#still have 2 full skeins in my stash

[lphaneuf]

This has been almost done for weeks, waiting for me to knit ribbing and sew side seams. Finished just in time for fall.

Tortured myself in sizing but it's good after blocking.

[cerealmonster15]

when my grandpa died this year, my mom went thru my grandmas endless stockpile of yarn from years of her and my mom doing craft shows and making endless things… my mom preferred crochet and I think my grandma preferred knitting, but by the end it was mostly just my mom making stuff. she didn’t have space for all of the yarn, since she has her own stockpile, so she gave me a bunch!

But then I got extremely overwhelmed by how much yarn I had lol, and I ended up donating most of it to a nearby center I found that I think teaches people knitting and crocheting, and maybe also they craft stuff for charity? Either way, I brought over two trash bags full of yarn that I didn’t have plans for.

And I still have so much left… it’s a mix of some yarn I kept from my grandma’s pile, yarn my mom has given me for various reasons (a few are for making beanies to replicate a red one she made me. I have made a blue! But there are 2 still waiting to be made), and then some I’ve just had in my own mini pile. I got a few from a junk shop I found I think earlier this year, and a couple I bought because I liked the colors (no and ace colors that I figured I could also make beanies from and still haven’t) and some are leftover from old projects! The biiiig teal and one of the off whites are from when I crocheted a Snorlax for my partner a few years ago. I think I was working on that the last day I ever saw my grandma before she died. And then most of the rest of the smaller balls of yarn are leftover from the Jamie harvest moon poncho that I started back in I think middle or high school, and only finished this year or last year because I always kept forgetting about it and would barely remember to touch it.

I’m in the process of winding up one of my messy white skeins, and 2 yarns (people from grandma stash and dark gray from junk shop) are in the middle of being used!!! I don’t know what I’ll do with most of the others. I think it would be cool to cosplay ren faire costume items (like I’m doing with the dark gray) or cosplay or something. Wearables in general would be cool but also sound scary.

Oh I also have a bag in my closet I forgot about- another bit from my mom’s stash she gave me for a purpose

She had an unfinished something in there but just told me to pull it out and use it. I was looking at a pattern for a wearable and she said this was a good yarn type for it, but I haven’t started it yet. It’s a granny stitch pattern so it shouldn’t be too bad, I’m just worried about figuring out sizing. It has a gauge thing for it but I’ve never had to do that before!!

[himikochan]

Heyyo friends I wanted to share my recently finished object! I try to do at least 1 sweater a year that challenges my knitting and crafting skills. This year I picked steeking- a technique where a knitted object is sewn and cut into- and this one also delightfully used up a bunch of yarn that I had purchased in 2020 for a different project (I tried to make a pattern for a Feather and Fan dolman sleeved cardigan and there's a reason no one has done that, at least in the colorway I did, it was hideous-- that being said, I did chart out how to do an in pattern feather and fan increase so I have that tucked away).

I've recently de-stashed a lot of yarn: there's no shame in admitting that what makes you feel creative and comfortable has changed! And you should be okay with letting half-finished projects go if you don't want to finish them! My grandma has moved into a community for seniors on fixed incomes, who are often on the hunt for cheap/free crafting supplies, and the folx in her building were absolutely delighted to accept the skeins that I didn't love anymore!

I have been thinking a lot about how I want the space I live in to look; especially because I'm privileged to have been gifted so many crafting/art supplies over the years, purchased some and had my interests change, I've been on and off struggling with my mental health, and I've been really prioritizing making my space easier to keep tidy and "sparking joy" so to speak. So now my yarn stash and tools largely fits into 1 bin! I don't necessarily have projects in mind for them, but they more closely align with the colors I like to wear now, textures I like to knit with, and it's a manageable amount for me to paw through when I'm ready to cast on a new project.

All of the yarn for the abandoned dolman cardigan was saved from being re-homed and I was committed to using at least some of it because I had a good amount of it! I had purchased 5 cakes of Palette in Cosmopolitan (a fuschia fingering weight), 4 of Aloft in Cosmopolitan (a fuschia lace mohair), and 4 of Wool of the Andes Sport in Ash (a grey sport weight) from Knitpicks. I knew I wanted to make a cozy sweater out of it but the fuschia and grey color palette was a little too stark for the designs I've been into lately.

On Local Yarn Store day this year, I had picked up a skein of ColourLab DK by West Yorkshire Spinners in Tutti Frutti from Firefly Fiber Arts Studio (a self striping DK weight yarn in yellow/purple/pink/magenta/orange) because I thought it would look interesting with those colors! I DID NOT THINK ABOUT HOW THEY WERE ALL DIFFERENT WEIGHTS THOUGH!!! don't worry it ends up okay

I ended up picking the pattern Flower Power by Anna Johanna because it was a steeked color work sweater that used 3 different colors- it's meant to be knit entirely in a DK weight which is what my multicolor is. Sport weight, my grey, is a little lighter than DK but I knew wouldn't be too much of an issue. My fuschias were held together but a fingering weight and lace held together is still functionally much smaller than than a DK.

I struggle with gauge and my gauge changes as I knit, so swatching only helps me so much. My projects have a tendency to grow during blocking, especially length-wise. I was between sizes so I sized down and basically knit the length at 60% of what I wanted (so pre-blocked the sleeves were just past my elbows and they blocked out to my wrists). For the yoke, I followed the pattern as written but used size 6/4mm needles (I swapped to the recommended size 7/4.5mm for rows of a single color) because I knit my colorwork a little loosely. When I got to the body, my fingering weight was just too thin so I held it double and still sized up to size 10/6mm needles so I would have a nice cushy fabric.

I still ended up with a full cake and a half of Palette and Aloft, a half skein of ColorLab, and probably 2 of Wool of the Andes Sport. But I used so much of what I had and I have a cool new cardigan!!!

The pattern was well written and the design is super cute! I will say, the bottom half of the last set of flowers is a little tight but I suspect that's an issue with me sizing down and my gauge issues. I don't think that's a pattern issue, that's my bad, and really it just affects the drape when I raise my arms up which isn't really an issue. Additionally, if I had sized up I think the body of the sweater would have been too big for me. Maybe I should have used the bust dart option in the pattern but I didn't think it would be necessary (TL;DR it's probably my shoulders causing the issue but because of the way 3D patterning works with yokes, the tension can migrate to the chest even if you don't have a large chest).

While I like my cardigan very very very much, I can now see that these stripes weren't the best pick to show off the flower pattern. I can see the flowers more now than pre-blocked, but the stripes are a little too bold and detract a bit from the overall effect. IMO it looks like a technicolor cheetah print, which I like, but it's not the flowers I was thinking haha. The length of the dyed stripes is very long, which I normally like, but a shorter or smaller stripe might have softened the bold yellow line. Additionally, those colors are the same intensity as the grey: if I had replaced the grey with a white or light grey, the multicolor stripes might have shown more.....

