Audition Adventures

Posted on March 11, 2013 by atangledyarn84

One of my favorite hobbies next to knitting is theater. Where else can you get up on stage and pretend
to be someone else, act a fool, or be a villain, or just make people laugh. I started theater as a freshman
in high school (ahem….14 years ago this coming may….) and I was hooked. I was lucky enough to get
parts in productions in college and then live in a community that has not one but four local theaters
to volunteer at. I love being on stage and working behind the scenes, just as long as I’m involved I’m
happy!

Tonight I’m auditioning for “Perfect Wedding” at a local theatre, a farce comedy about the trials and
tribulations of getting married and all the possible things that can go wrong. Its bad juju to wish an
actress good luck, always say “break a leg”. Break a leg stems from Shakespearian theatre and refers to
having to “break” or bend your leg to pick up the coins or trinkets patrons would throw on stage for a
successful performance. Oh the random pieces of information my brain hold, lol.

Hope you are off to a great Monday!

Knitting on the Road

Posted on March 10, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Hello from the boonies of North Central! I am stuck watching it snow sideways this morning. Mind you it was 50+ degrees yesterday. I have my coffee and my knitting and I am just enjoying the peace of country life. (That is providing the five canines in the house at this moment can leave me alone and stop messing up my yarn because they hate the storm….) Still working on my chenille Stockinette Baby Blanket, one stitch at a time.

Its kinds of nice once in awhile to just close my eyes and pretend I’m a kid again at my parents’ house and I don’t have a care in the world. In few hours (fingers crossed for good roads) I have to load up the fur babies and head back to my big kid world and my husband. I wouldn’t trade what I have in a million years…but a girl can pretend once in awhile right?

Happy Knitting!!

Holy Cow I Knit A Lot!

Posted on March 9, 2013 by atangledyarn84

My husband asked me the other day much yarn have I used in my “2013 Stashbusting Quest”. I honestly didn’t have an answer, so I sat down to do some calculations. (Thank god for Ravelry and my OCD need to organize and catalog everything!) I have completed the following so far in 2013:

Completed Projects Yds/Feet Used

– Chevron Lap Blanket 1,308/3,924

– Rachelle’s Cowl 206/618

– Mere’s Cowl 206/618

– Zig Zag Baby Blanket 684/2,052

– Balaclava 196/588

– Holy Cowl 206/618

– Cascading Ruffles Scarf 33/99

– Chevron Baby Blanket 548/1,644

– Wonky Cowl 81/243

– Seed Stitch Ear Warmer 27/81

– Tardis Washcloth 48/144

– Frilly Knit Scarf (2) 60/180

– Waves N Ripples Blanket 680/2,040

– Evening Sparkle Scarf (4) 40/120

That is a total of 14 projects and 4,323 yards of yarn goodness. All that translates into 12,969 feet or 2.46 miles of knitting! And then I went through my current WIPs:

WIPs Yds/Feet Used

– Cascading Ruffles Scarf 30/90

– Baby Girl Chevron Blanket 684/2,052

– Simple Stockinette Baby Blanket 516/1,548

– Waffle Blanket 315/945

– Simple Raglan Cardi 721/2,163

My five current WIPs total 2,266 yards fiber and that is 6,798 feet or roughly 1.29 more miles of knitting. This brings my total Stashbusting 2013 up to a grand total of 6,589 yards of yarn or 19,767 feet, or 3.74 miles of yarn heaven. I did have to purchase extra skeins to complete my Chevron Lap blanket to get a satisfactory length and I did splurge on a clearance batch of Natures’ Choice Organic Cotton. But otherwise I knit completely out of my stash!!

Here’s hoping I can keep it going! Now I’m off to spend time back home with the Parental Units sans my husband. He is currently buried under his CIS/IT midterms and quite frankly is too grumpy to spend three hours in the car with let alone all weekend at my parents. I feel comfortable saying that because he doesn’t read this blog….that I know of…

Happy Knitting!

FO Friday: Chevron Lap Blanket

Posted on March 8, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Well, this Stashbustin‘ project is finally done!! It has been a little more than a month in the making. It may or may not have started out as a baby blanket.… But I kept working and working and after some friendly blogger advice it’s done now!! I used 12 skeins of yarn (9 from my stash and 3 I purchased to make the finished length I wanted). I have to admit that it’s actually a lap blanket. But I don’t care, I love it!! I am so obsessed with chevrons right now.

