26 Dec 2011

Stash Down 2012



I have imposed a new “yarn/fibre diet” until this stash gets under control! The stash down is for knitting and crochet but I will be posting here my spinning as well!! My diet is just that, a diet… which means PORTION CONTROL not stopping completely!
So let’s get started shall we?
RULES:
  1. Knit from current stash from before January 1, 2012
  2. Keep record of stash accurately each month
  3. Can be knit, crocheted, spun, tatted, woven act as long as it uses stash
  4. Spinning will add to existing stash numbers but will be noted how much it takes up so its a “floating amount aka WATER WEIGHT”
  5. Knit from Queue, favorites, books, magazines
  6. Organize binder of patterns
  7. Create a new binder for FINISHED projects so I can look back on what I have done
  8. MOST IMPORTANT: Have as much fun as possible
Let’s try some statistics shall we? Don’t run away I have already done all the numbers:
How many skeins have I put into Ravelry (Mini-skeins sometimes are small skeins of their original so they would be ie. 0.1 of a skein): 220.21 skeins
How many have I used: 92.98 skeins
Really? hmmm if you say I have then I guess I have…
Now for some brass tacks:
Total Yards/Meters Stashed: 47,822.1 yds/43,728.4 m
Remaining Skeins: 127.23 skeins plus mini skeins
Remaining Yards/Meters: 40,400.8 yds/36,942.1 m
What’s that in Miles/Kilometres: 22.96 mi/36.94 km
How much I have actually used in Yards/Meters: 7,421.3 yds/6,786.3 m
How much of that is Hand-Spun? 2111.6 yds/1930.7 m
In percentages that means I have knit/crocheted: 15.5% of my stashed yarn
So what shall I do with this information?
Well since in the last year and a half I have only knit/crocheted 4.2 mi/6.8 km I doubt it would be a reasonable goal to knit my ENTIRE stash I hope to get my percentages up to 50% of stashed yarn. I have no idea what will enter into my stash this next year but trust me it is going to be selective and probably mostly fibre. Since my loom has come about it will be a great way to use up yarn that proves too “unique” to knit/crochet up. I understand now why crocheting lead to knitting lead to spinning lead to dyeing lead to weaving.
Knit/Crochet WIPs:
TC Entrelac Hand-Spun Afghan out of my hand-spun
Scarf for LBF -- Bulky
Hitchhiker** using Wollmeise -- Petit Poison Nr. 5
Citron using Malabrigo -- Cadmium 7
Citron using Malabrigo -- Loro Barranquero 176
Critron using Wollmeise Lace Garn -- Feldmaus (not a misspelling that’s the crocheted version)
Tunisian Sampler Afghan out of left overs from some special projects (and some of that “unique” yarn you get in Let’s Knit Magazine)
Tunisian Mitered Throw (Yeah, I know I know) using the mini-skeins
Ostrich Feather Fandango using Schoppel-Wolle Lace -- Fuchsienbeet 1536
Knit/Crochet DONE:
Simplicity Socks
Manos Diamond Hat
SAL/KAL for The Knit Girllls -- Yvaine
Scarf for LBFs mom -- Owl Scarf
Weaving DONE:
Rainbow Bag
My added spinning stash down:
How is spinning going to work?
Finished yarn only! It must be plyed, it must be washed, it must be dry. And it must be on Ravelry (if there was no photo then it didn’t happen… right?)
Spinning WIP:
Spinning DONE:
KAL/SAL for Knit Girllls Ceaberry’s Haberdashery Hand-Spun 2-Ply Wool
Frank’s Colorway
Firestar
AngoraAlpaca
AlpacaTeeswater
Running Totals:
Knit/Crochet: 1,808.23 yds
Spinning: 460.01 yds 
Weaving: 710.60
Total Destash: 2,523.83 yds
Weeks Left: 52 weeks 
Per week to get to 50% of stash: 338yds

To-Do List



Updated to do list: (26/12/2011)

1. **Show notes for the episodes and for the ravelry group**
2. Knitting for stash down and spinning for stash down
--- I will be putting up totals next week to show my progress!!
3. **SAL/KAL for The Knit Girllls** FINISHED!!
4. ***KAL for Knitting blooms -- Frogged***
5. Using up mini skeins -- TC Mitred Square Blanket
6. ***Log-cabin blanket -- Work on that just a bit*** FROGGED!
7. **Simplicity socks - Finished!!**
8. TARDIS kindle case-- FINISHED
9. Scarf for LBF
10. Scarf for LBFs mom -- Owl Scarf
11. X-stitch -- both small, medium, and large -- Magnet finished!
12. Updating the Shop's blog -- More soon
13. Working on more stitch markers
14. Tatting for Charity -- Blocking needed
15. Writing up some patterns -- working on it
16. ***Taygete*** -- Frogged for now
17. ***TUCK Shawl KAL*** FROGGED
18. Dyeing up some new colorways
19. ***Huldran Shawl*** -- Frogged for now

