confessional #1

Did I buy new craft stuff? yes.

Was it necessary in order to finish a current craft? well, that depends.

Heather and Stephen came to visit me from Portland last weekend, and while they were here, I decided that I would make for them, new homeowners as they are, a dishcloth or two for their kitchen. Heather even helped me select the yarn. But what I didn't realize until I got home was that the yarn is a 70% silk, 30% cotton blend, instead of the 100% cotton I was expecting. The care instructions on the yarn ball said "do not leave wet" -- directions that do not bode well for a dishcloth. I consulted Ravelry for silk dishcloth projects, and found exactly...zero. After a little more research, I learned that silk can become rather odiferous after being wet, and somehow I didn't think that a stinky dishcloth was the "congratulations on your new home" sentiment I was looking for. So on Thursday, I went to Village Yarn and Tea and picked up two skeins of Hempathy yarn, which should be just fine for dishcloth knitting.

I decided to make these dishcloths before I "officially" began the Use Me Up Challenge, but it's not like I had the project on the needles, so was my purchase of new yarn necessary to complete a project? Yes and no. I can defend myself by pointing out that at least I have a goal for this new yarn, I didn't just buy it because I loved the colorway.

I crafted for at least an hour every day except Tuesday, which is a busy day for me, since I go to yoga halfway across town, and between dinner, walking the dog and yoga, my evenings are pretty well spoken for. But at least I did work extra hard on Nathan's quilt (just a few more feet of binding!), and I went to knitting circle twice this week. All told, I crafted for over an hour each day, just not every day. I may have to make Tuesdays a permanent exemption, since I am determined to stick with Tuesday yoga.