Being made of Loops & Threads Charisma this blanket is machine washable and dryer ready. So this blanket has had it’s first bath and spin in the dryer. It did fuzz up a bit both during knitting as the blanket sat on my lap and in the wash/dry. But to me it adds character and is the hallmark of a much loved and cherished hand knit. The pattern by the Purl Bee was amazing!! Not the first time I have made this and won’t be the last!!

I claim victory over this blanket of epic proportions!!! This blanket is destined for me. I might keep it in the car since my husband loves the A/C or it might be my couch blanket. If I leave it in the house….it WILL get covered in dog hair that never really washes out, lol. But I love my dogs and so it’s not their fault of course.

My Rav link is here for those who are interested. Happy Knitting to everyone and I’m off for a weekend of knitting fun! Should I start something new or work on one of my WIPs?

So many choices….

Stashbustin’ #11

Posted on March 7, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #11 – Simple Raglan Cardi

I have 7 skeins of Dusty Blue Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton. I splurged awhile back and bought a whole bunch on clearance at Michaels. And I have made two lovely cowls from this stash so far, Mere’s and mine. It’s a very soft yarn to work with and it washes nicely (with a little extra special care). I have really enjoyed working with it lately. So I decided to keep going.

A quick search on Ravelry and I found a simple top down raglan style cardigan and I fell in love. This will be my first top down raglan. I am the master of my own knitting and it will be scary, but I know I can do it (Elizabeth Zimmerman says I can)!! And I’m bound and determined to do this correctly. I am starting with swatching for gauge.

I made a pretty large-ish swatch. I got almost spot on gauge on the unwashed swatch, 17 stitches to 4 inches on the larger of the two needles in the pattern. I then gave the swatch a good soak in some Eucalan and then pinned and blocked to dry.

I am going to be a good girl and wait until tomorrow when it’s completely dry to measure again for gauge. I really want the finished garment to fit appropriately. In the mean time I’m marking up the pattern to get ready for this knit.

I really don’t want to get off pattern so I measured for my size and highlighted the appropriate directions. Even went as far as blacking out all the other directions. I’m nothing if not thorough and I don’t want the reason this sweater gets wonky is because I can’t read! Hopefully I can have the blocked swatch measured and providing that goes well cast on the sweater this coming weekend. Keep you all posted!

Happy Knitting

WIP Wednesday: Simple Stockinette Baby Blanket

Posted on March 6, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #9 has been a learning experience. I try to give all yarns a fair shake….I really do. But this Bernat Baby Blanket chenille like yarn is kicking my butt. It’s no longer in cue to be a baby shower present. BUT I will not let it defeat me! I have seen some really cute projects come from this yarn on Instagram lately so I know its possible.

Based on feedback and input from the Instagram designers that had success, I made some design changes:

– Change from all over seed stitch to seed stitch border (to reduce edge rolling) and stockinette body

– Went from size 11 US needle down to 10 1/2 US needle

– Tightened my gauge bit to reduce gaps

– Cast on 110 stitches instead of 100

I made all these changes keeping in mind that this acrylic yarn is not going to be blockable. What I knit is what is what it’s going to be. My Rav page is here.

I really hope these changes help. I have three more huge skeins of this yarn in my stash and I really want it to work. My only other option is to switch to a simple crochet design. A very good crafter friend from college makes beautiful crochet blankets from this yarn. She claims it’s easier to crochet and shape this yarn since it doesn’t “grap” on itself like it does when it’s on the needles. I’m just not great at crochet…

I will persevere!!!! Happy Knitting to you all!!

Author Review: Richard Castle

Posted on March 5, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I know, I know Richard Castle isn’t a flesh and blood author but I couldn’t resist the kitchy-ness of a book series based on fictional TV characters. It’s like story within a story wrapped in humor. The husband and I have become obsessed with Castle lately. We started with re-runs on cable and now we have watched the first three seasons on DVD. I can’t wait to see the rest of season four and start five. One a whim at Barnes & Noble I picked up the first three novels.

Heat Wave

Naked Heat

Heat Rises

And I bought Frozen Heat on Kindle

All books are written and formatted as if Richard Castle wrote them in real life. There are few wink wink/nudge nudge passages in the book that allude to the real life actors and people. ABC or whoever wrote this book really went the whole nine yards on these. In researching for this post I found whole websites also dedicated to Richard Castle. And in keeping with the books they are presented as if Richard Castle is a real life persona. It was kinda trippy but I like it because I like a a little “suspension of disbelief”. Maybe it’s the theater diva in me?