This was my first time steeking and I loved it! I followed the prep instructions in the pattern and followed along with Katie Green's tutorial on cutting steeks. It was very very fun and NGL it was exhilarating cutting through something I had knitted!

The buttons also came from my stash, my mama gave them to me a few years ago :')

so like I'm feeling the normal PROJECT NAUGHTY and I LOVE PROJECT and in 2 weeks, when it's cold again, I will love them :3

.

PS I just finished writing this post and I'm a bingus and just realized this is my second sweater this year (I count the year ending on my birthday) and I never finished my post on the Soldotna sweater

PPS I tried a knitting machine at the library and I loved the experience! I think that's my new thing to learn and tinker with and, because I love the feeling of fingering weight and struggle with gauge for fingering weight, I bid on one and GOT one at a steal! It'll be here next week, thinking of names to give them :)

[gaviicreates]

Journeys in Amigurumi (Bingo Roll 1)

Spoiler: This was a challenge!

For my first roll of the bingo card, I got "make an amigurumi" - and as someone who is most comfortable with flat 2D projects with little sewing, I knew this one would really be taking me out of my comfort zone. I'm not happy when I have to sew, and I am incredibly not happy when I have to attempt embroidery.

I may not do a full blog post for each bingo roll, but as this is so completely new to me and a large part of this bingo is the journey, here we go!

For full disclosure, I've made ONE amigurumi project before this, and I haven't picked up the technique once since. So before we dive in - have a quick picture of where I started 12 years ago.

I had to dig some really old photo archives for this one.

This lil' guy was made to be a warbler for my fandom at the time. I am sure he was based off a pattern, but it's unlikely I'll be able to find it now. I also don't think I know where this lil birb is anymore; he's gotten lost in the shuffle of moving a few times since.

Step 1: Research

Research - Before even choosing a pattern to begin this challenge, I wanted to first understand more about amigurumi, so I took to Youtube, which is my usual place to learn all things.

For my intro to amigurumi, I started with a few channels:

LePetitSaint Crochet, especially this Amigurumi fundamentals playlist; olliehollycrochet, especially this beginner tutorial video; For inspiration, I've also found Skein Spider

There are quite a few amigurumi channels out there - these are just a few that I enjoyed across my youtube dashboard.

The next step of research was finding a pattern, and I feel as though this is the part of the rabbit hole I am going to ADORE continuing to explore.

Step 2: Practice

Before I started "the" project, I wanted to first get a sense of the tension and play around with a project. Just something small. In effort to avoid buying more materials, I took to stash busting some of my scrap cotton. For the test piece, I found the pattern Octobuddy by the blog, Sweet Softies.

As someone with already pretty tight tension, working with a smaller hook took some getting used to, but I liked the way this pattern was written - he's an adorable little Octopus, but it also helped me get used to the shaping and stuffing process. I used household cotton balls since poly-fil isn't the type of thing I just have on hand. I did end up buying some for the final project.

This was a good exercise for me, as I started to feel comfortable with the actual crochet and using a tighter gauge. As I was sewing the eyes, I ended up pulling the cotton up or not being able to push the needle through. He was a bit overstuffed, or maybe I tried to assemble out of order, or maybe it's just my lack of sewing experience striking again.

Beyond that, the hardest part was in fact the the embroidery of the eyes, and his are quite... something. I was not originally going for the wink, but as the two sides became less uniform, I decided to lean into it. They still turned out pretty shoddy, and I can NOT stand doing this. I told myself never again, but for another spoiler... I did it again.

My Octobuddy might still be a bit overstuffed, but he's super squishy and relaxing to squeeze, just like a stress ball, the perfect size for my palm. So he's been hanging with me at my work desk.

Step 3: Do the thing

I won't say I was ready for the next thing, per se, but I also wasn't getting anywhere just looking at the cool things that could be made with this technique. So why not jump right in?

For my actual pattern selection, I chose "Hubble" by Projectarian, available on ravelry. I love me an aquatic creature, and it called to me that not only was this pattern free, it also came with a beginner friendly pdf, quick reference, and an entire selection of written tips for the new-to-amigurumi crafter.

Squid time!

Again, I wanted to use up scraps, so my first challenge with this pattern was adjusting it for the yarn weight I had on hand to use. As a result, the eyes were made with a way too tight tension. The pattern called for some crochet for the sleeping pupil lines, but there was no way I was going to get my hook in there. For the second time, I took up a sewing needle and attempted embroidery. This time turned out a bit better than the Octopus. I adore how soft he looks with the brown cotton yarn I decided to use when I couldn't find black.

At some point in attaching the legs and tentacles, I did lose track of where I was - but that was on me since I got lazy with the stitch markers. It was so close to the end, I was able to wing it to decrease the final row and stitch up the center. Before then, I added a bit more poly-fil.

I chose not to add pom-poms at the end of the legs for the same reason as I didn't add tassels to the blanket I made. Being a mom of three dogs makes you super aware of the types of things the furbabies will get into. You should've seen their faces when I brought home the poly-fil.

But I'm ranting away and you haven't even seen him yet!!

Step 4: Finished Object!

Body: Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 - Rosewood, 3.5mm Eyes: Hobbii Rainbow Glitter Gold 8/4 - Natural White, Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 - Light Brown, 2.00mm Legs and Tentacles: Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/4 - Rosewood, 3.25mm Pattern: Hubble the Squid by Projectarian I call him Hubblet since I made him so small. Sleeeepy squid baby.

Make an Amigurumi✔️

[blankie-wanky]

ooh I've never made a blanket post (like, I've got too many finished projects to post about and blankets aren't on the top of the list 😅) so woo blanket blog!!

This guy I teeeechnically worked on for 10 years bc I started it back in high school and never finished. I pulled it back out early in quarantine and realized that I had for some reason I had decided to do it in popcorn stitch? And alternately did rows in double and triple chrochet?? And was working end to end rather than inside out???

So I ripped it all out and did a neverending granny square blanket lol.

Buuuut when I was stash searching recently, I realized I've still got another full skein of this yarn lying around that I could add to it. I don't super want to redo the scallop edging though, especially since I played extreme yarn chicken and ended on less than 6" of yarn!

In contrast, this is a blanket I knit up for my mom out of three balls of a nice chunky yarn in about 2/3 weeks last year!

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Original post by: @kelsiekin​

Ooooooooohhhhhhh so COZY.

