My Stash is Totally and Unbelieveably OUT OF CONTROL....

there, I admitted it.........I need to have a stash sale.......because, if I live to be a hundred years old, I can never use all the yarn and fiber that has some how made its way into my home. I would venture to say that I have a small yarn shop in my home. I would also say, this is proof........absolute proof, that I should have owned a yarn shop for the last 20 years of my life. UGGGGGGGGGH!!!

What has driven today's confession, you might be wondering.....along with the fact there are NO PHOTOS????

Last Sunday afternoon, I decided to put some of my yarn up for sale on ebay......which, drove me to go into the stash room. Yes, it has its own room and probably needs its own address.....maybe zip code. In any case, I made the mistake of taking my digital camera with me........BIG MISTAKE!!!

I put it down, in a mindless state of euphoria, while opening yarn bins....and touching my stash....some of which has not seen the light of day since my separation.....and after, I filled a large box with some yarn....I left. Sat down and said, I need to take photos...........OOOPSSS, no camera. Yup, you guessed it......that camera, is somewhere in my
stash room.......lost for one entire week.

My project on this beautiful spring day, was to find it. I started at 10:30 am, it is now 7:31pm and I have been through all the bags of fleece.........and about 20 bins and NO CAMERA. I am 1/3 through the room. I have taken maybe a 2 hour break..........and NO CAMERA.

I am thinking, this is a light bulb moment.......and all I wish I could do at this moment is take a photo of the room so you could understand what I am writing. I have seen photos of incredibly large stashes, online.....and I was afraid mine was possibly bigger.......Now, I am fairly sure........it could be, and that is totally ridiculous.

Over consumption.....and possibly worse than my UFO SITUATION. I am never going to attend another stitches conference, maryland sheep and wool show, Rhinebeck, or yarn store until this STASH is reduced to 1/4 of its present size.

I am now going to go back in there to find enough yarn to sell, to pay for a NEW DIGITAL CAMERA.......because, chances are, it is lost in the BLACK HOLE OF STASHDOM.........and will not see the light of day.......until I get rid of most of that YARN one way or another......So stay tuned for the announcement of the yarns for sale.......and if you are reading this blog and looking for a particular yarn or dyelot.....let me know.........I might have what you are looking for.......in other words, I am taking special requests. Leave them in the comments section.

Wishing you all a great day,
Smiles to you,
DC

Discontinued Noro Yarn on EBAY

Just posted these two discontinued and rare NORO yarns on auction at ebay.

The first is creams and taupes and is noro yamabiko, 60% wool, silk and angora mohair.

I have 5 skeins available...starting price is $6.99/skein
total of approx 550 yards.








The second yarn is NORO kureopatra....starting price is $7.99 per skein. 5 skeins available, this is the leftover yarn, from my everyone knows jacket....so if you scroll down you can see how it knits up.

It is also a rare discontinued NORO yarn....in a great colorway.




Happy Memorial Day........about to go bbq some spare ribs for my dinner.....can not wait!! YUMMM!

Smiles to you,
DC

UFO in PROGRESS.........Off the Grid Vest

As promised here are photos of my current UFO project that I am striving to complete. It has been lanquishing in a knitting bag for 3 years waiting to be completed.

The back was partially completed and was finished last weekend. I cast on for the front and I am almost up to the armhole.

The first photo is a close up of the stitch pattern, which is a combination slip stitch, yarn over pattern. It looks much more complicated than it is.

As such it will look much better after blocking.

I am using some Blue Heron Yarn, which I believe is their cotton rayon seed yarn, but I can not really be sure since it was not marked.

I bought it on ebay in the late 90's when they were just starting out. I have a whole bin of their cotton and cotton/rayon yarns. You might say I got a little carried away with my purchases.

In addition to working on this UFO, I could not resist casting on for the #26 Diamond Rib Pullover by Iris Schreier. The pattern is from the latest Vogue Knitting Magazine Spring/Summer 2009. I like several of the patterns in their latest magazine.

This is the first pattern that I am knitting by Schreier, and will give you my comments as I go through it, with respect to accuracy. She has been the subject of many complaints over the years of poorly written instructions with respect to comprehension and errors.

