Big Time De-Stashing

There's some big time de-stashing going on around here!  I went through my yarn bins a couple weeks ago and pulled out a lot of leftover yarn and full skeins that I've had for a while and didn't think I would use.  There was a big bag full when I was done.  Instead of letting it sit and later putting it back in the stash (like I did a few months ago), I took it to my stitch group meeting and gave it away.  Everyone seemed excited to get new-to-them yarns and it felt so good to lighten my load.  It was like taking things off my to-do list.  No longer are those yarns sitting in bins causing me to try to figure out good uses for them.  Now, I have a lot less yarn and only yarn I really love.

I've been doing quite a bit of yarn de-stashing over this past year by using it for projects.  I just finished up another one last week.  I had a skein of Wool Ease Thick and Quick left over from a scarf I made for my daughter a couple of years ago.  One skein is all I needed to make a matching hat.  I found a pattern on Ravelry that went well with the scarf.  It's a pay pattern but lots of Ravelers have put such detailed notes that I didn't even need to buy it.  I felt kind of bad but it was super easy and the directions were right there.  So, I used notes from several and made one.  It was easy and quick.

I sent off to my daughter last week and she loves it.  I knew she'd like it a little slouchy and it turned out to be just the right amount of slouch.  When she received it, it just happened to be cold enough to wear it that day.  She got lots of compliments.  That makes me really happy.

Have you been doing any de-stashing lately?  What have you made?  Or...have you done some drastic de-stashing like I have and gotten rid of lots of yarn all at once?

Fun Little Projects from 2015

I'm still trying to get back to blogging regularly.  I've been dealing with some difficult challenges lately with my ill and aging parents that have caused me to push blogging to the side again but I realize that taking time to create posts and the wonderful interaction I have with those of you who stop by and comment can be very refreshing and help me through these tough times.  So, here goes another post...

Since I didn't blog for  most 2015, I want to try to catch up on some of the things that happened last year.  Here are some more yarny projects I did...

I made some pretty pillowcases for my daughter.  It was a fun project and the total cost of it was less than $5.  I got a pair of king size pillow cases at Ross for about $5.  I simply cut them down to standard size and stitched them up.  I crocheted trim with white crochet thread that I had in my stash.  After crocheting two strips to size, I pinned them into place, and sewed them on with my sewing machine.  I like how they turned.  The project was so fun and rewarding that I've bought more pillow case sets and plan to make more.

I crocheted this cute little owl as part of a gift for my daughter for Easter.  It was a quick project that used bits of cotton yarn leftovers from my stash.  Yay!  I'm always happy to make something from supplies I have.  I've been in a major de-stashing phase this past year and every little bit makes me happy.  I did need to buy buttons for this project though as I didn't have any white ones in the right size.  Amazing since I have a pretty big stash of buttons!  My daughter loved the little owl.

I knitted up a towel using the "Basket Rib Hand Towel" pattern that I found on Ravelry.  I used "Pink Camo" Sugar 'n Cream yarn as my daughter loves pink and camo.  She found a great use for the towel.  She places it under her dish drainer that doesn't have a tray.  It works great!  It catches the water but dries quickly because of all the texture in the towel.  I had originally made one for me to use for drying hand washed dishes.  I used one 95 yard ball of yarn for this one.

I loved how my daughter was using her towel and my dish drainer was so old and not in the best shape.  So, I bought myself a nice one at Ikea that doesn't have a tray and made a towel for mine.  I love it!  I made this one a bit bigger to fit my large dish drainer.  I used almost three full skeins of Hobby Lobby Crafter's Secret Cotton...about 350 yards or so.  I love the colors in this yarn!

The towel must be fun to make because I soon found myself making another one!

Of course, there were a few wash/dish cloths made along the way.  I love making and using these.  And, they're a great excuse to use Sugar 'n Cream in it's many pretty colors!

One of my knit friends loves purple and I have some pretty, light purple, cotton, carpet warp in my stash.  So, I made her a tiny little bunting for her birthday...

 

 And, when she had our stitch group over for a lovely waffle breakfast, I made her a little hostess gift with the same yarn...a lacy candle holder.  I got inspiration on Ravelry and Pinterest, found an empty jar, and crocheted a little cover.  I put a little tea candle inside.

