How many blocked knitters does it take to screw in a light blub? None, they're all at a LSY looking for inspiration and will knit by candle light.  In my case, it wasn't the LYS, it was my wonderful Stash Studio (which is still a bit of a chaotic mess.)  I was looking through my wonderful stash when all of a sudden I felt like a clogged drain which had just received a treatment of Drano.  Relief!  There it was!  The yarn which would end my knitter's block.  I opened a tub which I hadn't look in a very long time and saw this. . . 

A tub full of the fabulously yummy, Noro Cash Iroha in six different colors.  I picked up a skein and like a song takes you back to your first date, I remembered where, when and why I fell in love with Cash Iroha.  I was at Crafty Lady taking a class in Triangle Tango and needed a solid color yarn to complement a variegated yarn I was using.  One touch of Cash Iroha and I was in love.  Cash Iroha is the discontinued, silk, wool and cashmere single ply, aran weight yarn with a drape and softness not found in other yarns.  I am still puzzled why it was discontinued.  Cash Iroha is pure luxury.  Maybe I have a tub of skeins when I learned it would be discontinued.  

This is it; the fiber and the pattern which ended my knitter's block.  I loved the pattern and had started it in a different yarn.

I loved the pattern and the yarn, but not together.  The variegation in the yarn (I am really not sure that is a real word because my MacBook wouldn't let me use it) took the emphasis way from the intricate pattern.   I kept knitting but I was really uninspired.  The yarn just didn't showcase the Stepping Stones Shawl.  It was kind of like two out-going sisters fighting for attention.

The color is beautiful but once again I couldn't capture it in a picture.  It is not burgundy, not pink and not purple but an exquisite combination with just a hint of copper thrown in.  Linda says it reminds her of Thanksgiving and cranberries.  

It feels great to be back on track.  I was out of sorts when knitting didn't feel right.  Now all is right with the world.  

This color isn't any closer.  It is not this pink but darker.  Where do all of these colors come from when you're taking a picture of the same yarn!?! The picture with the magazine cover is the closest to the up close, f2f, in person color.

I am on my way.  But WAIT a minute!!!!!  Did I really say this is a discontinued yarn!?!?!?!?  It is irreplaceable!?!?!?!  If I use it up, I will never be able to replace it!?!?!!?! Oh my!  You know how I feel about discontinued yarns.  Will I really be able to use it up?  Only time will tell.

Isn't this picture beautiful!?!?!?!  I think if I stare at it long enough, I will be inspired.  What I want to knit next will suddenly become obvious.  I have "Knitter's Block."  Maybe it's because I have way too much in my stash and I am completely overwhelmed.  That didn't stop me from ordering some beautiful yarn from Knit Purl today to make Mom a shawl.  Maybe I am just waiting for that beautiful yarn to get here to be inspired.  I learned something today that I think I already knew on some level.  I must knit every day.  If I don't I feel out of sorts.  I can't watch TV without knitting.  I found myself just picking up anything to knit.  It didn't matter.  I could have just cast-on some stitches and just knit.  I picked out some beautiful yarn, found a pattern and just started knitting.  I know I won't finish it because as soon as the yarn comes from Knit Purl, I will jump into that.  But I had to be knitting.  I wonder if there is a 12 Step Program for knitting addicts?  

I found the picture above on Pinterest.  It is becoming my new inspiration.  Just plug in a designer's name, a brand of yarn or a knitting technique and you will get 100's of pictures of knitwear.  Maybe that is my trouble.  Maybe I have too much inspiration not too little.  Maybe I am confused and overwhelmed not uninspired.  Now I know how writers feel when they hit the wall.  When they wad up up paper after paper (metaphorically) and just can't seem to be able to write anything that works.  

You may think I haven't looked hard enough to find something to knit.  Well, I tried this. . . 

I have been interested in this pattern since I first bought this Knit Purl magazine.  I think it is very "now" (but since I am very "then" I'm not sure.)  I love to find a pattern I love then go shopping in my Stash Studio.  I found this beautiful yarn I bought from the fabulous Kellie at Knitting On The Fringe.  I love them both so you would think there would be a synergistic effect and I would really love the pattern I love made out of the yarn I love.  Interestingly enough, not so.  It just doesn't work.  Now I am stuck.  Do I keep knitting on this knowing I don't love it hoping I will learn to love it before my new yarn comes from Knit Purl, or do I rip it out and blindly search for something else to occupy my time?  As the King would say, "It's a puzzlement!"  I am just so ambivalent which really isn't menace knitting.

Then I thought about starting this. . .

I love it, but I'm just not into it right now.  What is wrong with me?  Where is my excitement?  Where is my enthusiasm? WHERE IS MY NEW YARN FOR KNIT PURL?  

I would love to know how you break out of a Knitter's Block WITHOUT A TRIP TO A YARN STORE!

