UrbanGypZ Blog

Of course a big part of the reorganization 2006 has been some major stash management. This actually was the plan before the big split. Plow through the office, go through the stash assess what I have and make a list for the Stash-A-Long that I have joined. But this reorganization thing has taken on a life of it’s own. Thankfully I had to do a little stash assessment when I was looking for yarn to work Arwen in. I really did not think I would need to buy new yarn it. I have rethought alot of my older WIPs and pulled the projects worth finishing.

I have decided to set myself some seasonal goals to reduce both the fiber and yarn stash. So here is what I have planned for Winter 2007:

**1. The Ongoing Sock Project.** I have a ridiculously large number of socks on the needles. Most of it is to test the sock yarn that I am dying. But I also have a big need for thick wool socks around the house. The thick socks usually last me about a year before they felt too small or get big holes. So I figured on pair a month is fairly doable. That means this winter I will finish 3 pairs of socks that are on the needles. These will mostly be for knitting in public.

**2. The Ongoing Handspun Project.** I now have yarn in 4 different venues. I am starting to feel the pressure of keeping up with my inventory needs. I think I am through the busy time, but Fall will be here again before I know it. So I have set a goal of spinning some every night and dying at least once a month. I am distilling that to mean 5 yarns a week.

**3. A Cardigan for Arwen** I have had this periwinkle Lamb’s Pride for a couple of years. I was actually in the middle of making a simple raglan sweater to test my faulty gauging methods. I was hesitant to use this thick of a yarn to make this cardigan, but with no buttons this cardi seems more like a jacket. I joined two knit alongs in progress (once again a knit behind).

**4. The Cottton Corset Sweater** This puppy has been on the needles for 3 years. I love love love this pattern. And I think it is insane that I have not finished this yet. I really just lack the sleeves.

**5. Dew from Rowan 40** I got this Elsebeth Lavold yarn at Wild Wooly in Black Mountain last fall when they were closing shop. I think it will be excellent for this sweater. I think adding this challenging pattern to the repitroire is a little ambitious, but I am itching to dive into this project so what the hell.

**6. My Own Angora Sweater Project.** Posie gave me some beautiful white fiber this winter. I want to blend it with some wool and make myself a yummy handspun sweater. So the goal for this winter is to design a pattern (I am leaning towards something inspired from Knitting the Old Way) and figure out the blend and begin spinning light worsted/DK weight singles. I know I want it to be white and I think anything thicker than light worsted will be too warm.

**7. Screaming Stash Remnant Project.** I really do not buy a lot of yarn. I seem to just aquire it…from photoshoots, from people who decided not to knit anymore, gifts. Most of it is not really sweater knitting yarns but novelty stuff best for scarves or edgings. My handspun falls into that catagory as well. I have been spinning some funky art yarns. Most of my customers buy the yarn because they just love the fiber, but I am often asked what can they do wih it. So while this goal is a little open ended, I think it is pretty important. Scrumbling, blending, or accents, I need to come up with some creative projects for my handspun and my novelty stash. Stuff I can post pix of on my website and maybe post some patterns. I want to make at least one project with stash remnants.

***All by March 21, 2007***

EEEK. Some lofty goals this winter. But snuggled up to the fire with a good movie, maybe some quality time on the bus, no idle hands in front of the TV, knitting in the staff meetings–I am feeling kind of hopeful.

I have finally finished the office. I usually can paint a room in an afternoon, but for whatever reason this one took some time. Now comes the fun part of reorganizing everything that goes back into that room…{{{groan}}}. I have decided to take next week off as well. It will be slow at work, so what the hell.

And, I have finally gotten my appetite back. I even have the urge to make a pot of red beans and rice today. It has been all about comfort food right now. Which is a step up fron the protein shakes I was living on for the last couple of weeks (had to make myself eat something)

Gluten-free mac and cheese made with greyer serverd in my favorite bowl I made in that ceramics class I took a couple of years ago.

This cleaning thing has taken on a life of it’s own. I did get the living room, bedroom and hall shelves totally in place, but now I have pulled everything from the office and have been going through everything in the living room. I have already filled the trashcan and have 2 huge piles ready for Good Will. And the boxes of Mike’s stuff is growing. I had hopes of getting some spinning done this week, but it looks like that might not happen. But I have some down time at work right now, so I think I will end up extending my vacation to finish sorting out the house and get the spinning up and running again. Who knows I might even paint a room or two.

