WIP Wednesday: Little Coffee Bean Cardigan

Posted on September 18, 2013 by atangledyarn84

How adorable is this already!? This sweater is turning out to be everything I hoped so far!

I have knit all the raglan increases and divided for the body. I am making the 6 month size and its going very quickly. I may or may not have babies on the brain 🙂

I am using Knit Picks Dishie cotton yarn. A fellow knitter remarked how odd my choice was for the project. But having three nephews I know how hard kids are on clothes, so what better than hard working dish cloth cotton for a hard wearing sweater? Plus I have a boatload of it in my stash and need to find ways to use it, lol.

This free pattern is quickly coming up my rank of quick and easy baby knits to crank out for last minute gifts.

What’s your favorite go-to baby project?

Stashbustin’ #30: Little Coffee Bean Sweater

Posted on September 12, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Earlier this year I made a Mud Season sweater designed by Elizabeth Smith (The Brown Stitch) and I LOVED it!!

Then I saw this….

(Photo from elizknits / Elizabeth Smith Rav page)

This is the Little Coffee Bean Sweater from The Brown Stitch. I already have so many things in my WIP pile but I just couldn’t help it!!! I have some amazing Knit Picks worsted Dishie Cotton in my stash. I have two skeins of Jay (blue) and one skein of Creme Brulee (yellow).

These are my old high school colors and so I am partial to this combination! I plan to stray from the pattern a bit. I am not going to work the alternating stripes as shown. I am going to do yellow button bands and collar with a solid blue body. Maybe a yellow stripe in the middle of the body? What do you guys think?

This is a top down raglan construction cardigan. This construction is the first sweater method I learned and it’s quickly becoming old hat. I love it!! I’m making the 6 month size. I can’t wait to finish this one 🙂

And so, this little amazing sweater is now my Stashbustin’ #30!!!

The Beginning of Neon

Posted on July 1, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Due to some good advice this past week from another blogger, I decided not to wait to cast on my Stashbustin’ #21, my Neon cardigan!

Being a good knitter, I swatched!

Two things learned:

1) I need sharp metal needles, bamboo won’t do. This Berroco Pure Pima can be splitty and wood or acrylic exacerbated this.

2) I did not get gauge (need to try again when I get a new set of metal needles)

3) This pattern is incredibly easy to get off and even in my swatch I know I made mistakes

Sigh…I am not deterred. But I admit I might need a glass of wine before I re-swatch. I really love this garment and want something that will fit when I am done. Gauge will not defeat me!!

Happy Monday

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!!!!

WIP Wednesday: Stashbustin’ #15

Posted on June 26, 2013 by atangledyarn84

In the home stretch on my Ombré Billow Blanket! (Stashbustin’ #15)

I started my second to last color stripe this past weekend! Billow is such a soft and cozy fiber it’s addicting to knit with. I keep finding myself thinking “just one more row” at 10:30 or 11 at night, lol.

I have noticed that this yarn sheds a bit as my pants are covered in yarny fluff. To be fair this blanket is very large at this point and is a BIG pile on my lap as I work. I have three of my Denise Interchangeables cable strung together to accommodate all my stitches. I still love this yarn and imagine a good soak will get the lions share if the fluff off when I’m done.

I CANNOT wait to show this off when I’m done! Maybe this next week!?!? Too soon to tell…

Happy Knitting!

Stashbustin’ #15 Update: Ombré Billow Blanket

Posted on June 17, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #15 update!!! My Ombre Billow Blanket is definitely coming along….

I’m on my second color change. I have completed Natural and Willow. Now I’m on to Cornmeal. This blanket just keeps growing and growing. I’ve had to add an extension cable to my Denise Interchangeables to accommodate all the stitches. This blanket has been living on my bedside table and has been my bedtime meditation knitting. The pattern is memorized now and just keeps going round and round and round.

This yarn is just SOOOO soft I can’t stop petting it. I can’t wait to see how it finishes up. The ombre is proving not to disappoint. But I admit I’ll be a little sad when it’s done because it’s a dream to work with. I love the thick/thin texture.

Happy Monday and Happy Knitting!!!

A Special Package

Posted on May 20, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #6 or my Zig Zag Blanket is on it’s way to it’s new home!!

Some friends from college are less than 30 days to baby. I got a bit discombobulated with the new house and my last show so I didn’t get this in the mail as soon as I wanted. But I’m sneaking in under the wire. This blanket’s new owner is a fellow crafter and works mainly with crochet. So I know she will truly appreciate all the hard work that went into this blanket! I can’t wait to see what she thinks of it, and I can’t wait to meet their baby girl when she gets here!!

And I meanwhile am headed back to the big kid job this morning. I had a great week off and got almost all of my to-do list done. I need to grab a strong cup of Joe and hit the road or I am going to be late. It’s going to be a long day adjusting back to the daily grind…

Happy Monday!

Finally Stashbustin’ #15!!

Posted on May 9, 2013 by atangledyarn84

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!!!

(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!!!

Stashbustin’ #15…what to do?

Posted on May 4, 2013 by atangledyarn84

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.

(Photo from Tina Laiho Rav page)

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

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!!

Un-Stashbusting….oops

Posted on April 29, 2013 by atangledyarn84

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

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

(Photo by the Purl Bee)

Option 2: Zig Zag Baby Blanket by knitculture.com

(Photo from knitculture.com Rav page)

Option 3: Kodachrome Baby Blanket by Jocelyn Tunney

(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!

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

Tag Archives: cotton