All Tangled Up

Yes, I'm still here, and I'm still knitting. It's taking a long time for things to settle down after my move, so I haven't been able to keep up with things as well as I'd like. I did finish 2 scarves for Christmas presents, but I'll show you those another day. I'm currently working on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from the current issue of Interweave. I loved this design from the moment I saw it, and so when my Summer Stashout was done, I ran right out and got the materials.

I'm using Elsebeth Lavold Silk Wool in color #48, a sort of an olive gray. I had intended to use the recommended Rowan Tweed, but my LYS didn't have the color I wanted, so the saleslady suggested this yarn instead. Great choice on her part! I love the drape and the color, and it's about $2/skein cheaper than the Rowan. It's not exactly a tweed, but there is some great nubbiness and texture that I think work well for this design.


I've finished the bottom part. I think there was an error in the row count that the pattern specified, but I haven't had time to look around to see if others found that too or if I misinterpreted something. Also, I wish I had remembered that the original design had called for a lovely detail above the garter rib; I would have loved to have tried incorporating something like that. The only thing I'm not really sure about so far is the reverse stockinette seam stitch. We'll just have to see. I am ready to cast on for the sleeves and am going to try this great tutorial for using magic loop to do both sleeves at once.

What's Next

I am getting over the loss of the Shopping Tunic. Sigh. I'm trying to focus on what's next. Now, I admit I'm a big goody-goody. I've always been one to follow the rules. What I'm not always at good at is setting rules for myself, but I've found 2 sites that will help motivate me: the Summer Stash Out and this great contest at Skeins Her Way (if you enter her contest, tell her I sent you from this blog!). So here are my summer knitting goals and stash out rules:

1. to finish at least 2 Christmas presents

2. to finish a version of iCutie for my older daughter, who requested it

3. to only knit from my stash from now until Labor Day, which means

• no buying any yarn, books, or magazines
  
• I will allow myself an exception for some Habu fine merino that had already been ordered by a yarn store for me but won't come in till sometime this summer
  
• I will allow myself an exception for any yarn I may need to make the Christmas presents
  
• gifts and trades do not count
  

4. to finish putting up the stash I don't really intend to use at all on the Destash Blog.

Okay, if I manage to do these (and #3 will be really, really hard for me), I will allow myself to buy all the supplies for a project from my queue, plus either a book or new mag on Labor Day.

Now, here's an accounting of my stash (not including small leftover skeins)


These are the ones for which I have an actual project in mind. What you see are 3 Alan Dart kits, some reddish-orange Rowan Wool Cotton for Pam, various yarns for a spring leaf-motif scarf, some Cotton-Ease for a new iCutie, and a mound of black Classic Elite Gatsby for the Diagonal Twist Princess-seam Jacket from Loop-d-loop


Next up are yarns for which I have no specific project in mind. I had bought a 10-ball bag of each of the white and blue Rowan Calmer on eBay because it was "cheaper" that way, but I only used a fraction of up for the Soul Skirt and Juliet tank, so there's still a lot left. Likewise, I have some Sirdar Indigo left from the Blues Tank. And finally, there's miscellaneous Cotton-Ease.


Last are the parts of my stash that probably need to go to the Destash Blog. There's some leftover Berroco Touche from Lace Leaf Lite, Rowan All Seasons Cotton from the Apricot Jacket, and Jo Sharp Alapca Silk Georgette from the Cable Trim Sweater. There are various yarns that I had considered making scarves from. There's a trio of Berocco Suede and Plush that was going to be adorable baby booties that I never got around to (and my baby is now too big for booties!). And finally, there are 2 knitting-with-fabric purse kits that someone had given me, but that I know I won't use.

Whew!