The 2015 Purge

Posted on January 6, 2015 by atangledyarn84

Yesterday I talked about my spendy yarn purchase for Christmas. I’ll freely admit that this has caused a bit of guilt (along with my Knit Picks Cyber Monday spree).

So during one of jellybean’s naps I tore through my stash. It is fairly busting at the seams in my storage drawers. I have more than I could ever need. So I’m paying it forward!

I went drawer by drawer and did a long hard look at what I would use and what I never will. I’ve come up with a large-ish bag of acrylics and cottons that just aren’t my aesthetic or fiber of choice anymore. There are several nursing homes nearby that take craft donations for residents who can’t afford supplies. I also went through my needles and pulled the duplicates and triplicates to donate as well. I made the activities directors day when I walked in. And it made me feel a bit good as well.

I feel a bit more in control of my yarn and storage space. Not to mention this perfectly good yarn will actually be put to good use! I’m not trying to toot my own horn or anything. It’s not like I saved the world. But if I brought some peace to my space and a smile to a lonely heart….that’s a damn good day!

Happy Knitting!

Biggest Yarn Splurge….Ever

Posted on January 5, 2015 by atangledyarn84

My favorite Aunt did something wonderful this year. Instead of trying to find something I didn’t already have and would love for Christmas, she did something genius. She wrote a letter and tucked in some cash, with one rule. Rule: Spend it on something personal and luxurious! It was something she had always wanted to do and would have loved herself at my stage of life.

I knew right away it would be yarn. And deep down in my knitters soul I knew what I wanted….beautiful gradient sock yarn. I’ve been honing my sock skills this past year. And I’ve always wanted badly to work with gradient color. I went to my favorite Etsy store for gradients: Knitcircus Yarns! I’ve drooled over their yarn forever but couldn’t justify spending that on myself.

I chose carefully…Over The Rainbow custom gradient matching sock yarn. My little knitter hands CANNOT wait to get my hands on this. I had a mini panic attack as this is the most I’ve ever paid for yarn. But I’m worth it…I hope!

Stay tuned and I’ll hope to do something very magical with it. Happy knitting to all!

Holiday Stash Enhancement

Posted on December 30, 2014 by atangledyarn84

I was weak and couldn’t resist the Knit Picks Cyber Monday sale. Here is proof of my ~~shame~~ ~~weakness~~ great deals…

I managed to grab some Knit Picks Biggo in a neutral color for a baby blanket. I also chose several skeins of Shine Worsted, Comfy Sport, Cotlin, and some Stroll Fingering. While putting this away I realized I have more yarn than I could ever knit but these were such great sale deals I just couldn’t pass it up. I’m hoping some of these skeins will turn into some sweaters and accessories for Jellybean…time will tell!

Did you hit up any Cyber Monday sales?

My Socks With Sarah Fibery Goodness

Posted on July 16, 2014 by atangledyarn84

I’ve been following along the Socks With Sarah KAL. It has been a lot of fun so far and there is still time to hop on!

Sarah an awesome knitter and blogger. And there are some awesome perks to this KAL. Check out her blog for details….

Check out what I snagged!

New sock yarn from Cloudlover fiber . I CANNOT wait to get this treasure in my hot little hands!!

Happy Knitting!!

Stash Enhancement

Posted on July 7, 2014 by atangledyarn84

My OCD/planning has kicked into high gear while pregnant. I have a plan for the nursery, budget for daycare and diapers, and a tentative holiday schedule to get Jellybean to all the relatives. Our finances will definitely change post baby with fewer dollars for creative activities like knitting and video games. So the hubby and I sat down and for our anniversary we splurged on each other before the baby gets here.

I got a little stash enhancement courtesy of the Knit Picks Summer Sale….

I picked up:

– Felici self striping – Lighthouse colorway

– Stroll Fingering – Blue Topaz

– Stroll Tonal – Canopy

– Brava Worsted – Caution yellow

– Stroll Hand-painted – County Fair

– Brava Sport – Eggplant

– Stroll Hand-painted – Lullaby colorway

– Heather Stroll – Merlot

Just enough for a couple of sweaters and several pairs of socks to stock up my drawer. I’m guessing what little knitting time I get after Jellybean gets here that socks will be my best “pick up/put down” project.

Pardon me I need to pet these lovelies before they got into my stash drawers 🙂

Happy Monday!!

