The Year of Berets?

I think this might become the year of Berets!  I said last Monday I hadn't even begun to think about my 12 Hats in 2012 hat for the month of February, but Thursday night I pulled some handspun out of the stash, and today I cast off on my newest hat!  Technically I guess this is the first hat I've ever finished for myself.

Pattern:  Spring Beret
Yarn:  Handspun from DragonFibers in Peachsicle
Comments:  Great Pattern, loved being able to use my handspun!  I knit the extra slouchy version and it was more of a "slouchy" hat.  Probably because my yarn wasn't the worlds most even worsted.  The yarn was about 8-9 wpi and is sooo smooshy.  It's a 80% Merino/20% Tussah blend and was a dream to spin!

I've been plugging away on the afgahn as well.  About 3 full days left in February and I may be able to finish my goals but it will definitely be close!  With work (and a now sick cat) I'm not sure the blanket will get finished but I sure am trying!

Stash Update!

Yarn Out:  1073g (2925y)

Yarn Destashed:  50 g

Yarn In:  913g

Yards Spun:  1285y

Mid-Month Update: February

I want to update on a weekly basis, but it seems that work has been WAY too busy lately and with the cold I was dealing with, I just never had time to log in and post.  At the beginning of the month I set a few goals, and while some of them are coming along, others are not.

February Goals:

• Knit my February Hat for 12 Hats in 2012  (Have to start yet!)
• Finish the Afghan started back in 2006 (Working on it!)
• Finish the Stripe Study Shawl  (DONE! DONE! DONE!)
• Make some progress on my Candle Flame Shawl  (Haven't touched this!)
• Buy NO yarn/fiber! (I fell down... big time.)

Pattern:  Stripe Study Shawl
Yarn:  Dream in Color Smooshy in Gothic Rose and Deep Seaflower.
Comments:  LOVED this pattern!  I didn't do a gauge swatch because it was a garter shawl.  I figured I would have plenty so I didn't worry about gauge.  (I'm a little lazy too.)  Well I did run out of yarn after doing 11 of the 12 rows.  No worries though because the shawl is plenty big!  I'm not sure that I'd make this again, but I'd love to do some other patterns of hers!

 I also finished some more handspun this past week.  The lincoln that I bought a few years ago at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival is now out of the stash!  There is about 8oz of blue left, but I'll be saving that for a friend of mine to use when she practices her spinning.  This set of green lincoln is 444 yards and approximately 170 grams.)  About 50g of this lincoln was used when a friend of mine learned how to spin a week ago.

I have a stash update for you below, and you'll see I had a big falldown this past week.  I placed a knitpicks order last week because I wanted to do some dyeing with the same friend I taught how to spin.  The adventures of that are still drying and I hope to be showing those to you this week!  Either way, I bought less than I've used so I'm still in the negatives for this year!  (Also, 113grams of that Yarn in was gifted!  Totally not my fault!)

Stash Update!

Yarn Out:  1001g (2792y)

Yarn Destashed:  50 g

Yarn In:  913g

Yards Spun:  1285y

 

There are 9 days left in February...  Chances are I will not meet all of my February goals.  Work has been so chaotic I haven't really had time to think of casting on anything new.  Because of that I think my focus will be finishing up some of these projects I've already got started.  If I find time hopefully I will still get my February hat done.  If not, no loss, it's 12 in 2012, and I still have 10 months to go!

46 days until Spring Break!!! Yes... I AM excited!  I will be making the trip home to see my family, maybe some friends, and pick up the rest of my hobby stuff still living in Ohio.  It will be so nice to have all of my knitting books, and my acrylic stash in South Carolina!  I miss charity knitting and it's so hard to knit for charity when all the yarn you have is handspun and expensive hand wash only wool!

 

Finally some Photos

The first project was finished at the end of January; however, I didn't get around to blocking and taking photos until this past weekend.

Pattern:  198 yds. of Heaven
Yarn:  Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in Swimming Pool
Comments:  This was a great pattern, I used up some washcloth cotton I had in the stash and did an extra repeat of the body to use up more yarn and make it a little bigger. I may make more of these in other colors.  It would be great for handspun!

Also I showed you the Llama fiber I had been spinning up.  It's done! There is 8oz of handspun, 576 yards total.  Of course some of that yardage may disappear during washing, or maybe I'll get lucky and the yarn will grow during washing?

I love the colors of this and Llama is SO soft!  It will probably be a shawl or scarf, something that doesn't need to fit and will drape nicely.

Stash Update!

Yarn Out:  817g (2058y)

Yarn In:  0g (0y)

Yards Spun:  841y

The shawls yardage had already been added in since it was bound off for my last update, but the handspun is new!  Another 576 yards added to my handspun stash!  Lately when looking at my stash it feels as if it is shrinking quickly.  Part of me is sad to see the yarn disappearing fast, but another part of me is happy to see these things finally being knit with!  I have big plans for when my stash is gone, but you'll have to wait to see what happens. :)

February Goals:

• Knit my February Hat for 12 Hats in 2012
• Finish the Afghan started back in 2006
• Finish the Stripe Study Shawl
• Make some progress on my Candle Flame Shawl
• Buy NO yarn/fiber!