The Connection Bernards-Ridge Edition January February 2015

Explore The Country Mile Hair Designs Unlimited The Latest Styles for Women and Men Under New Ownership • Full Service Hair Salon • Neuma organic hair products • Inoa no ammonia hair color • Keratin smoothing treatments • Revive hair products for fine and thinning hair • Balayage highlights • Ombré color shading Come in and see our NEW and exciting changes $ 5.00 OFF ANY SERVICE EXP. DATE 3/31/15 914 Mt. Kemble Ave - Route 202 Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 425-5757 GREAT RATES. FEWER FEES. BETTER SERVICE. All the services of a bank without the bank. Country Mile Village 1098 Mt. Kemble Ave. Morristown, NJ 07960 800.325.0808 ext. 3770 joina nity.com Visit us at your local Morristown Branch. Federally Insured by the NCUA My Stash: Revisited By: Carolyn Hanson This year with too many yarn shops closing (sigh), I did some major damage but brought home many fabulous purchases, adding to my stash. BTW, my stash fills a double wall closet, a 3-drawer end table and a repurposed TV console. I hope that I continue to knit long enough to consume it all. That would be quite a feat! So, for 2015 I’m putting myself on a yarn diet and working only from my stash (which has the best yarn anyway!). Yet, I’m thinking how else can I make a dent before my children give it away, or throw it away (horror), before they put me away? I’ve shared with you the wonders of Ravelry, the on-line knitting and crocheting community, http://www.ravelry.com, in the past. Did you know that each account has a STASH folder? This is quite useful. Not only can you add your stash, you can make it available for trade or sale! Here’s how it works, go to the site and sign up for an account. Go to your home page and select “Stash.” Once inside the folder, select “+ add to stash” button. This will open a window that prompts you to add the yarn manufacturer, yarn name, how many skeins, the color and dye lot, where purchased and how much spent (you can leave this field blank, wink, wink). Select whether you want this as a personal record or “will trade or sell” from a drop down menu. Selecting “trade or sell” encourages other Ravelers or the Public, if you choose, to peruse your stash and make an offer. This is a great feature that I have used when needing a bit more yarn that was discontinued. I searched Ravelry, found it in someone’s stash, exchanged messages through Ravelry and made a purchase. Easy. The seller had a PayPal account, so the transaction was the same as other online purchases, but without the fees. Remember to add a bit extra for postage. Once your stash is recorded, you can adjust the number of skeins available by either marking the stash as “used up” or “traded/sold/gifted.” This allows tracking of all materials so you know where it went. There is even a note section where additional information can be entered…like a clue as to where it’s stored! It also serves as inven- tory while waiting for your yarn to become “retired” like all those Beany Babies that promised to make us a fortune. With a smart phone, your inventory is available to you anytime, anywhere. No more second-guessing the colorway and how many skeins are in your stash, just access Ravelry and view your account. It’s all there. Keep your inventory current by recording what comes in before starting the project or storing. Start by taking a photo and add all the key info. That’s the easy part.Now open those bins and closets and drawers and begin recording history. It’s a bit daunting at first, but commit to one shelf or bundle or bin at a time. While we’re at it, let’s start with a clean slate in 2015 and assess your unfinished proj- ects. Release yourself and continue work on only those items that are current, fash- ionable and loveable. For the rest, repurpose, recycle, donate or sell. I recently finished a knitted skirt that I could not wait to make. For 2 years, I searched for the yarn, only to be completely disappointed when it was finished. So my choices are…give it away, or frog it (rip it, rip it) and reuse the yarn. I’ll attempt the former, but I’m pretty sure the later will be the final outcome. Don’t despair. When using beautiful yarn, better to frog then to hide it in a closet. Working it again is not so terrible. Yes, it seems like the time wasted, but better to salvage the yarn and save the expense, then do nothing. You’ll make it up in no time. Regarding my skirt, I’ll let the cards fall where they may, and feel guilt free…I will have made a decision and moved on! Happy 2015! I wish for you an organized stash, inspiration, flying fingers, a full year or knitting and crocheting only beautiful and fabulous projects no matter the source of the yarn, and fun on Ravelry. See you there. PS, thank you to those who participated in the drawing for the scarf pattern and studs in celebration of The Connection’s 10th year of publishing. Congratulations to Mary S from Warren. Carolyn Hanson is a local knitting and crochet designer, teacher and fiber artist. She can be contacted at cchanson3@gmail.com. PAGE 32 Rt. 202, Harding Township