Stash Dash – Knitting Up North

What’s a Girl to do?

What’s a girl to do when the dress she finds for graduation doesn’t quite meet the dress code of the Catholic school she attends? #catholicschoolproblem

Mom the knitter swoops in to the rescue!

It is school policy that shoulders need to be covered for school events and Masses. Since the dress almost but doesn’t quite cover her shoulders, we needed a little something. Graduation was June 5… which can mean very hot or quite cool in this neck of the woods. We are never quite sure what Mother Nature will bring, but since this child tends to run on the warm side, we figured we would err on the side of warm weather. After all, we didn’t want her overheated as she sang the psalm!

There were a couple of other requirements from Mom and daughter:

A little lace would be nice, but not completely necessary.
Since I had the correct color of red worsted weight in my stash, I would prefer a pattern in worsted. The plus to this is that it would go very quickly.
It needed to be approved by the graduate.
It should be found in Ravelry for free or in one of my many knitting books. After a lengthy and involved Ravelry search in consultation with the soon to be graduate, I found the Evening Shrug pattern.

2018-06-05 19.05.14

It is knit in two pieces and kitchenered down the center. The sleeves are meant to be longer, but we really only wanted something that barely covered her shoulders. My concern was whether she would be able to get it on and off if it didn’t have long enough arms. Would there be enough stretch that she could get it on without dislocating her arms?

The verdict is yes! We did a lot of trying on as we went. I added just a tiny bit of width to the garment and gave it a nice gentle block to make sure the lace sleeves popped. And since several people commented on her sweater, the graduate was very pleased with how it turned out.

I am thinking I might do another one of these in white as it would be so versatile! One of the wonderful things about my girls getting older is all three of us would be able to wear these. But first, I have class samples to finish! Hopefully now that summer is really here (at least the calendar says it’s June) I can buckle down and get some serious knitting done. One of my favorite parts of summer is throwing something on the grill for dinner (=very few dishes to wash), sitting by a campfire or just sitting outdoors in the evening, and knitting. Speaking of, I think I’m off to do just that now!

Dash & Burn

So, summer happened. It was glorious, it was hot, it. was. busy. And somehow in the midst of summer I said I was going to do this thing called Stash Dash where you try to knit a 5K, a 7K or a 10K’s worth of yarn. I totally bombed this one folks. For no real apparent reason other than I just did. Here’s a round-up of what I did get finished.

A stripy cowl of mostly my own invention. I used 393 yds of fingering weight yarn for this. It’s a little bit of Hazel Knits yellow with Poste Yarn in the gray and black stripes. This was a simple easy project that took forever for me to commit to kitchenering shut. I just wasn’t sure I was done with it. And that model, isn’t she adorable? She’s a lucky girl to have skin that nice! And a nice girl to pose in a cowl on one of our over 85 degree days.

Stripy soccer socks. This is a basic toe up sock pattern. I cast on 10 stitches with Judy’s Magic Cast on and went from there. These don’t fit quite as well as the wee one (who’s not so wee any more) would like, so I’ll be adding in an after thought heel later on. But they were finished by the end of stash dash and therefore count. I should have known better than to only increase to 56 stitches when her feet were almost the same size as mine. When I was knitting these during last summer’s soccer games, it felt like they were long enough to be knee length socks. Alas, my kids kept growing. Have I mentioned she’s not so wee anymore? She’s surpassed Grandma in height and is creeping up on me! 460 yds.

More tube socks. This one is from the Tube Socks for Kids pattern. This and the toddler socks below use a precious skein on Lollipop Yarn. The two pairs used up almost all of a skein. 360 yds.

For those of you that are keeping count, that’s 1,313 yds or 1200 meters. It’s a far cry from a 5K.

There are lots of other projects that I knit on this summer, but you’ll get to see more of those later. As soon as Stash Dash ended I got a burst of finishing energy. I just wanted to finish all the knits. Sigh. Maybe it has something to do with the return to at least some 73 degree days?

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

So I sort of won Stash Dash. I say sort of because I finished over 4,000 yds of knitting. Which is more than enough to qualify for the 3K. However, since I was up knitting until midnight on the day of the finish, I did not post everything to Ravelry. Which means that in the eyes of the Stash Dash Commissioner, it wasn’t really finished.

I’m really ok with this. I don’t need any prizes. All I need is the satisfaction of getting things cleared off the needles (and your comments telling me how cool everything is).

Hygge Baby Cardigan – 294 yds – DONE

Lettuce Pullover – 1880 yds

Haruni Shawl – 440 yds

Solaris Cardigan – 1680 yds DONE

Hitch Pullover – 1120 yds DONE – this is the most current photo I have of it. I’ll post more once it’s been bathed and is photo ready.

