2013 De-Stashing Update

Posted on June 19, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Instead of showing pictures of my marginal progress on my Ombre Billow Blanket (Stashbustin’ #15) or my Spiral Staircase Shawl (Stashbustin’ #20), I thought I’d give an update on my de-stashing efforts!

Late in 2012 as we prepared to start house hunting, I started packing up my yarn stash. I realized how easy it was for me to fall prey to the siren’s call of new yarn. My stash had grown CONSIDERABLY since the last time we moved. While my stash is pretty modest in comparison to some others, it bothered me to see all that gorgeous yarn is just sitting idle for the right project! So I vowed to “de-stash” in 2013. It’s now the middle of June and the year is half gone and here are my stats…
I have:

Completed 37 FOs (I don’t count all my FOs in my de-stashing count they were special orders or consignment pieces)
4 current WIPs
Knit approximately 11,455 yards or 6.53 miles
Eliminated 107 skeins of yarn from my stash

This means I’m knitting a little over a mile a month! Not too shabby considering I have FTJ (full time job), a husband, gym workouts, and theatre volunteer hours. Where I have faltered a little bit is in not adding yarn back to my stash. I have had to order yarn to fulfill custom orders and may or may not have ordered extra “just in case”. I have also fallen victim to yarn promotions and a splurge here and there.

I have added:

8,892 yards of yarn
Or 5.05 miles of yarn
Or 74 additional skeins

Okay, maybe that more than a couple of splurges. But it was all a really good deal I swear….and I’m still in the black by using more than I’m putting back in! The accountant in me is really excited to be in the black. Not to mention that all my yarn spreadsheets are up to date. I’m a GIANT nerd with mild organizational OCD if you haven’t already noticed lol.

Does anyone else organize their knitting on spreadsheets? Or am I crazy?

A Little Organization for My Tuesday

Posted on June 18, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I’m the first to admit….I’m a little OCD when it comes to organization. After too long messiness and clutter make me unhappy and grumpy. The husband calls me a neat freak. I prefer to think of it as overly organized. And my knitting is no exception. I keep all my projects in bags and yarn holders. I even used clear storage bins in my new craft room! I keep my important patterns in a three ring binder…

If I like a pattern and can possible foresee using it again. It gets a spot in my binder. I especially find that my notes and markings from the first (or second) go around are helpful weeks, months, or years down the road. I try to erase the check marks but leave the suggestions and changes. I also like to put the in self sealing pouches to laminate them. That way I can use a dry erase marker for the next time I use it. When I’m done I can wipe it clean.

Joining the binder this week (from left to right) Mud Season, Knit Tutu, Snug, and Shalom Cardigan! I’m such a dork I even have tabs in my binder for clothing, washcloths, baby items, and about four other things. It makes finding all junk all that much easier.

Ahhhh, it feels good to be organized! Happy Tuesday!!!

Stashbustin’ #15 Update: Ombré Billow Blanket

Posted on June 17, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #15 update!!! My Ombre Billow Blanket is definitely coming along….

I’m on my second color change. I have completed Natural and Willow. Now I’m on to Cornmeal. This blanket just keeps growing and growing. I’ve had to add an extension cable to my Denise Interchangeables to accommodate all the stitches. This blanket has been living on my bedside table and has been my bedtime meditation knitting. The pattern is memorized now and just keeps going round and round and round.

This yarn is just SOOOO soft I can’t stop petting it. I can’t wait to see how it finishes up. The ombre is proving not to disappoint. But I admit I’ll be a little sad when it’s done because it’s a dream to work with. I love the thick/thin texture.

Happy Monday and Happy Knitting!!!

A Bed For Chloe

Posted on June 15, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Hello from the boondocks of Kansas! I got to have my morning coffee from the deck of my parents house and watch all five dogs run around my parents yard chasing each other. I hope they wore each other out, lol!

Now on to some knitting news. Remember this Stashbusting #19 blanket? And all the problems I had with it here and here? And then the solution I talked about here?

Well I got brave and I measured (twice to be sure) and then got out the scissors and snipped it apart in the center. I wanted to rip back a few rows on either side and re-knit a new border on each side. Thus creating two new appropriately sized blankets out of one large wonky one. Well I soon discovered that it was going to be impossible to pick up and re-knit the edges. The yarn was falling apart and I cold not discern the individual stitches in the midst of the chenille. Not to mention that the way I snipped was not the same direction as the way I needed to work. So on to another back up plan!

I grabbed some bulky weight yarn in really close color match and secured the loose stitches I had created with my cutting. I paired the two squares wrong side to wrong side and seamed around the outside with a whip stitch using the matching yarn. And you can see my results below. A double thick blanket/pad thingy.

Chloe claimed it almost immediately. So I took this as a sign as this blanket was always meant for her, lol. Goes well with her coat don’t you think?

And then she proceeded to rub her scent all over it as to say “this is mine and you can’t have it back”!

It now lives in her kennel and she (and I) couldn’t be happier that this project is over. Good riddance I say! Well I need to get my butt in gear and get the dogs walked, shop for groceries, and get ready to cook dinner for my grandma and cousins!

Happy Saturday from the boonies!

FO Friday: Knit Tutu

Posted on June 14, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I was so excited to be a part of Smashlee Stitches test knit of her newest pattern, Knit Tutu!! And now I can finally share the adorableness of this pattern. Seriously, I can’t stop making these!

The pattern is easy and very straightforward. It also has great instructions for those who aren’t used to working with ruffle yarn. The pattern is sized from newborn to 1-2 years. All you need is a little bit of worsted weight yarn, 1-2 balls of ruffle yarn (depending on your size), and a length of ribbon or I-cord for a belt. I can make one of these from start to finish during a single movie or a couple of episodes of my favorite TV show.