When I posted the light purple candle holder on my Instagram, another friend saw it and fell in love.  So, I made a white one for her for Christmas.  And, yup...more de-stashing!  Yay!  And, I love how it turned out!  She did too.

My camera stopped working well over a year ago and I ended up taking just about all of my pictures this past year with my cell phone.  That's one of the reasons I stopped blogging too.  The quality just isn't that great in comparison and the only way I've found to upload and save and use them is troublesome.  I've been searching through the mess of camera photos, trying to find things I'd like to blog about and catch up on, grouping them, and creating posts.  Luckily and very happily, hubby bought me a new, fancy, dancy camera for my birthday about a week ago.  So, better quality pictures will soon be on the blog.  In the meantime, thanks for putting up with these not-so-clear photos.

Have magnificent Monday everyone!  Thanks for stopping by!  :-D

FO Friday - Artful Flower Cowl

Whew!  I finished a project for FO Friday just in the nick of time!

I started this project at the beginning of our trip and completed the cowl part pretty quickly.  I made the flower part yesterday and got it all sewn together and finished up this afternoon.

I used the "Artfully Simple Infinity Cowl" pattern for the cowl part.  It's a free pattern on Ravelry and the second one I've made.  It's simple, quick, fun and I love the results.  This one is made with a skein of Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton in the Buff colorway (#3719).  I used a size G hook to make it.

I made the flowers with an E hook and patterns from the "100 Lace Flowers to Crochet" book by Caitlin Sainio.  I love that book!  I sewed white buttons to the center of each flower and stitched the flowers together.  Then, I made a chain of about 125, tucked in the ends, and laced it through the back of the flower corsage.  Then, I tied it around the cowl with a bow.  It'll work this way or with the cowl doubled for more warmth.

I love how it makes a diagonal and open grid.  It has great texture, looks interesting, and makes it look a bit more complicated than it actually is.

I was surprised to find that I only needed one skein/220 yards.  Any more and it would have been too bulky for this cowl.  I had planned on two skeins and used a bit of the second one for the flowers.  I now have slightly less than a full skein to figure out what to do with.  So, if I were to do this again, I'd make the flowers first and then use the rest for the cowl.  I think it would work out just fine that way.  

I was a bit hesitant when I started on it because I was worried that this color looked a bit like a fishing net.  But, from the reaction I got when I posted a photo on Instagram last week, it seems to be great.  And, I like it.  It's not just a standard "natural".  The color is a bit richer and I think the sheen adds a lot to it.  I think the color and yarn are a perfect match for this open, summery cowl and it's a lot like what I had in mind when I bought it.  I'm not quite sure what I'd wear it with though.  Hmmm?

Oh...and, this makes one more skein that's been de-stashed!  Yay!

FO Friday - Itty Bitty Bunting

I've been so busy that I've had a hard time finding time to blog.

But, I've just got to take a few minutes for my Friday FO post.  Here it is...

I finished another Half Lotus Bunting but this one is itty bitty.  I made it with crochet thread from my stash and a 1.65mm hook.  I expected the panels to turn out smaller than this but they're still a lot smaller than the ones I made with Sugar 'n Cream yarn.  I thought it would look really cute with tassels on the ends.  I love how they turned out!  They're the tiniest tassels I've ever made.  So cute!

I haven't found the perfect place to hang it yet.  So, I hung it on one of my old ladders for a picture.

I think it might look really cute on a Christmas tree.

Whew!  I made it with getting another FO done for this Friday.  Yay!

And, I did a little de-stashing too.

FO Friday - Crochet Bunting

Whew!  I made it!  I got another project done just in time for FO Friday!

Here it is...a sweet, crochet bunting...

I made it for my daughter to decorate the bathroom or bedroom of her condo.

The leftover bits of yarn and stash yarn I had worked perfectly.

Look how great it matches her shower curtain...

I love the shape and design of the panels.  They're so cute!  

The "Half Lotus Bunting" pattern is free on Ravelry.  I found the pattern directions challenging but finally got it worked out.  I took notes on my Ravelry project page as I worked it out so I'd have an easier time with the next ones.    Now, the bunting panels are easy and quick.

I noticed that other people have had some trouble figuring out the pattern too.  I'd like to try to make a chart to post in my notes.  I find them so much clearer and easier to understand.  I'm sure I'll find it helpful with future buntings that I make and maybe others will find it helpful too. 

 I used a size "H" crochet hook to make mine.