Congrats on winning your yarn chicken game; that’s a game I always lose and end up having to buy more yarn and then I end up with nearly a whole skein as scrap and then it’s time to start a new project to use up the scrap and then I get to the end and don’t have enough yarn and then - - -

[angelofdirewolves]

Tour de Fleece Day 8

The one with pictures @swords-n-spindles​ ;)

I actually managed to surpass my goals from yesterday, which makes me happy. However, I also forgot to take a picture of my full cotton spindle, so it comes out as a wash. 

I spun my 13th cotton ball, and then used the ball winder to pull the singles off my spindle, because it was getting very full, and because now I can do a fairly simple 2 ply once I finish this half of the cotton balls. Then I spun a cotton ball on the newly empty spindle once again. Today I’m going to match this again, and spin 2 cotton balls.

Gratuitous pic of my pretty pretty yarnbowl, which I am using as a base for my faux supported spindle. 

As for my alpaca, I managed to spin five rolags (instead of four yesterday). The green bin, as you can see, is about 2/3 of the way full still, and the shoe box with teased fiber is overflowing. I don’t think I’ll be carding today because I have a 2 hour exam that I need to take, but I think I can still manage 4 rolags (each rolag takes about ten minutes, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to fit around my day).

The mega alpaca skeins, compared with one of my bubble nebula skeins, which I wound on my 1 yard niddy noddy. You see why I call them mega, especially in comparison. Each mega skein came from one very large spindle.

When I prepped the bubble nebula roving, I split it into four pieces, first lengthwise, and then widthwise, and then split each of those in half, with the intent of plying them together. The roving had a blue grey blue gradient that I wanted to preserve, and in the skein on the right, you can see that. The skein on the left is the one that I plied during the Tour, and you can see that it is very much marled grey. This is because I split the roving by eye, not by weight. All of the other three skeins were decently balanced where some judicious fiddling could preserve the color sequence. This one wound up with one longer and one shorter single that after the first color change, switched colors in opposition. One would be blue, the other grey, and then the grey one would be blue for an inch and then the blue one would be grey. It was very frustrating. But it’ll make a nice accent skein for whatever project I use this up with. 

Finally, at the end of this very long post. I offer you all a question. Do you use old stash first? Or do you use up the things you bought recently? Because I want to add a third project back in rotation, now that the buble nebula is done and now that I’m halfway done with my cotton spinning. I have three choices, two new batts (pictured at the top), and one old braid (pictured at the bottom). They’re all pretty, and all very nice fiber contents. Any thoughts?

(Apologies for glare in this picture, I don’t want to open the batts yet, for fear of mucking with them, so they’re all pictured in their plastic sleeves)

(Also, can you tell I like the color blue?)

[rannadylin]

Ranna’s Guide to Knitting Your Next Sweater

Step 1: Finish a sweater! Otherwise, this would be a guide to knitting your first sweater, and obviously it isn’t *gestures at the title*.

Step 1b-infinity: Seam it. This step somehow always takes the longest, which is why you should have read the pattern more carefully to see how many pieces it was knit in before you started knitting it. Also, sometimes this step does not get finished and we skip to step 4.

Step 2: Block it. 

Step 3: Wear it! Take pictures! Hope it looks good in pictures! Wish it had blocked a little better. Already be thinking about what to knit next...

Step 4: Go through the stack of knitting magazines you hadn’t yet found time to read properly and bookmark the sweaters you thought looked cute and also wearable and also knittable, though this last is debatable.

Step 5: Go to the Stash. Use caution when approaching it, lest you become lost beneath a yarn landslide or something. Sort through the storage containers and/or shelves and/or piles haphazardly arranged throughout the house until you find the bags of sweater-appropriate yarn you bought when there was a great sale years ago.

Step 5b: Count the skeins within each bag and wonder if you were planning on making a vest or possibly a small bag instead of a full sweater when you ordered these?

Step 6: Consult the Bookmarked Patterns again to see their yarn weight and gauge and attempt to match them to bags of sweater-appropriate Stash yarn.

Step 7: Find a calculator. Determine, based on the patterns’ listing of weight and yardage of the recommended yarn, plus the number of skeins called for to make your size (oh yeah, 7b: Find a measuring tape. Attempt to measure your bust. Attempt to figure out how much positive or negative ease this sweater really needs. Attempt to make those numbers fit one of the sizes with four to six inch variations between the options), once again check the number of skeins called for to make your size, do the math and see what yardage and weightage that would take, do the math on the skeins you actually have. Wonder again if the original plan when ordering was a vest? Wonder just how much negative ease you can get away with. Calculate again for the next size or two down in the list. Repeat ad nauseam.

Step 8: Finally find a pattern and a yarn that seem like a match, though alas, it wasn’t the pattern you liked best from that stack of Bookmarked Patterns, nor even the second choice, but it is still in the stack and it is cute so it will do. 

STEP 9, THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF ALL: Gauge swatch. Really. I do not do gauge swatches for most knitted patterns, but I have learned my lesson with sweaters. We swatch or we go back to knitting socks.

Step 10: Try a different needle size because the first one definitely didn’t get gauge.

Step 11: Get THE EXACT SAME GAUGE on the next needle size up. Shake your head. Double check the ruler. Sigh. 

Step 12: Go on Ravelry. Do a pattern search for sweaters, in your queue, in the gauge you got regardless of the needle size you used with this yarn that might or might not be enough to make something bigger than a vest. Filter it for the fiber content of the yarn! Filter it for the yardage you actually have! Be amazed when actual sweaters, not just vests, show up in the results.

Step 13: Open all the cutest results in new tabs.

Step 14: Examine the cutest results more closely. Look at finished projects and attempt to determine whether your actual size would look as good as the tiny one shown on the pattern’s model. Do more math to make sure the yardage is still within the skeinage you bought back when you were [obviously] thinking of knitting vests.

Step 15: Having narrowed it down to two or three that could actually work in this yarn at that gauge, check the pattern source. Discover that, while two of them are available for a very reasonable price but one which you have not yet paid, having just queued the cute patterns awaiting the day that the stars all align for yarn and pattern and what you feel like knitting to work together JUST SO, the third one is from a book in your very own library!

Step 16: Approach your knitting book/magazine library. Wonder whether the book you need is in the neatly arranged bookshelf of books you have had for more than a decade, or in the haphazard stack of books mixed with magazines on the nearby table that have not yet been organized into that shelf, primarily because the bookshelf is already full and there is no room for another knitting bookshelf anyway.

Step 17: Peruse the table stacks first. Rediscover so many books you had such fun looking through when you first got them, but you have not yet knit anything from [most of] them! Delightedly discover the book with your chosen pattern in the middle of the stack!

Step 18: Keep looking through the stack anyway because these books are really nice. Finally go away with not just the book in question but a whole stack of old friends to catch up on. Half hope that you won’t find anything even more suitable to that vest-sized bag of yarn, because then you would have to do the math all over again.

