Endings and Beginnings

As the year comes to an end I have decided to end this blog and start a new one. My new blog will centre on all the activities in my life I feel compelled to blog about rather than just knitting.

A lot of things have happened recently and while I continue to knit and will blog about it; these new things will have a place on the new blog.

We recently bought our own house! We moved Dec. 1 to our first home and it is keeping me very busy. I also am very comitted to my collage art. I was recently chosen to be a member of the Design Team at Stamp and Scrap Canada and have also submitted some work for publication. This will be an exciting year for me!

If you care to join me and read about my collage art and decorating our WWI era house along with the knitting please join me on my new blog.

Artful Life With Eliza Jane

Finally a FO

I have finished socks!! Here we have the Feather & Fan socks (somewhat modified) from the book Socks, Socks, Socks. I used Regia Bamboo and they are wonderfully soft.



I just can't seem to survive without a pair of socks on the needles. So here we have the next pair which are super fun to knit.

Still Here

Wow, I haven't posted in a while! Things have been pretty hectic around here lately and I haven't been knitting as much as usual. I am still knitting, though. I have been pretty much working exclusively on the Poppy Shawl (see previous entry) and am on the 11th row of 17 rows of poppies. I'm still enjoying it as much as when I started though the rows are enormously long now and I'm at a point where I need to move up to a longer needle. However, I am using the longest needle I have so will have to go buy a new (longer) circ. This will entail a trip to the city so it may be a bit before I can get out and get one.

In the meantime, a few days ago I cast on for a new sock. This will be my November entry for the SAM2. I am doing a basic Feather & Fan sock with Regia Bamboo. There is something about this F&F pattern (from the book Socks, Socks, Socks) that just practically knits itself. I am almost at the toe of the first sock. The Bamboo yarn is delicious, a joy to knit with and a joy to touch. It's one of those yarns where you just have to keep picking up your knitting to caress the yarn!

Leafy Lace Socks

My October SAM2 socks are finished! These are from a kit from the sotmc from a few months back. Cascade Fixation and pattern by Rebecca Perry. The ribbing on the first sock is a bit too loose as I was getting used to knitting with the elastic but once I figured it out it was fine. These are nice huggable socks. I love socks that hug and will definately use this yarn again.

Blanket and a Shawl

The mitred blanket is finished! This one took quite a while to make simply because I was taking my time with it. Just knit a bit here and there but have been working on it like crazy this past week. The colours are not quite so bright as they appear in the picture.

Thanks to Aimee in the comments I've decided the mohair is a bulky yarn and still don't know what I'll be knitting with it. The search for a pattern continues.

The Fixation socks continue in progress. I am just about to start the gussets. I'm working both socks at once on dpns. I'm really enjoying this yarn. At first I was unsure how to work with the elasticity worrying about my tension but finally figured out to just knit like normal and all is well.

Now for a sneak peak at my current project. When I posted my last blog entry I was just about to cast on for this but didn't want to mention it in case it didn't work out. This is something I have wanted to knit since ... well ... forever. When I sorted out my stash the other week I decided to finally take the plunge and I am hooked on this baby! Here we have the start of the Poppy Shawl by Kaffe Fassett. I'm at the part now where I have to chart the pattern out myself to get the poppies lined up properly. I'm working with an assortment of sport weight/ light dk yarns in a multitude of textures and fibres. This is one of those things that will look better after blocking but man, I'm loving it!

Socktoberfest & Stash Overhaul

First order of business is socks! I am currently knitting these socks from a sotmc kit from a few months back. These will be my Socktoberfest socks and my October Sock a month socks. Nothing like doing double duty with your kals!



I have been knitting almost exclusively on the mitred blanket this last week. I realized I was almost finished so decided to get a move on with this. I have two more sides to complete then I'll have finished pics to show!

I spent this last week doing something stupid useful. I reorganized my stash. I sorted out by weight and purpose. I thought that doing this might actually reduce the number of boxes of stash but in the end I had one more box than I started with!

I made boxes for each weight of yarn and then separated the sock worthy yarn into separate boxes for both sock weight and sport weight. I also sorted out the 100% wool worsted and cotton (regardless of weight) into separate boxes. Whether this will be helpful or not is doubtful but I feel a little less overwhelmed than before I started.

So, what have I pulled out of the stash to knit next? you ask. Another blast from the past with this:



Scheepjeswol Mohair Ombre. A lovely variegated colour of medium and light tans and grey. 67% Mohair, 28% Wool, 5% Nylon. I have 9 full balls and an extra 20 grams. Making 470 grams or 376 metres. Recommended needles are size 6 or 7. But I am wondering, since all the info on the ball band is metric do they mean 6mm/7mm or the old UK sizes 6/7 which would be 4.5mm/5mm. The yarn strand itself is very thin, about a fingering weight, then it has a huge halo making it fluffy and thick. What do you think? I've never knit with mohair before.

So, once I know what needles to use with this the big question is what the heck should I knit with it all? Would it work for a shawl? Other than the feather & fan shawls I've done I have never knit a large lace shawl and I would love to take one on. Pattern suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

When Knitting Becomes an Obsession

If you haven't seen this already. You really should!