Wabi-sabi – 924 yds

Zephyr Cardigan – 1200 yds

Remnant Love – 850 yds

Marin – 385 yds

2nd Zick Zack – 831 yds

BLT Scarf – 346 yds – DONE

Lydia Cowl – 200 yds – DONE

Lydia Cowl Longer & Better – 380 yds – DONE – again, photos of this to come as I get it bathed and beautiful.

Ponchini – 330 yds – DONE

The grand total planned yardage = 10,150
Finished yardage = 4350

Whew! That’s a lot of knitting. Now, had I actually stuck to the plan I think I could have made it to the 5K goal. The problem was I kept getting distracted by new and shiny projects. While knitting is knitting, knitting 380 yds on a sweater to finish it would give me better meterage than knitting a brand new project. Oh well. Que sera sera and all that.

Now I’m feeling a bit of a let down after the rush to get projects finished. I’m debating about finding another KAL to work on or just doing my own thing for a bit. I’ll keep you updated on what I decide.

In the meantime, I found out that both my girls like wearing tube socks (ick!) so I might have to make some.

A Cardigan Built for Two

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true. I’m half crazy over the love of you……

…You’ll look sweet.

Cuddled up neat.

In a cardigan knit for two.

Really? Those aren’t the original lyrics?

As you might remember, my girls have sort of a love hate relationship with my knitting. They love receiving the knits, but hate the time I spend knitting. When I brought my Solaris sweater out of hibernation to knit, I realized just how big the fronts are when they’re spread out. I mentioned to Lily that this was a cardigan made for cuddling. The fronts are large enough that I can spread them around the two of us. All of a sudden, whenever there was a cool wind blowing, Lily asked me when the sweater would be finished.

Well stick a fork in it, because this sweater is DONE!

It’s actually been done for awhile now, but somehow summer arrived. With summer came a visit from family, a play that Addie was in and a LOT of walking outside. It just hasn’t been sweater weather. So the sweater got blocked and put away until a cooler night.

So I can either post this somewhat crummy iPhone photo of us snuggled up in the sweater, or I can wait until the weather cools down enough.

Pattern: Solaris by Berroco Design Team

Yarn: Rowan Lima

Modifications: I used the Executive Knitter’s variation on this pattern. Basically I did a border of k1 p1 then knit in stockinette instead of the pattern stitch throughout.

Yardage: roughly 1680 as I wrote 14 skeins in my Ravelry Project page, and I think I used almost all of the skeins.

This, along with a Lydia Cowl that I finished on Sunday, brings me to my Stash Dash total of 2174 yds. I think I’ll make it to the 3K finish line, but I’m not sure that I can eek out a 5K finish. The summer has just been way too nice to not spend a lot of time outside enjoying it.

Synonymous in my World

I asked Adam which pattern he liked better, the chevrons or the stripes. He looked at me blankly and replied, “those are synonymous in my world.”

Hmmm… guess I’m on my own with this one. I bought this Pepperberry Knits yarn at Yarnover in April. The colorway is Beachcomber. It’s 100% cashmere sport weight and it is super squishy and yummy. The question I was asking Adam (to be fair I had visual aids) was which cowl I should knit from these options.

In the end, I decided to knit the 12th Man Cowl.

FYI: If you’re planning on knitting this pattern, don’t wind your ball into a center pull ball. You’ll do the same forehead smack I did last night.

You might ask, “Jess, is this on the plan you made for winning Stash Dash?”

The answer my friends, is a resounding no. It’s not on the plan. It’s 200 yds of indulgence knitting which will count towards Stash Dash but won’t get me to the finish line quickly the way a 1500 yd sweater does. I have a craving for soft and squishy and simple right now. Oh simple stockinette stitch, you make my heart sing. At least right now you do.

Since we were talking about Stash Dash, here’s the run down on my project status.

The Plan:

Lettuce Pullover – 1880 yds

Haruni Shawl – 440 yds

Solaris Cardigan – 1560 yds DONE

Hitch Pullover – 1120 yds ONE SLEEVE AND COLLAR LEFT

Wabi-sabi – 924 yds

Zephyr Cardigan – 1200 yds

Remnant Love – 850 yds

Marin – 385 yds

2nd Zick Zack – 831 yds ABOUT HALF DONE

The grand total yardage = 9190 yds.

Off Plan:

12th Man Cowl – 200 yds.

Sweet shawlette pattern gifted to me from the fabulous Diane – 330 yds

Edited to add: Hygge Baby Sweater – 294 yds.

With a month and a half of Stash Dash left to go, I’d better get moving!

Mwa-ha-ha!