So. I think my next sweater might be Victoria, from the Refined Knits book on top, in that shiny green yarn (Sugar Rush, Queensland Collection, Sugar Cane Viscose which is sort of a cottony/rayon-y type of yarn and REALLY SHINY and will be nice for summer wear? and I have 1370 yards of it and my gauge is 24st to 4″). But I will let you know if that changes after I catch up with the rest of that stack. ;-D

[dreamstormdragon]

OC Snippet Tag

Rules of the game: Pick an OC and answer the following 7 Qs!

I got tagged by @theblueskyphoenix

As for an OC… Darnit making me choose between all my babies.

I pick my Spider-Verse OC Athena Parker, because I’ve been wanting to do more with her but am on a bit of a “Don’t do anything new until after nano” so… Yeah.

1. Your OC is at a jazz bar when they see a mysterious, alluring dame being pestered by a joe that just won’t let up. What do they do?

She, really wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place. She was just there to make a trade of goods, with a seller because it was cheaper than shipping.

However, she wasn’t about to sit there and watch that happen. The girl stood up, adjusting her gloves, taking aim.

The guy opened his mouth, for another pickup line, when he was silenced by a glob of web across his mouth. He let out a muffled yell of alarm, as he started looking around, expecting New York’s favorite webslinger to be hanging around the bar somewhere.

Athena tapped the woman’s shoulder gesturing for her to sit next to her.

“Thank you… I have no idea where that came from though.”

She smiled.

“Maybe there’s a friendly neighborhood spider chilling around. Root beer?”

“Please.”

2. The world will be destroyed in three days. What does your OC do with their remaining time?

The world, was going to collapse in three days. No one had expected that blasted device, to be recreated in another universe… Let alone a universe full of danger like no other.

“This is going to be tough.” She remarked, looking down at the ruined city, her hair blowing in the wind.

The man beside her, narrowed his eyes, giving her a nudge.

“You wanna sit and wait for the world to die, or get home in time for dinner?”

Athena smirked, pulling down her mask.

“Let’s stop the zombie apocalypse. I wanna punch zombie you in the face.”  She gave a thumbs up, showing she had a capsule in one hand. “We can make a cure rain right?”

Peter patted her head, before pulling his own mask down.

“Let’s roll.”

3. Your OC spends the night in a haunted house for a bet, only to realize that the rumours might be true… What do they do?

She hummed a little under her breath, her mind trying to block out any of the noises coming from around her.

Yarn over, pull through, yarn over pull through…

The air around her went cold, as something icy grabbed her shoulder.

“I, swear if you interrupt my counting I’m gonna sock you.” She growled, turning as a large misty apparition shrunk down behind the couch. “That’s what I thought!”

“Boss…” A voice whispered. “What do we do? She just gets mad!”

“Take her dang yarn!”

Athena held up a spray mister, meant for plants.

“You touch my yarn, I cleanse you out of this dimension.”

4. A character your OC cares deeply about has just passed away. How do they handle their grief?

She supposed, it was too good to be true. To believe she’d ever have a full and happy family, where no one was going to disappear from her life.

She sobbed harder, burying her face into a bundle in her arms. His spare suit, his mask… It still smelled like the laundry soap he used for it and baby powder.

MJ was downstairs, dealing with the press but Athena… Athena couldn’t go down there. It was just a reminder, that in the end…

 Spider-Man, chose to save her instead of himself.

Dad… Why? Why did you do this to me?

 She sat up, slowly staring down at the mask. No more night time runs in their casual clothes, no more sitting up late watching movies while making jokes.

No more dramatic sighing whenever we go to the craft store…

No more tucking me in at night… No more kissing Mom goodbye before patrol…

“You were supposed to be there for me… I’m not ready for this part…. I’m not ready,...” She growled, her voice shaking as she punched the mask down into her mattress. “You were supposed to give me away at my wedding you jerk!”

She sunk down into her bed, curling up.

“You… You were the only one who got what I’m going through…”

Dad….

Please come back.

Please let this be a bad dream I can wake up from…

I need you… I’m scared.

Daddy, I’m scared…

I’m scared of the dark...

 5. Your OC walks into a coffee shop. What kind of coffee do they order?

Athena hummed a little, strolling into her favorite shop.

“Ah, if it isn’t the weaver!” The barista laughed. “How hard did your dad’s credit card cry this time?”

Athena grinned, holding up a hefty bag from her favorite yarn store.

“Pretty bad. Can I have a mocha frapp with extra java chips, six pumps of vanilla and caramel?” She asked.

The barista winced.

“Oh… Oh, you are terrible. You want actual coffee in that?”

Athena stuck her tongue out.

“Nope. Give me my overly sugary drink fix please!”

6. Your OC finds themselves in a financial pinch - they need money, and fast. Who do they go to or what do they do to get the dough?

Athena sighed heavily, looking up from her laptop, to the people across the room. Her mother met her eyes, as she shook her head getting up quickly. She wanted no part of this upcoming war.

“Daaaad.” She called, in the most sugary sweet voice she could manage. “How much do you love me?”

Peter didn’t look up from the report he was typing up for the Bugle. “How much is this gonna cost me?”

“Just… a hundred and fifty…”

“For what?”

“Freshly dyed, baby alpaca yarn… and angora in some beautiful shades.” She batted her eyes, trying to get him to look her in the eyes. “I promise, I won’t ask for anything else!”

“Athena… I’m gonna teach you a lesson my aunt May taught me.” Peter looked up at her with a stern look. “I’m not made of money. I’ll drop cash gladly on your yarn that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg but if you want that really fancy crap, either wait until the holidays or your birthday. Or find a way around it. But I am not dropping that much on new yarn, when you have tons of it upstairs.”

Athena sighed heavily, looking down at the skeins she oh so desperately wanted. She already could imagine the sweaters and shawls she could create from them.

Then… she got an idea… Athena looked up at him, giving another innocent look.

“Dad? Can I have an etsy store?”

“By all means, if it gets rid of the yarn you’re stashing in my spider shed go for it.”

A few days later, Athena was listing batches of Spider-Man related memorabilia on her new etsy store, from jackets to order by commission, to premade little plushies of the famous webslinger… and a few of her own persona.

“You think people really are gonna buy Arachne stuff?” She fidgeted, looking at the tiny plushie in her hands, that resembled her costume.

Peter patted her head, taking it and slipping her a twenty. She looked up at him in surprise.

“I know at least one person who will.” He winked, giving her a grin. “I think I’ll make her my little desk guardian at work.”

Athena giggled, hugging him tightly.

“Love you Dad.”

“Love you too Weaver.”

