The Magic Disappearing Knitting

First you see it...

Then you don't.

A project started, an idea on the way to becoming reality, physical evidence of hours spent with the needles...

Then back to just some string with potential.

I'll leave the philosophical (i.e. kinda hokey) ponderings on knitting to others, but I did have to think about change and starting over today as I pulled out two projects that just weren't meant to be. There was the initial gasp of mourning over hours lost, but then the rational side kicked in and justified that I was instead saving hours in finishing projects that ultimately wouldn't be loved or used. That mohair wrap was just going to be butt ugly and the pink blob has always had a rather shaky existence. If anything, I should've known to frog these two long before I did. I guess sometimes it takes awhile to learn when it's time to call it quits.

Because every so often, the pieces do shape up and come together. This is when you know it's time to start the seaming.

Ribby Cardigan... blocking on a Sunday afternoon. Finished sweater coming soon.

And just in case you are a family member who is currently freaking out, no, I'm not quitting grad school or scrapping my dissertation. It's just knitting, no bigger metaphor, I promise.

Citius, Altius, Fortius

I've always kinda missed the trends. Cabbage Patch Kids... a few years late. Acid washed jeans... only after Ashley donated hers to the hand-me-down pile. The Knitting Olymics... took me a few days of pondering to sign up.

But c'mon, it's a frickin' phenomenon out there. At last count 1800+ knitters were planning to be "Faster, Higher, Stronger" for 16 days. And if 1800 knitters are doing it, you know I've got to too.
So on February 10th I will be joining the international movement of casting on a project to be completed before the 26th.

I know, I'm choking too at the thought of actually finishing a project.

I'm trying to convince myself that this will be easier than the finish line of the Turkey Trot since I get to sit on my ass for it, but right now, that finish line is pretty darn far away.

My event, you ask? Socks... for mom. See, not only do I have the pressure of finishing the Knitting Olympics but they're for my mother. I think if you don't finish projects for mom that's pretty much akin to signing yourself up for the 10th circle of hell. Of course, considering my rate of non-finishing for mom, I'm already down there at about the 3rd circle... me and my cross stitch carousel horse project.

But as all the training guides say, competing is mostly about mental preparation, knowing you will cross that finish line before you even start. So here's to positive thinking... and lots of coffee while I knit. Or maybe since I'm doing these the Magic Loop way, I'll magically finish? I'm reaching, I know. Andy, want to send some of that magic coffee for my training efforts?

I guess what got me to really be interested is the simple fact of numbers. It absolutely fascinates me that this incredibly talented and hilarious woman just over the river there in Toronto (The Yarn Harlot... for all you non-knitters, she's famous, a celebrity knitter... and her blog is generally the best thing I read every day... she could take on Dickens, really) can put out an idea and get thousands of people to do the same thing at the same time. Add that to the conscientious objectors, the declared "cheerleaders" who don't want to tackle a short-term project but support the idea, and you've got a huge population of people with pointy sticks thinking about the same idea. And of course don't forget the people designing buttons, planning parties for the Opening Ceremonies/Cast On, and creating Team groups... Talk about a "meme"...

The idea of the project is to choose a personal challenge and give it your best go. There are knitters out there doing insanely complex sweaters and lace projects... and then there are people doing simple garter stitch scarves. I suppose socks aren't really in the high end of the knitting world, but I haven't ever completed a pair and the single sock I've finished has a toe that's bigger than the foot so let's not consider that any previous experience. For me, it will simply be a challenge to get in any knitting time in February. Between teaching, prepping for the March conferences, working at engineering, and trying to write (and maybe socializing every now and then), I'm pretty much maxed out. So maybe I'll try and lecture while I knit. Or maybe I can stop doing laundry and cleaning to get in a few extra minutes. Oh wait, I do that now.

We do get to "train" before the event though with swatching so I'm also consider training to be getting my house and work in order to prepare for those ass-sitting hours. Best get to work!

