Yarn that does not count as stash

The following yarn does not count as stash:
1. Lace weight
2. Sock yarn
3. Gift yarn (including yarn bought with gift certificate)

Just in case anyone is keeping track, all my yarn still fits in my stash bin with room to spare.

Tonight, I had dinner with JL and her family.

I showed her the knitting disaster that was my first clapotis. I brought the partially knit stole as well as the additional yarn. She agreed with me, definitely fug. It wasn't my knitting skills or pattern that made it horrible it was the color combination of the yarn. The yarn felt great, knit wonderfully, the colors sucked. It looks like the colors of the DC football team (burgundy and gold with some pink thrown in). Even if I followed and supported the team I still wouldn't wear these colors. We couldn't think of anyone who, in their right mind, would like this stole. JL did the right thing. She was brutal but, brutality was needed. She took the cable out, saved my stitch markers, disappeared with the Crap-otis and the yarn (baggie and all) then came back to the table empty-handed. This is something I need to forget and just move on.

In stash news, I got a whole lot of yummy. First, my final yarn order of 2008 arrived from Eat.Sleep.Knit. That was fast. I ordered it the day after Christmas, when I realized I hated the colors and yet another person said, "Those are 'Skins' colors." It was waiting for me when we got home from dinner today. The order contained 4 skeins of Malabrigo worsted merino in Little Lovely and 2 skeins of lace in molly. And, JL bought me some Malabrigo sock for Christmas (btw, gift yarn doesn't count as stash).

My friend JL let me borrow her size 9 tips while I wait for the replacement circular to arrive. Being a knitter she knows I was like a junkie going into withdrawal because I wasn't able to touch the single ply worsted merino for a couple of days. These past couple of days haven't been pretty.

I like the feel of the metal tips and will ask Knit Picks for metal replacements instead of the Harmony wood.

I'm going to give up on the Knit Picks Harmony set. While knitting a clapotis Thursday night I had another tip separate from the metal cup. This time I almost lost stitches. This makes the 4th set of tips with which I have had problems. There are many things I like about the Harmony needles. I like having an interchangeable set, it is cheaper than having to buy a comparable set of fixed circular needles. They are warm, I like the feel of wood, and they are pretty. Knit Pick's customer service is excellent. Every time I called in the past with a problem they sent replacement tips out immediately.

The problem isn't getting a replacement tip. I might even call Knit Picks to get the tips replaced. For the moment, I ordered fixed circulars. The problem is, I like to knit. It is my activity in the evening after the children go to bed that helps me unwind. It is what I like to do in the middle of the day to take a break from work. I don't like having to be nervous about whether or not I'm going to lose stitches because a tip came apart and I don't like having to put projects aside because I have to wait for replacements to arrive.