Mwa-ha-ha! (That’s my evil laugh) I will win Stash Dash!

I am one sleeve away from having a finished Solaris Cardigan. That’s it. One sleeve. Well yes, one sleeve and a lot of seeming. Yes, I know in this picture it looks as though I am one sleeve and a half of a front away from a finished cardigan, however that front is done.

Mwa-ha-ha!

I am really (probably unreasonably) excited that as the temperatures get into the 70’s and 80’s that I will have a finished cardigan to wear. I know, I’m crazy, my kids tell me that all the time. It’s really more about the fact that I will have a finished cardigan in time for fall. And that I will use this sweater to help me win Stash Dash.

It’s a pretty sweater too. And it matches my rug. Oh my goodness, look at how that front drapes.

I’ve decided that having this little beauty in my living room is sort of like having art. No one in my house even batted an eye that the girl came back up from downstairs and is wearing a partial cardigan. Is that weird?

It’s so close to being done. Nothing could possibly go wrong now! (This would be the point in any movie where the scary scissor wielding demon comes in).

I’m going to knit very very quickly so that I don’t run out of yarn for seeming. After all, we all know that in order to win a game of yarn chicken, you need to knit fast before the yarn runs out.

Gauge, My Nemesis

2015-06-01 08.26.58 — Oh Baby that’s a big sweater!

The Hygge Baby Cardigan is finished. Ends are woven in, buttons are sewn on, photographs have been taken. Done. That’s 294 yds of Stash Dash completed for those of you who are keeping track.

Just one problem. I’m pretty sure this 6 month size baby cardigan can fit a 5 year old. Some of you long time readers might ask, “Jess, did you do a gauge swatch?”

Nope.

Rooky Mistake!

The knitting was going so well. The sweater was so pretty as I was knitting it! Everything went so effortlessly. Right up until I blocked it and it grew (no kidding) 300%. OK, OK, maybe I thought it was more of a 12 month size right up until I blocked it. I mean, it did seem a tad bit big.

After blocking, I even tried it on Lily to see just how big it was.

Now Lily is a size 7 – mostly because she has long and legs – but can also fit into size 6 tops. While trying this sweater on, she put in an order for a white version for herself! Lily feels it has a certain Star Wars-esquee quality to it with the buttons along the side. But back to the green sweater.

Somewhat nervously, I put the sweater in the dryer to see if that would help the problem. Malabrigo Rios is machine washable, so I wasn’t sure how well this would work. Turns out, it worked like a charm! The hand of the fabric is squishy and soft. The sweater came out definitely smaller than it had been. I think it’s still probably a 12 month size, but that is certainly better than a size 5. A word to wise, despite the superwash label, don’t put Malabrigo Rios in the dryer unless you want it to shrink.

What I’m Knitting:

I pulled out my Solaris cardigan out of hibernation and started working on that. It’s got a very interesting construction. You make the arms, a small short back, and a very long piece that acts as the fronts and goes around the back of the neck. All I have left to do is 1/3 of the long piece and one sleeve.

I’m also still plugging away at the sleeve of the Hitch.

Stash Dash Update:

For those of you who are keeping a scorecard at home

Hygge Baby sweater – 294 yds. – DONE

Solaris Cardigan – 1400-1500 yds.

Hitch Cardigan – 1120 yds.

I hope everyone is plugging away at their own projects. It’s not too late to join Stash Dash. You don’t need to have a bunch of projects on the needles to play along. You can just knit new projects from stash yarn.

More of a Stash Stroll than a Dash

I’m not fast enough to qualify for a dash. I’ll give you the two minute update of what I’ve been working on:

I am about 6 buttons away from finishing the Hygge Baby sweater. That’s the one I’m making out of Lettuce green Malabrigo Rios. It’s under 400 yds of knitting, so I’m certainly not going to win anything with just this. However, every yard counts so I’m just plugging away at it. Plus, babies have a habit of continuing to grow regardless of the knitter’s schedule. So it must get done and mailed off to the new little one.

I’m also working on the 1st arm (pictured above) of the Hitch Pullover. I forgot how much fun cables can be!

We can’t forget the few rows I’ve put on the 2nd Zick Zack scarf.

Well Begun is Half Done

Mary Poppins: Our first game is called Well Begun is Half-Done.

Michael: I don’t like the sound of that.

Mary Poppins: Otherwise titled Let’s Tidy up the Nursery.

Michael: [to Jane] I told you she was tricky.

Yeah, I probably wouldn’t have liked that game as a child either. However I do buy into the well begun theory when it comes to work and conquoring challenges. I did tell you we were going to win Stash Dash, right? Don’t tell me there is no winning something that is a personal challenge against myself. I’m determined to win. I will win. I will conquor the stash. (Ask me some time about the guy who last said something could not be done. Mwah ha ha!)

