Exceptional options needles arrived

I am beyond pleased with KnitPicks Options interchangeable needle set! Not only did it take less than a week for them to get here (came in yesterday's mail), the needles and cords are far more superior then I anticipated. The needles are very smooth and light-weight with nice pointy tips. The cords are extremely flexible with a very smooth join that easily tightens down with the included key.

I went through and checked every needle and cord by screwing them together to be sure there were no flaws. The set as a whole is absolutely perfect. Although I was going to wait until today to actually try knitting with them, I just couldn't do it! While sitting in the dark last night watching TV I cast on to do a swatch just to see how the needles felt. I am in awe! As a new knitter I have trouble keeping my knit and pearl stitches uniform. Not so with Knit Picks Options! Not only were my stitches perfectly uniform my speed had at a minimum, doubled. Even more amazing, I was able to sit there and knit in the dark with no difficulty. Normally I have to watch every movement of my needles and I didn't have to with these.

I won't give up my Denise needles as I still feel they are better suited to certain fibers and added to that, I'll likely have less difficulty getting through airport security with them. But, needless to say, I can't wait to get more of the options needles & cords until I have the complete line. Oh Chris!? ;):D

Latest yarn stash

I haven't done any crocheting in the last few days because I've been busy with other things. I've been laid up since July 2nd. with 2 herniated discs and am finally starting to feel much better. I'm still quite sore but I'm standing straighter and as long as I remember to walk with more of a shuffle than taking actual steps I get around pretty good. So, I've been trying to catch up on things around the house by chasing dust bunnies and taking care of the so-called piles I've accumulated within arms reach of where I've spent the last month sitting or laying down. While it's been nice having things close enough (crocheting, knitting, books, etc.) so that I wouldn't go out of my mind with boredom or cause myself excruciating pain trying to find something to do, I'm tired of looking at the clutter and so is Chris! I'd say that's a good sign that I am in fact feeling better! lol

One of the things I did yesterday was get out my ball winder so I could take care of my most recent shipment of yarn/thread. I wind pretty much everything, including crochet thread. This enables me to address any flaws in the yarn/thread (breaks, knots, defects, etc.) before I'm halfway into a project. I find cones difficult to work from because you have to have them positioned 'just right' so the yarn feeds freely and thread with the cardboard cores are not only cumbersome, but awkward in that the thread does not feed freely unless you have a ball holder of some sort. I have no desire to carry a huge cone of yarn or a ball of thread still on the cardboard when I'm on the go. By winding everything I'm able to slip a ball of yarn or thread into an appropriate sized zip bag, drop it in my purse or tote bag and I'm good to go. My supplies stay clean and neat and I can easily work from my purse or bag by just opening the bag a crack.

Added to my stash and now ready to be placed in storage bags: Peaches & Cream worsted, 1lb. each, color desert sand and sea mist. Peaches & Cream 3 ply baby weight, 1lb. each, color peaches 'n cream and moon silk. Rayon Super Petalspun worsted, 1lb., color ivory. Rayon Petalspun sport, 1lb., color ecru. AB size 3 perle cotton, 6 balls 230 yards each in ecru & earthtone. AB size 10 crochet thread, 6 balls 350 years each in denim. AB size 10 crochet thread, 6 skeins 400 yards each in white.

I do have certain projects for all of the above and the white thread I will dye to a specific shade I have in mind. Of course I want to just dive right in and get started with my new yarn but I'm trying real hard to hold myself back and finish stuff I already have on my hook or needles. It's so hard though to keep myself from starting just one more thing...I want to play with the new stuff...yanno? lol


As a final note, I am SO glad that several months ago I ordered color cards with yarn samples...something I wish I had done a very long time ago. Having the cards took the guess work out of finding exactly what I wanted as far as color, texture, ply, and all those other things that go in to selecting fiber for a project. Now I don't have to worry about the accuracy of colors I see on various websites that sell yarn...all I have to do is look at my samples and I can not only see the colors, but touch the fiber and also easily pick out coordinating colors with 100% accuracy. Life is good... :)

Options Needle Set

WooHoo! Yippee! Yeehaaawww! I just ordered my very own set of Knit Picks Options Needles! I'm so excited! I can't wait until they arrive! I have had the entire line of needles on my 'wish list' for quite some time but really didn't expect to get them until maybe Christmas time or later. But...

Every few weeks or so Chris out of the blue just give me some money so I can get more yarn. He is so wonderful and supportive of my fiber addiction even though he says we need to move to a bigger place to have room for it all! lol Last week I received via UPS 12 pounds of yarn & thread so I never expected, not in the least, that today he would say "Why don't you go ahead and order those needles?" If it wasn't for the fact that I've been laid up with 2 herniated discs I would have done hand-springs! :-D

Needless to say, I ordered the set right away and added the WPI tool and knit card on as a bonus. I'll get the remaining needles some time down the road to complete the set but until then, I should have plenty to keep me occupied. I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa to come and bring me goodies. lol I love my pink Denise needles but have found they are not suited (for me anyway) to all types of yarn. That being said, I can't use 10" or 14" needles at all....give me circs or interchangeables any day. Granted I haven't been knitting for that long, but I wasn't able to teach myself to knit until I actually got the Denise needles. I know I will continue to use them but I am so looking forward to the click, click, click of the Knit Picks options set.

Library Thing

I recently started cataloging all my craft related books, magazines and what not over at Library Thing (thumbnail preview in sidebar) and while time consuming and no where near done yet, boy has it made things easier for me already! A quick glance at the thumbnail images (some I had to scan in myself) I can see exactly what I have or don't have. Now when I see a book I'm interested in on eBay, Amazon, etc. instead of jumping up to go rummage through my bookcases(s) I can simply open another tab and glance through my library.

To make a long story short: The past 5 years have been difficult in that when I moved to Florida everything I had in storage to be retrieved when I found a place to live mysteriously disapeared...some showing up in used goods stores back home....gee...wonder how that happened? *sigh* Needless to say I have had to start over and often find myself scratching my head because I'm sure I have something only to find out it was something I 'used' to have. A lifetime of stashing, collecting and treasuring things that were passed down in my family, gone! Just like that. I honestly believe it would have been easier for me to deal with emotionally had it happened as a result of a fire or natural disaster. At least then most of what I had would have been covered by insurance but no, my loss was due to the selfish, greedy cruelty of others.

Needless to say, library thing has been a very handy reference for me. Once I'm done cataloging & adding my tags I'll start checking out some of the other users library's. Some users have books for trade/sale..maybe I'll be able to hunt up some of the ones I used to have? It won't be quite the same because it wouldn't be the exact book given to me by my grandmother or mother but I would treasure them just the same. :-)