Mom, the socks are coming!

I'm Gonna Wash that Stress...

Right outta my hair... Yeah, right!

I'm in the middle of teaching Robinson Crusoe and feeling a wee bit frantic, sorta as if I'm a lonely soul in the midst of a sea of chaos and the only boat of salvation within sight is full of dead people... dead English authors to be specific. It's a good thing I knit so I won't have to dress in goat skins. Although, considering the rate of my knitting, I'm not going to do so well with half a scarf produced every six months or so. Any cute goats out there?*

And shoot, just to make it exciting, let's throw in a publishing project due yesterday, a dissertation due years ago, and a weekend with two dates to keep it lively. No, I'm not going to tell you about the two dates so don't even ask, Mom.

But in the interest of keeping track of knitting I have actually completed, thought I'd share my attempt at an artsy shot. Can you do an artsy shot of kitchen cotton in garter stitch? We'll call it primitive artsy. Or maybe we'll just say it's my attempt to clean up my act... hardy har har.

Pattern: Grandmother's Favorite Dishcloth
Yarn: Sugar'n Cream Kitchen Cotton
Needles: Sz 8 straight aluminums
Recipients: The Girls - Group Gift!
Date Started: December 2005-January 2006
Notes: Does it get any more old school knittin' than this? As back to basics as they come. Not exactly yummy for the fingers, but functional and easy to do while watching movies on the couch. And besides, it used up my stash of kitchen cotton! One stash down, 482 to go.

*For those of you thinking back to our goat-related discussion at the last knitting night, um no, Mr. Crusoe only skinned 'em and wore 'em. The other stuff is in a whole other novel that I am not teaching to undergrads!

Scarf for You, Scarf for Me

Extra, Extra! Read all about it! Leslie finishes something in time to make a deadline! First 2 FOs of 2006 already off the needles!

My scarf for the International Scarf Exchange is finished on time! Even more shocking, it's actually been finished for awhile, but I've held onto it to take it to knitting night tonight. I'll be dropping this baby into the post on Monday. So if you're a knitter in England, be on the lookout for a little alpaca yummy.

Pattern: Knotted Openwork Scarf
Yarn: 2 skeins Superfine Alpaca, 2-ply fingering Fleece Meadow Farm
Needles: Size 6 bamboo dpns and Crystal Palace bamboo circs
Recipient: ISE Partner - to be revealed later
Date Started: approx. 15 December 2005
Date Completed: 5 January 2006
Notes: Do I really have to send it away? Scarf Pal, if you don't like it, send it back and I'll try again. This is a great stitch pattern, very simple to follow once you figure out that yf in Canadian = yo in 'Mercan. As Oscar Wilde says, "We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language." Hey, y'all, we try.

Anyway, I wanted to use alpaca because yummmmm and I wanted to use something "unique," or at least unusual so I decided to order from a local farm that I discovered at the East Aurora fiber festival. The 2-ply yarn was pleasant to work with although the plies separated while I was knitting so it was like I was working with the yarn doubled. You can also tell it was handspun because there were places where it went from thick to thin and back again. Personally, I loved this aspect of it, but it might not be the yarn for someone who wants every stitch to be the same as the one a few rows up. I thought about several more complex lace patterns but I was worried that they may not turn out even with this yarn. However, I've seen this yarn used in a large shawl done in a complex lace pattern though and never noticed the inconsistencies. Overall, I'm pleased with the outcome and hope this scarf keeps an English neck cozy.

Not too long into the knitting I decided to try the Crystal Palace needles and this helped immensely. My double points were a little too dull for this yarn. I'll certainly go for the pointier needles in any future lace knitting.

Now I just get to wait and hope she likes it!

*****
In other knitting news, I finished up a mystery project that was started about a year and a half ago. I'm still not sure what the final product will be, but the knitting is done at least. Right now I'm debating between a pillow and a felted bag. Suggestions? I'm taking a vote at tonight's knitting group.

