Tres Chic Veronique

Last year, I joined Wendy's Knit From Your Stash 2007 endeavor. I think I did well, mostly thanks to the exceptions to the no-buying-yarn rule (phew!). For example, you were allowed to buy yarn if the project was a gift, and you were allowed to purchase unlimited amounts of sock yarn. Also, Knit From Your Stash only lasted from January until September 30th, 2007. Just in time for Rhinebeck! I used my Get Out of Jail Free card to purchase 20 balls of lovely olive colored Rowan's All Seasons Cotton from Yai Ann, and then completely broke down at Habu and made unallowed purchases, but, give me break, that was on August 21st!

Here is a tally of what I knit in 2007 and a look at where the yarn came from:

• 6 baby items:
  

-2 group blankets with new yarn (allowed!)
-3 baby sweaters: EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket *stash yarn*, EZ's February sweater *stash yarn* and EZ's Baby Bog (new yarn, allowed).
- 1 baby hat, *stash yarn*

• 2 lace shawls: (Shetland Triangle and the Blumengruss shawl) both with *stash yarn*
• 4 pairs of socks: Embossed Leaves socks with *stash yarn*, the other 3 (stockinette knee highs, Hederas and Socks for Veronik) with new yarn, but that's allowed!
• 2 cardigans: Agnes with a gift certificate I received from the Spiders for my birthday (allowed!) and VK's Ruffled Jacket made with new yarn purchased 10 days before the end of Knit From Your Stash...
  
• 1 scarf: new yarn, but was a gift (and my own design), so it was allowed.
  
• 4 sewn dresses: all new fabric, but there were no rules about buying fabric, so there!
  

I haven't really made any resolutions for 2008, and look what happened:
Project # 1: Charade socks for my boyfriend, using Yarntini's Chocolatini colorway (purchased from the Plucky Knitter)



Project #2: A scarf for me, using Fable HandKnits's delicious baby alpaca (left over from my Sensual Knits 2 project) and a random mohair/silk blend from the stash (purchased at Yarnivore way back when!). My own design, using the two color star stitch. Unblocked and looks like crap here...


Project #3: Marigold socks, by Pamela of FlintKnits, using Vesper Sock yarn in Strange Little Mama (purchased for me by Lisa, who selflessly hit the reload button on the Vesper Etsy site until this colorway came up). Since Pamela's lace pattern is worked over 7 rows and the Vesper stripes are 5 rows, I had to fudge a little.


I made a garter heel, inspired by Gleek. She used this heel quite some time ago (October 2006!), but I had it squirreled away in my mind and knew I would use it eventually. Especially since the heels of my other pair of Vesper socks wore right through. I think the garter heel will be sturdier.

Labels: knit from your stash, socks

Oops. Temptation was too strong...
I accompanied my roommate Jess to Habu, and managed to convince myself that she absolutely required my expert advice. As if Jess doesn't know anything about yarn...
I needed to buy mohair/silk yarn for a sweater that I'm making for my aunt (I boasted about one of my designs for Sensual Knits--out January 1008!-- and she paid me so many compliments that, the next thing you know, I'm knitting her a sweater. Yes, I get cajoled easily). As my aunt is paying for the yarn, that purchase is allowed according to the guidelines of Knit From Your Stash 2007.
And then ... I found some black tweed lace weight yarn on sale.
Tweed lace?! I've never seen such a thing! All of a sudden, I felt a competitive buying urge. I *had* to buy it before Brooklyn Tweed saw it! (Don't feel too bad for him though, there was a cone of similar yarn that I didn't buy, and I emailed him about it). Somehow I rationalized this purchase because my aunt was paying for it. It was a little gift from her (that she doesn't know about)! Right? But when I had to make my roommate promise she wouldn't blog about my purchases or tell the Spiders, I knew, deep down, that what I had done was wrong. Well, wrong in the sense that acquiring gorgeous yarn can be wrong. Which it's not! Right?

One week later, my friend Liisa decided to make the leap into sweater knitting. She's only knit more straightforward items such as squares for a blanket, a feather and fan scarf and a cape. Liisa has a tendency to improvise with any instructions, and when you're in the beginning stages of a craft, it can turn against you. (I found this out the hard way: the first 3 sweaters that I knitted were absolutely unwearable). For this project, she vowed to get the yarn called for in the pattern and stick to the instructions to the letter. After emailing back and forth, she selected the Minimalist Cardigan from this Fall's Interweave Knits. We went to Seaport Yarn this weekend to buy Lily Chin's Park Avenue yarn. Well, the next thing you know, I found some Louet sock yarn in the most unusual shade of blue, a vivid turquoise (destined to become Esther's socks<--Ravelry link. Cathy just sent me this amazing pattern!)

A lace yarn that I love and cannot find in any bricks and mortar store (Ornaghi Filati's Merino Oro). I've used this yarn for the Mystery Shawl 2, purchased at One Fine Yarn-- $16 for 1,300 yds! It is so soft...

and laceweight linen (surprisingly soft!) in an icy blue color...



I have no excuse whatsoever.

Labels: knit from your stash