ILONA ANDREWS

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Cheer Me Up with Yarn

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So first there was buying of the house.

Then there were renovations.

Then moving during holidays.

Dealing with consequences of incompetent movers. (The box with all of power cords was left behind in the house.)

More renovations.

Deadline stress.

Dealing with more renovations to put the other house on the market. (It is finally going ot be listed on Thursday.  Those of you with facebook accounts can see the results of the staging here. Our house never looked like that when we were living there.)

Contract discussions.

Cover discussions. It was an expensive cover.  It’s beautiful, but the process was long and complex.

More contract discussions.

Tax prep.

And it just kept going like that. There were good things, too.  But the stressful things just kept building and building.

These past two weeks really kicked my butt.  First, possible future son-in-law #1 collapsed at urgent care. To begin with, he asked to go see a doctor, which caused Kid 1, who is properly trained by observing her father, to immediately cart him off to urgent care because he was surely near death, where he attempted to follow the physician’s assistant, walked into the doorway, couldn’t negotiate it, and then collapsed, scaring everyone half to death.  Then lightning hit and fried some things.  My work pc went kaput. Office flooded. I got violently sick, and I don’t recall being that sick ever. I am still achy. It definitely made an impression. All of that simultaneously with preparing taxes. We are an S corp, so no matter what, there is always a bill.  I just want to know how big it is.

All this cost us over a week of work, a week we really needed.

We have some workers in the back yard.  The second half of our yard was Texas wilderness when we bought it.  There were snakes and scorpions and so on. Not that safe for dogs or kids, even if they are technically adults.  So we hired an arborist to clean up dead tree limbs, take out the cedars, and landscape a bit.  On Gordon’s birthday, which we had to move to Sunday, because I was sick, the workers left the gate open, and the bulldogs took off.

The road is right next to the house. I knew I couldn’t walk it, because I was too sick, so I got into the car while Gordon combed the surrounding brush on foot.  All I could think off were the two bulldogs getting hit by a car, because that would be a hell of a birthday present. Here is your dead dog, honey. The bulldogs came home while I was driving, so they were out for about 15 minutes tops, but it was enough.

Usually, when the stress gets this bad, I go and buy pretty yarn and destress. The trick, when everything get like this, is to have something to look forward to, while I work on my current knitting project.  As long as you have it and anticipate it, it makes you feel better. Sometimes it’s not yarn.  Sometimes I paint.  Sometimes I do photoshop.  Sometimes I make trees out of beads. But mostly it’s yarn.

I tried to buy yarn and I can’t.  I stare at different yarn on Ravelry for hours and I can’t make up my mind. And for some reason – probably because of the move, all of my therapeutic yarn catalogs are no longer arriving.  I looked at koigu patterns for almost an hour yesterday, because in principle, I would like to make something with it, because it might look pretty. I came away with nothing. Before that, I did the same thing with hedgehog fibers.  In the end, the decision paralysis is too much and I give up.

So if you are a knitter/crocheter/yarn hoarder, I would love to know what you bought, what you covet, yarn patterns, etc.  I want to buy and make something awesome, so I will have something to look forward too.  Because at this point, it really wouldn’t hurt.

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Comments

  1. I’ll be watching the comments. I’m new to crocheting and have been teaching myself via Youtube videos. I’m currently working on Square Takes the Square Afghan pattern from yarninspriations.com. Made with Caron One Pound yard in multi colors.

  2. I am using mostly Knit Picks yarn. Fingering and lace weight. I have been doing lace shawls using 1930s lace patterns from Dover. I have finished purchasing some fingering yarn in tonals to do a cardigan with cabled pockets with a cat looking out of one pocket and the tail curling out of the other. I am making a calico because my cat is a tortie calico. I made one of the shawls in Knit Picks tonal – Inverness. It looks like the feathers on a black rooster. Black with a sheen of green.

  3. I am am a knitter/crocheter but my latest purchases have been glorious silk shangtun for sewing projects. A glorious mauve that I’m gonna pair with some bright orange I already have, and some copper and champagne colored stuff also.

    It’s gonna be glorious!

  4. I’m not a knitter – I’m interested in learning, and a friend of mine runs a yarn store in England called Yarns of Anarchy (it’s online, too, but I suspect international shipping is expensive). Still I am so, so sorry you’ve been going through so much. It reminds me a lot of what we went through when we moved 3 years ago, but way worse. I can’t help, but I can offer sympathy. And a virtual hug.

  5. Dh gave me a yarn subcription for xmas. Its a surprise every month, silk roving mostly, with a cool notion included. Its not enough yardage but it feels delish.

  7. I just finished a baby blanket in bernat’s fluffy yarn and it was fun. I think the next project is going to be a C2C baby blanket in rainbow colors with cotton yarn.

  9. I stalk a lot of indie dyers’ instagrams so I see when they restock. I recently bought a couple of skeins of Hedgehog’s Shiver on sock, and I absolutely love Yarn Ink, who is local-ish to me. Woolenboon and A Homespun House also have absolutely beautiful stuff.

    Really, I shouldn’t even be buying yarn because I have a zillionty skeins of yarn from my own sheep that I need to get out of here first, but I get sucked in by all the pretty colors.

  10. I love Noro silk and silk blend yarns. Sometimes it is enough to just fondle it.

  11. Aw! I want something simple: I want to try the new Lion Brand mandala yarn and make a Virus Shawl. I’m making a bubble shawl now so I won’t freeze on the bus in the summer! But there must always be new projects!

    There’s this cool Yoga Shawl on Ravelry and I will do that with cotton blend in the Fall.

    I want to learn how to make sweaters so I’ll start with a baby sweater. I’m a bit scared of dpns and magic loops though!

    I hope you find a nice project! Maybe a yarn of the month club would be cool?

  12. I am a sucker for Lace knitted w fingering wt yarn so a shawl turns into a blanket. Wool, alpaca whatever. Lots of yarn overs and decreasing so I have to pay attention to that and not think about anything else ?. White snows of winter by kate Poe is my next “la la la I’m not worried” pattern

  13. *hugs*

    The staging looks awesome.

    You guys are awesome. Hang in there!

    I’m a loom knitter and I am making a zig zag pattern scarf with Isaac Mizrahi Amsterdam yarn.

  14. I am not allowed to buy any more yarn. The stash has admittedly taken over a closet or three. My current project has been in progress the last 3 years. Luscious granny squares in chocolate rust and gold. I need to crochet.

  15. Ravelry, the big skinny. I’m just afraid that it will keep snowing here until I finish.

  16. I found someone on Instagram who hand dyes sock yarn and it’s gorgeous! Cat Sandwich Fibers, lots of speckles and occasionally glitter. I’ve bought 2 skeins and was very happy w the feel when they arrived. The Sexy Knitter is someone else I enjoy following on IG for pattern, yarn, and knitting toy ideas.

  17. This is not a pattern suggestion so much as a distracting new skill, but have you tried the Knook? It’s basically knitting with a crochet hook that has been modified to pull a string along to hold your work. I find it relaxing. Sometimes learning a new way to do something familiar is the right blend of stimulation and comfort for me.
    Hope you find something to make the heart happier!

  18. I have been covertting this lately… appears in my Facebook feed and I have knittu day dreams. https://knittingwolf.ca/

    He dyes the yarn in more masculine tones which I find refreshing. Hope you can find an inspiration.

        • Oh honey, that is so true, but it still beats the heck out of the alternative…

          Yes, I know that is a really old come-back. It is still “funny once, funny twice, funny always.” (Apologies to Robert Heinlein)

  19. I am sorry about the stress. It sucks. I am not a knitter/crocheted. I may be a hoarder of sewing/scrapbooking supplies though. ? I looked up Koigu patterns one of their magazines popped up in their look book they have a pattern for gauntlets that looked like a fun thing to make.

    If you are stalling out on the yarn therapy you could try making cookies or brownies even from a box it will fill the House with a wonderful scent plus something fun to eat.

  20. I’ve been eyeing the Black Panther related infinity scarf. (Nakia?)
    I saw a colorway in an ad today that blew me away-lava. But it was a Facebook ad for something I want so it won’t reappear, if it had been “slug entrails grey” I would see it every day forever.

  21. Will a funny story help? Many years ago, we were preparing to go on a trip. We lived in a smallish townhouse for which the previous owner had built an extension on the first floor only, so our bedroom bath window looked out onto the roof of the extension. I had just stepped out of the shower and was wandering around bare butt naked gathering clothes to pack when I hear yelling in the alley: (young voice) “Help! Help! He’s going to kill me!” (deep voice) “Stop, theif!” I start calling 911. While talking to the operator, I hear a commotion on that roof and realize someone’s about to come into my house and I tell the 911 operator while grabbing a blanket to cover my boobs. A ten year old then runs past me and down the stairs.

    It’s a Sunday morning, and the police aren’t busy, so about 10 squad cars appear in front of my house. To apprehend this 10 year old. I am embarrassed. We go back to the house to realize the bathroom window has been open for a while. We had 2 cats. We can only find one. It is cold and rainy. We start searching the neighborhood. “Blackwood!” (that was her name) “Blaaaaaaaaaaaackwood!” How can we leave when she is missing? Drenched and miserable, we take a break and go home.

    She’s sitting in the living room.

    P.S. – The cabin we had borrowed for this vacation was full of fleas.

  23. I am not suggesting you buy any of this to make anything, but I thought you would enjoy seeing it.

    If I ever become rich, one small splurge will be a muskox scarf. It will fend off a Chicago winter. I just have to pay someone to make it for me, as I don’t know if the arthritis will allow me to learn. The crocheting has been a trial.

    http://ambassadorcrochet.com/2016/02/26/5-most-expensive-luxury-yarns/

    http://cottagecraftangora.com/musk-ox-yarns/4521339631

    • Mm. I spun some qiviut once – years ago, and just a little. (Another advantage of moving to Mech E – no one has asked me not to spin in departmental seminars there.)

      • Drop spindle or spinning wheel, tylikcat? Or something even more mechanically engineered?

        • I’ve done a number of things, but the only thing I brought with me when I left the PNW was a (yes a, singular, though it’s a very nice an versatile one) handspindle. I usually have it set up high whorl and hip-spin it, because I like the speed. Most of the times I’m spinning it needs to be portable, so wheels just don’t make much sense for me (nor am I getting much of anything done since the former department head asked me to stop spinning during seminars*). I used to do a lot of weaving and dyeing as well, in my teens and twenties. (Heh – and I guess a bit earlier. When I was eleven I kludged the frame of my bunk bed into a tapestry loom for a term paper I was working on… Destined for the SCA.) I mostly did a lot of the fun crazy SCA kid stuff (retting nettles! fermenting woad!) and did some plant or sheep to clothes work – but not a whole lot of it.

          I was about to say “There just aren’t enough hours in the day for it now…” but while the historical stuff mostly has nothing to do with me (in theory I’m tutoring my protege / adopted sister on dressmaking and pattern drafting, but who knows when either of us will have time? she did make a cute bodice as a first project) there’s actually a whole area of fabric based stuff in soft bodied robotics, and not infrequently the background in fiber arts turns out to be important. (And runs into a different set of issues than building silicone tentacles which one only later realizes all one’s friends think are meant to be marital aids. *ahem* I mean, hypothetically.)

          * He thought it distracted one speaker. Which, okay, I guess? A lot of people were sad that I stopped. Mostly, though, I don’t have a lot of sitting down with my hands unoccupied time, so there went my spinning. I should really join a gaming group…

  24. Once a year I go to the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in July and revel in the hand spun and dyed gorgeousness that you would never buy in a shop. It’s amazing. I have no real idea whose stuff I buy as I do it by feel. Ooh that feels amazing! No idea what I would make with it but angora bunny mixed with alpaca and dyed a rainbow ? is purchased and I spend the next year working it out. Go to Etsy and buy something ridiculous :).

  25. I just finished On the Spice Market in Queensland United (50/50 wool cotton machine wash & a joy to knit). Great value (250yds sport, works on anything from a US2 -7, well under $10). Gorgeous, practical and *affordable* yarn FTW!
    (And On the Spice Market is a fun knit, too! I got my copy on Rav.)

  26. Working on a sweater for my daughter using Knit Picks Provincial Tweed in the jam colorway. Looking forward to getting the current weaving project done so that I can make some hand towels.

  27. I feel your pain, it’s too much too soon, it is overwhelming. We have a saying here:”j’ai assez donné” it means that is enough, my part in all of it is done. Ready for some downtime 🙂
    So knitting is an excellent de-stresser.

  28. I am primarily a sock knitter and love Desert Vista Dyeworks self striping yarn. My go to splurge yarn is usually MadelineTosh Vintage and Sweet Georgia Worsted.

    You should watch The Knit Girllls podcast on YouTube. It helps to bring back the joy when I lose my Mojo. They are also both huge fans of yours and talk about you all the time. They’re the reason I found you. Laura (Lala) was raving about KD and encouraging everyone to buy it when it was on sale on Amazon. I also love The Fat Squirrel podcast and Yarnivore podcast.

  29. I’ve really been getting into vintage knitting patterns, but resizing is annoying, so I’ve been using patterns from Susan Crawford Vintage. I’ve also been testing string shopping bag patterns from Ravelry, as plastic shopping bags are on the way out where I live.

    For wool, being Australian, I’m a big fan of Bendigo Woollen Mills yarn in general, and a shop in sydney (with attendant website) called Skein Sisters, who carry a very pretty range of wool and patterns …

  30. Unfortunately I can’t help you with the yarn, but the house looks wonderfully baited.

  31. Things I covet:
    The fierce fibers trunkshow had me the closest to caving in my No Buy Resolution while on the recent rose city yarn crawl. So many pretty colourways.

    Things I itch to do:
    The “pincha” pattern on kitty.com. Truthfully I tried it out with stash yarn and discovered I need to find the right yarn; something with shorter, but not too short, segments of color. So I might have to break out my wool dying supplies…
    This is a hobby that can be tested without too large initial investment with a starter pack (just in case you wondered).
    Hope you get a break and feel better quickly.

