Hey!, Look what Got Out of my House!

I am calling this my first success! It's a small one, but it's a success nonetheless! A few months ago, I was gifted a bunch of yarn. . .all acrylic and only a skein of each color, with an occasional second skein of a similar enough color that I thought I could put them together. . .? I figured that these gift yarns would be perfect for charity knitting, and for getting to know my new (at the time) Bond USM knitting machine! Here's a photo of the stash:

Well, as you might imagine, I bit off a little more than I could chew with that! I did knit a few items with the machine, and they are mostly still languishing, awaiting the finish work. . . So, I would look over at those two giant bags of yarn every day, and I would feel badly that no charity or machine knitting was happening with them. . .I felt like such an un-charitable knitter! (Bad Knitter! Bad, Bad Knitter! Why aren't you knitting for charity, you Bad, Bad Knitter?!?)

Then a friend put out the all call for yarn to give to a women's home. Any yarn. All yarn of any type. The ladies were learning to knit and crochet, and CWKnits (on Ravelry) was hoping to help out with some of our odd balls of yarn. Well, I did not even think twice! Thursday was nigh, so I packed up those bags and took them to knitting, and off they went to charity! Now, at least in my own mind, my charitable self is at least partially redeemed. I did not give knitting to charity, but I did give knitting supplies to charity. Bonus!, I got some "crap" out of my house! (Although, truth be told, no yarn is truly crap, it's just more than this knitter could deal with at the moment.)

So, I have started the challenge, and I am feeling pretty good about it. I actually have a pretty good plan to get more crap out this week, maybe even today (in time for the trash pickup tomorrow?), but whether that will happen or not remains to be seen.

Here's some stuff that recently left my house, but it is most-decidedly NOT crap! My winner, Cricket54 has assured me that she has received her prize package, so I thought I would show you what she won!
I will freely admit that a couple of the smaller items in the package are a bit of a re-gift. . .but what's Christmas without a little re-gifting? There was Kroy sock yarn, a skein of Cascade 220 in natural with two packets of the ever-coveted Berry-Blue Kool-Aide for dying, a row counter with matching stitch markers from the shop, and a couple of little odds and ends from here and there!

Cricket sounded pretty pleased with the prize package, and I am glad that she liked everything! I can't wait until the next contest!

In Knitting Knews, I really wish I had some pictures to show you. Unfortunately, a little stomach bug over the weekend, coupled with the start of my Christmas Knitting (no peeking!), means that I did not add any knew knitting pictures to the mix! I have done some knitting I can photograph and show, but just did not get to that part yet! Yikes.

Still working on Wickerware Socks and Summer's End Cardigan, hopefully there will be photos on Saturday. And hopefully there will NOT be any digestive upset on Saturday.

Knit in Good Health!

Get Out!

If you were around in the late 70s, that title might evoke memories of the horror book/movie The Amityville Horror. If you weren't, go on back and check out the link to the 1979 movie trailer. . .I'll wait until you get back. . .

Creepy, huh? Of course, that's not really what I wanted to talk about today. . .the movie, that is. I want to talk about getting out, as in getting things out of my house, as in getting the "crap" out of my house. I saw that a fellow blogger (Created Hands Creating Blog) had joined into a "Get the Crap Out of My House Challenge" in blogland, and so I looked around my own house. . .look what I found!

Creepy, huh? Yeah, I thought so too. No wonder I feel like even my small yarn stash is running out of places to hide! So I am joining in. I know that it won't happen overnight, and I am not even aspiring to make it all happen by any particular deadline. I'd just like to look at this as more of an opportunity for a "lifestyle change." Here are my strategies:

1. Each week, I would like to throw something away that I have been looking at for too long without using. This should clear out some of those hobbies I have not been into, and some other assorted things I probably won't miss.


2. As I look around at all the things I desperately need to dust should be dusting regularly, I will try to get rid of more of the knicky-knacky things, thereby reducing the need to dust.


3. Perhaps by Christmas, I'd like to get into the attic and get rid of some of the boxes of stored items that I never pull out, and that I never intend to pass down to the kids. Hopefully, that will save them some headaches when I'm gone!


4. When I put something aside, from now on, I will try to mark it with the date it was put aside. If I don't miss it in 6 months 3 months, I will toss, sell or give it away.


5. I will not feel badly about parting with my stuff. . .especially the stuff I don't really "play with" anymore.


6. Encouraging my blogging and knitting buddies to play along! If you have crap that you'd like to get out of your house, well, what's stopping you?!? C'mon!

Yep! It's a Lifestyle Change! It all starts with a bunch of good intentions, right? Well, there are my intentions! Of course, even just my intentions are tiring out this blogger today! Well that, coupled with some helmet shopping we did earlier:

And some general fun shopping!

Silly-Face rice crispie treats and light-up squishy balls. . .it's gonna be a good Saturday night! Oh, and there will be knitting, for sure! I promise more knitting in the next post! Until then, Happy De-Crapping, and Get Out!

Knit in Good Health!

164

164 is a cryptic title post, no?

Yes, I will admit, it is a little cryptic. . .keep reading to find out why 164 is a number to celebrate.

164 has nothing to do with when Army Boy and Wifey Poo stood before Preacher Man to enthusiastically recite their vows, and say "I do!"
And it has nothing to do with either of their birthdays, one in January and one in March. And it has nothing to do with the number of bubbles they were showered with following their ceremony.

Getting closer to the meaning behind the cryptic number, but still not hitting the proverbial nail on the head, 164 was not the number of hopes and/or dreams they shared for their future together as man and wife.

Here's another clue about the number 164. . .it is not the amount of dollars I have spent recently on cotton yarn for baby toys and sweaters. . .I would assume that number is much lower. . .so far anyway. Here is my latest purchase, I think I spent about $30.

I have some different cottons in my stash as well, and I would guess that I have spent under $100 for all the cotton, baby toy/sweater yarn I own currently. Sweater yarn for me, that's a different story!!! Are you ready to know the secret behind the cryptic number???

Well, hold onto your hat! 164 is the number of beats per minute that my Dear Daughter-In-Law's BABY's heart was beating when she had an ultrasound at her first OB appointment yesterday! Did you catch that? I am gonna be a Gramma! And Sweetie is gonna be a Grampa!
Isn't that the cutest little ultrasound picture, evahhhh?!? Congratulations to the Mommy- and Daddy-to-be! And to me. . .soooo, I am celebrating by knitting Baby Blankie/Toys in plush and other yarns.

And being one Happy Grammarumi-to-be!

Knit in Good Health!

We have a weiner!!!!!

Well, I don't have a weiner. . .I am a girl. But I digress.

I DO have a WINNER to announce!

I have used an online, random number generator, to generate the winner of the Merry Christmas in July contest.

And, the winner of the mystery prize is. . .

. . .drum roll, please. . .


Cricket54! . . .of the Cricket Knits a Bit blog!

Cricket, if you do not receive an email from me in about 10 seconds, email me at PrettyKnittyJewelry [at] yahoo [dot] com! And CONGRATULATIONS! (I like the Andy Griffith Show, too!)

I will not post pictures of the mystery prizes until I hear that Cricket has received her presents. . .so, off I go to prepare a package for tomorrow's mail! Yay!

Thanks, everyone, for playing along! Now, go Knit in Good Health!

Contest Closed!

Please check back on Sunday, August 1st for the winning announcement!