Stash busting again

Posted on by
3

Ten years ago I received this yarn as a Christmas gift from someone in my office.  She knew I wanted to try felting and this yarn is great (so I’ve heard) for felting.

lopi-004

I bought a new winter coat this year and it’s not my usual red or green.  It’s called Marigold (source).

marigold-coat

Anyway I need a new hat and purse to go with this unusual (for me) color.

lopi-001

My green and blue hat just doesn’t look that good with this golden-yellow.

lopi-002Nor does my Ruby and Charcoal purse I made several years ago.  Plus it’s just too small!

lopi-003

After swatching the Lopi and holding it against my skin, it’s too scratchy for a hat but it will make a perfect purse.  I only have 320 yards so I hope I have enough for something felted that won’t be too small.

And it’s only one color.  It’s a BIG no-no to mix different brands of yarn when felting so if I want another color, I’ll either have to dye this or find it in a different color…and since that yarn is discontinued, finding some might be difficult.

No specific pattern yet for the purse.  Any suggestions?

Changing things up

Posted on by
4

For several years these cards from IKEA were displayed in a long vertical frame on a narrow wall.

reframe001

reframe002

reframe003

But I wanted to change out the pictures for some note cards by Woody Jackson.

reframe004I didn’t want to damage the cards by taping them directly to the underside of the mat so I made picture/photo corners from some old envelopes.

reframe005

I just cut off the corners at an angle and slipped them over the corners of the note cards. Then I taped those corners to the back of the mat.

reframe007

Voila!  No damage to the cards if I ever decide to use them.

reframe008

Now the frame fits nicely above the doorway going from the kitchen into the hall/dining room/foyer area.

reframe009

 

Care and feeding

Posted on by
4

A few years ago the choir members at Mr. Aitch’s church gifted him with a beautiful sweater, tie and dress shirt.  The dress shirt is 100% cotton and not the wrinkle-resistant kind of cotton.

Though I appreciate the gesture, I do not like the extra work involved.  I have a love-hate relationship with that shirt.  It takes me twice as long to iron it than any of the other shirts.  And I don’t mean a quick press or touch-up.  I mean IRON.  As in dampening the shirt and using spray starch.  I really dislike the care and feeding of that shirt but it does look so nice when I’m finished with it and Mr. Aitch wears it.

Finding the right yarn for a project also means looking at the care and feeding of the finished item.  Acrylic?  No problem.  Cotton?  “Most” of the time it can be machine washed BUT dried flat after reshaping.  Wool?  Depends on if it is superwash or not.  Superwash can be machine washed and dried but best to dry flat after shaping.  Not superwash wool?  Hand wash gently in cool water, roll in a towel to get as much water out, reshape and dry flat.  Of course ALWAYS check the label to see how to take care of the finished item(s).

So when I needed a superwash wool yarn for my special project, I had to go out and buy some as I know the recipient (and his wife) would appreciate an easy care item over a handwash item.

I always include care and feeding instructions with my handmade things be them knitted or sewn.

cheers-to-you-mitts-001

Do you take those into consideration when gifting something you’ve made?

New LYS

Posted on by
6

I don’t know if you remember that the one and only local yarn store (LYS) closed last year. The nearest one after that was 75 miles away. I bought some great yarn at great prices but one can only knit from stash if one has the right yarn for the project.

I’m on a yarn diet but I did need to buy some yarn for a special project and though I tried to use some from my stash, the yarn wasn’t the right yarn for the project.

Now there’s NEW local yarn store!  Frostburg Fiber Depot is 20 miles away but that’s better than 75 miles.

The husband of one of the co-owners raises alpacas and so it’s a win-win-win for her, him and yarn lovers.

I only found out about this new yarn store when I received a gift certificate from there earlier this year. While running some errands last week, I decided to check out the store and use my certificate for some yarn for the special project.

depot-001

I found the special yarn and some Cascade 220 in yellow to knit myself something to go with my new winter coat which, by the way, is yellow!

That’s when I discovered they carry Malabrigo yarn!  I have one hank of Malabrigo that a blog friend gifted me a few years ago when I commented on her blog about never having seen, touched, squished, or smelled said goodness.  It’s beautiful but the wrong color.  And now I can find more and it’s only 20 miles away!

troys-mitts-001

I couldn’t wait for better light as I wanted to get knitting right away!

troys-mitts-002

Special project…   And more true to life colors.

troys-mitts-003

It is such a treat to knit with this yarn.  I’m in love.  ❤