I am a big fan of the murder mystery genre and I loved all four books. And these books allowed for me to combine three favorite things: Knitting, TV, and Books. They are fairly well written and if you are a fan of the show you can pick out little hints to events in the TV show. I love to knit and watch Castle re-runs. I mean who doesn’t like looking at Nathan Fillion, Jon Seamus, or Jon Huertas!? The show has enough crime and mystery to keep it interesting but has humor enough to make it too dark or gritty.

If there are any Castle lovers out there in blogger land, the books are definitely worth the read!! And even if you aren’t a Castle fan and just like murder mysteries the books are still perfect. Very well thought out and written series even if you don’t know the TV back story.

I’m hoping the come out with more!!!

(All photos are from RichardCastle.net and full credit goes to them)

FO: Rachelle’s Cowl

Posted on March 4, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Another new pattern! I was so inspired by Mere’s Cowl that I wanted one of my own. This design is of similar construction as Mere’s but with a little different twist.

I started with a simple knit stockinette section and then incorporated the same eyelet section as Mere’s. This was a SUPER fast knit, especially with the stockinette sections. The stockinette section does make the edges roll, but I kinda don’t mind that style? I like that it kinds of rolls up on itself it makes it super comfy and warm and cozy. The knit band and lace section is repeated four times to create 48 inch long by 8 inch wide finished object.

I wore this to work last week and I got LOTS of attention and compliments. The only downside is that due to the rolling property it does need a light blocking after a few wears, just to keep the shape. I really love it though. I have launched it as a free pattern on Rav, find the link here!

And for you non-Ravelers, the pattern is also listed below:

Rachelle’s Cowl

Materials

– Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton – 2 skeins Mustard (approx 3.00 oz or 103 yds each)

– US size 8 circular needle (16”)

– Stitch marker

– Tapestry needle

Cowl

CO 150 sts using loop cast on method, careful not to twist. Place marker

1: Join in the round, place marker and knit one round.

2-4: Knit

5: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

6: Knit

7: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

8: Knit

9: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

10: Knit

11: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

12-14: Knit

15: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

16: Knit

19: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

20: Knit

21: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

22: Knit

23: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

24-26: Knit

27: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

28: Knit

29: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

30: Knit

31: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

32: Knit

33: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

34-36: Knit

37: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

38: Knit

39: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

40: Knit

41: *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to end

42: Knit

43: *K2tog, YO, repeat from * to end

44: Knit

45-47: Knit

Cast off LOOSELY in purl.

Weave in ends.

Resulting cowl is 48” long approximately 8” wide.

Knit and enjoy!

* Pattern numbering amended 3/9/13

Finally Friday

Posted on March 1, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I have been swamped this week. I have accomplished some FOs, but they’ve not been photographed. Work is crazy lately and today is the 1st business day of the month and I’ll likely put in 9-10 hours easy.

So instead of a knitting post or whining about my packed schedule please enjoy some photos of my ridiculously cute dogs! I promise to work hard this weekend and have FO posts next week.

TGIF!

Movie Theater Knitting

Posted on February 28, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I hate sitting still doing nothing. And I married a man who loves movies. See my dilemma? Insert movie theatre knitting projects. I generally favor ruffle scarves and stockinette projects.

In the last month the husband has taken me to see Flight with Denzel Washington and the Oscar nominated Life of Pi. I cast on a simple stockinette tube to make a case for my workout mat.

Round and round she went in circles. Made with Sugar N Cream cotton in bright pink. I knit until I had a tube 2 inches longer than my mat and then started simple K2tog decreases to taper the end. I also threw in a few yarn overs in the 5th row to make eyelets to feed through a cord for a closure. Finished off with a garter strap for carrying.

<img src="https://atangledyarnknitter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/20130223-130431.jpg" alt="20130223-130431.jpg" class="alignno

I could feel the stitches on my needles and therefore no need to have light to work. The tube was almost completely made in the theatre. The finishing bits I did complete at home with the aid of light. It stretched a bit in the strap but I don’t mind. It still keeps my mat from getting gunky. I also love that it’s washable cuz it takes quite a beating as I drag it back and forth to the gym.

What do you knit in the movies, or do you?

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter