It's time for a celebration!

Happy First Sweater To Me, Happy First Sweater To Me, Haaaappy First Sweater To Meeee, Happy Sweater, To Meeeeeeee.

So, did you guess it yet?  I finished my first sweater! Tea Leaves Cardigan by Madelinetosh.

Jon took about 8 pictures of me, and this is the only one I would even consider posting in a public forum, so it's all you're getting, unless someone trains Jon to take better photos! ( I may admit too, that I'm not good at "posing" for photos) .

So other things worth noting:  I have an economics final tomorrow, been studying all night tonight! Also, as if having an economics final wasn't torture enough, I have an appointment to get my taxes done as well... 

But, here's the good stuff:  I do have another sweater on the needles, it's the Tree Jacket from Zephyr Style.  I don't have pictures yet, but I will, I promise.  All is going well on this venture.  I really like making sweaters, but I'm thinking more and more about socks.  It's probably time soon.  

And, here's where I need your help! I have about 1200 yards of Malabrigo worsted, single ply, merino wool (need an xl out of that).  I'm not sure what to do with it.... so I'm welcoming any and all suggestions please! Here's a picture so you know what we've got to work with: 

Why don't you have another picture?  Just for the heck of it: 

Did someone say stash?

So, a couple of weeks? month? ago, I was talking with Sue and I mentioned that I really didn't have a stash, that I simply bought yarn and used it.  If I didn't have a project to start, then I didn't buy yarn.  Simple as that.  She seemed incredulous.

So, I did have a bit of yarn sitting around from the February Lady Sweater that I started, and quickly ended, I was so not up to the ability of the pattern, so I decided to save the yarn, do some other things and then get back to the Lady.

Ok, so this may seem unrelated, but, just wait.  Meet Mr. Samuel, and yes, he prefers the formality.

We have a cat that pees.  (see above)

He refuses to use the litter box, he just pees anywhere else. Recently the highlight of his life was destroying our 1 year old mattress.  It was a REALLY comfortable mattress.  So we've implemented some rules in the house:

1.  All doors to bedrooms, laundry room, and closets, must be shut at all times
2.  Nothing can ever, ever go on the floor
3.  Find the cat and drag him outside at least twice a day

All of this is totally natural and not inconvenient at all.

So the cat has totally trained us, it's fine.  Here he is again (he looks quite evil in this one), on his perch on top of the refrigerator.

Ok, reenter yarn in a bag meant to be for the Lady.  Bag is stored on the floor (see rule #2) right next to tupperware containers that contain fabric and sewing notions.  But I figured this was an exception to the rule, because the bag was next to hard, plastic items, the bag was small, and it would be impossible for any animal to balance on the small, soft, bag long enough to soak is in acrid urine.  Right? Wrong.

I was doing the laundry when I saw the puddle.  It was sort of nearby the washing machine, and I tried my hardest to believe that it was just that the brand new machine had somehow leaked.  It didn't.  And, yes, the cat did, he peed on my yarn.  My stash.  My non-existant stash.

So, I had been meaning to organize a few of my left over yarn scraps and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.  I cried as I threw away 4 skeins of purple worsted, and 1 skien of left over purple bulky alpaca goodness, but then... the yarn kept coming.  There was other yarn, other than for the Lady! Actually, there was a lot of yarn.  And, so... apparently I actually have a stash!

So here it is, presenting in all it's glory, (protection provided by ziplock), my STASH.

Well, it's still in it's beginning stages, but just give me some time.  Wouldn't you agree though, that, that's a pretty good stash coming from someone who thought there was no stash?  

  Just one more, because I'm so proud!

Oh, and don't panic, the stash, not only is protected by Ziplock, but it now has it's very own drawer.  Impenetrable By Cat.