FO Friday: A Couple of Sweaters

Posted on September 27, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Wahoo!!! My sweaters are done!

I give you Stashbustin’ #30 or Little Coffee Bean sweater #1

I used Knit Picks Dishie cotton and this first one is made in the 6 mo size. I chose to knit a solid body with the collar and bands in accent. I ended up using 85.5 yards or 45 grams of the Creme Brûlée (yellow) and 180.5 yards or 95 grams of Jay (blue).

And by popular demand the blue buttons won!

And Stashbustin’ #31 or Little Coffee Bean Sweater #2

For this sweater, I used the same pattern but knit a 12 mo size to use up the rest of my yarn. I also followed the instructions and knit the stripes. I used 104.5 yards or 55 grams of Creme brûlée and 199.5 yards or 105 grams of the Jay.

And the yellow buttons were the obvious choice!

Two more stash burning projects in the books and three less skeins in my craft room! Not to mention two more adorable FOs for my emergency baby gift stash!

Happy Friday!!

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!!!

Git R Done….Knitting Style

Posted on September 17, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I AM DONE!!!! This made this balaclava my b*tch!!! This multipurpose project is finally a FO.

Introducing to you, Garter Stitch Chunky Balaclava/Beanie by Christine Grant. This has been one of the few patterns I have actually paid for. And for the most part it has lived up to it’s price.

I used Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Lost Lake Heather. I used 126 grams or about 278.3 yards of yarn. That is about 2 1/2 skeins of yarn.

I had a few bumps along the way with this project here , here, and here, oh and here! But I managed to Git R Done (to paraphrase a certain Cable Guy)! This took me far longer to knit that it should have. But sometimes good projects have to have time outs once in awhile!

As you can see you can wear it as a beanie or as a balaclava. I kind of like the dual purpose of the project. And the yarn is a wool blend that will be very warm. Did you know that wool still keeps you warm even when it’s wet? How cool is that? I really hope this keeps my coworker warm this winter.

Oh and a big thank you to my husband who modeled for me after I was done knitting…..this last picture pretty much says it all, lol

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!!!

FO Friday: Aunt Martha’s Prayer Blanket

Posted on August 23, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Tah dah!!!! Aunt Marta’s Prayer Blanket is done!

After a good bath and days of drying….the edges still curl (ARGH). I know it was more to hope from acrylic but still. The center also still has a little pooch. Laying flat it looks a bit like a volcano. And the outside is a bit warped like a spider web? I improvised this blanket based on the basic concepts of the Constant Square Blanket by Tina Laiho.

I have to say that even with my trepidation about the colors, I rather like them together in the FO.

My end product is a 38 by 40 inch square(ish) blanket. I used 882 yards or 340 grams of Caron Simply Soft yarns. I used Dusty Rose, Watermelon, and Light pink. I went down a needle size to US 7 for this project to create a tighter fabric.

Now all that’s left is to package this up and send off to Aunt Martha for her new home! Now, I’m off to pack to spend the weekend with my best friend as she celebrates the impending birth of her baby girl! Happy Friday to All!!!

FO Friday: Stashbustin’ #23

Posted on July 26, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #23 is complete!!

This yarn can be challenging but this time I was up for it!! This one skein wonder is just a simple stockinette blanket with a four stitch seed stitch border. Finished size turned out to be 27 inch by 27 inch square. I used 10 1/2 US needles for a nice tight gauge. For more details on the yarn and stitch instructions see my Ravelry project page.

This blanket is oh so soft and yummy to the touch.

So soft to the touch in fact that when my Mother found this blanket in my WIP basket last weekend she announced that she would LOVE a full sized afghan for her Christmas. She then proceeded to fondle the yarn and the blanket at every opportunity for the entire weekend. Do you know how long and frustrating such a project would be to this knitter? Insert forehead slap here…

I am sensing that I am not done working with this yarn. Has any knitter out there every worked with a pattern or project that vexed them just because a loved one of said knitter requested it?