25 Dec 2011

Episode 26: Happy Holidays from Luxembourg





Show Notes
  • Investment for the Future
  • Testing the Hypothesis
    • Hitchhiker using Wollmeise -- Petit Poison Nr. 5
    • Citron using Malabrigo -- Cadmium 7
    • Citron using Malabrigo -- Loro Barranquero 176
    • Critron using Wollmeise Lace Garn -- Feldmaus (not a misspelling that’s the crocheted version)
    • Tunisian Sampler Afghan out of left overs from some special projects (and some of that ghastly “unique” yarn you get in Let’s Knit Magazine)
    • Tunisian Mitered Throw (Yeah, I know I know) using the mini-skeins
    • Ostrich Feather Fandango using Schoppel-Wolle Lace -- Fuchsienbeet 1536
  • Conclusion -- Crafty-logical Implications

22 Dec 2011

Knitting in the New Year

So I have been planning, and since I am going to Luxembourg today I needed some knitting/crochet projects. Why? Well... I found myself in a unique position. I have nothing left on the needles! Yup. After I slipped that Owl Scarf off my needles and laid it to block out (which btw was a waste of time to get it to stop from curling!!) I had nothing else on my needles. Well I did, but ripped it got (Log cabin Blanket is no more and so is the Mitred Sock Blanket). I found myself without knitting or crochet for my plane rides, car rides and time at LBF's house! So what did I do?? I reorganized my stash, documented ALL of it except most of the mini-skeins and fiberholics/phat fiber. They will be done after I get back but it wasn't needed for this trip so I didn't waste my time (and after not being able to find my passport for an hour I ran out of time).


I have endeavoured to knit from my stash, spin from my fibre, dye the things up for my shop, make jewellery and stitch markers, weave some of my more difficult to knit yarn, and knit from my favorites, queue, and books in Ravelry.


Let's try some statistics shall we? Don't run away I have already done all the numbers:


How many skeins have I put into Ravelry (Mini-skeins sometimes are small skeins of their original so they would be ie. 0.1 of a skein): 220.21 skeins


How many have I used: 92.98 skeins
Really? hmmm if you say I have then I guess I have...


Now for some brass tacks: 
Total Yards/Meters Stashed: 47,822.1 yds/43,728.4 m
Remaining Skeins: 127.23 skeins plus mini skeins
Remaining Yards/Meters: 40,400.8 yds/36,942.1 m
What's that in Miles/Kilometres: 22.96 mi/36.94 km


How much I have actually used in Yards/Meters: 7,421.3 yds/6,786.3 m
In percentages that means I have knit/crocheted: 15.5% of my stashed yarn


Now I ripped out the Diagonal Blanket and Log cabin after these numbers but they are minimal.


Can we stop to appreciate that I will have knit 23 MILES if I knit my entire stash as of right now...
Also, this includes hand-spun that has been listed on the Ravelry page so these numbers will change! However, most of my hand-spun is actually crocheted up!


So what shall I do with this information?
Well since in the last year and a half I have only knit/crocheted 4.2 mi/6.8 km I doubt it would be a reasonable goal to knit my ENTIRE stash I hope to get my percentages up to 50% of stashed yarn. I have no idea what will enter into my stash this next year but trust me it is going to be selective and probably mostly fibre. Since my loom has come about it will be a great way to use up yarn that proves too "unique" to knit/crochet up. I understand now why crocheting lead to knitting lead to spinning lead to dyeing lead to weaving.


Ok, back to my story of going to Luxembourg. I now am the proud queuer upper of 7 new patterns:
(All of these are in the side bar on the raillery app)



  1. Hitchhiker using Wollmeise -- Petit Poison Nr. 5
  2. Citron using Malabrigo -- Cadmium 7
  3. Citron using Malabrigo -- Loro Barranquero 176
  4. Critron using Wollmeise Lace Garn -- Feldmaus
  5. Tunisian Sampler Afghan out of left overs from some special projects (and some of that ghastly "unique" yarn you get in Let's Knit Magazine)
  6. Tunisian Mitered Throw (Yeah, I know I know) using the mini-skeins
  7. Ostrich Feather Fandango using Schoppel-Wolle Lace -- Fuchsienbeet 1536
All but #5 is going with me to be casted on in Luxembourg! There are crochet and knitting patterns mixed in and I will be excited to get these started and start building up what's on my needles!!