Pattern: None, just cast on a bunch and knit in the round until you run out of yarn.
Yarn: Noro Oimochan, approx. 11 skeins of colors 1 & 3. Purchased at the Elmwood Yarn Shop's anniversary sale. I believe is discontinued yarn.

Needles: Plastic Sz 17 circs
Date Started: Oct 2004
Date Completed: 20 Jan 2006 - at least with the knitting
Recipient: Most likely me
Notes: I packed away some of my yarn stash because all those unfinished projects were stressing me out. Don't ask why, but all those skeins waiting to be wound and knit were too much to handle every day. Hey, we've all got our issues. So as I was filling up the plastic crates I came across this project and figured it would be a great one to knock off the list and since it was pretty much mindless, I could do it while watching old CSI episodes from Netflix. I planned to felt this and sew on a bottom from fabric and use it as a knitting bag, but it ended up bigger than anticipated. I kind of like the graphic look and am considering sewing it up as a pillow. I love all those floor pillow patterns out there but can't really bear the thought of spending $100+ on yarn that gets tossed on the floor and squished under someone's hiney, even if that hiney is my own. I'm a simple girl, really, and this hiney is just fine with plain ol' floor pillows. But, for this to reach its potential as a knitting bag, I've got to buy fabric and do a good deal of sewing, which won't be on the agenda until I get my machine up and running again.

Oh the dilemmas of crafting...

At least I get to be happy that two knitting projects have been checked off the list. Only about 2 million more to go!

Ohhhhhmmmm....

Wegm@ns on a Saturday morning takes a certain amount of good karma and entering into a zen-like trance before even pulling into the parking lot. Normally, being the general curmudgeon that I am, I try to avoid needing this happy person persona by shopping on a Tuesday morning when all the other schmucks are sitting in their cubicles. However, sometimes bad things happen to grouchy people and I’m stuck shopping for bagels with the masses.

This morning I braced myself with a little bit of meditation on the short drive: “I’m calm and not on a deadline. I will not beat imbeciles with the nearest cucumber. I will not beat imbeciles with the nearest cucumber. No beating with cucumbers.”

I was on guard. I gracefully maneuvered away from the crazy grannies who can’t drive a cart. (And made a mental note to be very, very cautious upon entering the parking lot.) I pitied the doofuses with junior in tow. (Just because you’re getting big ol’ bonus points from wifey at home for doing the grocery shopping with the brat, you really aren’t winning over this chic by blocking up the aisles when you try to figure out how the deli works. Just get the hot dogs and get out of the way.) I even tolerated the woman at the meat counter with her calculator trying to determine if the pork roast or the pork chops were a better deal. (It’s a 3 cent difference per pound, lady. They already do the math for you and I’m pretty sure the Wegmans employees know how to do math better than you do. Just get one and eat up.)

But today, after way too many polite smiles over clenched teeth and even a few “excuse me’s,” I nearly hit the nice girl limit with the pretentious prig in his burnt velvet scarf and cart full of organic spinach. Yes, sir, I realize that you are a superior being with your morally upstanding food and your highly burnished shoes. You deserve more space than the rest of us mere mortals schlepping around with Weight W@tchers muffins and a six-pack of Smirn*ff’s malt liquor beverages. And certainly I should clear the way and lay down a red carpet as you prance down the aisles. *gag* I’m sure it was my fault that you were bothered when you ran your cart full of up tight tofu into me, the plebian who had the audacity to be standing still, huddled on the side of the aisle with my average Jane cup ‘o soup trying to avert my eyes from your greatness. It really took all I had not to strangle the prig with that velvet scarf when he looked at me and exclaimed in, yes, you guessed it, a fake British accent, “Eeeexxxcuse me. You really must watch where you are going. Humph.” prance, prance, prance…

At least the bedraggled kid who was sacking groceries to pay for his prom ticket and junker car made me feel better when he asked if I was okay and observed that “He really rammed you, didn’t he? I’d watch out for the Saab in the parking lot if he drives like he shops.”

