FO Friday: Baby Sophisticate #2

Posted on September 13, 2013 by atangledyarn84

And this Friday I bring to you another FO! I have finished my Baby Sophisticate #2!! (Stashbustin’ #28)

This time around I made the 0-3 month size. I used Caron Simply Soft again in Berry Blue. I used 100 grams or 185 yards of yarn. I started with a partial skein and I only had 5-6 yards left of yarn.

This smaller size only took me a few evenings of TV knitting. I did notice that my tension changed when I used the DPNs on the sleeves. Not that anyone else would notice. It bugs me a little….not enough to frog and start over though!

The buttons were some I had hanging out in the stash. The color is very close to the yarn but isn’t as matchy/matchy as the picture shows.

This pattern is so amazing and this is fast becoming my favorite go-to project for baby present knits. I cannot recommend this pattern enough! I don’t have a recipient for this sweater yet, so in the baby present stash it goes!

Happy Friday Everybody!!!

FO Friday: Baby Sophisticate

Posted on August 30, 2013 by atangledyarn84

My Little Old Man Sweater is done!!! (Stashbustin’ #26)

I cannot get over how adorable this is!!! And SUCH a quick knit. This would be a great pattern to pull out for a last minute gift. I made this whole thing from start to finish in about 7-8 hours working time?

I used Caron Simply Soft in Grey to make the 6 month old pattern size. I used about 118 grams of yarn so just under a full skein. The pattern was very well written and organized. It helped me learn my very first wrap and turn!! I highly recommend this pattern for someone wanting to learn sweater construction. It’s top down raglan style and SOOO easy!

The mommy to be who specially requested this got to pick out the buttons. She went with off white (slightly pearl-ish) 1 inch buttons. Not what I would have picked, but I’m not about to argue with a pregnant lady, lol! But I do have say they do come off as very grumpy old man…

Only a few more weeks until we get to meet the little guy to fill this sweater! Well and maybe a couple more months before he is big enough to fill this, lol.

My only thought now is….how do upsize this pattern to make myself one?

FO Friday: Aunt Martha’s Prayer Blanket

Posted on August 23, 2013 by atangledyarn84

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

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.

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

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.

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!!!

FO Friday: Stashbustin’ #23

Posted on July 26, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #23 is complete!!

This yarn can be challenging but this time I was up for it!! This one skein wonder is just a simple stockinette blanket with a four stitch seed stitch border. Finished size turned out to be 27 inch by 27 inch square. I used 10 1/2 US needles for a nice tight gauge. For more details on the yarn and stitch instructions see my Ravelry project page.

This blanket is oh so soft and yummy to the touch.

So soft to the touch in fact that when my Mother found this blanket in my WIP basket last weekend she announced that she would LOVE a full sized afghan for her Christmas. She then proceeded to fondle the yarn and the blanket at every opportunity for the entire weekend. Do you know how long and frustrating such a project would be to this knitter? Insert forehead slap here…

I am sensing that I am not done working with this yarn. Has any knitter out there every worked with a pattern or project that vexed them just because a loved one of said knitter requested it?

Happy Knitting!!

Tuesday Pick Me Up

Posted on July 23, 2013 by atangledyarn84

My special delivery from last Friday arrived at it’s destination this week….

Not exactly the use I had envisioned, but I guess a red/white/blue tutu can be an effective toupee, lol. And it definitely made this knitter’s heart swell to see someone enjoying my handiwork. Just the pick me up I needed. Albeit a strange one….

Only 3 months until Baby #2 arrives for the bald guy on the right and we can get a pic of the babies in the tutus, stay tuned!!!

FO Friday: Spiral Staircase Shawl

Posted on July 5, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #20 is done! Introducing my Spiral Staircase Shawl!!

I made a few amendments to the pattern:
– I cast off 12 stitches instead of the 10 called for the pattern
– I worked a total 17 teeth

This is a very narrow shawl and probably not incredibly warm. But it looks amazing against a black outfit. Wouldn’t this be an amazing pop of color with some red heels and a LBD?

All in all a very nice warm up project for learning shawl construction. Row and row of garter stitch with just a smidge of lacy detail at the edges.

Now what should my next shawl be? I’ll have to ponder on this…..

Happy Knitting!

FO Friday: Ombré Billow Blanket

Posted on June 28, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #15 is complete! I really kicked this into high gear Wednesday afternoon/evening and cranked out the last two color changes. It has had a bath and was mostly dry Thursday night. I just couldn’t wait to photograph it, I am so incredibly in love with my Ombré Billow Blanket!!

The pattern is Constant Baby Blanket by Tina Laiho made with Knit Picks Billow in six coordinating shades. Great yarn for a great pattern.

I made a few alterations from the written pattern:

– I knit with one color until I ran out and then changed to the next color
– I knit the entire blanket in stockinette to show off the thick/thin slubbiness of the yarn

This blanket is beautifully coordinated to our living room colors and couches. And it’s so wonderfully soft after its wash and block in some gentle wool soap. The thick thin yarn texture really gives the stockinette interest and variety.

The only downside is this yarn did shed quite a bit and pilled as the blanket grew and rubbed on my lap. Most of that I was able to solve during the wash/block. All in all a very fun project! I might save this in my hope chest for our future rug rats….how cute would a nursery in these neutral tones be!?

Happy Knitting!!!!

FO Friday: More Tutus!

Posted on June 21, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Seriously I can’t stop making these tutus….they are like Pringles, you can’t have just one!! At this rate I’m going to run out of friends with little girls and be the crazy lady giving them away on the corner!!!

(This is my fav mostly because I’m in love with this baby and she’s not even 3 months old yet!)

Another awesome one in tan and gold!

How about punk princess in dark pink and black?

This is destined for a wee KState fan!

These are perfect instant gratification projects that keep me sane while I work on my larger Stashbustin’ projects. The pattern author even quipped that I have made more than she has….I may have a problem, lol!

Oh well, the hubs and I are off to the homeland for a friends wedding. Hope to snag some awesome photos to share next week 🙂 TGIF!

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 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!

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

Category Archives: Finished Objects