Monday, November 09, 2009

Stash Overhaul 2009

This weekend was a little nuts. There was paintballing and getting ready for a business trip to London and amazing BBQ at Hill Country. Somehow, in all the craziness, my first priority on Friday night was not packing for a week long trip to London, but organizing my stash.

90% of my stash has been located in bags. Not necessarily in the bags they were bought in, I did try to consolidate things a bit. All the sock yarn was together at least. All the yarn fit either under a plastic Ikea chair, or right in front of it. First step was to take the yarn out of all the bags so it could be organized into piles by what type of project I had in mind for it. This is what I ended up with:

My Stash

That's yarn for sweaters to the right, and the sock yarn is next to that. Then there's yarn for tank tops and summer stuff and on the far left is yarn for lace projects.

I had bought some plastic boxes from The Container Store (which were surprisingly cheap actually) and started shoving yarn into them in ways that made sense, trying to keep together the organization I had already put in place. The lace project and the tank top boxes are a little mixed in together since the lace yarn is small enought to fit into small spaces left by tank top yarn. The sock yarn box starts with solid colors at the bottom and becomes more and more multi colored as it gets to the top of the box. The sweater yarn actually had to be split up, so that there's a bag and a box of that (there's also a WIP yarn bag). And here's what I'm left with:

My organized stash!

The boxes are labeled on their front and I have a list of whatever yarn is inside the box on top of it (index cards are awesome). It might be a little anal. It might have taken me 2-3 hours to complete all of this. I might have packed last minute last night instead of on Friday night like I had anticipated, however, that corner of the apartment is way neater, and much more organized. :)

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Knitting Meme

I found this on the blogosphere and rather enjoyed it. I think I might post about it every year just to see where I am and what new skills (if any) I've picked up.
THE DEAL: You mark the things you have knit in bold, you italicize the things you intend to try, and everything else you just leave in regular font. Because I'm not one to leave well enough alone, I'll probably end up putting in little comments about techniques that went exceptionally well, and ones that didn't so much, vs. things I want to try.

Afghan
American/English knitting
Baby items - A few bibs and a stuffed bear
Bobble - Thank you Tangled Yoke Cardigan!
Buttonholes - They ended up a bit too big, so I'll have to give this another go
Cable stitch patterns - LOVE em!
Cardigan
Charity knitting - I think I knit some squares and helped seam a couple of blankets for Katrina victims at The Point
Combination knitting
Continental knitting - I want to like it, really, I do!
Darning
Designing knitted garments - I have a couple patterns in my Ravelry Store
Domino knitting - I might want to try this if I knew what it was...
Drop stitch patterns - Hello Clapotis!
Dyeing spinning fiber
Dyeing with plant colors
Dyeing yarn
Entrelac
Fair Isle
Free-form knitting - I'm also not sure what this is...
Fulling/felting
Garter stitch
Gloves
Graffiti knitting - I want to tag my whole neighborhood!
Hair accessories - Well, they will be hair accessories when I get the hair clips!
Hats: Cuff-up
Hats: Top Down
Holiday knitting
Household Items
I-cord
Intarsia
Jewelry
Kitchener stitch - LOVE IT!
Knitted flowers
Knitting a gift
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Knitting and purling backwards - I'm not sure why I tried this, but it was kinda cool!
Knitting art
Knitting for a living - It's worth a shot right?
Knitting for pets
Knitting for preemies
Knitting in public
Knitting items for a wedding
Knitting on a loom - I didn't know you COULD!
Knitting smocking
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items)
Knitting to make money - Technically I got paid for that pattern published in Not Your Mama's Knitting
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Knitting with alpaca
Knitting with bamboo yarn - It was a blend, but I think that counts!
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Knitting with beads
Knitting with camel yarn
Knitting with cashmere
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with cotton
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Knitting with dpns - I hate it!
Knitting with linen
Knitting with metal wire
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn - I know, call me a yarn snob...
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Knitting with silk
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with soy yarn
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Knitting with wool
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Lace patterns
Long Tail CO
Machine knitting - That just seems to take all the fun out of it!
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip Down = meh.
Moebius band knitting
Norwegian knitting
Participate in an exchange - I thought about it once...I think I'd feel too much pressure and shut down.
Participating in a KAL
Pillows
Publishing a knitting book - Well...working for a publishing company that published a knitting book? Publishing a pattern in a knitting book? Consulting on a needlepoint book? I think all of those together count as me publishing a book. :)
Purses/bags - Nah...I feel like it's going to sag.
Rug - Maybe...maybe one from Mason Dixon 2
Scarf
Shawl
Short rows
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Slip stitch patterns
Slippers - I knitted slippers for my mom. The ones from Weekend Knitting. I can't figure out how to put them together STILL - 4 years later. But they're knitted, so they count!
Socks:toe-up
Socks: top-down
Steeks
Stockinette stitch
Stuffed toys
Swatching
Sweater
Tassels
Teaching a child to knit - I gave it a good old college try...I don't think she's keeping up with it.
Teaching a male how to knit
Textured knitting
Thrummed knitting
Toy/doll clothing - Only if I have children of my own someday will I consider this...
Tubular CO
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Writing a pattern
Double Knitting