I think I've mentioned before that when ever I visit a LYS I almost always see something knit up that I cannot live without.  I see something and WHAM, I have to have it.  I immediately fall in love and can't leave the store without it.  Well, I have been trying to knit fabulous things for Ann's By Design that visitors to the store feel the same way about.  So, in addition to my current Kauni obsession, I have been knitting for Ann.

This was my first, a yummy cowl made out of Cascade Casablanca and a free Cascade pattern.  Go ahead!  Touch this!  Like I said, "It is yummy!"  I can't wait to make some else from this soft, soft yarn.

The colors are beautiful and the fibers are soft.

I can't wait for someone to come into Ann's By Design and fall in love with this just like I've fallen in love many times in LYS.

I was given the challenge of making something that would showcase a fiber made of strips of silk and use only one skein.  I experimented and experimented and finally did it.

I love this.  It looks like the silk is floating.  The silk pops!

It even looks great on Lidia.  The base yarn is just something I had laying around the Stash Studio, and I think I did it.  I only used one skein and made the best of the beautiful fiber.  (It's hard for me to call this yarn because it isn't.  It's strips of fabric.)  This is Leilani Arts and made in India.  It did turn out beautifully.

Everything about this is interesting.  Especially that there really are no patterns written for it and no two skeins alike.  That is kind of fun.  First I tried a scarf made out of just the Leilani, and it didn't really work.  It almost look too chaotic.  Then I tried a small purse, and that didn't do anything for me.  Then I remembered this. . . 

It is the scrumptious scarf kitted by the fabulous Kelly at Knitting On The Fringe.  I thought, "Substitute the silk fiber for the ribbon yarn!"  And I think it worked.  

The technique worked!  There is nothing new in knitting.  Just using old techniques in different ways!  

I must admit that I felt a little cheated that I wasn't working on my own knitting.  I am waiting for the wonderful women from Knitcliks to send their free pattern for Cascade Avalon to Ann's By Design.  It is an adorable bag but you can only get the pattern through LYS.  I emailed them and ask them to send it to Ann's.  Have you visited Knitcliks yet?  What a great website.  They gather information on knitting from other websites.  You can reach them at knitcliks.com  I think you will like it.  Maybe some day I will do a post on things I have learned at Knitcliks.

WOW!!!  I just got the book Sequence Knitting by Cecelia Campochiaro.  It is fabulous.  I think I may have found ways to use the exotic yarns I am collecting for A Knitter's List.  I can combine two wonderful things to create a fabulous experiment.  I LOVE IT!

Remember this?  This was my Stash Studio in October when I whipped it into shape for the photographs for the Jocelynn Brown article in the Homestyle Section of the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News.  Since then, Christmas has intervened, we used this as a staging area for our garage sale and I have bought lots and lots of yarn.  Now this, looks like this. . . 

And this. . .

And this. . . 

I was going to hide this from you, so you would have that wonderful picture of the Stash Studio and think it always looked that way.  Then I thought, "What the hay!"  There you have it.  I let my little piece of heaven get out of control.  

I went "Way Up" (as Dick and I call it) today to get the lay of the land and begin the process of putting the Stash Studio back in order.  We had our garage sale over the weekend which emptied much of the unwanted junk out of my beautiful room.  I love this room.  I never have chaos and mess in the rest of my house any more.  Anything that might become chaos goes "Way Up" until it is over.  Christmas is one such time.  Getting ready for my Mom's estate sale was another.  Getting ready for the garage sale was another.  It seems like a couple of times a year, I need to put several days into a major reorganization.  Fortunately, I love to reorganize the Stash Studio.  I love to get reacquainted with all of my yarn, reminisce about where I purchased my yarn and the people I made gifts for and have "Aha" moments about what I want to do next.  I must admit, I also end up scaring myself about how much yarn I have and how much I have acquired since the last time I reorganized.  Which reminds me, I need to buy some new tubs for the new yarn.

I must admit just perusing my tubs, I got really excited about some of the yarn I have purchased for projects.  I can't wait to prioritize some of the old stuff (kind of like my goal I set at Christmas to finish the Kauni sweater which I haven't done.)

I also found this project still on the needles which I just needed about 2 hours to finish. 

Isn't it pretty!?!?!  I don't remember why I made it, where I got the yarn or when I started it.  It must have been for someone but I don't know that either.  It is mohair alternating with boucle' in pale shades of pink and copper.  (I just can't resist copper yarn no matter how minute.)  I feel a little vindicated because I finished something out of the past.  What do you think?  Should I be able to buy some yarn because I finished this?