I have cast on with another blue heron cotton/rayon yarn....turquoise, purples and greens. I have done the first 12 rows....not sure yet, whether the yarn is suitable for this pattern as it has lots of bumps in it and may obscure the diagnol rib pattern. I will post a photo, when I get at least 6 " of knitting complete.

Wishing you all a great Memorial Day Weekend...

Smiles to you,

DC

Good News, A FINSHED OBJECT TO SHOW OFF!

Yes, it is true........I finished the #14 Hooded Pullover by Deborah Newtown in Vogue Winter 2007/2008 Magazine.


Here are the photos....of the back and front. I downsized the
sweater by casting on less stitches and it worked out fine.

I am real happy with the finished sweater. Love the yarn I used
sensations. It is absolutely fabulous to use for knitting. I can not say enough good things about this yarn.



I loved this pattern, it was well written and I did not find any errors, which makes the knitting process, so much more enjoyable. I only cast on 118 sts, so the pullover would not
be so oversized, since I am small. It worked out great.

I followed all the rest of the pattern, from the armholes up

I really liked the center waffle pattern and am considering making a scarf out of this pattern




I am now working on a UFO from 2005, from Spring 2005 Knitter's Magazine. It is called off the grid vest. I may add sleeves. Finished the back and am working on the front, hopefully it will be finished by the end of the weekend.

My next project is already planned........# 26 diagnal rib pullover from the new vogue magazine. I am sticking to my policy, one finished UFO, before any NEW CAST ONS....I did do the gauge sample....LOL!!! I am going to use some blue heron yarn that I got on ebay years ago.

Will post photos of the vest and the pullover this weekend......

Happy knitting to all,
Smiles to you,
DC

great hats..........take a look

I found this pic on the knitting social network, done by a new zealand artist, named lynadell harvey.....Her hats are fabulous and so are her sweaters......
click here and go to her gallery to see her posted work. It is all fabulous........
and great inspiration. enjoy.....smiles to you, DC

Checkerboard Scarf - Free Knitting Pattern

I finally finished my KIP 2008 project: a checkerboard scarf. I mainly knit this waiting in post office lines during the holiday season.....LOL! When I finished the Everyone Knows Jacket, I decided to get this off my needles, too!!! Another UFO bites the dust!


As promised here is my pattern recipe for a checkboard scarf. Great gift and easy to knit, with yarn and needles of your own choosing. I used #6 circulars and a dk weight wool/cashmere yarn. This scarf will go much faster with size 8's or 9's and worsted weight wool....but, the finished fabric will not be as drapey as using smaller needles and finer weight wool.

I cast on 9 x 4=36 + 2 =38 stitches.

CHECKER BOARD SCARF RECIPE

1. Choose the appropriate needle size for the Yarn you have selected. The label on the yarn will give you suggested needle sizes for your yarn. Smaller needle size will give you firmer fabric and Larger will give more drapey fabric.

2. Cast on an odd mutiple of 4 stitches, ie. 3 x 4, 7 x 4 plus 2 additional selvage
stitches.

Knit first 3 rows in garter stitch or more if you want a longer border.

Pattern Rows

row 1: slip 1 purlwise, knit 4, purl 4, ending with knit 4, purl 1
row 2 : slip 1 purlwise, purl 4, knit4, ending with purl 4, purl 1
row 3: repeat row 1
row 4: repeat row 2

row 5: slip 1 purlwise, purl 4, knit4, ending with purl 4, purl 1
row 6: slip 1 purlwise, knit 4, purl 4, ending with knit 4, purl 1
row 7: repeat row 5
row 8: repeat row 6

Repeat rows 1-8 till you run out of yarn or until the scarf reaches the length you desire. End with 3 rows of garter or the same amount of garter stitch rows you did for the lower border.

Note: you can make your pattern any number of rows you choose, if you would like larger squares. Remember to change your repeat rows accordingly.

Embellishments:



tassels, fringe, crochet borders, pompoms, etc all would be suitable for this scarf...or leave it plain.

Block scarf when finished to even out stitches.

I would love to see photos of your finished projects if you use this recipe.

You may use this pattern for personal use or may sell the finished scarves that you make. All other copyrights to this pattern recipe, pertain and are retained by konoponop designs, please refer anyone who is interested in this pattern to this blog site.