I added Double Knitting because it wasn't on the list!!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Yarn 365

I've started a new adventure!

Ruth and I were chatting on our subway ride back from SNB this week about coffee table books. I mentioned that it'd be really cool to have a book of just really good yarn photography. I started thinking that it might be fun to do a 365 project where all the photos were of yarn. I'll take a photo a day and add it to a flickr website and then to a blog I just created called Yarn 365. There's a few fun categories that I'll be posting into:

  • Yarn in the Wild - this category will encompass yarn in places you don't generally see it such as: chilling on a stoop, maybe a green hank hanging out with some red apples in the produce section of whole foods, or even balancing on a sheep's head
  • A Close Yarn - this category will be for close ups (macro shots) of yarn
  • Glamorous Yarn - this category will be for photos of yarn that strikes a pose in a studio setting
  • Puppy-Eyed Yarn - this category is for the yarn that stares at you from the cubby holes at the yarn store. You know, the hanks and skeins that beg you to take them home with you regardless of how much space you have for them or what you'll knit with them
  • Yarn Transformed - this category is for photos of yarn that has been knit, crocheted, or played with in a way that makes it no longer string-like

I can use all the encouragement I can get I think. It's really hard to do something every day of the week. I have a lot of momentum going on this project right now and I'm really excited about it, but I'm sure that will fade at some point, and I might need some cheerleaders. Can you help me out? I'll make you some pom-poms if you want them... :)

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Malabrigo Intervention

I might need one. I think the blanket that I'm knitting out of the Malabrigo is making me want more Malabrigo.

Fireside Afghan Progress

Doesn't it make you want to squish it? The project is the Fireside Afghan (RavLink) from Continuous Cables (amz link). I'm knitting it for a friend who got married in May, though, I might actually end up knitting him a Hemlock Ring Blanket and give this to my brother and his fiancee instead. I'm still up in the air about it.

Back to the issue at hand though: I'm thinking about the Malabrigo here at work. I'm almost twitching and drooling at the thought of it. After Bev wore her Side Slip Cloche (RavLink) from Boutique Knits (amz link) to SNB last night, I've been thinking about knitting it, and knitting it with Malabrigo. But if I do that, surely I would have to knit myself a cowl out of Malabrigo to match the hat right? Maybe some matching mittens too?

This seems like a slippery slope, you see? We so quickly went from 1 skein for a hat to 3-4 skeins for a wintery set. I looked at my stash on Ravelry though, and didn't see anything really appropriate (besides the 5 skeins of mint green Malabrigo already in my stash, but that's not a wintery enough or neutral enough color for a hat/cowl/mitten set), or anything I had enough to make the whole set from. Would 3-4 skeins of a wintry or neutral color (Think ravelry red, cabernet, more Polar Morn or Simply Taube, watery green or some sort of blue) be condonable?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Flash Me!

For various reasons, Stan and I have been having stash conversations recently. I'm sure you've all been there at some point. You have too much yarn, or you haven't been knitting enough of the yarn that you've got or something along those lines to make your significant other question the amount of yarn you've got. Stan, I think, has a hard time grasping the yarn collection aspect of my hobby because he doesn't collect anything himself.