  32. I have this gradually evolving ridiculous idea that partly involves yarn. See, I need to get some yarn to repair a much beloved Aran sweater that I’ve had for some twenty years. (And I’ve repaired it before, but I’m out of the right kind of yarn, and the wrong kind of yarn doesn’t last.) I found a perfect match here: https://www.studiodonegal.ie/wool/

    Now, US local sources exist, and that is clearly the sane and rational thing to do.

    But Studio Donegal also has these wonderful jackets. And shirt jackets. And vests. https://www.studiodonegal.ie/category/women *big eyed yearning* And it’s really hard for me to get jackets to fit right unless I have them altered – or better yet, custom made. Also, I just adore really nice handwoven cloth.

    So, obviously, the right way to handle this is to go to Donegal. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Mm-hm!

  33. As each of my grand children turn 5, I make them a crocheted blanket for Christmas. The blanket I am working on now, is for my grandson who has autism. This blanket has been more of a challenge than the others as it can’t have an obvious pattern and it needed to be blue. I am using Red Heart Comfort yarn in shaded blue. The stitch is a very simple single crochet but each stitch is filled with love. I hope you soon feel better and I want you to know that I love your books.

  34. Beginner knitter over here. My husband got me Knitting for Dummies book and I’ve been working my way through the projects. Sister in law got me some gorgeous wool yarn from Freia Handpainted yarns and I am in love with the colors. Expensive as heck ($27 per ball 200 yards) but makes me happy ?. Some day I will take the time to check the guage first and not have to rip apart my project half way through but that day is not today !

  35. I’m a terrible knitter. Or rather, I’m a terrible purler. But every few years I find it relaxing to knit. This year I decided to wing it and knitted some hats for my yeti & garden gnomes statue.

    I realize this is totally not the yarn or the project you are looking for, but hopefully it will still make someone smile. 🙂

  36. Crocheter here! I covet a localish hand dyer to me here in Australia, Skein

    https://skein.myshopify.com,
    She always has gorgeous colourways – I love seeing sneak peeks on Ravelry or Facebook/instagram.

    Commercial yarn wise, I really want to try a Scheepjes Whirl ,to do either a gradient pattern, or the CBTL pattern (crochet between the lines pattern) which is a illusion style gradient pattern. But I can’t quite justify the cost right now (and my yarn stash needs some winnowing first!).

    Pattern wise – I love the patterns from The Crochet Project – beautiful crochet shawls!

    Hope you find some yarn inspiration soon!

  37. Well, I can recommend a very cute book series by Penny Reid, “Knitting in the City.” Not yarn, but yarn is part of the story line. Hope things improve and your stress goes down.

    • I just finished the latest book in the series. Great fun. The characters are seldom TSTL which is a real plus. Since I have been mostly reading on my iPad, I no longer announce “This character is too stupid to live and I refuse to care what happens to her/him” as I toss the offending book across the room. I kinda miss it sometimes.

  38. I love knitting and playing with new yarns too. I came across a project on Ravelry that is gorgeous! It is called Fading at Midnight by Coppermoon. It is a lace style shawl pattern. The pattern and the yarn used were so beautiful it makes me want to try. It is aspirational for me as my lace work needs work. I’ve seen some stuff you posted and bet you could do it! I hope everything resumes a positive trend soon!

  39. Ugh. I hope things get calmer and smoother soon! And you find the perfect yarn and pattern for a new project!

    I bought an embarrassing amount of Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso sock yarn not so long ago – she’s an indie dyer in Arizona and I just looooove her yarn. It just stripes so gorgeously even simple socks and fingerless gloves look amazing! (https://www.desertvistadyeworks.com)

    Pattern-wise, I really want to make Baby Groot (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/im-groot), and Juliana (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/juliana) and I love love love Tamdou (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tamdou). But first I should really finish the mystery KAL I started last year and never did the second half of… (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/starting-point)

  40. I’m a crafter, organic gardener, when not doing massages for a (puny) living. A naturopath show me a method to boost the immune system, which is shared with the patients in our office; do only once a day, 3 passes, from knee to hip with your fingers together, on the outside of your legs, as deep as you can tolerate, bring them up in line. If you get a massage therapist who does this for you, let them know if you’ve done this for the day, so they won’t repeat the procedure, as it it may over-stimulate your immune system. Another immune boosting technique, is to tap with your fingers, alternating which hand is striking (think like beating your chest like Tarzan), but over your mid-sternum; this one can be done as much as desired, to stimulate your thymus, which the authorities Used to think went dormant when one became an adult (‘they’ found it still functions only slightly diminished after adulthood reached). And the other procedure recommended is when your body is asking you to rub near your arm pits or along your collar bones, do so as there are lymph nodes, that may need to be cleared, rub always toward the heart; lymph hasn’t a pumping mechanism (as blood does the heart) except as muscle action. Hope these help you all get better feeling. : )

    • I’ve been a massage therapist for over 30 years, forgot to mention(more if you count the massages given from a young age before I trained & licensed).

  41. So much love and hugs to you all. I hope that the stressful stuff goes away and you’re able to relax. Best of luck finding something to help you enjoy some down time and give you some breathing space.

  42. Wow. You really need something to look forward to! How about a good cup of tea and a massage?

  43. I love knitting for de-stressing. I usually I do dishcloths (not very exiting I know) but I get to try different stitches and binge watch my favorite shows. My favorite website is littlecottonrabbits. The creator really has some of the cutest things I’ve seen (and her blog is lovely). She mostly knits animals but does post other projects as well. I put below my attempt at one of her patterns. It can take awhile but it’s awfully fun.

  45. Five weeks ago I broke my ankle on the ice. Then I got the flu (confirmed at hospital), then bronchitis. I finally feel well enough today to look at yarn, and even pick it up and knit a row or two. I’ve been knitting an infinity scarf with alpaca and silk yarns. Really like how the yarns feel on my fingers. I promised my adult niece a pink hat with ears, you know the kind, but still can’t look at that color. Or pattern. Please don’t tell her. When you feel a little bit better, you will get ambushed by expensive skeins of yarn or an outrageous pattern. Too much stress can take away yarn lust for a while. Who would have thought it? Hope it returns to you soon. Anytime now, I’m guessing. You will see that $38 skein and be doomed.

  46. One skein of Blue Heron metallic will put a smile on your face. When my LYS carried it I admired it and petted it and imagined knitting with it. I eventually bought a skein, which was enough to make a nice sized shawl. To this date, it is one of my favorite projects.

  47. I am obsessed with making lace weight shawls, but I have not been crocheting lately (I have *something* that flares up in my hands when the weather gets bad, makes fine work impossible). My stash is large and angry with me because of this, haha. But if you’re looking for a gorgeous project that will challenge you, I’d recommend anything by Aoibhe Ni. Her patterns are for tunisian crochet, but it’s worked in continuous pieces, so you don’t need a tunisian hook. I learned from one of her free patterns just so I could make the Venus shawl (in the link), and I plan to make more of her patterns. 🙂

    https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Integgy/venus

  49. I love Brooklyn Tweed patterns. The website also has yarns which are locally sourced. I am in the finishing stages of the Caldwell Vest. It is a lovely, well written pattern. I hope you feel better soon and stress levels decline.

  50. I really want to make the PurlSoho Cashmere Ombré Wrap, but the yarn they suggest is way out of my budget, so I’m looking for a more affordable yarn option for that pattern.

  51. Recently I’ve been crocheting slouchy hats with Lion Brand’s Shawl in a Ball. It has a surprisingly good drape and works up beautifully. I’m mostly a knitter, but I’ve never knit a slouchy hat that I’ve really liked, so I gave crochet a try and I liked the results.

  52. I can’t knit, my crochet looks like it’s done by an inexperienced five-year old. But I love yarn…all kinds.
    I see you in something like this shawl by Carissa Browning (Ravelry). Hope you a feeling better!

  53. I have a large skein of Lornas Laces lace weight half silk, half merino wool in a lovely charcoal grey. I want to make a pi shawl out of it with beads on the edge.

  54. Oh man it’s been brutal for y’all. I love to knit and by pretty yarn as funds allow. I’m currently on a sock and slipper kick for holiday gifts. Current project: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pretty-plain-jane-toes

    Next project: Using madtosh purple https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/after-school

    My favorite shops for yarn therapy
    https://www.kimdyesyarn.com/shop/
    https://www.etsy.com/shop/Arctickrafts?ref=pr_faveshops
    https://www.etsy.com/shop/WitchCandy?ref=pr_faveshops
    https://www.etsy.com/shop/asfaltsflickandesign?
    ref=pr_faveshops
    https://biscotteyarns.com
    Hope it helps!

  55. I’m trying to finish an afghan I started about 15 years ago (yeah, that must be some kind of record). A picture of the granny squares afghan I *really* want to crochet is attached, but at the rate I’m going that would take me several centuries.

  56. I knit a little, but my latest form of fiber art de-stressing is observing the artistry of others. It’s surprisingly soothing. I recommend the Facebook site called Mildly Offensive Fiber Artists. You have to fill out a little survey promising to not be an @$$#•£€ and then you can browse through the hats, lace, tie dye and naughty cross stitch to your heart’s content. Also, the occasional useful tip. Highly recommend!

  57. Maybe have a glass, or two, or three of an excellent wine while looking at yarns and patterns…. Glad to hear the dogs are ok, and you are in the mend 🙂

  58. So kid #1 has found a man just like her dad, very cute.

    I am sure Gordan and possible future son-in-law #1 secretly think the black knight is a bit of a crybaby when they watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

  59. I mostly use knitpicks yarns, because there is a dearth of public-transit-accessible yarn shops in Houston. They’ve got a wide variety of pretty pretty colors and fibers, and are inexpensive enough that the sovereign cure for decision paralysis (“Just buy ’em all!”) is a viable solution. For patterns, have you looked into the Celestarium/Equatorial Nights/Southern Skies patterns? They’re knitted star charts– and glow-in-the-dark beads are a thing that you can get. Just saying.
    The knitted nautilus (“Nautie”) pattern over at knitty is a nice short project. Plus, when you’re done there’s a soft friend to hug. If you want a more intricate pattern, MMario has a ton of shawl patterns on Ravelry, and they’re (mostly) free. Queen Anne’s Lace is a classic, but they’re all beautiful.
    If you are interested in charity knitting, there’s a group that knits prostheses for people who have had mastectomies: knittedknockers.org. I don’t know anything about the organization beyond their existence, but they certainly seem sincere.

    • I’m currently saving my money so I can buy lots of gorgeous yarn at the Houston Fiber Fest in June! Where I live there is no yarn store so I have to get my fiber thrills at festivals

  60. I used to crochet snowflakes then turn them into xmas ornaments. The blog by the snow catcher puts up a free snowflakes pattern every monday.

    • Snowcatcher’s snowflakes are gorgeous! Thanks for the tip; I make snowflakes (almost) every year and put them into my Christmas cards. These will keep me busy for years 😉

  61. Spa. Spa is good for stress and no good yarn. Spa and be sure to check your magnesium sodium potassium and electrolyte levels and stay hydrated. I was so sick with the flu in Feb I passed out, didn’t know my name or the year(I felt very sorry not to tell them when they asked). Two hospital nights and many bags of fluid and continuing being way healthy in eating and drinking. Take no chances please. I enjoyed the new Maud, the Hugh, and look forward to more as well as Kate. Spas are good for all this. If you’ve never tried it you should and Husband too. It’s a good thing.

  62. I know how you feel!!! With all that stress, so much paralysis. Hugs.

    As to ravelry, I have been loving some mindless soothing projects like hipster by Joji Locatelli or aventine by carol feller. I’m also in love with Valley of the Moon by Shannon Cook that I just started. The yarn is heavenly

  63. Dear Ilona, I pray you and your possible future son-in-law #1 are both on the mend and recovering without difficulty. It sounds like you have had a h*&% of a time lately! I wish I was a knitter and could show you some pretty patterns, but for me, de-stressing has always been books and/or music (listening or playing). I am so glad your puppies are safe! If your mind won’t let you make choices, maybe it is time to relax in the sun for mindless minutes of nothing and a nice nap. I hope others have been able to help you with knitting ideas. And I really hope things settle down for you all. I will try prayer! Oh, and happy birthday Gordon! 🙂 -Take care.

  64. Most of my knitting is done in acrylic, as it takes me forever to complete a project, and who wants to finish a project the bugs have found? I did make a stole out of Manos de Uraguay years ago. Lovely yarn, I think it had some silk in it. I follow a blogger who used to be a quilter, Judy over at Patchwork Times. Now the blog is mostly about her life, her garden, and trying to sneak more yarn into the house when her hubby isn’t looking. She likes The Loopy Ewe and Eat Sleep Knit, both online. Both stores often have knitalongs and contests to generate business.

  65. Any new yarn stores near your new house? Even if you don’t buy, it is wonderful to go look at great yarn. See someone else’s work. I do want to try the black panther scarf, but I have three other projects right now. Thank goodness for YouTube!

    I love mulberry silk or silk yarn mixes!

    • I ran across a listing for A Sheep at the Wheel in Georgetown. It’s on the wrong side of Austin, but looks like a great place to visit. If you check out their website, be sure you look at the “house brand” yarn, hand dyed by a local artisan.
      I love the punny names, even if I shouldn’t ever touch them. (I am allergic to wool, well, “sensitive” is the proper term, I believe. It won’t kill me but it makes me itch like crazy, no matter how soft the yarn is. Lanolin is also one of my no-no’s, so I’m blaming the sheep.)
      My current project uses a very nice cotton yarn, but life would be so much easier if I could use the wools.
      Local folks can tell you more. I seldom get to Georgetown any more. Most of the relatives are gone now and the home places have sprouted houses and other things, instead of cotton, corn and/or cows.

      • Hah! I feel your pain. Wool doesn’t like me either. It makes me so sad because unless I am fully covered the rest tech is relentless. I’ve tried all the softening tricks with no real improvements! We need more luscious non-wool blends.

