Stashalong Archive: Hi All

Hi All 

I missed the deadline to participate in the July KAL, but that is probably a good thing since I currently have 2 projects on the needles that I really want to work on. The first is the sweater I posted about earlier in June. It's the split-t pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple. I'm using Classic Elite Renaissance yarn, which I just love...so soft and knits up like a dream. I only hope it wears well :-) The picture is a bit dark and really doesn't serve it justice, but it's a wonderful dark plum color.

I also started a summer sweater for myself. I typically don't knit for myself so to have two sweaters going on for ME is so unusual. I subscribe to Knitting Daily by Interweave Press and was smitten by one of the free patterns they posted...Tomato by Wendy Bernard (of the great blog Knit and Tonic). Last weekend we found ourselves in Asheville at a wonderful yarn shop in the Biltmore Village that had Blue Sky Alpacas cotton in stock. I rarely use the yarn called for in a pattern, since I am working from stash and am also trying to be careful about pricey yarn purchases. But this was so incredibly soft...I had to have it and cast on as soon as I could. So, I used my free day to purchase it and some 1/2 off Debbie Bliss for some future unknown project for my daughter. I haven't gotten too far, but I'm trying to work on both of the sweaters.

We are crazy busy this month, but my goal is to try and finish the split-T, or get pretty darn close to finished. I'd also like to make a bit of progress on Tomato too. We do have a long road trip scheduled for later this month, so I might get some good knitting time in that weekend.

Happy knitting and enjoy the holiday. Cheers :-) Rose

Stashalong Archive: July's KAL within a KAL

Here are some photos of the yarn I'll be using for the July KAL within a KAL. First up is some Cotton Fleece for the Monica Tank for my niece. That little portion on the needle has already been frogged because I decided I didn't want to stitch seems, so I cast on circulars and will just knit the tank in-the-round.

Next up are some yarns I am thinking of using for the tote bag for my Secret Pal. I've decided to use the Suki pattern from Knitty. I thought I had some peach somewhere in my stash (she likes peach, purple and turquoise), but I can't find it right now. I'm only going to use one of those purples, I just haven't decided on which one.

Stashalong Archive: July KAL and MY new goals

Sorry about that hit the enter button

So here is my July project.... MY hubby's Harry potter socks... I started them today with Knitpicks palette in the Fingerweight ... love it.

I have to redo my order of projects and will be posting them shortly. I got into Ravelery and it made me realize that some of my goals were met and I hadnt updated. I did have to buy yarn to finish my June KAL project which is below but it was one skein and I used up 20. So I dont think I get a strike.

I am going to Stitches in August and will use one of my free days there.

But I did buy some yarn to make a blanket for my MIL wedding. So I will happily take it.... But I have to say that it was my first yarn purchase since I commited in Jan. Not bad.

Stashalong Archive: July KAL Goals

You ladies are awesome. I've just read thru the most recent posts for the Kal and have been inspired, amazed and thrilled. I see several things I'd like to make, ideas for some lone skeins that are looming in the basket and just overall encouraged. Thx ladies, you are an awesome group. I look forward to seeing all the progress and finish work. Now back to my clothes ~ oh, KimT your afghan squares gave me an idea for one of my clothes. ;D

Happy Knitting & 4th of July.

ps ~ I sent this as a post so I wouldn't have to write a comment on each because that would have taken a little too long w/my slow computer and blogger glitches. LOL Also, welcome new SALers. ;D

Stashalong Archive: Time to Knit!

Hi everyone,

I am new to the group. I have been uploading my stash to Ravelry and realized I have WAY too much yarn in my small house! So, I decided to join and knock those skeins down before those skeins knock down my house! *giggle* I have decided to go with Option 1 for the month of July and knit strictly from my stash and in the process join the July KAL.

