I'm sad to report, I don't really have a finished object this week for the first time in seven weeks. I've been working so hard on my niece's bag that I didn't get time to work on anything else. I still wanted to make sure to post so that everyone has a place to share their FO Friday's this week. Please feel free to share your finished projects in the Mr. Linky below! I promise, next week I will have something complete...hopefully that darn owl bag!
I did, however, dye yarn yesterday in the microwave for the first time! I hope to share the results on Monday.
Please make sure to have a safe and fun Halloween and weekend!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Flash Your Stash! An Ongoing Meme (Part 3)
My name is Tami, and I'm addicted to yarn. Honestly, I don't know how it started. As I've mentioned many times, I started crocheting last December. I didn't know anything about yarn and bought some Red Heart because someone mentioned it was easy to crochet with. Once I got a little better, I moved into a little softer acrylic, Vanna's Choice, Caron Simply Soft, etc. Just recently, I started visiting LYSs (Local Yarn Stores) and can't seem to walk out of one without buying at least one skein/hank/ball of yarn. Also, I've ventured into online shopping, stores like Knitpicks and Smiley's Yarn. Below you will see my stash as of yesterday. These pictures do not include the yarn I'm using for my current WIPs, so yarn for my two blankets, my owl bag, another purse and an amigurumi.
For my first FYS post, click here.
And for my second, click here.
I would love to see how your yarn stash has grown! Share updated pics, or join in for the first time! Please make sure to use a direct link to your post, instead of to the main page of your blog. That way, we can find the stash pictures easier.
Thanks for checking out my stash! Let's hope next month it's much smaller. I am trying to not buy any yarn until the beginning of next year unless it is necessary to finish a project.
For my first FYS post, click here.
And for my second, click here.
As I shared from a previous post, below is a picture of the chest my husband bought to store my yarn at a local antique store. I LOOVVEEE this chest.
And here it is with yarn. You won't see any in this picture but I have cedar balls among the yarn to keep bugs out, and just to give the yarn and chest and overall great smell.
Most of the yarn in the chest are my worsted weight acrylic and wool yarn. From top left, going down you will see a mix of Red Heart, Loops and Threads, Berrocco, Hobby Lobby, Lion Brand, Vanna's Choice, etc.
I love how beautiful the yarn looks in the chest. I've tried not to be OCD with it, arranging by color and brand so I just left it how I originally put it into the chest.
Most of the yarn in the chest are my worsted weight acrylic and wool yarn. From top left, going down you will see a mix of Red Heart, Loops and Threads, Berrocco, Hobby Lobby, Lion Brand, Vanna's Choice, etc.
I love how beautiful the yarn looks in the chest. I've tried not to be OCD with it, arranging by color and brand so I just left it how I originally put it into the chest.
Below is my collection of sock yarn. If you follow my blog, you know that I've recently become obsessed with sock, or fine and fingering weight yarn.
This is most of my yarn I have to dye (except for one skein of wool I forgot to add to the picture and my cotton) and the two I've already dyed. I hope to try the microwave method today or tomorrow.
Below is some yarn I got online or in LYSs. The balls, or cakes of yarn are Berocco Vintage.
Below is some yarn I got at Smiley's online or at Tuesday Morning. The little balls are Debbie Bliss. The one white skein at top is for dyeing.
This is some random acrylic I have. The bags of small skeins are for amigurumi, the Christmas colors I got at a thrift store for a total of 75 cents, and the bag of gray yarn is a project I started and haven't finished.
Below is my cotton. The white skeins are for dyeing.
Below is yarn I got for a blanket I'm making for someone as a gift for next year. I'm not going to say who, because they may see this blog. I got the blue skeins at Smiley's for crazy cheap ($1.99 each) and then will buy a skein of the tan each time I have a coupon for Joann's or Michaels.
This is miscellaneous/yarn I forgot to take pictures of with the other groups. The top is Bernat Roving which is CRAZY soft. I want to make a hooded cowl with it. Then there is a skein of wool for dyeing and 3 small skeins of Lion Brand Cupcake.
This is my crocheting thread. I have a project I'm working on that is VERY slow going with it. I haven't decided exactly how I'm going to handle it.