FO Day

Today is Finished Object Day here at The Stash Project.

First up are the Retro Rib socks by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Winter 2004. The contrast colour is the leftover Trekking XXL from the Unsts and the main yarn is some thrifted wool Patons Azalea which seems to be quite ancient. A lovely yarn to knit with, it is pure new wool from Australia. Pretty much knit to pattern with the exception of the added contrast colour and I knit my standard star toe.



Next up we have the fingerless mitts on page 7 of the Fall 2005 Interweave Knits, using the Patons Siberia from stash. Again I really enjoyed this yarn and these are nice and soft. This was knit to pattern with the exception that it called for 6 mm needles and I only had 5.5 and 6.5 dpns so I went with the 5.5 mm. They only used 60 gr of yarn so I had plenty.



And finally we have a Lacy Summer Purse (PDF FILE) using the blue ball of Patons Cotton Sahara. This yarn gave me headache trying to figure out what to knit with it. I started knitting a dishcloth but I really like this yarn and it seemed too nice to knit a dishcloth with. I mean this stuff is old and I may never get my hands on some again so I wanted to make something "nice". Know what I mean? Finally settled on this pattern and this is such a cute little bag! It would make a perfect gift bag. It took pretty much the whole the ball of yarn with just enough left that I didn't hyperventilate about running out!



I now have one and a half balls of the peach Cotton Sahara left and I am going to knit this bag again with it only I am going to try substituting the mesh pattern from itsy-bitsy. Now I am going to go get a few more balls out of the box to see what I'll be knitting with next.

Itsy Bitsy

I feel like I'm on a roll here! Knitting is just flying off the needles. Here we have the itsy bitsy bag finished.



I just love this thing! Here it is holding the current knitting yarn and "what is that peeking out?" you ask. That is one of the fingerless mitts already finished! I can imagine knitting this bag over and over. I have to tell you, though, it was not fun to knit. The herringbone stitches used are extremely fiddly. I had to employ an extra finger while knitting and it slowed me down considerably, but it was definately worth it. And practice does make perfect. I see this in the future and may be changing my mind about making dishcloths with the Patons Cotton Sahara. This bag used 70 grams of the Wendy Capri. So I do have some left.

As mentioned, I have one fingerless mitt finished and am working on the second one. The retro rib socks are coming along, I've finished the foot of one and am plodding along on the second foot.

Decisions Have Been Made

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I've decided on patterns for these three yarns.

First up the Wendy Capri. After one false start knitting with this I realized it was more of a worsted weight than dk and decided upon the itsy-bitsy mesh bag pattery from Knitty. I'm more than half-way finished and just about ready to start the second ball so feeling good knowing I'll have enough yarn. This yarn is working perfectly and I really like it. Here's the progress pic.





Next on the list was the Patons Siberia. sparkli suggested the My So Called Scarf pattern. I haven't knit that before and took a look at the pattern, which is gorgeous! But after good consideration, this yarn is just too fluffy and nubby for the pattern stitch to show up well. So I went hunting online for a pattern, then I remembered a pattern from an Interweave Knits issue and have decided upon these fingerless mitts. They call for 100 gr and I only have 80 gr, but I've made full sized mittens with 100 gr of chunky yarn so I should be ok and I'm going to make them a bit shorter than the pattern calls for anyway so I think we'll be good. This is on page 7 of the Fall 2005 issue.



And finally the Patons Cotton Sahara, which, yes, has been mellowing for quite some time! christy j logically suggested a pillow top since it would match my living room. After looking though some pillow patterns I just couldn't see this cotton, nubby yarn as any of them! More thinking and came up with the equation: Cotton Yarn = Dishcloth. I think this cotton/nylon blend might actually make a very nice dishcloth, give it a bit more scrubbing power than a 100% cotton. Now the colours are way off for my kitchen so I'll gift these for Christmas. I should get a couple of cloths (maybe three?) from this yarn. Now I'll be haunting this list of dishcloth patterns.

PS - I am still working on the Retro Rib socks. I'm working the feet now.

Next blog post should some FO's and when I've knit this batch of yarn up I'll post the next selection of yarn from the box. So get your thinking caps ready to help me again!

And Now for Something Completely Different

I am taking a new direction in this blog. I have a purpose!

I have a huge stash which I actually have not really added to in quite some time. A few odd balls here and there and some thrifted yarn but no big yarn purchases for a couple of months now.

So here is my purpose for this blog. I am going to knit up my stash! My stash is quite large and contains everything from 100% acrylics to 100% wool with everything inbetween. Nice yarn and not so nice yarn. Yarn I haven't knitted because it's too nice, yarn I haven't knitted because I don't know what to knit with it. I have an incredible amount of odd balls that just sit around and seem to multiply.

Now, I'm not saying I won't buy yarn anymore but I am going to knit from the stash on a regular basis.

What stash you ask? This stash:


Bottom of closet


Top of closet

Now, it may not look like a lot to some of you but trust me those boxes are big and absolutely stuffed full of yarn. Some of the boxes only close properly because of the boxes sitting on top of them!

Starting off this stash-busting project we have the first box, which was not included in the above pictures. This box is only half full.



