Santa Fe

(No, I'm not going to serenade you with "Santa Fe" from Newsies. But, if you want to, you can hear it here. I'm not a Christian Bale kind of girl, but I still enjoy it.)

I do a fair amount of social knitting, and thus, I tend to pick projects that are both portable and simple. I also read the Yarn Harlot's blog, and I find her knitting to be (98.9%) inspiring.

She went on the striped Noro scarf kick, and I thought, "Wow. Those look cool. But I would stab my own eyes out if I was knitting a scarf like that. Bo-ring."

So, I went through my knitting library and stash (because I have become a creature of excellent habits through the Social Pressure Experiment), and I present you with the Santa Fe Wrap:

That is the back. It is - in my opinion- one of the few good applications of mitered squares. Plus, the center/back panel took me about a day and a half to knit. This is potato chip knitting at it's best.

That's the front. Half-done. When it is finished, there will be four long strips that will make me look six feet tall and thin when I wear it. At least, the woman I saw wearing it at the yarn shop did. She may have been actually six feet tall and thin, but now you're splitting hairs.

What's that? A shadow rib. Look above and below and you'll notice that NOT ONLY is it NOT in garter stitch (which kills my knitting mojo), but both the main color and the contrast color get noticed.

It is knitting up surprisingly quickly, and I'm noticing that one skein of Noro Sock lasts FOREVER.

Jasmin 2009

I am a goal-oriented person. When I decide to do something, I throw myself into it. In that respect, Jasmin 2008 has been a rousing success.

Here is the list of what I had hoped to accomplish this year:

-Go to yoga more frequently. It’s good for the body and good for the soul. (SUCCESS!)

-Take a pilates class at work. Those giant balls look like fun. (I didn't do this, but this was more about sweating in front of co-workers.)

-Take a knife techniques class. (Still looking for one.)

-Learn four new, high-end recipes every month: one soup, one main course, one dessert, and another of my choosing. (Ok. This may have been a lofty ambition, but I certainly did cook more, and they were new recipes.)

-Learn to use the two knitting machines I have. (SUCCESS!)

-Teach each dog at least one new trick. (SUCCESS!)

I think the biggest part of Jasmin 2008 that isn't listed is the shift in consumer habits that I aspired for. Jasmin 2008, coupled with the Social Pressure Experiment, has resulted in more conscientious shopping, and less "incidental" stash- for both me and Tika.

[Aside: Tika, Andrew and I went to the sale at Bobbin's Nest yesterday, and where Jasmin pre-2008 would have wiped out her stock, today's Jasmin, bought three STUNNING skeins of Handmaiden Mini Maiden (in the same color, one project), and one skein of HazelKnits sock yarn to test drive.]

In any case, Tika wanted to know what Jasmin 2009 was going to be. I thought about it, and while Andrew had joked about "experimentation" being the theme for 2009 MONTHS ago, I decided that it would be a great idea. Jasmin 2009 is about experimenting, trying new things, and living (responsibly) in the Now.

[Aside: I don't think Andrew was applying it to experimental knitting. Oh well.]

Jasmin 2009 does not fear failure. Jasmin 2009 will experiment with cheerful abandon, and while this type of experimentation occaisionally ends in failure, great success comes from trying, and deciding that ripping out unsuccessful knitting will not annoy me is a good trait to develop.

Jasmin 2009 is going to - wait for it - revisit sewing. Jasmin 2009 is going to take a more "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" approach to everything. Look out world.

In case you're curious, Jasmin 2010? She's all about completion.

There is something wrong with me.

WHY do I do this to myself?!

I know that I have more than enough yarn- enough to last me through an apocalypse. Hence the Social Pressure Experiment.

So why is it that I feel compelled to check out the Yarnzilla sale? Half-off cashmere, 40% off sock yarns, it's all too much!

For me, if I don't see it , it's not there. That's why I didn't participate in the Shop Hop. That's why I no longer meander around Purlescence, absorbing those intoxicating wool fumes that always convince me that this time it will be different, this time I'll start and finish the sweater I'm buying yarn for. I am a weak woman when it comes to wool.

This is partly why I've signed up for classes this year at Stitches. Until two years ago, I was working the show, and didn't have time to take classes.