7.  Your OC somehow obtains the ability to time travel. Where do they go, and what do they do?

She was going to stop this. She had been so determined to stop it… she didn’t think about what would happen when she did. She saw her younger self, milling around a shop room, singing under her breath.

Before she had been bitten by a radioactive spider, dropped into her dimension… while it sucked her newly divorced future parent into another.

She had been intending to jump back, to stop the divorce from happening in the first place… but it made her pause.

Her younger self, had been so alone… She had her group home, yes. Her fiber art club at school.

But years of accumulating skills, taught to her by people who had said “we promise this is the last home.” Had hurt…

Arachne stared at Athena, spotting a familiar bright green, blue and black spider crawling along the wall.

Soon, I’m gonna get bit… Then in a few months, Mom and Dad are gonna drop in on my life...

Gosh and I was gonna mess up a good thing I had…

I love my parents… but I know if I stop that, then I stop this.

Then I stop my family from existing…

So, she turned away. She jumped back to her own time, throwing away the device that was letting her make the jumps. Trading her costume, for her favorite dress and jacket, bolting down the streets towards home.

Home, with her room that had the special shelves, just for her ever growing collections of yarn and thread.

Home, with the old school sewing machine her aunt May had left to MJ when she passed.

Home, with her weaving loom and her knitting needles and crochet hooks…

Home…

With her parents.

ooooo

Aaaaahhhh this was fun, to explore Athena a little bit, since I do wanna do more for my spider gal. For now… This shall be it. This was fun!

Let’s see…

I taaaaag….

No one. >83

[purlgrrrl-blog1]

@octothorpeisareason tagged me in a questions thing related to knitting/crocheting! It’s a super long post (But there’s links to patterns I like in there if that’s any incentive to scroll through!) so it’s going under a read more. :)

General

1.     How did you first learn your craft? My mom taught me. I was a terrible student.

2.     How old were you when you first learned to craft? Twelve. Like I said, such a jerk to my mom.

3.     What was the first project you completed? A scarf that had so many dropped stitches that it came apart eventually! lol

4.     What would you like to make next? I have googly eyes for The Lilli Pill shawl by Ambah O’Brien. Once I’m done with my commissions, I can purchase the yarn for it. ;) Pattern is here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lilli-pilli

5.     Do you use stitch markers? All the time. I like to put my work down and stretch frequently so having stitch markers helps me remember where I am.

6.     Do you watch or listen to anything while you craft? I love to watch crime procedurals! Currently watching Rizzoli & Isles. :)

7.     What aspect of your craft is the most challenging to you? Trying to stay engaged during longer projects. I want to make my blanket soon but I’m worried I’ll make half of it and then stop caring. haha.

8.     Which of your past projects are you the most proud of? My very first shawl. I was going through a horrific breakup and making it really really got me through it. Pattern is here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baja-sunrise-shawl

9.     How long have you been crafting? I learned 13 years ago, but I only got serious about my knitting in college. So let’s say 7 years.

10. Where do you usually buy your yarn? My local yarn shops. Or if I find indie dyers that I love on etsy, I will order. But I like being able to touch the yarn before I buy.

11. Are you a yarn snob? YES. I AM SO TERRIBLE. I do, however, have a few clients with wool sensitivities so I use acrylics/acrylic blends for them.

12. What was the last yarn you purchased? Hedgehog Fibers “Fool’s Gold” in DK weight. I didn’t purchase it for any reason. I just thought it was gorgeous and decided to find a use for it later. haha.

13. What is the last crafting related purchase you made? I just ordered a book on knitting socks two at a time! https://www.amazon.com/2-at-Time-Socks-Revealed-Knitting/dp/1580176917/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492118611&sr=8-1&keywords=2+at+a+time+socks

14. How often do you keep a project you’ve made? I try not to if I can help it! Most everything I make is for sale.

15. What is your workspace like? Currently, it’s my dining room table. My desk in the office I share with my fiance is cluttered and terrible. I need to organize it something fierce. My whole half of the room is a MESS.

16.  Where do you do most of your crafting? Again, dining room table with my laptop playing some silly crime show.

17. How would you describe your crafting style? I kind of fly by the seat of my pants. If I make a mistake, I try to turn it into a design choice (if it’s not a structural problem). My grandma always says that you shouldn’t make anything perfect because “it will make God angry.” Not sure if I believe in God, but that’s a whole nother thing. I appreciate the notion though.

18. What aspect of your craft would you most like to improve? Lace work and chart reading!!!

19. What tool or accessory would you like to acquire next? I want some really pretty stitch markers. Like maybe with lil gems or extra pretty beads or something.

20. How big is your yarn stash? Ridiculously huge. I need to take inventory.

21. How often do you knit/crochet? Every day.

22. Do you always have a project in mind when you buy yarn? Almost never. oops. But when I do, I feel very triumphant!

23. Do you find any crafting tools to be overrated? I don’t think so. But I do think brand comparison shopping is really important for needles. Some cheaper ones are just as good as the expensive ones. You just have to figure out what’s important to you when it comes to your materials.

24. When you want to learn a new stitch, how do you go about it? Find a pattern that uses the new stitch then youtube the stitch.

25. Do you have a devoted yarn bag? I have probably 4 or 5 now. But the one I’m currently using for my commissions is my fave.

26. Does anyone else in your family crochet/knit? My mom and my sister.

27. How do you store your yarn stash? One huge wicker basket, one laundry basket, and one garbage bag of yarn I bought before I knew what fibers I liked working with (mostly acrylics in there).

WIPs:

28. What are your current WIPs? Two big fluffy cowls for a client. One Clementine Cowl by Spincycle Fibers for funsies: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/clementine-11

29. Do you have any projects currently in time out? They’ve been in time out so long that I don’t actually know what they are. When I come across ones like that, I tend to rip them and start over with something new.

30. Which WIP have you been working on the longest? The Clementine Cowl. Mostly because I’ve been working on client stuff.

31. Where do you store your WIPs? In my favorite yarn bag.

32. What was the last project you had to frog? Why? It was a hat that I froggged because I got bored of it.

33. What is the most frustrating experience you’ve had with a project? It wasn’t even my project, but helping my mom start her “Find Your Fade” shawl was a nightmare. I’ve passed her in skill level and so she now thinks I know everything and can fix any mistake she makes. Also going to the yarn store with her has become a huge pet peeve. I can’t go look at anything because she just keeps going “FEEFO LOOK AT THIS!” and if I’m not close to her, she will yell my childhood nickname across the store until I come over to her.

Have you ever…?

34. Sold your work? One of my jobs!

35. Finished a full sized blanket? Never.

36. Had an interesting interaction with a stranger for crafting in public? Not really.

37. Had a household member complain about the size of your yarn stash? My dad! But he tries really hard to understands and buy my stuff for his girlfriend.