Enjoy this free pattern recipe, thank you for reading my blog.

Smiles to you,

DC

I am a Dead Beat Blogger...........

I will admit it. You know how it is, you don't post for a week and then the week turns into several and before you know it you are a DEAD BEAT BLOGGER, and as time passes, the will to come back to your blog lessens, and the excuses for not posting mount and mount.

You actually even go to your blog site, open up the post window......and well the phone rings, you would rather clip your toe nails, pick your nose, pull weeds, clean your toilet, pay bills,etc. You have Dead Beat Blogger syndrome, until the shame and guilt drives you to type anything,to make excuses for your tardy post.

So I will leave it to your imagination as to my actual excuses for not posting in over a month, except to say this........ PROCRASTINATION.... OVERWHELMED with my life and responsibilities, and dealing with the stresses of the so-called FINANCIAL TSUNAMI, etc.

I do have several accomplishments to report:

I finished the 'Everyone Knows Jacket'. I liked this project, the instructions were well written and the finished product fits well. I did not do the side dropped stitch pattern as I like a warm sweater in the winter. I did do the drop stitch pattern on the sleeves.

After finishing the sweater, I realized that it was not real smart to use noro kureopatra yarn for a drop sleeve pattern since the fibers tend to pull apart. My hope is after the first washing they will felt a bit, so this does not become a problem. Here are some photos:




















I also finished my KIP 2008 knitting project which, was a checkerboard scarf. I like how it turned out, photos and pattern forthcoming. A great take along knitting project.

After the success of the the 'Everyone Knows Jacket', I decided to to finish up the Hooded Pullover #14 by Deborah Newton in the 2008 Vogue Magazine. I have made major headway,finished the back and the front.

I screwed up the front, I realized as I was just about to take it off the needles. I forgot to bind off for the neck opening. UGGGGGGGGGH! I started to frog.......and re-knit it according to the instructions. As I was frogging, I realized, I should have just steeked the neckline, it would have saved me re-knitting and would have been much faster. Oh well...a good tip for the next time this occurs. I must admit, I have never steeked as the idea of cutting my lovely knit stitches.....sends chills up my spine, but this would have been the most expedient fix for this error.

I have cast on the sleeves, I am doing both at the same time. All that is left after that is the hood. I am so happy with this project so far......the instructions are well written and clear....

This pattern is for an experienced knitter, who has experience with complex cable stitches.I prepared an exel spread sheet to keep all the pattern changes by row, which helps immensely in doing complex aran cable sweaters, where the number of pattern rows for each design varies.

I have this for the body of the sweater and will make one for the sleeves. This is especially helpful if you tend to put your knitting down for a period of time........as it helps you to know where you left off.

On the ulcer front, I am glad to report that the ulcer is cured. It took 3 months, but I am on the road to recovery.........with changed habits........and better emotional borders, as a result. I can not say it strongly enough, stress kills and people and things in your life who constantly produce stress, do have an effect. The time to dispose of the stress is before you get an ultra large bleeding ulcer..........it is just not worth it. Life is difficult enough without things and people who exacerbate negativity.

I am still awaiting biopsy, but the area now looks clean and the doc believes it was just ulceration from the ulcer. I am so happy to be off the medication, which worked but, has side effects that are not pleasant. I was on it for longer than normal due to the extremely large size of my ulcer.

Spring has come on faster than usual this year.......most of my trees have full leaves and have bloomed. I will miss my house, once it sells.......I love my gardens, but, have decided that this is just too much upkeep for one small chick. It has overwhelmed me....and I need smaller digs.

The ebaying is overwhelming me, too........I have so much to get sold before the end of this year. I have been an overconsumer, pack rat extraodinaire. I feel great everytime, I find good homes for my things.

Please take a look at both my shops, will be putting up knitting and craft books and yarns, this week and every week going forward................so check back often. Here are the links to my online shops:

ebay

bonanzle

The bonanzle shop also has lots of hardback books, many that have never been opened so take a look. The prices are cheap, because I do not want to pack them up and move them. My loss is your gain!

Wishing you a great spring weekend,
Smiles to you,
DC