Two years ago, I made the mistake of waiting for my time off to be approved before signing up for the class I wanted. While waiting for official approval, the class filled and closed. Last year, none of the classes offered appealed to me.

This year, I signed up for classes as soon as I had a few minutes in front of my computer. I'm signed up for "Cool Socks" with Lucy Neatby all day Friday, and "Design Your Own Sock Architecture" with Cat Bordhi all day Sunday. This will give me the opportunity to learn loads, and serve double duty to reduce my available shopping hours by HALF.

I know that the official end date for the SPE is the day Stitches opens. I think I'm really embracing this whole change of behaviors, though. I may not toss out stuff from my stash after Stitches, but the exercise has really changed my buying habits. That was the point, I suppose. [Wine never hurts, either.]

In other not-buying-yarn-or-fiber news, I'm taking a class with Cat Bordhi this Saturday at Knitting Boutique in Lafayette, CA. A whole bunch of us are going. I've even re-pinked my hair.

It's going to be awesome.

Oooh... pretty colors...

First, I would like to say how surprised I am to find out that I'm not alone in my heresy. Everyone made me feel much better about (what I felt) was speaking against popular opinion. You guys ROCK!

I've been talking about how much I've been spinning. I mentioned how I'm a mad scientist with a need for bright colors.

I present, the fruits of my labors:

I love how cheerful it is. There will be purple in the rainbow, but my attempt at purple failed. See:

Not quite purple enough to fit the rest of my theme. I'm not saying that I don't like it; it just isn't the right purple for my day-glo rainbow.

I had a couple of things in my stash that fit the need for "bright and cheerful" while I was dyeing up my 1980s childhood masterpiece.

First was "I Feel Free" from Crown Mountain Farms:

It's not a color I would normally pick for myself, but I think this is going to grow up to be a pair of Mad Color Weave Socks.

I'm finding myself drawn to the more monochromatic roving in my stash, which is unusual for me. I'm a high-contrast, multi-colored kind of girl. It seems that I like to knit plain, monochromatic yarns rather than the stuff that really appeals to me as a spinner. It's a process of finding a happy medium.

Stash equilibrium- myth or reality?

This last week, I finished my Hedera socks, AND a ribbon shell. Granted, these are both fairly small projects, but I’ve finished them! This doesn’t even include the spinning. And has there been SPINNING!

(Pictures coming soon. The shell looks miserable on Mademoiselle, and I have a fierce new hairdo. I need to wrangle a hapless victim to take pictures of me in the garments!)

The other exciting thing is that the Social Pressure Experiment is really starting to take hold, as far as developing better stash habits is concerned.

Example:

Yesterday, I went on CrazyMonkey’s etsy shop to find a link to the roving that I’ve bought and spun up. I saw FIVE things I wanted. So, I sent the links to Tika, who agreed that it was all fabulous.

I walked into my newly-organized office, and decided to spin the Hotel California in my stash. There’s nothing like floor-to-ceiling stash to snap my curly self right back to reality.

I like my stash. It has gotten me through every financial “low” (supporting a grad student, mortgage on the first house, two mortgages while we sold the townhouse while we were living in the New House), and has been happily replenished through the “highs” (bonuses, raises, gift money).

It’s 99% awesome stuff, and the remaining 1% is the day-glo acrylic that I bought to make kids’ stuff out of. There is enough variety to keep me inspired and knitting for a long time. That’s a good thing.

There is a lot of it. I think my question is: how much is “Stash Equilibrium”- meaning, at what point is it not too big or too small? When is it “juuuuuust right”?

Having a stash requires planning. In Silicon Valley, one never knows when companies will downsize, or shut down. There’s nothing like being [temporarily] unemployed with the wrong stash. It’s a travesty.

It’s also a huge loss to have all this gorgeous yarn sitting unused in your house. I have THREE SWEATERS worth of casbah, waiting. That’s criminal! There needs to be a system. Not necessarily a FIFO system, but maybe a formula as to fiber content and ranking and whatnot. [System pending.]

So, for now, I’m working through my stash, and finishing up all of those skeletons I’ve got hiding in my UFO storage units. There’s nothing like the promise of wine to inspire me to turn yarn into wearable garments.

