Yarn, lots of yarn

I have yarn, lots and lots of yarn . . . now, to be fair, it is not all for me and my projects.

I have yarn that I received from swaps.

I have yarn that I have purchased for swaps.

I have a wonderful neighbor who goes garage sale-ing, and buys me yarn. She says that it is only fair since I took her to my most favorite LYS.

I have yarn that I just had to have because . . . . ummmmm . . . the stars were correctly aligned and in conjunction with some such thing and the yarn was good price and, to be honest, I wanted it.

The biggest problem that I have is TIME. I just don't have time to do all I want to do. I know I have to organize it into projects and such and I did. Once. Not too long ago. But that was just the stash that I had at home. It doesn't include the "work" stash. The "work" stash consists of stuff that I have delivered to the office . . . swaps, knitpicks, online purchases . . . I don't have packages delivered to the house because usually there isn't anyone home to accept delivery.

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Phew, I am so glad that I unburdened myself regarding my stash.

On Thanksgiving, my older sister was talking about her spinning. I looked over at my husband at one point and he was just shaking his head. Well, he was until she mentioned alpaca's and fleece and yarn . . .

I'm itching to remodel the bathroom

We remodeled our house in 2004. We knocked out the back wall on the first level (38 feet) and added 8 feet of room and then added an additional 8 feet of roofed porch. Here are some pics of the process:

ugly old kitchen . . . looking from family room through dining room to kitchen: Looking from part of the new kitchen, through the new area of the dining room into the new area of the family room (with the fireplace at the end)

And finally, the kitchen . . . which is what the whole thing was about . . . we were only doing the kitchen, except that the entire kitchen and dining room would have to be rewired and taken down to the studs. So, if we were going to that expense, why not do what we really really wanted to do:

this is the breakfast bar side:

Finished back porch Summer 2006 The porch has a roof and is 38 feet long and eight feet deep. We have three double rockers on it and can put picnic tables on it if needed. We have two sets of sliding doors and it is a lovely place to read, eat, knit, do homework, write letters, reflect and just hang out.

Anyway, last evening, I mentioned to my darling, incredibly patient husband that I thought we should redo the downstairs bathroom. He said, "wallpaper or paint?" I said, "ummmm, take the tub out and put in a large shower, replace the floor (and ceiling . . . . we had a leak from upstairs many years ago and their is an access panel that looks hideous) and, oh yeah, paint with a border print." Our 20 year old daughter started laughing and then I looked at my husband's face. You could just see the visions of what started out as a simple kitchen remodel reflected in the stark terror of his face!

48 Things You Could Care Less About

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? Mary Lynn
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last week when I read a letter that my sister sent a year after our Mom died. It was lovely and kind.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, but I tend to do a combo script/print thing.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? salami
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Definitely. I can be fun and loyal
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Does a blog count as a journal?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Absolutely not.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Wheat Chex.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? My personality is but I'm not physically strong.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Butter Pecan with hot fudge.
14. SHOE SIZE? 7-1/2 to 8 Wide
5. RED OR PINK? Red.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm fat. It is overwhelming my life
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My parents
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, not really.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black pants/black t-shirt, brown/black tweedy jacket, black
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Corned Beef hash (gee is it any reason that I'm fat?).
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? WMJI - Cleveland, Ohio
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Green
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Clean, lotioned babies
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My husband
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Definitely.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Rhine wine
28. FAVORITE SPORT? is knitting a sport?
29. EYE COLOR? greenish-greyish-blueish-hazel (depending on my mood)
30. HAT SIZE? large
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza with a pan crust, lots of cheese and just about any topping.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Apple Pie.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? This is an irrelevant question, as I'm not sending it to anyone.
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? See above.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Hounds of the Baskervilles, Echo Park, You - the Handbook (highly recommend this one).
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I don't use a mouse pad.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Didn't turn it on.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My five year old running to me and screeching "Mommy's home"
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Rolling Stone
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Hawaii
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I'm a great organizer.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Cleveland, Ohio
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Copied and pasted from Sundara's blog http://purlywhites.typepad.com/ .

October Birthday Swap

I participated in the October birthday swap. My birthday is October 9 and Dorothy (from Wyoming; blog spindledreams.com/serendipity). She told me up front that she wouldn't be able to get me my present by my birthday.

It was well worth the wait. The picture does not do it justice. I received a felted bag, a small change purse that had cat stitch markers, Wyoming rocks (chocolate covered fun), two skeins of Boku Plymouth Yarn (95% wool; 5% silk), a calendar, a couple of Wyoming postcards and then just yesterday, received a hand made row counter from Fiber & Designs.

Thank you Dorothy. It was great fun having my birthday last a month

I made the mistake of deleting this picture from an earlier post and wanted to put it back . . .

Even if I do say so myself, he is the cutest kid. 95% of the time he is incredibly happy and kind . . . and then, of course, his sisters get in his face and he is not happy (and sometimes not even kind . . . but he learned it from them).

I actually have been working on this sweater. Both sleeves are done. I am about six inches into the body and then you go back down and add the pouch. I hate the pouch. First of all, I frogged the whole body . . . well at least to the ribbing. Stupid thing to do. Then I re-knit the six inches and started the pouch again. Did I say that I hate the pouch??? I hate the pouch. I've played with it, tried to do it. It says to make sure that the first stitches on each end are "tight" plus you have those extra needles just hanging around being a pain in the butt and getting in the way. But, of course, that is what Zachariah loves about the sweater. So, we shall see. I am determined to get this baby done . . . before he turns 12.

Knit Mitt Kit Swap

I am participating in the Knit Mitt Kit SWAP (http://www.ksks.scoutj.com/) . . . . and here is "The Questionnaire":

What are your favorite colors? Green
Are you a new mitt knitter? Yes
How long have you been knitting mittens? Never. Socks yes, mittens, no
Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? Either or tweedy would be good
What fibers do you prefer in mitten yarn? Wool . . . probably superwash
Where do you usually knit mittens? in my head
How do you usually carry/store small projects? zip lock bags
What are your favorite mitten patterns? I download bunches but have never done any
What are your favorite mitten knitting techniques? watching someone else do one
What new techniques would you like to try? fingerless
What are your favorite needles for knitting mittens? N/A
What are some of your favorite yarns? wool, silk
What yarn do you totally covet? Koigu Kersti
Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? nope
Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? I have options set; use it a lot; often use bamboo dpns for many things; generally prefer circs as I can use magic loop for just about anything.
If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? Malabrigo Grueso Lettuce or Olive colors
Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Heath bars
What’s your favorite animal? my hubby
Would you prefer super warm mittens or something more like fingerless mitts? fingerless
If you were a color what color would you be? Malabrigo Grueso's Lettuce or Olive colors
What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? Fall Leaves or the first heavy snow fall that sticks to the tree branches -- well until they start cracking and pulling down electric lines
Do you have a wishlist? nope
Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? I really and truly loath acrylics and will give them away . . . I love natural fibers.