Waste Not Want Not

Posted on September 18, 2014 by atangledyarn84

Due to fits of KNIT ALL THE THINGS and a constant cast of cast-itis I’m always in need of project bags and yarn protection. I’m guessing this will become doubly important when Jellybean gets older/mobile/grabby lol!

As I was unpacking and washing baby gifts I had this plastic bag that housed two hooded baby bath towels. It was of a decent grade plastic and closed with easy snaps…

I just couldn’t hurl into the recycle bin with all the other packing material detritus. So when I cast on for Jellybean’s Candy Corn set yesterday I tucked my yarn into it.

It fit two of my three skeins of yarn. It open enough for yarn to feed out and to prevent dog hair and other dirt from grabbing on as I knit! Not to mention it’s clear and I can see the contents without opening. My grandparents always said “waste not want not” and I guess it stuck. This bag is just right for hats, gloves, socks, or other small projects. And it was free, to me at least.

Have you ever used anything quirky for a project bag or yarn holder?

Hallelujah, I Finally Have A LYS!!!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by atangledyarn84

Hallelujah and Praise the fiber gods!! My happy hamlet of Topeka, KS has officially opened a LYS!

I introduce to you….Yak ‘n Yarn!

They are all about knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, and so much more! I have been following their Facebook page and their Grand Opening at the end of March. They are going to even offer classes and Knit Nights! My inner knitting nerd is doing back flips! They have sort of odd hours right now so I sadly haven’t been able to get in there and explore the store. I am definitely going remedy that soon!

What is your favorite part of having a LYS near you?

FO Friday: Snug #2

Posted on September 20, 2013 by atangledyarn84

My second attempt at Snug is done!! This pattern is by Hinke.

This is not my first swing at this pattern and it won’t be the last! I used 212 grams or 288.3 yards of Knit Picks Brava Bulkly in Peapod. That’s just about 2 skeins plush a little of a third skein. The body is worked flat. The sleeves are done on DPNs. And the hood is knit flat and closed withe Kitchener stitch.

I was not has happy with this sweater as I was with my first sweater. The shoulders are ugly to me. For whatever reason, I didn’t get the arm decreases placed very well. They are visible along the top. And the the sewing I did on the seams on the shoulders is not as clean as I would like. But I am assured by my husband that he can’t see it. Oh…#knitter problems

The part of this sweater that I really love is the buttons. I spotted them at JoAnns and I was in love!! The watermelons really save this project for me. I deviated from the pattern a bit and added four buttons instead of the pattern request of three.

Into the FO stash this one goes. I love having some cuteness hidden away for a rainy day! Happy Friday to all!!!

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!!!

Two At A Time

Posted on August 29, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I need to make a boat load of scarves and tutus for fall craft fairs. I normally work one scarf at time and I can whip through them pretty quickly. But in the interest of time and mass production I decided to try two a time! So I picked up my US 8 circs and cast on two ruffle scarves.

So far so good. And both scarves are growing appreciably. It is a bit fiddly to keep the two yarns from wrapping around each other as I turn my work. But I can work the same pattern of decreases and increases on both scarves at once. Thus creating uniform output for sales purposes!

I’m currently out of project bags….so Ziplock will have to do, lol. At least when the yarn gets tangled I can pop it out of the bag and untangled the whole mess. Hopefully I can crank out several of these bad boys in the next few weeks.

Happy Knitting!

Odds and Ends Update

Posted on June 3, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I must have some very picky birds in my neighborhood….

My contribution for local bird nests is going largely ignored. The only yarn that has disappeared is the 100% wool that was at the bottom. All the cotton, acrylic, and wool/acrylic blends are untouched.

I put this under my apple tree and I think I’m going to move it to the patio. Maybe my placement is bad, or maybe I have horrible taste in yarn according to birds, lol? It has been TERRIBLY stormy here in the Midwest and it could be weather related as well. Or maybe it has already passed prime best building time for chicks and chickadees? I’m not even close to a bird expert by any means!

Only time will tell! I’ll post another update in a couple weeks. Happy Monday!

A Tip on Tuesday

Posted on May 28, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I am a big fan of the latest craze of ruffle yarn. I’ve tried everything from Red heart, Starbella, Berroco, and all kinds of other brands. I found them each to have their strengths and weaknesses. But they all had one thing in common….a twist as you pulled the yarn from the center or unraveled from the outside.

After a 50 or so scarves and really cool recent test knit I can’t tell you about yet I think I’ve found a process to deal with it.

Start with center wound ball.

Unwind using center pull end while opening and flattening the yarn to take out the twist. Once flat begin to wind into a ball.

This tape style winding takes most of the twist out of the yarn and your are left with smooth ball with flat yarn.

I find that I have to “fix” or untwist the yarn A LOT less while actually knitting. It does take some extra time at the beginning but is much less tedious during the knitting process.

Hope this tidbit helps! Happy Tuesday!!

Breaking the Yarn Diet

Posted on May 26, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I broke my stashbusting trend a bit. I had to swing over to the Yarn Barn, my LYS, and get more Soak. And I browsed while I was there….

I have been watching other knitters post about Neon by Joji Locatelli. So I bought the pattern online and picked the lovely yarn above…

It’s 12 hanks of Berroco Pure Pima cotton in green. It’s a new yarn from Berroco. (I think I’m quickly becoming a Berroco kind of girl) It’s very spring like to me and just called my name. It’s a very soft cotton and I can’t wait to try it!

I have so many other WIPs it will have to wait a bit. For now I’m just going to mark up the directions for my size and read the pattern through a few times. It’s by far one of the most complicated sweaters I will attempt. It uses the contiguous construction method, which looks amazing.

For now it sits in cakes on my craft desk and I fondle it every time I walk by, lol! The hubs and I are off to a BBQ for lunch with friends and some relaxation!!

I hope you have an awesome Sunday!!

P.S. I did remember to buy Soak as well. That justifies my trip right?

Odds n Ends

Posted on May 15, 2013 by atangledyarn84

While organizing my craft room yesterday I came across A LOT of yarn odds and ends. And a thought popped into my brain. Something neat I had seen on Pinterest and in other blogs. Why not snip the bits and peices and put in a cage outside for nesting birdies?

I grabbed a grilling/hamburger cage from the discount store…

And my bag of leftovers…

Fill cage with yarn and close!

I hung the contraption outside in our apple tree and viola!

Now I just have to wait and see if the little birdies take the bait…stay tuned…

2013 Stashbustin’ Update

Posted on April 17, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I didn’t have any big updates on my WIPs this week or any good photos to share. So I thought I’d round out my “stats” for 2013 and my stashbustin’ project. Here goes nothing:

Yds of Yarn used: 7,840

Ft of Yarn Used: 23,519

Stashbustin’ Projects Completed: 11 1/2

Current WIPs: 2 1/2

Total Miles knitted: 4.47

Number of skeins used from my stash: 78.5

Average blog posts per week: 5

Not to shabby if I do say so myself! Here’s to keeping the mojo flowing! What’s on your needles this week?

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

Category Archives: Yarn