The Agreement

Tika and I need mutual support in doing a little stash reduction, the healthy way. Through social pressure! I'm sure we'll still be supporting our LYS, just in a more reflective way.

The rules:

As of midnight, July 14^th, no new fiber, no new yarn until Stitches West.

An even trade (50g for 50g) is ok. So is buying that last ball of yarn so you can finish a project. Project scope issues shouldn’t be penalized.

Anything ordered in advance doesn’t count.

No gift yarn or roving can be accepted UNLESS it's for a birthday or anniversary or legit holiday. (My birthday is November 23^rd, Tika’s is December 6^th.)

Tools, patterns, and books are not considered stash, and thus, will not be included in The Agreement.

The Monterey Wool auction is being grandfathered in, as it was planned months ago.

Accepting donations of yarn to make charity items is acceptable. Charity knitting must be finished within an 8-week window of receipt of the yarn.

If you buy something new, you have to get rid of equivalent weight/yardage out of the stash.

For FO’s, a bottle of wine will be given (under $20) to the finisher by their partner.

Spring dresses are the new black

For my fellow Bay Area residents- Have you noticed how we’re living on the surface of the freakin’ sun? I hit 85 degrees before 11AM. It makes me grateful for the a/c.

In any case, given the scorching hot weather, I’ve started wearing dresses. It’s as close to naked as I can get without breaking any laws. Since I only had a small handful of dresses to start with, when I go out, I am on the prowl for them.

In Maine, I bought a few lovely ones, which are comfortable, attractive, and functional. I’ll admit, it’s really hard to find things that are attractive, appropriate, and fit well.

I’m not without resources. Mom has been trying to get me on the sewing bandwagon for years. So, starting this week, I’ll be sewing myself dresses. I’m hoping that I enjoy it.

At the very least, I’ll end up with some wicked awesome clothes, right?

Bzzz!

Saturday, Tika and I went to Color: A Fiber Festival on Saturday. The drive up to Cal was pleasant, with some discussion of musical theater, our mutual love of Little Shop of Horrors, and how Christian Bale and the whole "Santa Fe" scene from Newsies never should have happened.

When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find that there was actual, free parking on the Berkeley campus within shouting distance of Color. First, we hit Pidgeonroof Studios, and bought roving. Then we hit Tactile / A Verb for Keeping Warm and bought roving. Then we hit Girl on the Rocks. And bought roving. Noticing a theme?

In keeping with Jasmin 2008, I only bought the stuff that I absolutely loved. Once the Roving Tornado had subsided, we sat down, set up our wheels, and enjoyed the day. Well, Tika set up her wheel immediately. I looked at my Victoria bag and saw this:

Nature. On my spinning wheel bag. Here is the picture to scale:

Given the niceness of the day and the weather I figured I would just relax and chat until The Bee went off on it's merry way.

I thought The Bee had gone on it's merry way (it was no longer on the handle). Without looking, I reached down to the zipper and -

MASSIVE, STINGING PAIN!!!

Ow. The Bee stung me. Stupid nature.

I washed my hands, took an allergy pill, and the day was not ruined. We spun there until early afternoon, and then drove to my favorite taco place ever.

It's a taco truck in Oakland, and for $1.25 one can purchase a taste of heaven. (FYI, it's at the intersection of International and the 880 ramp to Alameda.) Tika and I wolfed down three heavenly tacos each, and two sodas. All for less than $10.

The day was going super-well, so I suggested a trip to the Great Bear in Los Gatos for Chocolate Coffee Creams. Tika had never experienced the CCC before- and it was a great way to end that part of my day.

I've started spinning some of my purchases- which I'll post as I finish stuff.

(PS, if Krista tells you we bought everything, I deny it all. LIES!)

The Knitmore Girls begin!

It seems a couple of my readers have discovered the next step in my Jasmin 2008 plan. Mom and I have started a Podcast, and I’ve set up the show notes blog over at The Knitmore Girls.

We've submitted the Podcast to iTunes- so hopefully you'll see us there soon.

Enjoy!

More goals

I think having goals is awesome. When I have a good idea, I write it down. More than that, Jasmin 2008 loves achieving goals.