      • Can you do alpaca, silk or the musk ox someone posted on the line? I have discovered not all yarns are created equally.

        Author Lords I hope your house sells fast and there is a bidding war!

  66. Malabrigo Mechita is a fingering weight single spun that has the most gorgeous hand! It’s the same fiber as Malabrigo Worsted (insane softness) but is good for a wider variety of climates since you can fiddle woth gauge to make it more airy. I’m currently working it into Pagona by Stephen West, which is a great balance between mindless stockinette and paired increases to create a fun shape that will actually stay on my shoulders. Also, only one skein needed! WEBS will probably have Mechita if your local shop doesn’t carry it or doesn’t have enough colors.

  69. So sorry things have been rough. I’m a crocheter, and my two main projects right now are both afghans, one entrelac yellow and white checkered out of Caron one pound, and one simple HDC pattern with Bernat home bundle (I love the shifting textures of it). I hope everything improves soon!

  70. I read this to hubby, who immediately turned around and said, “16-gauge, electroplate galvanized.” However, he knits chainmail rather than yarn, so I don’t think it’s going to help. Sorry about that.

    My playing with string is doing kumihimo, except I’m quite out of practice at this point.

  71. I do not know what I would do without yarn or sewing. Creativity gives me stability. I so enjoy knitting sweaters and just bought two patterns from Carol Feller. I want to knit Gabbro in expression fiber arts Pearlescent Fingering mermaid hair

  72. Yarn…it’s what’s keeps me out of jail. Plus my housemate agrees it’s a better habit than any number of other things so it’s a win-win for me. I love making animal scarves mostly horses but I’ll try any animal if asked. I’m actually working on a corgi backpack right now but it’s not very interesting yet since I’m still working on the body.

  74. You ought to talk Gordon into driving you over to The Quilted Skein in LaGrange, or the Uptown Blanco Textile Studio in Blanco. They’re both a bit of a drive from San Marcos, but I can definitely vouch for the Quilted Skein. There’s just nothing around San Marcos for crafters. 🙁 (my parents have a ranch towards Luling, so I know the general vicinity). But if you want to order online, Artyarns’ has some really amazing yarns. A bit pricey, but worth it. And Debbie Bliss’ Paloma (40% merino, 60% alpaca) is so light and fluffy!

  77. Ask me about knitting?!!? you might regret that … First, I rarely buy from a catalog, I love to go and fondle the yarn in the shop and look at all the pretty colours and so on. Also texture is hugely important and other people have different standards. This is at least 50% of the fun. Second, I just watched a new youtube vid from very pink knits about doing kitchener stitch with knitting needles instead of a darning needle and I can tell you THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER!. Hmm, third … oh, I think you cannot go wrong with Manos de Uruguay yarns, they are just lovely and they make your soul feel better for all sorts of reasons including being fair trade. and they always have good texture… Where was I. Four: when in doubt make socks. they are quick and easy [so not much of a commitment and no guilt if leave them for a while] and you can give them to people who must express gratitude.
    I’m glad the dogs were ok, sounds like things can only get better, I hope they do soon, as Maud is one of the few exciting and happy things in my life at the moment (no pressure).

    • Oh, and crochet, I just discovered Janie Crow, who has totally lovely patterns – see the persian tiles one!

  78. Because….I decided I was going to specialize in only granny squares projects. Pinterest started me on some great color combos then got simple pattern to make granny square slippers turn out huge homeless population locally put treats on bottom of course. Then decided I needed to take a yarn color design course thingie and now I’m trying to figure out improving yarn quality for cooler projects. Also in our town “caron cakes” are super popular for easy square Afghan kinda dumb relaxing projects for donating. Joanne has good sales on them. Finally read iron and magic 3 times in two days because Life Is hard right now. I can survive too. So can you.

  79. For yarn I highly recommend Colourmart. https://colourmart.com/yarns/view/in_stock.*.rank.*.show_all

    They sell mill end yarns form some of the best mills in the world so you get really high quality yarns for very reasonable prices. Plus shipping anywhere in the world is already included in the price making it an even better deal. If you are looking for a bargain anything labeled extra fine merino is wonderful but they also carry every other fiber imaginable including a wide range of cashmere at great prices. I know the NM system can be a little confusing and puts some people off but if you have any questions the Colourmart Lovers group on Ravelry is very helpful.

    For patterns I hope you don’t mind a little shameless self promotion. I just released my first crochet pattern! It is a triangular shawl worked from the point up in an intricate lattice pattern. The point up construction would make it easily adjustable to any yarn you choose. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/emerald-lattice

  82. Mittens or a hat if you want them to be seen, thick, beautiful sock slippers if it’s just for you 🙂

  87. I am a bit out of practice with the knitting and crochet…but nearly every advertisement I get from knitpicks leaves me drooling. If nothing there inspires you…maybe take a look at some of the knitting/crochet books available on line at your public library. I have no idea if it gets cold enough in your part of Texas for socks…but knitting socks always makes me happy. Good luck finding your knitting/crochet muse!

  88. I live on Craftsy and as a college grad of less than a year I find myself scrolling through the freebie patterns pretty frequently. I’m an inexperienced knitter, but right now am trying my hand at an entrelac scarf that is actually shaping up quite nicely. I have included a picture. Unfortunately my penny pinching necessities have lead me to pick a yarn that is not quite right for this pattern, as I needed a long strand color variant and ended up with short. Regardless it still looks great, considering this is the project I have mastered the purl stitch on.

  89. Monday was the one year anniversary of loosing one of our cats. It’s been at least two years since I’ve knit anything. Since we found out she was dying and I decided it was more important to hold her while I could instead of holding the yarn.

    I re-signed up for KnitCrate today. They send yarn and patterns. I don’t have to decide what color or fiber content or figure out a pattern, since they make the decisions for me. I don’t always love the patterns but it still gives me something to look forward to and I get yarn that I might not have known about or tried otherwise.

  91. I was fortunate enough to come across this yarn at a regional fair. Every one of their skeins was a joy to look at and touch, and the person minding the booth was absolutely lovely to everyone and knowledgeable to boot:

    https://fidalgoyarns.com/product-category/hand-dyed-yarn/

    I bought enough of their yarn to make their Palouse shawl. It’s in my queue.

    As for fun knitting projects, this was one of the first things I ever knit, and boy did it teach me a lot! A great sampler project, and you wind up with your own cuddly plushy evil to love:

    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/extermiknit

    Or if you want glorious beyond the realm of dreams:
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/katherine-howard
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mary-tudor-2013

    I hope you feel better soon!

  92. Posh Yarn! Go for Natasha or Ophelia! (Miranda if you love alpaca, Or Renee if you live somewhere hot)
    I love all their yarns, but Natasha and Ophelia are my ultimate indulgence yarns!
    https://poshyarn.co.uk/shop (I hope the link worked!)

  93. So sorry it’s been so crappy lately. I have looked at Knitty (on line) magazine and they have some great patterns.

    I’m glad the doggies are OK and hope EVERYTHING turns around for the better.

  94. I’ve been a chrocheter for several years and recently picked up knitting as well. I have a hard time buying yarn online. I have to feel the texture to make sure it’s appropriate. I make a lot of baby blankets, hats, stuffed toys and dolls. My current project is a shawl that I am knitting for a friend. Her mother recently passed and the mother was also a crocheter. My friend gave me some of the yarn from her mother’s stash as she doesn’t do needlework. So I am making her the shawl from her mother’s yarn.

  95. My favorite memories of my grandmother were of her crocheting, she made me hair ties. I have always had long hair, waist length at least. They weren’t “trendy” and my coworkers, ie. teenage girls, made sure to tell me they were ugly. I didn’t care, it made my grandmother happy to see me wear them. Do what makes you happy and care for others, and when life throws you a hard ball catch it with soft hands. ?

  96. I get virtually all my yarn from Bendigo Woollen Mills (https://www.bendigowoollenmills.com.au/wool-yarn) – even when I’m not living in Australia.

    Get hold of a couple of their big squooshy balls of Stellar yarn (half merino wool, half bamboo) and you’ll have a yarn that’s so soft and cuddly, anything you make of it feels like a hug.

  97. Wish I still had the link to it…maybe someone mentioned above…but there’s a 3 dimensional yarn dragon that’s been on my to make list!
    Hope your family is feeling better in total…and that your to do list shrinks a bit.

  99. Ugh. Sorry about the way life’s going right now. Reminds me of a poster my coworker has on her cube wall: “this too shall pass. Probably like a kidney stone, but it shall pass.”

    I cross stitch more than I knit so I’m useless for yarn help, but I do second the mildly offensive fiber artists on Facebook. They get a bit hung up on genitalia, but are good folks to have in your corner.

  100. I’m not a knitter or crocheter (is that even a word?), but I can certainly sympathize with the desire to make something pretty even when you can’t decide “what,” exactly.
    I recently purchased a dear friend “The Curse Word Coloring Book.” She loooooves it. You get to use pretty colored pencils while coloring naughty words in mandalas, lol. It is definitely good for a giggle.

  101. Aaargh – I hate that feeling – I know I want yarn – how hard could it be???? Hmmm. I just finished a sampler Gansey from Beth Brown-Reinsel because I needed to practice before doing a 4T one for my niece – stash busted the yarn because really, do I need all that yarn (yes I do know the answer to that but I am trying to stay in my space allocation) so the main sweater is on hold until I find the right yarn which I don’t currently have in my stash and can’t decide on (totally feeling your frustration Ilona) So I am knitting a purple Hippo from Susan B. Anderson’s Wee Ones patterns – because who doesn’t love a tiny purple hippo – and yes the yarn is purple because I am stash busting and my niece won’t care what color it is. Feel better soon.

  102. Well, I am in awe of anyone who can knit. My daughter is really good at it. When she feels like doing it. When I was taking her to knitting classes (when she was 11?) I thought I’d give it a shot and try knitting a scarf in this beautiful stormy ocean blue Japanese yarn that had a little texture to it. I just couldn’t do it. Fingers are too big and I just can’t seem to remember how it all works. Still waiting for daughter to finish scarf. Had to get some different yarn because she used a bunch for a hat. She has knit at least 4 hats, some scarves, and other stuff. She has given me a due-bill for the scarf.Twice. I wish I understood why she won’t do the scarf? I think all the stuff pictured is amazing. Wish I could knit.

    Ilona, I hope things get better soon. Hopefully the issue with Kid 1 boyfriend is something like lack of food or something easy. I empathise with the inability to pick something, although it usually happens to me in good fish markets or the like. And- I wanna know; hedgehog fibers? Not really from hedgehogs, right? Seems a mean thing to do to tiny cute little hedgehogs.

    • Hedgehog Fibres is the name of an independent yarn dyer. Definitely no hedgehogs involved!

    • AndrewC, I can knit, but I prefer to crochet. My mom taught me to knit, and gave me sage advice for when I felt frustrated. She said “bumps in the back is knit, bumps in the front are pural. After that you can do any pattern if you remember these two things.” I use circular needles (they are two knitting needle points attached to a plastic string…something Maud would use to strangle someone) instead of straight ones. Straight needles I have a tendency to lose my stitches easier.

  104. I’ve been working on a Land of the Sweets cowl by Helen Stewart while listening to the local baseball games. She is doing a MKAL but I don’t have any fingering yarn that would look right. I have a few possibilities, but the actual shawl may get done a lot later. I just got some discontinued Plucky Knitter Cambridge, so those will be hats for my two nieces. I like to knit a little at night, it help to de-stress. I hope you feel better

  107. One of my favourite subjects! My current list of to do projects is:
    Cumulus Cowl by Boris and Stasha
    Happenstance Cow by Boris and Stasha
    Columbina shawl by Ambah Obrien
    Flicker Shawl by Truly Myrtle
    Aguacero cardigan by Kerri Knits
    I love Boo knits as well

    Yarn… well I live in Australia so most of my suppliers are in australia or New Zealand. But they have yummy pictures on their instagram pages. Favourites are White Gum Wool (amazing wool, so soft and smooshy and ethically and sustainably grown). Indie dyers are Nunnaba Yarns, Circus Tonic Yarns, By Briony (previously Gradient Australia), Dark Harbour Yarns, Wooltopia. Commercial yarns I use are White gum wool, Bendigo woolen mills, Debbie bliss, Malabrigo, Madeline Tosh

    • I love Yarn Harlot – I think she’s in Texas now at the Dallas Fort Worth Fiber Fest. Is DFW too far to go to fondle wool from San Marco?

  109. Here’s a WAFFy story. My BFF in the States (I’m originally from Mexico) is expecting. She’s the first of my friends to have a baby, so I’m going to be Tía Andrea and Baby G and I will only speak in Spanish. But I digress- I also work at a Senior Center, with a very active Craft group that sells their work to raise money for the Senior Fund. My pregnant friend and I both looove cats, so I will be pre-ordering a very specific birthday present which the crafty ladies introduced me to….

    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cat-baby-cocoon-hat–bootie-set

      • That is totally cute. I did a ladybug blanket and hat for one of my niece’s girls and a turtle blanket & hat for the other. I’m so going to try something like that for the new baby that is on the way…

  111. I find crocheting very therapeutic, but I understand the decision lockdown. Sometimes I’ll just stare at the yarn. Try something. Try something else. Go reread a great series like, just for example, Kate Daniels. Try again. Wander to a craft store. I have a bag of yarn I bought in Pennsylvania while traveling with Mom that I still have no idea what I’m going do with it. Something will come to you when the time is right. Good luck!