First Goal of The Stash Project: Knit up this box of yarn.

But I need your help. This box is full of odd balls and I have a hard time thinking of small items to knit with odd balls. Please give me your input! Here are the first balls I've moved to my knitting basket. What should I knit with them?

1) Wendy Capri - 2 - 50 gr balls - no yardage - double knitting - 51% cotton/49% acrylic - colour is cream/off white


2) Patons Cotton Sahara - 50 gr blue, 75 gr peach - 115 yds per 50 gr - worsted weight - 89% cotton/11% nylon - as a note these colours match my living room.


3) Patons Siberia - 80 gr multi kind of burgundy and grey - no yardage - chunky weight - 77.5% acrylic/12% cotton/8.5% mohair/2% nylon


Any ideas?

Feather & Fan Comfort Shawl

I finally got around to taking a photo of the shawl I finished a bit ago.

Here is the feather and fan comfort shawl

Now, other than the continuing mitre blanket, I am currently working on the retro rib socks from Interweave Knits. Finally. I've wanted to knit these since I got that issue and every time I see them posted on someone's blog. I'm almost at the heels.

We Will Miss You

Wicker Basket

As I was working on the red/purple socks below the August sock of the month kit arrived. As soon as I opened it I knew I would be casting on the for these socks the second I was finished. And I did, they practically flew off the needles taking 3 days to complete. I love them!

Wicker Basket Sport Socks by Wooliedi. Yarn is Wick by Knit One Crochet Too which is soy. I've never used soy yarn before and it is wonderful!



P.S. - I finished the shawl last night! So more pics coming soon!

More Socks

Here is the promised FO!

These socks started out as the Lavender Lace Socks by Evelyn Clark in the book Vogue Knitting on the Go Socks Two but I made a lot of changes. Practically everything actually! But I did use the horseshoe lace pattern on the leg. The yarn used for the red is a vintage yarn: Mary Maxim 3ply 90% wool 10% nylon and was beautiful to knit with. Unsure as to what the purple yarns are but they are both the same brand and 100% wool.



I have another FO on the blockers right now and will post again soon!

Checking In

I haven't blogged in a bit so I'm checking in! I don't have any pics today as all my knitting is wips at the moment. I haven't been blogging but I am knitting. On the needles as of right now are:

1) the brown mitred blanket. Was working on it pretty regularly as tv knitting while doing the Unst socks but taking a bit of break right now.

2) started and am almost finished another feather and fan comfort shawl. I made two of these last year and wore them constantly last winter so feel another one is definatley needed.

3) working on the gussets of another pair of socks. Started working from a pattern but have modified it so much they really aren't the same as the original pattern anymore.

Next blog post should show a FO of either item #2 or #3.

We Have Unst

Finished my socks for the "Knitting on the Road" kal. These are Unst by Nancy Bush with some modification.

I knit the leg on #2 then switched to #1s for the heel and foot. I do not like holey feet so I did not carry the pattern down the foot, instead I continued in a rib pattern p1,k5,p1,k7. Yarn Trekking XXL. This yarn has a very long pattern repeat, it didn't start to repeat until I was 2" into the second sock ! and not an exact repeat either.



Currently on the needles: continuing to work on the miter (mitre) squares blanket and starting to look for a new sock to knit.

Currently On and Off the Needles

Off the Needles

Two more hats using up the colours from the previous ones. This is based on the 76 stitch hat from an older issue of interweave knits.



On the Needles

And as promised the sneak peak of the next mitred blanket I'm working on. I really love how this is turning out! The colours are a bit washed out in the photo but you get the idea.



Today the winner was announced for the next sock we will be knitting in the "Knitting on the Road" kal. I think I'm starting to miss the sock knitting as I cast on for it right away!



I think any knitter worth their salt knows what yarn that is!

And that is all she wrote folks!

She Who Likes To Knit Hats

Couple of more hats off the needles this week!

First a mosaic pattern that took me a week to knit. I don't know, mosaic is tooted as the easy alternative to stranded knitting but I am so slow with mosaic patterns and much prefer stranded. I like the look of mosaics though.



Then knit much faster (2.5 days!) is this stranded hat. At first I wasn't too sure about the pattern band (it seemed too busy) but the more I look at it the more I like it. I really like the colours here. I'm using up odd balls for these hats and it is forcing me to find colour combos that wouldn't normally come to me. Pink, brown, yellow, gold and blue!



And I have started working on the next mitred (mitered) blanket with the butterscotch yarn and am loving it! Will get a sneak peek photo for you some time soon.

Another Blanket

Yeah!! I finished the blanket. This was total random using my scraps and black as the main colour. Haven't measured it but it is quite big. Hanging on my fence it looks a little crooked but it really lays perfectly flat. So, I'm already planning the next one using an old 60/40 wool/acrylic nubby yarn from my stash, a delicious butterscotch colour. This will be a little more planned as I'll only use scraps that go with the MC (both co-ordinating and contrast colours). I've already got something in mind for the next black scrap one, too. It won't be squares next time, if my plan works out. We'll see. But in the meantime I've started another hat and feel another hat binge coming on.