A Year of Projects Update Post

I didn't upload anything last week, but hey, better every other week than never, right?

As usual, I'm finding it a little tricky to stick to a timetable. Will I ever learn? I'm in my mid-40s now so the chances that I'm going to completely change into an ultra-organised person are not so good I feel... But I have got better. I used to be notoriously late for everything, always apologising, always rushing, and my organisational skills have improved over the years. It's mainly down to having to balance kids and work I think...

Enough of that, though. Let's get to the main topic of this post - my Year of Projects update. I've not been terribly productive this past couple of weeks. Obviously I'm in Germany right now (though about to head to the airport), so there is that, but also, I suppose it's part of the whole summer holiday thing - the days stretch out and by now we are all thoroughly used to not doing very much at all (not D, though, he's back at work, poor thing). We get up late, have breakfast even later, tinker around the place, play a bit, perhaps see some friends, loll around on the sofa, and the boys have alternated between quite a bit of gaming but also quite a bit of biking. As I mentioned a few days ago, D has built a mini bike track in the back garden and boy #3 in particular has been going round and round on his little mountain bike.

I did get a few rows in on my mohair cowl, so I'm up to the armhole decreases now, and it's the only project I've brought with me to Germany so it's received at least a bit of attention. The yarn knits up pretty well, and considering how much this project has been carted around it also seems to wear fairly well.

Other than that, I've been thinking about projects rather than actually working on projects. I still have all this stash yarn, you see, and I think I've finally found a few projects that might work. Look at this, the Mohair Cowl Pullover. I think it will do really well for this yarn:

And this, the Grocery and Produce String Bag - I'd love to make a few, which will deplete my cotton stash a bit.

The Sunday Chunky Jumper might be just the ticket for the remainder of this rather scratchy bulky yarn that I still have lying around.

But then I also really fancy this Curvy Crochet Cowl? And I've never crocheted a jumper, so that makes it quite tempting too! Perhaps I have enough of this yarn left for it:

And what do you think of either the Frosting Pullover or Maria for this Fleece Artist single-spun mohair yarn?

I'm also contemplating another crochet blanket - perhaps another wavy one  - because of this:

I think there are just enough left-overs for a blanket - though I'm just as likely to run out at the crucial moment so I have to emergency-buy more yarn that I then have to use up in turn...

And there you go, I think you can see my problem. There are just too many potential projects! I'm obviously sticking with the blue Mohair Cowl that I'm working on right now because I want to see it finished in time to actually wear it in the autumn, but I think  I could perhaps add one more WIP to my current list - which one is it to be?!

Shared with:
A Year of Projects

Hello there?

Anybody here?!

Likely not, especially with this amazing weather still going on. Honestly, what's happening to the UK?! The last time I remember a summer that was even close to what we are experiencing right now was more than a decade ago when I was pregnant with boy #1. Pretty much every summer since has been... kind of soggy?

Anyway, much as  I seem to be unable to find a blanket thin enough to sleep with at night, I am enjoying this weather immensely.

And... I even have some FOs to report back on.

I've actually knitted and crocheted lots in recent months, but I always seem to forget to take pictures and blog. So what I'll do is do a few posts for individual projects until I feel that I'm more or less up to date.

First one up, my market bags.

I made two of those, in different sizes. This one is the larger one  - oddly it looks smaller here than the small bag, but that's because I had to sew the handle over to shorten it because it was so deep that if I had a lot of things in it it hung down to my knees. 

I've actually really loved making these. I have so many odds and ends of yarn, either leftovers from other projects, or skeins of handspun that I had no idea what to do with... When I saw this project I initially wanted to buy the 'Homespun' that the pattern called for, but then restrained myself because I'm trying to save money AND I'm still trying to reduce my unruly yarn stash. As I was wondering what to do I realised that if I pulled together 2 or 3 strands of yarn and alternated them gradually (so just changing one strand at a time) I could get a really nice effect going where different colours would gently blend and mix.

I used an insane amount of yarn, and because I could alternate between two and three strands, depending on the thickness of individual strands, I've been able to use lots of different yarns, from sock yarns to thicker handspuns. I'm so pleased, both with the reduction in stash and with the way these bags have turned out. They are sturdy, and striking and I love them!

Initially I made the larger one, and by larger I mean it's HUGE. Boy #3 fits in it. That size can be useful, but on an ordinary day it's a little too large - I'm constantly fishing around in it and can't find my phone or wallet. So I made the smaller one (picture below) by simply reducing the increases by a few rows. So simple! I took that one out for the first time today and it's pretty much perfect for what I need. Small enough that things don't just get lost, and  I still managed to fit lots of stuff in. These bags are like the Tardis, honest.