38. Been to a crocheting/knitting club or circle? I used to host one!

39. Written a pattern to share with others? In the works.

40. Purchased yarn only to decide you hated it? I think “hate” might be a strong word. But definitely bought something I loved in store and then became lukewarm about later.

41. Bought craft supplies in bulk? nope.

42. Participated in a crochet/knit along? Not yet!

43. Completed a year-long project? (Mood blanket, temperature blanket, etc) I don’t know if anything can hold my attention for a whole year. That’s crazy!

This or that?

44. Knitting, crocheting, or both? Knitting.

45. Patterns or improvise? Patterns until I feel comfortable enough with a concept to improvise.

46. Stick to one project or keep multiple going at once? Multiple. Mostly due to different lighting situations. My two client cowls are really dark so I work those during the day and then my lighter projects at night.

47. Wind new yarn or leave it as is? Leave as is right now. My ball winder broke! And hand winding is not my favorite.

48. Buy supplies online or in person? In person.

49. Make gauge swatches or hope for the best? Hope for the best unless fit is really important (re: sweaters)

Favorites:

50. Hook/needle size? I’ve been working a lot of things on 9s and 13s lately. I don’t really have a preference but I tend to do larger gauge fluffier projects in fall/winter and then small gauge light lacy projects in spring/summer.

51. Yarn you’ve worked with? That’s a tough question!! Really into everything Malabrigo right now. I love the squish and also the price point. It blocks nicely. Drapes well. I do love indie dyer Republic of Wool very much though! And Hedgehog Fibers. But like I said, price is important to me right now and I can’t price my stuff high enough to justify $26 per skein. So those are for personal projects only.

52. Stitch? Good ol’ knit stitch will always be my fave. I like playing with cabling and color before I fux with crazy stitches.

53. Yarn weight to work with? Have lots of love for DK currently.

54. Craft-related gift you’ve received? Gift cards!!

55. Type of project to crochet/knit? Shawls probably.

56. Crafting accessory? I have an enamel pin of a wool moth that says “Fuck off” from Spincycle Yarns. It’s on my small project bag. Find it here: https://spincycleyarns.com/collections/bling-miscellany/products/f-ck-off-wool-moth

57. Online supply store? Etsy! Support independent makers!!!

58. In-Person supply store? Portland has so many amazing yarn shops. Twisted, Close Knit, & Knitting Bee are my go-tos. The first two by my mom’s house and then Knitting Bee is the best one closest to my house. I interviewed to work at Starlight Knitting Society but they picked someone else and broke my heart so I’m temporarily avoiding them even though they have a lot of good stuff.

59. Yarn brand? See above.

60. Place for patterns? Ravelry

61. Hook/needle brand? HiyaHiya

Social media:

62. Do you have any social media accounts just for your craft? https://www.facebook.com/purlgrrrl/ , This tumblr, and working on Insta after FB gets fully launched.

63. Do you post WIPs on social media or just the finished products? I do lots of WIPs on my personal insta. I love seeing other people’s WIPs. They inspire me most.

64. If someone asked you to recommend other crafting blogs, which would you recommend? ahhhhh this could be a whole nother post by itself!! Not tagging those people here, but will do another post after this with my faves.

Post a photo of…?

65. Your yarn stash - It’s all covered up right now. Not super fun.

66. One of your WIPs

The Clementine Cowl and Marceline the puppy. :)

67. A finished project

(This piece is for sale)

68. Your craft space - I’m too lazy. don’t judge me.

69. Your collection of hooks/needles - Still too lazy.

70. Your first project (or earliest you have a photo of) - I don’t have any early photos on this computer!

71. Yourself!

Me, the puppers, and the fiance!

[awkwardkrafts-blog]

EXPRESSION FIBER ARTS YARN CLUB MARCH 2017

I haven’t been able to find anyone reviewing or posting the monthly yarn club limited edition skeins from Expression Fiber Arts so I’ve decided to start posting them here.

But first a little introduction… I’m really new to knitting but I’m absolutely in love with this company and I feel like I can relate a lot to the founder, Chandi, and how she took up knitting in her late 20s during a bad time in her life and it really helped her get through it. - I’m 27 and currently not working due to a back injury and suffering from pretty bad depression. I’m certainly a lot better than I was last fall, thanks to antidepressants, rest, the loss of an abusive friend and the acquisition of a very loving and kind boyfriend. Sadly all of that isn’t enough though. I used to be an artist and I’ve always felt like I need to be making things so what better time to be doing it than while I’m virtually trapped at home with nothing to do and running out of tv shows fast? So here I am, I started with “friendship” bracelets that I decided to make friends and such for valentines day, then dabbled a bit in embroidery, then started attempting to knit after a trip to the craft store to get more embroidery floss and I kept looking over my shoulder at the yarn section feeling like maybe I should try that too and after going home and watching some how-to videos on knitting (which included Chandi’s oh-so-very cringably dorky intro to knitting) I gave in to the call, bought some yarn and started up! I read more and started looking for better yarn to try because what I had was cheap and a little hard to work with. I remembered Chandi talking about the yarn she uses in her video so I clicked her link and lo and behold I found the most beautiful yarns I’ve ever seen. So now I have a stash of some fantastic squishies and more coming and I’m finally working on my first full project, which is just a scarf but I decided to make it of my own design and not someone elses, much less something so basic as just a stockinette stitch… we’ll see how that turns out.

ANYWAY the Expression Fiber Arts Yarn Club is sort of like a monthly subscription box sans subscription and you have 4 choices every month from a selection of themed pictures that the yarns will be based off of. This months theme was BIRDS! - Green Honeycreeper - Ruby Throated Hummingbird - Quetzal - Scarlet Macaw

I opted out of the macaw because I wasn’t feeling the rainbow at the time and I now regret it and the Quetzal was already sold out and my heart is still broken over it :( I ordered 2 each of the honeycreeper and the hummingbird and I have to say I’m in love with the honeycreeper. It is gorgeous!!! Just look at how the blues and greens melt into each other. Lovely ♡♡♡ The humming bird is very springy, and while I’m not as head over heals for it as I am the honeycreeper, I still look forward to making something nice with it :)

The yarn used this month for all the colors is a yak silk lace weight and the goodies that came with them are a pack of pastel stitchmarkers (which I really need for that scarf - Thank You Chandi!!!) And a measuring tape, both of which I recieved 4 each of, because I ordered 4 skeins altogether.

