Knitting from the Stash

I have actually pulled out some well aged stash yarn and started a project.

I think this my be a backlash to Joanna's coat of many colors. After all that time with brightly colored worsted weight acrylic, I have selected a blue lace weight wool/silk blend.

I have probably had this yarn at least 10 years.

I got it when I was purchasing a loom. The lady who had the loom asked if I wanted any of the yarn she had and this was one I picked. I am guessing it is a wool/silk blend, that is what it looks and feels like. The only label on it says this:

SAMURAI

206
143 Tex X 1
244882 (1/07)

If anyone can translate that, I would love to know.



For this yarn I have selected the "Civil War Shawl" by Suzanne Pufpaff from the Winter/Spring 2001 issue of Cast On .



You can see more pictures of this beautiful shawl on by following the link for Suzanne Pufpaff above.

You can also purchase a copy of the pattern there.








I started the shawl last week and I'm finding the pattern to be very clear and well written. I have made one modification. There are several times you have to reposition the yarn marker (I just use 1 for the beginning of the round instead of the 4 on each quarter recommended) and the instructions have been to break the yarn, remove the marker, slide the appropriate number of stitches, replace the marker, then rejoin the yarn. The only real advantage to working with a big cone of yarn instead of a skein it that you never need to join in a new skein. I don't want to loose that advantage, and I hate weaving in ends on lace, so I have been removing the marker, knitting across the appropriate number of stitches and replacing the marker. I don't think there has been any real noticeable difference with my method.

Here is what I have so far.

I am on round 76. There are 161 rounds plus the edging. Of course the rounds are getting pretty long now so things are slowing down.

I thought it was pretty funny that the instructions after round 92 say to move to a circular needle if you haven't already done so. I'm already on a 60' circular. Ms. Pufpaff must have some really long double points!

Knitting in Technicolor

I have some finished objects!

Ok, I confess, the yarn did not come from the stash. We were in Wal-Mart when my daughter grabbed a skein of brightly colored Red Heart and asked if I would make her something. How could I say no?

I think I could have made 3 sweaters in the time it took to make this one just because of the number of times I pulled it out and started over. My husband accused me of being on a "knit and release" program.

I was making up the pattern as I went based on what Joanna told me she wanted. She also picked out the buttons. If you ever wanted to know what a sweater would look like if it were designed by a 3-year-old, here it is.



The blur on the sleeves is from her flapping her arms and making rooster sounds. She might have something there.

When we went to pick out the buttons the was a ball of multicolored Fixation at the shop so we had to make a pair of socks too.



The pattern was based on this one. I just sized them down a lot.

Welcome

Welcome to my new knitting blog. I work with the title goal, an empty stash. Every now and then I will post pictures of stuff from the stash and ask for help finding projects. When all the stash is gone, I can buy more!

I will also post pictures of current projects and completed objects.

Feel free to browse over to my Yahoo photo album for pictures of stuff I have completed in the past, or to the family blog for cute kid pictures, or to my husband's blog for various musings on immigration law.