I would love to see how your yarn stash has grown! Share updated pics, or join in for the first time! Please make sure to use a direct link to your post, instead of to the main page of your blog. That way, we can find the stash pictures easier.
Thanks for checking out my stash! Let's hope next month it's much smaller. I am trying to not buy any yarn until the beginning of next year unless it is necessary to finish a project.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Work-in-Progress Wednesday 12
I've decided I needed to start on my Christmas gifts instead of just saying I'm going to. Good plan, right? It seemed like I had so much time, until I realized we are in the last week of October and November will be a crazy writing month for me. I need to crank out about one present a week (if not more) to get done in time. Crazy, isn't it? I decided to just focus on this one crochet project this week, as I'm trying to finish it quickly, so I'm only sharing this one today.
That being said, my WIPW post this week is a bag for my niece. You may remember, I made this reindeer for her birthday this year. At first she didn't really know what to think of it, but now every time I see her she's asks what I'm making and has a huge list of items for me to crank out for her. She doesn't know I'm making this, and hopefully she'll like it. She requested a dog amigurumi, but I told her it would have to wait until after Christmas. Hopefully she isn't expecting that! I am already doing two dog amis for my mother-in-law (representing the two dogs that passed away this year that she had for 13+ years).
I first saw this owl bag pattern (Ravelry link) in the September/October issue of Crochet Today! I loved it right away and showed my sister, who thought Lily, my niece, would like it as well. When finished, I hope to line it with this adorable pink fabric I got in the remnants section of Joann's. I'd love to sew in a few pockets as well, but it will only be my second bag lined, so I don't want to get ahead of myself. Originally I wanted to use the pink camo yarn with pink solid, instead of tan but couldn't find a pink I was quite happy with that would look good with the camo. Over all, I like how it's coming out, though after crocheting the bottom and the initial color change, I decided to increase the strips by one, so it's three before a color change instead of two. It didn't seem to be reading as well as I hoped with two, and I think it's much better now. What do you think?
Don't forget, tomorrow I'll be flashing my stash again (that always sounds so dirty, doesn't it?). Please join me if you have the time! There will be an ongoing Mr Linky provided, where you can update your stash each month when I share mine. :) This time, I'll be showing off my yarn inside my new wood chest!
For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!
That being said, my WIPW post this week is a bag for my niece. You may remember, I made this reindeer for her birthday this year. At first she didn't really know what to think of it, but now every time I see her she's asks what I'm making and has a huge list of items for me to crank out for her. She doesn't know I'm making this, and hopefully she'll like it. She requested a dog amigurumi, but I told her it would have to wait until after Christmas. Hopefully she isn't expecting that! I am already doing two dog amis for my mother-in-law (representing the two dogs that passed away this year that she had for 13+ years).
I first saw this owl bag pattern (Ravelry link) in the September/October issue of Crochet Today! I loved it right away and showed my sister, who thought Lily, my niece, would like it as well. When finished, I hope to line it with this adorable pink fabric I got in the remnants section of Joann's. I'd love to sew in a few pockets as well, but it will only be my second bag lined, so I don't want to get ahead of myself. Originally I wanted to use the pink camo yarn with pink solid, instead of tan but couldn't find a pink I was quite happy with that would look good with the camo. Over all, I like how it's coming out, though after crocheting the bottom and the initial color change, I decided to increase the strips by one, so it's three before a color change instead of two. It didn't seem to be reading as well as I hoped with two, and I think it's much better now. What do you think?
Don't forget, tomorrow I'll be flashing my stash again (that always sounds so dirty, doesn't it?). Please join me if you have the time! There will be an ongoing Mr Linky provided, where you can update your stash each month when I share mine. :) This time, I'll be showing off my yarn inside my new wood chest!
For those that are new to WIPW, to share your WIPW post with us, just fill out the Mr. Linky below. Despite it saying you must comment, don't feel as if you do. That is something Mr. Linky automatically adds. I just ask you to check out a few of the links posted to see what everyone else is working on and comment there if you can. Everyone loves feedback and a little encouragement on their projects! Also, please link back to this post in your post to get the word out! The more the merrier!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Randomness of the Week
Today's post is going to be full of random stuff, but it seemed silly to make several posts about a bunch of little things.
