Some More Yarn

I've really, really cut down on my yarn buying for the last year and a half. Not having a conveniently located yarn shop to hang out in helps, but I have also been consciously trying to use up what I have rather than buy more--it's about time I did that.

But yes, what you see is some new yarn. I keep getting tempted by the yarn my friend Ray at Knitivity makes--I like how the socks come out with his colors--they go with lots of things and wear well. You know I like him and his yarn from all the posts the past few years!

Recently I was thinking how I need more dark socks--most of my yarn is bright and perky. I wanted yarn to match my current mood, ha ha. And Ray was having a deal where you would get a free pattern if you ordered something, so I got one of his classic colorways, After Hours. I was happy to see patterns for a shawl he designed, the Two Ball Shawl, and a really interesting stitch design he came up with--one I'd like to do something with at some point.

I've bought a few skeins from Ray this year, and I think that's about it other than the few things I showed you last month or the month before. So I think I am doing well. I have so much beautiful yarn--I will just find stuff to make with it. Of course, with all the blogging and working lately...when will I knit? Oh, now that I am back at it, I will find the time. And I will keep it simple--I am no longer of the mindset that I am as creative or innovative as those people whose blogs I used to read all the time--I think I'd been trying to "keep up with the   Joneses" or something.

I have a few skeins of sock yarn just sitting around, including the one in the picture. I just enjoy looking at yarn--especially in all the colors I wear, which this one is perfect for!

February Yarn Crawl Report

I promised I’d share the results of my yarn crawl this weekend, so here we go! My friends Deana and Dawn and I braved some incredibly gusty winds to head east, once again. Many kudos to Deana for driving, because I don’t think I’d have done as good a job as she did. It was nice to drive on the back roads, and even nicer to have good conversation and some real laughs. I appreciate them for putting up with their token heathen so cheerfully!

NOTE: I will re-do this post with the images centered later today--I am out of lunch hour time to re-do the photos.

Our first stop was Yarnorama, in Paige. They are approaching their one-year anniversary, which is impressive for an LYS that is in the middle of nowhere, and not really “local” to many people at all. They have closed the café part of the store (darn it), but still seem to have plenty of yarn, and even (ahhh) some new stuff.

The first new thing I got there is this yarn, called Haze, from the Queensland Collection. I got this rather subdued colorway, because I am trying to knit more things that go with a lot of clothing, which means neutrals. The colors are rather lovely together, though. What’s interesting about this one is that the yarn is 60% corn viscose and 40% cotton. I think corn does better in a blend, because this feels pretty good and really resembles a fine cotton more than anything else. I like the matte sheen. I plan to make this really cute DROPS bolero kind of sweater with a crochet trim. I do hope I got enough yarn. I bought three skeins.




Another thing I bought with a project already in mind was this stuff. Yeah, I am a sucker for a self-striping yarn, and I’d hoped to find this one somewhere. It’s called Poems and is from Wisdom Yarns. The colorways it comes in are nice and happy, quite reminiscent of Noro’s colorways. But the yarn is much softer and is sort of two ply (it is mostly one thick ply, but there appears to be a sturdy binder thread running throughout, too). The texture and feel remind me of Berroco Foliage, the one that pilled so badly on me, but it’s 100% wool. We will have to see how it works out on the project I have in mind, which is a best made of a sort of mitered rectangle. It’s in the Noro Revisited book where my funny-topped hat came from (I’d link to a finished version on Ravelry, but no one seems to have completed that pattern—it figures, as I seem to be a leader not a follower lately with projects). I got 5 skeins of this stuff, and as you can see I got a more subdued colorway with just a few pops of color.







That is all I was going to get until I touched a sock that Susan, the LYS owner, was making out of this stuff. They also had a beautiful sweater made from it at the shop (one that would be VERY time consuming on tiny needles). This is a merino laceweight, it says, but really is more of a fine sock weight yarn, Lace Merino from Ella Rae. It comes in some really pretty colors, but once again, I went for a neutral. The yarn is very, very bouncy and soft—all the best qualities of a merino yarn! I got some smaller sock needles, since my 00s are all bent up, and I think I’ll make socks from this yarn with a nice tight gauge. I do think these colors are very pretty, in a quiet way. It’s from SWTC, called Jezebel. I got it to be the “dark” color for those Simply Southwestern Socks I mentioned last week.






