Monkey the Second

These socks were finished a long time ago, but I'm trapped in a sort of knitting spiral, and despite the two weeks off, I wasn't able to post about these socks before. I'm knitting the Soay cardigan by Gudrun Johnston, or should I say, I'm trying to knit the Soay Cardi: I'm stucked at the cap sleeve sections. I reknitted this part several times already but my short rows still look awful :s

Pattern: No Purl Monkeys by CraftyPancake, the no purl version of the Monkey Socks by Cookie A.

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Lightweight, Firebird, 127 grams(almost 1 full skein)

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular, 2.5mm, 80cm.

About the Pattern: It's the second time I knit these socks, and I still enjoyed it a lot. It's an easy and mindless knitting. The first time I knitted this pattern, the socks came out a little tight for me, but with this yarn, I was able to use my usual 2.5mm and they fit perfectly fine.

About the Yarn: Despite the name "lightweight", this yarn is more a heavy fingering than a usual fingering sock yarn. I used 127 grams of this yarn instead of the usual 75 to 80 grams of yarn. I enjoyed the perfect round and smooth yarn, resulting in a perfectly even and soft fabric. My socks are probably too bulky to wear with shoes but they should be perfect for a home use. I was also worried about the possible pooling of Sock That Rocks (it can get really really wild!) but I was lucky enough and the pooling is minimal on the instep. This yarn was a swap with my friend Marie-Adeline who convinced and taught me to knit socks for the first time. You can imagine how grateful I feel!

Wishing you a lovely week end! Returning to my short rows.... :s

260 grams

Hello! How are you? Spring is coming slowly (sloooowly!) and this alpaca sweater was finished just in time.

I thought I would never finish this one. Until the very end, I wanted to frog it, but I’m glad I didn’t. It turned out “not so bad”. It’s not my favorite sweater, but it’s still very wearable, doesn’t make me look fat or ugly, so I guess it’s already good. Even A. who is usually very critical about my knitting said it was looking nice on me. ;)

Pattern: Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier

Yarn: Drops Alpaca, gray 0517, 5.2 balls.

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular, 4mm.

Crochet: Clover Crochet Hook, 3.5mm

About the Pattern: Very clear and easy to understand and customize. It's really a lovely pattern. You can see plenty of stunning interpretations here.

About the Yarn: It's light, soft to touch and warm to wear, but it pills like crazy, and is quite itchy. Plus the knitted fabric is quite uneven, and I like my stitches to look as even as possible. I don't think I will knit with this yarn again. I still have a few balls left-over, and I will use them to knit or crochet a cushion cover or something like that.

Mods: I lenghtened the body and the sleeves + added shaping on both body and sleeves. I also ended up the sleeves with a row of eyelets and garter rows. For the neckline, I'm glad I listened to my friend Patrizia's advices and I crocheted: 3 rows of single crochet and 1 of crab stitch. I think it's much neater than simple garter stitch.

Photos by A.

Wishing you a lovely week end!

Destashing - Scrap Happy (part 4)

Hello! Hope you had a lovely Easter weekend. I fear I had too much sugar, thanks to my dear friend Patrizia who once again spoiled me with Easter goodies and yarn.

Today's project is not really a project. It's not even destashing. It's a simple use of scrap yarn. With the small left-overs from my laundry basket, I crocheted these stars, and simply stitched onto an Ikea laundry bag. It's really nothing worth a blog post, but, the crochet tutorial is really well written, so I had to share with you. :)

Pattern: Grandma Twinkle by Michelle Kludas (I'm sure you know her very inspiring blog The Royal Sisters!)

Yarn: Scrap cotton left over from my Ombre Basket

Hook: Clover Crochet, 3mm.

About the Pattern: It's really a photo-tutorial, very clear and easy to follow, everything is explained step by step. It's really the perfect project for a crochet beginner. It's easy, fun and quick to crochet.

The destashing continues. Does gifted yarn count as stash? You see, Patrizia and I share a sort of mini "Yarn Adoption Agency": she adopted my linen (plus another yarn, but she still doesn't know about it, it's a surprise!) and I received cotton yarn and a ball of HolstGarn Coast she doesn't like anymore. I like the concept :)

Have a lovely week!

Happy Easter!

Wishing you a lovely Easter time with your loved ones. I'll be back very soon with some new destashing projects.

Until then, don't eat too much chocolate! :)

Destashing - Laundry Basket (part 3)

Hello!

How are you? I'm still in my destashing fever. I sent some sock yarn to my friend Patrizia's friend who is a new sock knitter. I hope Andrée will enjoy knitting with these. (-600 grams of yarn! yay!)

I finally found how to use half of my cotton blend yarn. These shades match my bathroom's colors and it was just a perfect way to accessorize the top of my laundry machine as well as using up quite a certain number of yarn balls! (-362grams! yay!) I still have a few yards left over, and I will probably use them to make a hanging ornament for the bathroom door.