As a few of you found out due to my Ravelry page, last Wednesday was my birthday. I decided that I would buy myself something in honor of turning 31. I'd wanted to make an order to Knitpicks for awhile now, and what a better time!
Right away, I knew I wanted a ball winder after the mess I had after dyeing the Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. I've also been buying yarn that comes into hanks rather than skeins. One of my LYSs will wind the yarn for you when you purchase it there, but I didn't want to have to rely on that. So, I noticed the Knitpicks ball winder is only $19.99, so I couldn't pass it up. I have yet to use it (as I got it yesterday), but I'm sure it is going to be a HUGE help!
Here is the yarn I also decided to purchase. I didn't want to get a lot, since this was my first time ordering and I'm always leery of not being able to see/feel the yarn.
1 ball of Blaze Heather Andean Treasure (It was on sale and I wanted to see what it felt like)
1 skein of Silver Sage Shine Sport (It was on sale and I wanted to see what it felt like)
3 hanks of Frog Prince Imagination (for socks for my husband. He actually picked out this yarn)
1 Natural Bare Superwash/Nylon Fingering (for dyeing)
1 Natural Bare Superwash Worsted (for dyeing)
Speaking of my birthday, despite my husband already getting me my present, my sewing machine, he said I needed a gift to open on the night of my birthday. I had no clue he was coming home with a gift, let alone Thai for dinner (YUM!) and a pumpkin cupcake! Here is what he bought me! He got the white cotton for me to dye!
My mother-in-law sent money to buy something for my birthday that I wanted. Of course, more yarn! Weirdly, I had yet to visit any of my LYSs in San Diego, so I thought it was as good a time as any. We headed to a great one I found out about through Ravelry, Two Sisters and Ewe. They had a great selection of yarns, most I hadn't seen before. It was so hard to decide what I wanted. I had $50 to spend, and knew I didn't want to go over that. Unfortunately, the yarn I loved a ton was a little over my price range, $20-30 a hank/ball/skein. They had an amazing selection of hand-dyed yarns I couldn't help but fondle. The ladies were very friends and they even put my hanks into balls for me. When I came into the shop, one of employees was even helping a customer with one of her knitting projects! I thought that was awesome.
Here's the yarn I bought:
Berocco Vintage in (the green was in the 25% off bin!)
Knit One, Crochet Two Ty-Dy Sock yarn (Also in the 25% off bin. I couldn't pass it up because it would normally be too much money for me)
Kraemer finger weight (for dyeing)
We then headed to another LYS not too far from the first (these are both about 15-17 miles from my house), Needleworks. The weirdest thing about this shop was the culture shock. It's next to a Hooters restaurant and it was Sunday, so the outside and parking lot was full of smoking and drinking football fans. Totally weird to then walk into a crochet shop. They had a group knitting, but their yarn selection wasn't too big. They also sell stuff for needlepoint, so the store was divided. I did get a skein of Berocco Sock yarn, which I had yet to see in the stores.
I recently received Amazon gift certificates from credit card bonus rewards (don't you love those?) and wanted to get a few craft books along with a graphic novel and a novel. Here is what I ended up getting on the craft side of things.
I showed you my first small skein of hand-dyed yarn, but haven't shared my second batch. I've been waiting to share my second when we have some better light. It's been raining here and just totally gloomy. I used Kool-aid for this skein and then over-dyed with teal Wilton's Icing Dye.
As a few of you found out due to my Ravelry page, last Wednesday was my birthday. I decided that I would buy myself something in honor of turning 31. I'd wanted to make an order to Knitpicks for awhile now, and what a better time!
Right away, I knew I wanted a ball winder after the mess I had after dyeing the Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool. I've also been buying yarn that comes into hanks rather than skeins. One of my LYSs will wind the yarn for you when you purchase it there, but I didn't want to have to rely on that. So, I noticed the Knitpicks ball winder is only $19.99, so I couldn't pass it up. I have yet to use it (as I got it yesterday), but I'm sure it is going to be a HUGE help!
