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... :)

Malabrigo Intervention

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


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?

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.

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:





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!

Rhinebeck Tank Sundress

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


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:


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:


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!

Continous Cables Disaster

So, I don't have any photos to share, but I will say that I'm having serious issues with the Fireside Afghan I'm knitting for a friend. Row 12 seems to be quite wonky and it seems as though there are some places where stitches are being increased, but there's no mark to let you know to increase there. It's all rather frustrating.

Anyway, does anyone have time to check this chart out and to confirm my sanity?

Help!