Crochet Thread Woes and Wins

Woe

I have four bookmarks on the hook right now. Two of them having three colors in common so I keep them in the same project bag with the rainbow tote which includes all six plus 12 tho I am done with 16 of those now and the remaining two are not used in the bookmarks but I gotten used to having all three projects in the one bag.

So yesterday two bookmarks which I'd been keeping inside the tube of the ball currently in use feel to the bottom of the bag and several loops of thread came off two of the balls and the three threads still connected got snarled.

Win

I've been trying to cram as much thread into the space I've allocated to myself for thread to take with me on my three week trip to my Mom's. One way was to take the thread off the huge cardboard tubes if the ball was at least half gone. It takes 20 to 30 minutes each but its worth it to take them down from softball to golf ball size.

I even found it rather soothing the winding of the thread by hand and am tempted to start in on the fuller to full balls. But not until I'm done packing. For improvised cores I used: cotton out of a vitamin bottle; packing peanuts; crushed tubes from the smaller bamboo thread emptied by the baby afghan project; and I'm about to put one on a cat toy ball that's lost its bell.

Here's the third of the four bookmarks. The first one made with the interlocking circlets. I'm using the same concept for the rainbow tote's shoulder strap.

This one turned out longer than I planned. I aimed for 6 to 7 inches and what I'm getting is close to 9.5




This is the top drawer of the chest that I've been keeping my thread in. I decided to use it to transport my crochet and other fiber arts limiting myself to two drawers for the thread and the third for misc. tools and supplies and small fine needle WIP.

The chest currently sets beside the bed it's top serving as a desk top and the drawers holding the thread and a few small crochet projects I can work on without moving the thread out of the drawer. Visible here is the circlet bookmark in a baggie in the lefthand corner and another bookmark hanging by its thread.

Here's a close up:

This is a second zig szg or chevron pattern bookmark. I just learned the stitch this week and now picture about a zillion color combos. For this one I'm using Purple, Parakeet and Pink.

I know I said a couple weeks ago that I was planning to leave the bulk of my thread behind this trip. I wimped out. But I am leaving close to 50%. Before I consolidated them All three 20X16X8 inch drawers were stuffed with thread as well as 2 large, 3 medium and 4 small project bags containing between 1 and 16 balls.

The bottom drawer had contained mostly duplicates, scraps of the ends of balls, and various odd balls that don't play well with others for which I have no current plans. So it was fairly easy to empty that drawer into a medium sized box and bag to be left behind with a few getting moved upstairs.

My reasons for wimping?

~~My mind has been swarming with new ideas for crochet projects especially bookmarks which are quick (30 min to 4 hrs) and I wanted my whole pallet available.

~~I wanted to be able to custom make bookmarks for friends and family while there with their choice of pattern and colors.

But mostly I must admit it was about the building anxiety as the day approached about leaving it behind. In my defense I am leaving behind over 60% of the bulk of the sewing and craft materials I have been taking north with me each year; over 80% of books and notebooks and writing/office paraphernalia; at least 50% of the HABA (health and beauty aids); over 60% of clothes and shoes. So I have improved.