Destash!

It's a little destash, and it's mostly single skeins, but I have a few things that I need to clear out of my stash. Each item is an additional $3 if you need me to ship it to the continental US. I accept paypal, or cash in-person.

These yarns have lived in my smoke-free apartment, stored in ziplock bags. I have one cat who shares my apartment with me, and it's possible stray fur or dander attached itself to the yarn when I first brought it home, but they should be relatively safe.


Two skeins Schopel Wolle Ambiente in colour 1860, 155 meters (169 yds) per 50g skein. 100% superwash merino with a tight twist, this is a yummy self-striping sportweight yarn, great for socks or other accessories. Retails for $10 per skein; I'd like $14 for the pair.

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A skein of Kraemer Yarns Eileen, hand-dyed by yours truly. They call this a DK, but it's more like a sport/sock weight at 400yds/100g. 100% merino. Free to good home (shipping charge still applies).

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One skein Twisted Sisters Zazu in Hand Paint #73, 390yds/50g, 100% merino. This is a marvelously lofty lace weight. We called this colour "bruised rainbow" - it knits into a delicious fabric which you can see in my friend Kirsten's Citron (ravelry link). Retails for $16; I'd like $11 for it.

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One skein Anzula Yarns Wash My Lace in colour Shitake, 990yds/110g, 100% superwash merino. I've never actually worked with this yarn, so I can't say anything about it except that it's quite soft and sproingy and yummy feeling in the skein. Retails for $26 per skein; I'd like $18 for it.

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One skein Punta Lace Hand Paint in colour HP72, 459yds/50g, 100% merino. This is an awesome lace with lots of plies so it's quite sturdy. As you can see, it's got a few cat hairs attached to it, so this one must have spent some time outside of its ziplock. Retails for $11 per skein; I'd like $7 for it.

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SOLD - One skein of Kraemer Yarns Judy, also hand-dyed by yours truly. They call this a worsted, but it's more like a DK at 270yds/100g. 100% merino. Free to good home (shipping charge still applies).

Upcoming Pattern Releases, part 2

Did you guess that there was more coming? You were right! This one likely won't be out for a few months, since it's still in the swatching and testing stage (and it doesn't even have a name yet!), but I'd just like to say that I'm ridiculously excited about it.

Upcoming Pattern Releases, part 1

Do you remember Crichton?



I'm sure you've completely forgotten about it (I nearly have). It was supposed to have been released last spring, but was delayed to summer because I was busy closing the shop. And then I just got busy, so the pattern languished in its near-completed state for MONTHS on end. It had been written up, test knit, and was all ready to go...it just needed pictures!

Next week my favourite model is coming ALL THE WAY FROM NEW YORK so that I can get pictures of this amazing sweater. Which means that Crichton will be here in just a few weeks!

You can sign up here to be notified when the pattern is available for purchase - and you’ll get a coupon code for $2 off when the pattern is released!

FO: Wizards in Windsor

Pattern: Windsor Cardi by Amy Christoffers
Yarn: Louet MerLin Sport Weight
Ravelry project page




Notes & Mods:
I accidentally used 4’s for the ribbing instead of 5’s, but i’m quite pleased with it this way. I think 5’s might have been too loose. And this yarn? AWFUL! There were easily a dozen breaks in that last skein! So many breaks! So many ends to weave in!

I made the sleeves bracelet length instead of full length. Actually I planned to make then 3/4 length, but it's lucky that I did that because after blocking they were many inches longer - I can't imagine if I'd made them full length! It'd have been absurd! Luckily I love bracelet length.!

I picked up 2 of every 3 sts for button bands, so I ended up with at least 10 more sts than the pattern calls for, but it would have looked really silly if I’d only picked up what it says. Also I started and ended each band with k3, since that edge column always curls under anyway (one of those tiny details only the most OCD knitter would notice, but it makes a big difference to me).

I made one more button hole than my size called for, because six divided more evenly than 5 into the number of stitches I had. And the buttonholes came out ridiculously tiny! I’ll have to order 11mm buttons for this - the 5/8” ones I bought will NEVER fit through those button holes.

Also, I used WAYYYY LESS yarn than the pattern said it would. Probably 3/4 as much yarn.