Who knows, I may make a smaller one still, as a sort of handbag?

Shared with: 

A Year of Projects

Crafting On

Yarn Along

Catching up...

Doesn't this look amazing?

I actually have no reason for posting this, but it made me happy this weekend. The first locally grown strawberries are always a highlight of early summer for me, and these were absolutely delicious. 

Despite this rather misleading start this post is actually not about strawberries but about catching up on all those neglected FOs that I never posted about. It's time I update my Ravelry list, so without further ado I present:

The Boneyard Shawl

The Boneyard Shawl was started almost well over a year ago (heck, make that nearly 2 years ago) when I purchased some gorgeously soft Seidenstrasse yarn at a little wool shop on Borkum in the north of Germany. I cast on for this shawl there and then, and despite slow progress I finished it in September 2016. It's an easy and effective pattern but I still found working it a little boring. Apparently I'm not much of a shawl knitter... 

I do like the finished product, though, and actually wear it fairly regularly, so I'm glad I persevered. 

~*~

The second FO is the Bias Knit Sari Silk Scarf

This was a stash-busting project. Do you remember when Sari Silk yarn was all the rage? All those years ago? Yeah, that's when I bought this skein from a little online yarn shop called Hip Knits. I think it closed down years ago but they used to have lovely hand-dyed silk yarns and I used them quite a bit at the time. 

Anyway, since I had this skein of Sari Silk languishing at the bottom of one of my yarn boxes I thought this pattern would make a good stash buster because you basically knit until you run out of yarn and presto, you have a scarf!

This was super quick - I started on 17th Dec and finished on 21st Dec 2015 in the midst of my flurry of xmas knitting at the time, but then I never actually posted about it. 

So there you go, two neglected FOs, finally documented! :) 

Shared with:

A Year of Projects

Craft On

Autumn is in the air... Time to get my stash organised¬

This morning, on my drive to work, there was fog over the hills. This is the first time in months that this has happened. This morning I was also contemplating for the first time in months whether I should wear tights and boots.  It really looks as if the summer is over quite early this year.

One thing that this means is that I am contemplating cozy knitwear. With that in mind I thought I'd make  good on my plan of selling / swapping some of the yarn that I'm unlikely to use any time soon in order to enable more useful yarn purchases. I have pledged that this year I will knit from stash, but if I swap wool that's not strictly speaking a purchase, is it? I think I'm prepared to bend the rules a little for that one so I can make room for yarn I'm actually going to use.

The deal is that the yarn can either be bought or else swapped for yarn I may like. Currently I'm looking for:

1) yarn (non-acrylic) for a jumper / cardigan - ideally some fingering/4-ply for Hitofude. I'd like either a berry colour or alternatively dark brown or dark blue would work I think. The pattern asks for Tosh Merino Light by Madelinetosh and I'd need 2-3 skeins or 760 m/840 yards. Some other fingering weight yarn would work too of course, as long as it drapes well.

2) 100% cotton yarn for various crochet projects. I prefer solid colours and dk or aran weight.  

I'll post this in a number of Ravelry swap groups too, so it's first come first get, OK?

I'll accept money (paypal) or alternatively, for some of the yarns I'd be happy to swap. Postage is extra on top (I'll let you know once I've been to the post office).

So here we go:

1 skein of Noro (label lost). I'd like £5 for it or alternatively I'd swap. 

2 balls of Freedom Wool by Twilleys of Stamford. 100% wool, 50g balls with approx. 50 m per ball. This is bulky.  £4 for both, or swap. 

1 50g ball of Jaeger Baby Merino DK in light blue. 100% Merino wool. £1.50 or swap. 

3 balls of Jaeger Baby Merino 4-ply in a greenish blue (Sh 0118). 2 balls are complete, the third is without label and in two pieces (I had started knitting something with this that I've since ripped).  £5 for the lot, or swap.  RESERVED

1 100g ball of San Franccisco Wisom Yarns sock yarn. 75% wool, 25% polyamide. Approx 400 m / 437 Yards. Super Wash.  £2 or swap. 

9 balls of Rowan Cotton Glace. 50g balls, 100% cotton. approx 115 m (125 yards) per ball. This is lovely stuff, but it's pink and I'm just unlikely to EVER knit anything in that colour. :( . These retail at between £4-5.50 per ball. I'd like £35 for the lot.