FO Friday: Everlasting Bagstopper

Posted on June 6, 2014 by atangledyarn84

Happy FO Friday! I have finished my Everlasting Bagstopper!!

The knitting was really really fast. Just about a week of evenings and one weekend. The pattern is easily memorized. Here are the details:

Pattern: Everlasting Bagstopper

Yarn: Lily Sugar N Cream Cotton in yellow

Needles: US 5 and US 10 1/2

Straps: I picked up some yellow grosgrain ribbon with white polka dots as I had no desire to knit straps, lol.

I used approximately 266.4 yards or 155 grams. This was about 2.2 skeins of yarn. I have oodles of this cotton hanging out in my stash and this was a GREAT stash-busting project! This would be a pattern I’d definitely repeat, especially for a quick gift knit.

Happy Friday!

False Starts but Eventual Progress

Posted on June 2, 2014 by atangledyarn84

I have blogged about my desire to knit Jellybean a baby blanket before. I initially as going to use some Bernat Cottontots (a sadly discontinued yarn) from my stash. I pulled all my skeins from my stash and played with color combos. But given the yardage requirements for each hexagon….I just couldn’t come up with plan I was in love with. False start #1

So I hit Ravelry trying to see if I could grab up some Cottontots solids from other Ravelers. I must have sent out 10 message and got zippo in responses. People really want to hang on to this awesome yarn and I don’t blame them! So I expanded my horizons and took a look at Bernat Handicrafter Cotton. I was able to snatch up three mega skeins from a wonderful Raveler who was de-stashing. I eagerly waited for the package to get here! But once I got the yarn in my hands as wonderful as it was…..it wasn’t the colors I had imagined. And I just couldn’t bring myself to compromise on color. False start #2

So finally I hauled my ever expanding pregnant but down to my LYS. I’m ashamed to admit that despite opening in March….I hadn’t set foot in it yet. The shop is charming in style and the staff very friendly. But I was very disappointed with both yarn brand selection and color options. The yarn was segregated by weight but it didn’t always have the same brands from weight to weight. But as a businessperson/accountant I can understand keeping stock to a minimum until you get a feel for what sells. Especially given the small space they have. But my inner knitter was a little miffed, lol.

But I digress. I didn’t walk out empty handed. I found some Universal Yarn Cotton Supreme. It’s 100% cotton but has a very soft hand. I ended up choosing a tan, pale green, teal, and bright yellow to match my crib decor. I was in love at first squish!

And it knits up beautifully! Check out my progress:

A Foray Into Handspun

Posted on February 4, 2014 by atangledyarn84

I may or may not have purchased some hand spun from the Topeka Twister yesterday….oh who I am kidding, of course I did!! This is really my first foray into hand spun yarn created by a fiber artist. I’m excited, here are my purchases:

I’m thinking a headband for this. Maybe Calirometry by Kathryn Schoendorf?

And for this wonderful skein, I’m thinking socks? It is a bit scratchy but I think a good bath with a lanolin based wool wash will soften it up a bit!

Happy Knitting!

Yarn Heaven

Posted on February 3, 2014 by atangledyarn84

Not to long ago I discovered a local Alpaca farm just down the interstate from me. Now I have discovered an Indie spinner/yarn merchant right here in the same city!!

I present to you, the Topeka Twister! She only has a Facebook page right now. But she does custom orders and sells her finished yarns in the local arts districts not far from where I work. She has some of the best yarn porn on my newsfeed!

If you will excuse me….I’m going to sneak off for an early lunch and have a “high fiber” meal….teehehehehe! I hope to find something and post some photos later this week 🙂

Where do you like to get your yarns?

Alpacas!!!

Posted on January 8, 2014 by atangledyarn84

I recently stumbled upon an alpaca fiber farm near me!! They are just down the road from my favorite winery, Prairie Fire Winery in Paxico Kansas. I present to you, Alpacas of Wildcat Hollow!

Look at the gorgeous fiber they offer:

Image of AWH 100% Alpaca Yarns

Image of Prime Alpaca Fiber by the ounce

Image of Alpaca Batts

I really need to visit this farm and pick up some of this gorgeousness!! It’s very affordable and I love supporting local businesses. They even have an online store for anyone far away 🙂

A girl can never have enough alpaca in her stash!

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

Category Archives: Yarn Stash