Happy Knitting!!

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!!!!

2013 De-Stashing Update

Posted on June 19, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Instead of showing pictures of my marginal progress on my Ombre Billow Blanket (Stashbustin’ #15) or my Spiral Staircase Shawl (Stashbustin’ #20), I thought I’d give an update on my de-stashing efforts!

Late in 2012 as we prepared to start house hunting, I started packing up my yarn stash. I realized how easy it was for me to fall prey to the siren’s call of new yarn. My stash had grown CONSIDERABLY since the last time we moved. While my stash is pretty modest in comparison to some others, it bothered me to see all that gorgeous yarn is just sitting idle for the right project! So I vowed to “de-stash” in 2013. It’s now the middle of June and the year is half gone and here are my stats…
I have:

Completed 37 FOs (I don’t count all my FOs in my de-stashing count they were special orders or consignment pieces)
4 current WIPs
Knit approximately 11,455 yards or 6.53 miles
Eliminated 107 skeins of yarn from my stash

This means I’m knitting a little over a mile a month! Not too shabby considering I have FTJ (full time job), a husband, gym workouts, and theatre volunteer hours. Where I have faltered a little bit is in not adding yarn back to my stash. I have had to order yarn to fulfill custom orders and may or may not have ordered extra “just in case”. I have also fallen victim to yarn promotions and a splurge here and there.

I have added:

8,892 yards of yarn
Or 5.05 miles of yarn
Or 74 additional skeins

Okay, maybe that more than a couple of splurges. But it was all a really good deal I swear….and I’m still in the black by using more than I’m putting back in! The accountant in me is really excited to be in the black. Not to mention that all my yarn spreadsheets are up to date. I’m a GIANT nerd with mild organizational OCD if you haven’t already noticed lol.

Does anyone else organize their knitting on spreadsheets? Or am I crazy?

Blocking on Mothers Day

Posted on May 12, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Happy Mother’s Day to all!! I can’t be with my mommy today as she is with my sister in another state. So next best thing is to craft in her honor!

It’s blocking day!! Finally gave my last two FOs a good soak and wash.

First up, Stashbustin’ #14, Mud Season!

Next up, Stashbustin’ #13, Stylish Square Blanket!

I love having blocking mats!! And the floor space to use them!!! I am excited to get the DSLR out and take some good photos of them this week.

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

FO Friday: Sweet Cream Striped Raglan Cardigan

Posted on April 19, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Stashbustin’ #12 is DONE!!!

I finished up this sweater this past weekend. It took me 11 days to complete this sweater. Nothing like a little stress knitting to light a fire under your butt. Finishing was pretty easy because I wove in my ends as I went. I did have to do some crochet “fixes” around the edges to make the different knit bands line up. After a good soak and blocking this sweater is ready for Spring!

I made the whole thing out of Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton that I picked up on clearance. The yarn was wonderful to work with. I have a soft spot for a good soft cotton, especially this time of year. The one regret I have is that I was not diligent in checking my dye lots on the lighter cream color. I knit the entire sweater down to the knit bands up the front before I realized. The darker stripe on the body of the sweater hid the fact that the creams didn’t match. Sigh, the color difference is subtle so I’m just going to live with it. As a knitter friend pointed out, I’m probably the only one that’s going to notice.

I used the Lion Brand Simple Raglan Cardi pattern that’s free online and the same as I used in my Simple Raglan Cardi. I just kept knitting the body until I got the length I wanted. The stripes are two inches each, except for on the arms where I didn’t want the sleeves to go past my elbows.

I can’t wait to give this sweater some wear. This is officially my first full sweater project and I’m very happy!! I think I have been bitten by the sweater bug.

I want one of my next Stashbustin’ projects to be Mud Season by Elizabeth Smith. I have the yarn in my stash and the pattern already marked up in my size! I just need to get a swatch started for gauge.

What’s on your needles this weekend?

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

Tag Archives: FO