Mamazen

Decluttering the crafts

I have been enjoying the excitement that is Ravelry. Oh how I love a little organization. I'm a virgo rising so organization is in my blood (but only sometimes). I have found myself desperately wanting to enter my stash into Ravelry so that I have a clear idea about what i have, and what I can do with it.
So this weekend I had lovely friends visiting, and at the tail end of our visit, I sat down in my craft room with my last crafty buddy and started decluttering my yarn into her suitcase. Gone was some odds and ends of stuff that either I wasn't interested in working with anymore, or just didn't have any ideas what to do with it.
Then.. I decided to frog several half finished items that were driving me insane. Gone is the cuff of a lovely sock in kiogu that I know I'll never finish. Gone is the half finished sweater for Ryan that will shortly become a fairly easy fair isle for me. Gone is the rebecca 29 wrap that I got tired of after half of the front. So... now there are few things on my stalled list, and more yarn that need plans.
I still have to finish Ruby's Briar Rose. It's been stalled for a week as I just knit some simple cotton string bags for holiday gifts. I know I should finish that sweater first.. but I feel a quick clapotis cap calling my name as the days have seemed cool enough for a hat, and I need something to match my Clapotis.
Now, if only my baby would go to sleep, so I could cast on!

It’s coming

Fall weather is drifting into portland, and it's delicious. This morning after I got out of the shower, I heard a noise I hadn't heard in a LONG time. My furnace was on. usually we turn the thermostat off all Summer, but for some reason, this year it stayed on, set at 60. Apparently it was cooler than that inside this morning and it kicked on. I wandered all over the bedroom asking Ruby "what is that noise?" till I walked up to the heating vent and felt the warm air. Since it is supposed to be near 80 today, I laughed, and went to turn it off, but not before I reveled in the fact that FALL. IS. COMING.
I love fall. (truth be told, I love me a perfect summer day, about 75 degrees, warm enough for a tank top, but not so hot that you sweat in the shade but oh how I love fall!) I grew up in southern California, where there really isn't a fall. In my small dessert home town, summer is hot and windy, and then it's cold and windy (well, 40 but that seems cold in so cal). There wasn't too much fall. Then I moved to San Diego to go to college, and it was 68 and sunny year round (well not exactly, but there was no real seasons). When we moved to Portland, i was so happy to see leaves changing colors (yes, i know it's not like on the east coast, but it's a lot for a girl like me!) and the temperatures shifting.
When it starts to cool in the evening, so that you reach for a sweater and socks after dinner. Mmmm fall is coming. When you wake up in the morning and pull the window shut as you pull on your fleece. Mmmm fall is coming! When you peek out into the back yard and see
the sunflowers are waning
and the leaves are changing
and the pumpkins turning from green to orange... FALL IS COMING!

So when we got up and the furnace had kicked on, I knew it might be a long sleeve kinda morning for sweet Ruby. I pulled out the new sweater I had knit for her.

Um, yeah. So this sweater has become a gift for a little man friend of ours who will be ONE in October. He was blessed with a normal sized head. Ruby's is a bit...
bigger.
Lest you think that I'm sad about the sweater (or the big head), I'm not. The sweater was a quick knit ( and her head is perfect!), and I was thinking of knitting him one in black... so here we are, birthday gift done, and I've got another sweater on the needles for Ruby. (briar rose - and it's coming along nicely, about 1/3 the way up the body) I also have enough left over silky wool in a rusty reddish color to knit ruby another pullover, with a wider neck band. I'm thinking about doing some color work, but as I haven't done that, I may need some ideas.

So, fall is coming. I've got sweaters in the queue, pumpkins in the garden, and tea brewing on the stove. Life couldn't be better.