For the chain, I started with 80 stitches, single crocheted each panel on, made three chain stitches between each panel, made 82 more chain stitches, turned (making sure I would be stitching across the top and back), made a single crochet in the third chain from the hook and all the way across.  I fastened off the end, tied a knot with the beginning and ending yarn and used a yarn needle to hide the ends.  To finish it off, I laid it on the ironing board, adjusted the panels and steamed them (from the back).  They lay and hang much nicer after that.

This project is so cute and fun!  In fact, I have another bunting made in Autumn colors.  But, I'm thinking about adding some cute embellishments to it.  So, I'll be posting it later.

Yay!  More de-stashing and another FO!  And, how great to find a use for leftover bits!

FO Friday

Another week has gone by and I'm still on a roll with de-stashing and finishing projects!  Woo hoo!  I love this!  It feels good to use up some supplies, finish up projects, and have some new and fun things.

One of the things I finished up this week was this painting...

My daughter and I took a class at the local ceramics/painting shop last month.  They were featuring this "Sugar Skull" painting for one of the classes.  We liked it and the class just happened to be the day after my daughter's birthday.  So, that's how we celebrated.  It was a lot of fun!  However, there's a lot more to this "simple" looking painting than it seems.  So much so that we didn't finish our paintings during the class...even though it went an hour longer than scheduled.  My daughter finished her painting a day or so later.  But, me...I kept putting it off.  I finally got around to finishing it this week.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and it was a lot of fun.

Another thing I finished was this granny square table topper.  I made it with a huge, 710 yard skein of Handicrafter Cotton that I had in my stash.  And, I made it in one week.  I thought it would look great with this table cloth that I have.  And, it will be perfect for Fall.  However, it turned out a bit small.  I wanted to center it over the table cloth, on my round kitchen table, and have the corners go to each place there's a chair to act as a place mat...perfect to put a place setting at each corner.  I haven't given up hope yet though.  I'm going to try to block it out as much as I can and see if it makes it big enough.  If not....well?....I'm not quite sure what I'll do with it.  I really like it though and I'm determined to make it work for something.  The burnt orange color of it is perfect in my house.  And, I don't want to rip out 710 yards of stitching!  That was a lot of work!

I also knitted up a couple more dish cloths with a ball of brown Sugar N Cream.

Looks like a great color scheme going on, huh?  :-)

This feels so good to be using up so much stash yarn and finishing so many projects!

I'd better figure out my next project and get started while I'm still on a roll!

I just got a message from Sandy at "My Yellow Swing".  It's a bag making bonanza at her place.  She has finished up a bunch of great bags and posted them on her blog today.  I love how she combines sewing with inkle weaving and cords that she's made.  Here's just one of her FO's for this week...

Be sure to pop over and see all the other great bags she's made.

Oh...and, I almost forgot...I'm need  to add my newest FO's to the Stash-Buster Party at Linda's Crafty Corner.  Hop on over if you'd like to join in on the fun or see what everyone's been making.

P.S.  I just got word that Cindy at "Delighted Hands" posted for FO Friday.  She finished a gorgeous, knitted, lace shawl.  Hop on over and take a look.  Great job, Cindy!  I love it!

Here's a peek...

De-Stash / FO Challenge - FO #3

It's no secret that I love cotton yarn.  I'm particularly fond of Sugar 'n Cream and all the pretty colors it comes in.  Not to mention that it's so inexpensive that it's easy and cheap to pick up a ball of it here and there and not feel guilty about it.  It's colorful, it's cotton, and it makes me happy.  Then....there's the stash!  I have quite a bit of it in my stash.  So, I'm working on finding wonderful ways to use it.

I've used up two balls of it over the past couple of weeks!

I made this set of wash/dish cloths with some leftovers.

The colorway is "Earth Ombre".  I love these colors together.

This post is also a great way to show ya'll my adorable new soap dish.  I love the cute little bird on the side.  I saw these at World Market before my trip.  After my trip, I had a great excuse for getting one...the two, little bars of hotel soap that I brought home.

Here are two more dish cloths that I just finished up this week.

This colorway is called, "Barnboard Twist".

I love the colorway and the name!

This de-stash / FO challenge is helping me so much!  Knowing that I posted and promised to do this helps me get things done.  It feels so good to use up some yarn from my stash and finish up some great things.  I'm so happy to have finished and posted three things in three days!