I saw this at TJ Maxx yesterday. Nutcracker in drag. Love it.

Just like every other holiday traveler, Mike’s flight got canceled at the last minute. We had already had the painful good bye at the airport and I was on my way home to meet up with my support team poised ready to help with the initial house clearing. I had to turn around go back to the airport to pick him back up. We got to do that painful good bye all over again on Saturday. Thank God for Klonopin. I went straight from the airport to the shoe store. I knew I was really depressed when I found absolutley nothing. So I hit TJ Maxx. They were always good for the frivilous shoe fix. But again nothing. As I made my way towards the gift chocolates I found this.

I remember when my college room mate broke up with her boyfriend, she went on a cleaning frenzy. I mean baseboards and the top of the fridge kind of cleaning. I never went through that kind of break up. I always hid under the covers. But this time around I have gone nuts with the cleaning. I have been scrubbing nonstop since the moment I got home with my new happy dust mop. I also got a cheery new laundry basket, because I have always hated the one we used, a leopard printed broom and a tomato red trashcan with a foot pedal that actually works.

I then hit Bed Bath and Beyond for some space bags. I am not really sure they save me the space in the stash chest, but the yarn looks cool vaccum sealed. I did find a stash buster knitalong and have the stash reorganized and ready to post my goals. Maybe when I get through today.

I also found a great deal on this steamer. I have been eyeing this for months. It is a god send for blocking my knitting. This baby was shrink wrapped with an electric floor sweeper. And 2/3 of the orignal price.

So my cleaning frenzy has slowed a little today, I am just trying to take it easy and just be happy I am not struggling with family dynamic. I have goodies for the pets but other than that it is just another day and not the Christmas drag that it threatens to be. Wine chocolate and control of the remote. Short of a few tears, I say it is not a bad day really.

After two years, me and my best friend have decided to go our separate ways. It is not that the love is gone. Mike and I just came to an impass. We decided to call it quits before it got ugly. I’ll say it has been the most amicable parting I have ever lived through. But then again I expected nothing less from him. Mike has always been quite the mensch.

I am so sad I can’t stand it. I have been crying for a week and I am sure I will be crying for many weeks to come. I can not tell you how bad I will miss him. I have 10 days of holiday from work ahead of me. The only solid commitments I have made are to myself: sleep as much as I want, only make plans that have an escape hatch, try to get a massage, see the therapist on Tuesday, try to eat well when I can eat, buy shoes.

The last few days have been so weird. It is like we were living out the last few days of our relationship, but discussing the business of the end: plane schedules (he is going back to Los Angeles), the dividing of a very small amount of mutual stuff and making sure I know the numbers and info of the house maintenance we were in the middle of (long post to come on the precarious foundation of my house). I would much rather see it end this way. I am so glad there has been no hateful words or bad arguements. I am stressed, depressed and queasy enough as it is.

Yeah I know–how sad, so close to Christmas. Whatever. Bah-humbug–pass the eggnog. Hell, just give me the whiskey. I have had offers to go see friends Christmas day, but I will have to see how I feel. But, I don’t want to freak someone’s kids out by my excessive drinking and crying. My family offered some tremendous support offering to change holiday plans at the last minute, or fly me to New Orleans to be with them. But, I really want to stay here with my fur family, laying in a pile on the big empty bed. I am hoping that will mask the smell of him that I am sure has permeated the mattress.

Because the split went down after I bought Christmas presents, but before I could send them here is what some of you will not be getting for Christmas:

Very nice bottle of sparkling wine slated for my brother and sister in-law. Sorry guys no alcohol will be leaving the house this season. I am sure you guys would have loved it. It has a really well designed label. But Sister has big plans to hit the sauce and drown her sorrows.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I got this for my grandmother because I thought she might dig it. Mike has it on CDs. Mike and my grandmother have so much in common, we call them Frick and Frack. I got her the same book. I figured she would have loved it. Sorry Granny. I am sending a B&N gift card. Get a book you really want and I can lend you this tear stained copy when I am done.

iPod music card that I got for my niece. But she decided she did not want the iPod for Christmas. I had to brave Saturday mall traffic from hell to get another card from her favorite clothing store. Next week I will be surfing the online music store probably drunk as hell at 2am in search of sappy music that I can either torture myself with or great music to help me get my groove back on. Not sure–which ever will get me threw this big wave of grief faster. I do know there will be no need to download that fucking Sinaed O’Connor that has been on a 7-day loop in my head.