All I can say is give me the damn cucumber.

A is for Adventure

Being away from the blog world over the holidays gave me a break from the fervor of seeing things I just had to make because others were making them (a good thing), but also put me out of the loop on some things I'd enjoy doing (a bad thing). Most of the missed opportunities are probably for the best, but I want to do my own version of the ABC-along that people are doing. This started at How the West Was Spun and really took off so I wanted to play along. (By the way, look at her horses, mmmmm...)

As she writes, the rules are simple. I'm just supposed to post every two weeks with pictures that go with a letter of the alphabet. Hopefully this will improve some of my photography skills (which are zilch) and will give me something to write about aside from L is for library. So, without further procrastination...

An Urban Yarn... Or How I Drug Hilda All Over NYC For Knitting Supplies

One of my "to do" items on my 20 items list was to visit NYC for the holiday lights. I convinced/conned Hilda into joining me on my big ADVENTURE and we were off. I'm putting up an extended entry on the other blog so look for the non-knitting related stuff there.

After much celebration over bargains on Canal St, Hilda and I headed for Anthr*p*logie and Purl, the first yarn store on our list. Yes, I went to NY and searched for yarn stores. You never know what goodies you may find in new locations and yarn souvenirs are better than postcards. I won't go into the fact that postcards may set you back a quarter and yarn is a teency bit more. Although I was surprised at just how tiny this store really was, it was fun to see samples from their book, Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I didn't really have anything in mind for this store, but they had a sale bin so I was in luck. I managed to score 2 balls of a pink laceweight yarn. I don't know too much more about it since the label is in Chinese, but they guessed that it was about 800 yds per skein.

Based on much review of our handy dandy "Not for Tourists" guidebook, we deduced we were close to the second yarn destination, The Point. Lured by the promise of coffee and baked goods as much as yarn, we headed out into uncharted territory and were pleasantly surprised with a lemon bar and finding Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb. Everybody and their knitting cousin has tried their hand at Clapotis so there are substitutions for any yarn budget/taste, but I wanted to see the real deal. Mmmm, totally worth the splurge. This stuff is amazing. The silk gives it a great shine and feel. I can't wait to see the drape after this is completed. I decided to go for a solid navy/grey/purple color to dress it up. I still want to try a variegated version in the future, and found a potential yarn in my last yarn hit of 2005 but more on that if I ever get to those goodies.
I was also captivated by a skein by Rivers Edge. It's a blend of silk, tercel, and a bunch of other luscious fibers. Unfortunately this one has already been packed away so I'll have to show it off when I'm a little closer to knitting it. I have absolutely no frickin' clue what to do with it aside from petting it and displaying it on the shelf, but hopefully its destiny will be revealed through all this fondling. It's nice stuff. Pricey, but seems worth it.

I want to give a big shout out to MUD for taking our requisite blog pic at The Point. (Excuse the really bad hat hair, we were cold chicks at this point.) Odd how I discovered this place through blogs, then was in knitting star paranoia when Vickie Howell walks in, and then got totally weirded out about someone recognizing that I was taking pics for a blog. Most of the girls think I'm a little off my rocker for taking the time to write here and I'm not so sure about blogging either. I'm pretty sure seeing pictures of my yarn purchases is pretty darn boring, but then I'm also not too comfortable sharing all the gory details of life. I like the blogs that are witty in their portrayal of the everyday, but should the world know about all the smarmy behind the scenes stuff? There are others that have covered this ground before in much more thoughtful and eloquent ways, but for now I'll just continue to throw up random pics here and keep writing down the details of my crafty work and see where it takes me. When you get bored, you can stop reading.

So although it's lame to have A for Adventures describe yarn buying, that's the kind of adventures this girl has been having lately. We managed a little excitement while in the city, but we were pretty tame girlies.

Show and Tell

Just in case you were wondering if I actually did anything while sitting on my hiney at quilt camp, thought I'd share some photos.