Here are my goals for July:

* Knit the Monthly Dishcloth KALs (I have such a HUGE dishcloth stash. They knit up 2 dishcloths a month starting on the 1st and the 16th. I don't usually knit the 1st cloth of the month because I'm not big on "picture" cloth, so instead I find an older pattern off the site to knit for the 1st and then I follow their 2nd one)

* Knit the Monica Tank for my niece

* Finish knitting that same tank for her younger sister. (I needed to make some minor adjustments on the straps and weave in some elastic around the top)

* Knit a bag for my Secret Pal.

* Crochet 20% of an afghan for my parents for their Christmas gift.

* Knit a square for Rebuilding Greensburg - Block by Block

* Crochet 5 squares for the Stained Glass Afghan. The afghan required 357 squares!

I think that should all be doable in a months time, even after work cuts into my knitting time *laugh*

Stashalong Archive: Thanks

I am glad to be here working away on my stash with everyone! I'm a PhD student working on my dissertation, so knitting is a distraction I allow myself. Back in April, I decided to go on a yarn diet and only knit from my collection. I inventoried all my yarn with a 3x5 index card for each skein or group of the same color and set off knitting. In May, I knit cotton cloths and did great reducing the number of skeins and partial skeins I had. June was to be wool month. But, I sort of fell off the wagon and started knitting cloths again (there was a bit of financial motivation here) and I purchased yarn in the colors that were being requested. As part of this evolving project, I was asked to create some felted bowls to coordinate with the cloths. More yarn acquired. This yarn is not intended to stay in my stash (I prefer calling it a collection), but as of today it has not been knit up. In the spirit of full disclosure, here is a photo of the yarn I purchased in June and still have as of July 1:


I am going to use the checkbook option because I really want to reduce total number of skeins and I have plenty of projects to keep me busy for months using the yarn I have on hand. My first goal is to use five skeins in July. I know this seems like a small goal, but I have alot on my plate this month. In case you are counting, there ought to be 44 skeins in this photo.

On the needles: 1 cloth, ribby sweater
Pending arrival of beads: mystery stole 3

Stashalong Archive: Happy Sunday!

Well, I've made it through the list of both the June and July KAL.

Congrats to all our winners for the June KAL within a KAL--see their names in the sidebar. Enjoy those Free Days whenever you choose to use them :) Make sure you let me know when you do so I can take you off the list.

July KAL within a KAL--you've got until tomorrow morning to get your goals up--I think I've already got everyone that posted so far(if not let me know).

I'm off to fix the mess that is my Mystery Stole 3 clue(I was within 1 row of being done yesterday when somehow I lost a stitch--I tried tinking back and it just kept getting worse SO I ripped the whole thing out. And to add insult to injury I was working on it on our deck with a big wind came along and blew my tiny crochet hook of the deck into a crack under the deck--never to be see again, SO I need to go shopping today for a new one before I can start again.)

Stashalong Archive: June KAL done!

Just under the wire, I have finally finished this sweater. It has fought me every inch of the way. Yes, the duplicate stitch is a little bumpy and goes all the way up to the sholder instead of stopping earlier like in the photo. And yes, it's knit with 2 noticeably different dye lots and one of the sleeves is even striped with the two slightly different blues. But it is finally finished and I want nothing more to do with it than to hand it off to Nyron and leave it up to him if he ever wants to be seen in public in it.

For the July KAL, I plan to knit a linen towel and cashmere bath mitt as part of a spa package I'm putting together for my friend's bridal shower in two weeks. No pic yet, as I haven't started it, but I'll post next weekend. Who knows, maybe I'll even be finished by then!

=^_^=

Stashalong Archive: Final June KAL within a KAL update

Well I didn't get my socks finished for the June KAL within a KAL :o(

This week was just so busy and filled with life stress that I could hardly knit. I kept making mistakes and having to go back and fix stuff. I have the first sock and about 1/3 of the second sock done. At least I came pretty close and these will be done well before the deadline for them.

Stashalong Archive: Newbie: KT's July Goal

Hi all - I'm new here (thanks for adding me!) and am hereby posting my goals for the month. I'm not going to join the July KAL - largely because about half of what I knit is a gift or for charity so it's not much of an incentive for me, and because I don't have a project in mind so can't take before photos.