  112. Ever tried finger knitting? Go grab the largest yarn you can find in your local craft store. Youtube has a good tutorial for starting. Finger Knitting Infinity Scarf by Weve TriedIt. Finger knitted my sister a scarf for christmas. Forest green, very soft and fluffy. It also smelled really good because I hid it in a Teavanna bag with fancy tea mix for a month. Looks a bit basic, but great for watching tv while knitting. Watched all of Tera Nova on netflix while making that scarf.
    A little off topic, but funny story for that Christmas. My brother in law proposed to my sister that christmas day. It was supposed to be the last present on Christmas. My dad was supposed to hide the ring in the tree (he forgot). So her then boyfriend has her looking everywhere in the tree, and she has no idea why. She also has nothing to find. He finally figures out it isn’t there, pulls my dad to the side and asks him where it is. He then sets out to find the ring. That was when I remembered we had forgotten to wrap their blue ray player for them. So I went to get the player out of my room. Came back just in time to see him propose. There is lots of crying and excitement, all while I’m standing there with the blue ray player in the door. Then I’m like, “We forgot to wrap this, here you go.” (Not what I actually said, but close enough). My sister’s then fiancee: “God damnit the ring was supposed to be the last present on Christmas!” Me: “First engagement present?” He is still sour about it.

  113. Here is my current wip, it’s a dragon scale shawl. it will be lined with red velvet (this is where I was looking at different fabrics, it’s got a tail, and will have tiny jewels sewn into the scales in a random pattern.

    it’s got a tail…

    The yarn is “Patons Patonyle” ombre in the grey.

  115. Sorry to hear that! If you’re needing some inspiration, you should Pinterest some crochet mandala blankets. They are quite beautiful. I used that concep to make myself a beAutiful shawl a few weeks ago. I used Premier Yarns Sweet Roll. It’s self-striping, and comes in a lovely bunch of color combinations. I’m also making a hexagon sweater right now with Simply Soft gray yarn and a rainbow to do all the edging.

    I also enjoy doodling on my iPhone using an app called Pocket Procreate. All the fun of painting, but more mobility.

  116. I’ve been knitting this cardigan for my little girl from an old pattons magazine I found online. It’s wool in fingering weight, lovely and soft dreamtime baby yarn. Only it’s been quite hot in Australia in the last few weeks so I’ve been procrastinating because knitting woollens in summer just feels wrong

  117. As much as I love Ravelry (and I do) I can’t use it to buy yarn. I love to touch it which makes online shopping a bit challenging! My Mom lived in the town where all Bernat and Patons yarn is spun and we used to go to the factory shop ever time I visited. I am sure I touched nearly every ball in the shop. Occasionally I would get caught rubbing it on my face (I get super itchy!).
    If you ever need to make anything for a baby or toddler get Bernat’s Pipsqueak. It is SOOOOOOOO soft and cuddly. Not the easiest to knit or crochet with but it is SOOOOOOO soft.
    My other fave is Manos del Uruguay yarn…ideally silk blend. It is a dream to knit with and comes up lovely.
    Hope you find the perfect project to de-stress with

  118. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about yarn but your old house looks amazing. I love American houses they’re always (to me) nice a big and spacious unlike here in the UK where majority are just tiny.

    Must say though that the stager really likes two chairs with a stand or table between think I saw instances inmost rooms!

    Hope things pick up soon know the pain of taxes I’m going to start mine soon to try and get ahead rather than leaving it a week before deadline ?

  119. Not a knitter, so can’t help there, but some of the suggestions above look lovely. Hope you have some stress -free days to relax in. Did they find out what was wrong with your soon to be son-in-law? Here’s hoping he’s on the mend.

    Are those contract negotiations getting near the point where you can talk about them? I’m really hoping for more Hidden Legacy…

    Take of yourselves, please. We need you!

  121. Theres a cute little yarn store in austin neat jim and rosies Blue Moon Glassworks i think. I might be wrong on the location.. go squish things! Blue moon run some fun classes too actually – a change is as good as a rest?! That seems a ridiculous thing to say after all your recent changes, I feel it needs qualifiers. Oh well.

  122. Last summer I worked on the Liliana crochet-along by Hooked on Sunshine. It’s on Ravelry for free. It’s really complicated. A mandala. They have YouTube videos to explain some of the stitches. But so lovely. I would post a link or picture, but I’m on my tablet.

  123. I’m not a knitter so I don’t have any insights on yarn but I just wanted to say I’m so sorry the past few weeks have been horrible for you. I hope things start looking up soon! Fingers crossed that you find some lovely yarn to look forward to.

  125. Love the house-especially those sinks that sit on the counter. Hope everything gets better.
    On yarn-if you’ve never knitted with natural fibers, give that a try. I like baby alpaca and llama. These can’t be washed by traditional methods without felting.

  126. This may be something obvious to everyone, but when life gets on top of me (big job, three kids, post graduate study) a therapist advised me to take on fun tasks that give instant satisfaction and stress release. Tasks that you can complete easily, without a long process time that make you feel great quickly and can restore your equilibrium. Smaller hobby projects (for me it is cooking) that let you relax and enjoy yourself without feeling an overwhelming urge to commit to a long task which could be something else that adds to stress. It works amazingly well for me! Anyone else find this works for them?

    • Oh definetly. Things like baking, coloring in and a good movie never fail to lift my spirits

  127. PLEASE, rest, rest, rest. I suffer from ME/CFS and I know the importance of resting when you are ill. Too many people with this disease have got it as a result of pushing themselves to keep going when they had flu or a cold or whatever. It really is important to rest when you are ill. Most of the time one can get away with not resting, but during a time of high stress like you have, your body might just think that enough is enough. Take care.

    • It’s Russian, i’m sure Ilona can still read it, so can I. It’s beautiful! I’m saving it and making it for my daughter, thank you!!

  131. Take a vacation. A long relaxing vacation without internet. We can survive without you for a bit and you’ll have energy for new things. I’m looking forward to that Kinsmen story. But first you need some time away from all the trouble

  133. I like to make the Multnomah shawl when I want something to knit, but not sure what. If you use two skeins of sock yarn, it’s really big and comfy. Or use a heavier weight yarn. It’s pretty much mindless knitting until you get to the edging.

    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/multnomah

    The other thing I do is socks. Always have a pair on the go for waiting in line.

    Good luck. It will get better.

  134. I like to look at yarns.com which is WEBS yarn site. I also bought a pattern and yarn from Craftsy which is a cotton T shirt type pattern. I am looking forward to starting that soon! Knitting is therapeutic for me as well to distress from teaching. I hope you find something you will look forward to making!

  135. Just glad to tell you that another member of the writers knitting Mafia, Robin McKinley-Dickinson is back with her new website. Her health has not been too good and the last tweet we had from her was a cryptic series of numbers in November. Needless to say it was a worry when her website was taken off-line with no prior announcement a few weeks ago. But now she is back crankily posting as always. Which is a relief as she had fans, myself included, worried. Hope all is going well for Kid 1’s soon to be co-habitant and that you are feeling better too. Happy Belated Birthday to Gordon. Only two yarn stories for you. My sister-in-law took up knitting and for Xmas one year she asked the family to each send tracings of our hands so she would have a pattern to go by. She did all the families out west first and put them some place safe only to realize when she wanted to send the mittens off that she couldn’t remember where she put them. She still had the tracing for my sister and my brother as she was making him mittens too but she had lost the tracing for my hands. She decided on reflection that my brother and I were about the same size so she used the pattern for his hands. Needless to say I can use the mittens over top of say 4 other pairs as the mittens flop over the ends of my fingers by about 4 inches 🙂 With my Nana it was the opposite problem. Her knitting club was taught by a local first nations lady how to knit buffalo wool sweaters. She got my measurements but couldn’t believe my arms were that long but never bothered to confirm with us that the measurement was correct. So the sleeve length on my beautiful sweater was about 5 inches too short. Sadly she passed away before we could arrange to get it back to her to add the rest. A friend of my mom’s was able to finish it for me in the same pattern but couldn’t find yarn that matched. Anyway, I would say measuring accurately is important when trying to knit for someone like me 🙂

  136. Cloud born is amazing. I’m working on a kit called “picking daisies” I bought on Craftsy and the yarn is so pretty and soft. I also love Classic Elite from my local yarn store. It is a washable wool.

  137. I am not a knitter, so unfortunately do not have anything to add to all of the suggestions already given. I do want to say that your “old” house is quite beautiful and I am sure will sell quickly and for a good price. The presentation, from what I could tell from the photos, is very open, spacious, and inviting. You should get lots of offers. ?

    You and Gordon have had so much happen recently, it is no wonder your body decided it had enough! Listen to what it is telling you, and rest as well as destress. You and Gordon should take some time (even if only a few days) to go somewhere for no other reason than enjoyment. Unplug while there and only give Kid 1 and 2 your contact information. Everyone and everything else can just wait for a couple of days while you two recharge and reset. ?

    I hope that kid #1’s boyfriend is doing ok now. I assume so since you didn’t elaborate or say that the doctor did not know what was wrong, or anything like that.

    I do hope that whatever works best for both you and Gordon to destress, you are able to do. You have had to deal with too much, one thing right after another, in too short a time. Nobody can take that kind of mental and/or emotional strain without ripper cushions. Although time is always what we all seem to be short of, you need to take at least a little time to decompress or you may end up having to take a much longer amount of time against your will to recover from something fairly catastrophic. If all these things had happened to Kid #1 or Kid #2, just as they happened to you and Gordon, what would your advice to them be? Well, now take that same advice and apply it to yourself and Gordon. After all, Mom is never wrong! ?

  138. I’m a very visual person but when it comes to yarn I go tactile. When I get caught in indecision about what to make or use I have to go to a store and touch. Your hands will tell you what you want to use, which will lead you to a project. I’ve currently been using Joann’s yarn- premier sweet rolls. They come in all kinds of color combo’s, and they are soft. I’m a crocheter so when I’m stressed out I’ll just make a huge granny square blanket.

    Good luck 🙂 and happy yarn hunting.

  139. https://www.fourpurls.com/ in Central Florida – the owner’s daughter hand dyes all of the Emma’s line of yarns. Gorgeous! They even have a yarn truck that comes to other areas for those of us who want to see their wares but can’t make it to their store.

  140. I recently knitted Martina Behms ‘Smooth Sailor’ with a beautiful and very soft yarn by Manos del uruguay. Featherlight and warm.
    I also had a lot of fun with the Stephen West MKAL ‘Speckle and pop’. Madelinetosh and Malabrigo yarns are perfect for that kind of scarf, no shawl, no…whatever. Easy to knit, soft, and such beautiful colours…

    • The speckle and pop shawl looks amazing. I added it to my list of things I want to knit.

  143. I am forever searching for my next project. It keeps my hands busy and untangles my mind, but I hate the idea of doing something without purpose. Every bag, pair of shorts, or oven mitt is made to be seen, felt or enjoyed.
    For something fun to look at, I highly reccomend “How Tea Cosies Changed The World” by Loani Prior.

  144. I love gradient yarns and have a weakness for folks who work from pictures. Also I knit a lot of socks. So one of my new favorites is Blue Brick yarns in Canada: https://shop.thebluebrick.ca/collections/. Check out the ombré yarns and note the sock twins when you go to a specific colorway. If you check out Blue Brick yarns on Ravelry, you will see what finished knitting looks like (I have a couple of shawls up under thatlaurie). The prices are in Canadian, so the yarn is not QUITE as expensive as it looks.

  145. Well, this isn’t yarn, but it is wool. And you sound like you could use one of these. I needle-felted a bowl of f-bombs. Even if they don’t explode, they feel good chucking them at your problems.

  146. Not a knitter, unfortunately. But, wanted to put in a plug for Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series, along with her Winston Brothers series. Funny, poignant, and sexy all at once. Makes me want to take up knitting!!

  147. I’m so sorry to hear about your sea of troubles!
    For a soothing browse through yarn, I would recommend Quince & Co. – lovely serene colors.
    I also recommend Miss Babs yarns, beautiful and interesting color combinations.
    When I am ill or stressed, I fall back on knitting a non-stressful pattern such as the Hitchhiker by Martina Behm, or a Susan B. Anderson “weigh it” shawl. Another favorite I’ve been thinking of starting is The Duchess of Devonshire shawl by Kay F. Jones (I too have been laid low by a nasty virus)…ok I’m going to stop blathering on about knitting now! Best wishes to you both for better times!

  148. Pretty much anything from the bendigo woollen mill in Australia. The luxury line is sooooo soft.

  150. Oh Honey I don’t even know where to begin. I am a yarn hoarder! My stash is huge and I have lots of projects close to finishing but it is tax season, (instructor and agent for a leading online tax company). I feel your pain lol If you saw my stash….

  151. I’m lucky to have several local yarn stores, and if you’re near San Antonio (or Austinish) you do to. It might cheer you up to go visit one of yours (always works for me). That’s also why I have acquired a stash of interesting yarn…

    Anyway, I’m working through another Gemini top (in linen this time!), and plan to start another pair of socks soon as baseball season is starting. I have 2 sock patterns the first is my default because it’s simple and works, the second is me being a bit creative with my striped sock yarn. The last is because I want to finally use some of the yarnbox yarn I got. They send you a shawl pattern and yarn, and I don’t wear shawls often. Maybe you need to find a pattern that looks awesome – the fingerless mitts is a really popular pattern here in Northern Florida.

    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gemini-3
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/universal-toe-up-sock-formula
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lonely-socks-club-estonian-spiral-sock
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/queen-lucys-fingerless-mitts

  152. I’m so sorry for all the suck that’s come your way recently!! Am very glad about the dogs coming back safely, and I really hope everyone’s health is on the mend. A really big second to the suggestion of going to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Fest – have been going for 12 years now and it just keeps getting better. But in the meantime – Brooks Farm Yarn, in Lancaster TX. Their website seems down today, but they’re on Facebook too, and I buy from them every year at the festival. Love, love, love their yarn. Whatever you think the pics look like – it’s even more luscious and pettable and colorful and wonderful in person. I’ve used it for knitting, weaving, and a misguided attempt at learning to crochet, and it’s been great for all projects. 🙂

  153. Yuck (that’s the nicest word I’ll use right now). I know all about the stress of moving. I’m in the process of packing my apartment to move to a lovely townhouse in May. My place is a mess right now. 🙂

    Yarn? Believe it or not, I go to my local Wal-Mart or JoAnn’s store and by Coats and Clark yarn. It’s 100% acrylic and virtually indestructible. I am crocheting an afghan in half-double crochet (250 stitches across; no granny squares for me) in Parrot stripe. I find that crocheting in variegated yarn makes the afghans one of a kind. Plus you can pull it over your head when the stress hits hard.