These frames were gong to be filled with a fabulous photo of Me and Mike from the beach. The whole family was getting one. I will either return it for the cash, or fill them for myself with pictures of the dogs. Well maybe I will save one for that picture of Me and Mike at the beach. It is a good picture.

And finally this photo album. I was going to fill it with more great photos of the vacation for Mom. Sorry mom. I am filling it with photos of the last two years. But not for me. I am sending it off with the rest of Mike’s stuff. Like I said, we part amicably. He made me the happiest I have been in a while, inspired and freed me up to become a fiber artist, and taught me to grow more than I could have ever imagined. So the relationship did not pan out, but it is definitely worth holding on to some how even if it is just in my heart and in memories.

His flight is tomorrow evening.

So Mike calls me while on a grocery run for papaya for the rabbits.

M: I am feeding this great cat french fries in the parking lot.

Me:

Me:

Me: Where are you?

M: I am at Burger King, looks like he is living under the dumpster.

Me: Sweet Jesus, Let me get a crate.

Meet Max. After a week at the Humane Society, he was unclaimed and came home with us. He is laid back and is slowly intergrrating into the herd. He is wicked smart, he purrs when he craps, he slings litter further than any cat I have ever seen, and he sings ALOT. He has kept us in giggles.

Yes that brings the cat total to 4.

The snow hit just in time to make the commute home interesting. I have always been the considerate Southern Driver. If there is white shit on the ground I do not take the car out. I will either call an experienced Northern snow driving friend to come get me, or take the bus. Even after 5 years (have I really been here 5 years?), I do not like driving in this stuff. I am the driver you you do not want on the road when it snows. I drive like an old lady on any given day, so the commute home took forever.

Big thick wet flakes that stuck to everything. I wish it would have snowed more. Right now it is just cold as hell. I had to dig Mike out from under the pile of pets that descended on the bed last night. Three dog night? More like 3 dog, 2 cat. I think Trixie was the only smart girl who slept by the wood stove last night.

Because I like making cassaroles and am undeniably addicted to reality TV. Also because I have been known to listen to the regular FM radio morning shows on the way to work in my SUV(NPR tends makes my mind mushy and I hate bluegrass). I am sure it is also because I shop at a regular grocery store–the organic one is way too expensive for my weekly trips. And probably becuase I was raised in the suburbs, eating macaroni and cheese out of a box (which I LOVE) and mexican TV dinners.

I thought pedestrian was someone who did a lot of walking. But evidently it has become a label for a certain class of folks. I have heard the phrase used by some folks in a really unsavory manor and it totally rubbed me the wrong way. Damn it–I AM pedestrian. What about it? I just might make a meatloaf tonight, watch Survivor, and read a romance novel before retiring with my lab mix dog at my feet.

Are you pedestrian and proud too?

TA-DAH! Ladies and gentleman I present Dale of Norway’s Gerbera, started with this knit-a-long more than 2 YEARS AGO. What can I say, I am more of a knit-behinder. And do not adjust your monitor…yes the picture is fuzzy and I am too lazy to tak another one.

Made with Elann’s yummy alpaca yarn. It is probably the most challeging pattern I have completed so far. I had to drop 2 needle sizes to get gauge (I’m a loose knitter). I knit 3 sleeves trying to get it the right length. I mean those Norwegian chics must have really long arms, because I had to slice the sleeve length by 6 inches! I changed the neckline because I thought the patterns version looked like a messy afterthought. I finished her the week before SAFF.

This finishing projects business rocks…If only I could do it more often. I have so many projects on the needles I would need 3 blog entries to review them. Some of them are about to be abandoned and the yarn recycled for a more current and exciting patterns. I am in a bit of a project crunch because I realize that my stash is taking over my house. No shit, I have fiber or yarn in every area of the house with exception of the kitchen and bathroom–no wait I have handspun drying in the shower…scratch that. My robe is always covered in angora fur, I have no less than 5 project baskets in the living room, and we have to move yarn, scales and labels off the dining room table to eat. I need a studio bad. I mean I have a large space dedicated to fiber in the basement, but who wants to spin in the basement when I can spin in front of the TV and a Six Feet Under marathon. So the basement is strictly for fiber prep, bunny hutches and dying. Cme to think of it, I even have yarn stashed here at the office.

I think I need to join a stash buster knit-a-long… Or a 12-step program.