WIP: *warmers

I seldom post WIPs here, because I'm terrible about the ones that languish in time-out for months or even years at a time. But I'm seldom so excited about a project as I am about this one.



The goal here is legwarmers, but depending on how much yarn I have, they may end up being armwarmers. I've cast-on provisionally, will knit til I have just a yard or two left in the ball, and then graft the two sides together (though if these end up being arm-warmers, I'll be making a thumb somehow - I have not yet figured out how, though Ysolda has a lovely pattern that will likely serve as inspiration for that). This is fabulous TV or pub knitting, since it's entirely mindless.

I've got two skeins total of Sereknity yarns "Verity" in color "Campfire" - though it seems that now they're called Mad Color Fiber Arts, nothing else is changed. And this yarn is scrumptious. I'd say it's more of a heavy sport-weight than a true DK, but it's lovely and vibrant and delicious and crazy-affordable with loads of yardage. Next time I'll get 3 skeins so I can make a tank or tee or cropped cardi!

FO: Headbandit

At knitnight, one of the ladies was wearing this AWESOME headband. A big cover-up-your-whole-hair kind of headband. More of a headscarf than a headband, really. And then we had this whole conversation about how we've both (independently) switched to the "no 'poo" method of hair-washing, which really means not washing your hair except once or twice a week, which means greasy hair. Maybe we're doing it wrong? With short hair, it doesn't really matter. My hair always looks better a day or two after I last washed it anyway. But sometimes you don't want to wash or style that bedheady mess, and with short hair, you have to style it EVERY DAY (or at least get it wet and mess it up a bit more deliberately).


And so, headband!





Pattern: Britta Lalena Headwrap/Earwarmer by Elisa McLaughlin
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Multy
Ravelry project page


Notes:
I did not actually buy this pattern. It's pretty basic and pretty obvious what's going on, so I just looked at the pictures and figured it out, because it seemed a bit absurd to spend that much money on a pattern when I could so easily free-form it and get the exact same look. Cute, wide headband with holes. The trick, it seems, is to make it way too tight around your head. That's what makes it behave and not pop right off your head. I had no idea.

I finished it in just a couple of hours, so this is one of those great cures for a bad case of startitis, and also a great use of leftover sock yarn. Hooray for a very quick FO!

2011 recap & fiber goals for 2012

2011 was a very tough year. A lot of big things had run their course and came to their ends in 2011 - a job, a business, a relationship. But there was always yarn to keep me company and hold me up through it all (it is remarkable how much support something so soft and pliable as fiber can provide).

In 2011, I finished 32 projects, plus one sweater that was completely frogged, for a total of 33 projects! That is a crazypants number of projects! Some of them were very tiny, and I only have pictures of about 2/3 of them, because I've been terrible about getting snapshots, especially of the smaller ones (which tend to get gifted way too quickly). I think one of my goals for this next year will be to be better about photographing my FOs. More details on each of these can be found on my Ravelry page.

   
  

One of my goals was to make more summer-wearable tops for myself, which is definitely something that I achieved! Five very wearable tops. Three pairs of socks (only one pictured). Six hats (only two pictured). Eight me-sized cardigans (one frogged; only seven pictured). Four cowls. One shawl (just one!). One baby sweater and one baby blanket. One set of dish scrubbies and one set of coasters. One pair of mitts (not pictured). And one catnip-filled mouse for Howard.

I had planned to do a lot more designing this year, and that didn't end up happening. I did release one pattern in 2011: an any-size, any-gauge, simple raglan sweater called Babbage:



I have one other design that's been nearly finished for over six months! My goal for 2012 will be to release four designs - with one of them virtually finished already, hopefully that will be very do-able.

In 2012, I also plan to tackle steeking for the first time, to remove the unwieldy, giant fronts off this beast:



But more on that once it happens.

I think for 2012 my goal is to complete more long-sleeved pullover sweaters for myself, since it seems that is an area where my wardrobe is lacking. Plus a few more summery tops to round out that bit of my hand-knitted wardrobe (preferably with short or elbow-length sleeves, since most of this year's tops were sleeveless).

I'd also like to be more serious about spinning in the coming year. I've dabbled a bit, and I have some lovely drop-spindles that I have really enjoyed, but I might save my pennies to splurge on a wheel. Maybe.