We just got home from a very quick trip to Traverse City (we left Saturday morning and got back this Sunday.)  Tickets for Red Wings Training Camp in September went on sale at noon Sunday and you had to buy them in person at Centre Ice Area.  My wonderful husband Dick (the Minnesota boy) loves hockey in general and the Wings in particular.  (Let's go Red Wings!) TC was crazy; the Cherry Festival and 4th of July weekend.  Hotels rooms were twice the usual rate.  All that aside, I was ready for a quick visit Saturday to one of my favorite LYS, Yarn Quest.  I was ready!  I love Yarn Quest and Mary the owner and all of the wonderful ladies who work there.  I have purchased some of my most fabulous yarns there.

This yarn is so much more beautiful than it shows.  Some day I will learn how to take pictures that do my yarn justice.  I have plans to make a Knit Swirl out of this.  Some day I will surprise you will a Knit Swirl of my very own made from either the blue or the pink.

I love this Blue Heron!  I am getting all revved up just reviewing my previous Yarn Quest purchases.  I can't wait to reorganize the Stash Studio.  It always gets me excited to get reacquainted with my yarn.

I was ready for a productive trip to Yarn Quest.  The last time we were in Traverse City, I discovered the beautiful Blue Heron.  What would I discover on this trip?  We pulled up in front only to find, it was closed for the 4th of July.  Drats!  No problem I thought. We can go downtown and I can visit Brilliant Books (my favorite LBS) and What to Wear (my favorite clothing store.)  We ate lunch and headed out. Hurray!!  Books and clothes!  Not yarn but a real close second.  We were about five blocks from downtown when we realized we were never going to get downtown.  Traffic was stopped, no movement.  We decided to look in the residential areas around downtown for a parking place.  For blocks in all directions, not a parking place to be found.  People and kids and dogs and lawn chairs every where!  It seemed like we were in the middle of the 4TH OF JULY PARADE!  Oh, no!  Dick hates parades.  I think he was scared by a clown or an elephant as a child. So we decided to get out of Dodge and go to our motel.  As we were sitting in the motel, we heard them.  It wasn't a parade.  It was the Blue Angels in the 4th of July Air Show.   About 3:00 we heard that roar that could only be the Blue Angels.  That sound is the sound of power and security.  Thank you for keeping us safe! 

So, I didn't get to Yarn Quest or Brilliant Books or What To Wear.  "What did you do," you may ask.  I knit.  I knit for 4 1/2 hours in the car on the way to Traverse City, 5 hours waiting in line for Red Wings tickets and 4 1/2 hours in the car on the way home.  I knit 36 inches on this scarf.

It was the perfect travel knitting, a four row pattern two which are purl!  The beautiful Kauni gradually changes colors making it easy, memorable and interesting.  I am tapped out on knitting with Kauni.  This is my third thing since the first of May.  (I have finished many things.  I really need to steam them and show you.)  Kauni is beautiful but doesn't feel particularly good.  I am toying with felting this when I am done knitting.  What do you think?  I need a little excitement in my knitting right now and the unknown of felting could provide that.  

The next time you see this, it will either be steamed or felted.  I have the weekend of September 18 to look forward to.  Four wonderful days in Traverse City with few tourists!

I think if you counted, there is a tie between who I've mentioned most in Knitting: A Love Story, my knitting buddy Linda  or Twisted Fiber Art!  You know I love them both. It is the best day ever when I get to experience them both at the same time. Last week I received an email announcing that TFA had been seriously damaged in a fire which started at the restaurant next door.  The entrance went from this. . .

to this. . .

The good news is no one was hurt, at least no human.  All of those beautiful little cakes of the most beautiful yarn in the world suffer smoke and water damage.  I read the email and immediately suffered shortness of breath, blurry vision and ringing in my ears.  TFA has been great about keeping us posted on their progress.  Production has moved to Meg's home.  When we took the tour of the production, Meg said, "Believe it or not, all of this used to be at my house."  Well, it's all back.

After moving much of the debris, they still have a long way to go.  All inventory was effected, but fresh yarn has started to appear at Meg's door.  They are setting up space to dye and process orders.  The kitchen has become the dye studio, the office and living room will be lined with drying racks and the garage is a sorting and storage area for smoked damaged yarn (EEK!) and other things.  

Because so many Twisted Devotees wanted to help, TFA is creating a limited-edition fund-raising colorway called Phoenix.  I love it!  Buying the yarn I love, while helping the business I love get back on its feet!  The colors are a secret until we receive our package.  Isn't that great!?!?! But they did let us take a peak at their inspiration board.  

I can't wait to get Phoenix, but more importantly I can't wait for Twisted Fiber Art to get back on their feet.  I bet Phoenix will become one of those yarns I will never be able to use because it is irreplaceable.  

Even though they were in the midst of crisis, TFA thought to celebrate the June 26 Supreme Court decision by making the beautiful Roy G. Biv - colors of the rainbow available.  It is one of my very favorite TFA colorways and my inspiration for my Hazel stocking cap.  

Isn't it beautiful