Hope you all have wonderful holidays and a Happy New Year!

20 Dec 2011

I think I may have an issue...

I thought I would share my semi-stash, it has been added to since this photograph and this DOES NOT include my fibre stash which I wouldn't even dare take a picture of and show to anyone...


It is not as bad as some I know, at least it still fits on the bed easily... The BOX of mini-skeins is to the left unseen which is about 50ish mini-skeins...

I have decided to photograph and document my entire stash. Not out of guilt but I need to use it! 2012 will be a year of stash down. If I run out of yarn (unlikely) then I can buy more! You see that Green blob and a shiny pile behind?? That my Wollmeise! lol. Enjoy the enabling erm... I mean picture of my stash ;)

18 Dec 2011

Episode 25: All About Weaving




Show Notes
  • Crossing off the Data
    • Wee Highland Coo
  • Crafty-logical Implications
    • The King and I at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre 
    • Puss and Boots 2D  at Ocean Terminal
    • Edinburgh Farmer's Market
  • Mentions
    • Knitting Blooms (Blooming Knitter) mentions me on her latest podcast!! Ep 34. 

12 Dec 2011

Episode 24: What's Loomin'?




Show Notes
  • Null Accepted
  • Charity craft show

7 Dec 2011

What has been looming?

Today I got my Ashford knitters loom that is 20". I was waiting all day for it to arrive and it just do happened that my day was not quite as planned. My meeting to release me from my lease was followed by Luke warm feelings and a sigh of perseverance. My LBF stayed at the flat today to await my loom for me. I got my curry chicken for lunch and saw the two pieces of vegan chocolate cake ( I am not began but this cake is amazing) so I got th IDE. Upon returning home and setting up to eat I bit into what I thought was a sugar snap pea... The immense pain of oil rushed into my mouth and my LBF almost died laughing as he rushed to go get me some milk.

Let's just say I hoped my loom go t there soon. I finished my HOT curry and started on the cake. There went the buzzer and my LBF rushed to buzz him in and I raced to the door. There it was the brown paper parcel I had waited for all day long. I ripped through the brown paper and tape and took my looming out to the living room to warm up. I finished eating (yes that cake is that awesome) and started to read the "destructions" for it. When I had finished that I got an email saying they may have found a tenant for me for January! What luck!

I got the first part and set it up to be warped. I messed up the warp 3 times! My problem was the 2nd picture made no sense with the direction given. So I read it carefully and figured it out like a crow trying to get at food. All warp and ready to go... We went to Earthy and got groceries, they had my elderflower cordial there go luckily. I came home and began weaving. I noticed I had threaded one string wrong and had a gap but off I went!

Proud is an emotion I do not feel very often. How my weaving is turning out I can honestly say I am proud of it. I am excited to see its final state as a clutch bag!

5 Dec 2011

Stash Down Continues

It continues!!


Known WIPs: 
Tunisian Crochet Entrelac Blanket out of my hand-spun (anything spun up after October 8th will not count): To-date from Rainbow-itis to ?? 
SAL/KAL for The Knit Girllls 
Using up mini skeins -- Diamond Blanket 
Log-cabin blanket -- Work on that just a bit 
Scarf for LBF -- Bulky 
Scarf for LBFs mom -- Owl Scarf 
Taygete 
TUCK Shawl KAL 
Huldran Shawl
Finished: 
Simplicity Socks (x2 gift bonus) 
Manos Diamond Hat
Spinning: 
KAL/SAL for Knit Girllls 
Frank’s Colorway 
Firestar 
AngoraAlpaca 
AlpacaTeeswater
Running Totals: 
Knit/Crochet: 1,808.23 yds 
What Counts towards Knitting Blooms: 1,701.63 yds 
Gift Knit/Crochet: 397.40 yds 
What Counts towards Knitting Blooms: 636.40 yds (remember its x2 and the owl scarf doesn’t count for this one) 
Spinning: 460.01 yds
Total Destash: 2,523.83 yds 
Total Counts towards Knitting Bloom: 2,338.03 yds 
What I have left to knit: 3,661.972 yds 
Per week: 610.33 yds

Episode 23: Knitting and Snow





Show Notes
  • Null accepted
Colorways Spun in 2012: A colorway = Every 2oz



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