Flannel Turning Twenty
This is a pretty standard quilt out of the Turning Twenty pattern that we've all come to know and love. Used three types of flannel and did a pieced back. Will make a good cuddly quilt.


Irish Weave
Another flannel from goodies I found on my Black Friday spree. This is from the book Wild About Flowers. This is the sucker that kept me up until 4 a.m. one night, muttering to myself, "Must finish piecing. Must finish piecing. 10 more seams... 9 more seams..." I'm really pleased with the outcome of this one but the way you cut the rows gave me a few of the stripes going the wrong way. I'm calling it a design element. I still have some borders to add but I'm counting this one in the "finished" category.

Tropical Madness
This was my first "winging it" quilt where I took a few patterns from the Internet and then just went for it. I just wanted a scrappy look to go with the Amy Butler designs, but it turned out much more difficult that I anticipated. This was my first foray into designer fabrics and although I hate that $9/yd price tag, I could tell a difference on the feel of this finished product. This started out as a bargain quilt when Hickory Stick put the line at $2/yd, but I had no idea how much to buy so I have enough for several more quilts and of course, I needed three more yards of the striped piece for the border. So much for my bargain. I'm seeing a tropical theme room in the near future. Matching pillow cases, matching throw pillows, matching curtains... it could get really tacky really quickly!


And now all these quilts are finished, it's time to buy more fabric, right? Thought you'd enjoy one more look at part of Ash's Stash. She won the trophy that day. We're all expecting a new little crafty project out of all of these finds!

Hopefully my butt and credit cards will have recovered by August so we can do this all again. I felt pretty lame turning in at midnight last night.

1. Diss: Still working on teaching stuff. Looking forward to getting back to my own work!
2. Health: Back to Sunday aerobics. Wow, so that's what a month of mom's cooking does to you. It felt good to be back to my routine, but stairs aren't feeling so good at the moment. Ouch...
3. Organization: Anyone have a large trash dumpster to park outside my house for a few days? This girl has too many couches!

Choices

My high school physics teacher had two outfits. Navy blue pants, light blue short sleeve dress shirt, navy blue tie… and, wait for it… the same thing in brown. He alternated the duds like clockwork. No one was really sure about the laundry factor in this equation, but we were all sure about a few things, namely, our physics. I still know more physics than any English grad student should. When we had Mr. B in sophomore chemistry, we giggled about the fashion statement. By the time we got to physics, we didn’t even notice. We were focused little nerds with our graphing calculators and the mysteries of the universe to deal with. We had no time to worry about Blackwell’s worst dressed list.

I imagine Mr. B’s mornings were pretty calm. There was no element of choice, no indecision, no agony. Who knows, maybe he had 2400 pairs of underwear to choose from, but as for the outer layer, it was already determined. (I really don’t want to know about the underwear situation. Some mysteries should remain mysteries.)

I think I’ve got too many choices. What if by eliminating the number of small, insignificant choices in life, you get access to the really big choices behind the magic door? What if the secret to achieving dreams is pursuing less rather than more?

Two outfits… maybe a tad extreme.

A girl’s gotta have a pink dress (or two or three… ) in the mix somewhere.

Diss: Still hammering out the syllabus.
Health: Changed this from "diet" to try to be more positive. Got back to the gym today after a very long hiatus. Is it sick and wrong that the elliptical machine felt like heaven after sitting on my hiney for all those days?
Organization: I think this has gone the wrong direction this weekend. Must get Christmas decorations put away before Valentine's Day.

Detox Anyone?

Never thought I'd say it, but I'm pretty sure I OD'd on quilting. I've spent plenty on time on my hiney (as its size makes clear), but I think this time it's actually bruised! So much for that personalized butt pillow being a cure-all.* I guess when you spend four days sewing almost nonstop, you're going to have some scars. No one ever said quilt camp was for the weak. Last night after surviving four days of sewing and two days of driving I was trying to figure out a way to use my rice bag that wouldn't be pornographic. Sore, sore hiney...

