Crafty Rantings

I'm Crafty. I Rant. These are Crafty Rantings!

Friday, September 07, 2007

Contest

I entered the neatest contest! It's for 5 dishcloths at this really neat blog called TeaTime Rantings. Go look.

http://teatimeramblings.blogspot.com/2007/08/knitted-give-way-contest-ii.html

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

She Who Organizes Hurts

Oh yes, it's true my friends. She who organizes hurts. In lots of places. And in case you wanted to ask yourself how long it takes an almost 51 year old woman with arthritis, diabetes and who is severely overweight to recover, the answer is 2 days.

Friday when it was only a mild 105 degrees here in Chico I decided it was the afternoon to start reorganizing the second bedroom. My yarn was mostly organized already. It was the patterns and swapping stuff that needed major help.

I purchased a 4 shelf plastic open shelving thingy (y'all have seen them but I'll take a picture to post later) and some bins. I sorted knit patterns into one, crochet into another and swapping stuff into a third. Then I took all the odds and ends (and full skeins) and put them in the appropriate yarn drawer. I put the pattern books altogether on top of the little chest. Ok, ok, I'll take a picture of what is now the craft corner (or two pictures) and post them next time.

And then insanity REALLY hit...

I went into the livingroom and started there. A basket by the loveseat was overflowing with patterns, magazines (non-crafty, btw) and other stuff. Not all of it was junk. But the truth is you couldn't see the basket. Now you can. There's hardly anything there. The magazines said hello to the trash bin, the patterns went into their own bins and most everything else went where it belongs. Well except for the bubble bowl I won at the conference I went to because I don't quite know what I'm doing with it yet.

And then insanity took a HUGE turn into the WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING?!? category.

Beside my huge leather chair-and-a-half is this gorgeous huge front window. In front of the window is one very tall basket with nothing but odds and ends of crochet thread. Along the rest of the window were bags with projects, patterns, everything under the universe. So I sorted patterns and put them away. I inspected projects to see if I was really working on them or if it was just wishful thinking that I'd get back to it. I put all my odds and ends of wool that I will use for felted bookmarks when (if?) it gets cool enough to work with wool again into two little bags I keep from an LYS just for that purpose.

I am amazed that yet again my livingroom looks big. Neat. Well, ok, neater. More organized. And definitely bigger. There is room to sit on the loveseat. That, of course, prompted me to start lining up the projects I want to work on (two), the one I need to rip out (re-started mom's shawl in crochet with a different ball of yarn from the 4 that I purchased for the project so need to rip out the one I started knitting - Ambrosia is WAY too delicate for me to knit with but crochet works) and so, of course, when I come home from work and throw my purse and bag/backpack on it, yet again there is no room for someone to sit. But it's easier to clean up and I am taking some of the projects with me this weekend so there will be room to sit on the loveseat.

Believe it or not there are only a couple of things I really want to do that I haven't gotten done. Neither are crafty. I have a beautiful bluish birdhouse that would look beautiful in the corner of my livingroom hanging from the ceiling over by the plate rack and old microwave cabinet (storage now). And I just purchased a gorgeous pink tealight lantern and a battery operated tealight that would look really nice in my bedroom. First I need to make sure the tealight works and fits and then find someplace for it in the bedroom.

And in November Amy and I are having a yardsale. Need any knicknacks? :)

PS Sorry, I'm keeping all of the yarn and supplies in my stash. :)