Author Archives: atangledyarn84

Coming Clean

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Time to come clean….

Remember this?

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Yep this if Florelei shawl in Cascade Sunseeker yarn or my Stashbustin’ #22. I started this waaaay back here. Then I filled you in my all my progress here.

Well, I feel obligated to inform you that it still looks like this. This pattern is great but represents a serious skills challenge for this shawl chart newbie. This summer has just been so packed with fun and activity I haven’t had the time nor inclination to sit back down with this. And now I’m in the throws of knitting for fall craft fairs for the next three months.

So in all honestly, I am going to let this project hibernate in my craft room. Right on top of my yarn cabinets where I can clearly see it. And come this winter when the snow is falling softly outside I will pull this project out and kick it’s shawl behind. I don’t care that it’s a shawl and I should be making sweaters. I know that I need some fortitude and peace to work this project out. And so it will have to be.

Have you ever had to put a project in long term time out?

Dark Yarn and Straight Needles

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Why is it that I can never find the needles I need when I start a project? I have become a BIG fan if circs as they are flexible and take up less room in my lap. But straights will do in a pinch.

I finally started my Stashbustin’ #26 projects. This balaclava is for a coworker.

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So far I am half way through the ribbed neck portion. The stitches are pretty bunched up right now on these straights but will get better as the pattern progresses. The yarn is Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Lost Lake Heather. This deep green is a bit fiddly to work with in the evenings as its very dark. But otherwise pretty darn good so far. (Even on these darn needles, lol)

I’m making the largest size the pattern has as the recipient is a large man. I hope to finish this and maybe one more before fall comes!

Happy Knitting!

Update: Stashbustin’ #25

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Baby Sophisticate is rocking and rolling! This is Stashbustin’ #25 in my queue of projects.

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This pattern is amazingly easy! Why did I wait so long to get started? A few hours and I’ve already divided for the body! Gotta love worsted weight yarn on size US 8 needles. And this project definitely soothes my recent bout of baby fever… 🙂

I predict a FO in my very near future!!

FO Friday: Aunt Martha’s Prayer Blanket

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Tah dah!!!! Aunt Marta’s Prayer Blanket is done!

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After a good bath and days of drying….the edges still curl (ARGH). I know it was more to hope from acrylic but still. The center also still has a little pooch. Laying flat it looks a bit like a volcano. And the outside is a bit warped like a spider web? I improvised this blanket based on the basic concepts of the Constant Square Blanket by Tina Laiho.

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I have to say that even with my trepidation about the colors, I rather like them together in the FO.

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My end product is a 38 by 40 inch square(ish) blanket. I used 882 yards or 340 grams of Caron Simply Soft yarns. I used Dusty Rose, Watermelon, and Light pink. I went down a needle size to US 7 for this project to create a tighter fabric.

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Now all that’s left is to package this up and send off to Aunt Martha for her new home! Now, I’m off to pack to spend the weekend with my best friend as she celebrates the impending birth of her baby girl! Happy Friday to All!!!

 

 

Now What?

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Remember my apple trees? Well it’s harvest time…

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I now have two five gallon buckets of apples. And I only picked half of one tree!!! There are a few gems in there but mostly they are all covered in worm/bug/bird marks. It’s going to take a lot to dice and clean these babies up. For now they are bathed and chilling in my fridge.

My question is now what? What you guys make with all these green apples? My leading preservation options are:

– apple butter

– apple sauce

– apple pie filling

Anything else sound good?

WIP Wednesday: Spiral Leg Warmers

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Finally some decent progress on my Spiral Leg Warmers or Stashbustin’ #24 for those of you keeping score.

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I’ve got a solid 16-17 inches down on the first leg. The pattern calls for 30 but I’m going to try it on and see how it fits at 26-27 inches. This Comfy Worsted is so silky under my fingers it makes me giddy! I am halfway through my second ball so I’m on track for 6 balls total for the project. This is a great purse knitting project as I can fit it yarn and all in one of my plastic cases.

Kind of digging the pink theme…

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I’m hoping the yummy yarn will help me power through the “second sock syndrome” when I get to the next one!

Have you ever had a case of “second sock syndrome”?

FAL Project: Almost There!!!

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My FAL with Sage Yarn is almost done!!

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I finished the knitting portion on Aunt Martha’s Prayer blanket on our trip to Arkansas this past weekend, but didn’t get get it washed until Sunday night. Its amazing what you can accomplish with 8 hours if driving time! It’s currently blocked and drying on my guest bed to open up the eyelets and take some of the curl out.

This project started WAAAY back in May and it feels so good to be done. I used up three large skeins of yarn from my stash! I’m hoping it dries quickly and I can get it photographed for a FO Friday.

Happy Knitting!

A Place of Beauty and Peace

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While in NW Arkansas we had the opportunity to walk through the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. This gem of a museum is nestled in between lush AR foothills and is a sight to behold. There are rooms and rooms of art inside and miles and miles of hiking trails outside.

The art was great of course but I was most struck by the landscaping and architecture. I caught myself thinking “I would love to sit and knit here” every time we got to a new section of the complex.

Here are some photos I snapped, enjoy!

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(This is a statue btw)

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Best of all…all this was FREE! Totally worth checking out if you are ever in Bentonville, AR!!!

FAL Project Progress!!!

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Having a deadline really puts my but in gear! I have made some stellar progress on my Sage Yarn FAL project. This blanket had sifted to the bottom of my priorities in June and July but I’m full steam ahead in August!

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This is a center out blanket made is from an interpretation of the Constant Square Blanket by Tina Laiho. I’m chewing through some of my stash of Caron Simply Soft in pinks. I had 2/3 of skein of the first color (dusty rose) and full skeins of the bright pink (watermelon) and light pink (still in the yarn protector). I am hoping to get this done before Aunt Martha moves into her new apartment!

I’m just about ready to transition to the last color. I’m doing the whole thing in stockinette so it’s getting a little boring. But I’m powering through. I have been doing a lot of Netflix and knitting on this blanket. At least one of those things always keeps my attention.

I’m interested to see how big this ends up being when I am done. My “plan” if you can call it that is to knit until I run low on yarn and then cast off. Check out the Ravelry page for this FAL to see what everyone else is working on!!!

Happy Knitting!