Anyway, although I'm only one border short of a finished product, I just couldn't bring myself to top off the quilt I worked on during retreat. I hit the wall and didn't have another bobbin-winding effort in me. So I left it for my mother to finish. Yeah, I'm kinda spoiled like that.

If only I could get her to contribute to the diss...

So, yes, there was quilt camp and quilt camp was good. I managed to stay awake with the help of a "paper piecing" adrenaline rush and Andy's magic coffee. I have no idea how he made it, but that was powerful stuff. I probably don't want to know the secret or I really will get hooked. It's detox time, after all. Really, I'm planning to turn those nasty words "paper piecing" into just PP or "the quilt technique that will not be named..." Since a mere mention of it makes me break out into a sweat, I've got to know when it's time to step away from the copy machine.

I think there are pictures somewhere to prove that I was a good little quilter, but those have yet to be unearthed.

Anyway, before further procrastination, I wanted to give the final guesses on my "when will Leslie cave?" contest. If any of you still want to submit a guess, I'll take them for the next few days.

Jan 5 SueAnn
Jan 11 Maya
Feb 10 Hilda
Feb 18 Mom
Mar 1 Rachel
Mar 15 Marcy
June Erica
Sep-Oct Laurie

I'm still going strong so I guess that counts out SueAnn and Maya (who have absolutely no faith in me). A pillar of strength, I tell ya, a pillar of strength...

When I was telling people at quilt camp about my little goal and contest they asked if I was getting out of knitting and sewing. After all, why else would one stop purchasing supplies? Don't worry, I still love my hobbies, and I certainly love shopping for my hobbies, but as my 30+ quilt list shows, I've got too much to do and not enough time to finish it. Every time I look at my stash or even sit down to work on a project, my mind starts spinning with all the other things that need to be done. I'm overwhelmed and my hobbies are becoming less enjoyable leisure time and more high-stress pressure to get to ring the finish horn. At 3.30 a.m. during quilt retreat, I was tired and my back hurt and all I wanted was to crawl into bed but I couldn't. I was an obsessed woman who couldn't stop the machine until the last seam was finished. Had I been staying up for the excitement of seeing a finished project, fine, but it was because I felt obligated to finish that one so I could move onto another one and have them all off the darn "to do" list.

I love the supplies in my stash. I'm excited to knit and sew from the things I purchased last year or even ten years ago. But if I keep adding to the stash, I'll never get to do any of it because there won't be room for me in this apartment!

I read an article today about a woman who literally suffocated in her home when an avalanche of old clothes and books and crap fell over on her while she was sitting in the one free chair in the mess. I'm not quite that crazy yet, but I am stressed when I walk into the apartment. I'm nervous when I look at my yarn or even worse, my books. Sometimes there can be too much of the things we love. Just like having to choose to give up my French horn and piano lessons, I'm going to have to reduce some of the things I love in order to actually enjoy my day to day existence. Someday I hope to pull out my horn again and you better believe that I'll be dusting off the credit cards again when a wool bug hits me, but for now, I'm working on getting things out the door rather than in.

So now it's back to the real world. The office is busy. There's already a crowd at the library. There's laundry to do and a syllabus to write and bills to be paid. At least there's no snow.

1. Diss: Got another bibliography to check out. It's a bad thing when your director leaves you lists to read... and the lists are in Italian. Ugh...
2. Diet: Wednesday Weigh-In: 1xx. Hit the grocery store today so no more excuses. But of course a last dinner of brownies and Smirnoff is in order.
3. Organizing: Filled a trash can with old mail and managed to make a dent in unpacking.

*You've got to see it to believe it. I'll show pics of the memory foam derrierre impressions once I find my camera. Bet you can hardly wait.

Dangerous Waters

Duuuuuuh..dunt...Duuuuuh...dunt...Duuuh...dunt...duh..dunt....AAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

Like Jaws waiting under the surface for unsuspecting surfers, JoAnn's sits patiently, awaiting my arrival.

