Tag: yarn

Coming to Terms with the Stash

denisemor 14 January 8, 2012

I have mixed feelings about the stash.

I love the stash.
I need the stash.

But the stash exerts a subtle pressure.
It longs to be more than yarn in a cedar chest.
Or home decor.

But these days I seem to be spinning faster than I knit.
So it tends to accumulate some.

And it’s sometimes hard to part with stash, because I either had some grand idea of how I might use it.
Or it’s not quite perfect or flashy or luxurious enough to be a “gift skein” or to sell.

So I’m not making resolutions about stash this year.

No need to put pressure on the relationship.

Healthy stash, happy Denisee.

Long life the stash!

Pre-Christmas Stay-cation

denisemor 13 December 18, 2011

It was quite a week-

Measuring and mixing.

Beating and blending.

Scraping and rolling.

Baking, cooling, frosting.

Packing and Shipping.

But I made it. All 13 batches of it.

Then I sent it off to friends and family. (ok, not ALL of it. I kept a little for local munching)

And I’m afraid I didn’t take any pictures of the process. I was just glad to get it all done in time.

Of course, I made sure to take wool breaks to ensure I retained my sanity in the midst of all this cookie craziness.

Exhibit A- Oscar Socks

I started these socks months ago, when the recipients feet were only as long as the white part! Yeeks!

Exhibit B- Custom Photo Glove/Mitts

These are a not-so-secret Christmas present for The Man. Still need thumbs and index fingers (with openings for finger tips), but I’m getting close!

And the spinning-

Mioget Shetland with blonde mohair and gold tussah silk, Border Leicester, and some CVM/Suffolk cross.

Yum. High fiber goodies. Healthiest things I made all week!

Now perhaps I can just relax and enjoy the holidays 🙂

Shadow Stages

denisemor 2 September 25, 2011

I got a start on the new sweater in earnest this week.

I’m well into sleeve one

and I think it’s going well. Won’t know for certain if my gauge calculations are on until I get this piece done and have a change to block and measure it.

I like the pattern. It’s got a nice rhythm to it. Somehow the cabling makes it seem to move at a good clip, too.

Dug through the stash, and it looks like I’ve got five more skeins of Edgar and Edgar/Griff to work with, so that should hold me for a bit-

And I just carded up a few more batts.

I’ve got Edgar/Griff fiber in ever stage of production right now.

Neat, eh?

Binding off, Casting On

denisemor 7 September 18, 2011

I’m mighty pleased to announce that I have (essentially) finished the Shepherd’s vest!

It still needs to be blocked, and the ends woven in, but the knitting is done.

So that frees up my needles for the next challenge, Shadow, from Wool People.
Just finished another 400 or so yds of Edgar/Griff for this project,

and I have a few other skeins already in the stash, so I’m set to get a start, but will probably have to do a fair bit more on the yarn-generation side as I go to get to the finish line on this one.

My yarn is a bit lighter-weight than Shelter, the yarn specified in the pattern, and so will have to do some knitting math to adjust stitch counts and such. Looks like size 6 needles for this one.

Here is the happy little swatch-

I’ve looked hard at this pattern to see if there is any possible way to translate it into a seamless, in-the-round construction type of thing, and it was making my brain very tired.

So, this is going to be the first sweater I’ve ever knit in pieces and then assembled.

Yep. Really.

Wish me luck. 🙂