Friday, December 23, 2011

Progress in Pink

Making progress on the knitted pink "infinity" scarf. I still would love to wear it on Sunday. We'll see! If not, I'll wear something else. After all, I've got all winter ahead to enjoy this scarf.


It looks all in a heap because the cable of the circular needles is all wrapped around itself. You can't see the needles, 'cause they're stuck in the ball of yarn.



I'm loving the effect that the yarn-over stitch has in it.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Finished Projects, New Projects

Got a few things finished, and have started some others. I'm embarrassed at how many things I get going at once - sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting ... it's a madhouse. A gleefully FUN madhouse.


Another cotton dishcloth got finished. Trying to use up all my cotton yarn, and these dishcloths will go to a relief sale next fall, if all goes according to plan.




The crocheted, colorful tweed-yarn scarf. These work up really fast! I'm kind of addicted to them right now.




Using the leftover tweed yarn to make headband/ear-warmers to match the two scarves. Not sure they'll turn out like I want, but we'll see. I like that "infinity" pattern where you just go 'round and 'round the edge.




Now, this next project contains three new things for me. It's an "infinity" scarf, with a full twist in it instead of just half. New things: One, thinner, sparkly yarn. I love the pink color. Two, my first time to make something on circular needles. That casting on and doing the first row was a challenge, but now it seems to be sailing along pretty smoothly. Third, at the time of this picture, I JUST GOT DONE with my first try at the Yarn Over stitch. So far so good, and I'm starting to get the hang of it. I love the "lacy" look it gives. Can I get this done in time to wear on Sunday? Heh, I love a good challenge.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

"Tweed" Scarves

Wallyworld is (to me) a little limited on its selection of yarns, but hey, it's all I've got up to this point, so I do the best I can. (Unless I can get to the big city sometime, to a serious hobby store, where they just might have a better selection.) Here awhile back, I got into the "homespun" yarn pretty hard, now I'm enjoying this "tweed" variety.


First, in the tweed kind, I got this warm, vibrant red color. It's variegated with various kinds of red, and I used the pattern on the back of the label for an easy crocheted scarf. I've used a V-stitch pattern before to make stuff, and this is basically that, with the spaces being a tad bigger by one stitch. It worked up quick and I like the texture that the open pattern gives.




It's warm and cozy and cheerful and vibrant all at the same time. I wore it the other night, and had dangly earrings on, and it looked great. Well, in the course of the evening, Younger Son was yanking on my scarf trying to get my attention, and when I got home later, I was missing an earring. That's the second time I've had a problem with a dangly earring catching on a scarf and coming out! So I'm going to have to watch that.




I'm enjoying the knitting right now, but sometimes I like crochet as a change of pace, especially something that works up quickly and looks good. So with that in mind, the other day I picked up a couple of skeins of the tweed yarn in a different color combo, and am working on another scarf in the same pattern. I'm dreaming of this scarf, with these colors, going with denim in some awesome way. I love seeing how variegated colors work out in a project, so away I go on this second scarf, very happily!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The "Knotty Yarn" Post

Before I started this yarn-related blog, I posted about some knotty, textured yarn on the homemaking blog, so thought I would re-share it here where it will be more at home.


"KNITTING FUN WITH KNOTTY YARN"


For something to do to be creative and not have to "think too much," I like to crochet and knit. Simple, less-expensive yarn is OK, and has a lot of varieties of color and weight. But here lately I've enjoyed trying to work with some "homespun"-style yarns. They have a wavy, "knotty" texture, and it gives the finished product a nice, soft texture.


But so far, I haven't crocheted with it, because it seems nearly impossible to see where the stitches are! So, when working with this yarn, I've stuck with knitting. This first project, I started quite awhile back ... over a year ago? So I worked on it a good while, then it's been just sitting ever since. So lately, for a break from quilting, I dug this knitting back out. It's pretty close to done, so I should be able to wear it soon, just in time for it turning cold for winter. In this yarn, the colors are mixed anyway, but it seems to be variegated in "chunks."




You can see here the "wavy" texture of the yarn.




Then just the other day, I was wandering through wallyworld, and ended up just WALKING BY the yarn section. NO INTENTION to buy any. But there was this lone skein of pretty, pink-colored yarn. This one skein seemed to say, "I need a home." So I gave it one. I started this scarf, but just since I took the picture a bit ago, I decided not to make it quite so wide. So it got unraveled and restarted with not quite so many stitches on the needle. I might say, too, that on this project and the next one, I REALLY LIKE the shorter knitting needles. For smaller projects, they're not quite so awkward.




A closeup of the pink yarn, also wavy, and a nice mix of pink and white.




Then, I've had this yarn sitting around for awhile. I found the skein at the thrift store for pretty cheap, so I gave it a home as well. But it's been sitting. So tonight I decided I might as well work on 3 different scarves and have a variety to keep from getting bored! Besides, the brown-gold one is almost done. But this yarn is a little different, where instead of being wavy, it has "knot-like" things in the yarn at intervals, and it's a little tricky to pull the yarn through the stitches. But keeping it a little loose, it works. So we'll see how this one goes!




Here you can see the "knots," just little loops that stick out from the main part of the yarn. But it's kind of rough! The little bit of knitting I've got on the needle so far looks like a blurry mess! But it'll still keep me warm this winter. :)

Monday, December 12, 2011

Welcome to My Studio

Hello ... my name is Rhonda ... and I am a "yarn-a-holic."


Now that that admission is out of the way, let us proceed with joy and abandon into the world of YARN!


I've got a general blog, a quilt blog, and have toyed around with some other blogs (and let them go), but I needed a place to share and express things that have to do specifically with YARN. This includes the yarn itself, knitting and crocheting. And whatever else might wander along.


For a first post, I'll share where I'm at today. I'm a pretty simple, straightforward knitter. The most complicated thing I've done so far is a basket-weave dishcloth. It turned out fine, but my brain power is at an all-time low, so I'm keeping it simple until I can "get with it" again. It's either straight knitting or maybe knit-and-purl for now.


I like to always have a little dishcloth going, just for something to sit and do and not really think too much. I enjoy the cotton yarns I get at Wallyworld, and have skeins and scraps on hand. So I'm trying to use that up. The most recent has been this bright lemon-lime yarn. Finished it today.



I LOVE those little wooden needles. I got them at Wallyworld too, quite awhile back. They're short, smooth, natural and lightweight. I love using them with the cotton yarn.


Here's my basket of cotton yarns, all in a hodge-podge. I'm organized in a disorganized way. Stuff everywhere, but when I need something, I know right where it's at. :)



Bright cotton yarns make me think of summer. But you know, when the grass outside is like this ...



... and the trees and sky look like this ...



... it's nice to have color ...



... color ...



... and more color! Like I said, I'm a yarn-a-holic. I think it's "worse" than the quilting and material hobby I also enjoy.



So, now I'll start another little dishcloth. Rose and white will be cheerful to work with. Here it is cast on ...



... and a few rows of rose to start. ha ha



So I'll go knit some more and make these gray days a little more colorful.