More Tales of Yarn Organization

Keeping my yarn neat, organized, and safe from my cats is a constant struggle. I keep trying new things in hopes that this one will be the magical solution I've been hoping for. My latest endeavor is a combination of tactics. I have the bags with sock yarn and patterns from my sock of the month club, which is working out nicely. Then I have some similarly packaged yarn and patterns on the other half of my old toy box (which works great, the cats happily sleep away on the toy box with no idea that yarn is stashed safely inside). This is for yarns that have assigned projects (the FLS, the Hey Teach! cardigan, and another cardigan). While this system was working, I still had to figure out something for my yarns that were not assigned to specific projects.


My previous system was apple boxes from the grocery store where I work. Anyone with experience with apple boxes knows that these are among the premier boxes you can hope to obtain when getting boxes from the grocery store (egg boxes are pretty good too, in case you were wondering, or planning to move sometime, ask specifically for apple boxes and egg boxes, trust me on this one). However, I just tossed yarn in the boxes and forgot about it, which made it extremely unlikely that it would ever get used.


While at the in-laws, I came across several of the big, plastic things that sheets, and other bedding comes in. You know, they are like boxes, but made out of plastic and with zippers. The in-laws had recently purchased some new bedding for the rental villa that they own, and had four of those. I added that to the one I had from a recently purchased mattress pad.

After stashing the yarns that had already been assigned projects, I sorted the rest by weight, making separate piles for worsted, sport, dk, fingering (non-sock), and lace yarns. Each was placed in one of the bags, and labeled with the weight of the yarn.


It works pretty well, the bags are clear, so I can see what is inside of each one, and they are stackable for easy storage.

However, the yarn was not nearly as safe as I had hoped. Someone already managed to chew a hole in the side of the lace weight yarn (and of course, the lace weight, the easiest to tangle and biggest pain to untangle). But since these bags should be stacked in the closet, with the door shut, this should not be a huge problem. I'll patch the hole with some packing tape, and see how that goes.

This project brought about another boon too. While digging through the yarn boxes, I discovered a stash of worsted weight golden brown yarn that will be prefect for a project that I'm planning. (and yes, for those who are wondering, that is Vanna White on the yarn labels, she's an avid crocheter and has her own line of yarns through Lion Brand).





I'm making an afghan for one of my oldest friends as a wedding gift. I want to make the Yggdrasil Blanket, by Lisa Jacobs. It is a wonderfully complex pattern with lots of cabling (which most likely makes poor husband shudder when remembering the string of profanities that came out of my mouth the last time I made a cabled afghan). The tree motif reminds me of this particular friend, who is very outdoorsy. 

As luck would have it, the yarn is very close to the color that I was planning on buying for this project. And, it is an acrylic yarn, which personally, I'm not overly fond of (I prefer natural fibers), but acrylic is durable and machine washable, two things which make it great for this particular friend, who bless her heart, I cannot imagine that girl hand-washing a blanket. The wedding isn't until the end of October, but I want to get started right away so I can work on it at my leisure, in between other projects.

Hey, Hey, We're the Monkies

See these beauties?



Yup, they are my March socks, completed. And it is only the 23 of March, meaning I've finished the socks with 8 days to spare! Woo-hoo for me! The pattern is Monkey, by Cookie A, and the yarn is a colorway called Babel Fish (Inspired by Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) hand-dyed by BunkyBoBo.

While I've casted on for the April socks, in a colorway called Dirty Martini, but I'm going to spend more of my knitting time focusing instead on finishing my Lotus Blossom tank. I tend to get so focused on the monthly socks that the tank gets a little neglected. I've also built up enough of a stash of scrap sock yarn to add some more squares to my scrap blanket. But I had to start the socks, since they make the perfect "to go" project.



Here's the yarn for the April socks, by Knitters Brewing Company, but the photo doesn't do justice to the colors. I'm using the Mad Color Weave Pattern.

Speaking of "to go" projects, awhile ago, I got some project bags from Ravelry, which I am loving! They show the knitting process, from sheep to sock. They work great for toting around projects in my lovely purse/knitting bag.

Art Review: The Many Faces of Mrs. Cram

I never really realized that when I entered the teaching profession, I was volunteering myself as a model for budding young artists. But this is another surprising facet of being a teacher. So here are three of the works of art that I have received during this school year.

Exhibit A:

This is a lovely piece created by A, one of my kindergarten students from first quarter of student teaching. The artwork was done in marker on a piece of printer paper, if you look closely, you actually can see a line of symbols that the printer spat out for no apparent reason. Considering the artist, I'm lucky that I have two eyes, a nose, a body, one leg, and arms (even though they seem to be growing out of my head, maybe there not arms, maybe they are ears). This particular artist was a 5 year old with cognitive disabilities whose IEP goals include drawing a person with at least 10 recognizable body parts (and he was at 7 at this point so, not bad).

Now we will move on,

Exhibit B:

This piece was completed by C, one of my seventh grade homeroom students from my second quarter of student teaching. It was completed in pencil on card stock.As you can see, this particular work contains an increased level of detail, down to the heels of my shoes, and the button on my pants. However, I'm a little concerned about the size of my head (and neck) in comparison to the rest of my body and the mutilation of my hand.

Exhibit C:

Completed J, one of the fifth graders that I subbed for today. Also in pencil on card stock. Note again, the increased detail, including the cover of the book (and that's a balloon, not a sperm, in case you are wondering. This particular drawing also has the most realistic depiction of my current hairstyle, though I feel it portrays me as an angry, evil-looking, ogre, similar to the sub in Miss Nelson is Missing.

