Wednesday, July 05, 2006

So much yarn . . . so much inspiration.

Yesterday, I somehow got inspired to do something I've seen other knitters doing. I decided to catalogue my stash on a spreadsheet. It wasn't something I've ever had much of an inclination to do, because I never thought I had much of a stash.

OH HOW WRONG I WAS!!! It took me much of the day to get all the yarn typed in. I only logged full (or mostly full) balls of yarn. I found yarn in my basket I had forgotten I had. I somehow have 52 balls (or 14,389 yards) of sock yarn alone. I clearly have a problem. I clearly do not need to shop for yarn for quite some time. I most clearly better get knitting.

And what better to carry around my knitting projects than a pretty new knitting bag?? Michelle of Me and My Girl Productions contacted me about doing some graphics for her blog. She also wondered if I might be interested in working a trade for a knitting bag. I had gotten a Jordana Paige bag from Pea for Christmas, but I have that next to the couch with ALL my knitting supplies in it. With so much stuff crammed in, it's quite heavy and cumbersome to carry along when I go out. So this trade seemed like the perfect solution. And wait until you see what a wonderful bag she sewed for me!!

It's so roomy and she made a matching zippered accessory case! Look at the great Gerbera Daisy fabric for the lining!! And some pockets on the inside of the bag! It's truly heaven. I brought it to Cape May with me, and it had enough space for everything I needed (along with a bunch of stuff I didn't need but felt compelled to pack "just in case".)

Now the pressure is really on to design a blog worthy of this wonderful bag. I just hope I can do it.

The Graphics gig continues to move along well. Since I've started, I've had a steady stream of jobs, but not so many that I'm overwhelmed. It's been just perfect, because I like to take my time and really come up with the best ideas I can. I recently finished a cute banner for Melissa's Adventures In Knitting, using some great pictures she'd taken to give it a vacation/adventure/scrapbook feel. I also did a cute, whimsical blog design for Nachaele at Stichenforkids. She knits to raise money for a great foundation she's set up to help children in Ethiopia. Go check it out, it's very inspiring.

And for a last bit of inspiration, did you see the wonderful sewing that went on a while ago at Ragan's blog? You remember, this and these? (Scroll down past the socks!!) I've had the urge to sew since then. And when my wonderful bag from Michelle arrived, I really got inspired to do some sewing of my own. I'll show you what I've been working on next time I post!!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a cute bag - love it!

Scoutj said...

Love the bag!

And how funny. I clicked onthe Melissa's Adventure banner and those are the socks from my hand-painted yarn!

Sonya said...

Great knitting bag! I love a good trade like that. The banners look great too!

Jen said...

oh, nice knitting bag! And love the little notions bag thrown in there...

We have to know, though... is there enough yarn in your stash to make it from your house to mine?

amandazen said...

what a fantastic bag! Cannot wait to see what sewing you have been up to.

Amanda :)

The A.D.D. Knitter said...

How funny, I was just noticing how cool the 'Melissa's adventures...' banner was!! Yes, facing your sock yarn reality CAN be harsh, I know that for sure!

Chrissy said...

That's an amazing bag! I'm not sure I could catalogue all my yarn, I'm not sure that I'd want to. I should probable do it anyway though :)

Although, I do prefer to stay away from reality!

Heide said...

I LOVE, not like, LOVE your new bag. I'll bet Michelle's banner will be the bomb. I'm off to Melissa's page soon to check out her new look. And for the record, there is never such a thing as too much sock yarn!

Melissa said...

That bag is awesome! I can't get over how handy it is!
Thanks again for the awesome work on my blog!

Lynda said...

Love your bag! hee, hee - you've got me quite beat in the stash department- although I'm sure everyone does... I've got a measely 37 balls, a total of 8994 yards. And that's counting all my half-used Cascade 220!

Hmmmm, better go shopping - see ya!

Kym said...

That bag is awesome! I might have to make one for myself.

So jealous of your cape may trip... did you check out that restaurant the blue pig? it's in that giant yellow hotel sort of toward the end of that street next to the beach. you can sit outside and they have great desserts!

Olga said...

Love the bag! I'm all about totes these days, can't get enough of them.

I also can't wait to see what you whip up on your sewing machine! I tell ya, it's a real struggle lately when I have any free time to pick between sewing and knitting. I just need to figure out a way to do both at the same time...

Ya-Ya said...

That bag is BEAUTIFUL! I only wish I could sew that well. Does she sell them? Or, does she have a pattern she can point me in the direction of so I can feebly try and make one? Love it!!

Anonymous said...

I really, really love this bag, it's so beautiful! Gosh, how I wish I could sew, but all tries to learn it in my teenie years and beyond failed so far - perhaps I should try my luck at it again?

Elizabeth said...

You're braver than I am - better that the extent of the stash remain unknown. Especially since I have a weaving habit to support now.

Besides, how can we go on a yarn crawl if we really know what's in our stashes?

Ragan said...

What a lovely bag! The daisy liner is perfect. I used that same font as you used in Melissa's banner in mine when I FINALLY made it this past weekend. Cool...it was a cute font after all! :) You made a speadsheet...WOW...you are so organized! I cannot wait to see what you have been sewing!

Anonymous said...

What a great bag! Love the colors.

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