Craftyone, you've been emailed to collect your pattern of choice from the Holla Knits Summer 2015 issue! Thanks for playing!
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On the Topic of Stash
Remember my big 'stash stats' post, when I cleared out my stash and sorted it all? Of course I wasn't entirely motivated by the need to clean--I was doing research for my article in the Holla Knits Warm Weather Accessories issue!
Remember this?
I feel like my relationship with Holla Knits has truly come full circle. I contributed my Holla Back Tank to the first issue ever, Spring/Summer 2012, and here I am with an article in the first issue of the new Holla Knits now featuring articles! I love seeing what Allyson has built and I'm so happy to be involved, no matter what form it takes. In this case, it's my article titled Conquering Your Stash: Musings on Yarn, Organization and Letting Go. The article is exclusive to the magazine, so here's a short excerpt from it to wet your whistle.
Having a stash is a fantastic tool to have at your disposal as a knitter, especially if you don’t have a LYS within easy distance or prefer to buy most of your yarn online. Stash is great for last-minute gift knits, swatching stitch patterns before committing to knitting a whole sweater in a p5tog pattern, and for queuing up your next project without having to shop for more yarn. As time went on though, I found my stash had become a proverbial ball and chain. My stash yarn guilt-tripped me from its storage bins and my tastes evolved, making a portion of it no longer appealing or useable. In becoming a designer, I now viewed my stash in new light; thus, the Great Stash Clean-Out was born.
The piece is personally introspective but offers some of my advice on how to manage your stash (and in a way, the emotions tied to it!) I'm really happy with it because I feel like it perfectly encapsulates my writing voice to an extent that I don't think I've achieved with any of my previous articles. I love all my written children equally of course though!
Check out the issue to read my article, see the lovely accessory designs and take the fun Knitting Spirit Animal quiz. Here's to the new incarnation of Holla Knits!
Friday Night Music Videos - 1/24 Edition
Tonight I am living the exciting life, as I am so wont to do, and cleaning. Because I have company tomorrow and I don't want them to think I'm a dirty hamster (heeeey-OH, oblique Jersey Shore reference!) I'm good with the putting things away type of cleaning, and not so good with the vacuuming and actually scrubbing stuff type of cleaning. I also have a (small) Martha Stewart complex and want to impress people with my clean house, unless they're my dear friends and then I just don't care anymore. You know I really love you if my house is messy when you come over. Pumping myself up with some high energy garage-y alt rock!
On 5k's (yes, plural)
I was never the fit kid in school. I played basketball and soccer for a while but neither one really took off for me due to my lack of height (see: basketball) and my lack of stamina (see: soccer.) My memories of the former are colored with frustration of being unable to make any plays, and the latter with exhausting laps around the practice field.
But I'm an adult now and you know, things are a little bit different. So much so that this was me a little over a month ago: 
Mark and I participated in our first mud run/obstacle course race/exercise in insanity, a Rugged Maniac 5k! (He's now officially The Boyfriend. In case any snoops were wondering--hi Mama and Papa! :P)
Without a doubt it was the most physically challenging and rewarding experience I've done so far. Because I grew up as the bookworm and the crafty kid, I'd created an identity for myself that wasn't athletic, of a girl who was more likely to sit indoors making something rather than go out and test the limits of my body. My interest in fitness has slowly grown over the past 4 years, starting with haphazard dabblings and bringing me to where I am now: mainly someone who reads fitness blogs for fun. (Ha!) Am I an incredible athlete? Hardly. But I'm learning how to push myself, how to keep going when it hurts, when it's 6am and you're still tired but have a workout scheduled for yourself. I'm learning discipline in a different way than I did with my schoolwork or my designing, and I kind of like it.
My biggest weakness with the Rugged Maniac was the actual 5k part. I kind of-sort of worked on running in preparation for it but mostly stuck with weight-training workouts since that's what I gravitate towards and genuinely enjoy. I am not an endurance cardio person. So when it came time to do the actual race, I think I ran (ok, jogged) less than 50% of the course and wound up walking between the obstacles. But I'm still incredibly proud of myself for completing all the obstacles except three--like the one that included jumping over giant trenches in the earth? HELL TO THE NAW.
In keeping with my masochistic tendencies, I'm now training to run a 'real' (aka normal, obstacle-free) 5k next month. Do I enjoy training for this? Not really. I have a theory that anything you hate to do, you should try and make yourself do. Of course, I apply this at my discretion! Whatevs, I'm not perfect, as much as I'd like to be. I'll be running in the Hot Chocolate Run, which is a fundraising event that benefits a local domestic violence shelter/organization. That link is for my donation page--no pressure of course but if you feel so inclined, it would be much appreciated. It's an issue that hits me in the feels and I've donated $25 myself to help out those great people.
With my BFF Kerry at last year's Hot Chocolate Run, ready to walk (not run!)
I don't know if I will continue to run once the 5k is over. I've been waiting for it to set me ablaze, turn me into a runner or at least someone who can get enjoyment out of it the way a barbell gets me fired up. I mostly get enjoyment once the run is over! We'll see how it goes. I'm always on the lookout for new physical challenges so if not running, something else will pop up for me to conquer.
This post brought to you in my attempt to a) update my blog more often and b) talk about more than just knitting. Let me know if you liked it and what type of posts you'd like to read!
Winner!
The winner of the Just Beachy pattern giveaway is Kate Noe, who said "I love the Nachfalter. I would style it with dark jeggings, open-toe wedges, and bangles or a cuff." Sounds great, Kate--I'd totally rock a Nachfalter like that. Check your email for the pattern! Thanks to everyone who entered! I can't wait to start seeing Holla Knits S/S 13 projects start popping up.