Just in case you missed the first post...this challenge is open to anyone.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, just let me know.  I'd even love to share your accomplishments on my blog (with links to your blog, of course).  We can all encourage and inspire one another.  Happy de-stashing!  :-)

UPDATE 8/10/2014 - I'm joining in on Linda's Crafty Corner, Stash-Buster Link party.
If you'd like to join in on the fun, hop on over to her blog.

De-Stash / FO Challenge - FO #2

I started this cowl right after getting back from our road trip.  It worked up really fast but I've been putting off making the clasp for it.  This challenge encouraged me to finally get it done!  Yay!

I've had this yarn in my stash for years.  I won it in a yarn shop drawing.  I've started several projects with it and they either didn't work out or didn't seem like a good match for this yarn.  Then, I found the "Artfully Simple Infinity Cowl" pattern on Ravelry.  It was love at first sight and I knew this was the perfect match for this yarn!  I even had this turquoise bead thingy in my jewelry stash.  So, this might count as a double de-stash! 

I'm in love with this pattern and can't wait to make another one!

I love the open, airy stitch pattern and the versatility of ways it can be worn.

It's super simple and I like how it makes a slanted mesh grid.

I used one ball of Berroco Comfort Sock yarn in the colorway, Beach House.

I love all the colors in this yarn.  This turquoise bead is a great accent.

To make the clasp...I used a double strand and the same, size "G" crochet hook to make a chain long enough to go around the bead when looped (the button hole on the right) and slip stitched it closed.  Next, I continued to chain until I had enough length to loop through the bead, wrap around the cowl (when doubled) and reach back to where I slip stitched the button hole loop.  I wove in the ends, looped it through the center of the bead and back around itself and voila!  A custom clasp!  I simply wrap it around the doubled cowl and slip the loop over the bead.

Unfortunately, it's way too hot to wear it right now...111'!  Ugh!  But, Southern California has plenty of slightly chilly days that this would work great for.  It'll be a great pop of color and texture for an outfit too.  I can't wait for cooler days!

UPDATE 8/10/2014 - I'm joining in on Linda's Crafty Corner, Stash-Buster Link party.
If you'd like to join in on the fun, hop on over to her blog.

De-Stash and FO Challenge

I've decided that a challenge is in order.  A challenge to de-stash my yarn (and other materials) and finish as many projects as I can over the next month.  The challenge is for me...and anyone else who'd like to join in on the fun.  I'm going to start off by trying to complete and blog at least one item a day for the next few days.  I have several things that are almost finished....they only need to be blocked, have ends tucked in, or some other small thing to complete them.  This challenge should help me finally get to it!  Here's item number one....

I started this cowl before my road trip and finished it while I was gone.  This week, I finally got around to tucking in the ends.  It's made with yarn I spun myself.  It's the "Gaptastic" shawl...a free pattern on Ravelry.  I used size 11 circular needles and cast on 131 stitches.  The pattern says to knit for 15" but I only made mine 10" wide.  I felt like it was plenty wide with how thick it is.  My finished length is 27" (the loop laid flat).

I love this pattern and I've knitted it before.  It's comfy, warm, and versatile.

I like how it can be looped twice around my neck when it's really cold.

It can just be worn this way when it's not so cold...

The seed stitch texture is so pretty.

I think this pattern was a great match for this yarn.  It seems to really bring out the colors

It also works well with the unevenness of this yarn and the inconsistent twist.

It's a yarn spun up a few years ago and, even though I'm proud of it and love it, it's not as good as I could do now.  I'm so happy to have made something out of it that I love so much.

Here's a picture I posted when I started the project.

I love it because it shows the roving, the yarn, and the project.

If anyone else wants to join me in this challenge just let me know.  We can cheer each other on.  And, I'd love to provide links on my blog to the posts you create with your FO's.  Who knows....if enough of us get together to do this...we could even create something like FO Fridays or something!  :-D

UPDATE 8/10/2014 - I just found out about a stash-busting party at "Linda's Crafty Corner".  I've never done a link party but it sounds like fun.  So, I'm going to try to join in, starting with this stash-busting FO.  It's open to anyone.  So, if you'd like to join in on the fun, hop on over to her blog.

Startitis

I think I have a case of Startitis.  You know...the uncontrollable urge to keep starting new projects?

