WIP Wednesday - Ascots

Update on previous WIPs:

1. Honey Cowl: just need to bind off and that baby is done.
2. Karin Fingerless Mitts: about halfway on the second glove.

Current status: Craft Fair Mode

I'm in mega-crafting overdrive making things for a couple of craft fairs coming up to benefit rabbit rescue. I have a list of things to make, but my obsession this week is these crocheted ascots/scarflettes.

The yellow was my first attempt, and I decided that it was too long and the opening too wide. I remedied this on the second attempt (red), and it's much better.

I'm trying to use up some yarn in my stash, and didn't have enough of either of these colors for an entire ascot, so I striped them.

While pretty, the downside of that is now I have a massive amount of ends to weave in (which is not quite as annoying in crochet as it is in knitting, so I'm not overly bothered).

I think on the next striped version I'll crochet one row per color and carry the yarn up the side. I don't imagine it'll be terribly visible given the ruffle around the edge.

I'm having way too much fun making these. They're almost as addictive as pom-pom scarves. Almost.

Resolutions? What Resolutions?

I am so, so bad. Ridiculously bad. It's August - does that freak anybody else out? - and I haven't completed a single resolution. And, on top of that, the whole stash busting thing? Let me just say in my defense that I'm pretty sure it hasn't grown any larger.

So...tonight I went through one bin of yarn and entered it all into a spreadsheet. You caught that, right? One bin. My current tally: 149 balls of yarn. I have another smaller bin, 2 large bags, a chair, a huge round basket, and two large boxes of cotton left to go through.

And I've given away yarn just to get it out of my apartment. Two balls, just today. When my awesome knitting group had a yarn swap back in January, I got rid of a whole trash bag full of yarn.

Anyway, we're planning to have another yarn swap soon, so I've started another swap bag. But it's so hard to let go. There are so many possibilities for each and every ball. What if I need that one particular ball one day? I'm really trying to be good because it's out of control. I've made a point of entering planned/possible patterns for each ball of yarn in my spreadsheet, so if I really have nothing to make with it, I should just get rid of it. It's going to take some time to come to grips with it all.

More exciting news...

I designed and knit my very own lace shawl!

Now I just need to knit it in a couple different weights because I really think the cobweb is too light, and write it up.

Also, though I haven't completed one yet doesn't mean I'm forgetting about those resolutions. When my friends Deb & Tiffany & I went out yarn shopping this weekend (bad, I know, but I only bought one ball) we decided that we're going to do a sweater knit-along:

It's the Asymetric Cardi from Knit Simple Fall 2010. Super excited for that. And it's stash busting because I have 10 balls of Lion Brand Wool-ease sitting in my stash.

Signing off for now. Final yarn tally to come.

Peace out,
~ Meg

11 Shawls in 2011

Because I like to make my life nearly impossible, I decided today that on top of my other knitting resolutions I'm also going to attempt the 11 shawls in 2011, which technically falls under stash busting, so it's all good. And, I made a list of patterns to complete with the yarn I'm going to use:

1. Chinook Scarf in Cestari DK Wool
2. Clementine Shawl in NaturallyCaron.com Spa
3. Peacock Shawlette in Knit Picks Shadow Lace
4. Albino Peacock Shawlette in Knit Picks Shimmer Lace
5. Stolen Moments in Cascade Ecological Wool
6. Snowflake in Cascade Ecological Wool
7. Summer Flies in Malabrigo Lace
8. Mezquita in Malabrigo Lace
9. Shaelyn in Alpaca DK (bought at the 2010 NC Fiber Fest)
10. Laminaria in Alpaca Sox (got 900 yard at knitting group yarn swap)
11. Montego Bay Scarf in Cherry Tree Hill Sock

The Peacock Shawlette is a test knit for the Albino Peacock Shawlette, which is for my sister's wedding. I'm combining several patterns to come up with what she wants, so I'm not entirely sure how that's all going to turn out.

So that's the plan. If only I was this organized in my non-knitting life.

I've started the Chinook, Clementine, and the Stolen Moments shawl; hoping to finish the Chinook by the end of the month so I can be entered in the April prize drawings. I'm getting a late start, but those monthly drawings are definitely incentive to keep up with it.

Here's the progress on the Chinook. I'm a little farther along now, about halfway done.

And I also finished up this little purple shawl, though it still needs to be blocked. It's actually not enough yardage to qualify for the 11 shawls in 2011, but it's still pretty. :)

Knitting Resolutions 2011!

As promised, knitting resolutions for 2011:

1. Knit a pair of 2-at-a-time Toe-up Magic Loop me-sized socks

2. Some kind of Fair Isle project (Haven't decided if it will be a hat or fingerless gloves, though I think the hat may be easier for a first project. I could be wrong.)

3. Pound of Caring Challenge (First project on this list is a crocheted star afghan for Project Linus to use up some of the Bernat Softee Baby in my stash. Speaking of stash...)

4. Stash Busting! (There are rules - see below.)

5. Knit a wearable. (I'm hesitant on this one and am going to save it for last, possibly bumping it to 2012 if I can get away with it. I'm thinking either a vest or a shrug.)

Rules for Stash Busting

1. Pom-pom yarn doesn't count. (It's an addiction and never gets added to my stash as it's usually knitted with 24 hours.)

2. Allowed to buy yarn to make my sister's wedding shawl.

3. Allowed to use any gift certificates given to me. (Wouldn't want them to expire or get lost or anything of that sort, now would we?)

4. All gifts and personal items must be knit from stash.

5. All charity and craft fair items (charity also) must be knit from stash if at all possible. If a special yarn needs to be purchased for a special project (i.e. pumpkin hats for Duke Hospital, etc.), it must be knit immediately and not added to stash.

6. Yarn Swaps - must leave with new yarn in a quantity less than or equal to that brought to the swap.

So, that's the plan for 2011. Wish me luck!


Currently crafting: Scarf for the Special Olympics
Currently reading: An American Childhood by Annie Dillard

Resolutions 2011!

It's that time of year again. Given that I'm a very flawed and imperfect individual, my list of resolutions is long and weighty...

1. Get organized.
2. Be more disciplined.
3. Be more active and eat more healthfully.
4. Write everyday.
5. Write an original short story or essay about...something.
6. Participate in NaNoWriMo.
7. Stash bust!
8. Knit a pair of socks.
9. Read 30 books and write reviews on each of them.
10. Post to my blog at least once a week.

Pay particular attention to that last one, as I consistently seem to fail there. As for the others, not too shabby for day 2. I wrote a 100 word story yesterday and another today, and have done a blog post (that would be this one). And I went through the stacks of mail on the table by my door and threw out all the junk mail (so much prettier over in that corner now), and am making my to-do list for tomorrow before I go to bed tonight.

As for the knitting resolutions...the socks may have to wait until later this year, but the stash busting has begun! I just finished crocheting a scarf out of some ribbon yarn that's been in my stash for years, and am going to knit the second ball up into a drop stitch scarf, I think. I may add a couple more specific knitting resolutions in a few days. We have a resolutions knitting night coming up on Wednesday, so I have to figure out the specifics by then.

Need to get on the exercise and eating more healthfully thing. On the to-do list for tomorrow: am yoga. And I have a bit of time to prepare for the NaNoWriMo, since it isn't until November. That's nine months to create some character sketches and find some kind of plot. Hmmm...thoughts to think.

So, there you have it. I'll let you know how it goes.