1 skein of Fyberspates handpainted yarn, lace-weight. Comes with a pattern for a scarf using this skein. This is 100% silk, 45g and with approx. 405 m per skein. This is beautiful, shimmery and so so soft, but I'm not that crazy about variegated yarns anymore. While I love the look of it just on the skein, I just can't think of a project for it that would do it justice and that I'd actually wear. I think it needs to be appreciated by someone else. £6 or swap.  RESERVED

7 balls of Schachenmayr nomotta Two in One. Chunky, 50g and approx 80 m per ball. Colour 98. These look a bit tangled but it's all there and I've never knitted anything with it. It was a spontaneous purchase and I've never found the right project. £14 for all 7

5 balls of Rowan All Seasons Cotton in dark blue. This is aran weight and each 50g ball has approximately 90 m (98 yards) of yarn. 60% cotton, 40 % Acrylic. I'm looking for £17 for all 5.

4 balls of Bambu Novita bamboo yarn. 50 g balls = 135 m. 68% bamboo, 32% cotton. This is a Finnish yarn and to me looks not plied but made with a kind of corking process? £5 or swap.
SOLD

1 skein of Sari Silk. £3 or swap. 
SOLD

1 skein of Hipknits hand-dyed 100% super chunky woo.. Approx. 55 m to 100g. £3 or swap. 

4 skeins / balls of Cascade 220 in grey. 2 of the skeins were wound into balls for a project but were not used. Only one of the labels remains but it tells me that this is a 100% wool yarn. 100g per skein and approx. 220 yards. The colour is 8401. This retails for around £5 per skein. I'd like £12 for all 4, or swap.  SOLD

1 skein of Zitron Trekking wool sock yarn. Sock weight. 75% new wool, 25% nylon. 100g = 420 m. £2 or swap.   SOLD

There is probably more to come as I am slowly working my way through my stash...

Also posted to the UK Classifieds group and the Yarn Swap Sell and Trade Community on Ravelry.

A Year of Projects - update for 10-16th August

I think it's time that I review my project list for this year. Some things were finished this month, others changed...

For example, I was going to knit either Conwy or Whitby socks for myself from my sock yarn stash - I've since realised that they are both book patterns, and one of my resolutions for this year is that I won't buy much (ideally I won't by anything yarn related at all, but we'll see how that goes...). I've therefore changed my mind somewhat and I'll instead knit:

1 pair of Lombard Street Socks, using the Patons Kroy Sock yarn that I have in my stash. It's a very pretty mottled grey/brown in colour and I'm realising more and more that I'm definitely a solid colours kind of a gal. I do like stripes, but again, it's the solid blocks of colour that appeal. Much as I like variegated yarns on the skein, knitted up they are often not quite my thing (although of course there are exceptions).

I'm also thinking about some quick DK socks. Perhaps a pair of Skyp Socks and a pair of Breaking Waves socks? Not sure about the yarn yet, but I have any number of DK yarns that might work.

So otherwise, where are we, regarding my projects list:

The Garter Yoke Cardi
Yarn - natural wool/cashmere yarn from stash
I've now started this:

Ink Flare
Yarn: that unruly purple yarn that never gets the correct gauge
Complete:

 Ink Flare
Yarn: the huge hank of green Fleece Artist hand-dyed mohair that I've had for I don't know how long.
This is still something I want to knit - the yarn in question is this one:

Socks for boys
knit one pair of socks for each of the boys. They've chosen their yarn already, so:
Yarn: Regia Crazy Color self-striping 4-ply.
Yep, those are done!

Bulky Moebius Cowl
Yarn: Berry Handspun (by me)
I may knit another one with the 1-Hour-Herringbone pattern.

I love this yarn - I received the fibre in some swap years ago and I'm pretty sure it's a wool/silk mix. Sadly as is often the case with fleece candy, there isn't very much of it, so I spun it deliberately slubby, with a scarf or hat in mind as a potential project. It should work well as a cowl - I hope...

Shalom cardi
Yarn: Olive wool/cashmere blend
Yes, this is still part of the list! I have a shed-load of this yarn, and it refused to be the Garter Yoke cardi, because although it's supposed to be aran weight it was just too thick to get the correct gauge. I think it might work for the Shalom cardi.

Ubernatural
Yarn: orange and yellow handspun
I'm unsure about this one, not because I don't like the pattern, but because I'm not sure I have enough yarn for it. This is what I have - enough? Do I need to omit sleeves?  The alternative would be Liesl. What do you think?

