Leaner, Meaner Stash

It's time, or past time, to consider what we need our house to do for us. The kids are long gone. Our work and interests have changed. What do we each really need to work effectively in our small house. I realized that I need a room with a door. Most houses have plenty of doors but not ours. My husband needs light and space. This means we need to consider what would be the best use of each and every room. Does the bedroom need to be in this particular room even though it has the biggest closet? Does the living room need to be only for watching TV in the evenings? Can I get rid of furniture and stuff I've been given?

Where can I put my stash??!  AARGH. Moving it means I actually have to take a good look at it. Don't you hate that?

Stash, what's it made up of? Something has to go. I have a big basket of sock yarn. That's OK, eventually it will get used. Small batches of yarn I've picked up along the way. Hats, cowls? Garbage bags of yarn people give me so it goes to a good home?? Bits of partial balls and odd balls?????

The dilemma begins. I must have a leaner, meaner stash. I need to keep yarn to knit for fun and yarn for designing. Prioritize, I've heard that word somewhere before. Time to put it into practice.

Yarn bowl, is this a solution for all those odd bits of yarn? I could make quite a few!

-Deb

Onward with Blue

I couldn't abandon my blue even after this, which I have done not once but twice now.

It's finally coming together, at least on this optimistic morning I think so. I took out the side ribbing and put the back ribbing higher up on the back. Satisfied with both those changes.

Continuing with the design, I want A-line shaping down to the hips and to expand the pattern on the Back and Fronts as I do this. Easy enough to do but harder to write out. How do I make this work easily for the knitter? I decided that I should link up the shaping increases and the expanding pattern to the buttonholes so you have some reference point. But I was having trouble counting ridges between buttonholes myself and I know what I want to happen, this is not acceptable. So backing up again, to a minor rip back of 6 sts in the Front Panel so I could put a garter stitch pattern inside the garter stitch rib pattern.
Before:

 

After:

Now there are 6 sts in regular garter stitch in the middle of the garter stitch rib pattern. The ridges over the 6 sts are easy making it easy for the knitter to place the next buttonhole inside these 6 sts. Mission accomplished. Now to tie the shaping to the new easily worked buttonholes. Onward.
-Deb
P.S. Hi Sharon, started this with the collar. Was getting a little frustrated with the ripping but really glad I did it. It's not so bad once the decision is made. Kind of a relief actually.
P.S.S. Liz, glad you're enjoying this. I'll think of you smiling as I rip back, ha, ha. I know you know what this is like.