    I’ve dragged my crocheted afghans through a lot, and the majority of them are still here after 5, 10, and 20 years. The only reason I would get rid of an afghan is if the yarn wasn’t good to begin with and pilled in the wash.

    • I crochet (kinda). I stopped because my kitten kept biting the yarn. It’s a pain to have to keep weaving together strand one to strand two so I stopped. Recently someone from work had bought some yarn for her parent who told her that she was not going to crochet so she gave it to me. I went and found a pattern for lap afghan that the designer made for folks in wheelchairs to cover their laps, etc. I’ve done a dozen or so rows (slow getting back into the grove). Now I just have to figure out whether to give it to the cat (she likes all of my couch throws) or if there’s a nursing home that could use a donation.

      • I use to have cats. They loved my afghans. I had to be careful when lifting up a blanket because they would burrow in it. ?

  154. As a total crochet addict, I recommend making a cute amigurumi doll or animal! There are a bazillion free patterns if you look on either ravelry or pinterest. Promise it will cheer you up, and as a bonus you can donate the bear/unicorn/doll whatever to a local women’s shelter or to a charity that donates to kids in the foster care system and make someone else’s day a little brighter, too!

    • I was thinking this same thing, a donation project. My kids love knit toys. A friend knit the cutest miniature monster, and my youngest uses it as the troll under the bridge to play Billy Goats Gruff. They (and I! when I have time) also like both needle and wet wool felted projects. Knit a mother hen, felt wool eggs…

    • Came down to say something similar! How cool would it be if Ilona would knit a Kate Daniels and a lion doll?
      Love the ideia of donating as well

      Myself, I’m gonna knit a pretty Coraline when I have the time.

  155. A quick, easy, no brainer: dishcloths. Lots of free patterns, good way to practice stitches. Lily sugar and cream has lots of yummy colors, cheap enough so you can buy them all sans guilt. Small enough project to take with you. Make some to coordinate with your new kitchen or bath, and they make good gifts with a fancy soap or bath bomb. And fast. Near instant gratification!
    And feel better…be kinder to your self.

    • I agree. The dishcloth is the easiest and fastest to make and be happy about the end product. Any cotton or acrylic yarn works. Use whatever you currently have and then it will give you more ideas on color or type of yarn. Acrylic is best but cotton works too.

    • Bathroom mats are also a great small project. The cotton absorbs the water nicely.

  156. I love Expression Fiber Arts. http://www.expressionfiberarts.com
    I bought their dried herbs colorway and a neutral grey skein to make a Melanie Berg pattern On The Spice Market shawl https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/on-the-spice-market
    A friend of mine knit an amazing throw and now I want to as well: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/slip-stitch-sampler-lapghan
    My mother knit one of these and it’s amazing: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/xuan-wrap
    All of Ambah’s patterns are amazing, actually
    Curious Handmade writes the best, easiest to follow patterns that include a row by row spreadsheet:
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/curious-handmade/patterns
    I knit one of these for a friend: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ice-river-snood
    Out of this: https://www.thefibreco.com/product/tundra/
    And I can’t say enough good things about Fibre Co yarn.
    I hope you feel better and find some crafting joy.

  157. Stress is the pits. 🙁 I have nothing to offer in the way of yarn, I’m sorry.

    My vice of choice is nail polish – beautiful handmade indie nail polish, like Polished for Days (https://www.polishedfordays.com/), Pahlish (https://pahlish.com/), Tonic Polish (https://www.tonicpolish.com/) and one that all book lovers will relate to: Literary Lacquer (https://www.etsy.com/shop/LiteraryLacquer). (I just looked and it looks like there are lots of yarn suppliers on Etsy… who knew?) Whenever I’m stressed out by work or life, I look at and/or buy nail polish online or do my nails. So whatever your happy thing is, just looking at it probably makes you happy (I hope!). Keep looking! Let it make you happy, and don’t stress about making decisions about buying something. Eventually something will catch your eye.

  159. I don’t knit/crochet anymore (cuz I was horrible – still have a scarf I’ve never finished from at least 2 years ago), but my friend does and I sent her a whole book of sea creature patterns. The angler fish and the coral patterns were so cute.

    Here’s wishing you tons of pretty yarn in your near future.

  161. You need to book a weekend at a hotel with a spa and get a massage, pedi, and facial. Make sure to drink ? while you are doing it. No stress mini-vacation.

  162. Dear Ilona,

    I am evil and will suggest that you start to spin, and dye your own yarn. You can play with colour and play with fibre. A whole new world to tempt you and calm you.

    Nothing more zen than to spin!

    For $20 you get fibre to spin, then you enjoy it again to knit. Best investment ever!

    Thanks for taking the time to share your talents with us, I look forward to your books in all the series.

    • While acknowledging that craft preferences are highly individual… I agree with this comment.

    • I think this is a terrible idea. If Ilona is doing all this yarny stuff there will be no time for writing.

  163. Crochet is my forte – I was taught by my aunt when I was 8. I collect yarn, but have a rather large collector gene, so collect many things. I started with paper and pens as a child, which has grown into a full blown scrapbook addiction. In addition to all things crafty, I collect books (duh) and barbies! Here is the link to the latest pattern I have downloaded for the crochet closet:

    Hooded Owl Blanket
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bulky–quick-hooded-owl-blanket

    • Almost everyone in my house wants one of these, but I don’t know someone to make them for me. These are a hoot!!

  164. If I may make a suggestion, given that you physically and mentally sound exhausted–go to a Korean bathhouse, or find a Turkish hammam, or perhaps even find a place that will do a Moroccan bath. As strange as it sounds, soaking in hot water and being scrubbed down by a Korean grandmother might be just what you need. There are days I would return to Seoul simply to visit a bathhouse.

    Yesterday I had a “Royal Moroccan Bath” at Argon Spa here in Bahrain and I left feeling renewed. Steam. Hot water. Someone else scrubs every inch and then washes your hair for you. Honestly, it may have been the best part of spring break.

    In San Antonio there is Mokara Spa at the Omni Hotel. https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/san-antonio-mokara/spa It seems to be #1 on Trip Advisor.

    I think I would go to Spa Reveil, in Austin and get the Moroccan Purifying Ritual. It sounds closest to what I enjoyed yesterday. http://www.spareveil.com/signature-rituals/

    Regardless, I hope you find the renewal your body and spirit need. You have had a stressful time of it.

  165. I love yarn! I really love to touch it and see it in person before buying. However, I love this creator of yarn. She is so creative! She dyes yarn inspired by places or things. Her Game of Throne yarns were awesome. The yarn itself is amazing! https://destinationyarn.com

    These are the projects I am currently working on, I hope they will encourage you.
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hatfield-scarf-the-devil-anse (in red wool for the hubby)
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/trail-7

  166. Baby alpaca yarn is a great stress reducer. It’s not even necessary to start a new project with it. Just let it sit in the stash and fondle it occasionally. It sounds somewhat dirty, but it works. Actually working with it, is even better. A simple pattern with lots of repeats is very meditative.

  167. Kate Davies (katedaviesdesignscom) has a number of patterns that I would love to spend time with, and she has begun making her own yarn! The colors are named after critters and aspects of her Scottish landscape. Not sure if the yarn will arrive quickly enough for you, though that would give you something to look forward to!

  168. Yikes. I’m a novice knitter (I can make squares and rectangles and that is about it) and do slightly better with crochet. I’m currently working through my yarn stash of cheap acrylics (Red Heart Super Saver, Bernat Super Value) and have promised myself the treat of ordering a nice yarn if I ever clear my stash out – I’ve heard good things about Scheepjes (http://www.scheepjes.com/en/yarn/) but none of my local stores carry it.

  169. If you are too sick to go to the yarn store in person, go to your stash and feel the yarn you have. Once you find one you can’t stop touching, go buy more of it online in different colours.
    If you are feeling well enough, go to your local yarn store and plan to spend an hour or two to just look and touch the yarn. That’s a sure pick me up.
    Feel better.

  170. I prefer small projects, usually hats. Mostly I do double knit or eyelet patterns that I can do kind of mindlessly; if I want a little more engagement, Shedir is my favorite ever:
    http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt15.htm
    The advantage of hats is they knit up fast, so I get a good sense of accomplishment from finishing one, and I can afford to buy more expensive yarn that I could never buy enough for a larger project… or rather, I buy 1-2 skeins each of multiple different yarns instead of needing a bunch of skeins of one. So if I can’t decide, I can get both! Perfect low stress knitting in my opinion.

    One of my favorite yarns recently is malabrigo “unicorn tails” – small quantities of their colorways in sock weight; perfect for adding a pop of color to a more neutral colored project.

  172. I neither knit nor crochet (well, I know how…), but occasionally buy yarn for important projects like, “Teach your 6 year old son the skill you don’t use!” I enjoy chenille yarn, especially variegated chenille yarn.

    • I should also add: I understand about the dogs. My dog is a bolter. Was the front door not properly shut? She’s off and running as fast as she possibly can before you can blink. Unhelpful people say she ought to be taken to obedience class, and she has been. She does great indoors. Any chance at an outdoor adventure, though, and you can forget her responding to you.

      She had surgery a few months ago and we were told to keep her calm (ha!) and not let her get her staples wet. They suggested not taking her out on walks at all, which is a totally realistic option with some other dog that I don’t own. Long story slightly shorter, two days before the staples were removed, her prong collar sprang open midwalk and before I could say anything, she was gone. Naturally, we now live near a major freeway and was in full blown panic for the 30 minutes it took to recapture her. Possibly everyone I asked about seeing her thought I was crazy. Also naturally, the light rain turned into a downpour while she was off.

      I couldn’t decide entirely what I felt when I got her back: was I more relieved? more canicidal?

      (Look, spellcheck, it *ought* to be a word.)

  173. Positive thoughts, warm hugs, and best wishes headed your way! We’ve had months/years like that, it will pass, it will get better…. Good luck on the yarn hunt, I’d go organic cotton.

  174. If you knit socks, Turtlepurl Yarns has a bunch of fun self striping wool and nylon blend yarns that are both durable and a joy to knit. The dyer sells them in two matched skeins so you can make identical socks without a lot of measuring fuss or wasted yarn.

    If you want to use something delightfully soft and glorious, you might try the Drop Stitch Scarf pattern by Christine Vogel. It makes these beautiful lacy waves using a fun repeat of yarn overs and dropped stitches. You can use pretty much any yarn you like. I’ve used Odin wool from Viking of Norway and Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine and been quite pleased with the results.

    I’m including for inspiration a photo of the most recent socks I knit with Turtlepurl Yarn.

    • Nice socks!! I really like the rainbow . Especially the heels, that looks so clever!!

      My next project is going to be knitting the fourth Doctor’s scarf. I grew up with Tom Baker as Doctor Who, and I recently found the pattern for that ridiculously long scarf he wears. So I want to go and collect the yarn, because it is going to be a nice easy project that doesn’t require a lot of thinking. LOL!!

      While I’m shopping, I think I’ll get some crochet cotton to make a Miffy bunny, because somebody just gave me that pattern today.
      I love crochet – I made some “Converse” baby shoes the other day, from a free pattern I found somewhere. (I think there’s an English version of the pattern on Ravelry. I used a Dutch one.)

  175. I have been working on a pattern the last few days that I can’t seem to leave alone. I don’t think it is the pattern (although it is very pretty), it is the yarn. The yarn is called Ziggy Stardust by Miss Babs and I LOVE the colors in it. I belong to a knitting club and it came with the pattern. I have three other shawls I am working on but something or other has put me off on each one. This one — I knit, I tell myself to get up and move, I promise only two more rows and somehow, 8 rows later, I running late again!

    • Miss Babs yarns look amazing. I did a google image search for Ziggy Stardust after not finding it on missbabs.com and I don’t think I did ever see it, but I found so many other beautiful yarns. 🙂

    • Miss Babs Yowza! What a Skein! is a favorite of mine. So much yarn in a skein and such pretty colors. But anything by Miss Babs is nice. Maybe a fade set? When I’m feeling down a nice big cozy shawl/wrap thing always makes me feel better. There’s lots of nice patterns without it being too big to finish. And Joji Locatelli is apparently coming out with a new fade type pattern…I love her stuff. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg1vdv6A8ed/?taken-by=jojilocat

  177. I second the suggestion of amigurumi. I love crochet, and was starting to tat, but once my son was born, making him stuffies just became more fun. Depending on what you make, they make awesome doggie toys too. And there are patterns for just about everything from cute farm animals and sea creatures, to disney princesses to werewolves and superheros. Don’t you want to make your own piggies or dragons or Batman?

  178. When I need yarn therapy, I use cotton yarn like Sugar ‘n’ Cream from Jo-Ann’s to knit a dishrag or hand towel. I always need them, and they are short projects that give me a sense of accomplishment.

    I never enter Jo-Ann’s without coupons, which can be downloaded from their website.

  179. You’re not alone! I’m currently captaining the “2018 can already go die in a fire” boat. Shipmates welcome. I’m glad the dogs were ok. I’ve found yarn and fabric buying to be an extremely tactile yet therapeutic endeavor. Maybe you could take half a day and go pet some yarn irl? I have yet to make it out of a yarn store without finding something I can’t live without. I’ve heard good things about the yarn store in New Braunfels, but I can also recommend Happy Ewe in Lago (which might be a bit far to drive for you now). Also, I highly recommend Craftsy’s unlimited subscription option, if you haven’t seen it. It’s so wonderful and reasonably priced. I love, love, love watching all the classes, even for things that I don’t think I’ll ever do. I think it gives me that same sense of inspiration that buying new supplies does without the stress of having to make decisions. Also, maybe you’d see another craft medium you haven’t considered yet (I’m dying to try hand embroidery!). Hang in there, the light has to be near.