After we left Yarnorama, where we’d had a very pleasant time indeed, we motored on over to Brenham to see how Fibers is doing. It is doing fine, but I can see that they have sold a lot of yarn and not restocked. It’s not quite as overwhelmingly tempting as it was last time. But we spent a long time there, much of it because Deana’s 5 skeins of pretty slinky yarn took a while to put into balls. But, the ladies persevered and got it done. Deana got lovely white yarn to make a shawl from the Wrapped in Comfort book (I ordered it as a birthday gift to myself, too, because the techniques in it are really fun). Dawn got a nice shawl pin, too, a wooden one.

I’d been looking for a particular kind of sock yarn, but didn’t see any exactly like what I want, so I may end up ordering from DROPS, skeins of the yarn my Kauni Jacket is supposed to be made from. I did run across the skein of semi-solid blackish purple yarn you see above.

Now, this isn’t to say that I found nothing much at the store. Ha, I wish. I discovered a beautiful pale green (the colorway is called shallot) 100% bamboo yarn called Bamboo Soft from RYC Classic. Actually, I discovered the book with a pattern that called for the yarn first. Ooh, it is one pretty book. All spring stuff, and apparently so new it isn’t online anywhere. I fell in love with a lace-patterned vest that looks so light and delicate, but not too frilly for me. I better like it, since it called for 8 balls of some not-very-cheap English yarn! The book also had some nice cotton sweaters that I’d consider, too, and some over-done picture-knitting bags that I didn’t like much. Still, I think this will be a great project. I hope some day to get to it.


Current Knitting Binge

Which brings me to knitting. I got a lot done on the Kauni jacket over the weekend. Only a few more rows and I will be finished with the back. I ran into a weird issue where the yarn suddenly switched colors, then returned to where it should be. It was like they but in a splice, backwards. But, I undid the ties, re-tied it, and though there may be a slightly too-long red section, the colors now keep flowing. This jacket is reminding me of the Baby Surprise. I don’t think it’s going to look “right” until it is sewed together. Then I think it will be just brilliant! It’s really pretty in person. Maybe I’ll get good knitting time in this week and get it done! I’m 75% through almost!

Mystery Solved - Happy New Year

OpArt Mystery

You may recall from last year (a mere two days ago) that I was perplexed about running out of black yarn on OpArt when I had only gotten to the size of the "small" version of the blanket. I became more perplexed yesterday, when I realized that my two remaining balls of white, plus a little extra, were not going to allow me to get my last stripe ten garter stitch ridges wide. The first ball only got me 7.75 rows (that's almost four complete stripes).

As I knit, I kept thinking, well, this is still plenty big, for being the small size. It will be OK. And by the end of last night, it was pretty clear that I'll get at least 9 stripes on the last row, which means it won't look too funky.

This morning, I got the bright idea to look on Ravelry to see other people's OpArt projects. Well. Once again I DO wish I would look at these things before the end of a project. There are all sorts of comments about the small size really being the one ending with 8 ridges, not the one ending with 10. So, I am actually almost finished with the large size, so it is not so bad to be just a tad short of yarn. And I am not the only one for whom the 6 balls of each color weren't quite enough. I feel so much better.

It looks like I'll finish OpArt tonight or tomorrow, but, no extra baby things from leftover yarn! That's OK, because I got another idea for making an organic cotton baby surprise jacket...or using some of that luscious Louet Gems I bought last week. I can always get more of that for mittens.

The plan is to be sure to take pictures of the blanket before and after blocking, because it really looks funny coming off the needles, but great blocked.

Knitting Resolutions

Everyone's putting their knitting resolutions on their blogs. I know I am a total failure at that, but I am trying to make reasonable plans for the year. I know times are hard, so I will have to moderate my stash aquisition. I also know I have a goodly number of projects lined up to knit (plus a couple I really want to finish--the orange alpaca sweater and Maelstrom, for example).

So, my plans are:

1. I will knit at least two items from my stash for every one item of new yarn. This is a minimum goal. I will try to knit primarily from my stash this year, but I know how the siren call of new yarn can be (witness the buying spree last week).
2. I will only buy sock yarn from independent dyers or limited edition others. Anything that will be around a while, I will wait for.
3. I will get back to concentrating on socks more and knit other stuff from sock yarn, too. Must use stash. (I actually have an idea that may work for making that Raglan Rust sweater I love in the current Knitter's from 5 or 6 different balls of Trekking rather than 3 each of two colors.)
4. I will finish the items I am working on. I hope to get one item, the orange sweater, done this weekend (so optimistic) and then I vow to spend at least some time each week on Maelstrom, then each other item until they are done. I will feel good if I do that.
   

Even More Stash Justification

Knit Picks Simple Stripes 23554
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It's clear that I must have Stash Guilt, because I keep addressing this issue. Nonetheless...