There are also recommended patterns each month, one for crochet and one for knitting. Crochet Pattern: Apple Blossom Stole by Kai Rochford nee Mistry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/apple-blossom-stole Knitting Pattern: Wirbel by Sue Berg http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wirbel

And lastly I recieved a coupon for 2$ off each item in one order

Next Months Theme: FLOWERS! Go check out the inspiration pictures Here: http://www.expressionfiberarts.com/categories/yarn-club.html

I’ll post pictures of the April Yarn Club on May 1st as Chandi requests nobody spoil the surprise for anyone who hasn’t gotten theres yet.

The yarn base for Aprils club colors will be Alpaca Silk DK which should be a good medium weight yarn for beginners (and also feels amazing from that 50% silk) so if you want to learn to knit, order a skein or 2 and watch these beginner videos by Chandi while you wait for your yarn to arrive! Absolute Beginner: https://youtu.be/ONVQCK_-rKc Purling: https://youtu.be/2UJcXclkbvg

(Yes, they are a bit cringey but she’s a really good teacher)

[trnchd]

Made | My Journey Into Socks Part 2

In the last post I wrote, I was barely scratching the surface into sock knitting. I had learned so much in knitting two pairs of socks.

Most patterns are written either cuff-down or toe-up, the bulk of them in the former. This may be great for most, but I get an uneasy feeling knowing I may not have enough yarn to complete the toe. I always pick patterns that ‘require’ more yarn than what I have available so I rather have a shorter leg than having toe-less socks. Designers write patterns using a specific yarn and use that yarn’s yardage as the amount needed to complete the pattern whether it’s a sweater, scarf, socks, wtc. Usually people don’t need that much yarn, but it’s better to overestimate than under and have some leftover for darning and mending. Regardless, I always end up converting socks from cuff-down to toe-up.

Thraw by Clare Devine became my third pair of socks, made from Mrs. Crosby Train Case in a gorgeous raspberry tonal color Hollywood Cerise. I enjoyed working with this yarn, but I feel it doesn’t live up to the hype (it’s also the same base as Lorna’s Laces Solemate). It’s made with 30% Outlast, a rayon that’s supposed to regulate tempature but I didn’t feel any difference. In fact, these were the first pair of socks that made itself a hole :gasp:. I can’t blame the yarn, my feet weren’t in the greatest condition when I discovered the hole, but it’s the only pair I’ve seen a hole so it makes me suspicious.

The pattern itself is gorgeous and the yarn perfectly complements it. I absolutely love the cable and leg lace details on one side and mirrored to match. Converting the pattern to toe-up wasn’t so easy though. Because the cables and lace were charted for a specific length and were located in the middle of my magic loop, I had to do a lot of shifting, recalculating and reversing the charts. In the end, these turned out beautifully, definitely the best looking pair of socks to date. Ravelry notes.

After Thraw, I started to discover I didn’t like the basic trapezoidal shape for my toes. It didn’t look right and it wasn’t fitting my toes correctly, I have a longer 2nd toe on both feet, my mother calls it my ‘alien’ toe, ha ha. I did a little research and came across a method for a more rounded toe and it’s now been the only toe I’ve made since. At the same time, I decided I needed to experiment with other heels. There’s nothing wrong with the heel flap varieties, I personally don’t like the look of them and they were going to ruin the appearance of my next socks.

I can’t remember where I discovered this yarn by Turtlepurl, probably on Instagram when I used to check it everyday, 2-3 times a day... Anyways, I saw Striped Turtle Toes in Trenchcoat that looked like the traditional Burberry checks, except in stripes. I immediately fell in love and needed to get my hands on this. Trouble was they were always sold out, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled with having to pay $30 for yarn shipped from Canada. I eventually threw in the towel and ordered the yarn when I saw my opportunity and didn’t turn back.

You may have noticed up to this point, I’ve only knitted more difficult patterns that a novice wouldn’t dare touching until more experienced. That’s not my MO; I’ve always tackled more interesting patterns/projects first, then work my way backwards, learning as I go. When I first started sewing, I was told by countless people that I should start with pillowcases and stitching across lined paper to learn how to sew in a straight line. Nope, I started with a jersey knit dress and melton wool coat. The dress wasn’t a complete disaster, the grains were in different directions, I used a woven fabric for the waistband and all my seams were disgusting. But it was a completed, mostly wearable dress except it made me look pregnant (it was one of those bad designs), so I only wore it around the house. The coat I finally threw away knowing it was never going to be completed. It has so many problems and looked far to regal for my taste. It was one of those ‘what was I thinking’ moments in royal purple and a shawl type collar, just no.

Anyways, because I didn’t want to distract away from the self-striping, I decided this was going to be my first vanilla sock with an afterthought heel. I think the reason why I stay away from the basic patterns is they’re boring. It’s a nice change to knit TV projects, those that don’t require a lot of attention and can be done while watching a TV show or movie, but my brain gets bored of them. Because I wanted the striping to end right before I knit the heel, these socks are a little too long in the foot. There wasn’t a way to prevent this other than reknit the whole sock, but I can live with my small mistake. Like I’ve said, this is a learning process. Regardless, they turned out exactly as I wanted them to and they’ve worn wonderfully so far without issues. The color is starting to fade a bit after machine washing them a few times, but that’s to be expected with hand dyed yarns.

After finishing those, I took a break from socks and knitted sweaters for a change. At the time I had three skeins of sock yarn left and I didn’t have a plan for them. A skein of a cashmere blend, by far the softest sock yarn I’ve touched so far (until I bought more, see below). My only skein of 100% superwash merino, a rare oddity because I’ve always made it a priority to have some nylon for strength and durability. And a skein of white, grey and black marl, my unicorn.

For the longest time I’ve wanted black and white marl socks. I don’t know why, a small rustic side of me had dreamed of them, searching high and low for the right yarn and always coming up empty. Then one day I randomly spotted the yarn I’d longingly desired after it’d been discontinued and I thought I’d never obtain. I fell so hard in love that I went back after the yarn was discounted even more and bought everything this store had because I wanted a classic baseball raglan sweater knitted with the same marl with black sleeves. Here’s the kicker, it’s Cascade Heritage Quatro in Pepper (no link, it's been discontinued). Wait, WHAT??? How could I go back to this yarn after it ruined my first sock experience? The Quatro line was spun in Peru before Cascade moved most of their operations to China, which means this yarn lives up to the previous hype that made me want to knit it in the first place. I could tell the difference between the two, the Peru one was spun tighter, making it a tad less soft, but less likely to pill, and it’s held up after going through the washer once.

I didn’t want anything flashy, but I didn’t want a completely vanilla pair, so I added a touch of Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label in charcoal for a slight hand dyed effect. In hindsight, I should’ve gone with a darker or solid black, but Tanis was another highly recommended dyer that I wanted to try (I wasn’t super impressed). One thing I did differently was knit these on smaller needles for a tighter fit. All the socks I knitted thus far were a little too big, especially after wearing them for a day. I made the mistake of knitting these a tad too short in the foot, oh well, I’m still learning. Ravelry notes.