I wonder if Lisa (of the Mona Lisa fame) ever felt like this?

This is exactly what I was talking about...

Yup, found the cord for the camera. I settled in the sort through a box in the computer room, and there it was. Oh well, now I have two.  And you'll be happy to know that the camera cord is now labeled "camera cord" and the mystery cord is going into the box full of mystery cords. (yes, we have a good sized box full of cords and cables of various styles, uses, and lengths.

So here comes a massive photo update:

First, let's start with the Owls Sweater. I finished this some time ago, but just got around to getting it photographed. And please bare in mind when looking at the lovely model in the photos that: A. my hair is wet and nothing has been done to it except combing, and B. I have no makeup on.





And here is a close up of one of the owl cables:



Not too shabby, right?

Next, here are the February socks:


And a little closer...



And now for some updates on my latest works in progress. Which if your memory needs refreshing would be the socks for March (started a little late) and the Lotus Blossom Tank, that Knitting Olympic project that is still hanging around.

March Monkey Socks

Such a bright, cheery yellow, so perfect for Spring.

And the Lotus Blossom Tank

It is coming along nicely, and everything that is left is stockinette stitch, which should go pretty quickly. I'm planning on getting it finished soon.

If only February was a week longer...

I would have completed the February socks on time. I finished them up on Friday. They look completely adorable. I also got started on my March socks. I'm doing Cookie A.'s Monkey design in shades of yellow. It is nice and bright and spring-like, perfect for March. I've completed five repeats of the lace pattern. The design calls for six repeats before starting the heel, but I think that I will do seven (I like long socks). If I'm able to complete the first sock by the 15th, I'll be back on track for March. 

I've also made good progress on the Lotus Blossom Tank. I've got about an inch to go before dividing for the front and back.

After making all of this progress on my knitting, I spent this morning taking pictures of all this knitting. At that point, I discovered that I cannot find the cord for my camera. I'm not sure if it is temporarily or permanently missing, it might have been tossed out in my somewhat manic cleaning of the computer room last Monday. (In my defense, we have two cables that are almost identical, one is for the digital camera and the other is for, well, I really have no idea. The mystery cable has been hanging around for a long, long time and I might have tossed it out. Or tossed out what I thought was the mystery cable, but really wasn't...but I'm not sure if I did toss it out or not, and the mystery cable is currently sitting on the computer desk, so if I did actually throw a cable, it was the camera one that I threw away...see this is why I should never clean, or I suppose why I should pay better attention to what I'm tossing in the trash)

I thought about ordering a new one, but then hesitated, because I figured that as soon as I hit the button to order one, the other one would magically appear. But then, if I waited to order it, and the other one didn't turn up, then I'd just be going longer without a cord.

After some debate (way to much debate, when you consider that the replacement cable cost all of three dollars, shipping included), I decided to bite the bullet and spend the three dollars to replace the cable. If the original one turns up, then I'll have a spare, if not then the replacement one will be here sooner.

I'll keep you updated on the cable situation, and post pictures as soon as I can.

Did You Know it Hurts When You Sniff Kool-Aid?

Today's title is brought to you by S., one of my middle schoolers that I worked with while student teaching. I was back at the middle school, subbing for my former cooperating teacher yesterday. There's nothing like being greeted with, "Hey Mrs. Cram, did you know it hurts when you sniff kool-aid? And can I have some candy to get rid of the kool-aid taste?" It's just this kind of thing that I miss about working with the students every day. Okay, not exactly the dangers of sniffing kool-aid (what's with kids, in my day it was pixie sticks, I also once drank ketchup through a straw on a dare, but that's an entirely different story...), but having students that are comfortable enough to talk to you about stuff.


Subbing is going pretty good, I'm getting between two and four days a week, which is enough for me. Teachers are starting to recognize me at various schools. Today I was subbing at one of the elementary school and was greeted with hugs by two of the students I had worked with the last time I was there. I'm becoming a regular on the school district's sub circuit.

Olympic Defeat

Well, the 2010 Winter Olympics are over, as are the 2010 Knitting Olympics. And I am disappointed to report that I was not able to meet my goal of completing the Lotus Blossom Tank. I've got the lace repeats all done (I did decide to add the additional repeat) and about an inch of stockinette done, which means about 3 more to go before dividing to finish the front and back. Clearly I overestimated my knitting abilities, but hey the Knitting Olympics is all about presenting yourself with a challenge, which I clearly did. (I also blame too many days of getting called in to sub, which seriously ate into my knitting time). 

I also have yet to complete by February socks. I started out so strong with those, but they got put on the back burner for the Olympics. I just have to finish the gusset decreases, foot, and toe on the second sock and those will be done. I'm hoping by the end of this week, which hopefully will give me enough time to finish my March socks. Two months in and I'm already falling behind, but February is a short month, so I'll go with that excuse.

On the new project front, I've fallen pretty much in love with the February Lady sweater. I keep looking at the pattern and at different yarns online. Never mind the fact that I have plenty of projects in my stash to keep me busy for awhile, I'm dreaming of a new project. However, I've decided that after the Lotus Tank has been completed, I'm going to work on Hey Teach! a cardigan from knitty. I already have the yarn for that one, but after that, I may look into purchasing some new yarn for the FLS. We'll see.