  180. My niece brought me West Yorkshire Spinners Aire Valley Aran when she went to England, and I loved it so much I bought several more colors. I’m currently knitting an entrelac scarf using Autumn Mix.
    Well, I can’t post a picture of the scarf so here is the late, great Mandy instead. In this picture she was “older than dirt” years old

  182. Sorry about the badness happening in and to your life!
    As for what yarn I covet, it is always Elsebeth Lavold’s Hempathy. Why? This hemp, cotton & modal sport weight yarn washes and dries beautifully by machine. It makes a light, drapey garment that is wearable just about year round here in southern California. I’ve used it in tops and cardigans. Over of my favorites is Edie (I’ve made 3 so far) by Isabel Kraemer. Though it’s done in stockinette, variations are easily done. It come together quickly which offers a sense of gratification, too.
    Happy knitting in whatever you choose to do!

  183. Have you read the Penny Reid Knitting in the city series? they are funny and talk about yarn. Sounds like it would rest you a bit which is what you need. If you had MONTHS of stress, you don’t get over it in a week!

    That said, I just bought Beyond the Square…. for crochet. It is just fun to look at the patterns, It is more like what Grandma called “tatting”

  184. Might I also recommend the Knitting in the City series by Penny Reid? Smart women in a knitting group in Chicago. The Tuesday night knitting scenes sound just like these comments 🙂

    All the best!

  185. I’ve been kind of feeling that way this week. Super stressed and a complete lock on the creative brain because of it. I’m also pulling away from everyone and I know the husband is frustrated because of that, so yet another loop of stress.

    Then I took a few minutes and looked at bullet journal ideas and doodled on some paper. Then a re-read my current WIP because I just stare at the screen if I try to write, and finally I managed to squeak by with a few words this morning, which is progress.

    So I think I’m going to keep designing and doodling in my journal, even if they aren’t very pretty, because I am terrible at that kind of art, and see if that continues to help. I just have to make time for it because everyone else always consumes my time if I let them.

  186. I am not an aficionado of yarn by any means, but I do architect designs fairly well and right now i’m trying to make fingerless dragon scale mittens. The problem being that all the designs I looked at had the scale pointing towards the fingers, because the nature of the crocodile stitch, but the reptile feet I looked at had the points moving away from the claws (mostly) which I like better. So now i’m the trying to Macgyver it from bottom up. It worked, but I don’t know yet if i dropped enough stitches in the wrist area so i’m waiting a few days before I look at it again to see if I like it.

    An amusing story that might cheer you up: I began crocheting a scarf for my best friend about 10 years ago, but it was awful because I was just chainstitching the whole thing. It was stiff, stitches too tight, uncomfortable, and taking forever. Then, my mom showed me an actual stitch and I changed to that stitch 1/3 of the way through. I wrapped up what I had done and said i’ll Get you the finished product later and took it back. 2/3 of the way through, I was about to change back to chainstitching when I realized it was going to look wretched so I took the whole thing out and started again. The second time around I realized it was way too wide half way through so I took it out again and started over. The third time I got about 3/4 finished and it’s two or three years later. I put it down because I was heading off to grad school and life got in the way. I picked it back up two weeks ago because I wanted to use the yarn to make dragon scale fingerless mittens. I told my best friend I had finished it – as a “haha, remember this” figuring he wouldn’t want it. Lo and behold, he does want it, but so do I because now I have matching fingerless mittens. He has the worst memory ever so I said he wouldn’t even recognize it if he saw it and we both took that as a challenge so now i’m Crocheting two other scarves in different Tri-color yarn so we can test him like the Dalai Lama.

  187. when I really want color therapy, I pick up some sock weight from Neighborhood Fiber Company ( https://neighborhood-fiber-co.myshopify.com/ ). They just have really good color sense and the results are vibrant and lovely.

    and then I would make a shawl with garter and a little lace and you’ve got yourself a good de-stress project 🙂

  188. I love Knit Collage Pixie Dust Yarn. Super Chunky, Super expensive, but it’s so pretty it makes,me happy to look at. They have patterns for it too. Destress and stay well.

  189. I honestly buy yarn I like then try to find a pattern that can go with it. Recently it is leg warmers for my fellow dancers. I’m trying to make one that does the warming job but fits adult legs (most patterns are for children). There is a tiny yarn shop in Gruene, TX that is fun to walk through and look at the colorfulness. They offer locally dyed yarns. If you haven’t been (I’m sure you have) maybe going out and being immersed in yarn would help lift spirits?

  190. My next project will be this ://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/oasis-6. I didn’t pick it out, my sister did and l’m knitting it for her. She wants it out of the linen yarn it calls for so that is what I’m doing it in but think it would be yummy in a nice super soft blended yarn with bamboo or silk to give it good drape. Ply is in Wimberly and Lucky Ewe is in Greene/ San Marcos and love both those yarn shops. I’m sure either one would be happy to help you find the perfect new project and yarn. There is also lots of yarn to pet while there!?

  191. How about the Hitofude cardigan as a project? It’s one of the most popular patterns on ravelry, with almost 7k projects. The design looks hard if you’ve never done lace, but it’s easy to learn and once you get going very meditative. The cardigan itself is beautiful and has the advantage of suiting every body type. Plus — no seaming!

    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hitofude-cardigan

    The pattern is very clearly written, although a bit mysterious in a couple places if you read ahead. If you read it and are daunted, never fear – there’s actually a help group!

    https://www.ravelry.com/groups/hitofude-knit-along

  192. So I’m using a pattern for a pineapple stitch very wispy crochet lace scarf, but with a striping and yarn switching technique instead of using a single mohair skein, and with mini balls of satin embroidery thread thickened by a backbone of normal crochet thread in either black, red, or purple to complement the color of embroidery thread I am using for that pattern repeat aka stripe.

    It’s missoni-esque, and with the thread combo I’m using it lays flat and smooth.

    I’m also perpetually working on this peacock feather shawl. It has- I kid you not -close to 1k rows in it with, at the point where I am, several hundred stitches per row. I do a row or two a month. I’ll eventually finish it.

  193. Cashmere and silk… warm, somewhat shiny, and so so soft. I don’t know what I’m gonna do with it, but if I could knit a whole dress with it, I would. Unfortunately, that is beyond my skill level and would cost probably a thousand dollars…

  194. Ilona, to answer your yarn question, My favorite 3 online catalogues are Love Knitting, Webbs, and Little Knits. They are all great people to work with, Great online catalogues, fast shipping, never a mistake, great prices, and even easy returns. LittleKnits have 2 fascinating looking yarns at a great discount right now by Feza, “Alp” and “Viva Glitz”. But for summer sweaters you can’t go wrong with Cascade Sarasota or Universal Bamboo Pop DK wt. yarns From Love knitting, or Webbs. They have software that you can narrow your search by fiber, weight, color, sale, price. I always go to the yarn wholesalers’ websites to compare color and texture and look at how the yarn looks in patterns, especially variegated yarns, before I go back and buy. Right now, I’m looking for a mottled denim look, because I live in jeans. I don’t know what fibers, wt., projects, etc. you prefer, so I won’t presume to suggest specifics. Have fun!
    (sorry left this on “winner” comment page.)

  195. What an awful week you’ve had! I hope that life has started to turn around, that you’re feeling better, the potential SIL is feeling better, the dogs are safe and the house crap is all done. May you sell your old house quickly and for over the asking price.

    Yarn and knitting is also the way I de-stress so I completely understand the dilemma of choosing the perfect yarn. So many choices! My favorite, go-to pretties are Malabrigo and Madelintosh. I have found others that I like too, but these are my favorite and are generally very consistent in quality and color options. My best source so far is online at JimmyBeans Wool. Our local yard stores don’t carry a huge inventory of either variety but JB does and at good prices. They also get batches of new color test yarn that they offer for sale in limited quantities and I love to buy one or two skeins of a bunch of colors.

    Patterns…my favorite are patterns by Heidi May at The Velvet Acorn. You can find her patterns on Ravelry or Etsy. A big variety of patterns for kids and adults in all sizes. She has hats, scarves, wraps, sweaters and other small accessories. The patterns are well written, clear, and always correct. After knitting a number of her things, I gathered the courage to make my first actual garment using one of the sweater patterns. I have to say I’m tickled with how it turned out.

    By the way, I am loving the installments of “Sweep of the Blade”. Maud is so interesting, and the world building is wonderfully detailed. I look forward to each week’s installment.

    Best to you,

  196. Dear everyone in these comments,

    Thank you for helping me spend all of my money on more yarn and patterns I haven’t yet had a chance to encounter.

    It looks like all my “fun money” is going to be earmarked!

  197. Sorry life has been such a bummer. Do you know the knitting mag PomPom Quarterly? Their patterns are wonderful and the best thing is, they actually come in sizes bigger than L. I bought three skirts that are supposed to go with tops I have yet to make from the 2015 summer edition… ?

  198. I recommend the Howlcat (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/howlcat). It’s quick and simple and mindless and you end up with a really useful finished product that everyone who has seen it LOVES. It’s a simple beanie-type hat, that also converts into a snug neckwarmer (they say cowl, but imo cowls have a little drape). I like to use Woolfolk’s Far and Tynd. If you’ve ever even seen Far, you’ll love it.

    Or, if you want to make something decorative yet useful to sit in your new house, how about a sheep pillow? It uses a bobble pattern that takes FOREVER, but the finished product is so beautiful. I modified mine a bit so that it was a little smaller, but it’s a great pillow for the couch and to hold onto while watching angsty stuff on TV. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/jechoi1/bobble-sheep-pillow

  199. Drive into Austin and go to Hill Country Weavers. There’s no mood that their yarn can’t cure.

    Right now I’m playing with Edwards Crochet Imaginarium by Kerry Lord

    It’s the first time I’ve tried making a crochet creature.

    • My daughter loves needle felting while watching minecraft tutorials! Guarantee if we are making her do revisions on a writing assignment she will be at this by 1400!

  202. No yarn tips, but I just self-soothed with a trip to the nursery to buy interesting ground cover plants… maybe some gardening would help? Contact with dirt is supposed to be good for mental health…

  204. Sorry to hear it’s been a stressful time. Knitting is awesome though and has really been helping me with anxiety I’ve been having. I am on Ravelry way too much but totally understand decision paralysis. Below are some of my favorite yarn dyers.

    Forbidden Fiber Co
    Neighborhood Fiber Co
    Nox Yarn
    Lolodidit
    The Lemonade Shop
    Woolenboon
    Malabrigo
    Skein (https://skeinyarn.com/)

    Favorite designers
    Helen Stewart (Curious Handmade)
    Melanie Berg
    Joji Locatelli
    Norah Gaughan
    Ambah O’Brien
    Andrea Mowry
    Boylandknitworks

    Also, I don’t think you live very close to Dallas but if you are, the DFW Fiber Festival is this weekend and I hear it’s awesome. Lots of yarn vendors and yarn-y people. I love knitting/fiber events. You should definitely get to one if you can someday.

    http://www.dfwfiberfest.org/

  205. First, all the best to you and your family, having just been in a (strangely) similar situation I have much empathy for you. Generally, when everything goes to hell, well, I re-read one of your books. As this is not the advice you need, I’d have to go with knitting or spinning or crochet. Or, put my hand into my bag of baby camel fuzz, (for spinning) combed gently from the tummy of little camels. It is like nothing I have ever felt (get it? ha). But what I really love is good color.

    Beautiful color where-ever I can find it. I discovered Malabrigo yarn last year. My first purchase was a light DK of merino and silk in a color called Arco Iris. The intensity and saturation of the color changes depending on which yarn it has been used on. So the M/S was a bit muted, the Mecha was brighter and stunning. I have now become a collector of Malagrigo yarn colors and their yarns are delicious, have good yardage and are well priced. Right now my favorite is their worsted. It is a single twist and criminally soft. I purchase mine from a place online called “Fabulous Yarn”. I’m not affiliated in any way, but they have a membership system (no cost) where-in there are often great deals automatically for members and their prices are comparatively less than many online places. The pictures don’t begin to show the real saturation and beauty of the yarn. A big catch here, they are done in small batches of color, 5 to10 to a bag and sometimes one batch to the next looks fairly different. So for a small amount this is no problem. For a big project had to call the store and ask if they could match 2 bags as closely as possible, which they kindly did.

    As you are in Texas, I included another new find, the Sublime Evie. This is an incredibly soft cotton, in fluffy chain formation. Also, when I was in Denmark I bought a yarn called Drops in Air. It is a merino mesh with Alpaca blown inside. I am working on a sweater for Daughter 1 now with it doubled. The photo doesn’t do the denim color justice as it has subtle traces of soft pinks and greys. It is so easy to knit you can swoosh through a project in no time at all. The catch? I have to order it from England (best shipping prices).

    Sooooo, as a stressed out women with everything happening at once, these would be my suggestions. I truly hope everything smooths out. I’ve noticed that the more important a project, the more things seem to interfere. Thus, we can’t wait for the next books!

    • Ack, the photo came out terrible. Best look at a website!

      Also, although I feel a little silly saying this as you may know the author, as a suggestion for low stress funny book series (with an actual sometimes creepy, scary, underlying plot through the books) Are the Dragon Kin books by G.A. Aiken. Some are better than others but when I’m feeling really bad these make me roll with laughter. If you haven’t read them, they are about an extended family of hilarious dragons and their mates. There is a lot of sex, but honestly I skip it for the plots and the word play. My personal favorites are books 1 and 3, and the last 3 or 4 (the Daughters of the Steps come in and are very ‘Russian?’) Especially “Elina Shestakova of the Black Bear Riders of the Midnight Mountains of Despair in the Far reaches of the Steppes of the Outerplains.” If that gives you the idea.

  206. Since our first great niece came in March it’s all baby all the time. LOL I also go to Michael’s and Wal-Mart. They always have some fun outrageous colors. I just bought a bunch of variegated yarn. Blankets and tiny ponchos galore. I hope the FSIL is ok.

  209. My step-daughter recently learned to knit as stress therapy. She is really enjoying it. I bought her some really nice yarn when she was visiting last week and convinced me that I really need to learn. My go-to stress reliever is glass. Since we will be selling our house soon I will have to pack up my glass studio. Might be a good time to learn to knit.

