My Yarn Stash Is Expanding...

I'm getting better, like way better, at knitting. Of course, I blame the HPKCHC for this (and they happily accept the blame :P), but I've recently decided that there's nothing I can't knit. And my yarn stash reflects this... Because it just keeps getting bigger, and I just can't seem to stop myself buying more. So, to make myself feel better, I decided to run some statistics (because I am a statistics nerd):

As of right now, I have 122 different types of yarn stashed (I am also completely anal about keeping my stash updated on Ravelry.).

• Of those 122, 52 were given to me, either in swaps, as gifts, or because I won them, so I didn't even pay for about 43% of the yarn in my stash (well, if we're not taking individual skeins into account, which I'm not). See, I already feel better!
• 38 of them I bought for a specific project, so there's another 31% that I no longer feel bad about!
• Now, the other 26%... Yeah, I feel kind of bad about that. Not that it isn't perfectly useable yarn! I just haven't figured out what to use it for yet.

Okay, so I'd really like to keep the I-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-I'm-going-to-do-with-this-yarn-but-I-just-had-to-buy-it-because-it's-so-pretty-or-it-was-so-cheap percentage at like... 10-ish%? Of course, yarn like that is really great to have lying around, for those last-minute gifts, or for when you're pattern browsing and find the perfect pattern that you just have to cast on right NOW! But right now, I have about 2.5-ish times too much of that yarn.

So, on another note, I've officially decided that Caron Simply Soft is my go-to cheapy yarn of choice. I have a lot of it, but it's just so soft, and there are so many colors, and it's soft, and it has really excellent drape, and there aren't any dye lots, so running out and having to buy more is okay, and did I mention that it's soft?

Another thing I really need to work on is not buying yarn for projects that I know I won't get to for a while. :/ I do that a lot... But it's like, I decide that I really wanna make something, and then I pick out the yarn, and I have to buy it as soon as possible! Which is just silly, because most likely, the yarn isn't going to go anywhere.

My HPKCHC Plan for the Spring 2011 Term

It's the 1st!! Classes were posted super early, right at midnight PST (or PrincessOnica time, as it's known in the House Cup group), and excitement was so high, you could taste it! So, as of today, here is my plan for the term:

May

• Stirrup Socks for History of Magic
• House Hat for Ancient Runes (which I'm teaching this term! Squee!!!!)
• Helix Gloves for Charms
• Washcloth for... a class. I'm not sure which one yet.

June

• Godric's Hollow Hat
• Yummy Beret

July

• Sitio Stockings
• Romantic Fingerless Gloves

Advanced Studies

• Love Bites-for Him for my Muggle Studies OWL

Quidditch

• Quaffles: TBD
• Hallows:
• Elder Wand: Bella Swan's Baseball Scarf (if approved)
• Resurrection Stone: TBD
• Invisibility Cloak: Gryffindor Scarf

On a non-HPKCHC note, I restarted my fitness program today! So far, so good!

An Overview of What I've Been Up To

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged (Well, on my personal blog, this blog, anyway--I wrote for the HPKCHC Blog from January to March.)

What is the HPKCHC, you ask? Well, the HPKCHC is the Harry Potter Knitting & Crochet House Cup. If you're a Harry Potter fan, and you're on Ravelry, you should check it out! January through March was my first "year" at Hogwarts, and I was one of two First Year Bloggers. Anyway, if you'd like to read about my experiences being a First Year Gryffindor, here are linkies to the blog posts I wrote:

• January 14
• February 4
• February 11
• February 18
• March 10
• March 18

Now, the last time I wrote for you guys, I was still working on my first project. Boy, have I been a busy bee since then! I've completed quite a few projects, although none of them have been especially big. Rather than bore you with a list of all the things I've learned to do, I'm going to post pictures of some of the things I've made:

I've also been experimenting with Kool-Aid dyeing:

As you can see, most of the stuff I've done so far has been fairly simple, but I plan on changing that this "year" (I'm a Second Year Gryffindor now in the HPKCHC.). Yep, I plan on making a couple sweaters and a few really long scarves in the next three months. :) I'm even going to try my hand at designing (a scarf, nothing major)! Ravelry linkies to some of the stuff I've got planned as of right now:

• Love Bites-for Him (a sweater for my dad)
• 2 Werewolf Hats
• Stirrup Socks, Yoga or Pedicure Socks, and a few other pairs of yoga/dancer's socks
• Several more hats, such as a House Hat (from the book Charmed Knits), Yummy Beret, and Godric's Hollow Hat
• A Hogwarts Scarf (Gryffindor, of course!), Bella Swan's Baseball Scarf, Rosalie Has Been Bitten, and Seattle
• Several pairs of Bella's Mittens
• $5 in Paris (a sweater for me!)

