Malon's Craft Blog: January 2015

Thursday, January 22, 2015

It's been quite a productive week...

Due to the productivity this week, i decided to update. Also, because i will probably forget to show half of these by the 2 week mark(all thought i'm trying to get better at that!). I finished all of my WIPs from last week(save the piranha plant swatch) and then some. I also completed an awesome cowl i made w/ the hand-spun, as well as added a crochet sweater to my WIP list.

I'm going to update this the easiest way possible which is including some tidbits of information along with the picture. As usual, you can find my Cast Off Crew video below as well. As a bonus, i'm also sharing my awesome new Animal Crossing themed project bags made by The Patchwork Peaches (on Etsy). She is a new podcaster as well, check out her channel here. They came just in time too, i plan to use one as a purse(or at least carry my WIPs around in) to the convention i'll be attending this weekend(Magfest). You can view my mail-time video here.

Sockhead Hat in Lion Brand's Sock Ease, Sourball. View my project page here - free pattern!

Bernat's Cable Baby Blanket in I love This Yarn, Mid Green and Gray(?). View my project page - a free pattern!

Cable and Gusset Mittens in Loops & Threads Charisma, Mountain Majesty. View my project page - Pattern from the 'Circular Knitting Workshop' book.

Bandana Cowl made in my 100% Coopworth(hand-spun and hand-dyed). View my project page - This is a Free Pattern!

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Completed Cardigan & January's Yarn Club Project

These last couple of weeks i've completed the 'Harvest' cardigan(check out my project page), a free pattern from tincanknits. It turned out great, i really recommend it! Although i had to alter it due to my gauge, i had no issues with my adjustments.

I also completed my Monthly Yarn Club project! January's pick was Plymouth Yarn Encore Colorspun. My aim was to use as much yarn as possible, i wanted minimal scraps/yarn left over. At first i thought fingerless gloves, but that was too small a project so i decided to make a pair of leg warmers instead. They turned out great and used up about 99.5% of the skein(if not more, really). The 'pattern' was inspired by the cozy sweater warmer i purchased from scentsy via Smellsgreatguy(check him out! he's a scentsy consultant).

The next two 'completed' items are fiber/yarn related. I finished dying my handspun(navajo plyed) which i showed during my last Cast Off vid. It wasn't what intended but it was a beautiful surprise. I love how all the colors separated and blended on themselves, it's disappointing that i won't be able to replicate it. I already know this is going to be a cowl, i just have to pick out the pattern.

I also completed spinning the 4oz of Malabrigo in the Universo colorway last week, and i recently finished plying it into a 2-ply chunky/super chunky yarn. I'm not sure about my yardage yet, i'll let it sit for a couple of more days before i make it into a skein and measure. It's my first 2-ply on my Babe spinning wheel(which i haven't named yet..lol). Check out my ravelry and Cast-Off video below for more info!

My WIPs(works in progress) for the week:
1. Sockhead Hat in Lion Brand's Sock Ease, Sourball. This is a free pattern!
2. Bernat's Cable Baby Blanket in I love This Yarn, Mid Green and Gray(?). Also a free pattern!
3. Cable and Gusset Mittens in Loops & Threads Charisma, Mountain Majesty. Pattern from the 'Circular Knitting Workshop' book.
4. Double Knitting Piranha Swatch (no pattern/ working off a chart)

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Monthly Yarn Club ~ 2015

I decided to dig through my stash and pick out 12 skeins/colorways I would specifically want to work with this year. They aren't any one kind of yarn/blend/weight in particular, but all are beautiful skeins, old and new(er), which I just haven't had a chance to work through yet. Some have been in my stash for a few years, probably since I've started my yarn journey! Others are more recent buys that are just as beautiful. There's a variety of commercial yarns and not so commercial yarns, as well as a variety of fiber(fiber content) and weights. I didn't number my bags either, I think that will just add to the surprise element ;).

I did go a step further and somewhat browsed ravelry while i updated these in my stash, for projects I tagged and/or are in my queue. If I happen to really like a specific project I'd want to see with any specific yarn, I noted the details and included it via note in the package. Not to say I have to make that specific item, it's more of a dash of Inspiration. I also noted if I have more of the yarn in my stash, if I happen to want to make a larger project(I'm on a yarn ban as well!), this should come in handy to use up more of it.

Last but not least, here is the bunch! I'll have my hubs pick one out every month. I'll also be updating with links to the projects these awesome yarns have created(i imagine most may be ravelry project pages, so if you're not in ravelry you should really think of joining! It's an amazing resource at the least). Check out my video update regarding the yarn club here.