Category Archives: Yarn Stash

WIP Wednesday: Snug

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Stashbustin’ #16 is almost complete!

I bound off the last edge last night as I was catching up on my DVR. I had to pull in a lamp this dark yarn really started to play with my eyes as I was trying to pick up and finish the crochet edge, lol. However, I love love love using the leftovers of my Berroco Vintage Chunky from my Mud Season. I haven’t found a yarn that Berroco makes that I haven’t liked yet. And it didn’t hurt that this project was chunky yarn on my big needles, lol.

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I didn’t exactly follow the directions to a tee….not that they weren’t very well written! Hinke did a great job of spelling things out and including lots of links to tutorials. I just kinda took her directions as suggestions, lol. I used a knitted on cast on instead of the crochet on waste yarn. I also cast off in pattern instead of a sewn method. I also accounted for three buttons instead of two. And finally I crocheted all the way from the left bottom corner, around the hood, and down to the right bottom corner.

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I still need to find the right buttons for this project. But I’m not in a rush. I think this little sweater is going to stay with me. It’s the partner to my Mud Season and hopefully I can bundle up a little one in this when the hubs and I decide to have kids.  And then mommy and baby can match. That means the buttons have to be special. Next up for this sweater is a good bath and blocking!!

Happy Knitting!!!

FO Friday: My New Craft Space!!!

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One big item is crossed off my vacation t0-do list, setting up my craft room! I spent most of Wednesday getting everything unpacked and situated. I’ll apologize for the photos. I took them with my DSLR but there is no natural light in this particular room and Photoshop can only do so much.

Here are the before shots:

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About half of those boxes are my craft supplies and the other half is just boxes that got dumped in the room as we set up the rest of the house. I’m happy to say that most of the house is now set. We are still waiting on a new bed to be delivered and my parents to bring the upstairs living furniture that we are “inheriting”.

But I digress….now the after photos. And I’m really proud of how it turned out!!!

_MG_0392First up is my yarn stash, all my reading books, and finished scrapbooks. I picked up some clear storage bins at Big Lots and thanks to my all 2013 destashing efforts all my yarn fits in the bins on the right. I can see what I have now and no more under the bed storage. I prefer to organize my yarn by fiber type rather than weight/category.

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This is my fabric storage, sewing machine, craft books, and other craft bits. I hope to find a chair so this will become my regular blogging spot. I mostly likely will sew upstairs on my dining room table but will store everything down here.

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Behind the door is where I put my old notebooks and my WIP scrapbooks and other assorted bits. I don’t want to store too much here as the furnace is on the other side of the peg board and puts out occasional dust.

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And finally our second guest bed and my new “couch” in the craft room. We are getting a new master bed and moving our old master bed to the guest room. So this bed had to go somewhere. It will be a nice place to stretch out and knit and when we have extra company we can pull it out for guests.

I can’ t wait to get to crafting in my new space!! TGIF!!!

 

Mud Season #2

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Sometimes you just find a pattern that speaks to you, is fun to knit, and flatters your figure. In my recent knitting, this has been Mud Season. I had the yarn in my stash so I started a second one this week as a vacation project and Stashbustin’ #17. My friends think I’m crazy for knitting sweaters in summer when the temps are hitting the 80s and 90s. But I like to knit what speaks to me no matter the season, lol.

I’ve got my second Mud Season off the needles, washed, blocked, and photographed!

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Being wiser and smarter the second time around, I made a few deviations from the pattern instructions:

– I used a crochet cast on method in the beginning and when I cast on the additional stitches before joining in the round. In my first attempt I used a knitted cast on method. With the dark yarn it was hard on my first sweater to find the stitches when I went to pick up and knit the neckline and therefore the neckline was tighter. The crochet cast on was a neater line and made picking up stitches much easier. You can also see that the neck is more open than on my first Mud Season.

– I paused knitting the body just after I divided for the arms and had knit about 10 rows down. I wanted to maximize the yarn at the bottom of the sweater without having to worry about running out and not being able to make the neckline or the sleeves. It actually worked pretty well and I liked not having to go back do those at the end.