Until recently, Stan thought my entire stash fit in a milk crate between my roommate's room and mine. He has since been assured that such a divine spot in front of the TV is used only for pretty yarn (and that I actually do stare at it often), and there is quite a bit more yarn under a chair behind the TV (he didn't even know there was a chair behind the TV). He thinks (probably rightly so) that I have way more yarn than I could ever knit. And the stash has come up for some spatial concerns as well.

I've decided that I really should go through the stash. I need to photograph it all and list it all on Ravelry. Random leftover balls (but not remnants from socks that are lying around for mending) and all. Regardless, there will be one glory shot of it all together (if I can fit it in with my wide angle lens!). I might even look to part with some of it. Maybe.

I pose it to you, what's left of my dear readers: Flash Your Stash 2009! I think it would be way fun to put the size of my stash in perspective. Take a photo of your stash all together! Show me how much you've got! Slap it on your blog, then drop a comment to this post with a link. I'm giving all of us (myself included!) until January 1, 2010 to photograph and list it all.

I'm contemplating making this interesting by adding in a yarny incentive, but I'm going to hold off on that in the event I find that I can't part with my sock yarn. I'll figure it out and post something either way soon.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Halvsies Pattern on Ravelry!

Since my Halvsies pattern wasn't accepted by Berroco for their contest, I'm publishing it on my own, with Ravelry's help! click on the link below to download it!


Ravelry says that you can use that link to download the pattern even if you don't have a Ravelry account. Though, the Ravelry link for the pattern is here

I'll remind you as to what the Halvsies look like with a couple of glamor shots:

Halvsies 3

K's Halvsies


If you remember, I knit these last year for my brother's girlfriend. She loves them, and I wanted a pair to wear at work. I knit a pair out of Berocco Sox Metallic for their contest, but didn't manage to make it to the voting part. Now, I want to knit another pair so I can have a pair at work still! They're knit from the toe up to the heel and bound off loosely with Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind off.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pattern, and if you have any issues, drop me a line on Ravelry!

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Rhinebeck Tank Sundress

Where have I been? Well, most of late August and Early September were in preparation for this:

Hawaii Montage
Clicking on that will take you to a nifty slide show.

Stan and I went to Hawaii. It was utterly amazing and if you ever get the chance to go, you certainly should! They're not kidding, it truly is paradise.

You may remember right before I left a couple of posts on the sizing of a tank top. I'd like to show you the results, if I may:

Right before we left for Lahaina

From the Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting, this is pattern number 25. I knit it up with Handmaiden Double Sea Silk on size 6 needles for the most part. Funner details can be found on Ravelry. I did end up knitting the size 36 and it fits PERFECTLY. I might have done with another set of smaller bust darts, but it does fit fine and dandy. You'll also notice it's a better photo of the hat that I made at Illanna's that one time.

Also making it's debut in Hawaii was a dandy new sundress I sewed up from a Heather Ross pattern:

Me before the Luau

I just love the pattern on this fabric. It's Marcus Brothers from their Rainbow Gardens design line called Pink Paisley Garden 1139-0126. I fell in love and purchased it at Purl Patchwork.



So those are new FOs. I regret to inform everyone that I won't actually be making it to Rhinebeck this year. I was really looking forward to it, but it's not going to happen this year. My stash is already massive, so it'll survive and I think it will only make things better for next year. If someone wants to pick up some beautiful Briar Rose for me though, rest assured that I'd find a way to get some dollars to you for it!

The reason I can't go is actually quite a joyous one. My little brother recently got engaged to his girlfriend! While they don't have a date exactly yet, they're thinking it will happen April or May of 2011. We're all super excited for them, and their engagement party is the Saturday of Rhinebeck. So while I'm bummed I'm missing Rhinebeck, I really couldn't have asked for a better reason to miss it!

Now accepting interesting ideas for knitted wedding gifts. I really want to knit her a garter, I don't know why, I just do. So if you come across any interesting patterns for garters, drop me a line. I found one on Ravelry, that I've added to my queue, but if anyone finds another one that's equally interesting, let me know!