I was listening to Brenda Dayne's most recent episode of Cast On, and she has set a goal for herself to knit her whole stash in 2008. Wow. Jasmin 2008 is all about less-is-more habits, but Brenda 2008 is hardcore.

While I was listening, I though, "I should knit all my luxury fibres this year." I have a good collection of really excellent yarns, and if I were to get hit by a bus tomorrow, would I really want to have let it sit in the stash instead of having worked with it?

Not a chance. Jasmin 2008 knits with luxury fibers!

Almost a Cardi-carrying member

I’m torn.

The whole “knitting carrot” is failing in the face of more interesting knitting, but I’m trudging towards the Ribby Cardi finish line. Another hour of knitting, and both sleeves will be finished. If we watch a movie tonight, I think the collar and bands will also find themselves complete.

Despite what my Ravelry queue says, the next two projects on my list are “Muir” and “Large Rectangle with Center Diamond Pattern” (from Victorian Lace Today). I picked up some lace yarn at the show, and want to (a) write reviews of the yarns, and (b) knit these shawls.

It’s not the Cardi part of the Ribby Cardi; it’s the sleeves.

I thought I was being super-smart, and I was. In theory.

First, I got out my handy-dandy graph paper and charted out the sleeve cap so that my sleeve was certain to come out in pattern. (Yes, I know it’s ribbing. Yes, I know I have OCD about this stuff.) This is a necessity for me, since my sleeve caps don't need shortening, but the sleeves always do, and I don't like the guesswork of "shorten or lengthen here" before a shaped sleeve cap. Cap first, then work out the rest, I say.

Next, I cast on both sleeves at the same time. I knit the sleeve caps flat (from the top down) to where they hit the underarm. Then, I put them in the round. So now, we have two sleeves on two circs, top-down. This all adds up to a tangly mess if you’re not paying attention. Doubly so if (say) one of your balls decides to throw up everywhere. This project stays home, safely in a place where it won’t get jostled around.

So far, the sleeves have taken me a couple of evenings of knitting, and it looks like I’ll be able to finish the knitting tonight. This is real growth for me, since 90% of my sweaters get held up at the sleeves. It seems I have an aversion to knitting sleeves, but a need to wear them. I am a complicated woman.

Andrew is totally jazzed about Jasmin 2008- especially the finishing things list. As I was trying on my sleeves, he pointed out that I could blast through the Sweater Formerly Known As Zak’s (SFKAZ) in a week and have it completed, too. That would be two sweaters done in a month, he pointed out emphatically.

While that’s true, and Jasmin 2008 likes to finish things, she also wants to knit what she wants to knit. Especially after Stitches. Jasmin 2008 laid out all of her purchases on the dining room table, to inspire her. While I didn’t overbuy, and I certainly limited my purchases to only things that I LOVED, there is a lot of inspiration laying out there. Being beautiful. Tempting me to stray from finishing back to starting.

I think what is most tempting is that I’m not enjoying the sleeve process, which is as tedious as it is smart. I’ll admit that this will leave me the least amount of finishing, which I may dislike even more than knitting sleeves. So, again, smart. But tedious.

The SFKAZ isn’t half as tedious, because when I cast the sleeves on simultaneously (over eight years ago), I didn’t bother to do so in the round. Though I’m not looking forward to attaching sleeves to shoulders and doing the two long, cuff-to-armpit-to-sweater-bottom seams, this sweater has the potential of being an awesome kicking-around sweater. Lucky for me, the formerly intended recipient of this sweater wasn’t much bigger than I am now, and sleeves that aren’t finished are easily shortened.

Hopefully tomorrow you'll be reading about my latest lace shawl.

Jasmin 2008 meets Stitches West

I shopped with some relatively incredible resolve this year. I bought some handpainted roving and yarn, some gorgeous glass needles, and a little yarn from Webs.

What?! No pictures?

That’s right.

This year, I’m not posting pictures of the haul until after I’ve formed an opinion on the quality of my purchases. I don’t want to promote anything that may not be top-quality. I’ll be giving fair and balanced reviews of my purchases, good or bad. Those will be tagged with "Stitches 2008 loot"

But.