– I have a long torso and wide hips. I’m of Scandinavian decent and these are the gifts of my ancestors. My first Mud Season was a bit short for me and tight across my hips. I wanted to change up the increases at the bottom of the sweater to make it more flattering. When I got to the increases I worked the following:

  1. Increase round
  2. Knit 5 rounds
  3. Increase round
  4. Knit 5 rounds
  5. Increase round
  6. Knit 6 stockinette rounds
  7. Increase round
  8. Knit 6 stockinette rounds
  9. Increase round
  10. Knit 6 stockinette rounds
  11. Increase round
  12. Knit 6 stockinette rounds
  13. Increase round
  14. Knit 1 stockinette round
  15. Work ribbon as instructed in pattern.

I love this pattern and will probably stay in my rotation as a “go-to” sweater and gift knitting. It’s just the right mix of fun and easy that I can watch TV or a movie or even carry on a conversation. Not to mention it’s a very quick knit!

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Happy Knitting!!!

Viva La Vacation!!!

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Today marks the beginning of 10 days of freedom from the big kid job!!! I have to take five consecutive business days once a year and since we have the new house I couldn’t think of a better time. I have a mini vacation to-do list:

1. Visit my best friend who also just bought a new house and is expecting her first baby later this year

2. Visit my college friends who had a baby 2 months ago and whom I have not yet visited (I’m a terrible friend)

3. Start Stashbustin #15 and work at least two color stripes

4. Finish my Snug baby sweater (Stashbustin’ #16)

5. Finish my Mud Season #2 sweater (Stashbustin’ #17)

6. Walk 2 miles a day with the puppies

7. Get back to my regular Mon/Wed/Sat classes at the Gym….I really miss my fitness ladies

8. Start the set up of my craft room….my very own craft room!!! (I don’t have all the necessary storage devices as we are bit tight in our budget and can’t afford them yet. But I need to do some cleaning and sorting before I get to putting away anyway)

I may or may not get all this done….but I like having goals that stretch me. Wish me luck!!!

 

FO Friday: Mud Season

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Stashbustin’ #14 is complete!!

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I finished this in no time!! Ten days start to finish. It really helped mitigate my stress of late, lol.

I mentioned a few of my pattern alterations in my WIP Wednesday post. I really like this pattern. It was easy to follow and well constructed. It’s a bit snug…but that’s probably more due to my poor eating of late and not the pattern. I would definitely wear a tank or long sleeve tee underneath.

It still needs a good soak and blocking. But I haven’t unpacked far enough to find my Soak or blocking mats yet. I hope to get that done this weekend and take some photos of it on. It’s so pretty and soft I can’t wait! Neither could Chloe evidently…

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I used four and a 1/3 skeins of yarn. I have 2 2/3 left and I have had Snug by Hinke in my queue for awhile. Me thinks my chocolate leftovers are going to make a Snug for my Stashbustin’ #16. I plan to cast on tonight!

I also may or may not have already cast on anotherone in the Vintage Chunky in teal for my Stashbustin’ #17….

Oh WIP-itis thy are a cruel mistress!!

Finally Stashbustin’ #15!!

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A decision has been made on Stashbustin’ #15!!!

My Billow is destined to be…..drum roll please…….Constant Baby Blanket!! Many many thanks to all the wonderful suggestions from blog land!!!

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(Photos from Knitersland Ravelry page)

This would be my first project worked from the center out and I’m excited. I am probably going to work the initial portions on two sets of 16″ circulars versus the prescribed DPNs. I have not yet mastered DPNs and don’t have them in the correct size. I do however have the necessary circs.

I also may not use the seed stitch sections shown in the second photo above. I think I want the stockinette sections to continue to the garter border. I really want the texture of the thick/think Billow to shine. But I’ll have to see what happens after I start working with the yarn. Who knows?

I’m really excited about the ombre effect of this yarn. I will start with the lightest color in the middle, knit until I run out, and then switch colors. So as the blanket grows the “stripes” will get thinner and thinner to the darkest outer edge. What do you guys think?

