Saturday, February 8, 2014

Yarn Report -- Week 6

I made a little progress on the Winter Mystery KAL this week -- finished Clue 1 (for the second time) and started Clue 2.


The yarn I ordered for the Central Park Hoodie arrived yesterday. It is a very light worsted; almost more of a dk weight. I was hoping it would be a heavier worsted, but knew that I was taking a chance when I ordered a yarn that I had never seen in person. The CPH pattern calls for a gauge of 17 st/in on a size 8 needle; with this yarn, I got 20 st/in on a size 7 needle. When I checked the stitch count in the pattern, I was pleased to find that if I use the stitch count for the cardigan two sizes larger, then the finished measurements should work out just fine.



Used this Week:               0 skeins
Used since 1/1/14:            3 skeins
Added this Week:             8 skeins
Added since 1/1/14:        18 skeins
Net Used YTD:              15 skeins

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Yarn Report -- Week 5

Nothing in or out this week, although I spent a good deal of time shopping for a good sale on yarn. My Nerd Wars team decided to do a KAL for tournament 10, so of course I wanted to join in. The pattern we'll be using is the Central Park Hoodie. I've thought about making it several times over the years since it first was published, but didn't because I don't like having to sew all the pieces together. So... I think I'll knit the body all in one piece, then pick up the stitches and knit the sleeves in the round from the shoulders down. If I were more ambitious, I'd try to convert the pattern to top-down.

Used this Week:         0 skeins
Used since 1/1/14:     3 skeins
Added this Week:       0 skeins
Added since 1/1/14:  10 skeins
Net Used YTD:            7 skeins

Friday, January 24, 2014

Yarn Report - 2014, Weeks 3 & 4

Roger's cowl disappeared while we were visiting the Air & Space Museum near Omaha, so I bought a skein of Cozy Wool and made him another one. He likes to pull it up over his nose when the weather is really cold, but he said it fogs up his glasses when he exhales. He requested the opening over his mouth, hoping to solve that problem. I didn't have a pattern; I just did a k1p1 ribbing in the round over 60 stitches. I did 25 rows before binding off 5 stitches for the mouth opening, then on the next row I cast on 5 stitches and continued knitting for 13 rows before binding off.


I finished Clue 1 on the Mystery KAL, but when I tried it on, it was too small. For some reason, the gauge on my gauge swatch was different than the gauge I was getting on the sweater itself. So... all my work had to be frogged and started over. If I could count all the skeins I've had to knit twice lately, my yarn report would look a lot better, LOL.

Since I'm now knitting a larger size for the KAL, I needed more yarn. Luckily, Fabric.com still had two skeins of the Berroco Vintage in ruby. I only needed about 1/2 of one skein, but I ordered both. With whatever is left over, I'll make a scarf to go with my sweater.

At Fabric.com, you get free shipping with a $35 purchase, so of course I had go for that. I bought a pair of HiYa HiYa circular needles, size 5, 40" length, and five skeins of Berroco Vintage DK in a lovely chocolate color. I plan to use the DK for the Freya Hoodie, another one of Vera Sanon's patterns.


Used this Week: 1 skein
Used since 1/1/14: 3 skeins
Added this Week: 8 skeins
Added since 1/1/14: 10 skeins
Net Used since Jan. 1, 2014: 7 skeins (at least I made it to week 4 before going into the red!)

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Yarn Report - 2014, Week 2

Nothing new to report this week. I've been working on the Winter Mystery KAL, but as usual I am behind. Clue 2 came out yesterday, but I'm still working on Clue 1. I had to go back and fix all of my M1 increases; I knitted through the back loop when I should have knitted through the front loop, and vice versa, which left holes in the fabric. The odd thing is, I've done this increase before, and knew it didn't look right, but couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then one day I started to knit and immediately realized what I'd been doing wrong. I must have been suffering from a days-long senior moment -- just wish it had cleared up sooner. Oh, well. Once Clue 1 is finished, I'll post a picture.

I didn't work on Alexis' blanket at all this week. Maybe next week will be more productive.

Used this Week: 0 skeins
Used since 1/1/14: 2 skeins
Added this Week: 0 skeins
Added since 1/1/14: 2 skeins
Net Used since Jan. 1, 2014: 0 skeins

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Yarn Report -- 2014, Week 1

This week I bought two skeins of Loops & Threads Impeccable Glitter to crochet the Calm Cowl for a gift. It worked up very quickly, and I liked that it looks similar to knitted seed stitch. The yarn is very pretty, with a strand of metallic gold running through it; the pictures don't do it justice.





Used this Week: 2 skeins
Used since Jan. 1, 2014: 2 skeins
Added this Week: 2 skeins
Added since Jan. 1, 2014: 2 skeins
Net Used since Jan. 1, 2014: 0 skeins

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Final 2013 Yarn Report

I finished Poema! Got it done just in time to post it before Nerd Wars Tournament 9 ended. That was a relief! It hasn't been blocked yet in the photos. The seven skeins used -- there was only about six inches left over -- will help my yarn report, but I'll still finish the year in the red. I don't mind, though, because my next two projects will use yarn that I've already bought and counted.




I've started on Alexis' blanket. When they were here over Christmas, she approved the lighter weight yarn and the color scheme. Maybe next week I'll have enough done to post a picture.

Vera Sanon sent the first installment of the Mystery KAL, so I need to swatch and get started on that.

I also need to finish Sawtelle, and do it soon! It was 19 degrees today, and I kept wishing I'd finished that nice wool cardigan. One sleeve is almost done, so there's not that much more to do. Just have to get busy!



Used this Week: 7 skeins
Used since mid-August: 16.4 skeins
Added this Week: 0 skeins
Added since mid-August: 21 skeins
Net Used since mid-August: 4.6 skeins

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Yarn Report

Well, I just bought a bunch of yarn, so my yarn report total is going to go from black to red this week. At least I'll get to start over in the new year!

All of the new yarn does have a purpose, though. My 10-year-old granddaughter asked me to make her a new blanket, since her old one has developed a huge hole, so I bought 8 skeins of Bernat's Cotton-ish for that. The colors are Royal Denim, Seersucker, and Cotton Field. I'm going to crochet the blanket, alternating rows of single crochet and linked double crochet. I'm beginning to think that I should have chosen a worsted weight yarn instead of a dk, though; the blanket will be awfully lightweight. If we weren't currently getting freezing rain that's supposed to be followed later today by snow, I would go look for different yarn. Oh, well.


The other yarn purchase was 6 skeins of Berroco Vintage in the ruby color, for the Vera Sanon Mystery KAL that will start in January. The color is actually more red and less pink than it shows in the picture. I've never used Vintage before, but it has good reviews on Ravelry and Vera herself recommended it, so I'm expecting to like it. I was a little surprised when I received the yarn and saw that I only had 6 skeins; I thought I had ordered 7. Six will leave me about 45 yards short of what the pattern calls for, but I can probably make that up easily by shortening the length of the cardigan if I have to.


Used this Week: 0 skeins
Used since mid-August: 9.4 skeins
Added this Week: 14 skeins
Added since mid-August: 21 skeins
Net Used since mid-August: 11.6 skeins