I’m qvelling over my purchases. They’re on my dining room table, busy being beautiful.

It's a Ribby Process

For a month or so, I’ve been in a knitting lull. I haven’t been knitting as much as I normally do, and I’ve been a little unenthusiastic about it as well. Everything I really wanted to work on was on hold because of something small.

Jasmin 2008 reappeared yesterday. She must have been on vacation this last week, but she’s back. I figured out how to knit the sleeves on my Ribby Cardi top-down, and I am nearly finished with BOTH sleeve caps.

This is simple, but the task makes me feel incredibly smart, and my sleeves always end up the right length. Having short arms means less knitting, but more thinking. It’s a trade-off.

I like to knit my sleeves at the same time, partly because in the event of Project Abandonment, both sleeves will (optimistically speaking) get finished the same way. I also like to knit my sleeves in the round to minimize the finishing.

The zipper has been bought, and once the sleeves are done and attached, Mom will be able to attach it and BAM! The sweater is done. I think that’s enough motivation to actually finish it.

I’m pretty excited about finishing a sweater- I don’t think I’ve finished a sweater in the last year. Half a dozen lace shawls, yes. Sweaters? No. I’ve also given away all but one of the sweaters that I’ve knit for myself.

Its funny how we evolve as knitters; ten years ago I was knitting six pairs of socks a month. Five years ago, I was knitting two pairs of socks a week and finishing a dozen large projects a year. Now, I’m spending more time spinning than knitting.

Sweaters don’t really take that much time; most of the sweaters I knit are out of worsted weight yarn. Even a sock can seem interminable- or maybe that’s just in my case, when I’m knitting Andrew’s giant socks.

Speaking of which, I finished off Pair #4 of the Black Sock Project on Friday night:

Once I finish Pair #5 of the Black Sock Project:

Andrew has requested that I begin the “Tan Sock Project”. My love for this man may be without limit.

Knitter’s Block

(Not to be confused with Knitter’s Blocks, which are awesome.)

When I can’t knit, don’t want to spin, and am not in the mood to buy yarn or roving, I know something is wrong. The whole thing starts with a general restlessness, and grows into a frustrating condition which I can only describe as Knitter’s Block (not to be confused with the more specific Sock Block).

Knitter’s block is to knitting as writer’s block is to writing. Having suffered from both, it’s the same type of self-loathing, hair-tearing, screaming-at-the-top-of-your-lungs frustration. I get Knitter’s Block a couple of times a year, which always prompts some introspection. I ask myself why I knit, what is it that I like so much, etc, and then contemplate giving away my whole stash of knitting stuff and taking up something less frustrating. Like yoga. Or learning to speak Klingon.

I’ve noticed that my bouts of Knitter’s Block tend to follow project frustration (also known as Sock Block), illness, or extreme stress. Usually when I need inspiration or comfort most, that’s when it strikes.

I won’t lie: Ravelry is a terrific way of keeping track of all of the awesome stuff I trip over on the internet. Push the “add to Ravelry queue” is SO much easier than my archaic method of bookmarking and hoping I would remember why and what and whom it was for. You’ll see a lot of lace in my queue; I’m sure at some point, I’ll be obsessed with something new and different, and the Ravelry queue will reflect that.

I’m sure I’m just restating what everyone else has said about Ravelry, but it’s true. If I’m having a bad day and I need something good, it’s right there.

It’s knitting window shopping, if you think about it.

Jasmin 2008 likes Ravelry because it’s a database of opportunities to use up the existing stash. It’s truly glorious how useful it is when you’re on a “less is more” kick.

More Less Is More

In order to actively work towards my goal of “less is more” (or as I like to call it, Jasmin 2008), I have been spinning up a virtual storm of Crown Mountain. I decided to start with the Crown Mountain for two reasons: (1) 11 bumps were being stored on my baby grand piano, and though it is pretty, it looks cluttered (2) I only need half of each bump.

So, the Crown Mountain system goes like this:

Step 1: Weigh out three, 38g bumps.

Step 2: Re-“skein” the remaining 4-4.5 oz, reapply the label.

