Tag Archives: Stash Enhancement

The Weekend Report

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

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New Yarn! Not for me new yarn but new yarn nonetheless. From Classic Elite Yarns Renaissance yarn for a striped man’s pullover. The yarn arrived on Friday but I didn’t get to it until Saturday for swatching and ribbing fun. Friday my husband and I went out and I stayed up way way late. 5 am late. Slept til almost 4 on Saturday. And Saturday the kids struggled with colds and allergies. Ashley is actually home today. This is my way of saying practically no knitting over the weekend. Rather disappointing. I had secretly planned on finishing the 9-Scarf Vest by now. At the very least the knitting of it but nooooooooooo. I am on the 7th scarf.

Thay are much brighter in real life. Despite scarf status they are not TV watching fodder since I need to change yarns and stripe and stitch patterns. I really want to be done because the Artyarns and Alchemy projects are also pay attention things. Small but attention oriented. At least the pullover is pretty brainless.

Hey guess what? I got personal mail as well! This is two weeks in a row that some Maya trickled into my life and more importantly I got a card. I love cards. This one came from Jenny in NJ{no blog} who claimed the Jo Sharp kitlet from me a while ago. She mentioned enjoying the bloggity blog greatly and that made me feel so good. The Maya came from an online buddy ~ Fran. Also blogless. Fran is very sweet to me. She purchased me a copy of the oop Three Cornered Shawls book when another box of it was found and I was broke. Of course I paid her back but it took me a month to get paid during which I would have missed out on the chance to acquire this gem. She also found a copy of AS Charted Knitting Designs and several oop Spin Offs with lace patterns in them for me at a LYS. I pray that one day she will have a desire for something that I can get for her…. I really am blessed by the online knitting community. Anyway here is a picture of the bootie:

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Have a great yarny day and knitterly evening you alls~

A scarf update and more mail

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

So you thought I hadn’t posted today because I failed to meet my scarf/day goal? Silly mortal. Just kidding. The scarves for the vest are small~ 2.5″ wide by 14″ tall for the first one which I did finish last night quite easily. Here is a picture:

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I think its upside down in the picture but I didn’t feel like rotating it again after cutting out all the desktop and rotating once already. I don’t think I will be casting on for the second right away because I want to start the Artyarns one right off. The postal code was incorrect on the pkg and it took a full week to get to me plus its a simple 2 row pattern repeat which makes it good going to Drs tomorrow knitting. I wound the silk ribbon last night and ended up having to file my nails and ultra moisterize my hands. Vaseline and gloves. My hands are rough due to excema which was cleared up until the whole stomach flue fiasco. Stress makes me break out worse. The silk ribbon is narrow and reminds me of the very first sweater I ever knit from French Chic[if anybody has a copy….]which was Black and Blue Bernat Casino striped with a Spool of white silk ribbon for intarsia bits along one shoulder. I don’t knit much with cotton anymore but I do miss Casino. That particular scarf will take longer than a day to knit but I figure I can get underway long enough to know I am still getting gauge on project and then work a few inches every day while I try to keep up the scarf-a-day with the 9 scarf vest.

The benefit of posting late is we got mail! The ab fab Anmiryam read of my Maya love and took the ‘even partials” to heart and sent me this:

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Leftovers from French Market bag join the two partials I already had in stash shown on right[tangerine and chartreusey pea soup green] Come On folks. I happen to know that the French Market bag was big ol knitalong fodder and I am sure somebody else has partials they can send my way. Big Mwah to Anmiryam.

Also in the mail was some yarn from Alchemy for one of Mare’s Magical Hats and a scarf. I can hardly wait to Cast On for those and I challenge you all to resist this yarny goodness:

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And as if I don’t have enough work knitting lined up I just got a call from Classic Elite. I almost never say no to work so look for more yarny goodness by next Monday.

Yarny days and knitterly evenings y’all

More Yarn Porn and Why I Don’t Get Involved With Schoolwork

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Riddle me this:

It costs 75cents to go to the pool. You would like to take some friends to the pool. You have saved $9.75. How many friends can you take to the pool? While you think about the answer gratuitis yarn porn:

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Ah Tagliatti. From my Tagliatti dreams last year. No not last years yarn but my giftie to myself to fufill my Tagliatti Dreams. I asked for it last year and it finally arrived~ asked as in ordered. Just the thing to pick me up after the wretched last week.

OK have you thought hard on the riddle? The teacher says the answer is 13. Elka insists the answer is 12. Of course 9.75/75=13 but your not gonna pay for your friends to get in and have pool fun and watch from outside the gates are you? And the question said how many friends not how many people total including yourself. I live by the supposition that the reason a math problem is presented in word form is to be trickity instead of strait forward[9.75/13=? is straitforward] This is why my kid’s teachers either hate me or think I am a moron and its a miracle my kids know anything. I don’t know which sentiment it is but I am sure its one of those two.

Even More Startitis….

Posted on by Elka Bolhafner

Ah so last week I Cast On for Donegal designed by Alice Starmore using the Rowan Donegal Tweed as called for in Celtic Collection. I have had the yarn stashed away for this sweater for many, many years and admired the garment since I first saw it when the book came out. Yes Iam known for my procrastination. I finished the ribbing and started the stranded color pattern this weekend. Now Sheila-mamam had inquired about how to fix a problem a few years ago while knitting so I immediately incorporated my suggested solution. I am not sure I am happy but its hard to tell after one piddly round. Here is a shot of the ribbing inside and out…. gotta get the yarn porn in sometimes:Image340.jpg

Believe it or not I actually belong to a knit-along for this baby and am now officially several years behind.

Inquisitive readers may be interested in discovering what yarn I purchased last week. 10 hanks of Tahki Donegal Tweed in shade #845. It’s a lovely deap purple most often called aubergine by me. I have been wanting to acquire 10 hanks of this yarn for quite a while to knit up Rogue. I even discussed knitting it last fall with a friend to wear to MS&W since it seems to be a blog thingie to have a festival sweater knit under the wire. Alas my printer is out of ink and every time I suggest my going out to purchase a new cartridge my husband says he has one already and will put it in poste haste. Poste Haste has lasted 2 years. So I swatched my yarn for several garments including Denmark Gefjon on pg 60+ of Knitters issue #53. This issue is particularly lovely if you are wondering which back issues are worth having btw.

Now there are a few problems with this pattern IMO. It comes in 2 sizes~38 and 49″ and is long. 33″ for the size 49″ Now I am not particularly short. 5’4″ is supposed to be avg but I have worn dresses shorter than that. I resigned myself to figuring out how many sts to cast on to achieve a normal length{the sweater is kinda A-line with regular decreases until yoke pattern is reached} and also closely eyed that deap V and wide collar treatment, which I am not sure I totally approve of. My swatch was beautiful. Hey I swatched!

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And good thing too. I decided that Donegal Tweed was nowhere near as drapey as Lopi Lite[never have knitted it] and the whole A-line thing wasn’t gonna work. Scratch Gefjon back to Rogue. Husband be damned I am sitting at the computer glued to the instructions and skipping from one page to another to another. I want my printer fixed. Oh and here is the sleeve so far:Image343.jpg

I am starting to wonder if the yarn is too dark and flecky for the pattern. Not that I would ever do it in a pastel but I may be being impatient. Anybody feel up to saying Elka you can’t begin to see the cabling?

Ok enough of my aimless knitting expose. Have a great yarny day and knitterly evening you alls!