Even worse, I'm heading there with Ashley. We all know what happens when I shop with Ashley. Will I make it out alive? More, importantly, will my Visa card?

And for all those appalled by yesterday's display of quilt projects, I managed to piece together one project and make serious headway on piecing another one this morning. I will finish those quilts, oh yes I will... someday.

Lists, Lists, Lists

While waiting for my parents' trusty dial-up connection, I managed to come up with a list of 24 quilt projects in various states of marinating in the stash. This doesn't count the isolated pieces of fabric that still need a quilt home. Um, I think I may have a problem...

And knitting projects on the "to do" list... yeah, let's not go there.

I hope it's a good sign in my recovery that I just spent three hours cleaning out my old bedroom, throwing away crafty crap from years of rummage sale "I can make something out of that" epiphanies. I'm pretty sure I don't need cheapo fake violets leftover from a few too many sorority crafty sessions nor will I ever invest the time and energy in melting down old candles from my grandmother's in order to make new plain, red candles. Hello, my name is Leslie, and I have a serious, serious crafty crap addiction.

But here we are, the first day of 2006 and it's time to bust out a few crafty girl resolutions.

1. No new yarn!!! Girls, I'm seriously having problems here but I managed to resist the urge to take a last minute drive to Columbia yesterday to get one more hit. I have been finishing up a few knitting items but there's a very big stash that needs to see my flying fingers before I get to make any new purchases.

2. No new fabric!!! Okay, this one won't start until after quilt camp next weekend. A girl can only be so strong and there's absolutely no way I'm going to hit the Mexico shops and the Hickory Stick and come out empty handed. I mean, c'mon, that's just talking nonsense. But I promise to do my best to be good with my final stash enhancing outing.

3. I will not start new projects without finishing some of the old.

4. I will clean out at least one item a day. I've already started this one with my daily (or when I blog) posts about attacking an area of cleaning and organization. Now to just keep it up. I'm pretty sure I get bonus points for today's labor. Why, oh why was I saving old calendar pages from the early 90s? As if there would never be another music instruments or Precious Moments calendar to frame? And if you need any cross stitch fabric, I can get you a good deal on a bunch of it, complete with patterns from 1987. Yes, I kept the cross stitch supplies. I just couldn't give it the last push. I'm strong, but not that strong.

5. I will blog every day. Don't expect much by way of excitement and most likely this will take the blog away from crafty progress, but I'll try a little harder to have something to report. Expect many posts that say this: read, wrote, books are boring.

There are the usual resolutions of eating better, cooking at home more, exercising, yadda yadda, but what fun are those? Oh yeah, and then that whole diss project, but again, YAAAAAWN.

For the record, here are the quilts. Hopefully after quilt camp I'll be able to update this and move a few into the finished column.

1. Martini Turning Twenty - needs to go to quilter
2. Purple and white stack & whack - needs back and to go to quilter
3. Amy Butler tropicals - needs border, back
4. Can Can Girls
5. Blue and White antique blocks
6. Brown and blue geometric turning twenty
7. umbrella rag quilt
8. red and blue Asian print flannels - Irish Chain pattern
9. Pinks and greens flannel - Three Bean Salad pattern
10. tall oak batisk
11. Christmas shopping ladies - Snowball pattern
12. Santa table runner - paper piecing
13. Brown and pink paper piecing
14. Purple and gold stack and whack
15. Denim USA quilt
16. Denim cars quilt
17. Violet printed fabric - possibly something with old hankies
18. flip flop quilt
19. Marcy fabric quilt - pattern in Jan Fons & Porter's
20. JoAnn's Block of the month
21. Bug jar
22. Turning twenty solids with silver thread
23. Turning twenty solids with gold thread - I think this one is cut out.
24. Holiday stack and whack

If that isn't a display of mental illness, I don't know what is.