Another Afghan - Granny Square Rectangle

Remember, that few years (sounds so long!!) I "inhereted" or other word got these a big bag (like 20 kg big plastic bag) yarns!! Mostly acrylic, and the brand has been discontinue.

From that yarns, I have made the baby cape for my co-worker baby girl, and stil have bunch of these socks-weight yarns. The heavier one had turned to this cabin log, from mason-dixon 1st book.

So, what the easiest and most importantly the fastest way to reduce this stash? I think, these yarns for sure are not something to wear against your skin. Possible you all who knew the quality of acrylic in early 80's knew how it feel.

On the other thing, since it is acrylic, this material quite durable, to go to washing machine, and dry fast ;-)

I have the idea already, it should be afghan project, for the living room (again!!), but what kind of afghan would it be?

Scanned throught the books, magz and webs (including raverly), then decide to have granny square, but it should be rectangle to fit with the 2-seaters sofa.


Other than the my "inhereted" stash, I also took my bro's stash. The colors (the aquamarine, light indigo and white and ah.. grey) are great to enhance my yarns, which are more to warm color (baby yellow, salem, chili red, maroon, dark cream, brown, dark brown and indigo, oh ya also light purple).

So here it is, I made these 18 squares and arrange it to rectangle and continue crochet all around, till finished all the yarns!

Afghan on the drying process, after wash





Due to different yarn weight, some of the rectangles are smaller than other, so when the afghan fold, it doesnt folded nicely.. but I don't really care :-) I like the color :-)

I arranged the color, from lighter/cooler hues first to the darker/warmer hues. And I keep crocheting till the yarn out, and continue with the next band. You can see continuity in this picts.


closer look

Yarns : Kinlon Sakura (how many ball band... ummm.. will update later) and some other brands (no ball bands attached in my bro's stash)

Crochet Hooks : Tulip No. 3

Time : somewhere around February/March 2009 - 10 May 2009

share your idea!

I have this purchase, from elann , back to nov 2006, and I have some specific pattern in mind (the shawl) for all these yarn except the Fresh Cream color, however, I found that cotton is much more suitable also the gauge.

So I still have these, Endless Summer Collection Luna, in these colors :

1. Silken Damask (2 balls),
2. Pink Pearl (2 balls),
3. Shimmering Cherise (2 balls),
4. Rasberry wine (2 balls), and
5. Fresh Cream (15 balls)

And now my knitting/crochet idea a bit slow down.. Do you have any idea to share what kind of knit/crochet pattern that may suitable with these yarn?

I will check Ravelry though, but always nice to have input ;-)

February Lady Sweater

Hello visitors.. long hibernation and now I'm back again ;-)
Guess what, I was joined with the wagon who really enjoyed and admired very clever pattern from Pamela Wynne.
Her pattern really good for learning the Top Down method, which I would like to try for sometimes ago since I purchase the Knit From The Top - Barbara Walkers, but never really grasp the idea till I try this pattern.
First, I tried to download straight from her blog, but no luck with the PDF file, so - since I wasnt aware that in Ravelry, thousand of people already put this in next to knit list - I almost given this up. Then when I was back again and browsed around for easy and free pattern sweater/cardigan, I found this! I was very delightful! Happy..Happy..Happy :-)

So I downloaded, printed this and digged out my yarn stash. Since my plan to HK was cancelled, this pattern was the one I choose to make my holiday productive.

The yarn I chose was SIRDAR Breeze - cotton rich DK - a 100 grm value per ball- I had this for few years, bought 1 kg (10 balls!) , lovely baby yellow color, very soft and smooth again skin. And I never have a yellow for sweater/cardigan :-)

Started to knit on 22 Dec 2008, got 4 times Knit-Rip-Knit, coz I was too lazy to knit a swatch..;p
Then 5th attempt, I got the size right, so I keep going.

The good thing Knit from Top, as you are aware, we can try this on while we still working on it. My sis and my mom already eyeing this, and asked, when you finish that? Will you give it to me once you finished knitting? He..he.. he.. well.. I can borrow it to them for sure ;-)

So here it is:


To finished the sleeves, first I used the bamboo 4 dpns (PANDA), but it's too short (about 15 cms length), so it hurt my palm over and over. Then I bought this SKC DPN at hobby lobby. Choice were INOX or SKC. I have a lots of INOX needle and some of SKC crochet needle, and found SKC is cheaper than INOX (about IDR 10,000). So I picked SKC ;-)

February Lady Sweater on me :-)

Pattern : February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne, 2008 (http://www.flinknits.com/ or check on Ravelry).

Start : 22/12/08

Off the Neede : 11/01/09 (the fastest sweater I ever knitted!!)

Yarn : Sirdar Breeze Cotton Rich DK @ 100 grams - Lot 1779, Quality Share : 0063

Total Yarn Used : 340 grams

Needles : Pony Circular 4 mm (80 cm) and SKC 4 mm (20 cm)

This pattern is really good, and actually I would like to knit this once again, but different lace pattern and perhaps 1 size smaller.
I would like to thank to Pam too, for lovely and genious pattern you created! ;-)

PS: I think the Breeze has been discontinued, but Snuggly is look like the same when I check at Sirdar website.

Lady February Sweater => February Lady Sweater

I have seen this pattern KAL for some months before and love to join with the crowd. First thing I was to do for sure, check out the page of Flintknits page. After read it at her blog and also on ravelry.. I would like to do pick up my needles and the yarn... but umm.. the pattern, after some attempts, I finally can download it from ravelry. Next step, the yarn and needles... Yarn... I planned to use some from my stash. It's about the time. But the pattern is using 5 mm needles, and the yarn I wish to use will not fit the size M of the pattern cause the gauge will not fit.

My yarn is Sirdar Breeze in yellow, it's cotton yarn, soft and suitable with our tropic rainy season here in Jakarta, where even we have some cloudy days but the temp will max down to 22 degrees celcius (or perhaps 20 in air-con room).

So I started knitting, with size L using needles 4 mm. I am now on the row where I have to add some eyelet increase. I am still do the counting where I should put the YO. Wish me luck :-)

Cabin log afghan

I was took about 10 work days off during the Christmas/New Year's week, planned to do some cardigan, continue my multicolor shawl from The new heirloom of knitting. But then considering flood that we had on early 2007, the actual actvities were cleaned up old clothes, old books, and spare some spaces for my yarn and knitting book stash if the flood come.

The cardigan will need to ripped off caused gauge issue. Turn out even I am using same needle size that close to the yarn ball band info, turned out it have more length that required.

So the only plan that successfully done was the cabin log afghan. Inspired from Mason Dixon Knitting Book, and desired to lessen my stash I made this afhan. The result was perfect fit for the sofa on living room. And mom said that this afghan is nicer and smoother than one that I crocheted 2 years ago.

So here the one I finished :

Yarn : Kinlon (acrylic-discontnued) - about 12 skeins each weight 40 grams (cream, dark brown, light blue, dark grey, olive green)

Finished size : to be measure first..;-)

Needle : 6.5 mm circular needle

Time : 3 weeks (finished on 31st Dec 2007).

Also Marian had visited Indonesia on first week of January.. but the water already on the street in my area. With water height aboout 20-40 cms in the street I couldnt make it to meet her. Really sorry Marian. Next time better ok?

Off the Needle - Katia Vest

Do you realieaze, once we hit the "BER" months (september, october, november, december), time feel like flying. I was started this Vest sometimes in late August 2007 (if I am not mistaken). I was started with making a swatch for both motifs. This is the first knitting project that I swatched and measures the gauge really carefully.

The good thing of making a swatch that as you already knew, the gauge really helpful to do the measure and plus good to practice the motifs too.

The yarn I used is Katia Creppyi-Chine, it's nice yarn, running smoothly on my circular inox. However for my own confinient, I balled the skeing first. Since it quite slippery yarn, I dont want to have tangled yarn in the middle of knitting enjoying moment.