Step 3: Trade it, give it away, or overdye the remaining “bump”. This works to either (a) get it out of the house and not allow it to become clutter or (b) turn into something new and different to spin.

The plan has been working fairly well, as there are only six bumps remaining on the piano. (This doesn’t include the OTHER ten bumps that are in Space Bags. Those are next on the spinning jihad list.) While I’m spinning up my own sock yarn, Andrew can make a determination early in the process as if he wants some or not.

Jasmin 2008 is also all about finishing things. You wouldn’t think so, based on all of the spinning (which * technically * adds to one stash as it comes out of another), but there is a plan. Three projects that I am planning on finishing before I go on the Sea Socks cruise include:

-The Lady Eleanor Shawl. It’s more than half done, and I started it in Dec. 05-ish.

-The seed stitch Jo Sharp sweater that I started for Zak in 2000. I have less than a handspan of knitting to do on the sleeves, and to seam it up. Maybe 15 hours of work. [No, I’m not giving it to Zak. We’re not in a knitwear-exchanging place.]

-My Ribbi Cardi. It’s still at the Ribbi Halter state, and I have an evening of knitting to finish the back. The sleeves require a little pre-planning- in part because I’m anal retentive, and partly because my previous experience has lead me to the fact that knitting sleeves top-down is always the best way of making sure that cap/raglan/not drop shoulder sleeves fit both the sleeve holes and the subsized wearer (me). Feel free to disagree.

All three of these projects are in my living room, queued up to be worked on. I wouldn’t be surprised to see these all finished in rapid succession of each other.

I can be goal-oriented sometimes. I swear!

“My kingdom for a coat!”

A few nights ago, I was on the phone with Linda, waxing poetic about this beautiful coat I had tried on a few months back. I had decided, after trying it on and LOVING it, that I would wait until it went on sale. Because at Wilson’s, things always go on sale, and it’s usually a good sale.

I pulled up the website, and to my great surprise, my coat was ON SALE!

In XL. ONLY in XL.

This was good for Linda, who is busty enough to fill out an XL. On my best day, I can’t fill an XL. I told Andrew about it, and said that I would call the stores in the area to see if I could find one in a Small. I tried Oakridge, Gilroy, and Milpitas. No luck, only an Unpleasant Associate at the Milpitas store- who was supposedly in possession of my coat, in a Small.

When the Unpleasant Associate was on the phone with me, and I asked him to check his stock, he took thirty seconds and deemed- in an annoyed tone of voice- that my coat was never there. I wanted to speak with someone else, so I called back two hours later, and got the same guy. I gave Andrew the information about the coat, and the phone number.

Andrew had some success. He spoke with the Unpleasant Associate, who managed to find my coat at the Pleasanton store. Andrew called me to let me know that not only had he found my coat, but that he was going to drive up to Pleasanton to pick it up for me.

While I normally would have responded with a “Sweet!”, I knew exactly how long his day had ALREADY been. I said, “I’ll go and get it, that way you’re not driving all night.” I called Cynthia, and she joined me for the jaunt out to Pleasanton.

The fates were with us, we were parked just outside where the Wilson’s was, and there was my beautiful coat, in my size. Choirs of angels rejoiced as I paid for my beautiful treasure. As I was paying, the Very Helpful Manager pointed out that there was another coat in my size- in white. On hold until 9 PM. She was fairly certain that the customer wasn’t coming to get it- it was already about 8PM at this point, and they close at 9PM.

We made a swing through the mall, bought some necessary stuff, and headed back. During this jaunt, Jasmin 2007 and Jasmin 2008 had a necessary discussion.

J2007: I should buy the pretty white coat. It’s my dream coat.

J2008: I bought the black coat. That’s the dream coat. I don’t think I could keep a white coat clean for five minutes.

J2007: I don’t give myself enough credit. I am a competent adult. I could keep a white coat clean.

J2008: I don’t need-need it. But the cut and fit is amazing.

J2007: AND if you decide you don’t like it, you can dye it.

J2008: It’s on sale at half the original price. So that’s two amazing coats for the price of one.

J2007: That’s VALUE.

J2008: I’ve gotten rid of a lot of clothes. Including coats.