    I hope yor son in law is doing better. Hugs

  210. I can’t decide what to make with this rainbow yarn, the first yarn I ever spun on my own.
    https://www.ravelry.com/people/akhena/handspun/electric-rainbow

    I like knitting socks when I don’t want something I have to think about too hard (except for the heels and toes its all straight knitting in the round).
    Here’s the simple pattern I like: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/toe-up-socks-with-gusset–slip-stitch-heel
    And the handspun socks I just finished a few weeks ago:
    https://www.ravelry.com/projects/akhena/toe-up-socks-with-gusset–slip-stitch-heel

  211. My current project is Fox and the grapes by Lily Go on Ravelry. I am using Malabrigo sock in the terracotta colorway. this is the first of her’s I have done but I like the sizing options, the chats and written instructions are on the same page, and she tells you what percentage yarn you should have an the end of each chart.
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fox-and-the-grapes.

  212. I am so sorry for your bad and stressful time recently. I really hope future SIL is ok.

    OMG! on the gate. I’m an obsessive gate checker. Other than the drive auto gate {which I still check, even tho I have to buzz everyone in or out} I worry about the pasture gates from the yard. I do not need border collies out free with either the sheep on one side or the horses on the other.

    No yarn or knitting here. I am having sheep sheared in 10 days. You want raw wool? 🙂 {just kidding. I know you don’t spin and also, gross dirty sheep.}

  213. If you can sew try the Old Fashioned Baby pattern company site. It Is fun just to look at. I got one of the baby bonnet kits and made it up in a couple of days. One of the cousins is sure to have another baby grand -daughter one of these years! I can sew, smock, embroider and crochet but knitting somehow eludes me. I hope things get less stressed for you and your family . B.

  214. I haven’t had the motivation to knit anything recently, so no recent purchases. I find arm/handknitting pretty nice and relaxing when I’m not sure what to knit. It’s usually a very, very simple pattern, a quick to do project, and doesn’t require much thinking.

    Right now my destress hobby is overplanning video games. As in, I have 14 pages of handwritten notes on the new(-ish) Zelda game. Which I don’t even own (yet). So, getting my hands on that and putting my detailed plan into action is what I’m looking forward to right now.

  215. Sorry for the overload of stress, glad the poochies realized home was where they belonged?
    I was just looking at a new shawl, Correa, by Ambah O’Brien – love the laciness, am contemplating alternate colorways. Also, Earthfaire.com has a new beaded shawl by Boo-Knits called Bright Tomorrow that might be cheery enough even looking at it on your monitor. Hope those help!

  216. Miss Babs makes some lovely yarns.
    Sometimes going into the store and squishing their cashmere brings me joy. I also have a few yarn pets which I’d probably avoid knitting (extra soft novelty, wispy mohair).

  217. Just a thought–have you thought about doing “chemo” caps? There was a box full of knitted / crocheted caps for chemo patients at the center where I went for chemotherapy. I crocheted a long time ago, got busy and gave away my hooks, but I think I’ll look for patterns and yarn and give crocheting another go. I found some patterns, but its been so long, I’ll need new instructions.

  218. I highly recommend Plucky Knitter yarn. See their group on Ravelry. I love their quality of yarn, and their colorways are to die for. Their customer service cannot be beat. They hv spoiled me for all run of the mill yarn. The Cascade 220 colorways are so Dull and Boring after using Plucky for the past several years.

    Right now I’m knitting one of Plucky’s published sweater patterns, Watson Corners, easy, but with well written instructions. I’m holding double Meyer May in Trusty Fingering and Cake Plate in Trusty.

    Down side is they dye to order. They usually have an update every weekend. Also check out the destash thread. There’s lots going on there.

    I can’t say enough about Sarah and Hailey, the 2 sisters who started the company 10+ years ago. Check out their group. Pls let me know if I can help.

    • P.S. I just finished wet-blocking one of Brooklyn Tweed’s sweater pattern called Rift in Plucky Knitter Trusty, colorway Cassidy. Beautiful blue.

      • Mmmm plucky cashmere in all its forms and weights, and spiffy silky cashmere!
        Plus now they have the reserve for instant gratification in the website shop and plucky essentials there too.10 colours available whenever and sent out immediately.
        Colours are amazing and customer service is the best, you’re part of a family to them.

  219. I love Blue Sky Fibers Cotton Worsted. It is so soft and lovely to work with. They also make it in a sport.

  220. Latest purchase was Nirvana from Sunday Knits. It 90 Merino/10 Cashmere and is yummy. I’m planning on knitting Capture the Moment with it by the same designer. Before that I got some Brooklyn Tweed Loft to knit Beckon. Love the tweedy, squishy feel of there Yarn. Hope this makes you feel better. I’ve got quite a stash since I spin as well as knit, but yarn always makes me feel better on the bad days. We recently went through a refinance on our house that required we do all the work before we could get the loan. In two months we put on a new roof, repainted the house inside and out and put in new floors. We were living IN the house the entire time and did all the work.

  221. When I’m overwhelmed I like to do some type of craft and listen to audiobooks. I’m currently working on a counted cross stitch pattern van gogh’s starry night. I’m also attempting to teach myself to crochet. Among my favorite books to listen to are of course yours. I usually listen to the Magic series at least once a year. This time around I am listening to all of the series in order of publication. I’m currently on Steel’s Edge.

    • Jean-ann, if you’re working on a project flat and wonder why the chain row looks like an inverted flower pot, it’s due to using the same crochet hook for the entire project. The way to solve that is to use the next size up hook. Example: if you’re using a size H for the body of your project, use a size I hook for the chain row. Works every time.

      I admire people who do counted cross stitch. I have no patience for it.

  222. Made this while hubby’s turn driving from campground to campground. I couldn’t desire on which shades to use so used them all….

  223. I am knitting Echo, with Plymouth nettle, and Francine with a lovely Berocco self striping cotton, ’cause I am longing for spring. When I need inspiration, I go to Mason Dixon knitting. Not only are the ladies excellent writers, their projects make me swoon!
    I have an Irish setter that is an escape artist/ speed demon. I sympathize. It may not be food poisoning, there is a nasty gastro virus sweeping the nation. Hydrate to excess. Feel better soon.

    Dawn

  224. We love koigu in my house – mostly to make socks or shawls. For shawl patterns I like the Easy Peazy 2.0 (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easy-peazy-shawl-20) or Lotus (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lotus-shawl-2) if you want something more lace like.

    I have also found some great fair trade yarn from Darn Good Yarn (https://www.darngoodyarn.com/) that sells yarn made from banana fiber – surprisingly weighty and some affordable silk yarn too.

    Our local knit shop owner has taken to moved to yarn creation (https://shirleybrian.com/collections) and I love the color changing cotton/bambo cake. She also designed the Mariner shawl (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mariner) that showcases the beautiful color change of this yarn.

  225. I’m not skilled in the art of yarn since I have yet to learn any weaving skills since the last time I did anything close to that I was in art class.
    But what popped into my mind after reading your post was to write all the patterns you like but can’t decide one on separate sheets of paper, attach them to a dartboard then throw sharp pointy objects at them. What you hit you make.

  226. Right now, I am knitting Daybreak by Stephen West. I somewhat recently knit Elfie and it was a blast and allowed me to use a skein of fancy yarn with some plain yarn. I want to knit another one sometime. I have also been making a bunch of hats with Malbrigo and knitting in the Portuguese style–totally saves the hands! As for my favorite yarns, I live in Corvallis, OR and we have a local dyer. Her line is called Despondent Dyes. The colors are wonderful and the names of the yarns are such a pick-me-up. From the package, “We set our colors with the acidity of our bitter tears.” Yarn names are things like “Lipstick on his collar” or “The Color of the Marriage Counselor’s Rug” or “Drunk Dialing the Ex.” She has some colors on a website (https://despondentdyes.com/collections/all) or you can find more at http://www.stashlocal.com.

    I hope it all calms down soon!!

  227. I crochet much better than I knit, so I enjoy crochet more, but I really want to be a good knitter (but not have to go through being a not-so-great knitter to get there), and I’m very much into quilting right now — so I don’t have much yarn or any projects going. BUT, I do enjoy reading a blog by an avid knitter: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/
    She has a dry sense of humor and writes about yarn and knitting (and about her life and family). She’s a little sad right now because of some recent deaths in her family (including her Mom, so very understandable sadness), but there’s still plenty of yarn and knitting. I don’t know if this will help you at all. And I apologize for the run-on sentences. I’m in the process of prepping to sell a house in Michigan, while also being the new owner of a house in Ohio that’s in need of more work than we expected! I feel like I have a bit of a split personality these days! (I’ve been bingeing on Easter chocolate the last couple of days – I think it is helping.)

  229. I don’t knit or crochet but I love to paint (not very good at it but still). I love the colours, the mixing and plotting out the picture. It’s like meditation so I get where your coming from. I would also suggest a vacation, you guys put out two, three books a year, which is wonderful for readers but hell on writers.

  230. I do not knit complicated things. I much prefer Crochet when it comes to anything that isn’t a solid (Or MAYBE stripped) blanket.

    With that being said Heidi Bear (on Ravelry) has some awesome patterns, including one for a knitted hippo. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knitapotamus-the-knitted-hippo

    I did the crochet version and my dogs love it and play with it. I like to make my dog toys because I mostly create things for the stress relief… not necessarily to have 100 things lying around. Once it’s made and I’m sufficiently proud I’m like cool, what do I do with it? So if it lasts a little bit with the pups then I consider it well done. Or there are always nieces, cousins, friends, and siblings to give things too.

  231. Oh how I feel the pain!
    We just sold a house, are temporarily living in my parents home, and are trying to buy a new house. Somehow during all of this our car insurance decided our address change was “wrong” and deleted us. So, I’ve been fighting with them for a month. Now we are reinstated, but they didn’t bill us and have lost our billing information – so we have to add a processing fee for that, as well as deal with the new mortgage insurance which, apparently, they never cancelled the last mortgage insurance (same, messed up company as our car insurance. Sigh). Our pet died 🙁 We have another big move in a few weeks.

    My baby brother is having a little girl. I crochet, and I took time out to make a cute baby dress. It helped me so much that I’m thinking of making another just to have a project to work on 🙂 I totally understand yarn therapy!

    That said, I buy crap yarn from Walmart for now. I can’t afford the beautiful stuff. Someday!

    • That depends on the definition of “crap yarn” from Walmart. I’ve bought a lot of really nice yarn from my Walmart. ?

  232. I’m currently knitting a Free Your Fade in this kit combo: https://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/JimmyBeansWool/MadelinetoshYarnBouquets.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=83778 (though I didn’t get the kit as they were all sold out, but I tracked down which colorways they were and bought them individually).

    I second the Neighborhood Fiber Co. recommendation as they’re local-ish to me, and I’ve used their Studio Worsted yarn in Petworth and Remington for my two most recently completed projects. I loved the way Petworth knitted up (plus it’s named after the neighborhood where my office is located) so much that I ordered enough yarn to make a Winterfolk jacket with it: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/winterfolk

    I’m also going to pimp Backyard Fiberworks because it’s run by a coworker of mine: https://backyardfiberworks.com/

    The other local indie dyer that I’ve used and enjoyed is Dragonfly Fibers: https://www.dragonflyfibers.com/

    A not-at-all-local-but-I-still-adore-them indie dyer is Miss Babs: https://www.missbabs.com/

  238. Not at all good at knitting but I just discovered Overstock sells yarn and other craft supplies. Support the local stores when possible but…

  239. I buy pretty beads for projects and rarely finish them.

    My current “crafting” is 3d printing cool stuff from thingiverse. We have only had it for a little over a month, so the novelty of creating just about anything hasn’t worn off.

  240. I’m currently working with some Cariaggi Piuma (translation is apparently “Feather) which is some of the fattest, lightest, softest cashmere I’ve encountered. It’s gorgeous, and if you ever end up in a colder climate I highly recommend it . 🙂

  241. I know zero about knitting ( my mother weeps) but the Black Panther Nakia infinity scarf pattern (put up on Raveley by the actual costumer) looks intriguing
    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nakias-infinity-scarf-hk-version

    When I’m stressed I tend to turn to comfort reads, your books are always top of the list. It’s been a rough year so I’ve read the Hidden a Legacy series 4 times, the whole KD series once, and the inn keeper series 4 or 5 times. My 5 year old thanks you for inspiring me to make chocolate mousse the other night. Every time I read the mousse bit in HL 2, I want to make it. Do I found a small batch recipe and whipped some up. yummy.

  242. Oh my! That Koigu lace shawl is stunning! Now I’m way too tempted to buy yarn! But I’ve got enough yarn for a year or two or three.

  243. Oh. And I’m knitting a sweater with Classic Elite Chateau baby alpaca yarn. Heaven knows how it will hold up because it’s discontinued. But the hand is so soft and so fluffy I can’t resist it!

  244. Can you knit a hammer? Or a baseball bat? Seems appropriate for how things have been going. You can attack without going to jail

  245. Ahhhh yarn therapy…
    I feel you. When I can take the time to go to my LYS and walk around and feel all the pretties… that is the best therapy! If not, I love getting my Knit Picks and Webs catalogs in the mail. Malabrigo and Madeline Tosh make such beautiful yarn and of course there are sooo many indie dyers. My favorite bulky yarn right now is Malabrigo Caracol, in the Indicita colorway. It’s like a beautiful watercolor stain glass window. Lots of blues, greens and violet hues of fluffy superwash merino with a black string woven around it. Very cool looking. Any hand dyed Merino or baby alpaca is yummmmy.
    <3

  246. I’m knitting a baby blanket for my niece out of lion brand mandala, gnome, double stranded, so there are always two colors at once. I’m doing a basket weave stitch. A little bigger and it could definitely be a good lap blanket. But I’m further north where it’s still cold out there. I bought the yarn on sale. I figure you want to be able to wash a baby blanket frequently to get all the smelly spit up out.

    Sorry I can’t get it to send a picture. It says it’s too big.

