Stash busting

This weekend I was not up for any heavy brain activity, such as comparing the knitting instructions for my sister's sweater to the sleeves themselves and then trying to figure out where I went wrong.

That's the problem with knitting -- every single stitch is your responsibility and there's no one to blame but you. In gardening, the plants grow on their own and sun, rain, soil composition, bugs, rabbits, voles, etc. all introduce elements of unpreditability. In pottery, the clay tells me what it wants to be, and then the glazes and kiln firings (done by other people), make each visit to the pottery studio a surprise. In gardening and pottery, things change without you making it happen.

Not so with knitting. Sweaters don't make themselves while you're gone and all mistakes are your own. Wouldn't it be great to have Mrs. Weasley's magical knitting needles, that knit on their own? We would be able to use up our yarn stash so much faster.

Speaking of stash-busting, I started 2 baby blankets this weekend and have decided to use up as much of my yarn as possible making baby blankets. You never know when a friend will announce a pregnancy and wouldn't it be nice to have something ready to give? This would be especially helpful when long-distance friends tell you with only weeks to go.

So this is what I'm working on:
1. I found a double crocheted 12 inch square of Mountain Colors Barefoot yarn in the Mystic Lake colorway that I made some time ago and one ball each of Knit Picks Essential Solid in burgundy, navy, and dark green. Clearly I was going to make something with this, so it will now be a baby blanket. It's sock weight yarn, so it'll take forever to finish. However, it's also thin and small, so it's my portable project.
2. Using Cascade Sierra in navy, light blue, pink, and white, held double, and crocheting stripes with a size J hook. I tried knitting, but Sierra is 80% cotton, 20% merino wool and 0% stretchable. So my first try, knitting, resulted in aching arms and elbows. Knitting is supposed to be fun, not painful. Now, I'm trying to use up the yarn as quickly as possible, just to get rid of it. What I do like is that holding one strand of navy, and one strand of either the light blue or pink results in a very pretty tweed effect. Will post pictures soon.

On the back burner: Husband's afghan and Sister's sweater, both in Cascade 220.