As for the pattern, I was eyeing this since I saw the book... Keitodama Spring 2005 No. 131


And my eyes falen for this pattern :

as for the yarn, I bought it from my LYS - like end of 2005. I am not remembered what pattern this yarn for. But I bought 6 skeins of it. Still left 2 1/2 skeins. And I am wondering what kind of project that I could make from this leftover. It's varigated yarn, colors are ranged from white, ivory, light brown, light olive green.
Like the way it shaping the back :



Details of 2nd motif. It need a good blocking to make it look like nicer :)
Front view :
Details:
Pattern : Vest - page 20 - Keitodama Spring 2005 (ISBN : 4-529-04106-9)

Yarn: Katia Creppi - Chine about 4 1/2 skeins or around 220 grs ( Color : 3124 Lot : 63870, 50 gr/138 ms/151 yds)

Needle : Inox 31/2 80 cm circular and Aero 4 dps 3.5 cm

Time : Late Augus 07 (if I am not mistaken) - 23 Sept 07.

It may consider 99% done, since there's no buttons have put on it yet. I have cute wooden-like button, but I only have 6 instead of 8. After I put the button, I will wash it and do little block of it.

And since last week (29th Sept 07) I already started this beauty : Blumengruss from The New Style of Heirloom Knitting :

As for the yarn, I am using DMC Petra # 5
And I am on the first section of 3, on the 16th repeat. So far everything still running well :)

Details of 1st section :

Do you know that there is cool group: knitinginjapan at yahoogroup? Check it out :) Good for non-japanese knitter who like to cast on as soon as possible when see their knitting/crocheting patterns!!

2 LBS of YARNS!!

Or maybe I should call this thread instaed of yarn? :p

Well, this huge skein of yarn probably already in my stash about 3 years, I was so shock when it arrived from my purchase at ebay. It's so huge and it wasnt wound by the selelr to reduce the cost (lighter weight when it come in skein form).

So last weekend , I am thinking to better do something with this yarn. I already have the winder and yarn swift, but alas!! Those 2 are could not handle this 2 lbs yarns!!

(the left is DMC Pethra, the very thin in middle is this yarn, and the right is sock weight yarn that used as tie on this skein)

So I got to put it in the chairs, using 2 of these kind of chairs and then i made a ball aka winding by my hand.

After 2 days, (about 18 hrs winding for total 2 days) I still have about 300-400 grams left... I dont have the energy... Geez... Still not sure what I am gonna to do with yarn... it call for shawl... but havent got exact pattern in mind...ummm...

Long overdues new stash

well.. it probably wont be too new anymore..since I got all of these from my US trip on dec 2006... but I like to share it with you all :)


So here come the new knitting toys , the needle's measurement and colored crochet hook was from Beverly at San Jose's area, the ribbons and buttons were from Greenwhich (SF) :


I got the reeling machine in solvang, danish community area, on the way back to SF from LA trip. They have the wooden one, but this cheaper .. ;-)

The ribbon from JoAnn's, only US1 for this 1 full rolls... I am thinking to use it as a side trim :

And Finally I got these red heart from Michael's , the purpleish (3 skeins) belong to my mom and I am working a shawl from her a this moment (picture will be upload later), the light brownish on the top at the back (5 skeins) belongs to me.. he.. he.. he...

These lovely silky yarn on big corn are from Artfibers, the small one the "free" one when you buy about USD 100 you'll got 10% off... (that's a lot of money and making me broke! :p)

The lady there very patient and let us to play around with their yarns first before we decide to buy it. However it would be nicer if they can reduce the price too.. he.. he..Oh ya, I have the famous Flower Basket Shawl (Interweave Knit) copied from Artfibers pattern collection.. finally! Since the Fall 2004 magazine edition had ran out of stocks and dont know when they will re-print it again.

For sure .. some books and magazines : Knitting Nature, Rebecca, IK Spring 2004 and VK were from Greenwhich, Knit from Top, Lace Victorian Today from Amazon (my friend kindly allowed me to use her home address in US, so I got fast and cheaper shipping price), The Yarn Harlot 2nd book, got from Barnes and Nobbles :

I am thinking to go back to US again... for more serious yarn/fabrics/books shopping... but for sure, got to get some saving first ..Thinking about Stitches Mid West or East.. and Rhineback...hmmmmm..... Anybody want to be my buddy travel? :) I was visited Greenwich with my mom and she was almost fallen asleep in the chair.. he.. he.. he. poor her.. ;)