Application in process

Well, I'm finally in sync with the Knitting Blog Ring and I've got my application in process. I should meet the requirements, unless there is one for being clever enough to add a button to my template. sigh LOL

Last night was Insect Night at my daughter's school. They have cut so many educational corners to spend more time preparing students to pass the stupid WASL that they seem to need special nights to spend time on content that ought to be part of the regular curriculum. (I may be a bit biased, I HATE the Washington State school system. Not the teachers, the system.) Sorry. Anyway, we all had a great time looking at lots and lots of dead things pinned in boxes, watching a film and then playing with real insects. The girls got to hold a variety of stick bugs, a 10-inch millipede and a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach and a Brazilian Roach. Isn't that neat? I was good with everything but the roaches. We don't really have them here, so they are a novelty and rather exotic. I come from Texas. We have very healthy roaches there and I have a very different view of them in general. Still, I try to let the girls form their own opinions about those kinds of things. The photo up top is DD holding the Brazilian roach with the hissing roach on the table. The one below is the Madagascar Hissing Roach and then the other photo is the millepede (with both of my girls next to their friend A.).



The gloves are moving right along, but I've had absolutely no time for spinning this week. I'm pretty bummed about that, but we've been cleaning the house to prepare for house blessings and I've started taking Taekwondo classes with the girls and then there's homework for the oldest and just general other "life" stuff, so knitting only happens at lunch and spinning can't go there. Unless I learn to use a spindle and I'm not quite ready to tackle that.

I've been pretty good about adding any new yarn, which means I haven't been yarn shopping in a month! I've done really well with it, but now I'm starting to get all itchy again. I had decided to unofficially do a Stash-busting thing this year and only work on projects for which I already have the yarn. I was browsing the other day, putting a knitting notebook in order (all the Internet patterns I've printed, other patterns I've purchased but not knit yet, etc.), and I'm starting to create lists of new things I want to knit up, most of which would require new purchases. In an effort to reward myself for good behaviour, and yet not let go of the real goal of reducing stash, I think I've found a compromise that seems reasonable. If I can work on stash projects until the end of Lent (4/8) without buying new yarn for new projects (additional yarn to finish a stash project is okay), then and only then may I make one new project purchase. Sound fair? I know some stashalongs allow sock yarn a free pass, but sock yarn is one of the things I need to knit out of my stash. We'll see how it goes. Part of me is just hoping that if I can hold out on new purchases until April I'll lose the urge and be content with the stuff overflowing my yarn basket. This will include roving, which is surprisingly more difficult right now. Odd, since I'm having even more trouble finding time to spin. Even so, I am determined! Step up the knitting pace and reduce the buying sprees. That sounds so responsible. I wonder if I can handle it? LOL