yarn-hamsters

In Finnish "hamster" is someone who collects or "hamsters" things, "for the rainy day". You are not a hamster, if you collect stamps or vintage dolls, but if you collect things to be used later, "just in case", like for example canned food, because one never knows when one might need it, or craft material, because there was a sale and, well, one can use them some day for some project. Yarn hamsters are naturally people who have been "hamstering" yarn, either there's been some yarn over from a project, or one planned on doing a project that never happened, or... there was a sale in the local yarn shop and one could get really nice yarn, a lot, cheaply, and even though there wasn't an immediate need for the yarn, one never knows, and you get the picture :-D
Anyways, the Finnish knitters' blogging society organizes "yarn hamsters" February, now for the 5th time. The one who manages to use most yarn without buying any new yarn wins a prize. (Or something like that. Close enough to me.)
I think I'm going to join, as in a training month, or so. Let's see if I can manage to diminish my yarn stash a little.

I also "hamster" patterns... I have like 10 kilos of print-outs and books and ideas and plans I need to do. There's another thing going on about this in the net too. I don't remember what it was right now, but I think the idea was to finish 10 patterns from stash before one gets to buy a new one - magazines and books counted.
Alan Dart has put the lovely Siamese on his site... the Leprachaun isn't bad either. I really want the Hanukkah Hiram and the Witch and Cat too, and... The problem is that I already have four patterns by Alan Dart waiting to be finished... the Springer Spaniel, Pearl the Knitter, Devilish Dragon and the Yule gnomes.

But I have finished my cardigan. I am knitting my spider scarf, but I didn't have enough yarn for the whole thing, and now I have to decide what to do with the rest... perhaps just use some yarn that fits, somewhat, and dye the whole thing black. It's wool, and disgusting color, and black would be nice, because the thing cannot be used as a scarf, but only as a Halloween decoration. Or then I give it to my niece, who doesn't like the ugly brownish spider color anyway, but would prefer black.

I also need to finish my Horseshoes cardigan and Mapleleaves socks. I want to knit more shawls. I have Luminaria pattern waiting, because I'm really interested in Estonian lace knitting, and the Spring Equinox Shawl.

Hmm... what else... I have done more this year than can be seen, but - hey, it's already February, who remembers old things? ;-)