Get the pattern here: Ravelry
Showing posts with label stash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stash. Show all posts
Free Pattern - Owl Travel Mug Cozy
This pattern has been moved to http://rubyknits.com/'
Today is 12/8/2012, I will have the chart back up very shortly!
Dryer Balls - Itchy Wool Heaven
I have 'pack rat' in my blood. I like to think that I might use things at some point, and have always been the one to be able to say 'I've got that!' when someone mentions something that they need. 'Oh, a wrench? Yes, I've got one in my trunk.'
I think I'm finally getting it through my head that's it's easier to have less things, but have VERY useful things. Half of this I learned from moving into a new house last summer, and leaving behind all of the things I didn't feel like packing. The other half I'm learning from my knitting stash.
My stash isn't nearly as large as some people have. But, the percentage of 'useless' yarn is probably the highest. I have so much of the cheapest, itchiest yarn, that I'll never want to use. Some of it is from late night eBaying, some of it is gifts from well meaning friends and family, and some is from trips to craft stores where I convince myself that if the color is pretty, the yarn will be usable.
This week's lesson was the wool that I loved the color, and believed that it would soften up once I made it into something. Lies! I made some fingerless mittens, and even when I was casting on, it was itching me AS I WAS KNITTING. Normally, this would stop people. But I now have a pair of fingerless mittens that I will not wear, and I will not sell. I'm going to try soaking them in some conditioner, and see how they do, but I have no faith at all that it will work.
But, even though this yarn will not work well for mittens, or any other things that is worn, it is wool. Which means I can use it for dryer balls, because as itchy as it is, it felts. If you haven't made or used wool dryer balls before, you are seriously missing out. Things dry faster, have less wrinkles. Especially larger things, like my down comforter, which without them would take 4-5 rounds in the dryer, take only one.
For those of you who have scrap wool yarn and would like to make something you'll actually use, these are my directions:
1) Start a tight little ball of yarn, winding until the ball measures approximately 3" in diameter. Cut yarn, and with a crochet hook, weave your end in and out under several layers of already wrapped yarn, and tie off with a knot so that the yarn will not come loose. Make 4.
2) Using either some pantyhose that you've torn doing adventurous things, or some that you've never worn because, well, why wear pantyhose, cut off the leg at the thigh and drop the first ball in. Make a knot above it, and drop the second ball in. Make a knot, repeat.
3) Wash all balls in the washing machine on the highest, most agitating setting, and then dry. You may need to run them through twice to completely felt and dry.
4) Start winding yarn again around the smaller felted inner ball. Be sure to wrap tightly so that nothing comes loose. Continue winding until your ball measures approximately 5" in diameter. Again tie in loose ends with a crochet hook so that nothing can come loose. Make sure you pull the end through deep in the yarn ball with the hook, and tie off tightly.
3) Wash and dry balls again in the other leg of the pantyhose.
4) Start drying your clothes with 4 of these balls, and love that even larger loads come out dry and fluffy.
5) Notice that your yarn stash has gone down considerably, and you're knitting less projects that you can't wear.
And the rest of the stash that you'll never use? PIF it on Etsy. As much as I don't need bulky bright yellow acrylic (or blue, brown, white, or black), someone out there wants it.
I need something pretty.
I need some inspiration. I've got a stash of boring yarns, mostly things from major craft stores, nothing interesting. My fiancee did some computer work for a yarn distributer last year, and brought me home about $600 worth of GORGEOUS hand painted wool (how amazingly lucky am I?). And I love it. But there are 4 colors and they're all in the same weight, and I need a break from just using those.
Inspiration is a good reason I started blogging. I've taken a lot of inspiration from other people's blogs, hoping to produce things as gorgeous and well made as theirs look. So, in turn, I'm hoping to inspire some other fellow crafters out there. I've been posting patterns on Ravelry lately, and when someone posted a finished object that I had written the pattern for, it was amazing. Someone interpreted my work into something that they could have and enjoy. What a great feeling!
But, Omg... there are a lot of blogs out there. So easy to get lost in the sea of self expression. One for everything, apparently. There are clearly knitting blogs, but there are also dark blogs, fashion blogs, fitness blogs, pet blogs, fat and proud blogs, book blogs, celebrity blogs, parenting blogs... it goes on and on.
Hopefully, I'll end up with something that people actually find interesting. I hope I can provide something to our so oversaturated internet that people can learn a technique from, or at least get a little laugh at my rambling.
That being said, my dog is begging me to play, whining that I'm on the computer and now entertaining him. Clearly smarter than I am, why look for inspiration on the computer when I can go out into the real world this afternoon?
Willy is the tan guy, and the top picture is him begging for me to do anything but sit on the couch. Ruby is the brown and white, who clearly makes a great pillow. Nothing naughty about that pose, he was just lounging, and she was in his way of the sun.
I'll be back with hopefully a head full of ideas and a bag full of new yarn!
So much coral wool yarn.
Instead of another cowl, I'm starting on some fingerless mittens.
Usually I get bored after the first one, but I think I've been pretty good lately about following through to finish projects, and mittens are pretty quick. I'm using the pretty coral color that the last cowl pattern I posted was, it was on clearance and i got a LOT. I also made my cousin's daughter a sweater from it, I just need to tie in the ends of it (which I hate doing), and block it.
There's also a lot in my stash that I don't want (lots of acrylic stuff that I don't plan on using, mostly), does anyone know what to do with this? PIF on Etsy maybe? (UPDATE: Starting to PIF everything I don't want... take it!!)
Here's a picture of the felt fruit I started the other day:
It's a good start, I think, but I was working with black thread in the sewing machine, and running low on felt. I think next week I'll make some finished products and post them. Banana, apple, and bread. I'm not sure about the bread, that needs some work I think. I made some play money, also, and will post that too. I always forget how instant gratification the sewing machine can be, it was so quick to make things after I had templates cut out. What other suggestions do you have for felt projects?
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