Yup!  That's what I've been doing!  I've got an extra strong love of all things yarny.

Then, add to that our upcoming road trip that I need to plan projects for and I've ended up

starting project after project and I have several more picked out that I can't wait to start.

Here's one that I started last night.  It's the GAP-tastic Cowl pattern.  It's a freebie on Ravelry that I've made before and love.  I had a bag full of yarn I'd spun up several years ago that I thought would be perfect for this.  I wound the skeins into pull balls last week.  I'm using size 11 needles.  Here's a photo of what the roving looked like, the pull balls (there are five of them), and my started project...

I've been trying so hard to find the perfect pattern to go with this stash yarn.  I bought it in Sedona a few years ago.  I love the oranges and pinks in it.  I finally decided to go with the Claudia Scarf.

I've made one of these before too and I love it.  And, this time, I'm thinking of turning it into a cowl.

It's a 460 yard skein of Ella Rae Lace Merino.  I'm using a size "H" crochet hook.

I think this stitch pattern is showing off the colors and lovely texture of the yarn quite well.

I've made some progress on the toe-up sock I started last week...

I've even made a couple of tiny, knitted gift projects over the past week too.

I'm having so much fun!  And, I'm doing lots of stash busting!

There's something about going on a trip that fires up my yarny passion.  I always get so excited about the possibilities of all the time I'll have and projects I can work on.  It's like I think there will be more hours in each day and more days in each week.  It never works out that way.  But, it's fun to dream!

As you may be thinking....I will probably be taking a very large bag full of yarn and projects!

P.S.  We'll be leaving soon on our trip.  I'm wondering if anyone has any can't-miss suggestions of things to see or do in some of the places we'll be.....Taos, New Mexico; Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; Dodge City, Kansas; Tucson, Arizona; Austin, Texas; Conroe, Texas; and Fredericksburg, Texas.  Awesome yarn shops and antique stores are some of my favorite things
to find but I'm open to lots of other great things to see and do too.  Thanks!  :-)

De-stashing, Creating and Packing

In my on-going attempt to de-stash supplies from my craft studio I made a couple of drawstring bags.

I used an old shirt for the top one.  I loved the colors of it so much that I couldn't let the fabric go to waste.  I used ribbon in my trim stash for the drawstring.  The other bag is made from a fabric scrap. 

I made a crochet chain with some brown cotton yarn for the drawstring on that one.  

I think they could be useful for lots of things.  However, I'll soon be using them as shoe bags in my suitcase for a three week road trip I'm going on with my daughter.  They'll work great to keep pairs together, keep the shoes clean, and keep surrounding clothes clean as well.  I have some fabric bags I've saved from sheet sets I've bought too (the sheets often come in bags made from the same fabric and have a drawstring at the top).  All together, I think I have enough for all the shoes I plan to take.

I've been thinking a lot about the supplies I have, ideas of how to use them, and things we could use for our trip.  One night, it hit me.....I'd knitted a market bag years ago that would work great to hold dirty laundry in my suitcase to keep it separate from the clean clothes and help my suitcase stay organized.  I happened to have another large skein of Handicrafter Cotton yarn that would work perfect for another bag.  That way, my daughter would have one too.  I mentioned the idea to her and she loved it.  That's all I needed to get started.  One week later and here it is...

I knitted it with a circular, size nine needle.  I added a few extra rows of knitting below and above the section with holes and at the top, above the handles.  It's nice and stretchy and should work out great.

And, best of all, my daughter loves it!  :-)  Oh, yeah...and I have a little less yarn in my stash.

Although, it didn't use the whole skein.  So, I still have enough left for something else.

My daughter finished up her Spring semester and is now home for the summer.  She's been busy sewing like crazy!  She loves to sew!  And, she's excited to make things to wear on the trip and over the summer.  In less than a week, she's already made two skirts and has a dress almost complete!

I'm planning to do a little sewing too.  I hope to have some stuff to post soon.

We usually camp in our RV when we travel.  However, we'll be taking the car on this trip and staying in hotels.  We don't like to drive for lots and lots of hours at a time.  So, on the way to our main destination and back, we've broken up the trip with lots of stops in fun places and to spend time with family in a couple different places.  We'll be traveling through nine states!  I'm excited and a little nervous at the same time.  I'm hoping it'll be awesome and that we'll make lots of great memories!