Pattern: Ombre Basket by Elizabeth Trantham

Yarn: Bergère de France, Coton Fifty and Esterelle, in 10 colors. (2 whites, 3 yellows, 3 pinks, 2 greens)

Crochet: Clover Soft Touch, 4.5mm

About the Pattern: Very well written pattern and really easy to follow. I'm really happy with the ombre effect (there's still an advantage to have too much yarn). I love those very bright colors, I'm ready for Spring!

Mods: Used 4 strands of fingering weight yarn instead of worsted as indicated. Finished size is 9" x 9". I also increased until 10 st between each DC. No handles.

I was so excited to welcome Spring that I couldn't wait any longer and planted some daisies a few days ago while the sun was shinning. They almost froze to death the following night, so since then, I have to cover them each night with bubble wrap and uncover them in the morning. : D

Wishing you a lovely sunday!

Destashing - Drama (Part 2)

I received this yarn years ago from a student, Bernard. It belonged to his wife's late aunt, who was a knitter. There were 8 balls of lovely mohair and I used half of it to knit an Ishbel Shawl for Bernard's wife. It was in december 2008. Since then, the left over yarn stayed in my drawer untouched. I searched for the perfect pattern for a very long time, and then the other day, I casted-on for a Stockholm Scarf.

Pattern: Stockholm Scarf by Knitted Bliss

Yarn: Bouton D'Or, Plum'Kid, *discontinued*, 3.9 balls (538m/almost 100grams) undyed. 

Needles: Addi Turbo Circular, 5.5mm, 60cm

About the Pattern: Really easy and fast once you get in the rythm. The first rows were endless though, as I had 252st on my needles. I also placed markers after each pattern repeat as this yarn is unfroggable and I didn't wanted to make any mistake (I did make some mistakes but the non-knitters shouldn't notice.You may though! - you can see it on the picture above)

About the Yarn: As Annie said, it was like knitting with clouds. The yarn is so hairy, squishy, warm and soft! It's a shame it's discontinued because I love it. During the knitting process, I had mohair fuzz all over me, the couch and my living room, but once placed in the freezer for a few days and washed, the fuzzing stopped like magic. Oh and the color is exactly the same as my Chantilly Lace Beret, and the stitch pattern matches pretty well too. They were meant to be worn together.

And here starts the drama: As soon as my Mum saw it, she buried her face in it, and decreeted it was hers. She doesn't care for the beret but she wants the cowl. I managed to persuade her for a temporary loan, but had to swear I would knit another cowl for her if I wanted my cowl back. 

How do you call this? Knitting under threat?

Stash Punishment (Part 1)

 Have you ever thought:
"Oh no, I did it again!"
"What was I thinking when I bought this?"
"What the h*** (or what the f***) am I going to do with this?"
"This is not tradable/giftable, so I'll have to get rid of use it by myself"
"This is what happens when you compulsively shop!"
"This is what happens when you try to convince yourself you need it"
(ps: 17 months later, the linen is still in my stash. I swear I tried to knit/crochet it several times, but I hate the feel of it)

I have been reading and thinking a lot about decluttering and reorganizing a home lately. This is what happens when you can't act as usual because of a cut finger (it's getting better, thank you, but it's still not normal) and after feverishly sorting and storing all my belongings (books, clothes and so on), I naturally had to brave the Stash.

Pfff.....Unlike books, there're no digital versions of yarn.

As for an iceberg, this is only the 1/3 visible part....

Honestly, I can't say I have that much yarn (isn't it?), but some skeins are here since far too long. I decided it was time to do something otherwise I can't allow myself to buy new yarn because I feel guilty about those balls of wool sleeping in my drawers for so long. I also realized that, whatever the size of my stash, I never have the right yarn the moment I need it, so it's completly useless to try to run my own "P.Y.S" (Personal Yarn Shop)

I have to think about a destashing strategy right now and frankly, it's exhausting and discouraging:

• Find the right project for a given gauge and yardage. (this is already a feat, even with the help of Ravelry)
• Knit or crochet coasters/dish-face-washcloth/placemats 'til I drop as a punishment for buying so much?
• There's a limit in the number of coasters/dish-face-washcloth/placemats a single person can own. 
• If it's knitting, you know it will take much more time to complete than crochet.  
• Why do I have so much fingering/lace weight yarn? Mmmh? Note to self: Never ever buy yarn compulsively if it's thinner than worsted weight. Better: Never ever buy yarn compulsively. Even better: Never ever buy yarn.
• Crochet something (anything) with 2, 3, 4 threads at the same time?
• At least use up the linen (by the way, this yarn is rubbish, there's almost more knots than yarn)
• Yarn cakes take less space than skeins or balls, but it's still the same quantity you'll have to knit anyway. Again, there's no digital version.
• At least, use up all the cotton/acryl yarn I have (25 balls). Of course, there's only one ball or less of each color (otherwise it wouldn't be fun). And I don't want a multicolored-eye-stinging blanket or rug. They are beautiful, this is not the question, but it will never fit in my home decor.
• Stuffing cushions with the unwanted yarn is not an option either. This is cheating.

PS: Yesterday, I visited 2 yarn shops and I bought nothing! Not-a-single-little-ball-of-yarn! I feel dreadful proud!