So back to the well begun theory. The idea of Stash Dash as I understand it is to complete all those half done projects and knit some of the pretty yarn that you’ve been saving for…. well whatever it is that you’re saving it for. You can start new projects out of stash yarn if you’d like. But that’s where the well begun comes in. Because if you want to win (I do) and you want to knit a crazy amount of yarn (I do) then it makes sense that you would start with a half done project, right? I think Mary Poppins would think this makes excellent sense.

So here’s the plan as I see it. You can follow along with pictures waaaay down on the right hand side as ~~all~~ most of these are in my Ravelry Project Pages.

Lettuce Pullover – 1880 yds

Haruni Shawl – 440 yds

Solaris Cardigan – 1560 yds

Hitch Pullover – 1120 yds

Wabi-sabi – 924 yds

Zephyr Cardigan – 1200 yds

Remnant Love – 850 yds

Marin – 385 yds

2nd Zick Zack – 831 yds

The grand total yardage = 9190 yds.

Now I don’t think I can stretch to make a 10K, which would be 10,936 yds, so I’m going for a 5K. That’s 5,468 yds of knitting. Which means I would need to do the top 4 projects plus 1 more. Once a project is finished, then all of the yardage in it counts. If you spin the yarn, it counts. If you spin the yarn, then knit a project with it, it counts twice. Unfortunately this won’t work for me as I haven’t been spinning. But for some of you it might work.

Stash Dash begins on May 22. On your mark…… get set…….

What I’ve Been Knitting:

I’ve made some serious headway on the Hitch pullover. I have finished the front and back and have started one sleeve. The cables on the sleeve are slow going because I’m working off a pattern on my iPad. The iPad gets used for more than just knitting (go figure) so it limits my time.

In other knitting news, I finished my Zick Zack!

That little tiny ball of yarn is all that I had left when I finished. It was a bit of a game of yarn chicken to see if I could cast off with the remaining yarn.

I’m pretty thrilled with the way it turned out. Thrilled enough that I started a second one out of JoJoland Melody and Noro Taiyo Sock Yarn. This one has slower color repeats and is more harmonious in color – It will look like a completely different scarf!

Stash Enhancement

2015-04-25 16.36.38 — Mini Skeins for a Shawlette

Shhhh…. don’t tell my husband.

I might have done a little stash enhancement this weekend. You see, I was surrounded by beautiful yarn at Yarnover. It practically sat up and begged me to take it all home. I found some beautiful skeins from Knitting My Way Home. I also watched a gorgeous skein and some mini skeins go home with the woman who got there right before me. Ah well…. you snooze, you lose in the world of buying handspun yarn. I made up for it in other ways though. I also picked up two kits with mini skeins. One for a shawlette and one for a chevron cowl. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the mini skeins!

I went to Yarnover to take a Franklin Habit class. The class was about learning to use the Schact Zoom Loom and sewing up the woven squares into a stole and knitting a lace edging. John Mullarkey taught the morning portion which was all about the loom. He was a very entertaining teacher and I would definitely take a class from him again. He was patient with us as we learned to warp our tiny little looms. Taking the itty bity little woven squares off the loom was very satisfying!

The afternoon was the class with Franklin Habit. Now this was the 2nd class I haven taken with Franklin, so I wasn’t surprised that he was much more quiet spoken than his blog might lead you to believe. Delores even left us a little note! Franklin’s teaching style is very structured – he leads you all the way through something before having you try it yourself. What I appreciated most was his willingness to give me the next steps to move forward as he helped those who maybe weren’t moving as quickly. I don’t think anyone felt rushed or held back by the group.

And he was very gracious about posing for a picture with me. I promise I didn’t go all fan girly on him.

Loose Ends:

The Knit Girllls released more information about Stash Dash here. It runs from May 22-Aug 14. You can choose from knitting a 3K, a 5K or a 10K’s worth of yarn from stash. UFO’s count, so go ahead and use this as a reason to finish a lot of those half done projects you’ve got hanging around. (please don’t tell me I’m the only one) I’ve also heard that as long as it’s in your stash, the yarn counts. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been marinating in there.

I have enough started projects that I could almost do a 10K (10,936 yds of yarn). However, I’m not really sure that’s realistic for me. At least not without telling The Boss I am going on a 3 month vacation and hiring Merry Maids to vacuum under my feet as I knit and eat bon bons on the couch. So I’m going to shoot for a 5K. I’ll share my plan for how I’m going to cross the finish line next week.

Our training starts today! Leave me a comment if you’re joining me on this trip to Crazy Town.