Where are they now? 2KCBWDAY4

I've given quite a bit of thought to this and I've had a look back at my projects on Rav and my socks in my drawers and hats in the hat bag etc and I've discovered something I have suspected for quite a while.

My name is Miffy and I am a process knitter.

Don't get me wrong I do love my hand knits and I would hate to loose any and I'll only knit for the worthy.  However having looked back over my project photos and at all my handknits there aren't any that I adore over and above any others.  None that stand out and have a tale to tell.  None that I wonder about their fate and where they are now.

Still just so there are some pics here are my first ever socks

And my first ever hat

And my first ever knitted item

Now the socks I could go and fetch now but the hat and the bag?  I have no idea, I'm guessing they are around somewhere.........

Tidy Mind, Tidy Stitches - What Me??????? - 2KCBWDAY3

If you ask poor Mr Miffy he will tell you that the one thing I am not is tidy. Not by any means.  Over our years together I have learned to be a little tidier and Mr Miffy is learning (this is a work in progress) to be more tolerant of mess. This untidiness of mine of course extends into my knitting too.  When I buy new yarn it will sit by my end of the sofa for a week or two untill I finaly get around to putting it somewhere that is not the middle of the front room floor.

Anyway as challenged by Eskimimi's Blog Challenge to photograph my storge here we go on a quick guided tour.

First up (top left) is my shelf on my side table.  This is supposed to be where my current projects live.  In fact you have caught it on a good day as I tided it out last week.  Normally it's full of bits of paper with patterns on and the bags from old projects as well as my needle case and DPN roll. 

Next (top right) is my downstairs cupboard.  Officially this houses WIP's that are hibernating and my needles, stitch markers etc.  It also contains my left over sock yarn and a small loom that Mr Miffy brought me once.

Bottom right is the bottom of my wardrobe where yarn destined to be knit up "later" is shoved.

The last two pics (bottom middle and left) are from the loft where in theory the yarn for which I don't have a project in mind is kept.  In practice though this doesn't work as I have no plans yet for the orangey yarn in the wardrobe but at least 3 of the yarns in the loft have projects allocated to them already.

Will I get anymore organised?  Being a realist I have to say no. I envy people who have all their stash carefully housed in boxes/shelves etc, all photographed and documented on Rav but I know in my heart I'll never get there.  And why worry?  My system of sorts works for me.  I can mostly find what I need when I need it (though I am always short of size 4 tips) without too much trouble and my yarn is safe and dry so really I'm not stressing.  Well not about that anyway.

From Here to There - 2KCBWDAY2

Well here I am on day two looking back from here to where I was knitting wise a year ago.

I have to be honest and admit that I haven't learned much in the way of new skills in the last 12 months.  What I have done though is grow in confidence in my knitting. 

I've taken to knitting shawls this year and the lace in them no longer scares me.  I am competent in the use of stitch markers and life lines, many life lines.

I'm getting quicker too.  Things that a years ago would have taken a month now only take a couple of weeks which means that I am looking to knit bigger items.  Shawls are bigger than socks honest ;)

I'm more relaxed about my end product.  I have a better understanding of how to correct mistakes and how to adapt my knitting further on to take account of previous errors.  It's nice to know that if I find a mistake some inches back I can rescue my project without necessarily having to frog back.  And if I do have to frog back I can just go so far and then stop and pick the stitches back up whereas I would often have had to frog the whole project and start over.

One thing have have gotten worse at is taking photos of finished objects and works in progress.  I used to be quite good at that side of things but along with not blogging on a regular basis I've stopped taking pics too.  I'm hoping that along with blogging on a more regular basis I will also start taking pics more often too.

Different Strings

I thought that I ought to try and get blogging again.  I acctually miss doing it I just don't seem to get around to it.  Hopefully the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week will give me a kick start, so here we go.

A Tale Of Two Yarns

Since I started knitting I've used lots of different yarns though it seems I do have a bit of a thing for sock yarn.  It's hard to choose just two to write about. 

My first is not so much a single yarn but more the type.  Of course I am thinking of sock yarn or what some refer to as 4ply.  From commercially produced skiens of Opal and Regia to indie dyed skiens of of the most amazing colours the range available is incrediable.  And of course sock yarn is not just for socks there are patterns for scarves, shawls (my current obsession), hats, gloves, clothes, toys and more.

My second choice is a particular yarn Collinette Point 5.  I adore how this goes from thick to increadibly skinny.  I am using it at the moment to knit a blanket. The blanket is a long term project, but when it's done I will have the perfect heavy weight blanket for my bed.