Last night I did an inventory of the stash. Boy was that eye-opening. I have 96 full skeins and approximately 40 partial skeins (or equivalent) in my six-drawer stack. Ouch. That's a lot of yarn. It took me a while to determine what I wanted to do for my goal, but have finally come up with one that is a slight bit of a stretch but still doable:

This month (July) my goal is to use up 5 full skeins (or equivalent in partials). (Checkbook option).

Stashalong Archive: KAL w/in a KAL update: Manda

I didn't finish. :( I gave it the old college try this week, knitting on all of my breaks and at lunch and at home, but it just didn't happen. I made it to row 64, and I'm up to almost 500 stitches a round (the bad thing about being a big girl knitting a top-down raglan!!), and I'm SOO close to getting the sleeves off the needles. :(

Here's my progress right now:



I'm almost finished with the 2nd skein of yarn.

I did take a break for a minute when my STR kit came in! I wound up the yarn, and started the first few rows of the pattern. [I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might not have received theirs yet, so if you want to see the progress pic, please click the link!]

Mystery Stole 3 also started yesterday/Friday. I knit on that today, making it all the way thru Chart A and the first couple rows of Chart B:



I'll update tomorrow w/ month-end stuff. I'm pretty sure I didn't meet any of my goals this month, and my knitting mojo seems to have disappeared, so I think my goals next month are going to be pretty easy. ahahah :)

Stashalong Archive: July KAL within a KAL

Next month's challenge(JULY) is courtesy of Brown Berry(tweaked a bit by me):

Gift and/or Charity Knitting

**Do you want to get a jump on that holiday knitting--that time of year creeps up faster than you think?
**Do you have a gift to knit for someone that you've been procrastinating on or need extra motivation to finish?
**Do you knit for a charity(or want to start)and want to get some things done?

Then the July KAL within a KAL is the place for you :)

Here are the rules:

1. Choose a gift or charity project(s) to be finished during the month of July.

2. Post a before pic on July 1.

3. Post updates each week in July. Update July 10, 17, 24(with pictures).

4. Post your finished product on July 31(or sooner if you're one of our speedy finishers).

**Participation is not mandatory.

**I will be keeping track of the participants, if you want to play along leave a comment in this post between now and June 30.

**The Winners(those who finish what they set out to do) will receive a no holds barred, guilt free Free Day to be used at their discretion(you can use it anytime after August 1, 2007). It won't have an expiration day--just let me know when you've used it so I can mark it off on my July KAL list.

--OR--

If you don't want a free day, you can choose to have a strike eliminated.

Just let me know when you post your finished product(s) whether you want the free day or the strike removed :)

How's that for incentive? If you're interested, just comment in this post to join the madness next month.

Any questions?

Stashalong Archive: Friday, January 05, 2007

Here are the rules:

(1) Choose a Stashalong time frame(1 month(minimum choice), 2 months, 3 months, etc). Personally, I would think about month to month--just in case :) Remember that during that time frame you will not buy any yarn(buying patterns, bags, and books are up to you)

(2) Choose some of your stash you would like to knit on during that time(maybe it's something you can finish, maybe it's for a gift or deadline or KAL).

(3) Post your start date and finish date. You could also include a picture of the yarn you'll be using and maybe some details about the pattern.

(4) Post your results at the end--did you finish it, did you crack and buy something, fill us in on your Stashalong victory!)

(5) Have fun.


OPTIONAL CHOICES(I decided during the first three months that it would have been nice to have a couple of options, but being the "follow the rules" person that I am I didn't change anything--now I can, hopefully you'll find them helpful)

Option 1: If you choose to Stashalong for 2 months or more, you can allow yourself ONE(1) day off per month for stash enhancement. The days off are not cumulative--use 'em or lose 'em.

Option 2: Post weekly triumphs or crys for help(when the call of yarn becomes too much to bear).

Option 3: Start and end anytime(within a one month minimum). You don't have to start at the beginning of a month just pick a date spanning 30 days and you're ready to roll!