I got Baby B to model one more my first tutus!

She especially like the ribbon belt feature. It was yummy!

If you are interested in this pattern you can find it on Etsy or find it on Ravelry. This is great pattern for newborn pics and would make a quick easy baby shower gift!! It will definitely be a staple in my gift knitting!

TGIF!! I hope you all have a great and relaxing Father’s Day weekend. I’m off to visit my hometown and dog sit for my parent’s three pooches. Even though I’m approaching 30…it still creeps me out to be in my parents house alone sometimes. I think I’m going to take Dex and Chloe to protect me, lol.

See you on the other side!!

FO: Shalom Cardigan

Posted on June 13, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Here she is! Stashbustin’ #18 aka Shalom Caridgan finished and thanks to the husband photographed!!

This is an awesome pattern! Just as an aside this is only written for a small/medium size or 32″ bust. My chest is a bit bigger than that so I followed the author’s suggestions and tweaked the pattern for my needs.

I used a 10 1/2 US or 6.5 mm needle.
I used a 7 stitch garter border by simply adding two stitches to beginning and end of each row. This added just enough to make the sweater close comfortably across the top my 37 1/2 inch bust.
I worked a three stitch button opening to accommodate my larger button.
I worked an extra decrease section (row 83 followed by rows 48 & 49 alternating for 7 rows) at the bottom after row 105
I knit 7 rows garter bottom border in order to match the length of the collar instead of the 9 rows in the pattern.

I did dork up the garter border a bit. See my 911 post here and my fix here. But all in all I’m very happy. This will look great over a tank (as pictured) or thrown over a long sleeve tee in the fall/winter. Not sure I would re-knit this particular pattern but it’s a great addition to my wardrobe.

WIP Wednesday: Stashbustin’ #20

Posted on June 12, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I’ve been itching to make my first ever shawl. I had no less than 10 in my Ravelry queue…

Florelie by Katheryn C

Ridged Trianglar Shawl by Leslie Weber

Mara by Madelinetosh

Citron by Hillary Smith Callis

ZuZu’s Petals by Carina Spencer

Heartwarmer by Bley Hack

Lace Shawl by Sharon Miller

Cottonista Triangle Shawl by Franziska Collins

Great Divide Shawl by Michele Brown

Spiral Staircase Shawl by LizAnn Petch

And the winner was…….Spiral Staircase Shawl for my Stashbustin’ #20 project. I was attracted the hitchhiker look of the teeth and the simple garter body. I think baby steps were in order on my first shawl, lol. I made it through the first few teeth over the past weekend!

I’m using some leftover Berroco Vintage DK in deep red that I had from my Stockinette Shrug. I’m working on size 5 US metal circular needles. This has made for great TV knitting even if the needles are a bit slippery. I can’t decide if I’m going to stop at 15 teeth as the pattern is written or add a few extra. Just have to try it on when I get there!

What is your favorite shawl pattern?

Falling in Love with Blossom Street

Posted on June 11, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I am now the proud owner of a library card! I have been meaning to get one since I finished graduate school and I lost access to the campus library. No excuse for taking this long but I digress!

The husband took me and we had a date night last week browsing the stacks. My taste leans towards murder mystery and fiction whereas the husband likes sci-fi and non-fiction. Browsing the electronic catalog I found the Blossom Street series by Debbie Macomber via a keyword search for knitting.

I’m addicted. No seriously, I have read the first seven novels in the series in the past two weeks. When I can lose myself in a good book I can devour them. These fiction novels start out about knitting and friendship but as the series progresses they cover so much more: life, death, love, heartbreak, change, illness, and so many more. I have laughed, cried, giggled, gasped, and fallen in love with all the characters. I love how she keeps introducing new characters and relationships but they are always connected back to Blossom Street and original story. I highly recommend this series to all fiction lovers!!

Having access to such a huge library is awesome and I can’t wait too see what other treasures it holds!

Happy Tuesday!!

Sweater 911: The Fix!

Posted on June 10, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Remember my sweater 911 from last week? I mistakenly knit part of my garter edge as a stockinette edge. It looked something like this….

After some hemming, hawing, and wine drinking I decided on a fix. I picked up my yarn and tapestry needle and went to work. I ended up with something like this..

I cut a length of my leftover yarn and threaded on my tapestry needle. With the right side facing me I simply stitched over and around each one of the 7 edge stitches with a whip-like stitch creating the top of a faux purl like bump. When I reached the stockinette section I turned the work around and stitched back across but this time staggered by half a stitch. This way I could create the bottom of the row to create the look of garter stitch. It didn’t turn out as perfectly as I wanted but it definitely looks better then when I started.

I think the corrections are hardly noticeable when looked at the garment as a whole. Stashbustin’ #18 is officially complete! I hope to snag the husband some night this week so I can get some shots of this garment in action!!

Happy Monday and Happy Knitting!!

Sweater 911

Posted on June 8, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I was sooo happy to finish my Shalom Cardigan (Stashbustin #18) that I snapped a few quick photos with my iPhone….

I was so happy and excited! It fit great and I had the perfect button for it….and then I found them! Did anyone notice the two glaring mistakes in my sweater above? Here is one of them….

I totally messed up the sweater edge/ribbing. I know exactly what I did, I was on a purl row and purled row all the way across…sigh. This happened in two obvious places. I didn’t even notice until I was ALL the way done and bound off and washed/blocked.

After much brainstorming (drinking a little wine) and consulting of the online tutorials and blogs, I have settled on a solution. I have lots of yarn left over. So I am going to cut a small length and with a tapestry needle sew over the stockinette stitch to create an artificial garter ridge. So that is my mission today is to fix these oops.

Wish me luck! I hope to have a success story to share with you later….fingers crossed!!

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

Monthly Archives: June 2013