Ooooooh, I'd also like to share my knitting library! Seeing as my very first blog post, back in November, was about my lack of any and all knitting books.

• Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter
• DomiKNITrix: Whip Your Knitting into Shape
• Knit Christmas Stockings!: 19 Patterns for Stockings and Ornaments
• Knitting for Dummies (2nd Edition)
• Respect the Spindle: Spin Infinite Yarns with One Amazing Tool (which is a spinning book, not a knitting book, but still)
• Romantic Hand Knits: 26 Flirtatious Designs that Flatter Your Figure
• Sensual Knits: Luxurious Yarns, Sexy Designs
• Stitch'n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics
• Vampire Knits: Projects to Keep You Knitting from Twilight to Dawn

Well, I could keep adding to this blog post, but it's getting really late (3 AM where I am), and I'm getting sleepy, so I'm going to end it for now. I'll write again soon though! I won't stay away for four months this time, I promise. ;)

~Niccy

I Have a WIP Photo!!

I'm actually making something!! Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited! I'm making the Learn to Knit Cuffs for my friend Kymmy. I was going to keep my first FO for myself, but Kymmy's the only person I know who actually wears bright, sunny colors, and I do want them to be worn! The colors are turning out quite nicely, if I do say so myself, way nicer than I expected them to. And I have a pic!:

Yay! I wanna learn to spin my own yarn too, and dye it!

Find me on ravelry!

My Knit Picks Wish List!

My new favorite online knitting store: Knit Picks
Seriously, this place has some really great stuff, and their prices are very reasonable. Unfortunately, I have over $250 worth of stuff in my wish list... but it's all really great! I've heard nothing but good things about their needles, and their yarns are so pretty! Click the link below to check out my wish list, and you can see for yourself!

My Knit Picks Wish List!

Books for a New Knitter

Okay, so apparently, knitting is expensive, at least when you're first starting out. I still wanna learn though. I'll just have to save up some money first. In the meantime though, I've been doing some research, and I already know two different ways to cast on! Woohoo! Yay, me! I learned Single Cast-On and Long-Tail Cast-On (a.k.a. Double Cast-On or Continental Cast-On) from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting. Now, I'm an avid reader, so I always go to books first when I want to learn anything new. I obviously haven't gotten very far into this particular book yet, but I can already tell it's an excellent source for people who want to teach themselves how to knit (like me!). I've actually been reading an electronic copy that I borrowed from the library, but I think I'm going to buy my own copy to have around for a reference. If you're interested in reading reviews and/or buying this book, Amazon sells new copies for about $14. You can also get decent used copies for less than $10!

I buy almost all my books from Amazon, and a lot of other things too, so I'll probably recommend them a lot. Also, if you end up deciding to buy something on Amazon that I recommend, I get a small commission, so please, please, please help me out, and click on the "Buy from amazon.com" links in this blog if you're really interested in buying this stuff.

Now, I plan on buying several books to help me get started on my knitting endeavors. As of right now, I plan on buying Knitting for Dummies, The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face, Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask, 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders, and Vampire Knits: Projects to Keep You Knitting from Twilight to Dawn. I'm especially excited about Vampire Knits, seeing as Bella's Ruth Cross mittens were what originally inspired me to learn how to knit. They're absolutely beautiful, but if you know how to knit them, you can make about seven pairs for the price she's selling one for, and I just can't see paying $75 for a pair of mittens. Anyway, there's a pattern for similar mittens in Vampire Knits, as well as several other things I'm just dying to make.

Now, if there are any other books you think a beginner knitter should take a look at, please comment below! You can also comment for any other reason, of course. And thank you for reading my blog!

~Nicole