Librarian Yarns

About a month ago we finally set up our desk, which allow us to move the office out of the craft room and go through nine storage tubs that were hiding in various places in that room. NINE. I was shocked. Only two have been moved back in, and suddenly our craft space, our studio as I have begun to refer to it, has room. It also has the ability to be highly organized. 

 Our IKEA hacked table is split decisively down the middle with leather work on one side and fabric the other, with knife magnets holding the essential tools for each of us.

Beautiful right? It leads to effortless walking in, spending 30 minutes on a project and walking right back out. Not 30 minutes of shuffling for that precise tool/thread/^%&* pair of Ginghers you need (do yourself a favor and get two... they keep sanity and with a coupon are cheap enough at Jo Ann's!). 

But the problem was this, I have been telling my husband for YEARS that I have a ball winder, it just must be in that one box we haven't opened. Well I opened all the boxes a month ago, I emptied almost all of them. I had to face the facts, I didn't have a ball winder. Did I ever? Even my own mother thought I had taken possession of it.

Last week, with the daunting task of winding a hank of mohair by hand ahead of me... I gave in. I was given the simple recommendation to get Knit Picks ball winder because it is the best quality for the price. I was surprised at the price, and even more tickled that Knit Picks has teamed up with amazon so I can get my precious two day shipping on it. Amazon has spoiled me. 

 So now it lives on my bookshelf in the den, easy access when needed but utterly out of the way otherwise. Just look at that pretty cake! I can save my wrists to get carpal tunnel just from knitting, not winding balls now. :D

I started my Waiting for Rain shawl on November 30th and finished March 16th, a typical turnaround for a shawl of this size for me when I am not working on it constantly. While I feel like I have "enough" shawls... at the same time "special" yarn sometimes needs to go into something that can be worn not just seasonally. And even on the hottest day out here in Ohio, my office is a typical Library office. COLD. 

Working this up was easy once I realized stitch markers showing me the start and finish of the lace short rows would give me SANITY. Only ripped out the first one 2-3 times, once I started the stitch markers it was smooth sailing. Overall pleased with the outcome, and happy I chose a picot edge to use more of the pretty blue that this skein from Twisted Fiber Arts turned into.