a new self-imposed rule

There has been absolutely no time for blogging  this week - all my internet time has been spent on a virtual tour of the world on the Bead Soup party! I'm about halfway through the blogs taking part, and there have been some really beautiful pieces of jewellery made, a lot of people meeting the challenge of using materials and supplies that are completely different from anything they usually use. I think it's going to tak me another couple of weeks to get through everyone though! I'm trying to leave a comment on everyone's blog - afterall, if they've gone to the trouble of taking part and posting beautiful pictures of what they've made, the least I can do is comment!

Apart from the blog hop, orders, preparing for college evening classes starting again next week and the usual family stuff I've been trying to have a bit of a declutter. I hate how easily the house gets messy with four of us now in the house. I sorted out my knitting and crochet projects and yarn stash yesterday and I've realised three things:

1. I have lots of lovely yarn but still need more (different) yarn to be able to knit all the projects I've got in mind. I've got enough DK, for example, for a couple of projects but not in the colours I need for a friend's Christmas gloves, and I haven't got enough 4ply for my niece's Christmas dress.
2. I have too many projects on the go and (this might just be my "baby's teething and I've got a cold"-brain speaking) I can't keep track at the moment. I know exactly why I have so many projects on the go - there's a simple baby blanket for in the car when T's driving us somewhere, a jumper for me that just needs the capped sleeves finishing and blocking, a chunky sleeve-less jumper pictured above for me that I realised that I didn't have enough yarn for despite having the correct gauge and the exact number of balls of recommended yarn, but that's not really a problem as I decided halfway through the second side that I didn't like the pattern in this colour anyway, and my Victorian wrap that I started when we were on holiday two years ago that only comes out to play when I'm not concentrating on anything else. The book was right when it said that this one's a challenge!
3. I really really want to start teaching myself Tunisian crochet NOW! The goodies below arrived from Purple Linda yesterday. I had thought that the book would have projects in them that I wouldn't really be interested in and it would be the lace stitch patterns and the DVD that would be useful for teaching myself, but I've actually added a couple of the projects to my project list.
4. I really need a better way of organising my needles, especially my lovely knitpro interchangables.

I know that's four things, but as I said, Jamie's teething, okay?!

So, my solutions then

1. Well, this one seems easy - go and buy some more yarn in the thicknesses and colours that I need. However, I also need to avoid spending money on yarn that looks lovely but for which I haven't got an immediate project in mind! I think I may have to take cash and leave the card at home.....
2. I'm going to try and stick to three projects at a time, as there are three pockets in the lovely bag that has become my knitting bag. Ummm....this one may be a bit harder! I'm cheating slightly on this one as I'm going to frog the chunky sleeveless top so that I can use the yarn for something else, so if I do that and finish the two projects that are nearly done I'll be okay.
3. Once I've finished the two projects that are nearly done I can start teaching myself Tunisian crochet (look, two solutions in one!)
4. I've been looking at the needle rolls on etsy for ages and thinking that I could make one myself but, I have to face it, sewing is not my strong point so I think it's time I added one to my Christmas list. My family will probably be relieved as my list usually says something like "an plug in clothes airer so I don't use the tumble dryer" and "some garden tools"!

Right, that's me organised then! How about you?!