Soooo... I have a small confession. I’ve become obsessed with sock yarn. I’ve become that person I thought I’d never become. They’ve become my drug. Lately I haven’t been able to help myself. I’ve seen too many extremely great deals on Ravelry from both stores and people trying to destash. How can I pass up some of these beautiful colors for a lot less than I would pay retail, most of them 50% off including shipping? Just take my money. I don’t want to know how many skeins I’ve added to my stash, the above picture is a small amount, but I know I have enough to wear a different pair everyday or more. Imagine a 70 qt. storage box neatly organized, almost full of just sock yarn. I’ll admit I have a problem, but I buy these knowing either I’ll knit, weave or sell them, knowing I can’t buy socks in a store. It’s not entirely about the colors or patterns, it’s about knowing my and/or someone else’s feet will be warm and comfy. Yep, some of it's already planned as Christmas presents for others (I shudder at that time of year thought in April).

Since I’ve acquired all this yarn, I’ve made myself a goal, knit at least one pair for myself per month. This includes the summer months because they don’t make my hands and lap extremely hot as a bigger garment would. So far I’ve held to my word. Because socks are a smaller project taking less time than a sweater, I feel more accomplished faster, therefore the rewarding factor is more satisfying. I don’t know if I’ll feature all of my socks on the blog, but I’ll definitely share the more special ones. The rest will go on the social media accounts so be sure to follow for the continuing journey into sock knitting.

[wulfiesessentials]

The Caribbean Ruana

If you haven’t seen or heard yet.. Red Heart Yarns has some new yarns!!!! I had received a email a week or so back from Red Heart introducing the new yarns & a SALE!!! So… me being the yarn hoarder I am, I bought a couple skeins of each to try.

Red Heart has been around for as long as I can remember. It was the first yarn I had ever used. If your a yarn addicted like myself, I’d recommend reading the history of this Company. There’s some pretty interesting facts and I was pleasantly surprised to have found out, and understood why it was my Grandmothers favorite after I read the history and found out they are part of Coats & Clark, which comes from Scotland 😉

I know alot of experienced Knitters & Crocheter’s that Cringe when you mention Red Heart yarn. The first thing that goes threw their mind is.. Scratchy. Red Heart has come along way and has many yarns with many degree’s of softness. Super Saver, being the cheapest, In my mind has come along way though. It does not feel as stiff and “scratchy” as it used to. You will run into a skein here and there that doesn’t feel that pleasing to the touch BUT don’t let that deter you from purchasing because there is a very simple and easy trick to make that yarn feel just as soft as a baby’s bottom 😉 haha

Your gonna go to the local Dollar store and buy yourself a bottle of hair conditioner. Basic, not fancy, not fragrant, just cheap plain hair conditioner. You can either do this prior to making your item or after. If your making several, I would wait til your done making them.. then do this trick. Depending on how large your item is you can either do it in the tub or sink. Fill the sink with just enough warm water to cover the items. Then you will squeeze in about 2 – 3 handfuls ( depending on the size of your hand) into the sink. Now gently knead your item in the water.. squeezing out the water then dunking it again a couple time… Leave the items in the mixture for atleast 20 mins. Drain the sink, then rinse your items with cold water, lay out flat to dry or block your item at this time if need be. When Items dry’s you will have Softer yarn!! 🙂

Now that you have no excuse to not use Super Saver lol I’m going to talk about The New Super Saver Ombre yarns….

I have tried Caron Cakes & Mandala so when I saw the Ombre I did a little dancing jig in my chair!!! I was not pleased with Caron Cakes  but I was impressed with Mandala. Eagerly wanting to try Ombre I went threw my pattern stash before the yarn arrived I was not going to mess with making my own design for 2 reasons.

1.) I was only purchasing 2 skiens, Scuba & Anthracite. These skeins are decent sized 10 oz (283 g) Yardage 482 yds (440 m) but I wanted to make sure I made something that was going to use just one full skein. 

2.) I wanted something that was going to show off the colors of these yarns. After being disappointed with my pattern stash, I went to Red Hearts website and started looking at their patterns. I saw the Ruana but the Ruana is more of a Fall/ Winter items so I did alittle of my own tweaking and came up with a Ruana that was more open and flowing along with being a bit shorter. Something that was going to work great for the summer breeze’s & nights.

As I worked this yarn.. I was noticing soo many neat little aspects about it. Ombre is a #4 weight yarn so even though I used a 9mm ( recommended is 5.5mm) it was still working up great with the colors. The color gradient is smooth & almost unnoticeable as your working. It is kinda hard to see in the photo’s, even though I tried 20 million lighting options .. grrr… to see it but it kinda has a “frosted” type look to it… And…

JUST LOOK AT THAT COLOR!!!!!! ❤ ❤

This is definitely going on my “Yarn Stash” list of must keep handy at all times.!! I have already started on the Anthracite skein. Kinda just flying by the seat of my pants on this one.. It will most probably end up being some type of wearable cardi, cocoon, poncho thing hahaha

Comparison

Since I have only used 2 other brands of “gradient” type yarns. This isn’t a huge comparison list…

Caron Cakes VS Ombre… To me, There is none. Caron Cakes does not meet my guidelines of “gradient” yarn. Ombre was far more superior. I found so many issues with the Cakes. I would direct you to a review I had done but when I decided to get a domain and tried to transfer my posts from the other site.. well it got eaten by the big transfer monster 😉

Lion Brands Mandala VS Ombre… This was going to be tough for me TIL I realized a important factor between these two yarns. As stated above Ombre is a weight #4. Mandala is a weight #3!!! As both have a flawless blend of color changes I was torn between which I loved better 😉 Seeing as how they are different weights this made it possible to love both. Mandala is a bit softer than Ombre but both were pretty dang equal with each other.

SUMMARY

Super Saver Ombre….

Comes in 12 colors – Is a weight #4 yarn – Skeins are a good size – Gradient is smooth & flawless. As in most all super saver skeins I have purchased in the past, there was no frayed sections, knots, etc while working with this yarn…. No surprises.

The only way to get your hands on this new Ombre is from Redheart.com   or

A.C Moore Arts & Crafts store. As far as I could figure out.. A.C Moore is a East Coast craft store. I never recalled hearing or seeing one back home on the West Coast.

I’m hoping they will release it at other stores as time goes on.

Have A Wonderful Holiday Weekend!!! 🙂

I am NOT affiliated with anyone mentioned in this post. Any &/or all opinions are solely my own, I do not get paid to write reviews.

Redheart’s Ombre Yarn Review The Caribbean Ruana If you haven't seen or heard yet.. Red Heart Yarns has some new yarns!!!!