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?

FO Friday: Memory Blanket

Posted on March 15, 2013 by atangledyarn84

I was cleaning out my knitting storage and came across a surprise, my memory blanket I made in 2011! By 2011 my knitting had progressed from scarves to many many garter stitch baby blankets. At the time I had a slew of family and friends all having babies. It seemed that they would never stop. I think I made like 8 or 9 blankets in 2011?

After all those projects I had a ton of random acrylic baby blanket yarn left over. It was all different colors and yarn weight and I didn’t really want to store it. So on a whim, I just cast on a whole bunch of stitches and started working. I knit until I ran out of one color and then started the next one. I finished the project shortly after Christmas. I distinctly remember sitting at my Grandma’s kitchen table playing dominos with the family and trying to knit the blanket at the same time because I didn’t want the project to run over into 2012.

It’s not the best or prettiest blanket I have ever made, but it’s special to me. I can look at the various stripes an see all the babies I had knit for: Sofia, Bentley, Devin, Jackson, Orion, and Ely. And it’s perfect blanket to throw on my bed on a cold night or cuddle on the couch with. Isn’t it cool when something you knit becomes more than just FO?

Happy Friday and Happy Knitting!!!

FO Alert: Test Balaclava #1

Posted on February 7, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Finished my first test balaclava/stashbustin’ #8 project!

I just wanted to work with the pattern to learn the building blocks of a balaclava for the special request of my coworker Kevin. I had a skein of Bernat Denimstyle and it didn’t have enough yardage to knit the full length of the pattern as written. So I chose to knit a shorter version. My Rav page is here.

It fit my husband much better than it did me. The yarn was delightful to work with and the pattern was easy to follow. I like the seamless construction but not the all over ribbing. I think I will take out the ribbing on the neck and only keep it around the face opening to keep the fit and stretch. I will also make the cap portion a little taller and the face opening a smidgen smaller.

I really hope that I can come up with a really cool FO for my awesome co-worker. I feel under pressure because he is a wood worker and understands quality construction and the value of hand made! I’m about to cast on test #2!!

Happy Knitting!!

FO: Chevron Baby Blanket

Posted on January 23, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Destashing #4complete!!

Chevron Baby Blanket is finished thanks to some windshield time this past weekend. I used several skeins of Knit Picks Biggo and Premier Serenity Chunky Heathers out of my stash. The end result is baby butt soft and very kooky.

The pattern was an easy two row repeat that was easily memorized. The Purl Bee writes a great pattern! Great TV knitting and the bulky yarn flew off the needles. I’m not 100% sold on the color combo. I was shooting for kooky unisex, but I’m just not sure. The end product also ended up more like a beach towel shape than blanket (to me at least). I didn’t swatch for gauge so that might be my bad.

I started with blue then transitioned to grey, then pink, grey again, and finally green. The chevron shape showed up really nicely with the garter stitch.

I will definitely make this pattern again. I’m just not sure this FO is something I will give away. It’s funky and might be a little too funky for my average friend. I’m going to call this one a win as I used yarn from my burgeoning stash and it was fun to make. It might just be destined for my “secret” some day I’ll have a baby FO stash….

Time to cast on something new! I have lots of yarn to destash!!

Happy Knitting

Adventures in Ice Skating

Posted on January 21, 2013 by atangledyarn84

Saturday was an amazing day! We spent the afternoon with friends at a baby shower/housewarming. I presented the Momma-to-be with her own One Row Blanket in sage green. She was delighted! I also threw in a baseball cacoon/snuggly of my own design and improvisation as she is having a boy and Daddy-to-be has high hopes for his athletic future. We all used to live in the same town but they moved early last year so we can’t see each other very often. It was amazing to spend time with some great friends. I can’t wait until we get to meet their son! I hope to be able to share some snaps of the baby wrapped up in hand knits in a few weeks.

On the drive back to town my husband told me he had a surprise for me since it was our first weekend together after he started his new job. But he wouldn’t tell me or give me any hints…argh. So when we got home we ate an amazing grilled chicken dinner and watched a movie. I was thrilled and delighted to have such a sweet date night. But it wasn’t over…at 9:30 my husband brought me my shoes and coat and said ‘let’s go’!

He took me ice skating for the first time ever in my life!! Our town has a local semi-pro hockey team and after the home games they let you free skate for just a few bucks. While it gets cold in Kansas, it never gets cold enough long enough to freeze any lakes or rivers. And I grew up in the boonies so we didn’t exactly have access to ice rinks. IT WAS AMAZING and it really wasn’t that much different than roller skating. A few turns around the rink and I was hooked! Not to mention its a GREAT workout and my ankles/legs/behind are sore this morning to prove it!! It was such a great feeling to fly across the ice next to my husband. It will definitely be included in our regular date night options. Sorry no photos as I was deathly afraid of flying across the ice and crashing thereby smashing my phone. But trust me it’s cool!

But you know I found myself doing? I kept noticing all the hand knits that everyone was wearing. It was fairly frosty in the rink. Scarves, hat, beanies, cowls, sweaters, boot toppers, ear warmers…..so much delicious yarn everywhere. I couldn’t help but think….”I could make that!” “Oh that’s pretty!” So much yarn worn by people of all walks of life, ages, and styles. There was boho-chic, chunky knits, downtown hipster, crazy novelty yarn, and just down right warm and snuggly amazing-ness. It’s crazy how many knits you can find when you start looking. I’m beginning to think I have problem when I can spot a hand knit from half a block away.

On top of all this, I made great progress on my Chevron Blanket during all the car travel time and movie time. FO object post coming soon!!!!

Happy Knitting!

My Tangled Yarn Knitting Adventures

Ramblings from an obsessed knitter

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