some yarn purchased and a new tool

I have passed the halfway mark with my intarsia blanket (more on that in a forthcoming post). Unfortunately, although I planned to use up odds and ends of acrylic yarn accumulated from other projects, I have found that I need to keep buying acrylic yarn.

I have discovered that I would rather not knit with acrylic so I am hoping to my diminish my supply rather than keep adding to it!

Anyway, back in March I purchased 5 balls and hoped that would be enough.


But I’m a bit of Kaffe Fassett fan: “if in doubt, add more colour”. As my scraps have run out, I have been “forced” to buy more yarn. in the last few weeks I have added these yarns to my stash. They are all acrylic; the Needles brand (the first five skeins) is softer and cheaper than the Thorobred but I couldn't get all the colours I needed in the Needles brand.


This has not affected my stash-busting policy for this year; because there was always a “get out of jail free” card –> “No yarn (or fabric) is to be purchased and added to the stash in 2012, unless it is needed for a specific project”.

All, except the last three of these yarns are already in use in the intarsia blanket. I stopped knitting yesterday and started another project (oh no!*) because I really wanted to put red where I needed a new colour. the blue and the green will also be used in the next row or two so they were bought specifically for this project.

While I was in the Big Box Store this morning, I also bought myself one of these:

I hope it helps me see the placement of the cream stitches on the white Aida 14 count cloth!

*I had decided I wasn't starting any new projects until I finished some UFOs but I was only in the mood for garter stitch, so a new project was started.

the eleventh question

warning: long, photo-heavy post (hurrah for the new internet connection and Windows Live Writer!)

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Yesterday I answered ten of the eleven questions posted by Freda (a.k.a. Impera Magna) on her blog The Adventures of the Empress of the Universe.

I had to leave the last question because it needed a post of its own (as you will soon see).

Q. How many UFOs/WIPs do you have right now?

A. Let’s begin with the sewing based ones …

1) The quilt that has been occupying my attention this week is my Country Houses quilt which started life as a single (twin) bed quilt in May last year; it’s too big for a single bed so I decided to finish it to queen size to go on our bed to keep me warm on these chilly winter nights. As you can see, it’s way too big for our bed! I am considering taking one or two rows off but, as yet, have not made up my mind!

 

2) Scrappy Log Cabin: I don’t have enough scraps to make the border I intended and am still thinking about what to do with it. Here it is with the inner border which has been added since I last showed the top-in-progress. It looks black but it is actually a dark brown because, despite all those blues, the quilt has an overall brownish look.

3) A cloth book I started for the Grandboys for Christmas (they got two of four before I became really ill a couple of weeks before the big day) – I need to unpick the last page I sewed; so it has been having time out in the “naughty corner” since November. This is the page I haven't got to yet!

4) curtains for Older Grandson’s bedroom – his mummy needs to find the hooks WM accidentally left there and I’m not finishing them till she does! (no photos here)

5) Dotty Bright needs basting and quilting

6) Scrappy Strings II: the top and backing have been made but are too long (Is this a theme emerging in my quilting? I hope not!) so I need to unpick the bottom row of blocks and cut down the backing then baste and quilt (it’s been spending time in the “naughty corner” too)

7) and 8) two scrappy quilts made from one donated partly-made flimsy; I don’t have anywhere near enough scraps to finish either of them (the flimsy was separated between the long floral strip and the yellow strings)

9-13) five rainbow quilts which are being made as part of the Scrappy Rainbow Challenge over at SoScrappy; I have blocks in various colours for a four patch quilt (17 blocks made), a nine patch quilt (11 blocks made), a string quilt (15 blocks made), an improv quilt (44 blocks made) and a Wonky Windows quilt (9 blocks made). Obviously, these are long term projects!

14) Hearts quilt: this a shared project with DD; we are hand-stitching applique hearts onto white squares – eventually we will have enough for a quilt! This began as a project to take to Guild meetings and for me to take to meetings of the “Caring Hearts Community Quilt Group” when I don’t have any quilts that need binding.

15) a cover for my fold-up cutting mat (originally used for dressmaking, now mostly used under a white plastic tablecloth to block my knitting)

– I am going to use the embroidery I started in class in April; I just have to finish the satin stitching of the butterfly  then I will decide which fabrics I want to use to piece what will be a large drawstring bag (probably lined)

16) Sampler Quilt: I cut out the pieces for the first block in class on Monday so I guess it’s now a WIP!

17) a long-untouched cross stitch which I really ought to get finish, it’s so close to being done! I just have to finish that sheet music (dozens of cream stitches on a white background), the scroll-work music stand and a little more of the piano keyboard to the left then I think it’s finished.

… and then there’s the knitting WIPs …

right now I'm knitting a pair of  men's mitts which I will finish today, then I need to revisit the following projects:

18) a pair of gift socks (I can’t say any more, just in case; deadline 22 June)

19) and 20) socks for me

       

22) Merlot toe-up socks for someone with big feet (I knitted the first sock on 72 stitches instead of 64)!

23) baby blanket (which I am considering frogging – it’s just not working for me!)

22) intarsia blanket (I haven’t seen this for a couple of months and was considering ripping it out but now I’ve seen the photo I’m loving it!)

24) sideways striped jumper – need to pick up stitches and do the collar

25) Ambassador of Love mittens (second mitten syndrome) – I finally located the yarn for the second mitten yesterday! Now I just have to find or download the pattern again!

26) Lace Infinity Scarf which I am also thinking about frogging;  the yarn does nothing for the lace pattern – perhaps a dark colour was a poor choice?

I guess it’s time to crack on with the stitching!

150g wool for $2!

Last week at Bendigo Woollen Mill I picked up six bags of 'scraps' for $6. I had no idea that scraps could mean pieces as short as 30cm [12 inches] or as long as 10m [40 feet]. I bought all the bags that contained white or cream yarn; we could use those for dyeing experiments.

On Monday we were looking through our recently acquired purchases. We discovered the short lengths of scraps. We weren't too perturbed because they were for 'practice'. I mentioned to DD that I once knew someone who spliced her yarn while knitting. DD, a beginner spinner, frayed the ends of two pieces, sucked the ends [I would have spat on my palms] and proceeded to join the ends together - first try, just like that! She went on to make a ball of yarn of mixed thicknesses and mixed colour [white and cream] that weighs 150g [approx. 5 ounces]! It is possibly even made of wool and wool blends [judging by the way it took colour].

On Wednesday we used that ball to have some dyeing fun with the Landscape dyes we bought at the Show. We used Cyclamen [purple], Marine [blue] and Grevillea [red] then we cooked it in the microwave for a total of 5 minutes [wrapped in cling wrap]. Here is the finished product, waiting to be knitted into something gorgeous for charity - a child's jumper [sweater] perhaps? Sure it has darker patches and lighter patches but we don't mind. It makes the yarn more interesting and unique. Can't wait to see how it knits up! The photo is less purple than the yarn actually is.

150g of yarn for $2 - no kidding!!

ETA: Some people's Bloglines may show that I posted yesterday; it was an accidental posting - I don't know what happened while I was writing this post! Sorry!!