Here is the yarn I also decided to purchase. I didn't want to get a lot, since this was my first time ordering and I'm always leery of not being able to see/feel the yarn.
1 ball of Blaze Heather Andean Treasure (It was on sale and I wanted to see what it felt like)
1 skein of Silver Sage Shine Sport (It was on sale and I wanted to see what it felt like)
3 hanks of Frog Prince Imagination (for socks for my husband. He actually picked out this yarn)
1 Natural Bare Superwash/Nylon Fingering (for dyeing)
1 Natural Bare Superwash Worsted (for dyeing)
Speaking of my birthday, despite my husband already getting me my present, my sewing machine, he said I needed a gift to open on the night of my birthday. I had no clue he was coming home with a gift, let alone Thai for dinner (YUM!) and a pumpkin cupcake! Here is what he bought me! He got the white cotton for me to dye!
My mother-in-law sent money to buy something for my birthday that I wanted. Of course, more yarn! Weirdly, I had yet to visit any of my LYSs in San Diego, so I thought it was as good a time as any. We headed to a great one I found out about through Ravelry, Two Sisters and Ewe. They had a great selection of yarns, most I hadn't seen before. It was so hard to decide what I wanted. I had $50 to spend, and knew I didn't want to go over that. Unfortunately, the yarn I loved a ton was a little over my price range, $20-30 a hank/ball/skein. They had an amazing selection of hand-dyed yarns I couldn't help but fondle. The ladies were very friends and they even put my hanks into balls for me. When I came into the shop, one of employees was even helping a customer with one of her knitting projects! I thought that was awesome.
Here's the yarn I bought:
Berocco Vintage in (the green was in the 25% off bin!)
Knit One, Crochet Two Ty-Dy Sock yarn (Also in the 25% off bin. I couldn't pass it up because it would normally be too much money for me)
Kraemer finger weight (for dyeing)
We then headed to another LYS not too far from the first (these are both about 15-17 miles from my house), Needleworks. The weirdest thing about this shop was the culture shock. It's next to a Hooters restaurant and it was Sunday, so the outside and parking lot was full of smoking and drinking football fans. Totally weird to then walk into a crochet shop. They had a group knitting, but their yarn selection wasn't too big. They also sell stuff for needlepoint, so the store was divided. I did get a skein of Berocco Sock yarn, which I had yet to see in the stores.
I recently received Amazon gift certificates from credit card bonus rewards (don't you love those?) and wanted to get a few craft books along with a graphic novel and a novel. Here is what I ended up getting on the craft side of things.
I showed you my first small skein of hand-dyed yarn, but haven't shared my second batch. I've been waiting to share my second when we have some better light. It's been raining here and just totally gloomy. I used Kool-aid for this skein and then over-dyed with teal Wilton's Icing Dye.
Friday, October 22, 2010
FO Friday 6
Happy Friday! The weeks keep flying by! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
You may remember, if you were visiting my blog back then, that I shared bits and pieces of a giraffe for WIPW 1. I have yet to show the finished product, and decided now was the time. Originally I made it for a friend of mine who just had a baby. I now feel like too much time has gone by for it to be a baby gift, so I think I'm going to keep it until Christmas and gift it then. I will either send it to said friend, or to my step-sister's baby boy, Hudson.
Below is the picture from WIPW 1.
Materials used:
3.75 mm (F) hook
Red Heart Super Saver (body- Bright Yellow), spots- Light Blue)
Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn (mane/horns/tail hair- Navy)
Yarn needle
Thread
Poly Fluff stuffing
And the finished product:
You may remember, if you were visiting my blog back then, that I shared bits and pieces of a giraffe for WIPW 1. I have yet to show the finished product, and decided now was the time. Originally I made it for a friend of mine who just had a baby. I now feel like too much time has gone by for it to be a baby gift, so I think I'm going to keep it until Christmas and gift it then. I will either send it to said friend, or to my step-sister's baby boy, Hudson.
Below is the picture from WIPW 1.
Materials used:
3.75 mm (F) hook
Red Heart Super Saver (body- Bright Yellow), spots- Light Blue)
Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn (mane/horns/tail hair- Navy)
Yarn needle
Thread
Poly Fluff stuffing
And the finished product:
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