I’m super excited to start this project this weekend. I still have TONS to do around the new house but there is ALWAYS time for knitting. Never mind my WIP basket has four projects in it, lol.

Happy Knitting!!!

 

WIP Wednesday: Mud Season

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Update on Stashbustin’ #14

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Between knitting at the theater and being home sick Monday I have made very good progress on my Mud Saeson.

I deviated from the pattern a bit. The benefits of top down construction is being able to try it on. I tried it on before I started the 2×2 rib. Good thing too!! I realized the increases in the pattern weren’t enough to cover my Scandinavian hips and it was going to short on my torso.

So I added some extra increases. I worked four rounds stockinette, one increase round, four rounds stockinette, one increase round, and finally one last stockinette round before starting the ribbing. I also did a smidge more than the two inches of ribbing to get it to fall where I wanted on my hips/butt. It’s going to look fantastic with a long tank underneath now!

I just need to do the sleeves and then pick up and knit the neckline. I might not feel up to unpacking boxes with my cold…but I definitely can knit!

Happy Knitting!

Stashbustin’ #15…what to do?

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I finally settled on a couple of patterns for my Billow yarn. I got several of the same suggestion from my last post about what to make with this yarn. And that was to find a new pattern I had never used. So to Ravelry I went!

Through the recommendation of a fellow blogger, I checked out the Constant Square Baby Blanket by Tina Laiho.

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(Photo from Tina Laiho Rav page)

An ombre pattern caught my eye as i was roaming in Ravelry, the Ombré tank!

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It’s so pretty! I’d have to do some swatching and figuring to make sure I get the right outcome with substituting billow for the pattern suggested yarn. But a cotton tank for summer does have a certain appeal…

Any thoughts from the blog world on these two options? Am I crazy??

For now I must go and load all my worldly possessions into a truck and get to moving!!

FO Friday: Stylish Square Blanket

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Stashbustin’ #13 is complete!!

Please excuse the unwashed and unblocked photos. I finished this just in time to pack it in a box for our move. I LOVE Knit Picks Biggo, it’s soft and wooly but easy to care for. Big yarn on big needles always make this yarn fly by.

The golden color also helped me feel a little more spring like as it has snowed yet again in Kansas. It’s May now….we should be sweating our butts off!

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This was a very elegant design with easy to follow instructions. I made one change, I worked a total of six rows and five columns instead of the recommended five and five. I had enough yarn so I just kept going. It was a stashbustin’ project after all!! My Rav notes are here.

I’m off to prepare for another theater performance and put my big girl undies and try hard pants on for our big move tomorrow! Wish me luck!!

Happy Knitting!

Un-Stashbusting….oops

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To celebrate myself a little, I finally decided to use my Knit Picks gift certificate…..tah dah!

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I picked up some of Knit Picks new yarn, Billow! I have been seeing photos of ombré blankets made from this stuff all over Ravelry, the blogosphere, and Pinterest. I have absolutely been itching to try this yarn!

I picked up six different hues in the brown/yellow family. In order from light to dark they are: Natural, Willow, Cornmeal, Turmeric, Mongoose, and Chocolate. This 100% Pima cotton is sooooo soft under my fingers. I know this is going to make an amazing blanket. I bet it would make an amazing sweater as well, oh the possibilities!

Now I just have to decide what pattern to make? I want something that will really show off the ombré color changes.

Option 1: Chevron Baby Blanket by the Purl Bee

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(Photo by the Purl Bee)

Option 2: Zig Zag Baby Blanket by knitculture.com

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(Photo from knitculture.com Rav page)

Option 3: Kodachrome Baby Blanket by Jocelyn Tunney

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(Photo from Jocelyn Tunney Rav page)

Option 4: Simple stockinette blanket with seed stitch border and just let the colors do the work

I can’t decide!! I have already made the patterns from option one and two. While option two was more visually striking, option one was more pleasurable to work. I’m torn between trying something new like option three or recreating something I’ve already done like options one, two, and four.

This yarn is special and deserves the proper pattern. Anyone out there in blogger land use this yarn or have any suggestions for a pattern? I really want to stick with a design that shows off the ombré, help!