  251. Remember that “this too shall pass”. –everything will clear up and your life will get back on track..Just take a deep breath and hold it until you pass out. When you come to, everything will have been resolved.

    • Lol… I love the advice! If only things were so simple as:
      a) holding breath
      b) passing out
      c) coming to with all life’s problems resolved
      I would be passed out most of the time, waiting for all of my problems to be resolved!!!
      See you when I revive!!!

  252. When im stressed, I look for yarn on sale (doesnt even have to be good yarn) if I can get pretty yarn on sale it makes me feel like a winner. Then I get craftsy, I crochet lap blankets for the elderly at a long term care facility here in Hawaii. I also make baby blankets. Currently I’m working on three of those, love trying new stitches ( since im a beginner) and during this time of year I make graduation money leis for the kids that are in my sister in laws class in florida ( she teaches a last chance inner city combined class)

    when that doesnt work to calm me down i do adult paint by numbers ( love painting but have no skill)

    As for your wonderful streak of crapolas …i always think that when the poop hits the fan that hard in my life its because im doing the right thing in the right place at the right time and the evil gods that arived in the last flare are unhappy with me, my luck, and my future chance at doing good for the world in general! So its time to pay it forward, sink in to a comfy place, rest, and realize that your bad streak is because you are winning the race.

  253. I have been combing through sites that carry undyed yarn (because I’ve been bit by the dying bug). So I don’t have any recent things for you. But I can sharehttps://mountainmeadowwool.com/. They have beautifully soft yarn. I learned about the place on a road trip with my mom a few years back, and she took me to the mill and we got to see how things work on the back end and I came away with FAR too much yarn for my current knitting needs.

    I really hope things start getting easier. And that you feel better.

  255. I live in Bolivia–home of alpaca wool production in South America. AF husband works at the US Embassy in La Paz.

    If I find nice undyed alpaca yarn here, can you accept a gift? Can someone besides Ilona tell me how many skeins are required to make something wearable? It’s also cheap here, and it would be a gift, a thank you for the hundreds of hours of reading pleasure you’ve provided over the years…

  256. It sounds like you are depressed. Understandable. The inability to make a decision is a symptom of depression. Maybe try something new. Have you ever made Kusadama? It is fun, color ful and can be very beautiful.

  257. Sorry for a rough start to things for you. I’ve been sorting through my yarn boxes and making big, colorful, happy couch blankies for several young ladies who are tying the knot with their menfolk this summer.

  258. You probably know this, but there is an amazing store in Austin that I went to a couple times when I was in school there. It is called Hill Country Weavers – https://hillcountryweavers.com/ I always find walking around a yarn store and feeling everything they have in stock helps to inspire me.

    Another company is Darn Good Yarn – https://www.darngoodyarn.com/ They make a bunch of silk yarn, and I keep meaning to join their monthly subscription where they send you yarn and a pattern.

  259. There is an “ In Sitches” knitting group at my local library. Sometimes they make group projects, but often times they just share ideas and work on their own projects. When they do make group projects it’s usually to benefit people in the community : hats for newborns, holiday scarves for seniors at the senior center and the like.

    I find that when I’m in the mental doldrums that stress can leave you in, getting out of my own head helps to put some wind back in my sails. A little low stress frivolous social interaction paired with doing something nice for someone else really helps for me.

    • I like Purl Soho as well. My sister makes their patterns all the time – or as often as one can with three children.

      To cheer you up, I offer you these company slogans – they make me smile.

      Bernardin – Because you can.
      Canadian Blood Services – Blood, it’s in you to give
      Prostate Cancer Assc – Give prostate cancer the finger

  262. I’ve been buying almost all my yarn from eat.sleep.knit. http://www.eatsleepknit.com
    May I suggest a nice skein of hygge? It’s wonderfully soft. Or if you want fingering maybe a nice skein of tosh light in the new Birkenstock colorway. When I don’t know what to make, I make hats. I love tin can knits. If you love shawls try Boo knits. My go to sock pattern is Rose city rollers. Hopefully you find your knitting mojo again soon.

  263. That is epic. Just wow. I’m so sorry honey. This is my fantasy project right now. But it pretty much requires the fancy yarn and I can’t afford that right now. But if you make it I can at least like drool by proxy. Lol https://pin.it/erqggwnad57aws

  264. Sorry, Ilona Andrews, I do not knit. My youngest sister does so she gets either a gift card or a sibling group gift as yarn is expensive. She made Pluto a coat of many colors to wear when we hiked in snow and ice. I think she started with standard dog coat pattern and modified it as she made it as I had to mail her all kinds of dog measurements. (Pluto was American Staffordshire Terrier hound mix and had a broad chest like a bull dog does from her love of swinging by her jaws as puppy. )
    My sister says knitting is stress therapy for her. She also does the neonatal thingies.

    On a personal note, I have found going to counseling to be helpful workwise. My people have looked me up years later and thanked me for telling them and in some cases making them to go to counseling because that third party did not know them etc and they had no idea how much stress they were dealing with and how negative they had become. Yes I went too when my general doctor and my chiropractor both told me I was near a total physical breakdown from stress and must make lifestyle changes.

    Thanks for ROFLOL about kid 1 and SO. My Dad was same way. Getting him to go to doctor was like pulling healthy elephant teeth without anesthesia but if one of us felt bad, he shipped us off to see doctor ASAP. Thanks for the memory.

  267. MADELINETOSH!!!! Living in Texas she is “sort of” local!! Oh I dream in madelinetosh! Some folks stampede for Plucky Knitter, and they have some wonderful colors, but I am a loyal, and broke, Madtosh devotee.

  268. Knitting this lacy scarf gave me great pleasure last summer. The pattern is called upstairs (!) and I found it on the internet. The scarf is 80 x 200 cms and I used 125 grams of a fine mohair/silk/lurex mixture bought at my favourite shop at Berlin “Die Fadeninsel”. I used a no. 5 needle and was finished much too fast. Hope maybe this cheers you up!

  269. I love Malibrigo merino wool. I think it’s the best yarn on the planet! It knits well, felts well, and feels great for a wool.

  270. I started this afternoon on a pair of socks in Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in the sunken treasure colorway. My recommendation would be based on what you like to knit. Do you like to do accessories, shawls, sweaters, socks, hats? Casapinka has a newer shawl pattern called Your Slip is Showing that I am contemplating as a fall project. You could do a Madelinetosh color and join MadMay next month in the Madtosh lovers group.

  271. A very long time ago, I made a couple of fisherman knit sweaters, one for the boyfriend-who-became-the husband, and then one for me. I used the proper oiled yarn. I had to keep a grid to keep track of what line in the pattern I was on. The concentration really helped reduce other stresses (of which you’ve had more than your share), and I loved watching that pattern emerge in the yarn.

  272. New guilty pleasure – http://www.shopgoodwill.com. I purchased 5 boxes of random yarn, often bidding about 20$ to 40$ per box. Most of the goodwill locations will post good pictures of the contents of the box. Unfortunately 4 boxes netted me over 120 lbs of yarn – everything from silk to pure alpaca wool to cotton – you name it. Any skeins I don’t like, I re-donate. It’s a vicious cycle but I have 5 baby blankets to crochet between now and October :). I like the randomness of it, I have to be creative with what I receive and some how that is more satisfying.

  273. Im a crafter as well, have you ever thought about making jewellery? Probably the same skills you use to make the gemstone trees, all you need toolwise are two needle nose pliers a cutter and a round nose plier. You could make your own chainmail jewellery, its intricate and interesting.

  274. How about making your own colors? Dharma Trading Company (www.dharmatrading.com) has yak lace weight for a very tempting price. I sell my hand dyed yarn at a farmers market in the summer. I’m *really* tempted by the yak. Hand dyed isn’t hard to do. Little vinegar, little dye, little water some heat and you have something really unique. (You can do it in a large measuring cup in the microwave)

  276. I’m sorry to read about your stress.
    I allways love the yarn form paintbox and order it over the website https://www.loveknitting.de, I’m sure there is an american version of this to (since a part of the yarn usually comes from the usa…) and there are amazing free pattern as well…
    I hope this helps a little bit

  277. My yarn eyes are too big for my belly, so to speak.

    For years I have been wanting to make The Dude’s sweater from The Big Lebowski for one of my husband’s 50th birthday…well it’s looking like 55 or maybe a retirement sweater. I have been sitting on a stash of Cascade Eco wool since he was 47.

    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-dude

    On another but related note, when we moved a few years ago, I literally filled my mini SUV with yarn (car full o’ yarn) and took it to our new place in a separate trip. But because my output is still significantly less than my input, the yarn & UFO’s began to represent my procrastination, and those shameful, guilty feelings you get when you are a chronic non-finisher. I barely knit anymore, and if I do, it’s wee projects like baby hats. I can’t even finish a baby blanket right now.

    So a couple of months ago I donated half of it (trunk full o’ yarn) to my friend who is a member of the Vancouver Guild of Knitters: the money made from sale of the yarn to its members, and the products they make from it will go to a local women’s shelter.

    When we dropped the Stash off to my friend we tried to load the yarn (which was stuffed into 3 of those large clear garden waste bags) onto her wife’s scooter because they didn’t bring their car…you know when you’re laughing too hard to take a picture? On one hand, I really wish I had, but on the other–some moments are just too memorable for photos.

    Yesterday I was told that some of the yarn went to an elementary school, and students are being taught to knit so that they could make a blanket for one of their classmates who is fighting cancer. More yarn went to a local church whose members are churning out prayer shawls.

    When I bought all this yarn I had grand visions of wrapping myself and my family & friends with homemade love. Maybe it’s not all that necessary–everyone I love knows I love them. I may unravel all my UFO’s & donate another half of my yarn in the future.

  278. I see that my first comment was removed and thinking about it I realized it was my first comment on your blog and probably sounded like spam. I apologize for that.

    I am new to this community, but I am not new to your books. Kate Daniels was my first love, but I have fallen in love with each new series you write. As I am in my 50s … I am hoping that some day you and Gordon will write a series about a strong woman who is at least 40 years old and preferably 50, 60 or older. You’re never too old to be kick-ass, have an adventure and meet a great guy.

    I am an introvert, have severe ME/CFS, and love to read and knit. I’ve been too ill this year to read or knit much, but I have discovered the joy of audiobooks. I listened to the Innkeeper Chronicles in January. As for knitting, I am slowly working on the button band for a vest. I love using Amy Herzog’s website, https://customfit.amyherzogdesigns.com, to create sweater patterns; so cool to knit sweaters that actually fit! I also really love the hand dyed yarn company: http://www.indigodragonfly.ca

    • Thank you very much, Ilona and Gordon, for all that you do for us. You bring joy and inspiration, comfort and recharging. Your stories are very special. Thank you.

      Happy Birthday, Gordon! We wish you all the best!

      Get well soon, Ilona! We hope you and Gordon are enjoying spring-time soon.

      I do not do anything with wool myself. However, I saw your request, and I thought I should share a tale.

      Sometimes it is enough to think, “Wow. Imagine that.”

      Yarn from Alaskan Musk-oxen! Qiviut.

      http://www.rcinet.ca/eye-on-the-arctic/2012/12/14/qiviut-luxury-arctic-yarn-that-almost-went-extinct/

      http://www.qiviut.com/shop_gifts.cfm

      https://www.arcticqiviut.com/about-qiviut/

      • My other suggestion is to play “Great Big Sea” music, especially “Ordinary Day”.
        Always good to cheer up.
        I smiled so bright when I read about Curran listening to it. 🙂

    • Karen if you got a smartphone or a tablet, and a computer. I do e-books on my laptop in library software(Calibre-ig translates lot of formats) . Tablet/smartphone-reading app that also has text-to-speech option. It can read your books in series, (clunky) without waiting for library to get what you want.
      It reads me to sleep like i am 5.

  281. My favorite go to pattern for destressing is the peppermint afghan by red heart. It’s complicated, you have to pay attention to what you are doing, which completely takes your mind off of everything.

  282. Have you ever tried doing tiny Amigurumi animals? There are so many patterns and variations… Or simply making crocheted jewellery, you’d only need some wire for some of the projects (and the stuff that fits into ears, I’ve got no clue how it’s called in English). But, seriously, I recommend Amigurumi. They always make me feel better, even if it’s only looking at their pictures or seeing them hidden around the house.
    I hope that you’ll feel better soon and ask those troubles disappear!

  283. A few weeks ago I attended my daughter’s graduation from Navy bootcamp at Great Lakes, IL. I cried several times throughout the ceremony but what broke my heart in little pieces was right after the recruits were released, and my tough Navy sailor started crying when she saw me. The next morning we said good-bye at the airport, as she left for more training in Texas. I had no more tears- my baby was gone and I was so proud but so sad. I went to Chicago, to the first yarn store I could find. And I told the nice shopkeepers I needed yarn therapy. I touched the yarn and bought for softness and color. Then I went to another yarn store and a bead store. I bought DPN needles too and peridot stones and bone beads I couldn’t live without. Now I’m making my first sock and a cobalt blue, baby alpaca scarf. I made a bracelet and a pair of earrings. I feel better.

  284. Here is a picture of my sister’s cat, who has a yarn addiction (but only to high quality yarn). He also is able to open latches, boxes and navigate all kinds of obstacles to get at the yarn. He is the cat every aerialist deserves.

  285. Crabtree Yarn, is my favorite yarn. However my favorite project is knitting socks. I always have a pair going and a pattern memorized. A top down on round needles. Good luck!

  286. Inexpensive but lion brand Homespun yarn. Gorgeous colorways, criminally soft and easy care. hot wash and dry! Category 5 so works up fast. Great shawl Patterns an check out the blankets! Stockinette body and leaf pattern border. Yarn therapy works keep it or give away homeless kids and teens or shelter dogs

  287. This may be too late but there is a lot of ridiculously pretty yarn being posted for Joji’s current fading point KAL on Rav – both in the KAL thread and the accompanying trader thread. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much eye candy and links to further eye candy in one place before. The project itself might also appeal as a destressor …

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