely met a pink I didn't like). I feel badly that it is just hanging out in a drawer... Any ideas?

The Magical Sock Yarn Bush

For a little while now I have been contemplating knitting socks. I have vague, rose tinted visions of padding around my house in gorgeous lacy socks made from amazingly soft (non-itchy, non-allergic reaction causing) wool. But I had no sock yarn... I wouldn't even look at the sock yarn in my LYS. I felt no need to go down that potential addiction forming path...

But look what grew in my yard last week!

OK. So it didn't sprout from a bush in neat little yarn cakes. But it sounds good right? Alright, I admit it: I went over to the dark side. A couple weeks ago my LYS held a sock night and I succumbed.

The yarn is ShiBuiKnits Sock, a 100% superwash merino. It is really soft and I am hoping that I won't itch when I wear it.

The pink & green colorway is called Orchid and I plan to use it for my first pair of socks. I hope to knit them and wear them during my labor and delivery in July.

The blue colorway is Midnight and I plan to use it for a hat and matching booties for #2.

The three skeins of Chinese Red will be used for the Vintage Baby Cardigan. I plan to make it for Pooh Bear but she will outgrow it quickly (she is just barely in the last size) so I picked a unisex color and I will replace the ribbon tie closure with a button so #2 can wear it too.

And so the yarn sock addiction begins, I can tell already. I've been surfing the web, ogling sock yarn, stalking the Seattle yarn shops, drooling over colorways and maybe, just maybe, a few more skeins have grown in my garden.

No hormones, I swear...

...but the stash just keeps getting larger! Here's the scoop on my latest acquisitions.
First up, one skein of Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton in Sage. This is destined to be the Baby Bolero from Oneskein. I picked this out before we knew that our Piglet-to-be was a boy. I wanted something gender neutral and I think this is just right.

This pile to the left will one day be the Classic Cardigan from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Pile details: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, 3 balls of Denim, 1 of Light Lilac. A cardigan for my Pooh Bear who hates having anything pulled over her head. I cannot tell you how many adorable patterns I have ogled only to realize my munchkin would tear up at the mere thought of a buttonless neckhole coming within ten feet of her person.

Third on the list are two skeins of Louet Sales Merlin in Caribou. I want to make the Bubbly Curtain from Mason Dixon Knitting for the powder room on our main floor. I'm not totally sold on the color though... I originally envisioned a dark tan or a medium brown for the room... this is very dark but the other choice in the brown family at my lys was too light. I might see if another shop in town has a different selection or if they carry the Euroflax specified in the pattern. Still ruminating on this one...

Let's see... what to look at next. What? You thought I must be done by now. Oh, no. When I enhance I go all out. Well, at least on this occasion (can you say gift certificate?).
Ah yes. The pile of sherbet-y goodness! Just looking at the colors makes me yearn for a warm day, a spoon, and a container of rainbow sherbet. Yummy looking Cottonade in Kiwi, Petal Pink, Petal Blue, Pink (the darker/brighter one), Petal Yellow and Cantaloupe. I intend this for the Cot Blanket from Natural Knits for Babies & Moms, the colors match the new color scheme we plan for my daughter's room. Now I know that I have been moaning & groaning about my current blanket project, affectionately dubbed The Albatross, but this is different. Really. The blanket is knit in squares not one big thing so I think it will be much more pleasant. Just no one mention the seaming word ok? I am very happy in my delusional bubble with my sherbet, thank you very much.

Hang in there. We are almost to the end, only two more I promise.

Yup. The ubiquitous Sugar and Cream. Given that I am expecting a baby in July could it possible a Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono? I think so. I don't have the color in my spreadsheet and I am too lazy to walk up two flights to check on it so you'll have to wait until I cast on to know for sure. (don't hold your breath... it could be months before this gets done)

And finally, last but not least, my Bunny Hop from Crystal Palace Yarns. This is the same yarn I am using for the Royal Baby Set I posted about last week but in a different colorway. I think it is going to be a hat but I'm not sure yet. Waiting for divine inspiration or something...

22 skeins of new yarn intended for 6 new projects. That ought to keep me busy for a while. Shhhh... don't mention the five WIPs I already have- I'd love to cast on for something new but I don't dare. (yet) I'd best run and get some work done on the Albatross or all of the above fiber goodness will languish and we certainly can't have that!