Dietrich
Yarn: sock-weight feltable yarn from stash
Yes, still part of the list!

Sideways Grande Cloche
Yarn: Single skein purple Cascade
Yep, same.

Easy Raglan V-Neck
Yarn: GGH Savanna
This is such an awkward project for me. I actually cast on for it ages ago, but I'm really not fond of the yarn. I don't like the mottled brown of it, and from the way it handles just when knitting with it I get the feeling it's going to wear really badly. On the other hand I can't imagine that anyone would want it, after it's been handled so much (I ripped another project, so it's been handled A LOT).

Granny Square Blanket
Yarn: all the left-overs and the single balls and skeins that I have lying around in dk and aran.
Yes, this is still happening. I'm slowly making progress, although it may take me a while. But then, since this is a left-overs kind of project it doesn't really matter if it takes me another 6 months, does it?

So what is new?

I decided that I fancy some Mermaid gloves. No yarn allocated yet, but I have enough single skeins lying around that it shouldn't be much of a problem.

I also want to knit a simple raglan sweater, using the beige cashmere blend yarn that didn't want to be a Garter Yoke Cardi. I'm thinking the Spring Forward Fall Back Raglan pattern might work because it asks for a heavy aran yarn.

I do want to add some more crochet, because I find the projects so nice and portable without all those needles! On the list are:

The Flat Circle Pillow looks really cute.

I also fancy the Attic 24 Mandalas. Would be pretty on the dining table with a jug of flowers on top...

Plus, I really want to crochet some pot holders.

One problem I have with the crochet projects is that I would like to use cotton for them (a bit of a necessity with the pot holders anyway!). I don't own any (!) cotton yarn apart from maybe a tiny ball of something somewhere. The closest I come is some cotton mix, but that's it!

I have a plan, though - rather than go out and buy some yarn I'll try to swap/trade it for some of my own stash of unwanted wool. I found some groups on Ravelry that look promising: The Completey Pointless and Arbitrary Swap Group looks good, and so does the Yarn Swap and Sell Community and the ISO and Destash of Yarn Community.

I'm now off to photograph all my unwanted stash...

A Year of Projects

I've signed up for A Year of Projects. Since my aim for this year was to a) get back into a regular knitting and blogging routine and b) to knit from stash, I thought I might as well make it official and join up.

I've since done some thinking about what I can rationally achieve this year. The idea is to not buy any yarn, so that limits it somewhat, but with a stash as huge as mine it doesn't really limit it very much!

This is my ideal list:

The Garter Yoke Cardi
Yarn - natural wool/cashmere yarn from stash

Ink Flare
Yarn: that unruly purple yarn that never gets the correct gauge

Ink Flare
Yarn: the huge hank of green Fleece Artist hand-dyed mohair that I've had for I don't know how long.

Socks for boys
knit one pair of socks for each of the boys. They've chosen their yarn already, so:
Yarn: Regia Crazy Color self-striping 4-ply.

Bulky Moebius Cowl
Yarn: Berry Handspun (by me)

Shalom cardi
Yarn: Olive wool/cashmere blend

Ubernatural
Yarn: orange and yellow handspun

Dietrich
Yarn: sock-weight feltable yarn from stash

Socks for me
Patterns: Conwy or Whitby
Yarn: any number of possible yarns from my huge sock yarn stash

Sideways Grande Cloche
Yarn: Single skein purple Cascade

Easy Raglan V-Neck
Yarn: GGH Savanna

Granny Square Blanket
Yarn: all the left-overs and the single balls and skeins that I have lying around in dk and aran.

I'll update, create links and images and add to the list in the days to come, but it's a start!

Oh no...

... we're having a yarn problem.

I'm experiencing that slightly panicky feeling you get when you can't avoid admitting your yarn addiction any longer.

I didn't even know I had most of these. I was digging around for the right stash yarn for the Garter Yoke Cardigan, for which I've just started a KAL, and I 'found' this box under my desk and, well, this is what was in it. Needless to say that this is not all of my stash. This isn't even half of my stash. It's merely the bit I'd forgotten about.

Should I be worried?

And the worst thing is, I still can't quite determine which yarn to use. I had one in mind, but I think it's not quite the Aran weight that the pattern asks for - it seems thicker to me and the gauge, even with 4 mm rather than 4..5 mm needles isn't quite right.

Oh what to do, what to do...