I recently appalled someone when I said I had over 100 balls of sock yarn lurking in my house. Now, I have already explained to y'all that this isn't necessarily all going to be socks someday: it's a collection. Or my version of how the Mormons keep a stockpile of food and stuff ready for when disaster strikes. My yarn is ready for when financial disaster strikes: if I run out of money I won't run out of knitting fodder! I may get hungry, but I will be entertained. Someone else posited that I could eat the Maizy and the Tofutsie (corn and soy).

But another aspect of my stash-loving ways has become clear as I upload items from deep at the bottom of the yarn basket: some of that stuff is no longer made! Like Simple Stripes from Knit Picks. The yarn depicted here has been looked at a whole bunch of times on Flickr--I am thinking because it has been discontinued and is not one of the more common colorways. I figure it's going to become more valuable through the years, yeah, that's the ticket. My heirloom sock yarn is just like money in a vault! Some day, just some day, my stash might get me out of a bind, or something.

So I will keep treasuring it, even the Lion Brand Magic Stripes. Poor maligned sock yarn--it has held up well over time, so I still like it, even if it came from a discount hobby store. It's an heirloom too, now!

Good Old Juno, Now Known as Narrow Juno

You may have read in my addendum to my second post yesterday that I seem to have missed a repeat on Juno Regina's set-up rows. I think one of the dogs increased my row counter when playing on the couch. I should have figured it out, but was so happy I was getting the actual pattern to happy that I put aside that nagging question: why are there stitches on that chart that I am not knitting? Now I know--and it is good that my explanation to Lynn was not damaged too badly by my omission. Whew.

Just goes to show you, as I say repeatedly: you never stop learning at knitting. Soon as I find good light and a light-colored background, I will give you an in-progress shot of the Narrow Juno Regina, as I will now call my "dresser scarf." Let's just hope no equipment malfunctions mar my next projects (sparkly blue socks and a cardigan for Lee).

And, keep those job vibes coming. I have nothing yet, but many possibilities in the works. I just need ONE to work out!

Winning the Fight with Lace

Double Eyelet Rib Sock, on a Foot
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Good news is that the holiday gift Trekking XXL socks are moving along well. Look how pretty sock #1 came out! Love, love, love Trekking XXL. It's just endlessly entertaining how those colors change and never seem to repeat. I made this sock just like the WendyKnits pattern, except I twisted the ribbing at the top, for more definition. Again, it's Double Eyelet Rib. There's another view on Flickr, if you click the link on the picture (plus some pix of me singing).

In more sock yarn news, I persevered and spent a few hours (I hope not wasting my time) finishing photography of ALL the rest of my sock yarn. The bottom of the Big Basket of Sock Yarn contained mostly Regia and some older yarns, but now I know what I have. I even took pictures of the solid colored yarns. Turns out I have some weird solids that someone gave me, not even wool. Oh well, they can make fun baby items or something. If you're on Ravelry, check out poor SunaSAK's over 140 stashed yarns. She seems obsessed with sock yarn.

But, Suna also loves laceweight. And worked with it much of the weekend when not singing in the big community choir concert (it was lovely!) or listening to others make music.

Juno Regina tried to kill me, to the extent that at one point I covered up the endlessly smiling model's face on the pattern--she appeared to be mocking me--SHE had made this successfully, why couldn't I? I ended up making a mistake I could not locate to repair, which necessitated a re-start on Saturday evening. That was disheartening. At least I discovered where I was messing up (as usually, a knit stitch on the chart was hiding from me). Charts with different repeats that go in different orders can be hard to parse sometimes, and it's exacerbated by using such fine yarn. I got happier when I switched to a slightly larger needle, though. Nonetheless, nothing is as tedious as erasing lace. I even (gasp) ALMOST put in a life line. But, nah, I couldn't locate the unscented dental floss fast enough.

I am sure I drove Lee insane cursing at the stitches and requesting silence over and over. But, I am happy to report that no only did I figure out what I was doing, I got three quarters through the third chart! I am into sections with mindless parts, which means I will soon be zooming away. I have a lot of fights with lace, but this one I think I am winning!

With the Claudia Handpainted silk, which is finer than the silk/wool the original was made in, the stole is apparently going to be more of a wide scarf. But I can see it draped over a white top very elegantly, anchored by a lovely shawl pin. (I say white, because it is fairly dark so would not show up as well against black, and because Boot Camp is a colorway that does not "match" much other than neutrals.

That's the knitting report from the weekend!