Serious New Project Addiction

There has to be a diagnosis for the problem that I have.. It begins with an overwhelming desire to buy yarn, new needles, etc. and ends with me creating new projects before I finish my old ones.  There are a bunch of projects that I'm working on that are begging for me to finish them and of course last night at 12 AM, I begin a new one!  

I always complain about how expensive rugs or carpets are.  Last night I was going through my closet and found old faded green and white curtains that won't be used again.  I immediately began cutting them in 1 inch strips (following instructions I found online) and rolling them into 'cloth' balls.  

I then followed instructions found on youtube and began creating an oval crocheted rug.  

Here is the beginning:    

Luckily, I am heading to New York City and am only bringing one project with me.  Hopefully I will be able to finish that on the train ride there! :)

New Camera

Gone are the days that I could pull out my smart phone and snap a relatively decent photo. Mark and I recently decided to go on a phone plan together and I downgraded to a basic phone without a data plan.  This is coming from the girl who refuses to pay for cable television.. so it makes sense that I wouldn't want to spend $400 plus an additional $30 or more a month for data usage.  This is all fine and I haven't really missed being able to get on the internet.  The one thing that I really really miss is having a decent camera on my phone, so today I went out and bought a Sony Cyber-Shot.  


My criteria:

• Something not bulky
• Not very expensive
• No AA batteries

My first stop was at BestBuy, but I wasn't sure if I was happy with their selection or not, so I went to Walmart.  No one could explain what kind of batteries the cameras had or any of their features and so I went back to BestBuy and received really great service and advice.  My decision came down to a choice between the Sony and a Cannon of equal price.  I'll be honest, the Sony just looked better, plus it has a panoramic shot which is really neat.  

Here is my first picture on the new camera:

Considering this was taken with the flash on, I think it's pretty good.  It is way better then my phone!

Yarn bowl

I mentioned before that my knitting classes were held in the photography studio of the teacher's husband.  The local knitting store closed down this spring.  I'm so glad that we still have a place to meet!  The studio was a refurbished neighborhood deli and has a lot of charm.  It's a wonderful time meeting with various women who all come together to enjoy a great hobby.   

One of the ladies in the group makes pottery and creates yarn bowls.  She sells them for about $40 and they are wonderful!  My good friend Sue began going to the knitting classes with me and bought me one as a gift to thank me for introducing her to something that has been a fun time for her.

The bowl is beautiful and helps keep my yarn in place.  I don't know about you, but when there are pets in the house, a ball of yarn flying off the couch is free game.  

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Not having a yarn shop:

The unfortunate thing is that the nearest yarn shop is a good half hour/forty five minutes away.  Right now I have plenty of yarn to work with.. but I just bought it because it was pretty and didn't plan on what to make out of it. It's going to be a challenge to find a pattern that is interesting and I have enough yarn to complete the project.  Here are some of my favorite in my stash that I can't wait to turn into something.  (I have two skeins of each.)

Hacho hand dyed marino wool  (Shade: 329. Lot: 15827)
My sister bought me this fun yarn.  I have
no clue what to knit it into.

Zauberball Starke 6 #2079
Sock yarn! Or a fun scarf? Hm..

Alpacita (Colorway: Hattie's Zinneas) From Autumn House Farms
This one is sooooooo incredibly soft.  It is baby alpaca yarn...
This will be turned into some sort of scarf.

I blame this lady for my obsession with knitting.. :)

Most knitters can think of at least one person that inspired them to pick up knitting needles and struggle to learn a new hobby.  The person who inspired me was my grandmother.  All while growing up, my grandma knit beautiful sweaters for my twin sister and myself.  She is one of the most active grandparents I know and spends her time line dancing, doing water aerobics, knitting for hospice and hospitals, and even doing zumba.  During her 'free' time, she knits washcloths using the 'Grandmother's favorite' washcloth pattern.  She is a great inspiration and often asks about what I'm working on and encourages me to keep it up. 

My grandma Mitzi.