enough is enough!

exactly when is enough enough?

that's what i'm pondering at this point!

recently, you'll know if you've been paying attention, i've been taking on knitting projects that have involved multiple repetitions of the same pattern.

here's the latest - the "ishbel" scarf by ysolda, a lovely young woman i'm sure has a great

future ahead of her as a designer. she really has her act together.

this pattern really blows my hair back! and this yarn, blue moon fiber arts silkie is delicious!! just delicious!

so... i zip through #1, feel absolutely fabulous and empowered as i head into #2, start to feel the drag with #3, and by #4, well, it is like pulling teeth to get through that one!

so, i ask, when is enough enough?

how does one determine when one has 'hit the wall'? when one can't possibly knit one more of the same object?

i, for one, haven't quite figured that out but i know that i am really, really, really happy when i have reached the end of the assignment i have given myself. perhaps that's the problem, i need to have a chat with myself about goals and expectations!

nah, not right now! i'm too busy basking in the glow of bustin' my stash!!

yahoo, buckaroo!!

there is no 'free lunch'

don't i know it!!

isn't this an adorable baby sweater? soooooo cute and quick to knit!

the pattern is from the book, 101 designer one-skein wonders, and is titled 'feather-and-fan baby sweater' designed by kimberly conterio. a well written pattern that was easy to follow and fast to knit with no seams to sew - being seamless puts it way high on my list!!

here's the rub - the yarn sucks!! it was like knitting with straw - it truly felt 'yucky'!

and why did i use this yarn? because it was a 'freebie'! when will i learn my lesson - there is no 'free lunch'! in hindsight, which is 20/20 of course, i should have just tossed the skein in the goodwill bag and got on my way, but, ohhhhhh noooooo, 'waste not, want not'!! so i decided to knit this little number to contribute to an upcoming silent auction. my conclusion after enduring this yarn is, (mark my words) never, never, never again! the old adage 'you get what you pay for' is definitely true in this case. i am too much of a tactile person - if it doesn't feel good to the touch in the skein, hey, it ain't gonna get any better when you knit with it!

i've learned my lesson, hopefully, but this whole experience makes me wonder, "how many new knitter's, trying the craft for the very first time, have picked up this yarn, needles and a beginning knitting pamphlet at a big box store (kmart or walmart) instead of a lys and have been totally turned off by the difficulty of using this yarn?" i'm willing to bet that it has been more than i want to imagine!!

i find this so sad! a future that could be filled with hours and hours and hours of knitting enjoyment ruined by a single skein of crummy yarn! truly a travesty!

a tad bit of heaven on earth!!

mmmmmmmmm....malabrigo!

gotta love it!

gotta love it, big time!

definitely, gotta have it!

once you've touched it, you're hooked! it is addicting but fortunately, besides draining one's pocketbook, it really doesn't do any damage to the physical body but it may cause damage to the psyche when one doesn't have it!

the touch! the feel! truly a sensory delight!

and, behold my latest tactile experiences...

i am not capable of keeping my hands off of the stuff - i just can't seem to make it out of a yarn shop without one skein (be it sock yarn, worsted weight or silk blend) in my hot little hands!

so...as i saw my stash of worsted weight expanding i decided that i would share the wealth with those i love and relatives, in the form of the lovely undulating cowl. the perfect holiday gift! the pattern is: wave by rebecca hatcher, a freebie on ravelry. just the ticket to keep one's neck warm on a blustery winter day and much more practical than a scarf because it can't be lost once it is put over your head! ahhhhhhhhh!

i hope you are seated while reading this because the fact that it is november 6 and i have basically finished my holiday knitting is indeed a shock in itself! it's not christmas eve!! it's november.....early november! wow! i have to thank the ravelry group, malabrigo junkies, for throwing down the stash busting gauntlet for the month of october - seems a tad bit of competition seems to light my fire! and, since it is november and we are looking for things to be thankful for, i can put this up there at the top of my list!! by and large, christmas knitting done! go pati! go pati!

anyhoo, on to the pictures! i would like to give a big 'shout out' to hedwig for volunteering today as the model for these bundles of joy! thanks, heddy!

as i lined the cowls out for picture taking i realized that there are 7 of them - gosh, that would be one for every day of the week! hmmm...perhaps i should reconsider this gift thing! just kidding!!

here goes....

saturday finds heddy ready for the beaver game in her 'glazed carrot' cowl. go beavers!!sunday heddy is off on a walk to explore nature in her 'pagoda' cowl. enjoy it while you can heddy because if we don't do something about global warming there might not be anything to explore!!monday finds heddy coaching the kid's soccer practice. the kids are freezing but heddy is nice and toasty in her 'azul profundo' cowl! girls soccer rules!
tuesday finds heddy meeting friends for lunch looking ever so dapper in her 'geranio' cowl. eat your hearts out, girlfriends, heddy is stylin'!!
on wednesday, heddy beats the blahs with her 'indigo' cowl! the perfect way to get through hump day!
thursday, finds heddy in a 'velvet grapes' cowl, snuggling a starbucks! the feel of velvet or the taste of a chai tea latte has nothing on malabrigo!

and finally its friday which finds heddy finishing up the week in a 'lettuce' cowl as she ponders what her next knitting project will be!

as for me, i need not ponder as my mind is already made up! time to get my 'knit on'!