It's raining now...

a quenching rain that our lawns and flowers will love. It smells like dirt and spring and lilacs outside - YUM!

Hey Deneen! Welcome back, I've missed you! Glad to hear your trip was good!

Wow - I feel like I've gotten something accomplished today! Kris and I both took the weekend off, so we came home earlyish this morning to do some garage sale-ing with my dad - it's his (my dad's) birthday! He doesn't read my blog, but still, happy birthday Dad, I love you!!

Anyways, we went to a few sales and weren't very impressed, so we came home and Kris and my dad got into some work on the Mustang... So not my scene, so I took leave and went upstairs to play with my yarn, LOL! I got my second box from Melanie today, and I am in LOVE with this cotton chenille - so soft! The colors are great, too - exactly what I wanted. I love the satisfaction of a good buy!

So, I am unpacking the box, and I start to realize that my yarn has taken over a good deal majority of my floor space. EeeK! That led me to working on what turned out to be a much larger task than I'd originally intended - organizing the stash!! I'm not sure when I accumulated so much yarn, but somehow I along the way I've acquired a bona fide yarn stash, and it was *seriously* out of control...

So after much winding (note to self - buy a ball winder) and squishing, a little dusting, and a few hours, this is what my 'yarn wall' looks like:

I should mention that my room (the upstairs dormer) is also the only storage we have, hence all the little kids books. The truly amazing thing is how much freakin' yarn I was able to pack into this one Sterilite container - There are about 30 skeins in here!

I really wish I'd taken a before, and even scarier, a during piture... but I didn't think about it. OopS!

These are the newest additions to the stash - all the yarn I've gotten off Melanie this past week. Like I said earlier, I am really loving this cotton chenille... Don't get me wrong, I like the acrylic too, but the cotton is so soft... And the wool (on the left) was such a great buy, I couldn't resist, even if I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, LOL!


I even frogged about 7 WIP that had turned into UFOs, even though I didn't officially join in the UFO-along. Go, Me! There was a scarf that I started years ago (literally!), a couple lonely, abandoned squares, a hat that I hated when I started it, LOL... More winding - blech. But if felt good to rip 'em up, and get my floor back, too!

I do have a FO to show off... well, kinda finished... Here's my Gypsy Wrap, minus fringe:

I'm pleased with how it turned out, I think once I actually put the fringe on it will help weigh it down a bit more. I don't have a clue what to do with it, though... I don't wear shawls, and don't really know anyone who does, for that matter.

I'm a bit stumped about secret pals this round... I'd love to spoil my pal but I can't seem to get to know her... She doesn't have very many posts [at all] at C'Ville, and doesn't update her blog frequently... And to whine a little more - she wasn't terribly thorough with her form, the answers seemed hurried. So... I don't know what kinds of things to gather, and honestly (horribly) I'm not enthused about this round like I was the last... It's so hard to be when I have not a clue what she'd enjoy... I don't want to send a 'generic' package, but nothing jumps out at me and says "Ohh, [Blank] would love me!" Even the email I sent her (chatty, I think, but I'm biased, of course) didn't bring a warm response... UH. Maybe it will get better. :)

Anyways, we just cut a caramel apple pie *drool* for my dad's birthday, so I'm gonna go grab a slice... or two... :P

Happy Fridays, all!