J2007: You’re good, J2008. You’ve waited on the coat until it went on sale, you haven’t bought anything you didn’t need, and you’re getting rid of things you’re not using. You’ve even waited on those pretty dress shoes you’ve been lusting after.

J2008: I have been very virtuous.

J2007: What’s one extra coat? Tim Gunn would approve on all fronts.

The white coat is MINE now.

Sense and color sensibility

On Sunday, I made a trek over to Purlescence to deliver some gluten-free beer cheese soup, and to pick up two balls of sock yarn.

Since one of the Minions has Celiac disease, a fair amount of my cooking (for Saturdays) is gluten-free. Since one of the Purl Girls has a wheat allergy, when I have a gluten-free dish, I like to share. A fair amount of Persian food happens to be gluten-free, so options aren't entirely limited for the anti-wheat contingent. But when a woman has a hankering for beer cheese soup, nobody stands in her way. And by "her" I mean, me.

When I made the decision to do beer cheese soup, I called Erica and discussed gluten-free beer, along with safe brands of chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Grocery shopping was done, and the soup took less than a half hour (both prep and cooking time). Once the Minions were done eating, we separated out a care package to be delivered.

Not to toot my own horn, but that soup was GOOOOD. I modified the recipe a fair amount, which I normally don't do the first time I try a recipe, but what can I say? Jasmin 2008 lives dangerously.

I hung out at Purlescence for a little while, caused a little chaos, bought some black sock yarn, and bought some UUUUUUGly sock yarn. See?

Ok, maybe it's not "UUUUUUGly", but it IS loud. My recent success with overdyeing has made me bold. I see unusual, moderately unappealing colors, a generous sale price, and I think "That will be TERRIFIC to overdye."

While I was there, Robin asked what color it was going to be. The truth is, I don't know yet. I figure I'll start a pot of dye, throw a bunch of stuff in there, and one of the four balls of yarn will go in there. 2008 is about unclenching, letting go, and letting my inner artist come out.

I made a crack about the potential for the yarn turning out "like vomit". That was when it dawned on me, that my sense of color vomit could be someone else's rainbow. That my favorite colors certainly are someone else's color vomit.

I suppose it's all about color sensibility- we buy yarn, clothes, roving, and home decor in colors that are appealing to us. I have two friends who look stunning in baby-poop green. I knit one of them a baby-poop green shawl, and it was hard to get through. Though I like the color well enough, I am keenly aware that I look jaundiced in it.

This is the reason why most of my yarn is orange, pink, and olive green. The same goes for my mother and red.

The comforting part of this realization is that if my yarn turns out in a way that is unappealing to me, I know for certain that someone else will absolutely love it.

Less is more

The best things in life are not things at all. Experiences, loved ones- these are the things that matter most. This year, I am resolving to learn better habits and live a more enlightened life.

My first step towards this goal was to begin purging things that I no longer wanted or needed. Tim Gunn is directly responsible for this. I was watching Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style, and I was taking the advice he gave one his show to heart. I don’t need 90% of my wardrobe. More than not needing it, I would say at LEAST 30% is frumpy or not flattering. Out!

As I’m getting rid of dozens of unflattering pieces, I’m replacing them ONLY with a few high-quality, flattering items that are absolutely necessary. I’m not about to try and wrangle the dogs in a spring dress, but, I’m taking the rest of his advice. I think he’s positively inspiring.

Let's call this "Jasmin 2008".

The next step is to practice good habits and balance whether a purchase is a Want or a Need. It takes time to develop good habits, but I’m already noticing a difference in how I am shopping.

I am very lucky; I could knit out of my stash for years without needing more yarn. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m not going on a yarn diet, but I’m not buying anything that doesn’t shake my foundation.

This is going to help me stop feeling like my possessions own me, and also, to allow me to enjoy all of the extra space in this house.

Additionally, I am looking to improve myself this year. My list of things that I want to do includes:

-Go to yoga more frequently. It’s good for the body and good for the soul.

-Take a pilates class at work. Those giant balls look like fun.

-Take a knife techniques class.

-Learn four new, high-end recipes every month: one soup, one main course, one dessert, and another of my choosing.

-Learn to use the two knitting machines I have.

-Teach each dog at least one new trick.