Tiff Crochets

I ran to the grocery store this afternoon to pick up the two necessary items that we cannot live without (or wait until payday tomorrow before buying) - milk and Diet Coke. The milk is so that the girls will not freak in the morning, hyperventilating over a bowl of dry Honey Bunches of Oats when they discover their dad drank the last of the milk the night before (every other day - he must STOP.IT!). The Diet Coke is supposed to stop the late night milk chugging, but does not. Anyway, back to my point! Immediately when I walked in, I was blinded by my favorite sign of late spring - strawberries under $2 a pint/carton/whatever-they-come-in. Strawberries are my biggest fruit weakness. I could eat the entire container in a day, but force myself to share (unlike Andy with the MILK!). I picked up Cool Whip Free (an attempt to be good with that creamy goodness) and a box of Angel Food Cake mix. I’ve always wanted to make angel food cake on my own so this was the first step towards attempting it. Look at our lovely shortcake goodness!

I used dark brown sugar on the strawberries instead of granulated sugar. I’m trying to switch over to the “dark” side. It’s supposed to be healthier and you definitely do not have to use as much to sweeten things.

I’ve also spent this Sunday afternoon starting on a Brownie hat for myself. I’m using Cascade Luna in a lovely green. I’ve been in love with greens this spring. My newest purse is green. My crochet bag is green (and brown and white). The last three shirts I bought were green. I would have bought a green Ravelry shirt but I was trying to control my green urges. Here’s my progress so far -

I should truly be finished by now because the total crochet time for me on this hat is about an hour. Instead, I wandered into the kitchen to make angel food cake, then hot dogs for the girls, then cut up the strawberries, washed a load of dishes, talked to Andy’s mom and my dad on the phone, engage in the neverending battle to keep my Google Reader feeds under 200, and now it’s hours later. Which reminds me! I will sit down to watch The Hours once the girls go to bed since it’s due back at the library tomorrow and I can finish my hat then.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I’m doing to try to finish the Little Acorn bag for both Laura and Maddie as a end of school present. They have both worked hard this year and have done so well in school that I am so proud of them.

Have a wonderful week!

Mindless projects are my favorite to work on while in the midst of a TV show marathon. I started to work on a Samantha Scarf while watching Season 2 of Rome and quickly finished 8 of the 17 (or less - details on that to come) flower motifs, which means that I could finish the crocheting tonight. I think this will be a Christmas present, I just can’t decide which female family member will receive it. I guess I just gave away the fact that I have done about 3% of my Christmas shopping for the year. Much to my mother’s chagrin, I am perfectly able to complete my shopping in one day, including ordering online and in-person shopping, while still managing to pick up gifts that fit the recipient. What can I say? I’m talented. Pshaw!

Back to the scarf. The pattern is from Get Hooked, edited by Kim Werker, and the pattern is by me. The colors I used in the book are much more teen-friendly than fits my personality (Tiffany - it is not for you! Take it off your neck right now!), so I opted for a different combination in this scarf.

Details:

Pattern: Samantha Scarf by Tiffany Roots (me!), from Get Hooked, edited by Kim Werker

Yarn: 1 skein Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky in Black, 1 skein Bernat Softee Chunky in Natural

Hook: “M/13″, 9.00 mm crochet hook

The pattern initially calls for two skeins of Lion Brand Wool Ease, or a comparable worsted weight yarn along with a “J” hook. I like the texture combination of the Wool Ease Chunky, an acrylic/wool blend with the Softee Chunky, an interestingly twisted acrylic. Would I have chosen these two yarns if they had not been sitting on my yarn stash shelf? Most likely not. I wanted to use the color combination and if I had a little extra cash plus were making this for myself, I would have headed straight for my LYS. Instead, I raided my stash and I am so glad that I did. I can see the benefits of a stash moratorium, but I think I would be more attracted to a “stash pantry”. What is a stash pantry?

I do my best keep my kitchen pantry stocked with essentials, just in case one week we need to shave the grocery budget, or I am just not in the mood to go to the store. I keep plenty of spice combinations, tomatoes, stocks/broths, pastas, beans, baking essentials, and a wide variety of frozen vegetables and dairy products. I may use some of these in my food menu for the week, but if I choose to go a different route with dinner, I don’t feel bad about keeping some items in my pantry. A stash pantry would serve a similar purpose.

An ideal stash pantry would keep essentials on hand, including cottons, acrylics, wools, and sock yarns (new obsession), in a variety of sizes and colors without being overwhelming both to space and money constraints. When your yarn budget is low and you cannot fight the craving to start a new project, look in your stash pantry. Before you head out to buy more yarn, check your stash pantry to see if you have something useful available to use instead. Maybe your cotton stash is running low and you know that your local craft store is having a sale on Sugar N’Cream. Take advantage and stock up on a few colors. Utilizing your stash pantry the same way you would your kitchen pantry might lead to a better understanding of just what is lurking inside your stash. It might save you from running out to buy yarn for a last minute baby blanket only to discover when you return home that the same colors and yarn were stuffed at the bottom of a bin, long since forgotten.

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